Info On P2AKILL.WAD
===================

        I recommend you play my level on each skill level before reading this,
        so as to understand what I am discussing.

        As you may have noticed, this is quite a small level.  However, there
  are some things that might be interesting and useful for other WAD creators.

        Difficulty Settings
                In every WAD I've played, an enemy that appears in skill 1
        will inevitably appear in skill level 4 or 5, and in the exact same
        place.  This means that playing a harder difficulty is NOT that much
        more difficult, since you already know where the majority of the 
        enemies are.  For example, suppose I play skill level 1 and in the
        second room, there's a demon.  I can bet that the same demon will be
        there is every skill level above the one I'm playing at.  In other
        words, the enemies are predictable.  Except for the ones that appear
        only in 4 and 5, you know exactly where they are if you play, say,
        skill 3 first.  (I hope this makes sense.)
                In the last room, the one with the alcoves, the placement of
        the enemies changes from level to level.  A human that appears in 
        skill level 2 might not be there in skill 4 or 5.  This means that
        the player ALWAYS is wondering if there's an enemy around the corner,
        which makes DOOM so much more exciting.

        Enemy Placement
                If you played skill level 4 or 5 in my level and went to get
        the shotgun in the secret area, it is likely that the imp took you by
        surprise.  I have distributed this to a few friends, and most of them
        were also surprised.  In my personal opinion, surprise is one of the
        greatest elements in DOOM.  I believe that the best way to surprise
        a player is to lull him, or her, into a false sense of security.  Let
        them believe that a certain area will *ALWAYS* be free of enemies.  
        Then, throw him a curve ball.  Put a creature capable of doing some
        real damage in there.  He might die because of it, but it will make
        the level more challenging as well as more fun.
                Also, you can use power-ups to bait players.  In the second
        secret area, it is likely that the player will be at least slightly
        damaged when he arrives.  Often, the player will see the only the
        stimpack or whatever, and ignore the possibility of nearby enemies.
        I have witnessed several people make the same mistake, and all are
        competent players.  
                Lastly, it's often a good idea to make many of the enmies
        deaf, so the first shot doesn't bring the whole level's monsters down
        on the player at once.  Again, it increases the chances of a player
        being surprised.

        Room Dimensions
                For some of you, the dark room probably seemed a lot bigger
        than it acually was.  The oddly shaped passages and bad lighting 
        helps to give it the maze-like appearance.  Sector shape, texture,
        and lighting all play a big part in giving the illusion of largeness
        or smallness.

                That's pretty much it.  I hope this helps, and good luck!

                        -Scott Adams
                        scotta@netcom.com


