TNT: Evilution, released on June 17, 1996 is an official episode that forms one half of Final Doom, a commercial product which consists of two 32-level IWADs (the other being The Plutonia Experiment), similar to Doom II. The "TNT" in the title stands for "The New Technology" and is also the name of the mapping team who created TNT: Evilution.[1][2][3]
TNT: Evilution was completed in November 1995, and was going to be released for free. However, a publishing deal was brokered by John Romero, resulting in the commercial release of Final Doom by id Software.
The commercialization of TNT: Evilution caused a certain amount of controversy amongst the Doom community, and TNT: Evilution is consequently one of Doomworld's "Top 10 Infamous WADs", albeit not for reasons of gameplay or level design. TNT: Evilution has a much more technical feel with levels that are akin to real buildings, versus The Plutonia Experiment, whose floor design tends more toward a natural landscape feel.
Story[]
In TNT: Evilution the UAC once again are intent on developing and experimenting with dimensional gateway technology. They set up a base on one of the moons of Jupiter, with a solid detachment of space marines for protection. The marines do their job well: when the first experimental gateway is opened they annihilate the forces of Hell. Anything that came through the gateway was immediately destroyed by the marines, and so research on the gateways continued.
Later, the yearly supply ship came earlier than expected, and looks strange and unusually large on the radar. The personnel of the base go out to behold the terrible truth: it is a spaceship from Hell, built of steel, stone, flesh, bone and corruption. The ship's enormous gates open to unleash a rain of demons on the base. Quickly, the whole base is overrun, and everyone is slain or zombified.
The Doomguy, now in command of the marine deployment, has been away on a walk, and has thus escaped death or zombification. After being attacked by an imp he rushes back to the base, where he sees the demonic spaceship still hovering above it and realizes what has happened. Then he swears that he will seek vengeance for his slain troops, and sets out to kill as many evil creatures as possible.
In the end, the marine defeats the Demon-Spitter, and the game describes Something rumbles in the distance. A blue light begins to glow inside the ruined skull of the Demon-Spitter.
Levels[]
As in Doom II, the levels can be divided up into three sets, defined by the skies and separated by a textual intermission in addition to the standard intermission screen; as well as two secret levels. Additional textual interludes appear before MAP07, before each secret level, and at the conclusion of the game. The designers of each map were unveiled by Ty Halderman in a post at the Doomworld forums in 2004, showing that several level designs were shared between multiple authors. [1]
The Steam version of Final Doom does not play several demos of TNT: Evilution which were earlier recorded. The reason is that the DOOM2.EXE of Final Doom was updated. If you get a synchronization lost, you can try to play it using Doom II instead of Final Doom. You will need to copy the TNT.WAD into the DOOM II folder, and add the "-file TNT.WAD" command line parameter (without quotes). It was checked on all desynced UV max and several UV speed demos from Compet-n.
TNT: Evilution has a mostly techbase ambience, similar to the first episode of the original Doom, with sporadic hellish features, transitioning to a fully hellish ambience in MAP25. Consequently, it's arguable that the narration screen which runs after the player beats MAP20 (describing the Doomguy reentering Hell) should appear after MAP24 instead, but it is prevented from doing so by the limitations of its Doom II-based WAD file. Even the names of the levels, which likewise transition from techbase to hellish between MAP24 and MAP25, appear to support this idea.
MAP01 to MAP06; experimental labs levels:
- Level 1: System Control
- Level 2: Human BBQ
- Level 3: Power Control
- Level 4: Wormhole
- Level 5: Hanger
- Level 6: Open Season
MAP07 to MAP11; military base levels:
MAP12 to MAP20; nighttime levels:
- Level 12: Crater
- Level 13: Nukage Processing
- Level 14: Steel Works
- Level 15: Dead Zone (Exit to secret level)
- Level 16: Deepest Reaches
- Level 17: Processing Area
- Level 18: Mill
- Level 19: Shipping/Respawning
- Level 20: Central Processing
MAP21 to MAP30; hellish levels:
- Level 21: Administration Center
- Level 22: Habitat
- Level 23: Lunar Mining Project
- Level 24: Quarry
- Level 25: Baron's Den
- Level 26: Ballistyx
- Level 27: Mount Pain
- Level 28: Heck
- Level 29: River Styx
- Level 30: Last Call
MAP31 and MAP32; secret levels:
- Level 31: Pharaoh (Exit to super secret level)
- Level 32: Caribbean
Custom Textures and features[]
These maps feature a number of custom textures including animated computers (glitching outs own display or messages such as KILL), spinning computer tape banks, etc. Various TNT logos on doors, walls, computers, and crates/boxes. Animated computer screens where UAC logo transforms into TNT logo. Romero name in blood on walls/boxes/crates. Spider webs some with animated spider. Holes with jagged edges to pass through/enemies to hide behind. Egyptian paintings and hieroglyphics. Animated fiery skull switches that turn into animated blue force fields after being used. Blue waterfalls. Wall marked with “Disaster Area”. Lots of wall/box/crate texture with blood splattering. Transparent fences with spikes on the top, barbed wire/covered in thorny vines, and raised rusted and bent portcullis texture. Custom wall light colors like red and green. One level inspired by shipping warehouse even has a semi-truck trailer complete with tires texture. A fancy texture that gives effect of broken stain glass windows with fancy detailing. Strange green reptilian scales and green skin wall textures. Weathered stone texture used on temple-like facade in one level, and on a large fortress in another level. Dark grey basaltic looking volcanic rock like texture. Similar texture with 'exit' sign on it. Cave-like wall textures with stalagtites/stalagmites, stone draperies, etc. Old dirty ancient stone block work with cracks in it.
Some of the levels feature somewhat more realistic geography and features like desks with chairs, or rooms with beds, some areas look like bunkers. MAP11: Storage Facility (TNT: Evilution) for example resembles a military base with fences, guard tower, several buildings housing warehouse facilities, and computer rooms.
Speedrunning[]
Current records[]
The Compet-n episode records for TNT are:
Run | Time | Player | Date | File | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
UV Episode, MAP01-MAP10 | 15:58 | Drew "stx-Vile" DeVore | 2002-08-28 | 1558ev01.zip | |
UV Episode, MAP11-MAP20 | 13:30 | Drew "stx-Vile" DeVore | 2002-09-08 | 1330ev11.zip | |
UV Episode, MAP21-MAP30 | 15:18 | Drew "stx-Vile" DeVore | 2003-05-08 | 1519ev21.zip | |
UV Run | 55:34 | Drew "stx-Vile" DeVore | 2002-02-17 | 30ev5534.zip | |
NM Episode, MAP01-MAP10 | 1 | ||||
NM Episode, MAP11-MAP20 | 24:41 | Xit Vono | 2002-08-14 | 2441tn11.zip | |
NM Episode, MAP21-MAP30 | 1 | ||||
NM Run | 1 | ||||
UV Max Episode, MAP01-MAP10 | 61:54 | Serge "Never_Again" Marudov | 2003-06-26 | 6154ev01.zip | |
UV Max Episode, MAP11-MAP20 | 1 | ||||
UV Max Episode, MAP21-MAP30 | 1 | ||||
UV Max Run | 1 | ||||
NS Episode, MAP01-MAP10 | 1 | ||||
NS Episode, MAP11-MAP20 | 1 | ||||
NS Episode, MAP21-MAP30 | 1 | ||||
NS Run | 1 | ||||
UV -fast Episode, MAP01-MAP10 | 1 | ||||
UV -fast Episode, MAP11-MAP20 | 1 | ||||
UV -fast Episode, MAP21-MAP30 | 1 | ||||
UV -fast Run | 1 |
- Uncompleted as of the most recent Compet-n database update.
TAS runs[]
File specifications[]
TNT:Evilution is contained in an IWAD file named TNT.WAD. Its most common version is 18195736 bytes in size and contains 3101 entries. It has the following hashes:
MD5 | 4e158d9953c79ccf97bd0663244cc6b6 |
SHA-1 | 9fbc66aedef7fe3bae0986cdb9323d2b8db4c9d3 |
CRC32 | 903dcc27 |
Sources[]
External links[]
- TNT MAP31 yellow keycard bug fix by TeamTNT (text file)
- Final Doom at TeamTNT's official website
- id Software's official Final Doom page
- Interview with Dario Casali (1998) by Doomworld
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- ↑ Doom I + Doom II: TNT: Evilution: “Final DOOM was for a long time the last official release of DOOM. Released in the shadow of Quake, Final DOOM was made up of two 32-level episodes. TNT: Evilution, created by legendary modding team, Team TNT, is one half of Final DOOM, ”
- ↑ Doom I + Doom II: The Plutonia Experiment: …Often considered to be the most challenging of official DOOM episodes…
- ↑ “Final Doom, a 64-level follow-up to Doom 2 released in 1996, …the game does fit into Doom canon.” https://www.shacknews.com/article/117322/terraform-the-making-of-doom-64?fbclid=IwAR3x_6GX54tg1z3qNq7WScCaZScHA6X28GijMHQx4D9ms8h-bVAy94aJLqg