Your Top 10 most 'Memorable' maps of all time?

Fairweather

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Say if someone happened to do a list akin to the Top 100 Doomworld Most Memorable Maps but for Quake... what would your list be?
They can be memorable for both good and bad reasons, memorable simply means that it immediately comes to mind- you can remember many aspects about it, it stands out to you as special in some way. I'll start us off, here's my top 10.

1. Eternal Return by Bal (Xmasjam 2020)​
While it's small and stays humble, the map concept is simply executed perfectly first try. No other Quake map tries the concept and nails it so well, I can't think of a better format for a map like this, and a worse mapper could have made this much worse. Bonus memorability points for the multiple endings, crazy polish, and secret encounters all shoveled into this tiny box.​
2. Binding Tower by Albert
When I joined the community, this one kind of came out of nowhere. A new mapper (to me), some very cozy and well thought-out visuals, and the fact that the map has a little teleport hub, it all felt very memorable. When I think of 2019 in Quake, this is the map that springs to mind.​
3. Ghost Town by CZG (Honey)​
The left-field nature of this ending threw me for a loop. I'd honestly thought I'd reached some kind of easter egg... but nope! It's just a super cute reward for getting to the end of a great pack, and that level of humor is something you don't see often in Quake.​
4. The C.G.L Project by Nolcoz
Speaking of left-field and humorous, Nolcoz has to be the king of both. His maps always feel like they're mainly there to simply make you smile, and this one stands on top of the rest for the level of effort and boldness in being as silly as could be. If you haven't played this one, please do- it was sorely overlooked upon release.​
5. Egyptoagula by Qmaster
This map doesn't particularly speak to me in any gameplay sense, the hunting down for buttons gets a bit tedious, and some of the monster usage can get grating, but damn. The concept of the map is simply stunning, and the fact that it functions as a map at all is crazy. Just upon seeing that first screenshot you know you're in for a ride, and overall it doesn't disappoint with how often you're getting new views of this huge collection of floating oddities.​
6. With Deference in Eminence by Orl (Ter Shibboleth pt2)​
I mean, do I really need to point out why this one is memorable? As soon as you step foot in the map it's daunting, and even though my overall opinion of the scale and uncompromising nature of Ter Shibboleth as a whole will never budge, that's part of the charm, right? No other Quake map comes close to the feeling of loading in to this one and just looking around, even with noclip you're doomed to slow and scenic flythrough without the use of host_timescale, that's got to be at least memorable, right?​
7. Otsegolation by Markie (Reliquary)​
I can't really think of another fight in any other map that comes close to the feeling that the slime area in this map has. The rest of the map could be mush for all I care, as soon as I finished that map on Very Hard I knew it was sticking with me for a while. It's good then that the rest of the map keeps its luster throughout the runtime, and while in the overall Reliquary package I may enjoy Majestic Miasma more, this one hit me like a hurricane and I'll never forget it.​
8. Telefragged by Ijed (Rubicon Rumble Pack)​
When I think of the definitive 'adventure' map for me, it's got to be this one. The creativity behind the 'Telefragged' portion alone would make for a memorable map, but then it's followed up by the typical Ijed fare, but spruced-up for a more modern era. Plus, you can't beat a literal 'T-minus 1 minute till self destruct' for memorability, can you?​
9. Death by 1000 Cuts by Sock
This map holds a special place in my heart. I remember when I was just being introduced to Quake through Daz's Custom Gamer channel, I fell in love with the concept of this map. Searching it up, I obsessed over it's entry on Sock's website, and finally getting my source port together to play the map... god. This is obviously a very personal pick, but I can't-not mention the effect it's had on me. Maybe if not for this map, I wouldn't be doing what I do now.​
10. ANOXIA by Paul Cook
Regardless of the community, everyone needs their wow.wad equivalent. The punching bag that everyone rates a single star, the map created by a vanished name, memorable for it's sheer incompetency above all else. We love you ANOXIA, we truly do.​
 
OK!

I feel like I should put more thought into this, but then again maybe the stuff that first comes to mind is kind of the point?

I was not super into the SP part of Quake during my first go-round with the hobby, so my early-years picks are going to be thin on the ground.

In chronological order tho:

* True Love Waits by Marin "Kandyman" Gazzari, in Zerstörer (1997). I know Zer has its detractors but I still enjoy it even today. While it has several memorable maps in it, this one probably takes the cake. The creepy lonely descent followed by a fight back up and out is not necessarily an original gimmick, but I think this was the first good execution of it in Quake.

* The Altar of Storms by "necros" (2011). Love the chilly aesthetic; at the time I wasn't familiar with Oblivion so it was all a new look to me. Fun progression back and forth between indoors and outdoors (which I'm a sucker for), a crazy custom monster set, other fun modded doodads like the coins... it really has its own identity that completely sells the epic journey and final fight.

* Sheer Hellish Miasma by Christian "czg" Grawert, in Honey (2012). The foggy broken ruins, the color palette, the twisty-back progression, the weird rocket/grenade mechanisms... chef-kiss. This really deserves its status as a classic and an "influencer". The combat is sparse and deliberate but that's fine with me.

* Shadow Gate by Simon "sock" OCallaghan, in In The Shadows (2012). (Also see Castle of Shadows in the same release.) I love a good remix, and a sock remix of E1M1 as a stealth map? Holy moly. I'm actually not sure I would love the ITS gameplay on any new map, but having it laid over a mirror-universe E1M1 was great.

* The Forgotten Sepulcher by Henrik "Giftmacher" Oresten and Simon "sock" OCallaghan (2017). The initial scene of this map shows just a stunning amount of atmosphere and loving (laborious) detail, and then it keeps that up for hours. Buckets of inventiveness in the construction, progression, secrets, and encounters... and a real showcase for what Arcane Dimensions can do in the hands of its creator. A first-class mini campaign packed into one map.

* Twisted Strings by "Bloodshot", in Func Map Jam X (2019). Probably the high water mark of mind games in a Quake map, and it's all the better for having Bloodshot at the helm with his sense of cinematic framing and setpiece construction. This short gem is one of a handful of maps I'd pick for a non-Quake gamer to try out.

* Trapped in the Past by Matthew "Lunaran" Breit, in Copper (2019). My remix bias is obviously showing, but aside from being a wonderfully fun startmap and a visual showcase, this is a perfect introduction to the Copper vision/philosophy/whatever. Had a smile on my face the whole time.

* Ylä-Tornio by "uKKo", in SMEJ (2019). A fantastically framed starting view followed by everything I like about cozy/spooky moss-covered Necropolis style, in a top-notch swiss-cheese multilevel layout that blends ruins and terrain. All the best Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider feels yoinked into Quake.

* Tears of the False God by Benoit "Bal" Stordeur, in Arcane Dimensions (2020). Obviously a beautiful work, but extra points for the clean, sunny, cheery style of the map's top level -- rarely pulled off well in Quake. A screenshot of Tears is hard to mistake for anything else. On top of that, its solidly crafted quasi-open-world gameplay is also a bit unusual and its "secret ending" is totally bonkers.

* Temple of Teuthis by "zbidou72" (2022). This is a sprawling, idiosyncratic, but also polished and playable release that I think a lot of folks slept on. Although I am also sure it's not to everyone's taste, which is fine. But as an over-the-top massive-scale Quake adventure it has few peers.



It was really hard to cut to ten, so some runners-up:

* Moldy Tower by "necros" (2009).

* Subterranean Library by Andrew "than" Palmer (2012). Also see Pain in the Arch by Maik Franz "mfx" Xavier for more superb knave quothiness.

* Something Wicked This Way Comes by Dustin "Tronyn" Geeraert, "PM", Kevin "Tyrann" Shanahan, and "necros" (2012).

* Leptis Magna by Noel "ionous" Lacaillade and Andrey "Pulsar" Saenko, in Arcane Dimensions (2016).

* Goat with a Thousand Young by Noel "ionous" Lacaillade, in Coffee Quake (2019).

* Darkstar Triumvirate by "Pinchy", in Dwell (2020).

* Secrets of the Keep by "MortalMaxx" (2020).

* Tellus Terminus by "zigi", in Alkaline (2021).

* Derelict Freighter by Paul Lawitzki, in Alkaline Jam (2021).

... and I'm absolutely overlooking some stuff in jams and episodes, especially the Xmas/Halloween jams, that will make me slap my forehead when I do remember.
 
Oh man, there's a few great picks in there. I will never forget playing Trapped in the Past for the first time, the amount of "click" moments when you figure out how everything works is brilliant. Also great niche pick for Goat with a Thousand Young. I still feel bad for having to put that map behind playing 70+ other maps beforehand, and it's a stunning level in it's own right.
And yeah, this is the main reason the thread exists- I'm sure even though I've played a majority of maps for Quake that I'm simply forgetting memorable maps (or does that defeat the purpose?) that would otherwise fit the list... plus it's worth collecting second opinions for when this top 100 list is made by someone. ;)
 
There are so many more worth mentioning, but these I immediately picked out scrolling through Quaddicted sorted from 1996-present. I tried not to repeat any that were already listed (had to cut ad_tears and Twisted Strings and then cheated a bit with Constantly No Respect instead of Sheer Hellish Miasma). Anyway, here goes:

*Basic Castle by Darren Stabler (1996)
...for being the first community map I ever played. Sure, it was pretty bad by any standards, but it was still the start of an amazing journey.

*The Secret Installation by Fingers (1997)
…for being my first encounter with a non-id1 texture pack and the big difference in detailing compared to the regular campaign maps.

*Ceremonial Circles by czg (2001)
...for kicking my unprepared ass a few times after having played mostly lower difficulty maps before. Great sense of accomplishment when I beat it for the first time.

*Escaping Bastille by Kona (Necrobrood, 2002)
...for its unique greenish/teal color scheme. According to a comment on Quaddicted, it only came to be because Kona is colorblind and this is what he ended up with when making the textures.

*Menkalinan by PuLSaR (2004)
...for introducing me to the idea that not every Quake map has to be dark and murky, because shooting baddies in a brightly lit temple is just as fun.

*The Rest is Silence by Hrimfaxi (2005)
...for using Knave textures and a star-filled void skybox to create something genuinely otherworldly.

*Dis Aliter Visum I & II by Tronyn (Arcanum, 2009)
...for demonstrating just how large Quake maps can get, both in terms of the levels themselves and the monster count. Also, Fingers' timeless ikblue texture set.

*Constantly No Respect by czg (Honey, 2012)
...for reversing what Menkalinan had showed me, proving that there's always room to make something even darker and murkier than regular Quake. The atmosphere in Honey is so thick you can almost cut it with a knife.

*A Locust in August by Hrimfaxi (Rubicon Rumble Pack, 2014)
...for completely blowing my mind with the amount of details packed into one of its large central rooms (I posted a screenshot of it in the sightseeing thread here).

*Terrorcotta by Markie (Epochs of Enmity, 2020)
...for its Shambler stealth section and the absolute chaos that is the boss fight. It's hard to beat this one in terms of fun and memorable combat setups.
 
In no particular order:

Telefragged by ijed (Rubicon Rumble Pack)
To this day still my favorite Quake map. Huge map with a huge amount of exploration, almost a thousand enemies, and, most importantly, a genius stealth intro section and a final escape sequence that you'll probably remember forever.

The Forgotten Sepulcher by sock & Giftmacher (Arcane Dimensions)
This. The one. "The most detailed Quake map ever", as said by numerous articles. It was this map that brought my attention to Arcane Dimensions, and to the whole Quake community that I never knew existed - and subsequently what made me want to start mapping for Quake again after two decades.

Trapped in the Past by Lunaran & Scampie (Underdark Overbright)
There are obviously "better" maps in UDOB, but this one is memorable not only because it looks awesome, but also how conveniently it fits within Copper's philosophy somehow. Revisiting the past, making it better, while keeping its core structure and what made it good.

Mana Vemputin by Smilecythe (January Jump Jam)
You will have some reaction towards this map after playing it. Either love it, hate it - or both love and hate at the same time, which amazingly is the most common case. The jumps and puzzles may be incredibly difficult, but the thing is that they "only" require good precision, timing and reflexes, and not any non-standard jumping technique. So even if you cannot circle jump or bunnyhop for life, the map is still completeable - granted you don't throw your mouse at the wall first.

Eternal Return by Bal (xmasjam 2020)
One of those "mind=blown" maps when you get to know its base mechanic - a 1024^3 map, but where you can seamlessly loop around the edges thanks to AD's instant teleporters, giving the impression of an infinite map. Truly a first of its kind, and executed with perfection by Bal - though not without its headaches, as so I heard.

Terrorcotta by Markie (Epochs of Enmity)
Besides looking great, having a massive boss fight, and really cool encounter setups, as it's expected from Markie, having one of best usages of the Ring of Shadows to date is certainly memorable.

Leptis Magna by Ionous & PuLSaR (AD)
If I recall correctly, this was actually the first AD map I've ever played, by picking one of the gates in the hub at random. Needless to say, the sheer scale and scope of the map caught me off-guard. It's still one of the most underrated maps in the pack in my opinion.

With Fiends Like These by juzley (The Punishment Due)
When you first get to the main hall, see that huge elevator, and gold key moving a just a little step down, you know you're in for a treat. Juz managed to make a massive button-hunt to not feel tiring or repetitive at all.

The Altar of Storms by necros
Though the gameplay itself isn't the map's strong suit, the sheer amount of technical feats and polishing here is impressive, even more so for a QC coder nerd like me. New monsters and weapons? Check. Moving lava? Check. Monster AI waypointing? Check. Eased-out movers? Check. Physics-based pushable rotators? Check. Massive custom-coded boss fights with tons of effects? Check. Custom QC-based particle effects? Check. Not to say that the whole architecture looks gorgeous.

Tears of the False God by Bal (AD)
Bal's magnum opus (probably until he releases a certain base map). I don't think I need to say anything else about this one. It's just superlative in every way you see it.


Honorable mentions

The Parallel Worlds
by digs
A full episode in a single BSP. The kind of thing that you sometimes wonder "how the hell did he do that".

Foundation for Corruption by Mista Heita (Alkaline)
The map that ended up being the poster child for Alkaline. Hard to not get impressed with the whole atmosphere, city backdrop, and tons of neons everywhere - including that NIN logo. And it's a map that will bite you in the ass if you're not careful.

Kielletyjen Riimujen Kammio by Mazu (SMEJ2)
SMEJ2's final level is probably Mazu's most massive and ambitious map. A multi-hour-long endeavor that never ceases to impress and surprise you.

The Early Bird Gets The 17-centimeter Fromitz Board by juzley (JJJ2)
Juzley took the Fromitz Board-hunting idea from Mazu's Engineering Mania and took it a level beyond.

Fading Embers by czg (Dimensions of the Machine)
Arguably DOMA's best map, and not only that, ranks among the best maps ever in my opinion.

The Dead Room by PalmliX (Sinister625)
The most strict lovecraftian-feeling Quake map I've ever played. Mind tricks and a daunting atmosphere will put you at unease.

With Deference in Eminence by Orl (Ter Shibboleth)
Ter Shib's general gameplay may not be everyone's cup of tea, but once you step into this map and do a quick glance at your surroundings, it's hard to not let out a "wow".

Approach of the Second Sun by entsoy (hwjam2020)
Entsoy has a series of maps with a similar visual theme, where they're almost totally devoid of lighting, and you "see" things by means of a thick bright fog - so you can only distinguish silhouettes once they're at some distance from you. Gameplay is sometimes hit-or-miss (to the point of being almost unplayable in some iterations), but it's truly a one-of-a-kind visual and mechanic. This map from hwjam2020 is where it worked best though.
 
Before Nightfall - Iikka Keränen
Memorable to me for being the very first custom map I loaded into Quake, I still remember the excitement of playing it for the first time and being blown away by the mere concept that fan made maps can be a thing.

Frostbite - Hrimfaxi
I still find it hard to believe this map is under one thousand brushes, it feels like its so much more given its size and complexity, along with great gameplay to boot. Memorable for the fact that it is under 1000 brushes but looks like it was built with a lot more, especially when you consider the many arches and the domed ceiling in the last area.

Bile Plant, Warpspasm - ijed
Before Quakespasm, there was Warpspasm, an episode that pushed the limits of what Quake could do at the time, 2007. It was notable for being one of the first map packs to require an engine with increased limits, which were aguiRes enhanced win/glquake. Bile Plant in particular is memorable for being the first map in the pack to show the player what they can expect, huge sprawling areas that cover every corner of the bsp29 grid, with 500+ monsters yet not being slaughtermaps. Its a long journey.

Three Towers and a Sick Base - RickyT23
A map that many might not remember or even played, but its memorable to me as one of my most played custom maps for its harsh difficulty. At the time of its release there was an ongoing heated debate on the func_msgboard about how unfair the difficulty was, that it was close to impossible. It took a number of tries but I managed to record a demo of the map from beginning to end, no save states, hard skill, then eventually nightmare skill. Ricky's maps toned down the difficulty since then.

Aerowalk - Preach
Its a deathmatch map, but its one I have to include as being the one I remember the most. During my many years of multiplayer, there was no DM map I played more than Aerowalk, and why not? Its perfect for one on one or three or four free for all.

Marcher Fortress - Kinn
It had to be. Memorable for not just its stunning architecture and vistas, probably the largest Quake has ever seen at the time in 2005, but also managing to stay within the limits of the bsp29 format. The original winquake and glquake could load it up, albeit with some visual bugs.

Serious Sam, Eat your heart out - Urre
What map is this? Its just a box with no monsters, no items, no lighting. Its actually a test map from 2005 to showcase one of the capabilities of Darkplaces. The map is simply a box with a single platform that the player starts on, until you realize that this is the single largest map in Quake history, and still is to this day. From the platform measured at 1310720 units and falling down all the way to the floor which is one gigantic texture of the earth, it takes almost five hours to reach the bottom. The entire size of the box is over 335 million units cubed. Its memorable simply for the fact that something like this exists.
 
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Out of order, just 10...
  • "The Anomaly 2: Water" by Digs. I never saw such a crazy map with switched up & down, floors walls & ceilings. All interconnected thru water, allowing to reach some hi ground. In general the map is let's say controversial. But memorable for sure
  • "The Mountains of Insanity" by bmFbr. I played that map before Dimension of the Machine and was amased by the idea of merging base & runic themes together. It's still fresh in my memory. And at that time it was the best environmental storytelling I experienced
  • "Ruins of Mazotac" by Yoder. I don't remember how I stubmled upon this map, because it's not hi rated, not famous, but somehow I did find it. And damn I was amazed how the whole map was built around empty city ruins filled with still alive deadly traps. Yes there are battles. But experience of traversing absolutely empty city and being scared to death is something special. Next cpl maps by Yoder are also built around puzzles & ruins, and they're better. But Mazotac was first I experienced, and it just stuck in my head
  • "Cartographer's Nightmare" by KillPixel. It's not even finished map. But as horror experience it's the most memorable horror Quake map existing. At least to my tastes. All those lights goin down and environment changes on the go. Really frightening and confusing map
  • "TrickyExplorer" by Sock (out of Explore Jam 1). It's not even close to Sock's best maps. But to me it's exceptionally memorable. It was my first ever peaceful experience in Quake. And I will remember all those ramp jumps forever
  • "Februus Depth" by CZG. Again not even close to the best maps by the author - CZG in this case. But damn I will remember those damned arches arches arches arches arches arches... forever
  • "Mircocosmosophy" by Ionous (out of Xmas 2021). To put the whole Quake into 1 small 1024x3 cube is absolutely crazy idea. I remember I was cursing Ionous for everything being sooo damn shallow. I was constantly bouncing into something. Movement in general is corrupted in this map. But the way how Ionous took advantage of such a small space is damn astonishing
  • "The Color Burns" by Chris Holden (out of Blue Monday Jam). Up to date it's still the most LSD looking map. Exceptionally trippy mushroom map. Not to mention it is beautiful in fact
  • "Entering the City of Pale" by Bal (out of Xmas 2018). The best lookin' dark fantasy map up to date. No one beat it as for now. imo of course. It was jaw dropping when I first launched and still it is. I think the secret is in this city, highy detailed, that you may see all the time, but will never be able to visit. It stays forever with you as a dream
  • "Moldy Tower" by Necros. I was amazed by all that machinery working and spinning and moving right away. But the most memorable thing to me in this map is sound work. Moving machinery is one thing, but how scratchy screetchy squeezy it all sounds - a masterpiece and memorable one
 
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