TNT: Evilution | TNT.WAD
Team TNT
The Doom community is no stranger to controversy, and one of the earliest big messes in its history is the row over TNT: Evilution. What began life as a free mod for Doom II, one of the earliest 32-level megawads (at a time when such huge projects were limited to the likes of Memento Mori) was, at the last minute before it was due for release, snapped up by id Software for a commercial release. The bulletin boards that the community lived on at the time understandably exploded into a sea of flame. After all, it's a bait and switch, isn't it? Promise a free product then at the last minute delay it for another six months so you can sell it instead.
Of course, nearly 30 years later none of that matters anymore. What does matter is that the id Software-mandated further development time led to some dramatic tweaks in the game, from extended testing to, it's my understanding, the outright removal of some maps, with replacements hurriedly being built. (At least one of these cut maps has resurfaced under the title of "No Mercy.") Just how much different the wad would have been without these changes is unknown; in general, Evilution is a bit of a mixed bag, especially compared to its far more slick companion piece, The Plutonia Experiment.
Evilution's story is something of a rehash of the original Doom's. You're Doomguy, once again, but now you're put in charge of a whole contingent of Marines, tasked with providing beefed up security as a reformulated UAC works to rebuild the teleportation project at a new base on the terraformed Jovian moon of Io. When the first portal opens, spilling out a bunch of Hell's denizens, the Marines go to work, and the invasion ends within a couple of minutes. A few months later, the supply ship arrives early, only it's not the supply ship but a large, monstrous hellship that drops an entire invasion's worth of monsters directly onto the base. Chaos ensues, and you, having gone for a walk around the base's perimeter, are the only survivor.
As it adopts a lot of Doom 1's basic plot, so too does it adopt much of its aesthetic trappings, leaning heavily on a broad range of techbases as you work your way through the Io complex. It's apparently at least partially self-sustaining with some manufacturing facilities and a system to maintain an Earth-like habitat, but for the most part it's a pretty non-descript series of techbases with the occasional hidden demonic temple deep underground. Towards the end things start looking a little more Hellish, though whether you actually go to Hell again or if it's the slow subversion of the base taking hold is unclear. The two big exceptions to this paradigm are the secret levels; the first sends you to an Egyptian-style pyramid, with some new textures to match -- a theme that has been revisited a couple of times, most emphatically in Evil Egypt -- while the second gives you a preview of Plutonia with a flooded jungle cabin kind of deal.
I said earlier that Evilution is a mixed bag, and I stand by
that. While there are some great levels -- I really like Ty Halderman's
levels "Wormhole" and "Shipping/Respawning" but I super don't care for the
one he did with Dario Casali, "Mill," and I'm kind of lukewarm about all of
Drake O' Brien's maps. With such a big mapping team in the early days of
Doom modding, quality and style are all over the place, and
where one level might be clean-looking and well-detailed, the next might
look like a barely-dressed-up
1994 map.
To say nothing of some weird ideas like the infamous torch puzzle on MAP30,
or the use of mandatory secrets and hidden passages.
Ultimately I like Evilution. It's harder than Doom II, in part because of all those damn hitscanners, but it's also got a solid identity that -- almost in spite of itself -- it generally sticks to through the entire game, with level design that, while not quite on the level of Duke Nukem 3D in terms of presenting a believable space, still has the occasional touch of DoomCute here and there, especially in Ty Halderman's contributions. The new textures are a mixed bag -- some look great, others are pretty obviously whipped up in MSPaint (but still decent-looking in the right contexts) and some just look badly adapted to Doom's palette. The music is generally pretty banging, though there's only so many songs, and there's a lot of repeats and reuses of Doom II music. Luckily, some enterprising musicians over on Doomworld gave us the Evilution MIDI pack. (If you're looking for a version that doesn't replace any of the music that Evilution ships with, only the repeats and Bobby Prince tracks, I made such a thing available here.)
Also, full disclosure: I played through Evilution using the
associated weapon set from
Final Doomer+. I'll give that mod a full review some day, but the TNT set is actually
really fun to use and works well with Evilution's gameplay. I
also used
Shades of Doom, which allows you to create your own monster reskins (behavior is
otherwise basically the same) to give Evilution a little more
of its own identity. (The SMG Guy replacement for the chaingunner is at
least thematically consistent with the Final Doomer+ TNT set,
too.)
You should give Evilution a play. Not just because it's part of Final Doom, but because it's a decent campaign in its own right from an interesting era in Doom history.
MAP01: System Control
Tom Mustaine
Tom starts us off light with an opener that's smaller than "Entryway" but a
little more action-packed. As MAP01s go it's kind of unremarkable for its
small size, but the secrets require just an atom of cleverness to acquire
and it does have a fun ambush at the very end. If nothing else, the sheer
amount of hitscanners for the level's size gives you a hint about what you
can expect going forward.
MAP02: Human BBQ
John Wakelin
A significantly larger -- and tougher -- outing, "Human BBQ" is somewhat
thematically incoherent, leaning largely towards a nondescript base with a
marble garden that will present your biggest threat as hordes of demons and
cacos may catch you off guard as you look for the button to progress. The
real fight, though, is the baron room, a secret area accessed by the blue
key that will cough up the super shotgun if you can survive -- and
telefragging the barons is a good way to do that. Just be ready to run back
to the overlook area multiple times if you want to grab all the secrets.
MAP03: Power Control
Robin Patenall, John Minadeo
A largely symmetric, circular map that revolves around a central structure
accessed via teleporters and more action in the side rooms. Pretty much a
straightforward techbase, but exploring everything requires understanding
the teleporter system. I'd also be extremely careful about stepping on
strange teleporters because you might be put into a fight you can't win from
that direction.
MAP04: Wormhole
Ty Halderman
Ah, Ty Halderman. While today he's considered one of the elder statesmen of
the Doom community at (least until his passing in 2015) he got his start as
founder of Team TNT and mapping for various Team TNT projects. "Wormhole" is
probably his most famous map from Evilution, a small, but creepy little lab with some maintenance tunnels in the back.
Find the right spot and you'll drop into a mysterious cave with a portal in
it that doesn't seem to go anywhere, until you realize that the lab feels
subtly different... It's a really cool little nightmare that sticks out as
far as typical Doom levels go.
MAP05: Hanger
Jim Dethlefsen
Definitely not the same kind of cakewalk as Doom's E1M1, this
one is chockablock with hitscanners and monster closets. The narrow
corridors have their own vibe (especially once they culminate in a
mysterious temple area,) but it's the control room with its power windows
overlooking what I'm assuming is a landing pad that poses the greatest
threat what with all the incoming fire from across the way.
MAP06: Open Season
Jimmy Sieben, Ty Halderman
A dangerous, dimly-lit power plant full of zombies and other bullshit. The
computer room maze is frightening in its way, but most of the level requires
a lot of backtracking with switches and keys. The standout fight to me is
probably the reactor area itself -- Jimmy and Ty are kind enough to give you
a radsuit before you enter, which should give you some leeway if you fall
off the walkway when the cacodemons come at you. Also, a single step forward
should bypass that arch-vile fight at the end if you really don't want to be
bothered, which is an odd way to finish the level. Fun map tho.
MAP07: Prison
Andrew Dowswell
The back half of episode one kicks off with a prison compound. The grounds
are pretty saturated with bad guys, but the prison proper is a terrifying
ambush with enemy fire coming from the cells all around you. Dowswell is
generous enough to give you an invulnerability secret, but getting it may be
a bit difficult. The final area isn't dangerous, just mind your step.
MAP08: Metal
John Minadeo
John Minadeo throws an absolute horde of hitscanners after you in this boxy
dark grey maze. It's a brutal firefight from the catacomb maze in the
beginning all the way through to the big vat room at the end. There's some
elements of this that seem to anticipate Quake's design ethos
a little bit, for example the cool staircase with hanging supports.
MAP09: Stronghold
Jimmy Sieben
If you thought the last map had too many hitscanners, here's a whole bunch
more. It's a proper Dawn of the Dead up in here with every
room featuring massive crowds of zombies -- sometimes more than once -- with
plenty of imp and pinky support. One of the tougher encounters involves a
line of monster closets spilling out imps and chaingunners to trap you
between them and some assholes up on a staircase.
MAP10: Redemption
Tom Mustaine
Tom gives us a nice, aesthetically pleasing little techbase that again
seems to anticipate some of Quake's design ethos. It's
probably better suited as a deathmatch level for its size and general
looping structure, but the actual combat here is pretty low-key compared to
the last two levels, even with the courtyard full of baddies and a stream of
imps and barons warping into the yellow key room.
MAP11: Storage Facility
Dean Johnson
A more cramped version of Doom 1's "Containment Area," this
is a largeish warehouse where each room looks like my storage unit for how
overloaded with boxes it is. To get there you have to work your way past
first a security checkpoint and then the loading dock area. The warehouse
itself is labyrinthine and just when you think you've cleared it another
horde of monsters -- including a couple revenants and an arch-vile -- show
up to ruin your day.
MAP12: Crater
Jim Lowell
Jim Lowell gives us a quasi-realistic facility set into a crater; the
starry sky overhead gives a nighttime feel that's typically been absent from
Doom. A hidden sewer access will let you approach various rooms from a
different angle, but there's really no safe way to grab the soulsphere,
especially if you don't kill the local Barons first. Some really cool
visuals, like the Doom 64-esque dark mini-maze lined with strip lighting to cast enemies into
silhouette, or the walkway that passes by a large nukage-fall before
connecting you back to the sewers.
MAP13: Nukage Facility
Brian Kidby, Ty Halderman
A pretty standard techbase with a large outdoor area and a courtyard. Some
of the design aesthetics hint at a nuclear waste processing center, but it's
pretty much a hub-and-spoke deal with a large nukage vat in the center. Lots
of hitscanners (that old refrain again) but the outdoor area offers a big
firefight with lots of snipers, imps, pinkies and a few revenants and
mancubi for spice. The storage vats at the end offer another fight, but due
to its layout you can very well aggro everyone and wait for them to come to
you. And if that weren't enough, a rather non-threatening Cyberdemon pops up
in one of the early rooms, but he's easily ignored or tanked with a nearby
invuln.
MAP14: Steel Works
Robin Patenall
A gloomy steel mill occupied by an army of zombies. With the dark, vaguely
depressing atmosphere and low-key music I'm reminded of
Marathon's "Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire! Fire!" -- a dark, gloomy
furnace area that seems to have some sort of purpose for the ship (and
coinciding with a major downbeat note for the storyline.) This one's more
about the journey than the destination, as once you've fought your way
through the machine room, the power press room, the furnace, all the way to
the red key, you'll have to do it all over again in reverse, though you do
have the choice of whether to deal with the spider sooner or later.
MAP15: Dead Zone
William D. Whitaker
A big, somewhat liminal installation in the middle of a large crater. It's
probably safer to fight your way inside and use the building for cover
against the threats prowling the yard, but it's up to you how to approach
it. As isolated as the building is, it still possesses some secrets, and it
may be worth hunting for them as Whitaker finally gifts you the BFG,
sitting there tantalizingly atop the pillar.
MAP31: Pharoah
Dario Casali
If you're playing this before Plutonia this will be your
first taste of Dario Casali, but it's actually fairly different from his
Plutonia stuff, thematically and gameplay-wise. He treats you
to an Egyptian expedition (remember to check the supply boxes!) with some
really cool architecture, unique texturing, and neat visuals like the
floating Cyberdemon summoned into the great hall. I like the little trick
with the arachnotron statues only activating in pairs as you unlock more of
the map. The shotgunner horde at the end may have you tearing your hair
out.
MAP32: Caribbean
Dario Casali
Now this is more like the Dario we know and love. The sunken wooden
structures and overgrown vibe is like a preview of the vaguely tropical
settings of Plutonia, but the map is kind of split between two large buildings with their own
plumbing systems. It's pretty peaceful at first until you raise the blue
bridge, at which point a horde of assholes will show up to ruin your
vacation. Where's Duke Nukem when you need him?
MAP16: Deepest Reaches
Andre Arsenault
A somewhat creepy adventure map involving exploring a series of caves, deep
inside of which are hidden evil temples and ruins. There's some cool bits
here like the red key tease and the yawning canyon across which a bunch of
skellies and friends heckle you. It's a big map with lots to see and do and
kill.
MAP17: Processing Station
Tom Mustaine
A straightforward base map -- a series of stairways and hallways looping
around a couple of corporate gardens and fountains, hinting at a more
real-world purpose than is typical for Doom levels. It's a stand-up fight
from end to end with lots of commandos and other zombies, accompanied by
imps, revenants and other bullshit. Not much in the way of memorable fights,
just a lot of room-clearance.
MAP18: Mill
Dario Casali, Ty Halderman
Ty and Dario give us a sprawling industrial level making heavy use of dark
grey metal textures. It's a lot of running back and forth with some distinct
areas like the hot room in the south east and the workroom that serves as
the map's finale, with lost souls popping out of vents as a horde of zombies
start marching from teleporters scattered around the room. The standout
fight to me is probably the telegraphed commando ambush as you head back
along the segmented hallway towards the red door. Honestly, kind of a
misfire from these two.
MAP19: Shipping/Respawning
Ty Halderman
While Doom is what I spend most of my time with as far as
doomer shooters go, I always find myself coming back to
Duke Nukem 3D and other Build Engine games. A big part of that
is because I have a healthy appreciation for realistic or semi-realistic
environments -- what some might call DoomCute -- and Ty Halderman's cute
little logistics facility is a pretty decent early example. From the
computer lab near the start to the conveyor belts in the main warehouse to
the little loading dock with the truck trailer, it's got some of the
strongest sense of place in the whole game. Combat is pretty fun, too, good
mix of imps and zombies wandering the halls and rooms. Don't fuck with the
nukage barrel storage or you'll trigger a whole mess of spawning enemies,
hence the name. God, what a cool level.
MAP20: Central Processing
Drake O'Brien
The bulk of this level is a large base with some office space and techy
stuff; the finale, in contrast, is a sprawling canyon adventure that
requires doubling back along different tiers several times before finally
reaching the exit. Lots of tough combat, with some particularly annoying
chaingunner sniper fire in the outdoor areas.
MAP21: Administration Center
Drake O'Brien
Drake drops us in a sinister office building, a large boxy structure with
four offices in the corner, a massive poisonous vat in the middle. Snipers
line the outer hallway and trouble lurks in the corridors that divide the
offices proper. There's a lot of secret passageways and little nooks and
crannies that you have to plumb to progress, making the whole place feel
like it's been hiding secrets for some time. The finale is a lot more
freewheeling, with a massive horde coming at you from across a field while
you're stuck in a recessed area looking for a way out.
MAP22: Habitat
Christopher Buteau
I don't know what everyone's complaining about; I like this map. It's a
weird one to be sure -- there's an overall unfinished vibe to it, the sewers
clogged with zombies aren't likely to be to everyone's taste, the vaguely
abstract outdoor sections aren't pleasing to the eye, the archie with no
cover is a bad move, and the hidden blue key will infuriate many. But I
think the bulk of it is interesting, with some neat visuals (the sewers have
some cool contrast to go with the carnage, and I really like the nukage
effects, especially once you lower the big metal vat and the nukage starts
flowing into it.) It's not the best map there is, but Buteau (whose only
other map is the much-praised "Shuttlecraft," the first map from TNT's later
project, Icarus: Alien Vanguard) clearly had an idea in mind of what he wanted to do, the execution just
needed work.
MAP23: Lunar Mining Project
Paul Turnbull
Much shorter than some of the maps we've been through lately, "Lunar Mining
Project" is a largely circular archeology lab with a semi-realistic layout,
some cool ruins in the center, and a warren of caves beneath the lab. It's a
pretty slick level for 1996, with some neat cave textures (I really like the
use of midtextures to make it feel like you're stepping through narrow
passages) and fun combat. I really like the creepy subterranean temple with
the invulnsphere.
MAP24: Quarry
Dean Johnson
Like "Deepest Reaches" but smaller, "Quarry" is the last stop before we
transition from the Io base to the demon ruins that we've been seeing hints
of here and there. It's not a great map, to be clear -- it's cramped, and
the encounters generally aren't very fun. But it's mercifully brief, and I
do appreciate the continued use of rocky midtextures.
MAP25: Baron's Den
David "Mentzer" Hill
Another stringy cave map like the last one, this one is a lot of open-air
chambers connected by narrow tunnels. Enemy is a good mix of zombies (mostly
shotgunners), imps, fliers, and other mid-level enemies. Surprisingly there
aren't a lot of barons, despite the name; but they do show up towards the
end, when you wind up in a dimly-lit series of corridors with marble baron
faces on the wall. Toughest fight is probably the one with the revenants
firing rockets at you from atop a pair of lava vats while you've got other
shit to deal with.
MAP26: Ballistyx
Mark Snell, Jim Lowell
A dark labyrinth seemingly on the borderland with hell itself; while it's
not as much of a stringy mess as some of the preceding maps, it still has
its stringy moments, mostly in the narrow clutch of dark corridors in the
center of the map. Some cool encounters, like the prison just outside the
subterranean machine room and the teleport that drops you into a cage with a
whole cliffside's worth of enemies throwing shit at you. Fun map, if a bit
backtrack-y.
MAP27: Mount Pain
Drake O'Brien
Now this is a level I can get behind the hate for. There's two halves to
this level; the first half is a large maze of mostly wood and stone, with a
sizeable contingent of zombies and imps. The toughest part is probably the
poisonous slime tunnels, as you have to balance timing a series of radsuits
with killing the imps that lurk within. Once you actually get to the eastern
half of the map, prepare to deal with a bunch of bullshit, ranging from the
swarm of lost souls pouring from the titular volcano to some particularly
annoying revenants on the columns in the outer courtyard.
MAP28: Heck
Milo Casali
A slick, clean map from Milo Casali, "Heck" is basically a remix of "The
Spirit World" and the weird marble blood maze in "The Courtyard" from
Doom II. Starting off hot in the center of the map with revenants yelling at you,
you'll have to visit three branches to grab three keys, each with their own
thing going on. I really like the horde of Pain Elementals that pop out of
the marble boxes when you go to get the yellow key.
MAP29: River Styx
Jimmy Sieben
Starts off with a narrow blood river canyon -- hence the name I guess --
before turning into a massive hellish temple crawl with distinct features
such as the monster-filled gallery and the lava chamber that doesn't
actually harm you. There's a lot of arch-viles here and they have a nasty
tendency to be in difficult spots to deal with, but with caution and
preparation they're easily handled.
MAP30: Last Call
Jimmy Sieben
For Evilution's finale, Jimmy Sieben gives us a short adventure map, beginning with the infamous torch-and-teleporter puzzle before leading us through a series of combat scenarios, none of which are particularly threatening except maybe the revenant room if you don't have enough rockets (and at this point you should have plenty.) I like the run-up to the boss room, but I'm not particularly a fan of how the brain hole is misaligned with the texture -- if you're playing without mouselook, you're pretty much required to stand on a narrow step and hope your rockets connect. Otherwise, a neat finale with a rather mysterious cliffhanger in the ending text...
-June <3
We’re thinking in time
That you’ll move down the line
And
represent the business in hell
Part of a series on Classic Doom
No comments:
Post a Comment