=========================================================================== Advanced engine needed : GZDoom Primary purpose : Single play =========================================================================== Title : Sleep Paralysis Filename : SleepParalysis.wad Release date : 2026 Author : Nini K. Email Address : [redacted] Description : ## Story The world is ablaze. A mysterious portal to Hell has opened, possibly due to experiments performed by the **Union Aerospace Corporation**. The dreaded **Spider Empress** is leading the invasion into Earth, assisted by her monstrous behemoth, the **Icon of Sin.** Our planet will soon fall to these infernal armies. Unable to wait any longer lest the world you love plunge into total darkness, you grab your pistol and decide to face the forces of Hell head-on. # Levels ## MAP01: Infiltration **Summary:** You infiltrate a UAC base in order to get to the source of the demonic invasion. **Designer's Comments** The penultimate map I designed, my aim was to mirror "Entryway" from Doom II by having the player infiltrate a tech base (hence the title). I also wanted to teach rusty players the mechanics of Doom - managing different types of enemies at once, collecting keys, opening hidden doors, pressing switches, etc. It was also important to me to use windows to help guide players to their next objective - players might see a key or unexplored area through a window which informs their subsequent actions. ## MAP02: The Sadistic Method **Summary:** Deeper into the UAC base, you explore an abandoned lab with unethical experimentation. **Designer's Comments** The title is a play on the "scientific method" and the level features torturous experiments on demons in captivity. A friend of mine (who isn't a gamer) suggested I make a level that made the player feel like a test subject in a lab or a rat in a maze, and while it's hard to quite replicate that sensation in vanilla Doom, I'd like to think I captured some of that eerieness here. This was the level most directly influenced by John Romero's work in Knee Deep in the Dead, with nonlinear design and frenetic combat in an abandoned tech base. While I'm no John Romero, this may be my favorite level in the mapset. ## MAP03: Subterranean **Summary:** You follow the demonic activity into a nearby subway station. **Designer's Comments** This was the second map I designed in this WAD, although I had designed something similar years ago in a now-lost set of levels. Inspired by the local subway stations, I wanted the map to feel like a real environment. I also wanted to incorporate a simple puzzle that required the player to raise and lower the floor in order to access different areas. I implemented this through the imagery of sewers pumping toxic slime; the player presumably controls the flow of fluid. ## MAP04: Grave Danger **Summary:** Having exited through the other end of the subway, you continue to hunt demons in a cemetery, marching towards the portal to Hell. **Designer's Comments** Probably the first truly difficult map in the WAD for casual Doom fans, map 4 sees players in an open cemetery (loosely inspired by photos of Graceland Cemetery in Chicago) and under fire from dozens of hitscanners and a few Revenants. Be prepared for a basement ambush in pitch darkness and your first Arch-Vile encounter. ## MAP05: Inflection Point **Summary:** The portal to Hell awaits you after a battle on a bridge. **Designer's Comments** I had long envisioned a demonic bridge siege inspired by the Battle of Lodi, though the idea didn't take fruition until over a year later. The risk with crafting a map like this is making gameplay too linear and preventing exploration, so I added a large battle towards the end that would give players more freedom of movement. And yes, the placement of the Arch-Viles in this level was designed to be frustrating. ## MAP06: Devil's Island / Infernal Descent **Summary:** After finding yourself in purgatory, you make your way into the depths of Hell. **Designer's Comments** The original version of this level included an "invisible" floor, so the player would essentially walk on the sky, in line with the purgatory-style vision I had in mind. I later decided that this looked awkward and replaced it with water, creating an island effect. (Spoilers ahead:) The second part of this level sees the player entering Hell and facing off with the Cyberdemon. I wanted to add a layer of difficulty, so I added four crushing ceilings and a lava pit. You're welcome. ## MAP07: Bloodlines **Summary:** You battle through the Fortress of Hell in some of your toughest encounters yet. **Designer's Comments** This was the first map I designed, and ultimately the catalyst for me to make this WAD in the first place. The level takes inspiration from Castlevania (in its architecture, tone, and title) as well as Prince of Persia (in its exploration and floor switches). This is also the level with the most "Doomcute" in the mapset. Its placement as the penultimate map was for two reasons: for one, I wanted a long, epic level before the final battles. For another, I wanted to make use of the MAP07 triggers - tag 666 and tag 667, which check for the deaths of all Mancubi and Arachnotrons, respectively. I noted a bug in the game which allows the 667-tagged platform(s) to rise multiple times if it registers the last Arachnotron dying more than once, and wanted to exploit that in my level design. (Spoilers ahead:) If one allows the Arch-Vile to resurrect an Arachnotron once after all have been killed, and proceeds to kill all monsters again, then a platform will raise a second time and allow the player to access a secret switch. Note that this is not required to complete the level. ## MAP08: Reclamation **Summary:** You must vanquish the Spider Empress and her evil titan, the Icon of Sin. **Designer's Comments** I had wrestled with how I wanted to end the mapset - should I make the last level a climactic battle that challenges the player at every level? Or do I make it more of a celebration of the player's progress and allow them to enjoy gibbing demons? I decided to go with more of the former, though I wanted to keep it crisper and more intense than the previous level, which emphasized exploration and strategy. I also needed to find ways to make the Icon of Sin fight tougher and more interesting while still being fair to casual players. The strategy remains the same, but with additional threats from auxiliary demons. ## MAP09: Pueblo _(Secret map)_ **Summary:** A destroyed village houses some of Hell's deadliest forces. **Designer's Comments** The final map I designed for the WAD, this map was added as almost an afterthought (though I had earlier toyed with the idea of including a secret level). The feel of the level was partially inspired by Latin American pueblos, with a cluster of small buildings around a central area. My aim with this level was to make it the most intense in the mapset, which I may have accomplished with the inclusion of two Arch-Viles in a somewhat cramped battle. =========================================================================== * What is included * New levels : 9 Sounds : No Music : No Graphics : No Dehacked/BEX Patch : No Demos : No Other : No Other files required : None * Play Information * Game : Doom 2 Map # : 1 Single Player : Designed for Cooperative 2-4 Player : No Deathmatch 2-4 Player : No Other game styles : None Difficulty Settings : Not implemented * Construction * Base : New from scratch Editor(s) used : Ultimate Doom Builder May Not Run With : Anything that isn't GZDoom Tested With : GZDoom v4 * Copyright / Permissions * This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ You are free to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format; and remix, transform, and build upon the material. If you do so, you must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. You may not use the material for commercial purposes. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. * Where to get the file that this text file describes * The Usual: ftp://archives.gamers.org/pub/idgames/ and mirrors