blastem2.wad <http://www.doomworld.com/idgames/?id=10908>

UV max   (95%,100%,100%) 9:18
UV speed (23%,23%,100%)  2:38

Demos by RjY <rjyoung at ntlworld dot com> using PRBoom 2.2.4 on Linux

06/12/2003 Hello! There now follows a load of self-indulgent crap.

blastem2 is one of the most entertaining and, more importantly,
replayable maps I know. I think it deserves a lot more demo-running
attention than it has apparently seen.

It took a long time to get to know the map properly. There was always
one or two of the ten Keens which I would miss, or even worse I'd forget
where the well-hidden red key is. Even once I'd got the layout covered
I'd take ages doing stupid stuff like luring the cyberdemon into
removing the barons on the guard towers.

Then one day I decided to actually shoot the monsters instead of circle
strafing round them for fifteen minutes. Almost instantly halving the
time I thought it might be interesting to try to record it, so I
switched from DIY to PRBoom. The first demo was 14:05.

This was quickly reduced even further. I thought "I bet there's some
killers on the DSDA", but there was only one somewhat half-hearted
speedrun. At least it hadn't been recorded drunk, unlike the demo
included in the wad... I decided blastem2 deserved better. The goals of
a three minute speedrun and a ten minute maxdemo quickly became clear.

Eight months of alternatively playing the map over and over or being
completely frustrated and sick of it later, I finally have a couple of
demos that are satisfactory. That is, not so completely full of horrible
screwups that I think they're releaseable. I originally intended this
for submission to the DSDA but since then Doomworld itself gained a
demos forum so naturally I decided it could go there, too.

There are 139 monsters in UV but the maximum kill percentage is 95% due
to six of them being stuck in a nonfunctioning teleporter.

I think using this route any maxdemo time significantly under eleven
minutes is due to luck and in particular the level of infighting. I was
often in the position of having a really elegant, smooth run be slower
than an idiocy-ridden foulup where I'd run into walls, miss pressing
switches, and take huge damages from rockets. It is very important to
make the cacodemons go after the tower barons. You have to hope against
belief that you don't get a monster trapped in some awkward cranny and
the inevitable cleanup operation at the very end of the map doesn't
impose a significant delay. You need to know when each repopulation by
teleporter occurs, what comes in, and where it appears.

Speedrunning is easier and less due to luck but of course you'll always
have problems with monsters getting in your way. Try to avoid firing
weapons for as long as possible so that the map doesn't get overrun by
cacodemons. It's especially annoying to find them blocking your exit
from the top floor of the big lift at the north of the map. Speaking of
which, when you run off the lift floor while it is still moving, as its
exits are triggers to continue its rise, and if you miss it you'll need
to reset it which is an unacceptable delay. It's arguable whether
getting the super shotgun is actually necessary but I find there's no
substitute for quickly downing the Keens in the narrow spaces and tight
corners in which they reside.

In conclusion blastem2 is one of the finest, most playable maps ever
made and I truly believe it is worthy of your attention.
