We interrupt this regularly scheduled Doom Musing to bring you...
...well, that image could have been better.
There we go, that's better. Ladies and gentlemen, the most interesting Doom map ever conceived in the world (thus far). This is Ephemeral, which is MAP32 of the recently-released 1000 Lines Community Project 2. This year so far has been a true year of the community megawad, so there's a whole lot of mixed quality to find with each release, and of course, that one showstealer. But WOW, this is one that steals the show in more ways than one. You've probably played your fair share of Doom maps to the point where you've seen it all, yet this not only combines old gimmicks with new, but presents them in such a way that makes you completely say "screw it" and hit that "give up" button, which frankly 99.999% of players will end up using after the frustration and tediousness this happened to have. The map doesn't look interesting from automap view, but looks are very deceiving.
So where to begin? First off, I've made a musing on gimmick maps already, so that should get us started just a bit. I've touched on the idea of stealth maps, and talked a bit about Doom 2 Reloaded MAP18, where the main draw there was all about not making a sound and avoiding enemies, because if you shoot, a bunch of arch-viles teleport in and make the map unwinnable. That sort of practice happens here, so if you want to ensure a victory in this map, don't shoot, or else nearly 200 archies spawn in to screw a complete victory.
But wait, those three imps at the start won't move away. What to do? Well this level has several locations that completely block sound, which are easily identifiable dark sectors with purple borders. These you can shoot the imps (and later other monsters) with and not get the archies to spawn in in turn. Believe it or not, this is also not new, as this sort of thing was featured in the 2019 WAD Entropy, in a small secret area. Basically to do that one better you gotta stand in specific sectors and shoot, and it's hard there as it was here. Yet in this map, being in the purple-bordered sectors more or less mitigates the initial monsters for the most part.
In the area just past the imps, you've got these yellow arrow signs which actually constitute a series of walkways you can raise or lower. These come into play quite a bit, and again, is a practice that is actually not new as there've been a few wads that puzzle the player with setups similar to this. But at the same time, it's still freakin' hard to remember where they are in respect to just about everything else and you gotta keep raising and lowering them as they should be fit. Then you combine that with what's described in the next paragraph as well as just about everything else the level offers.
What is new, and completely outside-the-box to the point where actually doing it is the most tedious part of the map is there's this red square that has a revenant or so, and you basically have to have it shoot at you, make sure the shot is homing, then have it go to a specific room and through this red laser grid (note: Doom Builder snapshot)
I mean an arrow points to it for crying out loud. But you yourself cannot go through it as its too small (and if you try to trigger the nearby arch-vile, so that it can make you jump over the grid, you'll find the line is impassable). Luring it in is a problem due to you using the arrows from before to raise and lower platforms, which create new obstacles, but once you get it through the grid you lower a red bar nearby. Okay, so what? Well, if you paid attention, there's an arrow not only pointing towards the grid, but the area where that revenant is also is a red square, with an arrow, and a laser above it. So luring the homing revenant rocket through the grid entails that it will lower the space where the revenant is as well, so you gotta high-tail it back there and get through the next area. As you do, make sure not to get near the hole or the revenant can punch you too.
Oh and don't even think about killing the revenant by entering the purple-bordered square on the other side, you'll be fighting limitless amounts of revenants by even thinking about it.
There's another of these grids a bit further up, and the same ideal is applied more or less, just opens a switch near it. This raises a block to the north, which yeah cool. Anyways, aside from that, you take a lift, use a switch, go through the left side, hey wait did you remember to raise the walkways at least once? Hope you did. Then you could possibly access that other grid. Assuming you head all the way east, you can head north, trigger another switch near two purple sectors, and use another switch to lower that aforementioned block. BUT WAIT, you'll have to head back down yet again to raise the platforms again, which will THEN entail more revenant rocket hi-jinks!
Well aside from that, the SW area has a cyberdemon guarding a pretty important switch. You've got a purple sector but not nearly enough space to safely engage it. So what to do? Use the north wall perhaps? Well archies are there. A good bet now would be attacking them while in the purple sector, then use the small teleporter where they're at to telefrag the cyberdemon and get the switch. Yeah, that works I'm sure. That switch reveals teleporters to the south sides, which are handy. Oh yeah, more revenant rocket hi-jinks too.
I really don't know what else to say at this point because I straight up will cheat by then, but at the east end on the higher platform are just a few monsters with nearby purple sectors. Oh wait, how can I kill this one hell knight blocking a small corridor? I'd imagine the best way to go around it is to get the archie on the other side to infight with the hell knight until he dies (then you should get rid of the archie by way of the purple sector). The switch at the end there is also timed, and well the walkways should be in place (don't wanna go to ground floor!) and you gotta get there quickly enough.
New switch, new enemies at the east side. One or two arch-viles at the east end, but also a cyberdemon in a super-small cage behind them opens up. A switch behind that cage? Except you're trapped for a period of time which is certain death at that point. Don't bother to kill the cyberdemon from the purple sector either as that will be replaced soon enough by another one. This part I had to look at the video and even it is perplexing how to actually do, so backtrack a bit NW to a teleporter you recently opened up? A bit east of where the revenant sector is is the solution, but first, raise the walkways three times. Then get to that area where there's a down arrow switch to lower the walkways as well as another switch. That one seems to reveal a cage with a hell knight, but what use is it? The solution is this: hit that switch, then the down arrow switch, then quickly get across the platforms to the west side, then through the teleporter to the other side, then to the teleporter that was opened in the room with two demons, which takes you to a sector that is purple and sort-of facing this switch in the distance, which you must shoot (the sector you teleport to is a purple-bordered sector so it's safe to shoot). That switch in question allows the revenant block to rise up, but also allows the hell knight from before to come in. Kill that one at least, but now that you have the revenant from before at the top, the goal is to lure yet another revenant rocket all the way to hit that cyberdemon and when its active and not actually firing, that will allow you to safely wait for the door to open. Holy crap this one is all save/loads at this point.
If you get past it by any means, then the worst is more or less over. Hit the switch near the cyberdemon and just wait at that point. At the end, the next few switches get you the red key.
Hey wait that's a blue door! Well crap, anyways, more revenant rocket hi-jinks and you gotta head back to the north end, but immediately turn to the west and open the red door. Kill enemies here, blah blah, press switch, wait for teleporter. Hey! Is that the arch-vile killer switch! Awesome! With that pressed you are now free to safely kill enemies left over.
So how to finally exit? Well you need to raise the walkways four times, then use the blue door and you're more or less home-free, correct? Nice to give the BFG by then as a consolation prize.
Yes people, you are looking at the most interesting map in the world, and it was just released with a community project just days ago. Gimmicks old and new, but LOADS of tediousness and I still cannot fathom what to do. Gotta lure revenant rockets and make sure all your walkways are raised and lowered accordingly. A handful of combination gimmicks. It's enough for an entire Doom Musing to try and walk everyone through it.
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