2016 Cacowards Retrospective

On January 26, 2017, in , by alfonzo

It’s January 2017, and true to form on Doom Radio we’ve decided to sit back on our laurels and let the airwaves rankle for a bit. The Cacos have been shipped, the Intermission curtains strung; already we’re standing on the cusp of many new and exciting developments that will define the new year… what better time to cast an eye back over all that 2016 had to offer?

December. December is that better time. Doofus.

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2015 Cacowards Retrospective

On January 21, 2016, in , by alfonzo

2015 was another good year for our favourite FPS, playing host to tons of cool new releases, most of which (we hope!) were covered or otherwise mentioned in the 22nd Annual Cacowards. As a follow-up to the 2013 year-in-review, in which Doom Radio stitched together a two-hour special covering the ins and outs of the selection process, plus extras, we decided to do the same again, taking extra care to be even more self-congratulatory on a job well done.

Sitting down to pick apart the selections and generally big ourselves up are co-hosts Tarnsman and dew, who as many will recognise is the chief writer for the multiplayer section of the Cacowards.

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Program B Episode 21: Doom 4

On June 22, 2015, in , by alfonzo

…And just like Jason Voorhees at the beginning of every Friday the 13th, the battered cadaver of Doom Radio aka Tango TV comes lumbering back to life… or unlife, if you’re a glass-half-empty kinda guy. What invaluable opinions will we thrust into the face of the unsuspecting community today?

No points for guessing that this week’s (month’s? year’s?) Program B discussion is about the Doom 4 reveal from Sunday June 14th’s Bethesda E3 press conference. Host regulars Alfonzo and Matt Tropiano sit down with The Mionic Donut and Sideshow Pavera to blab out the beast at large; our expectations, first impressions, and wildest speculations. Listen to the 1 hour special!

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Post Mordeth: PRCP

On November 14, 2014, in , by admin

Retrieved from the depths of the vault, join Xaser and company as he launches the newest Doom Radio series, Post Mordeth. Focusing on post-mortem-style discussions about already-released projects, the topic of the first episode is the Plutonia: Revisited Community Project released in April of 2011. Join host Xaser, contributors Mtrop and dew, and project leader Joshy as they talk about the project’s development process, including playtesting,  vanilla limits, maps cut from the project, and other topics that I have forgotten by now.

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For this week’s episode of Program B, host regular Matt Tropiano and Doom superstar Rottking sit down to talk about recent events in the world of our favourite FPS. Actually, it might be truer to say that I hold them hostage with a bunch of questions for an hour, but who’s to know? Featuring as part of this week’s discussion:

  • Mrowr!
  • Gotta go fast: The speedmapping process and tips for folks who struggle to make levels within an alotted time. Having participated in tens of different speedmapping events, I’ve not once managed to make a map within 100 minutes, or even 2 hours! What do, captain?
  • Fringe world IWADs. Which games would we really like to see more maps for, and why? Which IWADs have the most promise, given a range of unique gameplay mechanics or resources that might have not seen their full potential realised in the stock levels?
  • Multiplayer Insularity Part III: Rottking offers his own two cents on the matter of bridging the gap between the multiplayer scene and the wider community.

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Program B Episode 19: Camping, Tagging, and Map07 Remakes

On September 18, 2014, in , by alfonzo

What’s this I hear, a Doom Radio aka TTV Program B episode recorded one week after the previous one? Is a schedule finally emerging? Have the skies opened up to reveal the eschatological end-times of the universe? Whatever, there’s still plenty of Doom afoot and we’re back to chime in on some of last week’s more interesting events. Joined by Tarnsman and MionicDonut, this week features as its chief points of discussion:

  • The camping outfit. No, not the marshmallows and spooky stories kind… unless you find the prospect of a player propped up in the doorway to be a scary disassembly of your carefully orchestrated encounter.
  • The merits and pitfalls of Memfis’s proposed tagging system. How useful is it? Is it worth the trouble?
  • Multiplayer insularity redux: getting people to play more multiplayer, and getting feedback to be properly registered. TMD proposes an interesting duel tournament setup and discusses the viability of a deathmatch equivalent for the doomworld megawad club.
  • Planning another Map07, Map30 or Knee-deep In The Dead remake? KNOCK IT OFF!

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I should probably think about reserving all my resurrection and forum-digging jokes for a later date or something; at this rate we’ll be using one for every damn episode. Anyway, yes, we’re back again (again (again)), only this time we swear we’ll be sticking around for real. We’ve got a plan and everything!

The reinvigorated Program B setup ditches the monotopical discussion in favour of a more “current affairs” approach, with the hosts and guests winging it off the back of… well, whatever Doom-related idea comes to mind! This should help us with the rate of output and hopefully toward a more thriving thread. Feedback is as always encouraged, and folks are more than welcome to spin me a PM to take part in one of the future episodes. In this week’s episode, co-host Tarnsman and guest TMD (MionicDonut) discuss:

  • Doom MIDIs, and what’s considered appropriate for the game by members of the community. Caleb’s remarks on BTSX’s “gay” music might appear radical, but it’s an opinion that seems to be echoed at least in part by other members of the community, who have called certain tracks inappropriately “happy” or “like feudal farmer music”.
  • The insularity of the multiplayer community. Tarnsman highlights the lack of feedback received by Doomworld designers of deathmatch, CTF and other multiplayer maps from the player base they’re targeted at.
  • Handegg / Australian Barbarism.
  • Limitation projects (1024, 100 lines, 10 sectors, 5 rooms etc.); what level designers get out of it, how they tend to approach it when compared with other community projects, which of them work best, and the general question of their worth.

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Program B Episode 17: Weapon Mods

On May 14, 2014, in , by alfonzo

Hailing all the way from page 3 of Doomworld’s General subforum is the oft-neglected thread for Doom Radio aka Tango TV, featuring this week for your listening pleasure a discussion on weapon modifications. No topless glamour models to ogle at here though, I’m afraid (although we were engaged in talks with Fredrik a little earlier in the year), just plain old Doom stuff! Guest regular Xaser is joined by ClonedPickle and Minigunner as we talk about what we’d like to see more of (or less of!) in the modding community, how weapon mods like Russian Overkill or Project MSX might somehow help in increasing the accessibility of genres or games, and whether they might be in dire need of their own mapsets to fully realise their potential.

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Program B Episode 16: Objectively Wrong?

On April 10, 2014, in , by alfonzo

It may be some time before the hosts of Doom Radio start beating each other up over trivial matters like level design, but episode 16 of Program B sees an interesting topic fuel some fundamental disagreements. The discussion? Objectively wrong decisions in traditional level design, and whether there is merit to the assertion that some choices are simply wrong to make. I maintain that there are indeed right and wrong ways to go about maximizing enjoyment in level design (not to say that there is only one method), and that such choices are not entirely relative to the player’s preferences… but what about my peers? And what say you, dear listener?

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Program B Episode 15: Cacowards Post-Mortem

On February 8, 2014, in , by alfonzo

Contrary to any previous statement issued by the staff of Tango TV aka Doom Radio, the Grand Hiatus™ that long afflicted the community’s favourite podcast did not draw to a timely close by the end of November. In truth*, the latest episode had fallen sloppily into a Development Hellportal in metropolitan Washington, delaying its release by an unprecedented 6 weeks and forcing us to spend some serious cash money to fish it out. Through some tactful negotiations with the resident condo kings (long story), we managed to wrest control of last year’s 2013 Cacowards Post-mortem Podcast and get it back in the saddle in time for Christmas January February.

Sorry for the inconvenience, and may the Tango Truck roll ever on.

*In double truth, I’m a procrastinating idiot and this was recorded some weeks ago.

This very special and very long episode of Program B is an in-depth study and discussion of 2013’s Cacowards, featuring co-hosts Tarnsman and MTrop (the latter also being the recipient of one of last year’s cacos for his single player map Forsaken Overlook), and dew, whose quickfire handywork in the multiplayer department saved us a lot of trouble at the final hurdle. Standing in at over two hours in length, you might want to put the kettle on for this one, and get yourself acquainted with a nearby chair.

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