31/05/2007 @12:38:16 ^14:34:42

Apologies, it's been a long time. I felt like a break from Doom, for various reasons. I'd been reading the Nethack wiki and, as happens every 10 months or so, felt like playing that again for a change. I soon gave up playing properly though, but spent a few days running round in Wizard mode where you don't have to bother with all the tedious and frustrating initial game nonsense like identifying unknown scrolls and potions.

I began playing a wad called Hellfire. There are 15 new levels here, lots of new graphics too. I've only done the first three and started the fourth but so far it's very promising. In the first few maps you are in a city. The first map is in your and your neighbours' flats, the second out in the streets, and in shops and hotels. The third is a couple of train stations, and the fourth in and around a large corporate towerblock. The maps and in particular the shop textures are quite reminiscent of that old classic Doom City.

Hellfire is very well-made and believeable but it is exploration-type gameplay that might not suit replayability. I've been trying to do each map from scratch but I'm not sure it's meant to be done this way; they all follow on, as in the exit of one resembles the entrance of the next, and map3 in particular was ridiculously lacking in health. I will carry on and see where this thing takes me...

IDBEST.WAD is a curiosity at best; imagine a bunch of areas of different episode 1 maps, pasted together. Worth playing once. Starts well but somehow tails off. The exit is just randomly placed, there's no buildup to it or anything, and the keys are rather pointless. Interesting (if illegal) job, could be better though. Making your own large sprawling episode 1 style maps usually turns out better (obligatory mention of UAC Experiment goes here)