Info On P2AKILL.WAD =================== I recommend you play my level on each skill level before reading this, so as to understand what I am discussing. As you may have noticed, this is quite a small level. However, there are some things that might be interesting and useful for other WAD creators. Difficulty Settings In every WAD I've played, an enemy that appears in skill 1 will inevitably appear in skill level 4 or 5, and in the exact same place. This means that playing a harder difficulty is NOT that much more difficult, since you already know where the majority of the enemies are. For example, suppose I play skill level 1 and in the second room, there's a demon. I can bet that the same demon will be there is every skill level above the one I'm playing at. In other words, the enemies are predictable. Except for the ones that appear only in 4 and 5, you know exactly where they are if you play, say, skill 3 first. (I hope this makes sense.) In the last room, the one with the alcoves, the placement of the enemies changes from level to level. A human that appears in skill level 2 might not be there in skill 4 or 5. This means that the player ALWAYS is wondering if there's an enemy around the corner, which makes DOOM so much more exciting. Enemy Placement If you played skill level 4 or 5 in my level and went to get the shotgun in the secret area, it is likely that the imp took you by surprise. I have distributed this to a few friends, and most of them were also surprised. In my personal opinion, surprise is one of the greatest elements in DOOM. I believe that the best way to surprise a player is to lull him, or her, into a false sense of security. Let them believe that a certain area will *ALWAYS* be free of enemies. Then, throw him a curve ball. Put a creature capable of doing some real damage in there. He might die because of it, but it will make the level more challenging as well as more fun. Also, you can use power-ups to bait players. In the second secret area, it is likely that the player will be at least slightly damaged when he arrives. Often, the player will see the only the stimpack or whatever, and ignore the possibility of nearby enemies. I have witnessed several people make the same mistake, and all are competent players. Lastly, it's often a good idea to make many of the enmies deaf, so the first shot doesn't bring the whole level's monsters down on the player at once. Again, it increases the chances of a player being surprised. Room Dimensions For some of you, the dark room probably seemed a lot bigger than it acually was. The oddly shaped passages and bad lighting helps to give it the maze-like appearance. Sector shape, texture, and lighting all play a big part in giving the illusion of largeness or smallness. That's pretty much it. I hope this helps, and good luck! -Scott Adams scotta@netcom.com