Reply To: Final(ish) thoughts
Home › Forums › Previous Months › 97 – October 2024: Heretic › Final(ish) thoughts › Reply To: Final(ish) thoughts

dr_st
Yes, I too can identify almost with everything said. 😀
Before this month, I had a save file on E2M4 from January 2015. The fact that I stopped in the middle of E2 suggest that I must have also felt that it was a bit boring. However, it really was not as bad as I went back to it.
The “bullet-sponginess” of the monsters is due to the relatively low average damage of all the weapons in the game, but it works both ways, because monster projectiles are also not very damaging, even on Smite-Meister difficulty (equivalent of Doom’s Ultra Violence). Even in a blind playthrough, it is quite possible to survive all levels without dying even once. The only times I got killed were – against bosses, when I was tired/bored and played carelessly, and in the infamous E3M1.
The unfairness of the map, which doesn’t give you an Ethereal Crossbow, is well-documented. In some ways it resembles E4M1 of Ultimate Doom. On my second playthrough I had to carefully ration my ammo, use the Gauntlets against Gargoyles whenever possible, plan my route, and even then barely made it. However, towards the middle of E3M2, I was almost fully stocked, and from that moment it was rather routine. Actually I find that I don’t remember the E1 levels, but I definitely liked E3 better than E2. Except the “Iron Lich(es) in every exit room” trope got a bit old towards the end, but, hey, at least in E3M7 you can kill them through the window way in advance.
The fact that you can only carry over one of each artifact (and no Wings of Wrath) into the next level seems arbitrary, but it was a good design decision. Otherwise the game would become too easy as you accumulate health bonuses, tomes of power and whatnot. It also encourages using these artifacts, as you know you cannot transfer them. I do wish there were hotkeys to use the various items without scrolling through the inventory. Duke Nukem 3D figured it out and it makes the game much smoother. You don’t want to be hunting for that morph ovum, chaos device or mystic urn while being overwhelmed by monsters.
I really liked the level design. I agree – most levels have very accessible layouts with clear landmarks to help navigation, and they are not too big. I never felt lost. Another thing I appreciate is how accessible the secrets are. When you have explored most of the level, the shape itself hints at possible locations of secret rooms, and almost always you will find a map scroll at some point which will give them away completely. I have recently seen this exact approach duplicated in the “No Rest for the Living” official Doom expansion.
Likewise, I also wonder if I have the motivation to go through E4 and E5. I’ve heard it said that the monster pressure is higher and overall quality is lower. But I think I shall give it a try now, because otherwise, I probably never will. 😀