2008, a doom Odyssey, aka "20082ADO"

When I came back playing Doom, at the end of Sept. 2008, after 1.5 year far away from Doom, disgussed by the behavior of the majority of the players and users, disgussed also by some authors like Mike "Cyb" Watson (the author of Mass Mouth) who refused to me the authorization to release a version greatly improved and heavily debugged for Zdoom of both of his pwads, for the false pretext that he will update them by himself (1.5 year later, he didn't make anything at all on it ; at least, he didn't release anything, and my work is still sleeping on my computer, which is a pure shame), I had the idea to bring again to the Doom's community my skill for doing updates, improvements and debugging.
So, I looked at my heavy collection, and I found a megawad, named "2002ADO", still unplayed, waiting...

Here is my version 3 of this fabulous megawad made by a whole team under the direction of Paul Corfiatis. I made it alone. Don't expect a bunch of Zdoom features !! I used those features only when it was necessary, in order to full fill a purpose, like with E2M4.

Please, read the following story, modified by me, so that you'll understand that this awesome megawad is really following a true story, episode after episode, and that the levels are really one after the other one with a real purpose.

Story :

You fight you're way through a monster infested bloodbath to destroy that spider, having to bypass hell's gates built without any apparent purpose.
You thought to have made it, when you retrieved the so precious golden treasure stolen to your father.

But you're suddenly understanding that what you thought to have been destroyed was only an artefact, a holographic picture sent in the well protected prison where was kept the stolen golden treasure.

So, courageously, you go back into the battle, through all of those hideous and infected areas belonging since a long time to Tommy the Trooper. stolen to your father, who was their real and beloved master, and, one after the other, you're delivering those worlds again, paying a tribute to your father, making understanding to Tommy that the son is as determinated as the father...

Finally, you're doing it: you find it and you really destroy that spider, despite the 2 cyberdemons protecting it !!! But something is going wrong... The photography of your father appears suddenly in front of you... You're feeling that someone is spying you, somewhere around, watching at you discovering that picture. Who's that spy?!? The spider's master ? If yes, who is he ?!? And what will happen now ?

Then, you return quickly at home, the stress in the stomac, to find out the awful truth that your wife "Stephanie" has been kidnapped by Tommy the Trooper, after 3 months of hard battle against him !!!

So, you must go back into hell somewhere else to destroy Tommy and rescue your wife.

At that point of your adventure, you're understanding that your real ennemy wasn't that spider, but Tommy the Trooper, hidden in the background, this demonic creature who used his beloved spider, the most sophisticated monster that he had ever built for the only reason that he was hating your father, his legendary ennemy, and, consequently, yourself !!!
Since the beginning, you was fighting the troops sent by Tommy the Trooper, who thought that it was easy to keep you away from him. He killed your father brutally, while he was in his bathroom, and he took a photography with the idea that this terrific act will keep you far away from him, terrified by the fact that he was able to steal THE golden treasure, and to kill your father.
He tried to intimidate you, exposing the photography of your father, one seconde before dying.
When he saw that, far from being afraid, you defeated his spider a little bit later, he had no other choice than to kidnap your wife.
Was he right ?

First of all, here are some of the changes made by me:

The skies... They were simply simple, very pixelized, and it was a pity to play with such skies. So, I made 13 new highres ones. One more time, don't expect fantastic photographical skies, because they would have been totally out of the context : Doom, in all its glory, with its veeeeeery oooooooold textures. I made them having in mind the original sky designed for this megawad, and I built new ones giving the same feeling, having the same atmosphere. Here is an example:

Here is the "SKY9" picture, used in E1M1, for example:

and here is mine:
My new SKY9

New pictures (13) for the end of each level. They are the sky of the concerned level, resized to fit the dimension of the screen at those moments (when they are displayed).
I made some other pictures, sometimes using the old ones, but improved, like the one displayed on top of this page, which is the "CREDITS" picture. Here is the original picture :

Here is another example: it's the picture used when you're pressing the key "F1" :

and here is the new one:

The new picture for "F1", made by me

A last example: it's the picture displayed at the very end of the game :

and here is the new one :
The new ENDPIC made by me

Here are the other changes made by me:

the patch "ORG10" was named wrongly "SKY3" in "TEXTURE1"
The entry "ENDBOOM" wasn't having a value (the value 4), so that it wasn't displayed within the tool XWE. In fact, an interal error is preventing XWE to display it, at least to keep recorded the information of the nature of this entry. But it as no effect while playing.
The entry "SKY4" was missing, thus the maps E4M3, E4M5 and E4M7 are using it, and it's listed in the "TEXTURE2" field... Since the release of the Pwad, the original SKY4 of Ultimate Doom was displayed... I have added one of my own SKIES, which is a very dark cloudy one.
The fourth text, displayed at the end of the 4th episode, had a bug. It was written:

"Agsinst all odds...",

instead of
"Against all odds..."

I decided also to write one more time the text, formatted a little bit differently, so that its display is embedded (at least, it was my purpose).

The MAPINFO lump was hardly bugged (do have a look at E1M8, E3M8 and E4M8). I made the housework, changed what had to be changed, and added some other entries.
I added a "HIRESTEX" lump for the 13 skies
Of course, after having stored the old skies on my computer, I deleted the concerned entries withing the pwad and changed the "TEXTURE1" and "TEXTURES2" lumps.

And here is the very complete list of my changes within the maps: if you're pleased to look at how were looking like some areas, and how there are looking like after my changes, you can have a look at the screenshots of the "Changes" repertory. I put here only 2 examples.

E1M1:

2 of the secrets were absolutely impossible to find. Do you seriously think that the player will push every inch of the walls everywhere, in order to find the secrets?!? Now, something in letting understand that those areas are a bit different for a reason else than to add details in the architecture, if the player is seriously observing.

I added also some details in the sector of the blue key. I thought that this sector could be better designed.

and here is it after my work:
E1M1 after

E1M2:

Sector 66 lowered (light on ceiling) and white lighting texture added
Textures aligned
Sector 11: textures aligned

E1M3:

I have added something to make the player looking more closely to an area...

E1M9:

the sector 39 (a door opening the entry of a corridor toward the BFG) wasn't tagged, thus the action "open & stay opened (after 300s)" was attached to it. So, I made it working. Which means that, since the release of this megawad, nobody was able to bypass it... Nor the authors themselves, nor the users, and nobody cared to advise them... What a pity, indeed !!! More than that, the BFG wasn't available, for nobody. Now, it is !! I resume: since the release, on 2002, nobody had the BFG. Here is what we could name: "A lost idea"... 6 years ago... Woha!!

E1M4:

the way to have to blue sphere was quasi impossible, apart by chance. I put something to let the player have a closer attention of the needed area.
The other secret (for the rocket launcher) was also impossible to discover, apart by pure hazard. A texture was changed somewhere.

E1M5:

It was really a pain in the... to find the secrets in this whole megawad... I made possible to see a small different detail somewhere... (toward the plasma gun)

E1M7:

I changed the action for the linedef 239 from S1 to SR (in case of a monster closing the door...)
I revamped a little bit the area around the exit sign...
I made possible to find the secrets... It wasn't before my intervention, and users told it sadly...

E1M8:

the MAPINFO lump was broken. There was no section with:
                baronspecial
                specialaction_lowerfloor
                next EndGame1
which means that, since its release (6 years ago), nobody was able to bypass this map and to end properly the episode.
Plus, the indication "EndGame*" was forgotten. As result, the game was looping at E1M4 !!!
So, I repared the MAPINFO lump.

Back to MAPINFO informations

E2M1:

I revamped the design of the whole map, making darkest and brightest areas, changing textures accordingly to the concerned areas, and I have also changed some textures here and there.

E2M2:

idem.
I added a radiation suit after the discovery of the blue armor. Do imagine that the player has a low life... Coming back through the acide would be fatal, and there is no other way.

E2M3:

I added a "hell's gate" on the first room and changed the lightings of this room.
I added also 2 of this "hell's gate" in the final room and I heavily changed the design of this room, which was far too much simple.

and here is how it looks like now:
The end room, after

I named it: the hell's gates

E2M4:

The linedef 0 was badly declared
As far as the secret area with higly damageable lava and the picture of a man in his bath, was a mess (and more if the player was having a short reserve of life), I heavily change it, adding a bunch of cool features, architecture's tricks and lightings.
As usually with Paul, the secrets were quite impossible to find (and everybody is ok about it). I made changes in order to make them less hard to find, especially as all of those secrets are giving the road toward the super secret level !!!.

E5M1:

A trick: at the end, you'll have to battle a cyberdemon. The trick is to don't battle against him, but to enter quickly within the room openable with the blue key, and to go immediately pressing the trigger, in order to keep your ammos. for the next level.

E2M5:

a trick: do use the most possible your chainsaw, even for the lost souls, if you want to don't be lacking of ammos !!!
The writing of the word "SEX" with candles was really useful ?!? I don't agree at all !!! I changed it for "ADO"
I made a movable platform of the sector 55 (where is the blue key), for the purpose to give to the player the possibility to escape from the hell's lime.
I changed the way to discover a VERY important secret room, without it the opening of the door being impossible. Before, the texture of the wall was tagged 1 upper the normal, but it was absolutely not noticable !!! So, I added some architectural details...
I had to align the textures of the sector 62
Sectors 55 & 58 lowered from the ceiling, so that you have really the feeling to have a lighting there.
As far as there is a bunch of possibilities to lose quickly your life, I added a berserk in the room of the end(s).

E2M9:

This map was just pure crazyness, braking your nerves very surely.

I used tricks in order to make the very first soldiers appearing more slowly, so that you have the time to react and to survive.
Idem for the following ones. Now, you have a chance to survive, if you know how to battle intelligently.
I created a small tunnel, beside a teleporting area, for the purpose to let you hear something, happening somewhere... And it will be useful also after...

E2M6:

I had to align a lot of textures, and to add lightings to areas with light textures..
The secret area was... impossible to find (what a surprise!!). I changed the architecture around it, and a very little advise, somewhere, only visible if the player is looking closely to the map.

E2M7:

I added a relief for the lightings on the ceiling (sector 394)
I changed the texture of 2 of the secret doors. You will notice it only if you're looking at it closely. But you will !!

E2M8:

I had to align the white lighting texture used for the sector 8
There was no end. There is one, now ! And it's cool !!

E3M5:

The red door (sector 55) was not openable from the inside. Once closed, it wasn't possible to escape from there.
The sector 187 (on which you're teleported at the end, in the room where is the cyberdemon) wasn't working at all, so that the secret area wasn't discoverable and there was no escape from the last room.

E3M6:

This map was an unplayable mess. Very well architectured, the gameplay was catastrophic, ruined by this bloody areas everywhere, killing you as surely as lava, which was not a good idea. Blood is blood, nor lava, nor acide!!! The result is that its author was the only one to be able to bypass it, knowing by heart where was what, and what was making what... For you, the time to understand where to go, and what to do, you was killed 100 times !!! So, I changed the property of the bloody areas, not hurting anymore. And even doing it, I was able to finish it, of course, but hurted, thus I was knowing by heart everything about this map !!! Plus, I made an area giving some... "breathing air"... Finally, I changed the design of the very secret room, impossible to detect before my changes. I won't write anything about it, and I let you having the surprise.

E3M8:

The MAPINFO file was indicating "CLUSTER 1" wrongly; instead of "CLUSTER 3". The consequence was that the message appearing normally at the end of the level E3M8 was appearing at the end of E3M7 !!!
These entries were missing:

spidermastermindspecial
specialaction_exitlevel
It's meaning that, since the release of the megawad, nobody ever saw the end level text, nor the picture... What a pity !!!

I added a room, opening after the death of the super spider, where you discover one more time the picture of your father... AND his body, horribly amputed, hanging on the ceiling., and a hellish creature, watching the spectacle. In fact, this evilish monster won't hurt you, as far as it's, in fact, an artefact, a sort of camera, allowing Tommy the Trooper to survey this room from his center. You're taking the rests of your father, and you're going back at home.

Back to MAPINFO informations

E4M2:

The sector 1 wasn't tagged, which means that, since the release of this megawad, nobody was able to have access to the blue armor & to the computer map...
The sector 93 (with the sphere of invisibility) was lowered only 1 time. Now, it's lowered everytime you bypass the linedefs 1012 & 1026.
The linedefs 1095 & 1096 were changing the lighting of the wall facing the chainsaw. But, as far as there are 2 floor lamps in front of it, their light was hidding the change. So, I changed the lighting effect of the wall. I changed also the texture of the front of the door entering this room, as far as the yellow key is needed, instead of a white lighting texture.
I added a radiation suit on sector 96, this area being only a unbypassable area. The idea to put hard battles against hords of monsters there, needing a lot of time, was not a good idea... This suit has a special property attached to it...
I redesigned the very secret room, so that the player will have the feeling that he has reached a very special area... I added also 2 arrows pointing toward it, not viewable with the automap, but only where you're near.

E4M9:

This wolfenstein level is aweful !!! Without any gameplay, far too much repetitive, the monsters being totally symetrically positioned. As usually, the secrets were totally hidden (at least, most of them). I changed this fact, because you can't bypass the next level without your full life and full ammos. So, you must discover all of the secrets !!! Another very anoying point: there are lights everywhere, and a bunch !!! Which means that the Gzdoom engine will be pushed far beside its capacities... Even with my very powerful computer, slowdowns were horripilously legions !! Anyway, I didn't touch at it, Paul Corfiatis volunty was to put bunch of lights... It was a good idea for the Zdoom engine, but not with a OpenGl compatible port, like Gzdoom.

E4M7:

The sector 423 wasn't working as expected because the Baron of hell wasn't centered properly. It was preventing this sector to be raised. I felt down the hole 3 times, without any possibility to make it being raised.

E4M8:

One more time, the MAPINFO lump was broken. I added:

spidermastermindspecial
specialaction_lowerfloor
otherwise, there was no possible end, 2 sectors staying closing the road.

I changed... "a little bit" the architecture of the end room, the way to access it, and the way the game is finishing, making a true end of a real story. I embedded also Stephanie, very poorly designed (for example, her broken chain was aweful).

For example, here is how it was looking like at the very end, before my changes:
E4M8 - The end - Before

and here is how it's looking like after my changes:
E4M8 - The end - After

Back on top

And now, I hope that you'll claim:
"Wow!! Paul Corfiatis's crew made an awesome megawad, one of the most famous of the Doom's history, keeping the ambiance and the feeling of the good old Doom, but integrating a bunch of incredible effects, making of it a masterpiece, and Jive51 gave us his best... as usually."

Do have a nice day, and may God bless you all !!!

Jive51

December 08, 2008:
"You can release your version under a different filename, of course. I'm perfectly fine with that. The main thing is that you've given me permission." (Paul Corfiatis)

2008, A ODYSSEY aka Version 3, dated end of 2008 renamed "2008ADO" Now, there is a true story (do have a look below) Tommy the Trooper killed your father and kidnapped your wife Stephanie. Will you succeed to deliver her and to defeat this evilish creature ?
Version 2 by	Version 3 (2008ADO) by
Paul Corfiatis (leader), Chris Hansen, Kristian Aro (co-leader) VIRGIL "the Doom Poet ", Sam "Metabolist " Woodman Rory Habich, Anthony Soto, Joseph Pallai.	Jean-Yves "Jive51" Delpech I gave to this version the number "3", because this megawad is now Zdoom specific, and I used GZDoom to play and test it.