===========================================================================
Advanced engine needed  : GZDoom
Primary purpose         : Single play
===========================================================================
Title                   : Sleep Paralysis
Filename                : SleepParalysis.wad
Release date            : 2026
Author                  : Nini K.
Email Address           : [redacted]
Description             : ## Story
                          The world is ablaze. A mysterious portal to Hell
                          has opened, possibly due to experiments performed
                          by the **Union Aerospace Corporation**. The dreaded
                          **Spider Empress** is leading the invasion into
                          Earth, assisted by her monstrous behemoth, the
                          **Icon of Sin.** Our planet will soon fall to these
                          infernal armies. Unable to wait any longer lest the
                          world you love plunge into total darkness, you grab
                          your pistol and decide to face the forces of Hell
                          head-on.
                          
                          
                          # Levels
                          
                          ## MAP01: Infiltration
                          **Summary:** You infiltrate a UAC base in order to
                          get to the source of the demonic invasion.
                          
                          **Designer's Comments**
                          The penultimate map I designed, my aim was to
                          mirror "Entryway" from Doom II by having the player
                          infiltrate a tech base (hence the title). I also
                          wanted to teach rusty players the mechanics of Doom
                          - managing different types of enemies at once,
                          collecting keys, opening hidden doors, pressing
                          switches, etc. It was also important to me to use
                          windows to help guide players to their next
                          objective - players might see a key or unexplored
                          area through a window which informs their
                          subsequent actions.
                          
                          
                          ## MAP02: The Sadistic Method
                          **Summary:** Deeper into the UAC base, you explore
                          an abandoned lab with unethical experimentation.
                          
                          **Designer's Comments**
                          The title is a play on the "scientific method" and
                          the level features torturous experiments on demons
                          in captivity. A friend of mine (who isn't a gamer)
                          suggested I make a level that made the player feel
                          like a test subject in a lab or a rat in a maze,
                          and while it's hard to quite replicate that
                          sensation in vanilla Doom, I'd like to think I
                          captured some of that eerieness here. This was the
                          level most directly influenced by John Romero's
                          work in Knee Deep in the Dead, with nonlinear
                          design and frenetic combat in an abandoned tech
                          base. While I'm no John Romero, this may be my
                          favorite level in the mapset.
                          
                          
                          ## MAP03: Subterranean
                          **Summary:** You follow the demonic activity into a
                          nearby subway station.
                          
                          **Designer's Comments**
                          This was the second map I designed in this WAD,
                          although I had designed something similar years ago
                          in a now-lost set of levels. Inspired by the local
                          subway stations, I wanted the map to feel like a
                          real environment. I also wanted to incorporate a
                          simple puzzle that required the player to raise and
                          lower the floor in order to access different areas.
                          I implemented this through the imagery of sewers
                          pumping toxic slime; the player presumably controls
                          the flow of fluid.
                          
                          
                          ## MAP04: Grave Danger
                          **Summary:** Having exited through the other end of
                          the subway, you continue to hunt demons in a
                          cemetery, marching towards the portal to Hell.
                          
                          **Designer's Comments**
                          Probably the first truly difficult map in the WAD
                          for casual Doom fans, map 4 sees players in an open
                          cemetery (loosely inspired by photos of Graceland
                          Cemetery in Chicago) and under fire from dozens of
                          hitscanners and a few Revenants. Be prepared for a
                          basement ambush in pitch darkness and your first
                          Arch-Vile encounter.
                          
                          
                          ## MAP05: Inflection Point
                          **Summary:** The portal to Hell awaits you after a
                          battle on a bridge.
                          
                          **Designer's Comments**
                          I had long envisioned a demonic bridge siege
                          inspired by the Battle of Lodi, though the idea
                          didn't take fruition until over a year later. The
                          risk with crafting a map like this is making
                          gameplay too linear and preventing exploration, so
                          I added a large battle towards the end that would
                          give players more freedom of movement. And yes, the
                          placement of the Arch-Viles in this level was
                          designed to be frustrating.
                          
                          
                          ## MAP06: Devil's Island / Infernal Descent
                          **Summary:** After finding yourself in purgatory,
                          you make your way into the depths of Hell.
                          
                          **Designer's Comments**
                          The original version of this level included an
                          "invisible" floor, so the player would essentially
                          walk on the sky, in line with the purgatory-style
                          vision I had in mind. I later decided that this
                          looked awkward and replaced it with water, creating
                          an island effect. (Spoilers ahead:) The second part
                          of this level sees the player entering Hell and
                          facing off with the Cyberdemon. I wanted to add a
                          layer of difficulty, so I added four crushing
                          ceilings and a lava pit. You're welcome. 
                          
                          
                          ## MAP07: Bloodlines
                          **Summary:** You battle through the Fortress of
                          Hell in some of your toughest encounters yet.
                          
                          **Designer's Comments**
                          This was the first map I designed, and ultimately
                          the catalyst for me to make this WAD in the first
                          place. The level takes inspiration from Castlevania
                          (in its architecture, tone, and title) as well as
                          Prince of Persia (in its exploration and floor
                          switches). This is also the level with the most
                          "Doomcute" in the mapset. Its placement as the
                          penultimate map was for two reasons: for one, I
                          wanted a long, epic level before the final battles.
                          For another, I wanted to make use of the MAP07
                          triggers - tag 666 and tag 667, which check for the
                          deaths of all Mancubi and Arachnotrons,
                          respectively. I noted a bug in the game which
                          allows the 667-tagged platform(s) to rise multiple
                          times if it registers the last Arachnotron dying
                          more than once, and wanted to exploit that in my
                          level design. (Spoilers ahead:) If one allows the
                          Arch-Vile to resurrect an Arachnotron once after
                          all have been killed, and proceeds to kill all
                          monsters again, then a platform will raise a second
                          time and allow the player to access a secret
                          switch. Note that this is not required to complete
                          the level.
                          
                          
                          ## MAP08: Reclamation
                          **Summary:** You must vanquish the Spider Empress
                          and her evil titan, the Icon of Sin.
                          
                          **Designer's Comments**
                          I had wrestled with how I wanted to end the mapset
                          - should I make the last level a climactic battle
                          that challenges the player at every level? Or do I
                          make it more of a celebration of the player's
                          progress and allow them to enjoy gibbing demons? I
                          decided to go with more of the former, though I
                          wanted to keep it crisper and more intense than the
                          previous level, which emphasized exploration and
                          strategy. I also needed to find ways to make the
                          Icon of Sin fight tougher and more interesting
                          while still being fair to casual players. The
                          strategy remains the same, but with additional
                          threats from auxiliary demons.
                          
                          
                          ## MAP09: Pueblo
                          _(Secret map)_
                          
                          **Summary:** A destroyed village houses some of
                          Hell's deadliest forces.
                          
                          **Designer's Comments**
                          The final map I designed for the WAD, this map was
                          added as almost an afterthought (though I had
                          earlier toyed with the idea of including a secret
                          level). The feel of the level was partially
                          inspired by Latin American pueblos, with a cluster
                          of small buildings around a central area. My aim
                          with this level was to make it the most intense in
                          the mapset, which I may have accomplished with the
                          inclusion of two Arch-Viles in a somewhat cramped
                          battle.
                          

===========================================================================
* What is included *

New levels              : 9
Sounds                  : No
Music                   : No
Graphics                : No
Dehacked/BEX Patch      : No
Demos                   : No
Other                   : No
Other files required    : None


* Play Information *

Game                    : Doom 2
Map #                   : 1
Single Player           : Designed for
Cooperative 2-4 Player  : No
Deathmatch 2-4 Player   : No
Other game styles       : None
Difficulty Settings     : Not implemented


* Construction *

Base                    : New from scratch
Editor(s) used          : Ultimate Doom Builder
May Not Run With        : Anything that isn't GZDoom
Tested With             : GZDoom v4


* Copyright / Permissions *

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. To view a
copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

You are free to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format;
and remix, transform, and build upon the material. If you do so, you must
give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if
changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way
that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. You may not use the
material for commercial purposes. If you remix, transform, or build upon the
material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as
the original.

* Where to get the file that this text file describes *

The Usual: ftp://archives.gamers.org/pub/idgames/ and mirrors
