Fantastic set of maps without a bunch of modern bells and whistles. Great if you're craving some vanilla Quake.
The first few levels were pretty easy but I really liked the "seamless" transition between the start map and the first level.
Loved all the little details found in Castle Coquina. One thing I noticed while exploring the map were all the water bowls in the area with the dogs (so cute)!
AlexUnder's Bestial Undertows introduced a bit of nonlinearity which was pretty refreshing without getting too convoluted.
Depths of Depravity was one of my favorites from the pack. A really tightly crafted dungeon crawl that was a joy to play.
The secret map was more like a progression puzzle than a standard level, which was a fun changeup.
Halls of Amenti was a beautiful terracotta level with tons of tricks and traps to keep you on edge.
Runic Rapture felt like one of the most dangerous levels of the bunch, really creative texturework too (instead of the standard metal4_4 everywhere).
The Motion of Corrosion used a metal theme not usually seen too often. I though it worked really well and the gameplay was a blast.
Phantasmagoira was a great finale to the pack. The largest level by far but still not too crazy compared to other Newhouse maps. Still had the foreboding atmosphere of something from the Spiritworld.
This was a well made, enjoyable and highly fun experience, like already mentioned I found the final map a litlle out of context but also one of the highlight of this release
Map 1
I was not a fan of this one; thought the layout was too basic & symmetrical with too large an outdoor area and a pretty dull straight-shot route to the exit that left most of the interesting stuff to (what I assume were) secrets.
Map 2
This was interesting, the brushwork and room design was a bit ropey in places but in a kind of endearing way that reminded me of old 1997-era maps. Some nice ideas.
Map 3
Very nice, probably my favourite of the bunch. Great room design and overall layout with some really cool combat setups. Captured the retro style despite being built to modern standards. My one small gripe was that the route got a bit confusing after dropping through the ceiling hatch and I ended up backtracking before realising the way forward.
Map 4
This would probably have been my favourite if not for the overreliance on close-range spawn ambushes, great when used sparingly but can get tiresome quickly, especially in a confined map like this. Still, looked great and very pleasing to explore, with great underwater sections.
And I found the secret level, I never find secret levels!!
Secret level
I did not like the library. If you are facing the wrong way when the knight comes out the bookcase it is basically impossible to know how to progress, I wasted way too much time before eventually reloading. The bridge section was neat though.
Map 5
You can tell this was made by a DM map specialist, very tight and well-interconnected layout with some slick use of movers to open up the playarea. Very slick visually too. I did find myseslf wanting a little more though, given the more expansive nature of maps 3 and 4. Key arrows felt a bit unnecessary on a map this small too.
Map 6
I had a strange experience with this map. The layout was very well engineered for fast-paced, relentless combat with danger from all sides, it was very open with good use of height differences. The problem was I found it a bit *too* relentless and didn't ever really feel in control, which led to me not enjoying it as much as I'd like. I'd have preferred some quieter/sheltered areas to break things up. I guess this is more personal taste than a criticism though.
Map 7
Wasn't too keen on the texture theme here, thought the rusty brown metal could have used a counterpoint to vary things up a bit (e.g. some brick). Everything else was solid though, great room design, interesting layout and well-executed combat setups.
Map 8
This felt like it belonged in a different episode. It was very good for what it was (a sprawling, twisted, abstract nightmare maze of epic proportions) but I'm just not sure I liked what it was, especially after the relatively grounded styles in the other maps. Top marks for creativity though.
Overall: solid experience and well worth the time, but it felt more like a jam than an episode.
This was an excellent Vanilla experience. The 2fort/well map at the start I was terrible at finding secrets in, which is funny considering I extensively played both in tfc as a figurative fetus back in the 90s.
I shotgun started the maps as I've been pistoling doom and apparently they're intentionally balanced to do that (so I accidentally picked a good candidate to start doing that in!)
Really fantastic. 9 maps filled with classic action. Feels refreshing yet still evokes the familiar quake classic style in terms of level designing. The enemy placement is great.
Wow, really good! I also was a little worried after the first mission, which felt empty and more secret content than main content. But this quickly became one of my favorite user-made episodes. I haven't played the last two missions yet - unfortunately at the end of the 6th map, there is some error that won't let me continue. Probably an engine thing. I'll have to try in a different engine to finish it out.
Really enjoyed this wad combined with copper. Very distinct feel but built with vanilla gameplay in mind. Some of the later levels really some sign posting, particularly the final one, as navigating was confusing at times. Overall solid map set.
Super cool episode that was incredibly fun. Awesome old school maps and a fitting soundtrack. An absolute gem. The last map was a bit too chaotic for me and I often felt lost. I wasn't able to complete the secret map.
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