For the Doom 2 episode Perdition's Gate by Alex Mayberry (NB: not the commercial megawad of the same name)

Files required: pdgate.wad
Download link: http://www.digital-eel.com/zdim/levels/pdgate.zip

Perdition's Gate Map03

Skill: Nightmare!

Kills        85%
Items        41%
Secrets      60% and Time 02:32

Plays back with Legacy 1.40.
Legacy download link: http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/doomlegacy/legacy_140_win32.zip
Note: The map has some see-through walls in OpenGL mode, so I'd recommend software mode to play it back - reduce your resolution if it gets "choppy" (800 x 600 was nice and smooth on my system).

Description: This is a very nice map for NM, with quite a few route options, and useful power-ups dotted throughout the map. The time improvement compared to my first NM exit (4:58) is rather large. The main route refinements are as follows:
1) Waking the monsters in the main arena at the start. I think this helps speed things up a little (e.g. the imp you can kill while in the lift).
2) Skipping the chaingun and bullets near the start. They're not needed.
3) A "run, dodge and hope" approach to the section between the berserk and the teleporter, and consequently between the megasphere and the same teleporter. Risky, but survivable more often than you might think. This saves both time and rockets that are needed later.
4) Killing all the demons with rockets. Normally this hurts a bit more than in this run.
5) Pressing the switch to raise the elevator one more notch before leaving it. This saves quite a lot of time.
6) Not wasting much time in the Arch-Vile area - just grab the invul and leave. This is safe enough, given the improved use of the second invul.
7) Skipping the plasma gun. It's not needed - invul + rockets is sufficient.
8) Grabbing the second invul before climbing the stairs.

Possible further route improvements:
1) Skipping the megasphere. Yeah, right. (Actually, looking at this run, it appears that it should be possible.)
2) Getting the Arch-Vile to jump you out of the slime after picking up the first invul. I haven't had much luck with this.
3) Skipping the second invul entirely. Good luck!
4) Exiting the room with the two barons before the door has had time to close.

A lot of things go very nicely in this run (e.g. an imp kills the first chaingunner), but there are a few annoying things:
1) Some lost souls and imps get in my way.
2) I could be a little quicker in the lift.
3) I waste a little over a second while coming down the stairs near the end of the run. This is really irritating, and inexcusuable too.
However, I have not yet managed to correct all these flaws in a run that is as fast otherwise.

Graham "Grazza" Burgess
GKBurgess@compuserve.com
