© Zero WedgeOn March 3, a little-known creator named Steve "Wedge" Nelson shared a modest mod on the Doomworld forums. It claims it's an expanded version of a 15-year-old My Own House But Full of Demons map file (who hasn't tried making one) left behind by a recently deceased friend? Tragic, but interesting.
As a fan of all things Doom, I urge you to take it literally, download and play it now . Also, you shouldn't read branches of Doomworld other than the original post. Enter blind. Here's what you'll need.
Unzip and put everything in the same directory, then drag MyHouse.pk3 (not .WAD) to GZDoom.exe . Make sure you play in OpenGL or Vulkan mode (not software mode) or some effects may not work.
While I recommend going blind, here are some pointers.
- Ammunition is scarce. There's a brown box of chainsaws in the garage.
- If you get stuck, check every door. Not many.
- Still too complicated. Lowest difficulty halves damage and doubles ammo.
- Don't miss the Supercharge from behind. It is visible from the first floor.
- Do you promise to come back and read it to the end when you're done?
- Pink's Promise? Sharp, enjoy!
So by now you must have figured out that the original Doomworld post was a lie at best. Instead of a nostalgia trip with the classic Doom mapping trend, MyHouse.pk3 is a potentially hours-long horror experience in an ever-changing, spatially impossible environment. It has already received enough nominations from the community to win the Cacoward (Doomworld's annual award) and rightly so.
Technically, it's an amazing job using all the tricks GZDoom's engine has to offer, but as a big stage thing, it's distracting and confusing, so you don't notice anything moving until it's too late. The opening is a real retro rebuild of the house using only ZDoom's original tools, and it stays that way until you enter and walk around the house looking for a bonus that you can see from the room, but there is none one. you will check
Slowly and quietly, the house is being rebuilt using the latest technology (including 3D swing doors and simulated ceiling fans) and inhabited by more evil monsters that you can see through the windows outside. Your weapon sprites are now animated more smoothly as well. You come back, find the keys, go out and the front door is gone .
Trapped, you search for a way out by unlocking new rooms in impossible locations, some of which disappear as soon as you leave them. Just as your options start to run out, you hear the sound of an electric spark. The underlying library is slightly dull. Behind it is the fuse panel. Use it and all hell will break loose. I don't want to give too many details away to those of you who haven't played yet, but it's a roller coaster ride from here. A burning house, a brutal hell scene, an airport and an extremely silent final journey home, followed by an escape in the vanilla Doom 2 Underholls.
If you stop playing there (and many do, it's like the end), you may have seen a third of what MyHouse has to offer. The clue to continue exploring is the sign you'll find outside the dilapidated house in ruins. Navidson Realty, reference Mark Z. A novel known for its final pages, which are far from the end of the story, there are more common threads in its footnotes, notes, and remarkable typography.
Those who play mostly unchanged Underhalls will once again find themselves at home, but this time with the Super Shotgun from the regular game. Stuck in a loop and backtracking backfires. There's no way out, and resorting to uncut tricks to escape is punishable by banishment to the Undertows, an endlessly spiraling labyrinthine realm where you'll be lost and hunted until you die or find your home.
It's all smoke and tech mirrors, but this mod makes it look weirdly cool, like it's really haunted and endless.
However, there's a real ending to the reveal and a few hoaxes along the way. Inserting various classic Doom cheats provides hints instead of benefits. You'll have to explore an entire mirrored floor, a flood that takes you to an otherworldly bathroom, a closet that turns into a huge dark labyrinth, a nursery, a gas station on a long dark road, and so much more. There are strange artifacts to be found and the path to them is strange and confusing, some paths take you to new places or take you home.
Even death is not an escape. See what happens if you let Doomguy stay dead.
If you plan to explore it all on your own, expect to spend a few hours indoors. Maybe fill a notebook full of paranoid-sounding theories. I know what I did. For those who want to skip the otherworldly detective work and just enjoy the ride, check out a detailed description of its content on the Doom Wiki. I advise you to get serious about solving it yourself. There is real excitement at discovering a new path or a new secret, and real anxiety at being in a bad mood again.
Even with Rock Guy's full arsenal of weapons, the house didn't make me feel safe, and even if I saw the ending, I still want to go back for more. The house is now in my head and I haven't yet escaped its grip.
