I don’t know why the description says this is a 3 map episode. It’s got a start map, one main map, and then a boss fight of sorts. So it’s really just one map.
It’s neat how intricate the map is, but too much of the gameplay design is just “here’s a ton of monsters”
And as intricate as it is, I got lost a few times just trying to figure out how to proceed and it led to some boring downtime.
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One of my favourite Quake maps, the start and main episodes are just magnificent in size, atmosphere, detail and game play and despite their huge sizes they are quite linear; it’s usually clear which way to go. I’ve played this one a number of times, it’s become my Christmas map.
I like the way you can generally play the huge main episode by exploration and discovery; my preference since my combat skills are very limited. Often there’s enough cover for sniping enemies and for not taking on too many at once and for trying to provoke infighting and in some cases creeping up on difficult enemies from behind. The huge size of the main episode is great for rocket sniping too which is handy for dealing with the odd Scrag (or 50) and great for shooting enemy snipers from a safe distance.
The souped up double barrel shotgun is particularly good too. It has a satisfying crack and echo and will take down a knight with one shot if you’re close enough. I found my self getting quite low on ammo until I had progressed a bit and then it becomes plentiful. You can also save ammo by killing some of the slower moving enemies, particularly zombies, with the ruby wand. There are quite a few new weapons some of which seem to be a way of expending lots of ammo not very effectively. I found myself using my favourite weapons the super shotgun, super nail-gun and rocket launcher, most of the time. Mind you the ice arrows are very useful for dealing with Shamblers and Droles.
Finding secrets rewards the player well, hints; there are some secrets within secrets and when you get the gold key cast your mind back to the room you started in. By finding the secrets (I found 29 of 30) you often get ammo, armour, power-ups and most helpfully the good weapons ahead of when you otherwise come across them through the normal progression. This makes the game play easier at harder levels. After a few plays I was able to complete the main episode in hard skill without resorting to god mode but still saving a lot. I suppose having played it a few times now helps with knowledge of the way around and builds a knowledge of the location of the ambushes and what lurks behind various doors.
I didn’t particularly like the end episode but that’s a matter of taste. If you like big fights with lots of strong enemies in a large but confined space with virtually no cover where you have to keep moving then I imagine you’d enjoy it. To get it over and done with I just ran around in god mode whilst letting infighting do most of the killing.
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Map was Great, not much to say, I found a fun skip though. There’s a part near the bronze key door where 2 ogres are throwing grenades at you from a balcony. Once you get to the upper section, and have the rocket launcher, you can just barely rocket jump to a small torch holder near the platform, and then slide down onto the ledge. If you do it you can get the gold key and skip a quarter of the level. Very fun.
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Finally finished the main map in hell mode, yay! I’ll try and finish the crazy last map but those damn spawns are tricky. Well, that and all the respawning, extra aggressive foes of course.
… done. Took a long time and probably many years off my life expectancy but I made it. Replaying the episode in Nightmare will feel like a cakewalk after this.
I must say it is especially frustrating to get killed by a mere Hellhound when you’ve spent that much time trying to - and finally succeeding at - surviving a Sha’vile and a Gug. It’s a good thing Droles helped for once.
Still no hope for A Roman Wilderness of Pain in the same inhuman mode though.
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Epic has a new meaning. Thanks, Tronyn.
Btw, are there any differences between Hell mode in ARWOP and this? I finished ARWOP in Hell mode pretty good, but could not get past the first room of Something Wicked…
As far as I can tell they are the same, monsters respawn and they’re also stronger and improved: for instance, Fiends are able to reach me with super high jumps from their pool at the start, Ogres are much better at aiming, and overall you can get killed pretty quickly with just a few hits. If you haven’t done so already, I recommend you explore the map in a more reasonable setting (even Nightmare) and find the most important secrets: you will need them, and you will also need to know when to go and get them.
Interesting comment, as I’m still stuck next to the gold key in ARWOP whereas I was able to complete Something Wicked - but it was by no means easy.
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I loved this. Hell mode seemed like a lot of fun with the leading shots, but couldn’t take the respawning so had to settle for nightmare in the end.
SCALE. Humongous but navigable due to the interconnectedness plus useful portals and shortcut lifts that open up. Despite these kindnesses from the mapper I still managed to get lost a few times. Mostly searching for doors as they were sometimes quite a way from the keys or so it seemed.
The vertically stacked architecture of the second large segment was amazing and had me gawping with surprise that there was still more each time I jumped up a level. Is this the tallest Quake map I’ve ever played? Could be.
The new weapons and enemies are all worthwhile as well (except for the sidewinder, used once and shelved forever). The little swooping demon fellas were especially challenging and fresh, wish these were in more custom maps.
It’s funny because a few weeks before playing this I was wondering what a Doom WAD-esque approach to map design would be like in Quake. Obviously enemy counts are much higher and I tend to find combat in good custom Doom maps more multidirectional than they typically are in Quake, despite the 2d nature. Question answered. With some flourishes right out of that old title with the bloodfalls and icon of sin staring out above the end of the second map no less before going to full-on slaughter, Quake style, in the final map.
Great stuff! I’ll be going through your back catalogue Tronyn for sure!