Doomed Speed Demos Archive
http://www.goodnet.com/~opulent/sda/doom_sda.htm

Pwad:      One Week Megawad
Pwad name: oneweek.wad
Maps:      11
Skill:     4
Category:  UV max
Exe:       Mbf.exe

Time:      79:42

Author:    Chris "Ryback" Ratcliff
Email:     jaranbue@yahoo.com.au

Comments:  Well, I wasn't able to let go of this map :) After I did
           the skill 3 demo, I thought that maybe skill 4 might not
           be too much different. You get mostly the same powerups,
           health etc, and going against two cybers is not much harder
           than one cyber and one archie. Turned out that it was a
           little harder, not much, and with a good route it's a very
           reliable map. This was my fourth try, the last three all
           ended around the fifty minute mark or so. (The blue key
           area)

           Basically, all this map tests is your ability to BFG cybers
           at close range. Everywhere else in the map you can clear
           out with cornerinspection strategies, but the central area
           is where you get tested for skill. And I found some good
           strategies to deal with this, so even that wasn't so much
           of a problem.

           To start with, you release the arachnotrons. Every other
           path will lead to a quick death. BFG and rocket them, then
           take the slow lift down and dispose of the archies. It's
           necessary to save cells at this point, so you can take out
           the two cybers when you return. Kill them, hit the switch,
           and head back down to the first major trap. In this demo
           I forgot the megasphere, which made this trap pretty
           difficult (watch the health!) but the extra health turned
           out to be useful for later on. BFG should see you through
           the three archviles, and then it's time to wander around,
           clearing up with the rocket launcher. You can take out the
           cyber at close range while he's distracted, but if the
           archie's nearby this gets problematic. I let archie do most
           of the work then made a hash of killing him.

           The next strategy is to let the cyber clear out the
           enormous mancubus area. This is pretty obvious and easy, in
           this demo I barely had to get them fighting more than once
           or twice. And while that's going on, I release the three
           cybers.

           My way of killing them might seem unusual, but I want to
           save the invuln for later. In any case, this way is just as
           easy (watch the demo if you're not convinced). Then back
           out to do some mopping up: the teleporting archies, and the
           few mancubii left. Then grab that invuln, and RUN!

           At first I wasn't really sure what to use the invuln for.
           Kill the cybers? The teleporting archies? In the end I
           decided to run past the teleporting archies, and take out
           one of the archie/revenant groups with the BFG. Then, once
           one arm is clear, head back and take out the remaining
           archies and revenants with the rocket launcher. I wasn't
           sure what the cybies and teleporting archies back at the
           start would do, and when I played through experimentally I
           found that the cybers stayed in the central area. They
           didn't like the tiny step up, for some reason. The
           archies might sneak around, but they could be easily taken
           out with RL. And that narrow gap was just the right size to
           run past and safely BFG the cybers.

           That was the theory, anyway, in all three of my previous
           tries this worked perfectly but here I don't kill all the
           archies before the invuln expires and I take a health hit.
           And my cyber BFGing is pretty bad, with them hardly taking
           any damage. Health and ammo were both pretty scarce, but I
           eventually managed to duck out and get some cells.

           The next stage is pretty straightforward, but before I head
           back I hit the switch to release the imps. So when I get
           the yellow key and head in this direction, I can leave the
           cybers alone while all the revenants appear. Then I hide
           while the cybers and revenants take each other out. This
           was meant to save ammo, and would have worked very well if
           I'd had the patience to let the revenants take out both
           cybers. Still, it worked out well enough. The next room is
           probably the most beautiful in the map, and you need to
           know exactly what you're doing. Get the blue key, bfg the
           cyber, then head for the archie room, clear it out, and
           take out the revenants from long distance. In other areas
           of the map you can recover from your mistakes, but one
           mishap here and you're dead.

           I got through this okay and then it was off to the final
           stage. I BFG the Barons as I have the ammo for it, but it
           would probably be just as easy to run past them, release
           the cybers, and get some more infights. In any case, making
           it to the tunnels is easy. Now. Down here there are five
           separate monster teleport triggers. I set off the first two
           together (there's no alternative), but there are two safe
           places to hide and snipe from, both easily cleared out with
           the bfg. Then I set off the teleporters one at a time.
           Cybie goes down with bfg, and the archies/chaingunners can
           be rocketed at long distance. Same for the
           mancubii/cacodemons. The archie/revenant teleporter is
           tricky (as there are two areas to cover): use rockets on
           the revenants until the archie(s) appear, then hide and use
           the bfg; when you've cleared out the first teleporter, the
           second is simple to take care of.

           This leaves the archies in the bridge room to worry about.
           You can take out two before dropping down, and another one
           at the start without any risk. Thereafter it's harder. I
           found that rockets are better than bfg, as they work from a
           longer range, and you need to save cells for the next bit.
           In any case, you should start with 200/200, there's a
           supercharge at the start, and a megasphere at the end, and
           if you take more than three archie hits something's wrong,
           so there's no trauma.

           Finally, the last group of cybers. If you teleport in
           without waking them, you'll be right in the middle of four
           hostile rockets (and probably die instantly). Wake them up,
           and wait for them to head for a corner of the map. Then
           teleport in. With all the cyber bfg practice you'll have
           had by now, this bit is easy :)

           And so yes, it's done. This is far from the hardest map
           ever made, but it certainly might be the longest.. :)

