Left 4 Doom

Title: Left 4 Doom (doom_map_e1m7)
Link: https://www.gamemaps.com/details/2410, https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=253343110
Author: John Romero, TimEh
Survivors: L4D2
Notes: This is a port of E1M7 (Computer Station) from the original Doom (1993).

The Doom source code and levels have been public for a long time and obviously have been adapted to many different media. In this instance, the seventh map in the first episode of the original Doom has been adapted to L4D2. This map, Computer Station, is one of the most complex maps in the first Doom episode, meaning that in the grand scheme of things it's designed really well and isn't too hard to figure out the correct paths.

Many elements from the original map are here. The textures are the same, barrels explode as you would expect (they're propane tanks), elevators ascend and descend, keys are required to progress through color-coded doors, etc. You'll probably notice right away that the map feels blocky, primitive, and maybe a bit nonsensical. The proportions aren't really correct, and of course this should feel more like a cartoon than a real place. The original Doom was fairly cartoonish and id Software were very self-aware.

I enjoyed the lighting in certain places here. The Source engine still renders the dark areas appropriately and dynamic lights work give it a bit of a different tone than you would see in the original Doom. The intensity of primary colors in this engine, mixed with certain dark areas, gives it a unique look in places. 

While it can look cool, it doesn't always play the best. You move through this map more slowly than you do in Doom, so it feel like a slog going back and forth between different points. In my opinion it's already kind of a drag that you have to go all the way back to the beginning to collect the blue key, which is really quite unnecessary if you think about it. Here though, it feels more like a chore than anything, especially since the walls are so wide that you can kill common infected easily and there won't be any special infected until you open up the blue door.

In fact, the easiness of this campaign really shows up right from the beginning. The number of common infected is more than manageable and even the only real event, when commons drop from the ceiling, you can go to town on them. I don't think the commons can even pose a challenge to the bots. On the plus side, I feel this can motivate you to play around with different weapons on this map, changing it up every so often.

I did like how you are still able to go outside. In fact preventing the player from going outside would be heresy, so it should be expected. Providing the grenade launcher outside is a nice touch, and all around resource distribution is quite plentiful, another testimony to how easy this campaign is. One thing I didn't like was how other areas you should be able to access are inaccessible. The big offender here was getting into the toxic waste so as to collect some power-ups. I understand that this could have been detrimental bots, but if that was a concern, then maybe the hurtfloor could do no damage, or next to no damage. As it stands, it's kind of a disappointment that you can't get all the secrets that are available.

As mentioned before, the special infected only start to show up after the last colored door is opened, which by this point is almost the end of the map. It's still an easy affair at that point, as the specials can be kept at bay by staying behind corners. There's an event with a horde spawning once you flip the last switch that leads to the exit area, but it's very minor and not difficult at all. Once you're done taking care of the horde, all you do is flip the exit switch and the campaign fades to black as the credits roll.

Difficulty: This is a fairly easy campaign, even if you don't know the map. It might feel easy to get lost if you don't know the way, but the outline is fairly logical in design as long as you understand the basic concept of "yellow key opens yellow door." There shouldn't be any frustration of hunting to find such-and-such object to progress; Leafo's campaigns are a thousand times more frustrating in that regard. As for how the map lends itself to L4D2's infected, the specials don't even show up until the end, and by that time you'll be fully stocked. The bots are pretty inadequate (they completely overlook the starting medkits and weapons) but experienced players should have no qualms at all starting this one on Advanced or higher if they choose.

Final Verdict: As a port, it's fine, as it's faithful enough to E1M7 to feel like the original level. As a campaign in it's own right, it's very short and easy. It can be beaten in less than ten minutes by casual players. You'll probably know right away if this campaign is for you; it's not particularly challenging or difficult, it seems to exist more as a novelty or demo. It doesn't lend itself particularly well to regular campaign mode but it might be interesting to try on different mutations. Skippable.

Rating: 3.2/5.