This is a brief extract from an email by George explaining how they got to these sets for the title of Yagyu (formerly Grand Master). The style of play is "UV, 100% kills, -fast". DHT BASE ratings 4/13/97 by George Bell (and Mike Pratt) D2GM Easiest 01 32 D2GM Easy 02 03 04 05 06 07 30 31 D2GM Medium 11 14 15 18 19 21 22 25 27 28 D2GM Hard 08 09 10 12 13 16 17 20 23 24 26 D2GM Hardest 29 Style of play: The above base is assuming the most cowardly route is taken and every trick for completing a level is known (for example, finishing 08 or 23 require some tricks). If you do not use the right strategy or try to go fast many of them may seem harder than rated. Conversely if you know one level very well it may seem easier to you than rated. How the base was obtained: George Bell recorded lmps of every level GM style in a two week period (3/21-4/7/97). This is the best way to get an objective comparison, because otherwise a level you thought was hard three months ago is now easier due to familiarity and greater skill. This set of lmps could be made publicly available, although there are already several full GM sets on cdrom. 29 is definitely the hardest level, although actually it is not as hard as I was expecting because of a trick Peo Sjoblom pointed out at the end. Still, I think it has earned a spot alone in "hardest". Visit the DHT page for more details: http://www.orl.co.uk/~fms/dht/ This is a list of tips and comments on how to succeed on each of the DOOM 2 levels in Yagyu mode (formerly Grand Master mode, i.e. "UV, 100% kills, -fast"), compiled by George Bell: read it only if you're desperate or it might spoil your fun. MAP01 Entryways, rating: easiest Use the chainsaw early or you will run out of ammo. MAP02 Underhalls, rating: easy Take it slow, sniping from behind corners or this is harder. MAP03 The Gantlet, rating: easy Take the lift to the courtyard, move forward and fire, then immediately back up and take the lift back down and pick off the imps one by one. MAP04 The Focus, rating: easy Take it slow (especially at the start), or this is harder. The end room must also be carefully planned. MAP05 The Waste Tunnels, rating: easy Only tricky part is the spectres in the pits at the end. MAP06 The Crusher, rating: easy For DHT5, this map was rated hard, and it certainly is the hardest of this easy set. The crux is killing the first revenant, after that you can take the megasphere and relax. Try to get the revenant firing continuously into a pillar and take him out without moving. Kill all the spectres in the final moat before you go for the yellow key. MAP07 Dead Simple, rating: easy This is not easy if you are used to hiding from the monsters! However if you keep moving and avoid getting hit by a fireball through the pillar, it's not that hard. This is also a very short level so many attempts can be made quickly. MAP08 Tricks and Traps, rating: hard This map is almost impossible unless you know that demons cannot pass the yellow door. Let the demon herd by the BFG out and then run back into this room and let the cacodemons take the demons out. MAP09 The Pit, rating: hard A well thought out strategy makes this map much easier. Avoid killing many lost souls as long as possible and the pain elementals will be harmless (unable to spit lost souls). The chaingunner room is the crux, make sure you have the rocket launcher and at least 6 rockets or the BFG before you release them. MAP10 Refueling Base, rating: hard Very big map, takes the longest of any of these to complete. The start is the hardest part, but you must plan very well to survive the rest. Know where all the triggers that release monsters are. It is also quite easy to run out of ammo on this one, plan to grab a berserk pack and punch out most of the demons to save ammo. MAP11 'O' of Destruction!, rating: medium One of the hardest mediums, the start is quite tricky. Aim to get to the room with the hidden soul sphere as quickly as you can while killing all monsters close to the entrance to that room. Use the invulnerability to kill all pain elementals. Take it slow after the start. MAP12 The Factory, rating: hard The end scene is a classic hard spot, other than that it's only medium. Plan to go into the end scene at 200% health, you can kill the imps by the soul sphere easily by hitting a switch in the room with the green armor and cell pack. MAP13 Downtown, rating: hard This level is open and chaotic and also you can run into ammo problems. Grab the plasma gun and then the shotgun, then use the first invulnerability to get the rocket launcher and the ammo storage room with the 3 cacodemons in it. After this you should have enough ammo to survive the rest. The are a lot of imps high up in niches in this one, make sure you have killed them all before you exit (classic missed imp is in the building with the berserk pack, facing the courtyard with the arrow). MAP14 The Inmost Dens, rating: medium A rather easy medium if you take it slowly and carefully. Crux is probably when you enter the room behind the revenant, terminate the chaingunners there as quickly as you can. MAP15 Industrial Zone, rating: medium This map might be hard except there is tons of health everywhere. Find good spots from which to kill all the snipers without losing all your health, usually it is better not to face chaingunners at a large distance. Don't forget the megasphere near the end, the hell knight down in the hole with the backpack, or the spider in the slime near the end. Watch out for chaingunners near the end. MAP16 Suburbs, rating: hard You cannot survive this one with a hide-and-snipe strategy!! But if you are good at running, it is one of the easiest hards. Grab the megasphere at the start (hopefully keeping the imps from hearing you), then go for the BFG. Nuke both arch viles with the BFG and run, run, run ... MAP17 Tenements, rating: hard The rating here is due to length. Avoid opening the windows to the imps by running through the slime at the start. It's also possible to avoid releasing all the cacodemons at the start by staying as far left as possible while running over the narrow walkway to the red key. A final trick is to avoid releasing the cacodemons and pain elementals by the BFG by jumping down into the slime rather than following the walkway. MAP18 The Courtyard, rating: medium The crux is surviving the start. Grab the armor and shotgun and run into the courtyard, grab the super shotgun. Get everything fighting while trying not to be trapped by demons. Then run back behind the shed with the two invisibilities to survive while the monsters kill each other. Use one invulnerability to get the plasma gun, the other in the blue key room (plus as much more as you can milk them for). MAP19 The Citadel, rating: medium The start is a bit tricky, but after that it's just a matter of finding a good route. Hitting the switch to the invulnerability is hard with that cacodemon guarding it, just run past the imps and train your chaingun at that cacodemon at point blank range. There are a lot of demons and spectres on this map, you just need a plan for dealing with each group. MAP20 Gotcha!, rating: hard No one crux but lots of places where things can go wrong on this one. This level can be done in many different ways, plan your route carefully. You can also run out of ammo if you are not careful. The arch viles and pain elementals are the problem monsters. Think about going for the BFG as soon as possible to deal with them. The Cyberdemon is easy since you can get him to fight the spider mastermind and then stand where his rockets hit the platform rather than you. Another plus is the huge amount of health on this map. MAP21 Nirvana, rating: medium The crux is killing the pain elementals before you run out of ammo. Be very careful to conserve ammo on this level. Also remember that the pain elementals will not spit lost souls unless you are in view. Don't try to kill them from the yellow key room, teleport back out and wait for them to come to you in a place where you can hide. The end scene is chaotic, use the invulnerability well. MAP22 The Catacombs, rating: medium This is one of the harder mediums, but it is only hard for the few seconds after you teleport into the central region. In these few seconds, concentrate on grabbing that cell pack, killing the chaingunners near you, and escaping to the berserk pack room as fast as possible. Main problem is getting disoriented, practice this part many times and you will have it. MAP23 Barrels o' Fun, rating: hard This one seems impossible without the right strategy. After you teleport into the pain elemental herd, fire at the wall to the right and jump back down into the room with the teleport. Lost souls will soon fill the main room, however they can't cross into your room (unless propelled by an explosion, kill them fast if they get in). Don't fire unless you have to or you will run out of ammo. Soon the pain elementals will start dying. To deal with the demons, don't let the wall come down when you enter the long hallway, or you will get trapped. Just stand under the wall to keep it from coming down. MAP24 The Chasm, rating: hard The start of this one calls for some careful planning. One big trick is jumping for the shotgun so you don't release the two cacodemons. You can then kill all the imps and get the rocket launcher for use on the cacodemons. You may need to scour the slime pits for ammo so that you have enough at the start. After the start it gets easier, but you must plan well to survive all the fast demons. Plan to use the iunvulnerability for the teleport into the room with the lost souls, and try to keep from getting knocked into the slime there. MAP25 Bloodfalls, rating: medium Not too bad except for the start. After you get the chaingun, run through the courtyard and kill everyone in the room beyond. If still alive, teleport to the ledge above the megasphere and try to get everyone below to kill each other. After you get the megasphere, you are home free. MAP26 The Abandoned Mines, rating: hard The start is the hard part, after you get the blue key it is only medium. Best approach is to go directly (but not quickly) for the blue key. The chaingunners and cacodemons are nasty here, but still this is one of the easier hard levels. MAP27 Monster Condo, rating: medium Can be much harder without the right strategy. For the room full of pain elementals, remember they won't spit lost souls unless they can see you. Plan your invulnerabilities carefully and know where the triggers are that release monsters. MAP28 The Spirit World, rating: medium One of the easiest mediums with the right strategy. Run immediately for the invulnerability in the spider room, then go back and get the BFG. Grab cells and use more invulnerabilities to get the spiders to fight it out. Be sure to save some cells for the crux, which is killing all the revenants by the red key. Practice with the BFG at this spot and you can kill most of them with one shot. MAP29 The Living End, rating: hardest No doubt about it - the first minute of this map is tough to survive, which is one reason it was the last map to be finished in nightmare. However after the start it is significantly easier (GM style). At the end you can wimp out and kill the Cyberdemon from above without triggering the line that raises his floor, but if you are good enough to get that far you should let him up and fight him like a real man ... MAP30 Icon of Sin, rating: easy Just practice the timing getting the rocket into the hole. There is some luck involved on this one, but it is short so many attempts can be made. MAP31 Wolfenstein, rating: easy This level can be tedious and frustrating. The SS dudes are wimps but they still collectively will chip away your health. Take it slow, aim carefully to conserve ammo and try not to get lost. MAP32 Grosse, rating: easiest If you need a hint to survive this level, you might as well give up! Well, OK, learn to strafe. Visit the DHT page for more details: http://www.orl.co.uk/~fms/dht/