DOOM + DOOM II enhanced. The mega classic with a mod manager, new campaigns.., custom wads. [PS, PC, XB, NX]

Doom modding took off heavily based off its relative simplicity in its building blocks.
it also was quite mesmerizing and fascinating to build a level using tools. Back then I didn't have an internet connection but I used to buy PC magazines, and some of them included CDs with excellent software. One of those disks I got in early 1996 included a Doom level editor. I tried DEU, iirc. but maybe it was another one.

The issue with those CDs and not having an internet connection is that you were stuck with not having updates. I remember using the maps of the first episode of Doom 1 as a reference, and adding new rooms, monsters and lots of cool stuff and then testing the results but I couldn't replicate all the cool effects the original maps had using the editor. Level editing greatly enhanced the popularity of Doom that's for sure.

That being said, I haven't been active editing Doom levels since then. Back in the day I knew very little english, the documentation wasn't sufficient -there were no manuals on how to use the program included with the CDs of those magazines-, I couldn't update to a new version of the editor and also the editor had some limitations compared to the level design of the original levels.

I.e. maybe I was missing something but I remember I couldn't replicate the condition of using a switch only with a key of certain colour, nor opening a wall with a shot to uncover a secret, creating walls you could get through, etc etc. I knew where those things were placed and checking in the editor there was nothing special about that, even reading the properties of a switch, a door, etc, some options seemed to be missing so you couldn't have the full experience of the original Doom editor.

Tbh, I didn't know what was the best Doom editor, but I had mastered the one included in the CD and I'd swear some things weren't possible using that version of the editor.

Those CDs also included lots of wads from other people with their corresponding readme.txt, and they seemed to use another editor. Maybe it was DEU what they used, but I think I used either DEU or some other editor and they managed to achieve things that weren't possible using the editor I had. Still fun to use though, and very intuitive.

I am glad they included things like the Master Levels of Doom selected by the Id from many of the maps made by the community in the 90s.


Lastly, let's not forget they were churning these games out within like 9-14 months.
yeah, that's why maybe some Doom 2 maps aren't as polished as others, or even in the original Doom that might explain why some maps are so bad in the 2nd and 3rd episode, but the initial episode was a masterpiece regarding overall level design, imho.

Also I am currently watching a video on Doom 2 levels, and Sandy Peterson had to develop a lot of maps for Doom 2 in 9 months, which was the time between the release of Doom 1 and Doom 2.

While some Doom 2 levels aren't good, some others are fun, but most importantly they added the new shotgun and a great set of enemies in those 9 months, which is brilliant, the Revenant and the Arch Vile being my favourite.
 
Which conservative snowflake complained about Tatcher's Techbase? Got it banned from the place where Bethesda leaves so many iconic maps uploads without attribution. This Bethesda manager is awful and I suggest people stay away from it and stick with Doom community that the game to where we are now.
aren't external maps or mods allowed? Haven't tried yet, since I am playing The Master Levels of Doom 2 campaign. I've like to try the RTX mod, or some wads that maybe aren't featured in the Bethesda site.

On a different note, some things I noticed:

- I played the game at 1440p 165fps on my monitor and playing it on my 4K TV at 60fps it feels like the game runs at less than 30fps, dunno why. It's quite unbearable.

- Controlling this game with the gamepad isn't for me. My gaming mice are in a bad state and I'm waiting for a new gaming mouse that I ordered so I can play with mouse + keyboard.

- The new remastered music is cool, but the FM music using the DMX FM synth feels more atmospheric to me, more like Doom. I use both, depending. It's enough time to complete each level and listen to each type of music.

- Doom 1 + 2 accepts 32:9 Ultrawide, that's a nice touch.

Edit: Fixed the issue of running the game at 60fps and feeling like it ran at 20 or 30fps. I just disabled Vertical Sync and the game looks much smoother now.
 
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got a new gaming mouse. Nothing very fancy and it only has 6 buttons, but it is more than enough for this game and it is a game changer in this particular game. I can play most games with a gamepad but it's very difficult for me to play Doom efficiently with a gamepad. Using just the Up key to move and the mouse to turn is so intuitive and natural that I can't see myself playing the game with a controller, although I am used to use it nowadays for most games
 
Eviternity is top notch. Some of the puzzles and secrets are pretty creative, and I like how the levels in each episode fit together like Quake 2 levels are. But I think the most impressive thing about the .wad is the way they fake shadows. you can see it on the first map where the pillars have fake projected shadows, and some of the later maps have the same effect under trees. Here's a couple pics from the first map of episode 3. I know these techniques were used in normal doom maps, but it's cranked up to 11 here.Screenshot 2024-09-21 211724.pngScreenshot 2024-09-21 211817.png
 
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