I feel like DOOM level design didnt aged well

[Anonym]

Im new to the OG Doom games and just beaten the first game and while I like it, I truly belive E1 was the only enjoyable episode with all levels being great. Am I wrong? Im gonna play SIGIL next so Im finished with OG Doom and can move to Doom II.

[ULTRA]

Some of the levels in E2 and 3 piss me off yes, and E4 is all Willits'ed up. DOOM II was probably slightly worse on average what with stuff like Inmost Dens, the Chasm, the Factory, Refueling Base etc. all supremely uninteresting square rooms connected at right angles or trying to do things the game wasn't good at and passing the annoyance on to the player.

[VVanTuz2OO2]

Originally posted by Anonym:

Im new to the OG Doom games and just beaten the first game and while I like it, I truly belive E1 was the only enjoyable episode with all levels being great. Am I wrong? Im gonna play SIGIL next so Im finished with OG Doom and can move to Doom II.

Well, that's a good point of view, actually. But let's be honest. It was first of it's kind. It's very subjective and for some people who already were born into the world with games that have detailed and thought through levels (6th generation and after that) yeah you'll probably be disappointed. Some things just happened due to limitations so you have to like imagine what it is, turn on your fantasy and don't be so dry and rational about it.

If you don't exactly like the original 1993 level design, there is a lot of remakes of the original 3 episodes. The earliest is Eternity, Serenity, Infinity - the trilogy of classic mapsets that replace episodes and for some people it is better than the original. Also try out 2002 A Doom Odyssey, which 4 brand new episodes in one and is considered to be peak classic level design for Doom 1. If you wanna have the experience close to this source-port try using PrBoom+, with this version of Doom available it will run automatically.

Episode 4 is an expansion that should give player a challange. You REALLY can skip that if you don't mind.

And if you think DOOM's design is bad, you gonna be very pissed of later DOOM 2 levels. There are a lot of gimmicks that you are either fall in love with like "Ahh you got me there" or you will be crushing the keyboard because of those stupid levels.

If you will hate Doom 2, TNT should be skipped. If Doom 2 was too easy - Plutonia is a must have (it doesn't have perfect texture design, but it is surely technical and difficult in gameplay).

[Dead Pixel]

Ooof. If you're unhappy with the level design in Ultimate Doom, wait until you get a load of Doom II. And then Final Doom after that.

[VVanTuz2OO2]

Episode 2 is my personal favourite. I understand why people often dislike those next episodes, but it's because the peak design was chosen for shareware episode. It doesn't mean those levels are bad, they are just not as saturated.

That didn't stopped ID of sellign people DOOM 2 with s***load of crap levels, in that case most messed up levels were made by Romero instead.

And don't get me started on the TNT Evilution.

Yet DOOM is not the pleasent in visuals it is breeze to play through. You cannot simply say that about most community content - if there's extra, that is extra of everything. In most cases it both extra visuals and extra difficulty.

[Dead Pixel]

This is random, but I've always loved Doom II Master Levels, despite the vast majority of people thinking they're some of the worst maps. I always had a decent time playing through the Master Levels. I'm a weirdo I guess.

[mdesaleah]

Not all the levels are standout, but they’re still fine for what the game is going for most of the time

Middle/large sized maps where it’s more about navigating and planning what weapons to use.

Doom 2 is where the levels can get too big or too gimmicky.

Doom 64 probably isn’t what many play Doom for, and in the case of fast action 1 does it better. But for level design and tone, Doom 64 is the most interesting

[Dead Pixel]

Yeah, I'm playing through Doom 2 right now using the new KEX port. Just like the thousand other times I've played through Doom 2 throughout my life: soooo boring. Contrary to that, I had a really good time with Sigil and Sigil II though (more so with Sigil 1).

Doom 64 does have some really fantastic levels.

[₦₣Đ]

I disagree it's aged like fine wine

[Cadaver747]

Originally posted by Anonym:

Im new to the OG Doom games and just beaten the first game and while I like it, I truly belive E1 was the only enjoyable episode with all levels being great. Am I wrong? Im gonna play SIGIL next so Im finished with OG Doom and can move to Doom II.

Depends on individual's taste I think. I personally like Doom 1 Episode 1 far more than the rest of the game. Back in late December 1993 the shareware levels looked fantastic, especially the added height and stairways, but I didn't like how some zombie men models looked more grainy than soldiers in Wolfenstein 3D. Also the cap to 35 fps in comparison to 70 fps cap in Wolf3d was a bit sad when I finally got around to playing the games on Pentium CPU.

I prefer Spear of Destiny game levels over Doom 1 and Wolfenstein 3D, and even Doom 2. And Quake 1 is the best game original id Software ever made in my opinion (Quake 3 is marvelous but there is no single player campaign, and no Quake 1 specific ambiance).

[Ikagura]

I disagree, E1M1 is a masterclass of level design.

[Cadaver747]

Originally posted by Ikagura:

I disagree, E1M1 is a masterclass of level design.

I heard or read that this level was polished to hell and placed in the first place specifically for people to appreciate the new tech in all its glory. I love that level, John Romero did a great job.

[Chubzdoomer]

Originally posted by Dead Pixel:

Doom 64 does have some really fantastic levels.

It really does. That game's level design is no joke. You've just got to love some of the cool tricks they were able to pull off thanks to their custom scripting language as well.

[₦₣Đ]

the best levels in Doom 64 were the Hell ones

[Doomerang]

TNT and Plutonia vary from absolute garbage to amazing for its time. You either get a turd level or a diamond

[Chubzdoomer]

Originally posted by Cadaver747:

Originally posted by Ikagura:

I disagree, E1M1 is a masterclass of level design.

I heard or read that this level was polished to hell and placed in the first place specifically for people to appreciate the new tech in all its glory. I love that level, John Romero did a great job.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was actually the very last level he made (or at least finished) for the game. He always said that it's best to design the first level last, because by then you've mastered the editor and gotten a great feel for the game itself as well as what makes for a great level in that particular game.

Here's a cool video that shows an early/unfinished version of E1M1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpEBUV_g9vU&t=9m34s

(The E1M1 section starts at roughly 9:34)