Irkalla - An 11-map wad for Doom II (complevel-9/Boom)

I am triggered by your attitude towards using shotgun and chaingun on mid-tiers (it's not the first time you make it btw, and I really get enraged when I see it. Thought of insulting you at first but then thought better of it). Some people just have a different preference. Besides,
1. this is a reimagination of Doom I's episode
2. you can get super-shotty on 2nd map early, I am certain it was not removed in the update as there is a button in a cave that reveals that exactly. And if you think that (or the plasma gun) is not enough, I dunno what to say.
3. you already found a workaround for people who prefer faster but less dark gameplay to enjoy the wad

Basically, this change you suggesting boils down to personal preference, some people will be on your side and some on mine.

P.S. Doom II iwad had no soul - it was just a popcorn shooter. It starts even at the title music and the quit sounds, which are not as scary/violent. Doom I was just so grim dark and so much superior. I despise the "rip and tear" mentality of the second one. In Doom I, it is you there to be torn apart, and you are not a hero saving the world but just random survivor looking for an escape / staying alive. And this is how it should have stayed. Doom II is a huge fucking mistake, I would scrap it and remake in entirety to be even more darker... ah wait Irkalla fits the bill.

Doom II has no dark/atmospheric maps beside MAP20 and MAP28. The maps you mentioned aren't dark. MAP29 being called dark is a joke. If anything, it is MAP30 that could be called such, but the exit message is a letdown. MAP07 being called dark is some kind of joke - it is the most popcorn map of all Doom II has.

Doom I consists predominantly of dark and atmospheric maps (E1M8 is the darkest, and most iconic map of Doom I, Romero's pathetic efforts don't hold a candle to it), with exception of cheezy crap like E2M8, E3M8, E3M6 and those secret levels. E1M7 is darker than anything Doom II has to offer, especially considering the map that follows. Sounds you get when you quit Doom I can make you jump, unlike in Doom II. Also compare Doom I title picture with that of Doom II. In Doom I, the picture is of you getting torn apart and dragged, in Doom II you just conveniently shoot at demon while being in no danger.

Also, your "fiendish" etc. is some kind of awful joke when applied to Doom 2. There is nothing fiendish in Doom 2, you are saving the world from demons and some humans are even alive to text you and guide you where to strike the demons! Contrast Doom 1, where you are not sure if there is humanity (besides you) anymore.

Then again, Doom 64 would be Doom 1 darkness on steroids. And the coloured lightning doesn't take away from it.

By popcorn I refer to about being able to kill demons faster (with a supershotgun) or because they have less hitpoints (hell knight, or in general new roster has few hitpoints except arch-vile). Basically, the kind of gameplay people like you desire, is the exactly what I think to be inferior in style compared to original "this might still soak up the remainder of my bullets/shells and rip me apart in melee ... I need to try to kill it before it does, hope that is still possible?" suspense.

You try to pick apart levels in a mechanical way that is not even relevant to this discussions to begin with. I am talking about soul: Doom 1 has one, Doom 2 has not. Doom 2 is the consumerist product, from its soundtrack, monster additions (hell knight a lame version of baron of hell). Doom 1, all around, was about distress, despair, agony and torture. It was not some entertainment, it was supposed to scare you and leave you depressed. Why can't you win but have to die in E1M8? etc. The exit sound selection in Doom 1 could make you jump when you leave Doom, it doesn't achieve that effect in Doom 2. E3M4 would probably look Christmas-y to you, but to me it's the worst place to be in, second only to E2M6 which scared me as kid, and by the way nothing in Doom 2 did.

And your talk about Doom 2's level design feels like some elaborate gaslighting. It's better to go by heart than by technical breakdown of things to decide what is boring and what is not. I played Swift Death, which is project consisted solely or almost so of speedmaps, and it leaves shitty taste in your mouth... not because of challenge (you can mitigate it with cheats), but because of level looks. I then went to Doom 2 maps, and started to think if I am bored with Doom maybe? Turns out I was... but it was Doom 2 I was bored of. Because fucking brown everywere which makes one bored as fuck. Now I went to Doom 1, and suddenly realized I am hooked. Doom maps are vibrant and have lots of subtleties, places are mysterious rather than being just there for gameplay.

Anyway, I consider those people who want better weaponry than shotgun / chaingun against mid-tiers to be ruining doom. Get rounded up on some ship successor to Titanic and sink in the ocean already. I could barely tolerate those who don't want to confront baron of hell with a single shotty, but if you can't chaingun a caco, you are entirely full of shit. By the way, chaingun has better DPS than shotgun so it is never reasonable to complain about chaingunning hell knights either.

joe-ilya, the looks being colourful and vibrant does not contradict the style of Doom 1 being grim. Because vibrancy is about the purely nominal amount of colours in visuals, grim and darkness about aesthetic and feel of the levels. There are many sights that are disturbing in Doom 1 despite the colourfulness. But you are like those music critics that care about innovation and technical sophistry instead of what emotion music evokes, etc. (Those critics need to go to hell as well)

What really I wanted to emphasize is that your preferences about which weapons should be used on mid-tiers need not be satisfied in Irkalla, as it goes against the spirit of Doom 1 which Irkalla perfectly captures. And not only that but Irkalla is indeed a perfect reimagination of Doom 1 that makes it dark per all other definitions one could attach to that world that wouldn't apply to the original. It vindicates Doom 1 in a sense, against people like you exactly.

P.S. Upon reviewing where conversation started, it was you who baited me out, so I am glad the consequences made you suffer.
My final salute is to the gods of "baron of hells always be fought with a single shotgun in cramped spaces" (and fuck the haters).

Hello @olroda2!

Thanks so much for checking this wad out! If you haven't already, be sure to download the latest version (updated 06/02/2022) from /idgames. I hope you enjoy it, and I look forward to your feedback!

To answer your other question, no I haven't touched Heretic since Templum Dormiens Dei. I'm really glad that you liked that one! I do have one unreleased Heretic level, but it is part of a project spearheaded by the great deathevokation, so until that project is released, that map will remain in the shadows.

Indeed, that's the one! Haha, I had completely forgotten about that thread.

Thanks for playing, cyborgbeardman! I'm glad that you are having fun so far! Regarding Map04, it was certainly meant to be a cruel and difficult map(based literally on the name "House of Pain"), but it is definitely doable from a pistol start, even on UV. The best and most updated version of this map is found in the newest version of irkalla.wad, which was updated 06/02/2022. With a little practice, you will definitely be able to complete this map, even on pistol start! In my case, I had to play the map quite a few times to develop a solid strategy for the first room and then the open area beyond the first door. Once I had that down, the rest of the map was very tough but not impossible by any means. You are also forced to be fairly precise with your ammo usage in Map04, so taking it a bit slower usually pays off. It's definitely not a map that many people can run and gun.

Definitely let me know if I can be of assistance!