Infernal Court Maps
Innard Mine by BenDoverTheBurner
Who rated this at difficulty 3? A completely impossible map even to run through and save your ammo. And an Icon fight with such limited rockets? Bro. No thanks. 2 stars.
Bloody Catacombs by DoomRevolver
A definite top 10 RAMP 2024 contender, for look, monster placement, and a classic feel. Honestly a blast. 5 stars.
Hide and Siege by moese47
A pretty decent map in many ways but the end confrontation is too limited. I definitely really hate that the hell knights are protected with an invisible wall. It would be more chaotic if, halfway through the cyberdemon fight, you just released them into the arena (but don't give me the BFG if you do that.) 2.5 stars.
Geddon by Padwiz
An invaluable level with a unique structure - a maze that the monsters can still navigate, leading them to sneak up behind you at the most inconvenient times. Typically mazes are not much fun because they slow you down. The big hallways and wide turns make this one just as fast moving and fun as any other Doom map, with the big rooms on the inside traversable in many different directions and ways. What an accomplishment! 5 stars.
A Nether-y Base by NuruTheDoomer
It's...okay. The use of the new monsters is pretty solid. A couple of the traps are top notch. But there seems to be an archvile trapped in a wall that never can get out? And the bit where you're meant to be trapped on the ledge is pretty easy to avoid by getting back into the central area. A bit more polish might make this really sing. 3.5 stars.
Virgil's Lead 2: The Dark Path by Dr. Sleep and Impboy
The scarce ammo is an odd decision; by the time I opened the central hub I was completely out. Even once I ran around the central hub I didn't have enough to survive. After replaying a few times I think there's a certain order you're expected to do the rooms and halls in, but there's no indication in advance that you're supposed to do that. I appreciate the nonlinear decisions (and some of the secrets are fantastic), but I think you should have the courage of your own difficulty level. 3.5 stars.
Down by the Blood River by culka
A nicely put together canyon leading to a really quite tough and inventive plaza fight. Each of the towers has their identity and each one has their own unique challenge and style. I did have a hard time figuring out how to get into the yellow key tower - I feel like it should be at least a little more symmetrical, though the naturalism of the level is quite strong. A terrific map. 4.5 stars.
The Dungeon (OBCMTD Textures Only) by Raith138
I like the alternate take on a Doom dungeon - the mysterious glowing buttons look very cool against the drab brown rivetted background. I also think the small size of the map contributes here. I'd get bored of the aesthetic if it was much bigger than this and still all the same. But as it is it's a tight-cornered map with some unique challenges rarely seen (long lines of monsters which can't get around each other, but which you can't easily manipulate, for example.) 4 stars.
Techbase Park Levels
Operation Lost Base by DeriveZero
Tightly drawn with elements that techbases often promise but rarely deliver. Something definitely has gone wrong at this base but certain parts of it still work - some buttons for security doors, balconies overseeing experiments and work floors, elevators tucked away but not magical/teleporting. There's some big groups of tough enemies that emerge into these tight spaces and infighting is really your only way to survive. That's not my favorite thing but I sure loved it here. Perhaps the bite was just enough for me to chew. 4.5 stars.
Volcano Base by 12Bits
The base itself looks spectacular, and the new weapons and monsters work well. I particularly like the puzzle elements of the turrets. I'm not sure the leadup section works quite as well. I think just dumping Doom Guy off at the front of the base and getting right to it would be just as fun. 4 stars.
Prayers for Doom by lilpaladin1
The immediate use of a portal showing the exit door is only one of really exceptional re-imaginings of the techbase space that take place in this map. The full idea of portals into a hell dimension are explored here in ways that neither fall into the "puzzly" portal, nor the "it's just traversal" portal. Imps are spit forcefully into our realm, there's extremely detailed breakage between our dimention and hell, it's a blast to feel you're racing in and out of collapsing reality. I would love to see even more weird stuff attempted. Although I should say the map never loses sight of the game/fast-moving arcade style of Doom. It just teleports you back to the hub after you pick up a key, why walk? Nice. 5 stars.
Point of Insanity by TheOriginalZads
Doom storytelling at its finest. What the story adds to this level, specifically, is the method by which the monsters surround you. In this game you hear the teleportation sound and you know what, on the other end, is happening, because you've seen it personally. The well-placed secrets help, although the supplies are more than generous enough to get you through. I did feel like the supplies didn't diminish from the challenge that much because you never quite knew when you would be teleported away and unable to return to the place you came from. Really fantastic. 5 stars.
Base TR-14L by IMQ2006
A really excellent, arcade-y classic level with plenty of monsters but plenty of room to handle them. I especially like the secrets which are visible but hard to reach without some thought. It makes me want to replay it again! 4 stars.
Inviernos Violentos by DiamondCentipede
Not quite a slaughter map but there's a LOT of powerful monsters that get released into some very tight spaces. Some, like the pinkies, are just a bit tiresome. Others, as when you manage archviles getting mad at you, seem a bit RNG. Overall I can't quite say that I like it even though the look is great and there are some encounters that are excellent. There's just too many where I'm thinking "wait...am I supposed to be able to do this? or is there a trick I'm missing?" 2.5 stars.
Corupted Energy by Filip R
It's great to see Filip's work evolve over the two RAMPs I've seen it in . I would say the style of this map is largely that of a classic Doom map - spokes from a hub, monsters released as you gather keys, and a final showdown. I don't think the two mazes really do the map any favors - both are a little headache-inducing in their design. I would also say that ammunition was extremely tight for the middle third of the map. I get that there's tricks to use on a couple of monsters, but those are not the ammo sponges so little enough would be gained even on a replay. Overall a solid experience, but could use a bit more polish. Can't wait to see Filip's next entry. 2.5 stars.
assicles by Heyerda Peenix Foxe
Although there's some very nice tricks-and-traps style scenarios here (the initial rush to get a good gun is just about as much RNG as I can tolerate, but since it's at the beginning it's fine), the lack of ammo and the almost inevitable soft-lock inside the red key room (you run in to find more ammo and there isn't any, and when you come back you're easily knocked off the elevator and can't get back up) makes this unpleasant at best. 1.5 stars.
Aztec Zone Maps
Wat of Wickedness by RobertF
A really beautiful and elaborate map, tightly packed together and really expressive without ever being unfair. But I couldn't get the cock a doody yellow key to lower. maybe i'm just dumb. 3.5 stars.
Eagle by andOlga
I found the Doritos! Although there are things about this that are cool - the secret messages, etc. - overall I just couldn't get through it with the ammo I was provided. Closing and re-opening rooms while not letting monsters or shots travel between them also made it hard to manipulate the monsters. I do think the fact that some of the rooms are tilted in your favor and some against you is pretty interesting. There could be the notion of a level there if it was spruced up a bit. 2.5 stars.
The Four Chambers of DEW by Simon the Digger
I do appreciate how everything seems to be more or less out in the open, though this also means the backtracking, though minimal, stands out in a negative way that I normally don't mind. Still, I can't deny that I really liked the flow of the level overall and there's plenty of sections where I was grinning the whole way through. 3.5 stars.
Temple of Hallucinations by Soulsphere666
A highly polished puzzler/tricks-and-traps map that gives you just enough hints to know there's a million more secrets than the ones you caught. Exceptional work in this level space. 5 stars.
Incursion Point by BenderWaffles
A fantastically designed exploration map - not too hard in terms of puzzles, though I did run out of air one time. The use of yellow skulls underwater to mark specific spots is really cool. The spider demon at the end is a little too easy to get stuck on a piece of debris and make them not able to fight back as I obliterate them with the plasma cannon. I think it might be more challenging just to have a few barons on that side. An incredible feat all the way through. The joke about the tech button not doing anything doesn't make sense though! Techbase stuff works in hell all the time, it's why hell likes the UAC so much! Anyway it's awesome. 5 stars.
Patience Teaser by Alper002
Square hallways and rooms are boring unless - as this map does, you have just enough maze, just enough traps, and just enough verticality that it turns the simplicity back into a virtue. A really good time, I can't wait to see the rest. 4 stars.
Inimica Certaminibus by IMQ006
A masterpiece of a high difficulty map - you are almost never fully safe (you don't really have the ammo to fully get safe in the two big hub rooms), but then again neither are the monsters, always in danger from each other and you. The high degree of mobility available in this map makes for an incredible Doom experience, you feel like you're always scrambling and if you get hit you feel like you could have somehow managed it. What a delight. 5 stars.
