MAP39: The Pit (PlayStation Doom)

MAP39: The Pit is the thirty-ninth level of the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn versions of Doom, and the ninth level of the Doom II episode. It is based on the original MAP09: The Pit, with modifications made to adapt the map to the consoles' limitations. The author of the original map is Sandy Petersen.

Essentials
Blue key

You start on a cross-shaped platform in a sludge pit, surrounded by four ledges with several enemies. Lower the lift in front of you and ride it to the next floor. Head straight forward to a silver lift at the north end of the room, then turn around and press the skull switch on the south wall to raise the floor in the center of the room. Ride the silver lift and use it to get onto the floor you just raised, then turn left and follow the floor to a raised ledge leading outside. When you step into the outdoor area, an alcove will open in the previous room holding imps, plus a spectre on Ultra Violence skill level (UV). Kill them and press the switch inside this alcove to open another wall to the west revealing more enemies; press yet another switch in the alcove they emerge from to open the wall and reveal a large open room.

Jump to the nearby tan platform and press the switch here to raise a step (this will allow you to climb back here more easily). Stepping on the tan platform also lowers a tall ledge elsewhere in the room which holds the blue keycard, plus several imps on Hurt Me Plenty (HMP) or UV; if the ledge rises before you can reach it, step on the tan platform again to lower it. Kill any enemies blocking your way and take the blue key.

Yellow key

Return to the tan platform and open the blue door here, then press the switch behind it to open a large wall in the previous room. Step on the flashing blue square in the center of the room to raise a staircase up to the newly-opened wall, and go through to a room with three doors and three switches in a triangle. Press the switch on the east side to open the west door and go through it to a large room with a sludge pit surrounded by four ledges that hold a number of imps. Drop into the pit and step on to the south ledge, which leads to a switch that temporarily lowers the west ledge. Run back to the pit and climb on to the west ledge before it rises. You will see the yellow keycard in front of you, so pick it up.

Exit

From the ledge with the yellow keycard, head north and press the switch on the wall to open the door out of the room, then go south-east and press the switch at the opposite end of the ledge which will temporarily lower the north-west ledge (the only ledge you have not used yet). Run across the pit to that ledge and press the switch at the end to lower the floor leading up to the door out of this area, then run to that ledge before it rises again.

Backtrack to the starting room and get on to the east or south lifts, which lead up to yellow doors. Go through the door and follow the path round to a small pit with a four-point star. Drop into this pit, go through the exit door and press the switch behind it to finish the level.

Other points of interest
The cross-shaped platform you start the level on holds a megaarmor, plus a chainsaw on multiplayer. The lift in front of you when the level starts holds a shotgun.

From the start of the level, take the lift in front of you and head straight forward to a room with a silver lift. Lower this lift and press the switch on its west wall. This will open an alcove holding a berserk pack and a box of shotgun shells.

In this same room, pressing the switch to lower the west wall also lowers a floor next to you with a monster, which is guarding another berserk pack and a box of rockets.

While standing on the ledge that held the blue keycard, you can run south to land on a ledge with armor, a medikit and two boxes of bullets.

From the room that has three switches around a triangular column, press the south switch to open a door to the north-west. Behind this door is a sludge pit with a backpack in it; drop into the pit and then head south-west to find a computer area map and a switch that lowers the ledge you just stepped off, allowing you to escape.

Secrets

 * 1) Take the tallest (west) lift at the start of the level and you will see a skull switch in a small alcove, which opens when approached to reveal a set of hallways. At the end of the path you will find a soulsphere next to a switch - press this to open the door you used to enter the hallway. The inner walls of the passageway will also open, revealing a much larger room with a sludge pit. Step onto the lower triangular platform in this room, face the rocket launcher in the middle of the pit and step off the edge to raise a bridge leading to the opposite end of the room. Step onto the platform holding the rocket launcher to register the secret. (sector 43) Use caution as the sludge either side of the bridge is inescapable if you fall into it.
 * 2) Stepping on secret #1 causes two alcoves to open ahead, releasing a number of shotgun guys. Cross the bridge and step onto the ledge they occupy to register another secret. (sector 56) This will cause the wall behind you to open, releasing a number of chaingunners. Use your new rocket launcher to kill them before they inflict too much damage.
 * 3) In the north-eastern outdoor area, there is a hexagonal structure surrounded by a moat of sludge. Fall into the moat to cause the platform surrounding the hexagonal structure to lower. (sector 107)
 * 4) From secret #3, follow the platform around the structure to its north side, which has a door leading inside the structure. (sector 110)
 * 5) Inside secret #4, open the wall directly in front of the door to reveal a closet containing a BFG9000. (sector 111)
 * 6) After hitting the switch behind the blue door, you can reach a room with three doors, and three switches around a triangular column. Press the switch on the west side to open the north-east door, leading to a room with a large staircase. When you step on a stair, the next step will lower; follow the steps (dealing with any monsters blocking your way) until you reach a platform holding a megaarmor, a soulsphere and a berserk pack. (sector 115)

Comparison of versions
A number of changes were made to this level compared to the PC version.

Room design

 * All switches use a skull switch on metal wall texture.
 * Nukage pits throughout the level are changed to sludge.
 * The heights of several rooms are reduced to be less than 256 units. These include the sludge pit in the starting area, the pit area before the yellow keycard, and the northern room with a series of lifts arranged like a staircase.
 * Hidden zero-height sectors are added next to three of the lifts in the starting area, probably to avoid stretching wall textures as the lifts rise or lower.
 * The ceiling of the room north of the starting area was changed to use the same flat as the floor (named on PC). This clashes with the light texture used for the ceiling of the lift at the north end of the room (which does not tile properly due to the shape of the lift).
 * The wall hiding secret #5 has no floor lights, so it blends into the adjacent walls.
 * The cross in front of the exit door uses a ceiling light flat instead of a red floor.

Monster placement

 * Pain elementals are replaced with cacodemons or lost souls.
 * All the mancubi that appear on UV are replaced with revenants. One mancubus, which overlooks the exit area on HMP, is removed without replacement.
 * All the Hell knights that appear on UV are replaced with chaingunners, except for one in the north-eastern outdoor area.
 * No spectres appear in the level on HMP.

Music
The map uses the following music tracks:

Player spawns
This level contains seven spawn points:
 * 1) facing south. (thing 19)
 * 2) facing west. (thing 20)
 * 3) facing north. (thing 21)
 * 4) facing east. (thing 22)
 * 5) facing south-west. (thing 294)
 * 6) facing south-east. (thing 295)
 * 7) facing south-east. (thing 296)

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