With over a year between each of these last three updates, I think it’s about time to admit that this column is reaching the end of its days. I’ve had a specific end in mind for years, actually, though I expected to get there much, much sooner. Between focusing on other projects (mostly WADs of my own), and the dreaded Real Life taking up more and more of my time, even plans of ending What’s Awesome, Doom? had to be put on the back burner for a long while. Now, though? With other chapters of my life coming to a close… it seems appropriate that What’s Awesome began to wind down too.
Rest assured that the column is not ending tomorrow, next month, or even this year in all likelihood. But all good things… well, you know. Just be aware that there is an end in sight, and as I work toward it I will probably be posting shorter reviews — but more frequently. And in this last stretch I’ll finally get to some of the WADs at the top of my list, which I’ve been putting off because I was afraid I wouldn’t know how to do them justice. I can’t in good conscience ride into the sunset without diving in for these last few pearls before I go. rf1024 is without a doubt one of the most brilliant of those treasures.
Unbeknownst to you or I, we began a journey together way back in 2013 that today comes to an end. Wire Brush was a beautiful little map by rf’ that I wrote about at the beginning of this column. In 2018 I revisited Mapgame, the magnificent full episode that followed. And here in 2021, our spotlight miniseries appropriately ends with rf’s magnum opus — the unassumingly-titled rf1024.
rf1024 is a triumph of incomprehensible scale: a sprawling, 33-level epic that somehow, against all odds, fits every one of its maps into a mere 1024-unit playable space. To be honest, I don’t even particularly like the 1024 limitation (famously the central gimmick of Congestion 1024) as a concept. I don’t feel that it forces creativity in the same way that other mapping limitations do, and having played through Congestion back in the day, the tight spaces were more tiresome and frustrating to me than anything else. So when I say that a 1024 limit project is one of the best WADs I’ve ever played, keep those qualifiers in mind. Not only does rf’ make this whole gimmick work even for me, he keeps such cramped maps feeling fresh and compelling throughout an entire megaWAD by himself.
Each map stands completely on its own, with a truly unique playstyle and theme. Even just the first three maps will whisk you from a familiar techbase into a wooden Hell outpost, and then right into the betentacled guts of some gargantuan beast. They’re also the perfect self-contained challenges — almost little puzzles at times, requiring planning and very deliberate use of tight ammo reserves. Don’t cheat yourself by playing continuous; it’s pistol starts that make these maps sing.
This is the unfortunate part where I have to reveal that rf1024 was never officially released. The WAD was designed with MBF in mind but only tested in Eternity and ZDoom, so I’m not completely certain which ports will run it. Even Eternity is a bit sketchy; I had no problems during my original playthrough of the WAD using that port, but on my more recent run in Eternity v4.01.00, a vital switch in map30 simply couldn’t be pressed. So I hopped over to GZDoom for that last one.
The MBF requirement is presumably in service of all the custom resources, which are mostly tweaks to Doom’s base arsenal. Every gun is given a punchier sound and animation, with rate of fire increased a hair to complement rf’s hectic firefights. The only major overhaul is to the BFG, which may be the project’s only actual miscalculation: an unpredictable explosive blaster weapon extremely likely backfire due to the confined spaces you’re asked to fire it in. Or maybe I’m just not skilled enough to use it effectively?
That’s the overall impression given off here: rf’ is so incredibly precise and intentional in his design that any time I’m getting my ass handed to me I can only assume I’m doing something wrong. It’s all just so… perfect. I’m ending every map with about five bullets and a rocket to my name. I’m scraping through by the skin of my teeth — and that’s after half a dozen failed attempts. But these are such joyous maps, and go by with such breakneck speed, that getting sent back to the start doesn’t feel at all like punishment.
I cannot heap enough praise on rf1024. Take everything good I said about Wire Brush and Mapgame and combine it. Double it. Square it. Do whatever math shenanigans you know to make it really big. I don’t know… I barely passed anything after Algebra 1.
The only question I’m left with is whether the mapset would have been even better without the size constraints. But… knowing rf1024’s raw power, we can’t predict what would happen to the fabric of the universe if this thing broke out of its 1024-unit containment. Pray we never find out!
rf1024 requires DOOM2.WAD and runs on MBF-compatible sourceports (we think). The download link on Doomworld doesn’t appear to work anymore but this one does. If you’re not sure how to get it running, this may help. And for more awesome WADs, be sure to check these out!