                       |------------------------------|
                       |        SQUADRON 417          |
                       | Single-Player LMP collection |
                       |------------------------------|

                                by Jason Henry

DESCRIPTION:  This is a collection of single-player demos (lmps) for the
  co-op wad Squadron 417 (SQUADRON.WAD)  All demos are recorded on Ultra-
  Violence, starting with a pistol and finishing with maximum feasable
  kills & secrets.  DoomII v1.9 is required to playback these demos.

  To playback: type DOOM2 -FILE SQUADRON.WAD -PLAYDEMO [lmp name]
               (Do not include the .lmp extension)

=============================================================================

INTRODUCTION

About a year ago I downloaded OASIS.WAD, one of the most beautiful and
playable levels I have ever played.  I knew that it came from the co-op
wad SQUADRON, but since it was listed as co-op only, I assumed that meant
it was unplayable in single mode.  Then, on a whim, I decided to download
the wad and try it.

What a surprise!  These were some of the most exciting, most beautiful, most
DIFFICULT levels I've ever seen.  So great was my impression, I sat down to
record each level, or as many as I could.

Some levels were quite easy, and well-suited for single mode.  Others start
out brutal, but are made easier by vast stashes of ammo and health.  And at
least two (12 & 21) required me to become a better Doom player before I could
even attempt them.  In the end, there were two levels I could not do at all:
17 (which is impossible, due to a two-player switch), and 22 (which is, well,
impossible!!!)

Anyway, here are the lmps.  I hope you enjoy watching them as much as I
enjoyed making them.  (Note: that may not be a good thing :)

-- King God Space (aka Jason Henry)
   Sept. 25th 1997

=============================================================================

The table below shows the statistics for each level, with more detailed
descriptions below that.  Please keep in mind that my opinions here are
just that, MY OPINIONS, and yours will certainly differ.  I have never
played Squadron in co-op mode so all critiques are from a single-player
point of view.

Lv Name                     LMP            Time   Kills  Diff.  Design  Fun
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
01 Beginnings               Sq417-01.lmp    0:42  100%   Easy      3    n/a
02 Tunnels of Death         Sq417-02.lmp   13:44  102%   Medium    4     5
03 Spacelab                 Sq417-03.lmp   10:29  100%   Easy      3     2
04 The Fires of Hell        Sq417-04.lmp   18:22  109%   Medium    1     3
05 New Co-Op                Sq417-05.lmp    DNF    -     Insane    2     5
06 Total Toast              Sq417-06.lmp   21:48  102%   Hard      5     5
07 Fish in a Barrel         Sq417-07.lmp    7:18  103%   Medium    2     5
08 Oasis of Death           Sq417-08.lmp   23:43  100%   Medium    5     5
09 Death Isle               Sq417-09.lmp   15:46  110%   Medium    2     3
10 Altier 6                 Sq417-10.lmp   29:39  100%   Easy      6!    5
11 New Co-Op II             Sq417-11.lmp   21:42  101%   Medium    1     1
12 Traps You Will Hate      Sq417-12.lmp   34:35  105%*  Hard      4     4
13 The Cistern              Sq417-13.lmp   27:26  100%   Easy      2     1
14 Barrels O' Plenty        Sq417-14.lmp    7:48   97%*  Insane    4     4
15 Ship Rock                Sq417-15.lmp   22:51  102%   Hard      3     1
16 The Lair                 Sq417-16.lmp   13:35  100%   Medium    4     3
17 Roundhouse                 [none - impossible due to 2-player switch]
18 Anarchy                  Sq417-18.lmp   18:08  105%   Hard      3     5
19 Lambs to the Slaughter   Sq417-19.lmp   22:48  136%   Hard      5     5
20 Watch Your Step          Sq417-20.lmp   10:24  100%   Easy      4     1
21 The City of Doom         Sq417-21.lmp  ~67:00  138%   Hard      4     4
                            Sq21-peo.lmp   52:33  126%     
22 The Final Conflict         [none]         -     -     Beyond 
                                                          Insane
31 Greetings Mortal         Sq417-31.lmp   12:56  101%   Insane    5     3
32 Insanity                 Sq417-32.lmp    4:23  143%   Easy      2     2
                            Sq41732a.lmp   17:58  223%
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
        DNF = Did Not Finish
        * = indicates monsters left alive
        Design/Fun ratings based on scale of 1-5, 5 being highest
        Difficulty ratings should be self-explanatory

        SQ417-##.LMP recorded by Jason Henry
        SQ21-PEO.LMP recorded by Peo Sjoblom

        See the main SQUADRON.WAD text file for level designer credits
=============================================================================


01 Beginnings  [SQ417-01.LMP (0:42) -- 100%/0%/100%]
  Not sure what purpose a demo of this level serves, since it's impossible
  to get killed, but here it is anyway.

02 Tunnels of Death  [SQ417-02.LMP (13:44) -- 102%/93%/0%]
  The red key room had me stumped for a long time until I tried running
  straight for the teleporter.  Works (nearly) every time.  The area past
  the incredibly long lift is completely dark & irradiated, so don't
  get lost...  Excellent cave design with underground stream/waterfall.
  There is a co-op secret with 2 megaspheres in the red key area that I
  couldn't reach.

03 Spacelab  [SQ417-03.LMP (10:29) -- 100%/100%/100%]
  After playing OASIS.WAD, I downloaded the single-level version of this map,
  since it was also done by Keith Hickman.  Big disappointment:  confusing
  techlab design, tons of useless secrets, four times the health & ammo
  needed, no heavy resistance.  This version is even easier -- SPACELAB.WAD
  had an archvile, at least.

04 The Fires of Hell  [SQ417-04.LMP (18:22) -- 109%/100%/100%]
  Ugly design but somewhat fun to play.  However I had the hardest time
  recording it--something always went wrong, somewhere.  (I think the final  
  room demanded more respect than I gave it?)  Finally I made it to the end
  alive...it ain't pretty, but it's done!

05 New Co-Op  [SQ417-05.LMP -- DNF, approx. 26 minutes]
  Extremely linear, extremely brutal.  Tough start, with a scary cyberdemon
  telefrag and not as much ammo as you would like.  The two spiderdemon
  battles aren't so bad if you make them fight for you (although for some
  reason I wound up with two spare archviles after the first one.)  Then
  comes the final room -- 5 archviles, about 30 chaingunners, and a floor
  covered with -20% radiation.  Forget about killing them, just run for your
  life!  This lmp was a heartbreaker; I died literally inches away from the
  end.  How close did I come?  Type IDDQD at the megasphere, and my lucky
  marine will make it to the exit!  (Doesn't always work.)

06 Total Toast  [SQ417-06.LMP (21:48) -- 102%/100%/0%]
  The design of this level is awesome, with a classic revenant/arachnotron
  battle at the start.  I made a few careless mistakes in this lmp, which
  perhaps made it more interesting?  First I go running back for health,
  completely forgetting that I'd sprung the caco trap...then, I'm forced to
  release the big floating heads along with the cyberdemon, which made for a
  dramatic standoff (and some spectacular background noises!)  There's an
  annoying glitch in this level--if you run through too fast, the exit switch
  will lower into a pit, making ending the level impossible, which is why I  
  keep running back to the main room to make sure the floor has lifted.
  (Would still be possible in co-op mode, however.)  Borderline medium/hard.

07 Fish in a Barrel  [SQ417-07.LMP (7:18) -- 103%/76%/100%]
  This was the first lmp I recorded.  It's not nearly as hard as it looks,
  the only trick is getting to the first switch (and QUITE a trick that is.)
  After that, the monsters will be too busy fighting each other to pay you
  any attention.  There are six archviles in a teleporter trap that you can't
  get out of, so 100% kills is not always possible.

08 Oasis of Death  [SQ417-08.LMP (23:43) -- 100%/97%/100%]
  As I said earlier, this was one of my favorite levels of all time, so I
  already knew it very well.  For some reason this version LAGS to hell on
  my crappy 486 (a problem the single-level wad didn't have) -- luckily I
  knew where the monsters where. :)  Challenging start with random monster
  activity, but once you reach the rocket launcher it's fairly easy.  I got
  creative with some of the monster battles here.

09 Death Isle  [SQ417-09.LMP (15:46) -- 110%/87%/100%]
  Tricky level with some devious traps.  A plethora of ammo and health helps
  even the score.  Do NOT fire your gun when you first go outside, or you
  will be hating life, trust me!  You never know where that first archie
  will teleport, in this run he did something strange and I didn't find him
  until near the end.  Final battle with 2 cybies & 4 spiders is just too
  easy, thanks to TWO invulnerabilities and the BFG.  Originally I did this  
  one in 17 minutes, not too bad, but I wanted a more exciting fight for the
  yellow key room.  I think I got it. :)

10 Altier 6  [SQ417-10.LMP (29:39) -- 100%/98%/100%]
  This one completely blew me away.  A huge city level, lovingly detailed,
  featuring a bank, a police station, a strip mall, even a genetics research
  facility (!)  The only drawback is it's too big to save on, which makes
  practicing the later parts difficult.  I was surprised by the time here,
  all my practice runs were in the 40-minute range.  Parts of special 
  interest are the bank vault (4 switches?  Hell, throw 'em all...) and a
  flawless cyberdemon battle.  One of my best demos.  Don't miss it. :)

11 New Co-op Two  [SQ417-11.LMP (21:42) -- 101%/100%/100%]
  This is the only level in Squadron that is really BAD.  The start is fun
  as you're forced to grab a weapon, expend it, grab a smaller weapon,
  repeat...  If the level had ended after the massive invulnerability
  battle, it would have been great.  But the rest is a tedious sequence of
  "open the door, kill the monsters, pick up the ammo" in a series of tunnels
  with no coherent layout.  Ok, the final cybie is a little tricky...

12 Traps You Will Hate  [SQ417-12.LMP (34:35) -- 105%/95%/100%]
  An apt enough title, if any!  The more lethal traps can be disabled, but
  even with that route I could barely survive the first few rooms, at first.
  Most intimidating was the final room with 2 cyberdemons at opposite ends
  of a very small courtyard, where you're forced to fight one while the other
  fires rockets at your back.  (I actually survived it once, and I don't
  know how!)  Eventually I came up with a solution, getting an archvile to
  kill one cyberdemon while I holed up and waited.  This takes about fifteen
  minutes.  So I recommend you read a book when that battle starts (you'll
  know when.)  Even with the tricks, I would rate this level as comparable
  to level 21 in difficulty.  Some monsters will teleport to areas you can
  no longer reach (once you jump down to the blue door, you can't go back.)

13 The Cistern  [SQ417-13.LMP (27:26) -- 100%/85%/50%]
  Big, ugly, confusing level.  Fortunately not very hard, or I would have
  dreaded recording it...  This is a first-take lmp and probably the worst
  of this collection.  Please don't watch it.

14 Barrels O' Plenty  [SQ417-14.LMP (7:48) -- 97%/93%/0%]
  This level was great fun to play at first, but boy did I learn to hate it
  in time!  The first series of traps are easily avoided, if you survive 
  with less than 147% health, you did something wrong.  For the humungous
  lost soul/chaingunner/demon/imp/shotgunner battle you're in god's hands,
  either you survive or you die.  The ascending ledges are tedious but can
  be done very safely.  Then comes the impossible part -- four cyberdemons
  in a courtyard littered with debris, each guarding a switch that must be
  thrown to open the exit.  I quickly gave up on killing them and worked
  solely on getting out.  After about 200 recording attempts, I gave up.
  For a long time, even thinking about this level made me want to curl up
  in a fetal position.

  Then, one day I was playing on my brother's Pentium, showing him how
  completely insane this level was.  To my surprise, I nearly made it on
  the first try.  So I recorded the next run.  Bingo.  I can't explain it,
  it's just one of those things that happens.

15 Ship Rock  [SQ417-15.LMP (22:51) -- 102%/100%/0%]
  The only hard part here is the five co-op switches, which are EXTREMELY
  hard.  You must time the crushers perfectly, and if you fall into the lava,
  you're dead.  Fortunately, the rest is fairly routine.  I wish I had the
  gumption to record a better start to this level (many apologies for the
  extremely tedious archvile battle), but this level really is no fun in
  single player mode.

16 The Lair  [SQ417-16.LMP (13:35) -- 100%/100%/100%]
  At first I didn't like this one at all, but grew to like it over time.
  It did take a while to find a route that avoided running out of ammo.
  For some reason, I have an easier time blazing through this one than if
  I play it safe...don't know why.

17 Roundhouse [no demo]
  The start of this one is extremely rough, with vast radzones, tons of
  shooting enemies, and no health to speak of.  Eventually I managed to
  make my way through it, but all was lost when I arrived at the red door
  and found a switch requiring two players.  Oh well, I probably wouldn't
  have survived it anyway. :)

18 Anarchy  [SQ417-18.LMP (18:08) -- 105%/100%/100%]
  My favorite of Sam Lopestri's levels.  Very hard start with massive
  crossfire in extremely tight quarters, especially on the upstairs walkway.
  (You could always go downstairs first, but do you really want to do that?
  I don't think so...)  Once you reach the first megasphere, the rest is
  trivial.  You must choose between plasma gun and rocket launcher at the
  start (trust me, take the plasma!)

19 Lambs to the Slaughter  [SQ417-19.LMP (22:48) -- 136%/83%/100%]
  Big. Mean. Tough.  11,000+ monster hitpoints, the highest of any level
  except 22.  Sneaking past the bad guys at the start is the easy part.
  There's tons of ammo and health, but you WILL need it all.  The most
  dangerous part is not the multiple-cyberdemon battles, but the descending
  grey ledges -- you MUST kill the archviles by firing rockets at the wall,
  or you will stand NO chance!  (The cyberdemon down there is no problem,
  either he will be killed by spiders or you will telefrag him.)  Towards
  the end of this lmp I was nervous as hell, and nearly ran directly into
  rocket fire several times.  The music is perfect.

20 Watch Your Step  [SQ417-20.LMP (10:24) -- 100%/100%/100%]
  I solved this one without finding the SSG secret, and still found it
  easy and dull.  A resting place before level 21, perhaps?  The map
  layout seemed to me an "arty" style which looked nice, but wasn't very
  playable.  Completely annoying music (I'm not a Talking Heads fan.)

21 The City of Doom  [SQ417-21.LMP (~68:00) -- 138%/96%/0%]
  Ok, long story behind this one...
  The first time I played this level in God Mode, I quickly wrote it off as
  impossible.  Five cyberdemons?  An army of ghost monsters?  No way!  But
  something about this level kept bugging me, followed by a dream where I
  found myself standing in the center of the level, with every creature on
  the level dead.  Finally I applied myself to find a way through this level.

  The first and most important trick is: DISABLE THE GHOST MONSTER GENERATOR!
  This is achieved by stopping the crusher at a point low enough to trap the
  archviles, but high enough to kill them.  Ammo is a major issue on this
  level, with plasma almost nonexistent, so the first two cybies must be
  taken out with rockets & SSG, as well as making them kill as many monsters
  as possible (including the caco horde, which I save by skipping the trigger
  line at the top of the stairway.)  The 3rd cybie is saved to fight against
  the six archviles guarding the blue key...a trememdous battle, by the
  sound of it.  Wish I could have watched it. :)

  I hope the end result isn't too boring.  A few battles do tend to drag on
  (especially the cybie vs. floating heads battle), and there are several
  forages for health/ammo (plus a couple moments where I wandered around
  aimlessly just to settle my nerves) but I did try to keep things moving 
  along.  I think I spent more time on this level than all the other levels
  combined, many recording attempts lasted 30-40 minutes before I got killed.

BONUS LMP:  SQ21-PEO.LMP [52:33) -- 126%/94%/0%]
  Peo discovered a trick jump to the yellow key, allowing early access to
  the rockets cache.  He also shows the _right_ way to deal with the first
  two cyberdemons. :)  Only problem he had was the 3rd cybie which refused
  to follow him into the blue key room...perhaps it knew what he was up to?

22 The Final Conflict  [no demo]
  Hordes of monsters descending on you at once -- revenants, hell knights,
  archviles, spiders, cyberdemons, ghost chaingunners...NOT A CHANCE.

31 Greetings Mortal  [SQ417-31.LMP (12:56) -- 101%/83%/0%]
  I actually had an idea for a level like this, but now that I've seen it
  implemented, I realized what a wholly evil idea it is.  You are forced to
  navigate a narrow, winding ledge under INTENSE cyberdemon crossfire.
  It doesn't matter if you're invulnerable, the rockets will knock you off
  and you'll have to start over.  I got extremely lucky here, walking the
  ledge without getting hit by a single rocket, not once but TWICE.  (The 
  first time, the ledge wasn't completely built.)  Plus it's still quite easy
  to get killed, once you've passed that point.  This one gave me nightmares
  for weeks!

32 Insanity  [SQ417-32.LMP (4:23) -- 143%/54%/100%]
             [SQ41732A.LMP (17:58) -- 223%/90%/100%]
  Ok, we got two for this one, the easy way and the hard way.  In the easy
  way (Sq41732a.lmp), all you have to do is make the hell knights kill the
  imps, fire 3 BFG shots at the big spider, then take out the remaining
  enemies one group at a time.  The final room has EIGHT megaspheres and
  nearly unlimited ammo, so I simply killed as many monsters as I could
  before taking out the boss brain with the chaingun.  (At one point I looked
  down and realized I had only 8% health left...)

  The hard way is to run straight for the ammo cache, then fight your way
  back to the beginning with BFG & rockets.  The disadvantage is that you
  can't control what enemies the boss will create, which can make getting
  back especially hairy.  But the level can be done amazingly fast this way,
  with a massive kill ratio.  The boss brain is taken out by standing on
  a ledge and firing rockets at extremely long range.

=============================================================================

FINAL COMMENTS

  Special thanks go to Keith Hickman, Jeff Cruser, Sam Lopestri & Damon
  Thomas for making some of the best DoomII levels I ever wasted my time
  playing. :)  Also thanks to Peo Sjoblom, who dutifully watched these
  demos as they were created, and to Kai-Uwe Humpert for determining that
  map22 was truly impossible (and this guy recorded maps 24 & 26 of Hell
  Revealed, two of the hardest levels ever created, so when he says it's
  impossible, you know it is!)

  I am always interested in watching other demos of these levels.
  Of particular interest are:

  1) ANY demo completing map 5 or map 22.
  2) Any demo completing map 14, killing the four cybies at the end.
  3) Any demo completing map 12 "the hard way" (fighting both cybies at once)
  4) Any demo that improves on the times listed here, or shows new tricks
      that I hadn't thought of.

Any comments, flames, or family recipies send to space@wgn.net
Homepage: http://www.wgn.net/~space
