Game:

Doom II: Hell on Earth (1994)

Category:

Vlog

Duration: 15:44

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5

Welcome back for some more Doomy goodness, folks. Today we're going to check out a favorite of mine called Intergalactic Xenology Trilogy, a 16-level Boom-compatible collection of maps made by Dreadopp and Lord_Z. Intergalactic Xenology Trilogy (which I'll occasionally call IXT from now on for brevity) is actually a compilation of three episodic collaborations between the aforementioned creators that uses the texture pack of skillsaw's magisterial megawad Ancient Aliens. When they were released on their own, the first two episodes of IXT were runners-up at the 2020 and 2021 Cacowards respectively, so we know from the start that we're in for a real treat. Let's see what those pesky aliens are up to now!

Basic info
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IWAD: doom2.wad
Difficulty: Ultra-Violence (pistol start)
Map author: Dreadopp
Music: "The Thaumaturge" by Jimmy
Port: DSDA-Doom 0.27.5
Compatibility level: 9 (Boom v 2.02)
QoL mods: Colored Blood, Ultrawide Statusbar (from Ancient Aliens)
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Additional notes
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Casting your eyes on that big-ass multicolored tower and having Jimmy's "Thaumaturge" as the MIDI should convince you that shit's about to go down. Contrary to how things were done in the previous episode finales (i.e. having a collab between Dreadopp and Lord_Z on the same map), 'The Silent Cries' is a solo endeavor by Dreadopp, who nevertheless sticks to the plan of having us fight in circular spaces. The first two floors of the tower are somewhat easy bar the required excision of three arch-viles; it's only after reaching the top of the edifice - where the mother of all motherships is parked - that things will get tough. It's really important that you head back to an alcove before taking the lift to the top to pick up the secret BFG, an essential weapon which is very easy to miss. The mothership battle consists of waves that will give you no time for preparation and will ask of you to cruise the ring where the baddies start teleporting in. Like I probably said before in a note for some other playthrough, movement is king in Doom, and your use of it here is a perfect example of this maxim. Around the time the revenant squads drop you must make sure you can effectively run around in circles without getting fatally interrupted, more so given that the last stage comprises of no more and no less than four cyberdemons, plus a ton of very annoying and deadly plasma troopers. Complicating matters is the fact that there really aren't enough cells to eliminate them all even with the stashes from the freshly opened interior, but don't be afraid to use the BFG to secure the roundabout - timidity in cell spending can cost you dearly, and there's nothing worse than eating a stray rocket because you bumped into something. Boarding the mothership itself doesn't mean you're out of the woods yet, as you'll be faced with a few tricky ambushes by the stealth guys in narrow corridors before you can really call it a day. All things considered, it's a cool level with a nail-biting final stretch.

...but we're actually not done yet. The "normal" ending is pretty depressing - it sends Doomguy back to the opening of Episode II's MAP06, implying that he's trapped in a simulation cycle by the evil scientists, forced to fight the aliens over and over again. However, if you paid close attention to the intermission text, the words "another realm to go to [...] that's not located on any map" and "thirty one" should send your alarm bells ringing. If we truly want to escape and get the real ending, we still have one more level to play, and the way we access it is through Doom's warp command (idclev 31) or using the level table if you're playing in DSDA. A very nice and clever way to break the diegetic space of the wad, and a nice narrative setup for the genuine ending of IXT.

P.S. Apologies for the frame rate drops, this map taxes my system a lot while recording.

Secret 1: 3:43

Links
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WAD:

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/megawads/dzintxnt

QoL mods:

Colored Blood:

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/118074-dsda-doom-source-port-v0243/?page=16

Ultrawide Statusbars:

https://github.com/NightFright2k19/doom_widehud

Other Statistics