I would have say Xaser and Essel.

My guess what mein house could be:

Veddge is an old account of a person who hasn't logged in for a long time.

Thru admin tools the people behind mein house got control of the account.

These people are not jabba and essel

2021... A Fistful of Doom? Really, ChatGPT?


Anyway, the lists have both good points about map years... Wonder how they manage the more specific mapping tropes like what kind of things have been used the most during each year...

And as bonus, the same list done with Gemini:

* 1993: Genesis — The Ultimate Doom, Doom II (The release of the base games and earliest editors like DEU).
* 1994: Proliferation — Aliens TC, UAC_DEAD (The birth of total conversions and historical custom levels).
* 1995: Foundation — Memento Mori, Requiem (The first major, coordinated community collaborative projects).
* 1996: Expansion — Memento Mori II, Icarus: Alien Vanguard (The refinement of commercial-grade amateur megawads).
* 1997: Brutality — Hell Revealed, STRAIN (Raising the difficulty bar and introducing new gameplay mechanics via DeHackEd).
* 1998: Experimentation — Batman Doom, Cyberdreams (Revolutionary total conversions and unique puzzle-map concepts).
* 1999: Overhaul — The Darkening Episode 1, ICARUS (Advances in visual design and moody atmospheres).
* 2000: Evolution — Eternal Doom (The full release of one of the most massive and complex megawads of the classic era).
* 2001: Masterclass — Alien Vendetta (The absolute masterpiece that set visual and gameplay standards for the entire 2000s).
* 2002: Odyssey — 2002: A Doom Odyssey (A modern classic centered on exploration and meticulous aesthetic care).
* 2003: Precision — Scythe (Famous for pioneering the concept of short, fast-paced, and intense maps).
* 2004: Innovation — Action Doom, RTC-3057 (The explosion of ZDoom with advanced scripting, side-scrolling views, and sci-fi immersion).
* 2005: Polish — Kama Sutra (Extreme challenge paired with memorable art style and design).
* 2006: Ambition — Zen Dynamics, Simpsons Doom (Heavy experimentation with modern source port capabilities).
* 2007: Renaissance — Sunlust (Development kicks off), Unholy Realms (Laying groundwork for intense modern styles).
* 2008: Cinematic — Action Doom 2: Urban Brawl (An incredible cel-shaded beat-'em-up/shooter hybrid).
* 2009: Scale — Vanguard, Stardate 20X6 (The dawn of modern "slaughter" styles and cosmic, surreal environments).
* 2010: Complexity — Claustrophobia 1024, Resurgence (The twin challenges of designing within ultra-tiny spaces or impossibly vast ones).
* 2011: Atmosphere — Back to Saturn X Episode 1 (A masterpiece of visual consistency, custom palettes, and meticulous layout design).
* 2012: Stylization — Grezzo 2 (The wildly infamous and irreverent Italian mod built on ZDoom).
* 2013: Ingenuity — Going Down (A brilliant 32-level campaign set inside a single, vertical, claustrophobic building).
* 2014: Retrospective — Doom the Way id Did (DTWID) (The perfect tribute recreating the authentic look and feel of 1993 id Software maps).
* 2015: Totalism — Ashes 2063 (Episode 1) (A breathtaking post-apocalyptic total conversion inspired by Fallout and 90s shooters).
* 2016: Tribute — UAC Ultra, Nova: The Birth (Grand community projects focusing on clean, punchy gameplay).
* 2017: Cosmic — Ancient Aliens (A colorful, psychedelic megawad featuring an unforgettable MIDI soundtrack).
* 2018: Monumental — Eviternity (An immense celebratory megawad scaling from medieval castles to deep space).
* 2019: Canonical — Sigil (The official fifth episode created personally by John Romero).
* 2020: Expansionism — Back to Saturn X Episode 2 (The long-awaited continuation of the celebrated visual trilogy).
* 2021: Overdrive — Lily White Epicenter (High-tier technical and visual maps geared toward speedrunning and intense combat).
* 2022: Metamorphosis — Ashes: Afterglow (The stunning conclusion to the legendary Ashes total conversion saga).
* 2023: Phenomenon — MyHouse.wad (The mod that broke the internet, redefining psychological survival horror within Doom).
* 2024: Mastery — Heartland (James "Essel" Paddock's acclaimed total conversion campaign praised for level design and unique weaponry).
* 2025: Legacy — Sigil II (Extended official editions pushing the limits of the classic engine further).
* 2026: Frontier — Next-gen source port marvels (The current bleeding edge of the community, blurring the line with modern indie development).


2024 still mashing some stuff with other as well as the other years and... What the fuck is Lily White Epicenter in the year 2021? Is the second time i see It listed... Is this some kind of prophetic title from the machine? Otherwise, i'll gonna use It lol

Burlek burrr blurghhhh

ChatGPT made more obvious mistakes (like listing Plutonia 2 as representative of UDMF maps simply because it was released in 2008, same year as the new format), but Grok's answer is also pretty useless, it listed "Frantic" as the trend for 2003 and "Speed" for 2010, also "Textured" for 2012 and "Textural" for 2019, but the main problem is "Viral" for 2023; how do you design a map to be viral, when that's a quite unpredictable post-release phenomenon? And ofc, we all know there was exactly one viral mod for 2023, not the trend of the year for WADs to go viral. Similar issue with "Prolific", referring to the authors in 2011, map prolifically?

I'm not surprised anymore that the new game isn't source port compatible. They really want you to use their overrated engine at this point.

hot take: analyzing bird entrails >>>> analyzing llm output (on anything but vulnerability research)
hot take^2: not being able to easily define what a given era is about is ackshually a good thing

2025: Amalgoom

So many unplayable shit listed

The chatgpt version :


Year | One word | Representative WADs
-----|-------------------|-----------------------------------------------
1993 | Birth | DOOM
1994 | Experimentation | Origwad, Horror
1995 | Amateurism | Doomsday, Memento Mori
1996 | Maturity | Icarus: Alien Vanguard, Memento Mori II, Perdition's Gate
1997 | Competition | Requiem, GothicDM, Hell Revealed
1998 | Boom | Earth, GothicDM2, Invasion II
1999 | Scripting | Demonfear, Securitron, Jägermörder 01
2000 | Freedom | 10 Sectors, The Darkening Episode 2, Atomic Tomb
2001 | Ambition | Sin City, Equinox, Vrack 2b
2002 | Megawads | Alien Vendetta, 2002: A Doom Odyssey, Caverns of Darkness
2003 | Tools | Scythe, Rebirth, Phobos: Anomaly Reborn
2004 | Expansion | Action Doom, RTC-3057, Hell Revealed II
2005 | Rhythm | Scythe 2, Kama Sutra, 2 Sectors
2006 | Style | Community Chest 3, Claustrophobia 1024, The Darkening 2
2007 | Reinvention | 1 Monster, Knee-Deep in ZDoom, 32 in 24
2008 | UDMF | Action Doom 2: Urban Brawl, Plutonia 2, Stronghold
2009 | Immersion | Sunder, Whispers of Satan, Hell Ground
2010 | Modernity | Speed of Doom, Epic 2, Unloved
2011 | Diversity | Doom the Way id Did, Vanguard, Jenesis
2012 | Exploration | Back to Saturn X: Episode 1, Strife: Absolute Order, The Eye
2013 | Architecture | Hellbound, Unholy Realms, 3 Heures d'Agonie
2014 | Verticality | Going Down, Resurgence, Doom II in Name Only
2015 | Classicism | Sunlust, Valiant, After Doom
2016 | Slaughter | Ancient Aliens, Urania, Japanese Community Chest Project
2017 | Polish | Moonblood, TNT: Revilution, Stardate 20X7
2018 | Atmosphere | REKKR, 50 Shades of Graytall, Doom: The Golden Souls 2
2019 | Spectacle | Eviternity, SIGIL, Doom 3: Phobos
2020 | Virtuosity | Struggle: Antaresian Legacy, Doom II: 25 Years on Earth, Hocus Pocus Doom
2021 | Hybridization | Doom 2 in Spain Only, DoomWare, A Fistful of Doom
2022 | Narrative | Abscission, Bellatrix: Tales of Orionis, Altars of Madness
2023 | Experimentation | MyHouse.wad, Eviternity II, Beyond Sunset
2024 | Heritage | Doom 2 in City Only, Pirate Doom 2, Ashes: Hard Reset
2025 | Preservation | In the Doghouse, Neon Overdrive, Crimson Horror
2026 | Synthesis | Forbidden Compass, Eye Juice, Grey Cat

Grok is closer to reality

Also had Half-Life, Unreal and Quake 2 in 98. All taking FPS in a bit more of the exploratory/narrative direction. Thief does win on that front though. At least imo.

I love the 1998 description of "Adventurous". That's a really apt description. It's worth noting that 1998 is the same year that Thief came out, which prioritized exploration of large areas and was puzzle-heavy and narrative-driven.

I do find it interesting that even ai brings up the fragmentation of the community starting around 2017-2018. I guess that was pretty major for the time though with stuff like the Doomer Boards, the influx of NuDoom kids and Discord growing. Also sort of interesting that it never explicitly mentions slaughter (EDIT: Outside of early "proto-slaughter" anyway).

Inspired by Tangra's post in CPH on the DW user about how each year of Doom mapping will be remembered I prompted Grok to describe each year in one word and provide a project that most encapsulates that year. Of course it took some liberties and ended as if 2025 was sort of still ongoing but this is what it came up with. Good enough for a sort of generalized kickoff to open a discussion about the topic.


    1994: Nascent — Aliens TC (Justin Fisher). The absolute explosion of early user content right after Doom/Doom II: crude tools, wild experimentation, total conversions, and the first proof that anyone could remake the game.

    1995: Collaborative — Memento Mori. The first major multi-author megawad that proved community coordination could produce something polished and cohesive beyond solo efforts.

    1996: Classical — Memento Mori II / Icarus: Alien Vanguard. Peak “TeamTNT-era” polished classic megawads with strong themes, solid flow, and the emerging adventure style.

    1997: Challenging — Hell Revealed (and Requiem). The Casali/Plutonia influence and high-difficulty slaughter prototypes take hold; speedrunning and “git gud” mapping become cultural forces.

    1998: Adventurous — Eternal Doom. Puzzle-heavy, expansive, narrative-driven maps that prioritized exploration and architecture over pure combat.

    1999: Transitional — Batman Doom (or late TeamTNT-era works). A mix of lingering classic megawads, early total-conversion ambitions, and the quiet shift toward more modern sensibilities.

    2000–2001: Synthetic — Alien Vendetta (final form around this window; often dated 2001–2002). The great synthesis: combat intensity + visual ambition + flow that defined “modern classic” mapping for years.

    2002: Foundational — Alien Vendetta (release/impact peak). Cemented as the template for what a great megawad should feel like.

    2003: Frantic — Scythe / Community Chest. Short, high-energy maps + the formal rebirth of open community projects on Doomworld forums.

    2004: Expansive — Scythe 2 / Action Doom. Bigger ambitions, early ZDoom/advanced-port showcases, and the first Cacowards era.

    2005: Detailed — Suspended in Dusk / Simplicity. High-detail vanilla and Boom work; the “pretty + playable” modern aesthetic solidifies.

    2006–2007: Community — Community Chest series peak / Newdoom Community Project. Open, large-scale community projects become a core part of the culture.

    2008–2009: Polished — Deus Vult II / Epic series. High-production-value single-author or small-team megawads with strong themes and technical mastery.

    2010: Speed — Speed of Doom. Fast-paced, tightly designed maps that influenced a generation of short, punchy combat design.

    2011: Prolific — Lunatic / Vanguard (skillsaw era). Solo authors producing high-quality episodes and megawads at remarkable speed and consistency.

    2012: Textured — Community Chest 4 (and its texture pack). Shared high-quality resources begin shaping the visual language of many future projects.

    2013–2014: Atmospheric — Back to Saturn X / Going Down. Vanilla resurgence + highly stylized, memorable single-author work.

    2015: Maximalist — Sunlust / Valiant. Dense, beautiful, high-difficulty Boom mapping that pushed combat and visuals hard.

    2016: Eclectic — Ancient Aliens. Weird themes, strong identity, and the broadening of what “serious” mapping could look like.

    2017–2018: Fragmented — Various (post-schism era, early Doomer Boards influence). Community splits and the rise of alternative hubs; mapping continued but with more parallel scenes.

    2019: Textural — Eviternity (OTEX). Massive, polished megawad + a texture pack that became the new default high-quality resource for years.

    2020–2021: Constrained — 1000 Lines series / community projects under limits. Format experiments, UMAPINFO, and “limits as creativity” projects.

    2022: Compatible — Early MBF21 / advanced Boom work. New mapping formats and features start becoming practical standards.

    2023: Viral — MyHouse.wad. Narrative, liminal, meme-driven, experimental mapping that broke far outside the traditional community.

    2024: Experimental — Plerbtonia / high MBF21 and ID24 work. Format evolution, Legacy of Rust influence, and continued stylistic freedom.

    2025: Abundant — Ongoing high-volume release culture (community projects, solo episodes, experimental PK3s). The scene remains extremely productive across every style simultaneously.

Right, had gotten sick and now my map is sitting in dust lel. Since the deadline is only at the 20th I have enough time to churn this nigger out in 1-2 days remaining, got half the map down anyway. It's a dam level (or rather built around one) with some nice visuals coming from someone like me. The layout got smaller but is easy to work with and has a fun flow. The midi really fits, you can guess why once my first version hits the DC. Not sure how to call it yet but something will pop up, probably a pun with dam, as always. See you soon!

what are you even talking about

Then why are you cowering here and on DB with an alt account?

my name isn't plant lil bro

You don't need to tell me what to do, it's just an opinion. What is your Doomworld account anyway, plant?

you dont need to get so mad its just an opinion what else released in 2025

archcynic

I’ll have a look at v2.6 (online version is 2.4) – and more besides – after my upcoming holiday.

Whatever the reasons behind this wad, I know its release made an impression on me at the time (though I may have been missing some of the ‘Twitch’ context) because I then thought you’d struck the right balance between ostentatious and radically difficult, an indecipherable ‘joke/mockery’ aspect and at the same time a ‘bait’ element that’s off-putting to the cool crowd.

Anyway, what you say about the key yellow fight in map 02 is interesting because it highlights the limitations of my recent tendency to play with rewinds. Even though I tend to use it by going back to the start of fights, sometimes —as was the case here— I overuse it to force my way through in an unnatural manner. And that means I miss out on the puzzles that I’d enjoyed tackling head-on in Magnolia (but in ITYTD/HNTR) (so I’ve never actually played the platforming that inspired the ‘isolation’ section of BMS Map 01).

"Found" a copy and yup, definitely not source port compatible. Archived and saving for the eventual ironwail update. Funny that they don't care to cater to the oldschool fans by forcing the use of the kex port. Plenty of better stuff out there without the hassle.