October-December 2023 Archive

26 December 2023

Two new Doom levels.

The Doom Museum

The Doom Museum gives visitors a historical tour of Doom's early history, with attractions spread over six floors:

• A main floor gallery, with genuine Doom artifacts from 1993 on permanent exhibit (so don't pick them up);
• The opening area to the first level of Doom's predecessor, Wolfenstein 3D (May 1992);
• A realization of a proposal for a first level illustrated in Tom Hall's Doom Bible (November 1992);
• The small, singular map from the "Doom: Evil Unleashed" 0.2 Tech Demo (February 1993);
• The "level" used in the automap mockup of the earliest Doom alpha releases, turned into an actual map (February 1993);
• A re-creation of the version of E1M2 shown in John Romero's earliest released screenshots (February 1993), with a pillar surrounded by an octagonal stepped area.

The museum's lobby and gallery are based very loosely on the layout of the Thunder Bay Museum in Ontario.

Download. Requires Doom; limit-removing source port recommended.

Andrew's Library

Andrew's Library is a "proof of concept" effort at reproducing the J. Frank Marsh Library (at Concord College in Athens, WV) in a video game. Since Doom came out in 1993, the map strives to accurately reflect the configuration of the library as it would have existed 30 years ago, give or take.

In light of West Virginia's passage of a law permitting concealed pistols on college campuses (in a spate of other legislation easing the state towards a deadly dystopia), I concede that this map could be construed to be in bad taste. But it is what it is.

This is a "work in progress," and I may choose to re-release it as a multi-level episode at some point in the future.

Download. Requires Doom II with a limit-removing source port (such as Crispy Doom).

13 November 2023

The 30th anniversary of Doom is less than a month away! To celebrate, I've beefed up my game walkthrough with over a hundred new images, and added a new page explaining which items are in which levels.

30 October 2023

My 38-year track record of never breaking a bone came to a sudden and painful end this year, thanks to a freak fall that left me with multiple fractures in my left wrist. Thankfully I live in Canada, so I was able to access emergency care and necessary surgery without bankrupting myself. Sadly, we are all abled for only a limited time.

Thanks to my semi-incapacitated state, I've had to write off most of my plans for the rest of the year. But I can still type (one-handed, that is). I've given The History of School Transportation in Mercer County, WV its annual update, with help from Adam Ross.

25 September 2023

An update for the week, as a coda to the last: Other stores.

Now, on to the next project...

15 September 2023

Remember this ridiculous project of mine? I have updates in tow. Enjoy!

• 8 W. Madison St., Eau Claire, WI
• 111 Centre St., Espanola, ON (maybe)
• 380 Eramosa Rd., Guelph, ON
• 2500 Barton St. E., Hamilton, ON
• 1405 Ottawa St. N., Kitchener, ON

• 753 Main St. E., Hamilton, ON
• 248 Northern Ave. E., Sault Ste. Marie, ON (new picture)

• 800 Tower St. S., Fergus, ON
• 1045 Paisley Rd., Guelph, ON
• 503 Concession St., Hamilton, ON
• 435 Main St. E., Hamilton, ON
• 1124 Main St. E., Hamilton, ON
• 1005 Ottawa St. N., Kitchener, ON

• 475 Pim St., Sault Ste. Marie, ON
• 115 Arthur St. W., Thunder Bay, ON (new picture)

• 500 Edinburgh Rd., Guelph, ON (technically an Ultra)

11 September 2023

FYI:
I don't engage with Tr*mp supporters. Never have, never will.

Because engagement lends legitimacy to their white supremacist, insurrectionist, ecocidal, fascist views, and treats them as though they were worthy of respect and debate instead of the utter revulsion and exclusion they deserve.