Doom. Part 2. In search of the unknown Kadath or magical realism, surrealism and strange dreams. 8 unusual wads
Doom would not be what it is at all if it were not accompanied by a certain degree of surrealism both in the environment and in what is happening, which distinguishes it favorably from conventional military-style shooters, and no less conventional horror / psychedelic works that have more or less action elements .
When it comes to custom maps and vadas, the concept of what is generally considered surreal is often blurred and, as a result, it is placed on the same abstract shelf with other, particularly the mentioned genres. This fact, perhaps, is partly due to the fact that in its pure, distilled form, this kind of creation is much less common, both in the context of custom wads and if we take the gaming industry as a whole, but they exist.
Next, we will consider 5+1 cards and 2 vadas, a total of 8 works, which, in my opinion, are successful implementations, to one degree or another taking one of the three key elements as the main one.
Pointed out elements of this kind can generally be found in ordinary works, where wads for Doom 64 could be singled out in particular. At the same time, in a purer, distilled form, this kind of creation is much less common, both in the context of custom wads and and if we take the gaming industry as a whole.
In this article, an attempt was made to find more “clean” examples, or, at least, those that came close to such status, starting with two projects inspired, like games in the indie genre, be it “The Bridge“(2013) and, to a lesser extent, “Kairo“(2013), works by a famous artist.
Part 1. M.K. Escher.
Maurits Cornelis Escher – Dutch graphic artist. Known primarily for his conceptual lithographs, wood and metal engravings, in which he masterfully explored the plastic aspects of the concepts of infinity and symmetry, as well as the peculiarities of the psychological perception of complex three-dimensional objects, he is the most prominent representative of imp art.
Brief information from Wikipedia.
1. Impossible: A New Reality (2006). Cacowards 2006.
https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/gi/imposs
Don't trust your instincts. Don't trust your sense of reality. This fall, there are more than three dimensions.
On the surface, this card starts out quite ordinary. Doomguy explores another fortress in brown tones, but the further he goes, the more the surrounding space is rebuilt according to unknown laws, seemingly endless staircases lead to nowhere until the hero turns around and goes back, somewhere a mirror is just a mirror, and somewhere , this is a passage…
The combination of unusual transitions, puzzles and unexpected skirmishes, culminating in a battle with a cyberdemon through the looking glass, meant that I:ANR not only received the annual Cacowards award in its time, but became one of the most familiar examples of how in real life Doom can to be embodied something borderline.
Settings and features:
GzDoom 4.10.0, UV difficulty.
It takes ~40 minutes to complete.
2. F&*% You, Escher! (2020).
https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/df/fuescher
https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/117145-id-games-release-f-you-escher/
This card can be called the complete opposite of the previous one. While I:ANR emphasized unusual elements as such, puzzles and not simple battles, fuescher completely shifts the emphasis to the structural component. The location as a whole, as well as its individual elements, represent the closest possible approximation of the implementation of geometry to the spirit of the paintings of the Dutch artist, as far as possible in the realities of the local code.
Settings and features:
GzDoom 4.10.0, UV difficulty.
It takes ~40 minutes to complete.
On YouTube I found only a video with this map, where the author did not have enough patience to fully complete it – it was not possible to open the door where the yellow skull is used, noclip was introduced. Judging by the topic on the forum, the problem is common, I also encountered this issue.
On the lowest level of the library, it's easy to miss the switch, hidden in the otherwise inconspicuous small room where the Heavy is located. By default, it is hidden behind one of the book shelves.
Departing somewhat from the “fictional” abstraction. This is not directly related to the note regarding these cards, but I recommend taking a look in the meantime:
Part 2. Strange dreams.
3. Doom Dream (2009).
https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/df/doomdrem
Dreams. A mysterious space, devoid of any frames or restrictions. A place where the wildest fantasies can easily come true. Considering this context, the implementation of high-quality thematic vadas in this vein was only a matter of time.
DD is, according to the author, a compilation of six dreams. The hero begins his journey in a strangely constructed space, moves to an empty city, where he has to find and activate a series of switches, after which he has to escape from an armada of imps and several cyberdemons, and at the end he awaits a snowy landscape and a waterfall. There are many custom textures, new weapons, among which we can highlight a machine gun, new types of opponents, in this context, successfully combined with the usual roster.
Settings and features:
GzDoom 4.10.0, UV difficulty.
It takes ~30-40 minutes to complete.
4. Surreal 2 (1995).
https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/su/surreal2
The same +1 card. One of the earliest attempts to play on the designated theme, and this is what makes it interesting in the first place. It’s short, the map can be completed in 5 minutes, it’s rather unprepossessing, with some clearly poorly chosen textures, but at the same time it still has a certain atmosphere. The idea of a gas station or similar objects in the middle of an all-encompassing emptiness will be used more than once; the sound effects were also spot on.
Settings and features:
5. bunker (2022).
https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/131714-bunker-now-on-idgames/
The hero wakes up from a strange sound – somewhere outside the window a siren sounds and a tornado is approaching. In order to hide from this, he goes down to the basement… and finds himself in a strange, distorted world. Moving through a space, some of which is devoid of walls, and some of whose elements repeat each other, he will have to cross a canyon that will lead… to M1 from the original Doom 2, but not at all the one that everyone once remembered.
In order to avoid spoilers, I won’t say how this story ended, besides, the map is not complicated and is devoid of any puzzles – the entire emphasis is on the atmosphere.
Settings and features:
GzDoom 4.10.0, UV difficulty.
It takes ~20 minutes to complete.
6. Sharp Things (2017).
https://www.doomworld.com/files/file/18974-sharp-things/
Map from a well-known modder in the community under the nickname Haser. According to a small backstory, the action of which remains behind the scenes, in the process of clearing the weeds in the backyard of the house, a portal is discovered, a “spiky” hell, in the architectural sense, due to the use of a large number of triangles. Armed primarily with a plasma gun, you will have to escape from this metaphorical “weed.”
Settings and features:
GzDoom 4.10.0, UV difficulty.
It takes ~40 minutes to complete.
7. UNWELCOME: Episode 1 (2018).
https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/103107-cl-11-v10-unwelcome-episode-1/
Screenshots
Gray-brown, but at the same time attractive, gamma, sound effects in the ambient style, puzzles, variability of levels, from full of meditative spirit to the arena – the four main elements, not counting the general surreal atmosphere inherent in this vada of 8 levels.
Settings and features:
GzDoom 4.10.0, UV difficulty.
After pressing the switch in the form of a skull on all levels except the eighth, you must return to the beginning, to the point in the form of a combination of blue and pink lines.
At one of the levels you will need to solve a riddle with switches, to do this, remember the sequence in different parts of the map. The correct combination is: 1 – red, 2 – blue, 3 – red, 4 – blue, 5 – blue, 6 – red, 7 – blue, 8 – red.
It takes ~2 hours to complete completely.
Part 3. In search of the unknown Kadath.
8. Strange Aeons (2015 / 2016). Cacowards 2015. Build 5.7.
https://mikestoybox.net/2017/01/04/strange-aeons/
Screenshots
Finally, I would like to dwell on the largest content in terms of content, consisting of 5 episodes and 45 levels (5 secret). Lovecraft’s “dream cycle” is taken as the basis here; the stories that take place in many ways directly cover the events and locations associated with the search for a strange city. I will not go into detail about the context, as well as the plot of the wada specifically, the background of the SA specifically is described in the PDF attached to the wada. Instead, I will focus on the more “practical” components.
In the context of its constituent parts, four elements are combined here – surrealism, horror, suspense, and the strangeness inherent in dreams. There are 4 new types of weapons, among which there is a sphere in the spirit of Hexen, an AK-47 assault rifle, a crossbow and something like an alternative plasma gun. There are 3 new spheres that last longer than the original ones – endless ammo, accelerated attack, modified berserk. There are 18 types of opponents.
To create the atmosphere, many custom and borrowed textures were used. The main part of the soundtrack was taken from Chasm: The Rift, System Shock, 2, FEAR and not very well known to the common man Death Mask (1995), a shooter that was once released on the Amiga. Structurally and stylistically, many levels, especially from the second episode, also refer to Chasm, however, somewhere there can be parallels with Quake / Unreal.
Settings and features:
GzDoom 4.10.0, UV difficulty.
Vad is focused on working with Ultimate Doom.
Falling into the abyss here does not lead to death – the hero is instead teleported to one or another fragment of the location.
3 types of monsters are present only in the fifth episode, while another 1 type, a reference to “Maniac Mansion” (1988), is only present in one secret level.
It takes ~7 hours to complete completely.
Secret levels.
E1M3 -> E1M9. In the northwest you can find a level map. Otherwise, it looks like you need to press the switch on the platform in the center of the sewer. As a result, a passage will be available in the southeast.
E2M5 -> E2M9. If you move a sufficient distance from the point where the yellow key is marked on the map, and then quickly run back, you can go into a small section and pick it up. The exit itself is located in the western part of the map; you will need to press the switch, which has two sides.
E3M5 -> E3M9. Once the main exit is accessed, specifically by pressing the four switches in the tower near the start, you need to return to the location where the only teleporter is located – this time it will take you to the secret exit.
E4M1 -> E4M9. You need to climb higher and follow the passage in the east.
E5M3 -> E4M9. At the end of the level you need to stand on a square platform. Then run to the switch, then to the second switch – the passage to the main exit will open. After this, you need to repeat the sequence, but after pressing the first switch, go to the teleport – after moving, you will notice a section that has opened in the rock with another teleport.
pros:
General atmosphere.
Architecture and level design.
E1M9 – “Haunted Hospital”. This card most clearly demonstrates the element of suspense.
E1M5 – “Juggernaut”. The action takes place on a moving platform carrying weapons, explosive barrels and some insects in flasks.
Minuses:
E3M4 – “The Gondola Grotto”. Since the time of “Daikatana”, in particular, it has been known that the use of fast, small and, on top of everything else, quickly killing the hero opponents is bad manners. The same applies to leveling the ranks of bosses’ opponents to the level, especially if they were such just an episode ago.
E5M6 – “Cthonian Planet”. The final battle on this map actually copies that from another episode, while by this point the creatures that act as intermediate bosses here have already been encountered more than once at regular levels, with the difference that they could often be ignored. If you do not calculate the balance for such an outcome, then there is a risk that you will not have enough ammo – you will have to save yourself using the “god” cheat code.
The fifth episode in fact feels rather secondary, in particular due to the presence of many self-repetitions compared to the other four.
