E1M3: Prison Area (Doom: Damnation)

E1M3: Prison Area is the third map in the first episode of Doom: Damnation. It was designed by Ofisil and uses the music track "Darkest Halls". The par time defined in the DEHACKED lump is 2:20.

Essentials
Drop off the ledge then go up the steps and open the door ahead to enter a room with one or more imps, as well as a door requiring the blue keycard. Head east through another door to reach an outdoor area with nukage pools and numerous monsters, then head north to some health bonuses before proceeding east between some green pillars into a white-walled tunnel. Follow the tunnel round the corner to a room with a star-shaped hole in the ceiling, where zombies and an imp are guarding the blue key; as you take the key, watch out for demons and other monsters that teleport on to the star. Before leaving the room, make sure to enter the red-walled alcove in the south-east corner and flip the switch inside it - it will lower some bars blocking the exit door.

Go back to the blue key door and open it to confront some zombiemen (some of which will be replaced with shotgun guys on Hurt Me Plenty (HMP) skill level or higher), then press the south button to open the computer panel on the west wall - a demon will be waiting behind it on HMP, joined by a spectre on Ultra-Violence and Nightmare. Walk through the wall and go round the corner, then head south past the circuit panels to find the red keycard. Four of the panels will lower when you take the key, revealing an imp and zombies.

Go back outside and head east past some white rocks, which will bring you to a silver wall with a button next to it. Press the button to lower the wall then follow the hallway behind it, collecting a shotgun on the way, until you reach a switch that requires the red key and will open the gray wall next to it. Step past the wall to an area with lots of small doors which will open to reveal enemies when you start shooting; follow the darkening passage north, east then south to find one to three demons guarding the yellow keycard and pick it up. With the yellow key, go back outside and open the south door then climb the stairs up to another door; as soon as you open this door, go back to the yellow key door as there are several enemies in the final room and some of them will teleport behind you as they descend the stairs. Once the monsters are killed, enter the room and press the switch between the light pillars to move on to E1M4: Crimson Mines.

Secret exit
Follow the directions for secret #1 to reach a red pad. After stepping on it, press the nearby button to open the south wall - you will see that the gray drill in the nukage pool outside has risen, allowing you to drop into a hole underneath it. This will send you to the secret level, E1M9: Phobos Sewers.

Other points of interest
After going up the steps at the start of the level, turn left to see a switch in the on position; flipping it will open a closet behind you containing two zombiemen and/or shotgun guys. If you go round to the back side of the switch then you will find a second switch in the off position - flipping this switch will open the nearby bars and allow you to collect a chaingun.

There is a large white rock on the east side of the outdoor area. A backpack is hidden by the north-east corner of this rock, while armor and a medikit can be found in an alcove by the north-west corner.

Secrets

 * 1) In the red key area, go to the east wall between the two white lights and use the wall to reveal a terminal. (sector 309) Using the terminal here opens a corridor south of the chaingun room, containing an imp, a stimpack and a switch. This in turn opens an area at the north-west end of the central area, with two lifts. The left lift leads to eight boxes of rockets, and the right lift leads to a supercharge, a megaarmor and a red pad that opens the secret exit.
 * 2) Flip the switch requiring the red key to open the way to the eastern maze. At the first fork, go up a bit, then open the wall with slime on the east side to find a light amplification visor. (sector 200)

Bugs
The switch for the normal exit (linedef 1356) does not have a Y-offset, so the actual button is not visible. The switch can still be used as normal by pressing on it.

Current records
The records for the map at the Doom Speed Demo Archive are:

The (absence of) data was last verified in its entirety on April 3, 2022.

Player spawns
This level contains six spawn points:
 * 1) facing east. (thing 233)
 * 2) facing south. (thing 245)
 * 3) facing south-east. (thing 246)
 * 4) facing north. (thing 247)
 * 5) facing south. (thing 248)
 * 6) facing east. (thing 249)

Things
This level contains the following numbers of things per skill level: