Doom speedruns are something else. Technical skill, excellent map design, and engine glitches make Doom one of the most entertaining games to watch speedrunners take on. But the main Doom maps have been speedrun for years, and rarely see new strategies; merely refinements of existing paths.
How about we make our own maps instead?
True Doom Murderheads is a mapping and speedrunning competition that aims to create a 32-level WAD for Doom 2 which players will then attempt to do a blind speedrun of.
Phase 1: Maps
You can't do speedruns without maps, so the first part of True Doom Murderheads is all about making them! Making Doom maps is very easy - you can learn the basics in a day or so - and there are lots of resources to assist the budding map designer.
The rules behind the mapping portion of the competition are simple.
- The map must be playable in PrBoom or Chocolate Doom.
- No packing the entire level with monsters. That's just not cool.
- Try to incorporate common Doom engine glitches, such as straferunning, into the map's design.
- Bonus points for obscure engine glitches!
The mapmaking portion of True Doom Murderheads lasts for one month, and the best maps will be voted on by the mapmaking community for inclusion into the WAD.
Phase 2: Speedrunning
After the maps are done, it's time to let loose the players to destroy them. The speedrunning portion of the competition is where the action happens and the maps are dissected by speedrunners.
- Maps must be played in Doom 2 or an engine-accurate source port such as PrBoom or Chocolate Doom.
- Any engine glitches are fair game.
- Players may not run the map before the competition starts.
- Evidence of the run must be in the form of a demo.
The speedrunning competition lasts for one week, and players may run the WAD as many times as necessary to achieve their best times. The categories are:
- UV Speed
- UV Max
- UV Pacifist