MAP06: Central Processing (Console Doom)

MAP06: Central Processing is the sixth level of console versions of Doom, based on the original E1M6: Central Processing with modifications made to adapt to consoles' limitations. It was converted by American McGee and originally designed by John Romero. The map first appeared in Atari Jaguar version, and is furthermore used in the 3DO, Sega 32X, Game Boy Advance, Sony PlayStation, and Sega Saturn versions.

The Sony PlayStation port introduces a Nightmare spectre on HMP and lower.

Essentials
Red and blue keys

You start in a room in which various items and stimpacks can be found. This room also has two windows through which you can overlook two identical nukage areas. First, take a shotgun to the left of you as you start (west of the room). If you want, you can knock off the enemies through the windows. Then, head to the northern corridor toward the door but do not enter it yet. Turn right (east) and enter the first nukage area with the red keycard seen next to the wall. Take the keycard and prepare to fight with a group of demons behind you (depending on skill level and the port of the game, nightmare spectres can also be present).

Now, with the red key go to the western nukage area. To the left of you there are two red doors. All they lead you to the blue keycard. Once you can obtain the key prepare for an ambush again. Taking the key will open a small room with imps and a demon (you can also explore this room for two stimpacks). If you want you first secret drop to the nukage next to the key.

Yellow key and exit

Return to the door you seen first in the start. Enter this door. You will be in a computer room, which you also may explore for useful items, such as green armor. In this room, go to the eastern nukage area with a bridge. Here you can shoot imps in the window and on a raised platform. Cross the bridge to the eastern side and open the blue door. You are now in a maze which consists of two square rooms with nukage and tunnels connected to these rooms. Enter the tunnel in front of you and follow it but do not overlook a switch to your left. You need this switch to unlock the yellow keycard room. Once you found a switch and activated it, follow the tunnel further until you discover the second square room. To the west of this room is the unlocked room. Ascend the stairs and take the yellow key. Taking the key will open an ambush at the entrance. If you want you can kill enemies there. You are now ready to find secret#3 and discover a rocket launcher room to the south of the yellow key.

Return to the computer room behind the first door. Right in this room you can enter two of the yellow doors but there is also the third yellow door to the north of the room. All the doors eventually lead to a room where you can descend to a nukage hall. In this hall enter any hallway to the north and ascend the stairs toward the switch. Flip the switch and return back to the nukage hall to discover the door open. Shoot the enemies behind the door, then head into a room behind this door. Both the staircases in front of you lead to one room, the hardest area on the level. Once you will be in that room knock off the enemies (but spare the barrels for later). Flip the only switch and be careful. Three traps will open containing bunches of enemies. You can blow the remaining barrels while standing next to the switch. This will save your ammo and time. Once done, head to the opened room to the north. Now you can finish the level.

Secrets

 * 1) Once you can find the blue key drop to the nukage below. Turn right and take the radiation suit behind the corner. Then, enter the hallway you seen for the first time. Step on the lift and collect two armor bonuses and a soulsphere. (sector 170) Secret#2 describes how to escape this area.
 * 2) In the nukage hall of secret#1 step on the safe island to the east. Collect the megaarmor and turn right into the tunnel. (sector 154) Follow the tunnel until its end collecting all the items and two rocket boxes. The switch will open the wall leading to the starting room.
 * 3) As soon as you have taken the yellow keycard you can access this secret. Drop off the windows to the bridge of the nukage area. Head to the north east of the area and you will discover a tortuous tunnel with imps. Kill them as quickly as you can (if a radiation suit powerup is out) and head toward the end of the tunnel. You will find a room with numerous ammo and items and a door leading to the outside. (sector 58) On high skill levels former sergeant await you in this area. Knock them off and use the lift to your left to collect another soulsphere. You can open the green wall to enter inside.

Comparison of versions
Aside from simplification of level geometry in various rooms, there are some significant changes in the layout compared to the PC version.

Removed areas

 * The large room containing the red keycard was removed. The keycard is instead placed at the walkway over the nukage outside where this room used to be; entering the colored sector containing the key opens an alcove on the north wall and releases some monsters.
 * On the PlayStation version, the alcove contains three nightmare spectres on Ultra-Violence skill level, two on Hurt Me Plenty, and one on Not Too Rough/I am a wimp. A shotgun guy is also present on all skill levels.
 * The maze of walkways and passages behind the blue door has been simplified. The two south-eastern nukage areas and their associated corridors have been removed, along with the hidden computer area map pickup. The switch opening the door to the yellow keycard is relocated to the U-shaped corridor joining the remaining two nukage areas.
 * The balcony overlooking the penultimate room before the exit is removed, along with the corridor leading to it.

Room design

 * Most staircases have fewer steps, similar to other levels in console games.
 * Textures are replaced throughout the level, reducing the number of different textures used.
 * All switches use the knife switch on brown background texture.
 * All window gratings are removed.
 * All tall techno pillars are removed.
 * Six floor lamps are removed - two either side of the southern entrance to the blue room, two either side of the northern-most yellow door, and two on the walkway over the nukage pit in the northern area.
 * The staircase leading to the northern-most room is removed, and that room has been placed at the same height as the room to the south.
 * The cross-shaped sector with the low ceiling in the penultimate room before the exit is removed.

Monster placement

 * On Ultra-Violence, the PlayStation and Saturn ports added chaingunners in the following locations:
 * One on the eastern walkway over the nukage in front of you at the start of the level.
 * One in the south-eastern corner of the nukage maze behind the blue door.
 * Two in secret #4.

Other

 * Most of the pickups in secret #2 are removed, including the partial invisibility and light amplification visor items.

Music
The map uses the following music tracks:

Player spawns
This level contains eight spawn points:
 * 1) facing east. (thing 276)
 * 2) facing south. (thing 277)
 * 3) facing south. (thing 278)
 * 4) facing north. (thing 279)
 * 5) facing south-west. (thing 280)
 * 6) facing south-west. (thing 281)
 * 7) facing north-east. (thing 282)
 * 8) facing north-west. (thing 283)

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