ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ก.ย. 2024
- Welcome to Dean of Doom, the show where we give grades to classic and contemporary Doom wads. Why? Because ranking things is fun. Today’s episode will be dedicated to SIGIL, a nine-level, spiritual continuation of The Ultimate Doom designed by John Romero himself. Outside of two Knee Deep in the Dead level remakes, Romero hadn’t designed a Doom map since 1995’s Thy Flesh Consumed, but the positive reception to those remakes prompted him to create Sigil, which was released in 2019, and loosely intended to coincide with Doom’s 25th anniversary. Sigil was big news in the Doom community and the video game world in general, but was met with mixed reception upon release. Romero designed these maps for limit-removing ports but restricted himself to stock Doom assets and monsters, which is important to keep in mind while appraising this wad.
I’ll be playing the latest version of Sigil, v1.21, which if you played or watched gameplay of the original release, you’ll find that the update is a little more charitable with monster placements and chainguns. Also, I’m going to have to disappoint the Buckethead fans, because we’re not going to use his soundtrack. I like Buckethead, but to me, his tunes just don’t quite jive with Doom, and the MIDIs courtesy of my man Jimmy Paddock are too good to pass up. You’ll see.
Download SIGIL:
www.doomworld....
To skip right to the reviews: 2:05
Sigil download in the description
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@@zachariasnoack4894 Thanks, I forgot to
"We play on Ultra-Violence, the gentleman's way to play DOOM"
#freecivvie
Though, ironically, in his review of this WAD, he said first-time players should play it on Hurt Me Plenty, since its such a massive difficulty spike from commerical DOOM, especially with conservative it is with giving resources.
Sigil is absolutely one of my favourites.
The restricted movement is basically the same as any other Ultimate Doom level.
And I don't get people saying there's an ammo shortage, Barons and Cacodemons usually show up together so just get them to infight. You'll be left with a decent amount of ammo most of the time.
The gameplay of Sigil feels similar to E4M2 and E4M6 but even more refined and expanded upon. And for nutcases who like to try things on Nightmare, Sigil happens to be really well balanced for it.
I can't represent everyone, of course, but I can see casual players like me not abusing the hell out of infighting.
> nutcases
Beter goes out and does sigil nightmare again
@@iennefaLsh Since infighting is an intended mechanic, I wouldn't call it abuse, but just use (before anyone corrects me: I know they didn't put it in intentionally, and found out about it during playtesting, but they kept it in and embraced it, so for all intents and purposes, its inclusion in the game is intentional). But yes, it does force you to play in a certain way that is not necessarily compatible with a casual approach.
Romero is basically saying "here's a problem, there are a couple of ways to solve it, and none of those will feel like you're playing Knee Deep in the Dead". In a way, it's as off putting for casual players as Thy Flesh Consumed might be in its first two maps.
And I should point out: if you're struggling with Sigil on UV, play it on HMP. Romero balanced it to feel like a regular Doom episode.
Let's be honest, the only way you can make a Cyberdemon threatening at this point is to put him into a tight room or corridor, forcing you to resort to potshots instead of classic "ram with BFG" tactic. Romero knew exactly how to throw player off with E5M6. That level was my favorite.
Great video, as usual!
Not gonna lie, I love when a mapper uses a Cyberdemon differently than the 3 usual ways: "rocket turret", "infight sweeper" or "BFG fodder". Ancient Aliens' Cyberbullying Beyond Earth and Wormwood Expanded Universe are great at it.
I am extremely glad I found your channel through Decino.
Your content is extremely enjoyable, looking forward to all the wads we'll see you review.
Thank you!
Sigil is my favorite episode of all of doom and doom 2. I love the aesthetic, Jimmy paddocks soundtrack is outstanding, and i love that Romero had the balls to force gamers into situations they dont want to be in rather than pander to fans who just want to circle strafe everything with so much room and ammo that hundreads of high tier enemies are needed to make a single fight challenging. A true artist doesnt make something that the fans think they want, but rather makes what he wants. Romero is an artist and sigil is better off for it
I think that John Romero has gotten a lot of negative attention over the years because he absolutely refuses to sacrifice artistry for the sake of secondary interests when he's making something, even when he honestly probably should, and that has gotten him into some situations where he pissed people off or had projects fail/turn into a disaster because he wouldn't temper his creative vision for the sake of practicality. The thing is, that artistic integrity is exactly why he's also one of the greatest designers there's ever been, and everything he makes has a sort of purity to it that communicates his signature style to the player loud and clear.
@@ladams391
Goddamn right. Guess this is why he and Carmack worked so well together: Romero has the artistic vision, Carmack minds the technical cleanliness. And from Romero's maps in OG Doom, when they reach a compromise, everyone is happy.
Romero did with SIgil what he didn't do with Daikatana: he made us his bitches.
He played on our hubris. I respect it.
@@DinnerForkTongue
Here's hoping Blackroom turns out good.
@@expendableround6186
For real! Now that he's wiser to design philosophies that work and won't have to chase engines around, I have hope his snarts can shine.
He played with our sense of security!
Sigil’s atmosphere is unmatched, so far I haven’t seen much else like it
Try Doom 64.
What I like about Sigil is the fact that it made me like small maps again. Romero truly knows the value that of a small group of enemies in a well designed and confined space.
The slower peace of Sigil (and Ultimate DOOM wads in general) gives a different vibe than the frenetic one of DOOM 2. A more grounded game with a survival horror touch.
Thanks, Romero, for reminding me that DOOM 1 has its own charm.
Sigil is a really unique wad to me.
I find that most people disliked it because it's literally the antithesis of doom.
Most people remember doom because of it's open enviroments, fast paced actions and also because they liked to fill up demons with craptons of bullets. Sigil says: "Fuck that" and forces you to play slower, carefully like doom 3, and the fact that it limits your ammo on most maps also helps to set this gameplay style. Sure the difficulty has some spikes because come on, it's Rohn Jomero, the same man who made E4M2.
I really like Sigil, the looks and the gameplay since it forces you to play doom in a way some people aren't used too. Peak Romero trolling right here.
Any plans on Hell Revealed 2? We can't forget about that one, nor its epic soundtrack
What I like about this game that it's more strategic, it's like doom 3, except not boring, Romero knows that there are people like more action packed shoot em up slaughter/ish nowadays, so he changes the question, and literally makes everyone look like an upstart in Ultra Violence , I think people need to play the game first as hurt me plenty before they do it on UV.
HR2 is on the list
Yeah, Doom 1 didnt have many big open areas, unlike most modern slaughterish maps.
Gmanlive
Doom 3 gives you shit loads of ammo and tons of health stations/medkits/armor lying around. I think it's really the darkness and the "corridor shooter" that they have in common.
Alright, now that I've binged the entire series thus far, I can safely say that this is one of the best analytical looks at wads on this site so far. The best part is, while I had quite a few things to disagree with overall, it was all well backed up to the point where I couldn't objectively refute any of it (except maybe Dehydration as an entire map). What you're doing here is so unbelievably beneficial to this community, and you should be proud of yourself.
General Roasterock Thank you! I’m glad you have enjoyed the show so far, and I can’t wait to keep growing it and the Doom community in general :)
I really like that you take the time to mention the music in your reviews. For me the music in Doom is one of the most important elements.
I personally enjoyed sigil, and the fact that we got an "unofficial" expansion 25 years later is really cool. Shoutout to the hidden zombieman at the end of E5M8, the true final boss.
Sigil fucking rules. What a gift from Romero to his fans. Just enjoy it, peeps! I love this channel. Best Doom channel ever.
can't wait for sigil 2
I really like Sigil it's probably peak Doom as far as what you can do with stock Doom 1 assets and monster rooster.
There might be a tinge of fanboyism on my part but I love this wad. The visual design, the eye switches mechanic, Romero's sadism, it's all just chef's kiss. And I played the 1.0 version, not the update.
Also, the cover art is gorgeous - I'm using it as a painting on a wall of a Quake map I'm making.
I hope he does something similar with Doom 2 and Quake someday.
This series is absolutely solid, there's a lot here to discuss, and I love that.
That being said, please for the love of god turn off Resampling, I feel drunk watching this footage.
General Roasterock I found the issue. Hopefully the subsequent videos will look better
God I love these videos. I’m not the type of person to watch every single video of a channel I’m subscribed to, but out of the many I am subscribed to this channel is the only exception. Keep it up!
Same here man!! This channel rocks
A new Dean of Doom episode for me is 19 times out of 20 a "DROP EVERYTHING TO WATCH" affair. I only save it for later if:
A) I'm busy with a time-sensitive task
B) I'm saving it to savor at a more comfortable location and time, preferably with snacks
you have such a perfect blend of humor and analysis with a fantastic voice. instantly shot up to my favourite doomtuber
This was a great review! I agree with you on the soundtracks, the MIDIs feel tailor made for the WAD, whereas Buckethead's music is hit or miss.
You litteraly make me wanna replay these wads you review... and I love your humor
“ I’m not a doom god “
* next episode is reviewing SunLust *
Sigil is absolutely my favorite "classic Doom" original episode. I believe it's now considered Doom 1 canon. I love how all claustrophobic and detail intensive each level is. The fact you can't BFG rush the cyberdemon in the maze is brilliant.
That alone makes the siege cow a non-cheap encounter, but a boss mob.
I found SIGIL to be one of the more enjoyable wads to play through personally. I'd chalk that up to me tending to play DOOM more methodically than most people. Even with a lot of the dickish traps Romero tends to put in these levels, I didn't think any of them were too unfair (That one Baron in E5M6 aside that literally jumpscared me at 1 in the morning, godammit John).
Of course if you're looking to make SIGIL an even more ball-busting experience, Co-Op spawns turn it from John Romero and his usual brand of dickishness into What If John Romero made a Plutonia WAD.
It makes the "John Romero is about to make you his bitch" quote feel alot more appropriate.
(My personal favorite being E5M3, where if you're either not fast enough or didn't conserve enough ammo you're well and truly fucked because a Cyberdemon teleports into the very cramped hallways and you're only reasonable means of killing him is Berserk punching him to death.)
And SIGIL would not be as good as it is without Jimmy's MIDIS. Solid A+ soundtrack right there.
Any chance we'd see the Master Levels from DOOM II on here? Those were always some of the levels that always had some of the more... interesting design choices.
Yes, the Master Levels are on my list. And haha "interesting design choices" is right.
i play sigil monthly has quickly became my favourite doom 1 wad
To me Sigil is brilliant in some respects. How it forces you to fight monsters in pitch black areas guided only by their silhouettes against some bright decorative elements is the closest a modern wad for classic Doom 1 has gotten to the ideal of the horror shooter Doom was originally supposed to be, at least as far as I've seen. Most modern maps are all about movement, crowd control and/or exploration, but Sigil goes for an entirely different feel, imho.
Favorite map: E5M3, the music is my favorite in Sigil, and I love how the level slowly opens up and you get to see the sky for the first time.
Least favorite: E5M9, it's not bad but it just feels kinda "meh" to me. The music is banging, though.
Best episode since Knee Deep In The Dead. I can't decide if I prefer Romero or Casalis but they are both amazing for different reasons. I probably prefer Romero's style overall as he nails the vibe of Doom like no one else. Thanks!
Romero has for sure a W. I love a good Casali map, but no one can deny they're almost universally "blandly functional". The only one that wows me is Odyssey of Noises.
I played Sigil with the buckethead music the first time around, but man hearing Jimmy's tracks on this video really gives you this urge to replay it. What a treasure.
This vid inspired me to retry Sigil again. And you know what, I'm having tons of fun! At Abadon's Void right now
Jimmy's Midis > Buckethead noodling
Love how the Dunce cap was given not to a level, but specifically to a bullshit monster.
I'm really glad decino mentioned you and I found your channel. Your reviews are entertaining!
Please remember my 'complaint' about the short message times. Remember that not everyone's first language is English. ;-)
The little text inserts are non-critical factoids and jokes mostly. If it's critical info, I always leave it on the screen for a substantial amount of time or just narrate it.
@@MtPain27 I understand but I would like to get the jokes too. As I said, on mobile it's terrible to pause and skip back to the right time of the message. :-(
As much as I loved the MiDi soundtrack, I can't help but continue to stay loyal to Buckethead. I mean goddamn, E5M1, the Intermission theme, and E5M3 are standouts.
I love Jimmy’s soundtrack, especially E5M9
Loving your stuff, man. Personally, I loved Sigil. There are so many beautiful, intricate wads now ... but cutting back to basics felt fresh and exciting for me.
There is definitely beauty in minimalism. Less is more, very often.
11:30
"Really subtle chasm reference", good one
I love this wad and E5M6 was probably my favorite map. I loved berserking my way through the maze and then doing the BFG tango with the cyber. I think those damn walls were meaner than the actual cyber though
Really enjoy all your videos. A lot of them I've watched quite a few times. Cheers mate.
Thanks!
Abaddon's Void was my favorite Sigil map too, it was such a foreboding feeling map my first time through it, and my second time through with fast monsters just ratcheted it up more. I liked Unspeakable Persecution though, the labyrinth at the end is such a cool setpiece. I also found you can cheese the Cyber if you get up to the edges where he can't hit you but you can still poke him in the head, especially so on fast monsters where he'll be mostly stationary fruitlessly trying to shoot you. It'll use up most of your ammo, but there's enough to kill him that way and handle the rest of the map.
I also found Nightmare Underworld to be the hardest Sigil map, the map is so long and resources are so tight even if you two-shot the Cyber with the BFG, with little room for error health-wise. The ending chasm part didn't give me any trouble though, my first run that made it that far on both my normal and fast monsters playthrough managed it, was certainly nerve whacking though. And I think I might have found Sigil harder than Plutonia too, at least on normal UV; on average my first time through Sigil maps took me longer to beat than the average Plutonia map, even when playing on the Switch port with the crappy non-bindable controls that don't let you straferun. I did however finally play all of Plutonia some time after Sigil, so maybe I just got better by then. The final room of Abbatoire though was certainly way harder than anything in Sigil, and maybe Plutonia is harder with fast monsters, I have yet to try it and I don't know if I will.
Unspeakable Persecution rocks if you use a flashlight mod.
E5M6 - you can tackle the Cyberdemon with the Shotgun/Chaingun from the first platform you teleport to. Just hang back and let him wander right below you. Give his face some buckshot as he stomps around - takes a little longer, but it is a bit safer. Great reviews, keep em up!
That sounds terribly boring. I'd much rather use the plasma.
8:46 Oh, I have had my stories of this...
I love the theme for E5M1 so much I set it as my ringtone.
Good review. Sigil is a bit rough but it makes me excited to see what Romero will do when he also has the Doom 2 monsters and the ssg to work with.
I binge watched these in one sitting. I need more content son! Jokes aside, really good series bro, keep up the great work.
3:42 Classic weapon stance 💪🗿
You need more subscribers and more views, I hope you dont stop making these videos, they are actually quite entertaining
I'm glad I found this channel. I guess I wandered over here from decino. Subscribed.
Fun fact, the latest room in E5M1 was a bigger pain in the ass back in v1.0, the room was more smaller and I think there wasn't a chaingun secret.
The chaingun secret was already in v1.0, but the final room was indeed more cramped. You had to know what's coming, and have saved enough chaingun ammo to effectively deal with it.
I have to say the overall look and map structure of Sigil is absolutely incredible, it instills a sense of dread and paranoia, that's one gothic hell you don't want to stay in. The tacky gore and mechanical horror mix is absolutely unique, it's not just "Giger lol".
And Romero only used stock textures? Damn.
Hey, I’m also here from Decino. Great videos! Always nice to hear other people’s opinions of doom wads. May I suggest Doom Zero by Dash?
Sure, I'll check it out
I think the problem of all M8s/MAP30 is the fact it's always set up to be the final boss fight with Spider/Icon Of Sin; when M7/MAP27-29 (or in Plutonia's case; MAP32) the "penultimate map" should have been juiced up more and used as the finale.
I can't WAD for the life of me but if here's some ways I think could fix it--
Swap places with Penultimate Map and Final Map; add a touch of "Go2It" monster slaughtering, Kar En Tuk Finish.
If the Penultimate is M7/MAP29, gut the "Final Boss" and make MAP M8/MAP30 Epilogue Map; a calm conclusion. No Monsters that are a threat. You only see the handywork you've done. Maybe add a touching reunion with Daisy's Spirit or some survivors that need saving from the leftover carnage. Any demon that is around is downed; crawling, screaming, trying to get away; just like the victims they slaughtered without mercy--show them the same treatment. Add a 1/4 chance of the mod pulling the rug under us and it ends E1M8 style for a followup WAD or just ending. We've Won, for now.
Add the Icon of Sin to the Penultimate Map; then create a new scripted showdown with an Mega-Healthed Awoken Icon of Sin like in Doom 2016/Eternal and being ball-busting hard or add some new final boss fight like Hedon does.
great vid as always man, so glad i found your channel through decino. speaking of classic doom wads, will you consider doing no end in sight? i feel like it’s by far the best classic doom wad i’ve ever played and i haven’t seen as much attention around it as it deserves.
I heard about that wad from another commenter, so it's on my list now!
MtPain27 yoo amazing, i remember the last level just blew my mind
2:05 Oh, that's the music used for Mecha Romero in Corruption Cards.
I’m currently in map 7 on HMP (I want to do it on UV eventually but I’m still struggling through Doom 2 on UV). It’s cool, I like how Romero managed so much with relatively compact and cramped maps. I kinda wish this more methodical level design was more common in Doom WADs
Sigil is more consistent then Thy Flesh Consumed in terms of level design.
Alright. Another quality contect creator on Doom. Glad I found you. Thanks for the video.
I never realised how much the music on E5M8 actually reminds me of Stewboy
5:50 "fist as many demons as you can"
oh.
i remember thinking that sigil would end in an icon of sin boss fight
Agreed on E5M8, Romero does worthy ending maps way better than Peterson, both here and in Tech Gone Bad - de-emphasizing the 'final boss' parts and focusing instead on making a good map with action worthy if the M8 slot.
E5M7's definitely also a better penultimate level than the commercial episodes (looking at you especially, Limbo!).
The only penultimate map that matches Nightmare Underworld in gravitas proportional to the episode it's in is Computer Station. Which, surprise surprise, is by Romero. Limbo should've been map 4 of Inferno, and House of Pain instead taken slot 7.
You gave the dunce cap to literally the best level!
You're mistaken. The Cybie got the cap, not the level.
You deserve more views, your work is amazing.
I think the ammo scarcity is a cool idea, but I haven't played sigil yet so I can't say for sure.
Iam digging these reviews man...decino introduced me to you and I must say...you do a good job my friend ...keep it up brother ...
Thanks!
Oh yess mornin coffe and dean of doom!
I never gonna understand those fans who spit sheet about this wad. What they wanted? an eviternity doom 1 wad?
Romero did an amazing job mantaining a balance of new map design tricks but without letting out the feels of Ultimate Doom, and putting the spider and cyberdemon together on a small hall was, in my opinion, accurate. BC E2M8 and E3M8 have a looooot of space, make the fight so EZ.
The only flaw with halls of perdition is that I wanted an e5m10 afterwards. It simply ends too much on a high note and would have benefited from an obnoxious wall texture of sin boss fight to wind everything down.
9:00 everything Romero ever made as far as I know.
great video :)
cant wait for You to tackle things like community chests, sunder or newgothic movement
New Gothic Movement is badly under-recognized. Sure it's a complete clusterf*ck with no thematic continuity, but the sheer insanity of it is part of the appeal
Have you checked original Buckethead soundtrack for this? First map especially - absolutely slaps, it's perfect. It's a little proggy with time signature changes here and there, but organized. Kind of like controlled chaos.
I'll say that the cave theme is better than whatever episode 4 was trying to do
Excellent! I enjoyed sigil, even though is not one of my favorites wads
I love these series! Do you think you could review deathless sometime? I think is a bit underated ^^
I have indeed played Deathless--I'm sure I'll make it into an episode one of these days.
Absolute beast of a wad apart from all the elastic collisions.
Whats on the list to be done? Hell revealed, scythe, requiem, memento mori?
Those are all on my list
Sigil II is now out.
This is a nightmare of a wad on nightmare!
I'd love to see you do Hell ground it's only 6 maps, but it stands out as one of my favorite wads of all time
clampulp Definitely will happen at some point, I’ve heard too many good things about it
Glad to find your channel. Would love to see your review of Valiant wad
7:20 it's Realm of Ibleas. with more "eees" to it lol
SIGIL showcases something lacking from the original DOOM games, which is a clear vision.
SIGIL sends you to hell, and it really feels like a hell created by Romero.
Sigil is fun to play casually, but what i like to do (speedrun) its one of the most frustrating things ever. Its one of my favourites wads ever even if ive barely played alot of wads
Sigil with fast monsters is pretty insane
Ah Sigil...
John...
*Captain Kirk face intensifies*
JOOOOOOHHHNN!
Dunno, I think is a bit harder to uv/pistol start/no save than Plutonia.
What pissed me off about sigil was that the g was 6’s, but it was episode 5 of the series
If I could make a recommendation to take a look at a doom wad, it would be pirate doom, it’s a amazing and fun doom wad that while not being that challenging compared to wads like sun lust, it’s still a damn good time.
Since Pirate Doom is more of a conversion than your average wad it might be awhile till I get to it, but I’ve heard good things about it!
@@MtPain27 yeah that’s true, but I can tell you right now that you won’t be disappointed when you get to it :)
(Also I forgot to add this in my comment but I’m so glad that I found your channel, keep up the good work.)
@@Blappyboop Thanks! I'll give it a look because you asked :)
@@MtPain27 yw :D
Great rewiev 👍 is memento mori 2 in your rewiev list? It's a classic, specially level 29 kings of metal (the music rocks) :) go ahead !
Sigil is frickin awesome
Great video! Btw what do you think of playing this wad with brutal doom?
Another great video
Sigil rules
Any reason as to why on earth would you use ZDoom over PRB+ or even crispy on maps that allow it? I'm legit curious.
Great vids, keep it up my man.
ZDoom was my first modern port and it’s the one I feel most comfortable with. I’d have to spend some time with PRB+ or crispy before I used them for a video.
@@MtPain27 I would absolutely recommend PBR+ for heavier maps like in Eviternity.
Uhh...because it's his personal choice?
I mean, even I prefer playing on Zdoom, for the same reason that Mtpain27 mentioned. I know prboom+ is much, much better(especially after having played BTSX-1 and the official wads with the -solo-net parameters). But, I still like playing on Zdoom. I just find it to be more comfortable, if that makes sense.
Im loving your videos :)
Not bad for a review! Sigil is on the hard side for UDoom standards.
Nice, Sigil , Really Cool Episode, although I prefer Episode 4 more... I love using Buckethead's soundtracks when I play the game, this game actually introduced me to him, Although I hated one of the updates on the game because it fixed issues that wasn''t a major problem back then..
EDIT: Glad I'm not the only one who likes E5M8..
Well hell, yeah
Great video! but something that I noticed is the is the dips in frame rate when playing the game, it is jarring.
Is there any reason why recording at 60 fps can't be done?
Would be awesome if the little notes that you put on videos stayed for a little longer and were put on the corners instead of the center of the screen accompanied by a zoom, so the people who care to read it can do it without stopping the video.
Also when are we getting social media links or a twitter so we can follow you there? Looking forward to a discord server!
My machine is pretty weak, I'm sure one day I'll have to make some quality of life improvements recording wise. Right now I have no other social media accounts, and don't plan to for the near future.
Ah, resampling!
I thought it looked like this because of the 30 fps cap
I’m surprised to hear someone rate Sigil as below Plutonia in difficulty. I haven’t played it yet myself but I didn’t get that impression.
It is kind of easy but can get tricky at times with cyberdemons and less than usual ammo, efficiency is key in sigil . For that reason I strongly suggest giving it a shot.
Ah, and I was sure you'd highlight E5M2's music within the 3 picks!
ixMarcel It was close between that and E5M4
Part of me really wishes that E5M8 used E1M1 music
I think implying that Zero Master is merely a god might be insulting 🤔😋
I really liked Sigil, and I enjoyed E5M6 a lot more than you. (I played it on HMP continuous though, so we had very different play experiences.)
You’re right, Jimmy’s MIDIs are the way to go.