    These are pure "bragging-rights" LMP's...successful completions of level 30 (the big boss level)
of Doom 2, on Ultra-Violence and Nightmare levels.  I never thought this was much for showing
off until requests for just this started popping up on alt.games.doom, so I made these little
videos.  As it is, you can see that the key is SPEED.  No worries about ammo depletion  (you
won't last long enough to worry about it), and no margin for error when shooting the rockets into
the brain...sometimes you don't even GET three chances, let alone more.  Even now I die more
often than not in attempting them, particularly on Nightmare, but that's the nature of these
particular beasts, I think.  A key consideration is what kind of monsters appear, and when.  It's
incredible how easily a Pain Elemental at the wrong time can ruin an otherwise perfectly played
level 30.  To those that don't know offhand: to view these videos, type (at the DOS prompt,
when starting the game):

DOOM2 -PLAYDEMO U-V
DOOM2 -PLAYDEMO NITEMARE

for each of the 2 files, ensuring both are in your doom2 directory.



A few notes:               


-  This was done on a 4MB machine, where the disk swapping (and frame rate) gets 
pretty ugly in short order, particularly on level 30.  To echo all
fellow 4MB owners...darnit!!!  Needless to say control is at times sloppy.

-  I get to whine a bit about Doom's biggest flaw (in my opinion), most especially
apparent on level 30.  That is, the breaking of the 3-D realism bubble when the player is higher
than the monsters.  If you find yourself higher than a monster, (on any of the ledges in level 30,
for example, or of course the center rising column) but they are in front of you (even 30 feet
lower), they will block your forward movement as if they were right in front of you on your own
level.  They can also attack you in the same way.  I beleve this also applies to the inverse, ie. if
you find yourself BELOW a monster (like the cacodemon).  That is the one huge flaw in an
otherwise incredible programming accomplishment.  But it is a rather big one, IMHO, when a
level like this #30 is taken into account.  It is quite maddening to be blocked on the column
while trying to jump across to the boss' ledge, where your survival goodies are.  On Nightmare
(and U-V, for that matter), for example, you usually get one shot at those rad suits, but often
(more than one might think), this flaw (I hesitate to use the word "bug") prevents that jump, and
that, of course, will be all she wrote.   #%$^%!~@!!     

-  I would like to state for the record my opinion that Doom 2 is not entirely worth the money,
for reasons that have been echoed ad-nauseum by others in alt.games.doom, but basically it boils
down to not getting enough that is really new and worth the money in this program that add-ons
wouldn't have given you with the original.  I also feel it was made too hard for a retail release...I
can't help but think Romero et al. probably took too many of those two-bit challenges too
seriously.  One thing that turns me off quick with games is feeling that the programming was
done antagonistically...that it's the programmer(s) against the player (/customer).  Doom 2 can be
a bit too insane in parts (the aforementioned Pain Elemental on level 30 sometimes seems to spit
out those Lost Souls like a bloody plasma gun!).  I do like the Arch-Vile, though (LOVE his
"look" and movements), and level 30 is otherwise as good an end level as they could have come
up with, I guess, but still...

-  I would also like to state that I think the original Doom is a miracle of programming and that
I do not in the least hold it against anyone at ID for driving a Ferrari.

-  I play with keyboard only.

-  Yes, my first try on the Nightmare .LMP was, um...a warm up!  :)

-  For what it's worth, I can be contacted at j_hache@pavo.concordia.ca  on the Net, or in
Montreal on Evening Shade BBS (514-466-9637)...a small plug for a nice, well-run board.   I
check up on alt.games.doom now and then, but not regularly enough to use it for
communication...the daily posting rate is just too darn high!  Whew.  If all else fails, I can be
found at weekly meetings of Penniless Students Anonymous!  :(      I would like hearing a word
or two from fellow members of this insane subculture ID has created with their achievement...


                    Joe Hachem
