Welcome back, soldiers. Good to see everyone is in relatively good health (found those blue spheres I left you, I see). For those of you who are joining the crew for the first time, here's what this column is all about: People helping people, 'cause God knows the Cyberdemon won't. Each month, I publish a few tricks (here defined as ways to stay alive) and traps ('nuf said) that I've fallen over or into while wandering around MacDoom land. If you prefer to be surprised, I suggest you fast forward to another page -- there will be some SPOILERS in this column. As for the rest of you, remember: Save early, and often. Let's get some MEAT!
 
Tricks
If you've played MacDoom for any length of time, you've probably caught on to the fact that this column is named for Level 8 -- Tricks and Traps. Besides the fact that this pretty much lays out what the column is about, this is also my favorite level. For those who haven't made it that far, the level is basically like an evil "Let's Make a Deal," but with a helluva lot more booby prizes behind door number three. Each door has its own personal hell, and lucking into the correct one first can make all the difference in the world. (Hint: You CAN survive the Hell Knight room, even if it's the first one you go to -- just be sure you don't let anyone out. The Hell Knights tend to go open the other doors and invite the others to come party. I don't recommend this strategy; there are better rooms to begin with... like the one you face at start.) Anyway, for my first trick, I wanna do something that could save you untold hours of opening saved games in this particular level. Yes, it's how to ESCAPE from Level 8.
LEVEL 8 (Tricks and Traps): I spent the better part of one night trying to get across those damn sinking stones to the exit. For the record, I use a joystick, which might make a difference. I have heard from keyboard players who had just as much trouble leaving this level, however. The secret is, you DON'T have to get all the way across those stones to leave. You don't even have to cross two. Simply walk in just far enough to trigger the first stone, which will begin sinking within seconds. Back out the second you know it's going down -- you will have to be fast, because it doesn't give you very long to escape. You should hear the tell-tale sign of change in the room to your right that once contained about eight Cacodemons (it also had the plasma gun). Go to the room and look to the left. A wall will have lifted (or be lifting), revealing a transporter (ignore the one on the right). This is your ticket out of the level. Take it and prepare for Level 9.
LEVEL 5 (Waste Tunnels) and LEVEL 15 (Industrial Zone): Just as light can trigger an ambush, it can also guide you to something good. Look for discreet light arrows (always on the floor) in Level 5 (The Waste Tunnels) and Level 15 (The Industrial Zone). In both cases, the arrows arrive fairly late in the level; I'll leave it up to you to find them. Follow the light, find something good. But remember, as is always the case with MacDoom, every silver lining has a cloud.
I'm going to turn the Tricks section over to one of our faithful MDR readers now. Stay tuned for some keyboard tips from a longtime gamer who knows of what he speaks...
Rob Mason <mason@osg.emc.com> writes:
"I've been a Doom fan since it first came out. I actually broke down and brought a PC into my home just to play Doom until MacDoom came out." (We forgive you, Rob). "I've played Doom and Doom II on the PC, Doom on a Sparc 10 under Solaris 2.4, and now MacDoom. I've used many different WADs and created my own fair share of them back when I was using the PC (check out the Aliens theme WAD, the most extensive WAD I've ever run across and frightening in the dark!)
"Anyway, one of the things that disappointed me the most about MacDoom was the lack of keyboard configurability. Doom is much more configurable on the other platforms, and they all use the same default keyboard setup, one that MacDoom chose not to use. Why can't we use "Control" to fire? The default of 'D' for fire isn't really good especially if you use the old IDDT or IDKFA or IDSPISPOPD (etc.) cheats." (One way around this is to pause the game with Command-P before typing in the cheats. --Ed.)
Here are some suggestions from Rob:
1) Change the fire button to something other than "D." I use "S," and it seems to work OK, but the adaption from PC/Sun to Macintosh has been a painful lesson.
2) After completing a level, before going on to the next level, save and then hit the button to exit. If you didn't get all the secrets or kills, you can then restore the game and look around.
3) I use save and restore a lot. Check out these quicksave features: F6 (save) F9 (restores last game saved).
4) When there are mixed monsters in a room, wake 'em up and then run away. Come back later and you'll find natural selection has been at work -- several monsters will be wiped out, and those left standing will be severely weakened. This is especially useful during the finale level, Icon of Sin.
 
Traps
Since the Tricks section went long this month, I'm going to go light on the Traps. Besides, what fun is it if you know everything that's coming?
General Tip: Light plays a major role in triggering the baddies, especially on the later levels. Keep an eye out for rectangles of light on the floor and baited areas -- that is, compact, lit areas containing some tempting goody, such as a really nifty gun or health. Of course, some ambushes are necessary to advance. But at least you know to watch out for them.
LEVEL 18 (The Courtyard) -- There is an invincibility sphere tucked away in a corner of the courtyard. Locate it, but don't take it. Instead, start sucking up the armor and health bottles (you'll know what I'm talking about). This will trigger the entrance of a Mancubus (which I've nicknamed "Moby Dick" -- after the great white whale, and nothing else, thank you!). The Mancubus is located in the center wooden house that looks like an outhouse. As soon as you hear him opening the front door, haul your butt back to the sphere and grab it. The Mancubus will not be alone.
Whelp, that's all for this month. Happy hunting, fellow soldiers of fortune.
And remember, when they scream "MEAT!". . . they mean you.
Jacqui Kramer will be back next month, assuming she can back out of Level 8 without falling into the slime. Help keep Jacqui alive by sending your column suggestions to reeltime@voicenet.com, with the words "TRICKS AND TRAPS" in the subject line.
