Doom 1 WADs 2-9


21HEX_PN.ZIP

Title
21HEX_PN
Filename
21HEX_PN.ZIP containing 21HEX_PN.WAD
Size
58Kb
Author
Peter Naus
Email Address
petern@hparc0.aus.hp.com

Play Information

Game
DOOM I
Episode and Level
E2M1
Modes
Single/Co-op/Deathmatch
Difficulty Settings
Yes
New resources
None
Demos Provided
None

Construction

Base
New level from scratch
Editor(s) used
DEU 5.0, 5.01 , 5.1, and 5.2; DOOMED 1.0, BSP 1.0
Bugs Found
The level was very slow. The author should have used REJECT (the program) to build the REJECT (other utilities generate a more true REJECT, but this level would not benefit much from this due to lots of interconnections). There was HOM due to a line facing the wrong way. There was also a teleport, whith lines tagged to 0, so whenever you stand on it, Doom must check almost every sector in the level to try to find a teleport destination. None exists, but it makes the game jerk whenever you walk on it (I noticed this in play).

Other Info

Copyright/Permissions
Authors may NOT use this level as a base to build additional levels. You MAY distribute this WAD, provided you include this file, with no modifications. You may distribute this file in any electronic format as long as you include this file intact.
Where to get this WAD
ftp.uwp.edu, ftp.cdrom.com

The Review

21HEX_PN.WAD is based around 6 large "gardens", each of which has a walkway around the outside, separated by a low wall from the garden, which is stepped like a pyramid (some downward, some upward). The first thing that struck me about 21HEX_PN is that it is slow. My 486DX2 slowed down badly in places.

Initially, the gardens are a tough fight; you have to grab a shotgun quick, clear the enemies from the outer path, then hammer at the imps that surge around inside the garden. The first couple of courtyards are a good fight, and you can come close on ammo and health.

But once you clear the 1st courtyard, you get access to a couple of goody dumps. You soon have plenty of health and ammo, and later a 200% armour helps too. The courtyards, on the other hand, do not increase in difficulty, so the later yards lose some interest, as you just clean up the monsters.

The level is far from perfect in some details. Doortracks had been poorly chosen, there was some minor HOM. Also, teleports are used, but the teleport floor texture was not aligned.

Most of the level is the 6 gardens, and connecting corridors, though there is an area of narrow BROVINE (brown cement walls, covered in vines) corridors which broke the monotony. But this area contained some serious tutti-fruiti, and a door which was too tall (so texture tiled up).

Overall, I'd say this is an OK PWAD for those with power computers (or who are prepared to build the REJECT themselves), but more attention to details would have improved it.

Difficulty
5
Size
7
Architecture
4
Interest
5
Overall
5

21JPXFIR.ZIP

Title
21 Crossfire, v1.0
Filename
21JPXFIR.ZIP containing 21JPXFIR.WAD
Size
16Kb
Author
Joe E. Powell
Email Address
powell_jo@a1-jax.navy.mil

Play Information

Game
DOOM I
Episode and Level
E2M1
Modes
Single/Co-op/Deathmatch
Difficulty Settings
Yes
New resources
None
Demos Provided
None

Construction

Base
New level from scratch
Editor(s) used
EdMap 1.11, BSP 1.2x, RMB 1.1p2
Bugs Found
WinDEU reported some unattached sectors, but nothing serious.

Other Info

Copyright/Permissions
Authors MAY use this level as a base to build additional levels. You MAY distribute this WAD, provided you include this file, with no modifications. You may distribute this file in any electronic format (BBS, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include this file intact.
Where to get this WAD
infant2.sphs.indiana.edu, ftp.cdrom.com

The Review

The screen clears. I am in a curving dark brown corridor, with a coloured torch flickering ahead. I move slightly, and I get a shotgun. I walk down the corridor, to reveal a high room with monsters to either side. The fight begins. I soon deal with the immediate threat, but shots are coming out of the wall opposite, so there must be a shoot-through wall ahead. I make a grab for ammo, and charge into another side room.

A few imps, soon dealt with. I have taken a lot of damage though. I try the door. Is that an exit sign? The cacodemon gets me once, but I draw him out and run past, slam the switch, and...

Yes, that's it. Under 2 minutes doesn't say a lot for the difficulty of this PWAD. Admittedly, I was lucky to choose the right turning from the main room, but basically this is a small PWAD, with an easily accessible exit.

There are plenty of enemies in each room, but little health. There are several secret areas, though, with the more powerful weapons, so those looking for something more from this level could try to clear it entirely.

The level is almost all BROWN96 - the dark brown stone texture used in Knee-Deep. This makes the level look rather bland. Also, the rooms are all rather oddly shaped. There were no complicated or interesting features.

Difficulty
2
Size
3
Architecture
3
Interest
1
Overall
2

A deathmatch only PWAD (and even then, for at most 3 players the author recommends, and I agree).


21RATMAZ.ZIP

Title
Rat in a Maze
Filename
21RATMAZ.ZIP containing 21RATMAZ.WAD
Size
107Kb
Author
David Priddy
Email Address
davidp@feenix.metronet.com

Play Information

Game
DOOM I
Episode and Level
E2M1
Modes
Single/Co-op/Deathmatch
Difficulty Settings
Yes
New resources
None
Demos Provided
1

Construction

Base
New level from scratch
Editor(s) used
Deu 5.21
Bugs Fouund
The level is unplayably slow in the form you download it. I strongly recommend you build the REJECT (as I did), before trying to play, it will make a big difference.

Other Info

Copyright/Permissions
Author did not specify
Where to get this WAD
ftp.cdrom.com

The Review

The screen clears. I am in a small room, one door, flashing lights. I glance at my status bar. Oh no. The dots (indicating how poor the frame rate is) are already halfway to maximum.

I open the first door. A few sergeants and an imp begin to jerk toward me. I sidestep - the screen lurches sickeningly, and I barely survive the first fight. I step out, and I can barely turn, it is so slow. A bunch of skulls quickly put me out of my misery.

So I ran my my favorite NODE and REJECT builder on it. An hour or 2 later, after ZENNODE has done its magic, I started again. This time the level is much more playable. It is still slow out in the maze itself, but playable.

The level consists of a maze of tall corridors. These are at different levels - you have to jump across gaps at higher levels. The maze looks different at different levels.

The level has a very oppressive atmosphere. The light level is just right, to allow clear vision but make the level dark and menacing. Combine that with the cacodemons and skulls - they can move freely between the different levels of the maze, and the tall corridors allow them to attack from above - and you get an oppressive, dangerous maze.

Playing at UV, you are forced to adopt a very tactical style of play, dashing between covered areas (which force the skulls and cacos to attack on the level). Ammo and health are finely judged; I often found myself running out of shells during fights, and having to grab the shotguns of my fallen opponents to keep going.

Whether you like this level or not will depend on what style of level you like. If you want a fast, playable level, you may not like this. If you like a real war-of-attrition level, with repeated saving and retrying, this level is it.

The level as a whole is impressive, with each height level a complicated maze in itself. However, the textures are less impressive. There are lots of mismatched and misaligned floor and ceiling textures, as well as poorly chosen door ceilings and tracks.

I spent over 20 hours playing this level; once saving and restoring are taken out, I think it would still be 10 hours. You can easily walk for a quarter of an hour without crossing the same place twice, the mazes are that intricate and complicated.

Toward the end, you have to hit switches, then spend ages searching the level for what they did. This grew increasingly boring, until I gave up. Looking in WinDEU revealed that to reach the exit you had to hit several switches, at least one of which was in a near-unmarked secret. It would have taken another half hour even using WinDEU's help to complete the level, hours without it.

Difficulty
7
Size
9
Architecture
5
Interest
5
Overall
5

A challenging, atmospheric PWAD, but too long.


22VENTRY.ZIP

Title
Escape from 22ventry
Filename
22VENTRY.ZIP containing 22LEV.WAD, DEUSF.EXE and 22SFX.WAD
Size
803Kb
Author
David J. Singer
Email Address
doc@trognet.demon.co.uk

Play Information

Game
DOOM I
Episode and Level
E1M1
Modes
Single, Co-op (only at Skills 3 and above)
Difficulty Settings
Yes
New resources
New Sounds, New Graphics, New Music; New Sprites in 22SFX.WAD
Demos Provided
None

Construction

Base
New level from scratch
Editor(s) used
EdMap V1.12, EdMap V1.40, IDBSP V1.0, DMGRAPH, DMMUS and DMADDS V1.1
Bugs Found
WinDEU reported a few minor errors, and some missing textures I did not notice. The REJECT was built, though there appeared to be a few odd sectors built badly in it.

Other Info

Copyright/Permissions
Authors may not use this level as a base to build additional levels. Use of any of the sprites, graphics and sounds is permitted providing you contact the author. You MAY distribute this WAD, provided you include this file, with no modifications. You may distribute this file in any electronic format (BBS, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include all the files intact.
Where to get this WAD
ftp.cdrom.com

The Review

22LEV.WAD is a new level, with new sounds, graphics, and music. The level is is the Shores of Hell style, with a few extra wall textures to give the level some style. The author states that the WAD is mainly an experiment in replacing sprites.

The new graphics include a few wall textures, and some modified graphics on the main menu (adding the title of the WAD). Various sounds are changed, some to go with the sprites patch in 22SFX.WAD. To use 22SFX.WAD you will have to use the included DEUSF or manually merge them with the other Doom sprites. The new sprites have a human in place of the taurus and cyberdemon, and a human face pasted onto the front of the cacodemon and spiderdemon.

The level is fairly well put together, though with a few tutti fruiti errors and texture mismatches noticable. There are some nice areas, but the level is a bit mismatched, with some induustrial areas, some marble, some Inferno style. Doortracks were often unpegged though.

There is plenty of health and ammo; I lasted mainly on the few supercharges. There are 1 or 2 good traps, but mostly the opposition are not a problem. There are odd secrets, but nothing much. There is a spiderdemon, which can be run past, and a cyberdemon, but plenty of cells make him no major problem.

Difficulty
5
Size
6
Architecture
5
Interest
5
Overall
5

An average level combined with some bizarre new sprites and sound effects.


23CASTLE.ZIP

Title
23CASTLE
Filename
23CASTLE.ZIP containing 23CASTLE.WAD
Size
10Kb
Author
Aaron Auseth
Email Address
aaron@clark.edu

Play Information

Game
DOOM I
Episode and Level
E2M3
Modes
Single/Co-op
Difficulty Settings
Not implemented
New resources
None
Demos Provided
None

Construction

Base
New level from scratch
Editor(s) used
DEU5 beta4
Bugs Found
Unclosed sectors, unattached sectors and lots of missing textures.

Other Info

Copyright/Permissions
Author did not specify
Where to get this WAD
ftp.cdrom.com

The Review

23CASTLE is a small level, based on (you guessed it) a castle. You start outside, being fired upon by sergeants from above. You quickly enter, clean out the castle, then stumble on the exit.

The level is very tacky. There are several tutti-fruiti effects, and clipping effects. There are numerous mismatched and misaligned textures, and doortracks were often unpegged and poorly chosen. The author notes in the TXT file that there are some wafer-thin walls, that he realised too late that using these causes problems, and couldn't take them all out. These make several areas look bad.

The level is easy; I completed in under 5 minutes. The ammo provided it out of all proportion to the enemies encountered, and there is plenty of health too. The only thing that makes the level take that long is the unmarked entrances and walk-through walls.

Difficulty
2
Size
3
Architecture
1
Interest
2
Overall
2

The author shouldn't have uploaded it in this state.


2BOSSES.ZIP

Title
2BOSSES
Filename
2BOSSES.ZIP containing 2BOSSES.WAD
Size
105Kb
Author
Martin Titz
Email Address
titz@math.uni-hamburg.de

Play Information

Game
DOOM I
Episode and Level
E2M1
Modes
Single/Co-op/Deathmatch
Difficulty Settings
Not implemented
New resources
None
Demos Provided
None

Construction

Base
New level from scratch
Editor(s) used
DEU 5.1, DEU 5.2 (gcc port), BSP 1.1x, BSP 1.2x, VNB 1.050
Bugs Found
The REJECT is not built - the level is unplayably slow without it, and even with it built the level is still very slow.

Other Info

Copyright/Permissions
Authors MAY use this level as a base to build additional levels, if they include a note that includes a credit notice and a description how to get this 'original' level. You MAY distribute this WAD, provided you include this file, with no modifications. You may distribute this file in any electronic format (BBS, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include this file intact.
Where to get this WAD
ftp.cdrom.com

The Review

This level is huge. Wary after my experience with 21RATMAZ, I checked it first - and indeed the REJECT was not built. For a level of this size, it is essential that the REJECT is built by a proper REJECT builder if anyone with less than a P100 is going to get a decent frame rate.

Having let Zennode do its stuff, I started to play. The level was still slow, but tolerable. The level cannot be saved at UV or Hurt Me Plenty (I didn't try lower skills). The author mentions it in his text file, but he only mentions it for Doom v1.2, not later versions like my Doom ][ v1.9.

I tried playing without saving, but the slow speed of the level made it hard not to make mistakes. What I saw of the level looked tacky, with oversize doors, and a room with dozens of shotgun men. The rooms are too large, with no real attention to detail. Mismatched and misaligned textures were rife. I failed to finish the PWAD at UV, and I have better things to do than waste time playing this again.

Difficulty
7
Size
9
Architecture
2 (wouldn't be that high even without the saving bug)
Interest
2 (I can't play it)
Overall
2

IMHO barely worthy of review.


2HELL.ZIP

Title
2 Hell & Back
Filename
2HELL.ZIP containing 2HELL.WAD
Size
3Kb
Author
Dean Dickison
Email Address
104547.1203@compuserve.com

Play Information

Game
DOOM I
Episode and Level
E1M1
Modes
Single
Difficulty Settings
Not implemented
New resources
None
Demos Provided
None

Construction

Base
New level from scratch
Editor(s) used
Deth v3.92
Bugs Found
None.

Other Info

Copyright/Permissions
Authors MAY use this level as a base to build additional levels. You MAY distribute this WAD, provided you include this file, with no modifications. You may distribute this file in any electronic format (BBS, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include this file intact.
Where to get this WAD
ftp.cdrom.com

The Review

In the TXT accompanying this PWAD, the author says that 2HELL is not finished, and so is small. In fact, 2HELL consists of 2 empty rooms and a descending elevator with walls of fire, no monsters, and no exit. There is a single secret (which I missed).

Difficulty
10
Size
1
Architecture
2
Interest
1
Overall
1

666.ZIP

Title
666
Filename
666.ZIP containing 666.WAD
Size
39Kb
Author
Steve Timson
Email Address
stimson@leland.stanford.edu

Play Information

Game
DOOM I
Episode and Level
E1M1
Modes
Single/Co-op/Deathmatch
Difficulty Settings
Yes
New resources
None
Demos Provided
None

Construction

Base
New level from scratch
Editor(s) used
DEU 5.0 and BSP 1.0

Other Info

Copyright/Permissions
Author did not specify
Where to get this WAD
ftp.cdrom.com
Bugs Found
A couple of things not in any sector, and some missing textures in areas the player cannot see.

The Review

666.WAD is one PWAD that I downloaded a long time ago. It is a medium sized Inferno style level, which is quite challenging in some areas.

The level is well done, with few noticable problems. The rooms were both simple (so keeping the level fast and playable) as well as impressive. Some of them are a bit 'fantastic' (walls of fire/red etc) for my taste, but they were still good rooms. There were one or two doors with poorly chosen ceilings.

The level plays well, with plenty of cacos and a few barons to give it some challenge. Also, a nice trick where the player is teleported in amongst a few skulls; they are tricky to fight well. Perhaps not enough traps to keep you really jumping, but some of the fights were pretty frantic.

The level is well balanced too. I died a couple of times (and I had played before, if a while ago now). Ammo and health can be tight near the start, but as you go on, these become more readily available.

Difficulty
6
Size
5
Architecture
6
Interest
7
Overall
7

A PWAD worth downloading.


666EPIS.ZIP

Title
666 mini-episode
Filename
666EPIS.ZIP containing 666EPIS.WAD
Size
220Kb
Author
Steve Timson
Email Address
stimson@leland.stanford.edu

Play Information

Game
DOOM I
Episode and Level
E3M4, E3M5, E3M6, E3M7, E3MM8
Modes
Single/Co-op/Deathmatch
Difficulty Settings
Yes
New resources
None
Demos Provided
None

Construction

Base
E3M4
New level from scratch
E3M5
New level from scratch
E3M6
New level from scratch, previously released in 666.ZIP by the same author
E3M7
New level from scratch, previously released in 777.ZIP by the same author
E3M8
New level from scratch
Editor(s) used
DEU5.1, 5.2, 5.21gcc, and BSP 1.2x
Bugs Found
The levels are all well constructed, WinDEU reported no errors at any of the levels. The REJECT was not built for any of the levels - this would have improved some of these levels, but they were still playable.

Other Info

Copyright/Permissions
Authors MAY use this level as a base to build additional levels, but I don't know why you'd want to. You may distribute this file in any electronic format (BBS, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include this file intact.
Where to get this WAD
infant2.sphs.indiana.edu, ftp.cdrom.com, http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~stimson/

The Review

Having already reviewed 666.WAD by the same author, I was looking forward to this episode.

The first level is brilliant. The author has continued to combine elegance with simplicity as in 666. The start area, particularly the main hall, are great, with well chosen light levels, and shadowed columns. The rooms are all well decorated. This area is a fine example of good PWAD building.

The later rooms are more variable, but still well decorated, and the author has added more traps (the one thing 666 lacked). There are minor abberations, the usual ceilings of doors for example, but it was still an excellent level.

Initially, I charged in at UV, carved my way through the early rooms, got caught by a few traps and died. As the author says in the accompanying TXT, UV is for experts only. In order to complete it, you will need to find secrets (else you will run out of ammo), and either predict traps with perfect accuracy, or save regularly. The difficulty is well judged, with UV possible only with careful, skilled play.

The main areas of the second level are as visually impressive as the first, but are more complicated. This caused some slowdown on my 486, but it was still playable. However, I felt that some of the side areas, and the ending area, were not up to the same standard, and looked a bit dull.

The second level is as hard, if not harder, than the first. I completed it, but with 0 ammo (literally 0 for all types), though I could have replayed the end area to improve this. There is a particularly nice barrel puzzle.

The third level is the level from 666.WAD reviewed above. This is a good level, but as the author notes in the accompanying TXT, it is not up to the standard, nor really is the same style, of the other levels in the episode. It is also easier, and so I was able to recover my stats somewhat here.

The fourth level apparently was released separately in 777.ZIP, but I had not seen this. It is another challenging level, which is somewhere between the styles of 666 and the others in the episode. I thought some of the more high-tech areas didn't fit the style perfectly, but overall a good level. It is not as hard as the early levels, but still a challenge.

As you would expect, the last level is a good ending to the episode, with well-decorated, challenging rooms. The level is lacking in secrets, and the end would be rather tedious (rocketing a spiderdemon and cyberdemon on rising and falling platforms), but I suppose it is a challenge (I chickened out and gave up - too many cyberdemons in WADs anyway ;-).

Difficulty
7
Size
5x(4-7)
Architecture
7
Interest
9
Overall
8

A great episode.


8ISENUF.ZIP

Title
8ISENUF
Filename
8ISENUF.ZIP containing 8ISENUF.WAD
Size
43Kb
Author
Neil Cameron
Email Address
n.cameron@qut.edu.au

Play Information

Game
DOOM I
Episode and Level
E1M1
Modes
Single/Co-op
Difficulty Settings
Yes
New resources
None
Demos Provided
None

Construction

Base
New level from scratch
Editor(s) used
DEU 5.1 and 5.21, BSP 1.1x
Bugs Found
WinDEU reported serious errors, with unattached sectors, sidedefs, and 2 unclosed sectors in the main courtyard. I am surprised the level works at all, given the serious nature of this last bug. The author says that sometimes things disappear briefly in the first courtyard - I was almost caught out by this when a cacodemon became invisible briefly (his shots appeared in mid flight toward me)! I suspect that this is due to the unclosed sectors. The author says he could have corrected it, but chose not to, because it would have stopped an effect that he wanted - I don't know what effect that was, and I don't see what could be worth deliberately introducting bugs into a WAD for.

Other Info

Copyright/Permissions
You may do whatever you want with this file. Credit would be nice if you do use it though.
Where to get this WAD
infant2.sphs.indiana.edu, ftp.cdrom.com

The Review

This is a smallish level, similar is style to E2M4. The author says that this level will take some thought to complete. This is because to proceed in the level, you have to find hidden secret keycards, switches etc. He also notes that there is a bug where things disappear in the main courtyard (see bugs above).

Most of these secrets are marked, but for at least 1 I could see no markings whatsoever. I had to cheat to find the way forward here. I found no misaligned or odd textures except for the ones done deliberately to mark secrets; this level is well constructed. There were 1 or 2 minor problems - wafer thin ceilings and the floor texture under the first door (as well as the texture used for this door - why not use a door texture?). The level is nothing special design-wise, though the last courtyard is nice.

This level is hard. The opposition are mostly manageable, but there is very limited ammo and health. TCOUNT reported a health ratio of 0.1 (equivalent to a stimpack per baron of hell) and an ammo ratio, when excluding the last room, of 1.2 (20% more ammo than needed). The averages for the original DOOM 1 levels are 1.47 and 1.74 respectively!

I could not complete the level at UV, I just ran out of ammo. At Hurt Me Plenty, I completed the level, but I was hard pressed even then - there are a lot of barons, and not a lot of spare ammo. There is a spiderdemon in the last room, and some more barons, but once you set the spiderdemon on a baron, you can run for the exit OK.

Difficulty
8
Size
4
Architecture
4 (unless the author can come up with a good reason for deliberately including bugs)
Interest
6
Overall
5

If you think you are efficient with ammo, try yourself against this PWAD.


9-LEVELS.ZIP

Title
9-Levels
Filename
9-LEVELS.ZIP containing DTEPIS3.WAD
Size
300Kb
Author
David Turpin
Email Address
Author did not specify

Play Information

Game
DOOM I
Episode and Level
E1M1, E1M2, E1M3, E1M4, E1M5, E1M6, E1M7, E1M8, E1M9
Modes
Single/Co-op/Deathmatch
Difficulty Settings
Yes
New resources
New Musics
Demos Provided
1, 2 and 3

Construction

Base
New levels from scratch
Editor(s) used
DEU v5.21, BSP v1.1X
Bugs Found
WinDEU reported errors with wafer thin walls, and unclosed sectors. Personally I would have saved myself the trouble of checking and call the entire episode a bug, but I loaded WinDEU to try and find something good in these levels. I failed.

Other Info

Copyright/Permissions
Authors MAY use these levels as a base to build additional levels except E1M7. You MAY distribute this WAD, provided you include this file, with no modifications.
Where to get this WAD
ftp.cdrom.com

The Review

9-LEVELS is a 9 level episode, replacing Knee-Deep. The levels are all easy, with much too much ammo and health, and few serious opposition.

The levels all follow the same style, which would normally be commendable; however the style they follow is totally rubbish. The levels consist of mazes of corridors, with no interesting rooms. Even in corridors there are misaligned and mismatched textures. There are also wafer thin walls.

There are frustrating unmarked secrets that are essential to complete the levels. I could stand no more after 4 levels, when I became fed up searching for an unmarked secret.

Difficulty
3
Size
9x(4-6)
Architecture
2
Interest
1
Overall
1

Surely the author could see the first level was junk. Why write 8 more?


9-TO-5.ZIP

Title
9 to 5, version 1.0
Filename
9-TO-5.ZIP containing 9-TO-5.WAD
Size
85Kb
Author
Jonathan Hensey-Altfeld
Email Address
jonathan@inference.com

Play Information

Game
DOOM I
Episode and Level
E1M6
Modes
Single/Co-op/Deathmatch
Difficulty Settings
Yes
New resources
None
Demos Provided
None

Construction

Base
New level from scratch
Editor(s) used
DEU
Bugs Found
WinDEU reported a bug with co-op starts - there are 2 player 4 starts, which could mess up 4-player co-op games.

Other Info

Copyright/Permissions
Authors may NOT use this level as a base to build additional levels. You MAY distribute this WAD, provided you include the TXT file, with no modifications. You may distribute this file in any electronic format (BBS, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include this file intact.
Where to get this WAD
infant2.sphs.indiana.edu, ftp.cdrom.com

The Review

9-TO-5.WAD is a large level, which is basically a maze of rooms and corridors in the Knee-Deep style. The whole maze is contained within a building, which is surrounded by a courtyard.

The outside area is the only slightly impressive bit of the level. The insides are full of texture mismatches and misalignments, poor choice of door ceilings and floors, and tutti fruiti. The maze has no coherent style.

The level is confusing to play. Many doors are marked as key doors, but are not, making it hard to find your way in the level. The map is pretty useless, and the lack of focal features makes navigation through the level tedious.

The opposition are fairly basic, and while there are a few traps, mostly the play consists of clearing all the small rooms in the maze. There is sufficient ammo and health. There are no interesting fights. The main challenge in the level is finding where to go next after finding a key or switch.

Difficulty
4
Size
7
Architecture
4
Interest
3
Overall
3

Nothing of interest in this PWAD.


9RING666.ZIP

Title
9 Rings of Hell
Filename
9RING666.ZIP containing 9RING666.WAD
Size
58Kb
Author
Pete Nilson
Email Address
pnilson@hpb.hwc.ca

Play Information

Game
DOOM I
Episode and Level
E2M1, E2M2, E2M3, E2M4, E2M5, E2M6, E2M7, E2M8, E2M9
Modes
Single/Co-op/Deathmatch
Difficulty Settings
Yes
New resources
None
Demos Provided
1, 2 and 3 (for v1.666)

Construction

Base
New levels from scratch
Editor(s) used
DoomEd 2.60b
Bugs Found
None.

Other Info

Copyright/Permissions
Authors may use these levels as a base to build additional levels, just give me credit somewhere, that's all. You may distribute this WAD (as widely as possible, please!) in any electronic format (BBS, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include this file intact, with no modifications to either this file or the WAD, and if you make money off of it, pass some back to me.
Where to get this WAD
ftp.cdrom.com, or by request from pnilson@hpb.hwc.ca

The Review

9RING666.WAD contains 9 levels, each based on rings (surprise surprise ;-). The designs are just simple connected or overlapping circular rooms. The levels have no interesting features.

The levels are packed with an assortment of monsters, but the exit switch is available at the start for most of them, and near the start for the others, so you can just run and hit the switch. I completed most of the levels in under a minute each, by running to the exit switch each time. If you want you can stay and fight, this would be more challenging.

There were few things I noticed that could be wrong, the levels were so simple. There were loads of weapons around, and the levels were smallish, so this would make a very active deathmatch episode, with 4 players I'd say you would be doing well to survive for more than 15 seconds at a stretch.

Difficulty
4
Size
9x2
Architecture
3
Interest
3
Overall
3

You could download it for single play, and aim to clear the levels, but why not download an interesting PWAD to clear instead? A deathmatch only PWAD, I think.

Note: The TXT says that this is the same level as in 9RING12.ZIP, but in 9RING12.WAD the demos are for v1.2 of Doom.