-== JUDGEMENT DAY IS HERE: Prepare for the Ultimate Deathmatch! ==- No, Judgement Day isn't the end of the world... unless you meet your maker in the Chamber of DOOM! The Chamber of DOOM is where all the Greatest DOOM ][ Warriors from Earth will be meeting in the near future in order to test their combat skills in a unique battle environment. Judgement Day features some of the most unique features ever implemented in a Deathmatch WAD! Judgement Day: The Details. Judgement Day takes place in a special arena known throughout the DOOM ][ Universe as The "Chamber of DOOM". The "C.O.D" was designed to test the hunting skills, awareness, and sheer cunning of the seasoned Deathmatch Warrior, while at the same time maintaining a fair and even battlefield. Campers will not survive long in the C.O.D. because as the saying goes.."You can run, but you cannot hide." Here are some of the key features: 1) The StartChamber: The StartChamber is probably the most unique feature about the C.O.D. Also known as "The ShotGun", it's design goals are to make sure that the player enters the playfield safely, quickly, and ready for battle. When a player starts or restarts, he is teleported into the AcidSection of the StartChamber. The player must quickly make his way to the RecoverySection just ahead. Along the way the player will pick up the designated weapon for this contest. Once the player enters the RecoverySection, the damaging effects of the AcidSection are remedied and the player is given the designated armor ( if any ) for this contest. Also at this time the doorway to the C.O.D. MainBattleArea is opened automatically and the player is required to make his entrance. Most veteran C.O.D. warriors "fly" out the door like a bullet, hence the name "The ShotGun". Here's why. There are only four doors in the C.O.D. not including the exit. These are the doors leading out of the StartChambers. These doors cannot be opened from the MainBattleArea, thus giving the starting player a measure of security before he has armed himself with the designated armor and weaponry for the battle at hand. However, once the player is armed, the door opens and remains opened until he leaves the RecoverySection and enters play. The player cannot close this door once he's prepared for battle, thus making him a "sitting duck" for anyone noticing his open StartChamber door! The player now has three choices. Go back into the AcidSection and face certain liquification, sit and wait for a rocket to chew on, or enter the battle area. We think you'll make the healthy choice.... 2) The RecoveryZones: Most Newcomers to the C.O.D. are shocked when they realize that there are no remedies or armor enhancements anywhere in the battle area. All players enter the MainBattleArea at the designated maximum health and armor for that contest and these cannot increase. Due to this unpleasant fact, it wouldn't take too long for even the greatest C.O.D. warrior to eventually meet his doom. To rectify this situation, a unique RecoveryZone system was installed in the C.O.D. in order to reward the battle survivors and lenghthen their stay amongst the living. These RecoveryZones can be found in the four "corners" of the MainBattleArea. These zones are inaccessable during battle until a player gets fragged. When a fragged player re-enters the StartChamber, the four RecoveryZone platforms drop to floor level momentarily, allowing all the surviving players to recover maximum designated health and armor while the re-starting player recovers and re-arms himself in his RecoverySection. There's no guarantee that the surviving player will be in the right place at the right time to take advantage of this feature, but where is it written that war is fair? 3) The MainBattleArea: Seasoned C.O.D. veterans both admire and despise the MovingMaze feature of the MainBattleArea. Many will tell of how it saved their skin at just the right time, while others will tell of how a "rocket-ambush" blew up in their face. Either way, this feature is one of highlights of the C.O.D. The MovingMaze consists of wall-like platforms which rise and fall at random. Just when you think you've got your enemy in your sites, a wall comes up in front of you. When you go around the wall to confront him he's gone, only to find that he's now behind you ready to turn you into hamburger with his chainsaw! You notice that on top of a few platforms there are some goodies. A backpack here. A super shotgun over there. You could wait around for the walls to drop down, but we suggest that you don't wait too long. Bad things seem to happen in the C.O.D. when players stop moving... ...they usually stop moving PERMANENTLY! 4) The BonusZones and HighLightZones: There are a few "battle-enhancement" devices available to all combatants during gameplay. These devices can be found in the four BonusZones which stretch along the outer walls of the MainBattleArea. As one might guess, aquiring one of these devices is not easy. All BonusZones extract a health penalty, or "potential" health penalty of some sort. Sometimes there are benefits to entering these zones which aren't readily apparent. Before getting to a BonusZone, the player must cross a HighLightZone. These are also quite dangerous, due to the fact that they are "high" up and well "lighted", making anyone attempting to cross this area an easy target, hence the name "HighLightZone". In order to get to a particular HighLightZone the player must first enter the appropriate TelePorter. Eight of these TelePorters can be found distributed around the perimeter of the MainBattleArea. Some of these will transfer players to the HighLightZones. The others will send the player back into the ongoing massacre. Even veteran C.O.D warriors find it hard to remember which TelePorts are which, especially in the heat of battle. This characteristic, along with the MovingMaze feature, causes most newcomers to leave the C.O.D. confused and disoriented. One of the TelePorters leads to a special HighLightZone located in the center of the MainBattleArea called the CrossWalk. 5) The CrossWalk: Newcomers to the C.O.D. can't help but ask, "What the #$%_) is that ?", when they first set eyes on the CrossWalk. Located in the heart of the C.O.D., the CrossWalk is a path to great rewards...and great peril! Any player attempting to make the journey to the GrandPrize at the end of the CrossWalk must first scale the edge of this structure. These players usually have a deathwish, or they're just crazy. Either way, once on the CrossWalk, players become a slow, well illuminated target from almost anywhere in the MainBattleArea. Even an glancing rocket hit will cause most players to be knocked off the edge, forcing them to start again....if they can remember which TelePort to use. At the halfway point, the player may receive a PowerUp device of some kind, tempting him to abandon his quest for the GrandPrize. Just before reaching the GrandPrize, the player will notice the fifth and final door in the C.O.D. Yes, this is the exit, and it was purposely located on the CrossWalk to discourage players from attempting to leave the arena. 6) Skill Level Information. Judgement Day; The Chamber of DOOM, utilizes the skill level options of DOOM ][ to their fullest, but in a different way than most other WADs. Normally, the "skill level" feature has no effect when playing Deathmatch, but in Judgement Day, this feature is used to determine the available weapon types, maximum health, and maximum armor allowed for that particular contest. Here's the breakdown: Skill 1-2: Bullet weapons only, No Armor. The only weapon power-up is the GrandPrize, the Chaingun. Skill 3 : Shotguns and Rockets, Security Armor (Green). The player leaves the StartChamber with a shotgun and green armor. The SuperShotgun is available as a bonus weapon and the Rocket Launcher is the GrandPrize. Skill 4-5: Armed and Ready: The player leaves the StartChamber with a Combat Armor (Blue) and a Plasma Rifle. All other weapons can be picked up on the battlefield or found as bonus items. The GrandPrize is...well...you know. Note: The Chainsaw is available at every skill level somewhere in the battlefield. These same skill level characteristics also apply to the Alternate Deathmatch Map as well as the Single/Co-op Survival Map. 7) Map Information. Judgement Day; The Chamber of DOOM, contains 3 MAPS for DOOM ][. MAP01: Deathmatch in The Chamber of DOOM. This is the main map that should be used for all deathmatch contests. If fewer than four players are involved it's recommended that you don't use the -NOMONSTERS switch. MAP01 has only a few "nuisance" monsters and they do a good job of keeping everyone on their toes without significantly impacting gameplay. The types of monsters also vary with the skill level setting. MAP02: Alternate Deathmatch. This map is designed for a less distracting battle environment. It eliminates the BonusZones and moves the bonus items into the HighLightZones. The most significant change to the map involves the CrossWalk. In this map, the CrossWalk is enclosed, forcing the player to make a return trip back to the Teleport. Although the player no longer has to worry about falling off the edge, he must now remain exposed for a longer period of time while going for the GrandPrize. There's also the possibility of being ambushed while inside, or being fragged instantly while teleporting out. This map may run more smoothly on slower (33Mhz) systems. MAP04: Single/Co-op Survival Test. Why MAP04 instead of MAP03? I didn't like the music, plain and simple. MAP04 is the "showpiece" of Judgement Day and should be run at skill-4 to see it in all it's glory. I call this "The Zoo" because of the caged creatures that you'll find in their "natural habitat". The expert DOOM player might think at first that there aren't enough monsters, but when you take into account the disorienting environment, the lack of available health and armor enhancements, and the accumulated health penalties from the BonusZones, You may find it difficult to make it out alive! This level makes a good performance guage of DOOM ][ skill using the following parameters: 100% KILLS. 100% ITEMS. These are all items in the BonusZones. 100% SECRETS. Actually, there are no secrets in the C.O.D. Just the GrandPrizeZone. If a player finishes with all these scores, he will then be considered for judging by the remaining HEALTH status: 90-100% You must have cheated 80-89% ALMIGHTY GOD of The Chamber of DOOM ( but you still probably cheated ) 70-79% GRAND GOD of The Chamber of DOOM ( confess, you hit IDKFA, didn't you ) 60-69% DEMIGOD of The Chamber of DOOM 50-59% ULTIMATE WARRIOR of The Chamber of DOOM 40-49% GRAND MASTER of The Chamber of DOOM 30-39% BATTLEMASTER of The Chamber of DOOM 20-29% GRAND WARRIOR of The Chamber of DOOM 10-19% CHAMPION of The Chamber of DOOM 1- 9% VETERAN of The Chamber of DOOM ( You're lucky to be alive, right?) MAP04 also has enhancements for Co-op play! MAP05: UltraFrag. This map allows an all out Frag-Fest by eliminating the MovingMaze platforms. 8) Epilogue I hope you enjoy Judgement Day: The Chamber of DOOM. Hopefully I'll find the time to translate this WAD over to DOOM and Heretic formats. I'd also like to continue the Judgement Day series if the response is positive.