MAP18: Suburbia (Community Chest 4)

MAP18: Suburbia is the eighteenth level of Community Chest 4. It was designed by James Paddock (Jimmy), with detailing done by Brett Harrell (Mechadon). It uses the music track "Shrouded in Darkness," a remix of the Doom II music track "In the Dark" composed by Paddock specifically for the level.

Essentials
Generally, most megawads have a point where they begin showing teeth - the levels get harder and more complicated, and the monster encounters become increasingly challenging. Suburbia marks the beginning of Community Chest 4's "home stretch" - a nasty city level requiring all six keys, at points of which the means progression is not particularly obvious, often involving gunfire activated switches.

The keys are obtained in the following order: red keycard, blue skull key, yellow keycard, yellow skull key, blue keycard, red skull key.

Start and Red Keycard

You begin in the corner of a square room with up to four imps waiting nearby. Head to the northeast and grab the shotgun, then get to work on the imps. Open the door in the north of square room to find a narrow metal bridge across a road. The road and surrounding buildings are teeming with monsters, but you shouldn't worry about them too much for now. Head across the bridge to the door. On Ultra-Violence and above, as you cross the bridge, you need to be careful of a revenant in an alcove to the southwest (secret #1) in position to fire on you as you cross.

Open the door and mow down up to three imps ahead. Do note that there may or may not be chaingunners mixed in - these were from the slime-filled area you saw to the left of the building you entered and appeared here by using a door to the left of the entrance to this building. Continue forward and down the steps. On Ultra-Violence and above, watch for a chaingunner at the second corner. You will now emerge into what appears to be a dining room of some sort, with round tables and candles. Kill the three zombiemen and two imps (two zombiemen and one imp on Hey, not too rough and below). Look through the window into the booth in the north (which has the red keycard) and kill the shotgun guy inside.

Head through the door in the northeast and kill the demon and two chaingunners (one on Hey, not too rough and below). The door at the end is locked. To open it temporarily (this is the monsters were killed first), look into the booth through the window and notice a green button to the right of the door. Shoot it and the door will open. Quickly head through the door in the northeast and head to the end to get the red keycard in the booth.

At this point, to make things easier for yourself, you should detour to clear out the arch-vile (two revenants on Hey, not too rough and below) in secret #2 and get a rocket launcher. press the button in the east of the dining room to lower a platform nearby, with a chaingunner (and possibly some imps). Ride it up and kill any remaining imps (three in total). Head through the door directly opposite the platform, where you will alert two revenants and a chaingunner (Ultra-Violence and above only). From the door, head right (south) to find a window, with the rocket launcher nearby on the floor. Collecting this rocket launcher will cause a crater to form in the street and a cyberdemon to teleport in, but you can use that cyberdemon to your advantage to cause some infighting among the monsters in the street later, saving some ammo. Head back out to the corridor and open the door in the south to secret #2. See if you can get the arch-vile distracted by having revenants in the distance fire missiles at you and hit it, or better still, have the cyberdemon fire its rockets with the same results. Use the rocket launcher to finish off the arch-vile, if needed.

Blue Skull Key

Backtrack to the starting square room. First, open the red keycard door in the south. Watch for an arch-vile in here (revenant on Hey, not too rough and below). Collect the super shotgun in this room, then flip the switch on the east wall. Return to the starting room and head out the door in the west. Watch for three imps right off the bat (two imps and a Hell knight on Ultra-Violence and above). Head up the steps onto what appears to be some sort of outdoor dining terrace. This area has three shotgun guys, an arachnotron and a Hell knight (Ultra-Violence and above only). With the door at the end open, another Hell knight (not on Hey, not too rough and below) will approach. There are some chaingunners on a terrace to the southwest you might have to worry about, but the wall of the terrace has enough solid parts to block their shots every now and then.

Head through the door at the end. As you enter, watch for two imps to the right and two revenants (and one chaingunner on Ultra-Violence and above) on a ledge to the left. Grab the berserk pack from where the imps were if needed. Head up the steps to the ledge where the revenants were. Flip the switch on the north wall. The wall opposite will lower, revealing a baron of Hell. Head back out to the outdoor terrace, and you will find that two mancubi (one on Hey, not too rough and below) have teleported in. The bars to the east will also have lowered, and four (two on Hey, not too rough and below) demons will head down the steps. Again, rockets should do the job nicely.

Go up the steps in the east of the outdoor terrace. This leads to a square outdoor area with a blue circle in the ground. This blue circle is a teleporter. As you enter this area, some enemies will appear from it. With that berserk pack collected, just "camp" the spot and punch away - nothing harder than a demon comes out here. In total:


 * Hey, not too rough and below: Two zombiemen, two shotgun guys, two imps, two demons.
 * Hurt me plenty and above: Three zombiemen, three shotgun guys, five imps, four demons.

Head down the steps in the north to find a Hell knight (baron of Hell and demon on Ultra-Violence and above). Head all the way to the end to get onto a platform, and flip the switch to be lowered to street level. Make a dash into the checkered building directly opposite. It has a mancubus at the entrance and two chaingunners in the window (one chaingunner in the window only on Hey, not too rough and below). Go left at the fork and head up the steps to the window. Flip the switch to the right of the window to lower some bars at the fork, revealing a shaft you can drop into. Drop into the shaft.

In this dark series of tunnels, first equip your chaingun (which you should have picked off a dead chaingunner). At the fork, go right (the left side is blocked by bars). There are up to three shotgun guys ahead. Eventually, you will reach a slightly better lit area in the east with an imp (and two demons on Ultra-Violence and above). Watch for a chaingunner nearby. Continue anticlockwise into the tunnels, where you will find two imps in the tunnel (one on Hey, not too rough and below) and two imps and a Hell knight (not on Hey, not too rough and below)on a raised area. You need to get into the raised area through a ladder in the tunnel - try using the automap to find it. Climb the ladder and get through the gap in the bars to reach the raised area. Head to the left of the gargoyle panel and follow the passageway around to an eye switch. Press it and fire a shot. This will lure out a baron of Hell in the blue skull key area. Take it out with your super shotgun. Head into where it came from, and you will find a new area with the blue skull key at the end. On the way to collecting the key, watch for an imp in an alcove opposite the fire.

Collect the blue skull key, then go into the alcove where the imp came from. Lower the back wall, revealing it to be a platform. Ride it up to a corridor with a revenant. Open the door at the end to emerge in an area with green and white tiles on the floor. Watch for up to two zombiemen, a shotgun guy, an imp and a chaingunner here. Flip the switch in the east, then backtrack to the blue skull key area. Head to the east side of the tunnels where it is better lit. Head through the passageway in the east to emerge in a large blue hall. On Ultra-Violence and above, a revenant will greet you immediately from the top. As you head up the steps, watch for a pair of demons waiting in ambush. Jump into the red and blue wall at the end to be teleported to the next area.

Yellow Keycard

You will find yourself back in the room with the blue circle east of the outdoor dining terrace. Look south to find a door. Press on the blue skull to the right of the door to open it. This room has a mancubus inside (not on Hey, not too rough and below). After you enter, the door seals shut. Flip the switch in the west wall and two revenants (four on Ultra-Violence and above) will be released from traps in this room. Look through the window in the northwest to find a new switch on the wall in the west. Shoot it to open the door in the south and escape.

This next hall has up to three demons and a Hell knight - nothing big. Open the door and pick off two demons at this outdoor ledge. The firey cage in the north has an arch-vile in it behind the fake walls - put some rockets in there until you hear the arch-vile die. Rush up to take the plasma gun, then pull back. Not only will you alert the two barons of Hell nearby, monsters will start trickling out of the blue circle on the floor nearby:


 * Hey, not too rough and below: Three imps, two revenants and a chaingunner.
 * Hurt me plenty and above: Five imps, two revenants, two Hell knights and three chaingunners.

Use the barrels nearby, as well as monster infighting, to your advantage. When the barons are all that's left, unload your plasma on them.

The ledge wall is broken in the north. From the gap, jump to the marble cube with the yellow keycard on its top.

Yellow Skull Key

This is the longest key sequence in the map, so be prepared.

From the marble cube with the yellow keycard, run to the to the door flanked by yellow stripes directly opposite and enter the building. There are up to four shotgun guys on the floor, as well as up to five zombiemen and an imp on the upper ledge. On the south side, there is also a room in which a baron of Hell will continuously teleport between two teleport pads. Head up to the upper ledge and open the first door on the left. This leads to a large room with up to four imps, three demons and a chaingunner (not on Hey, not too rough and below). You want to clear this room out first to provide an "escape zone" for a nasty trap later. Grab the armor here if needed.

Head back out to the upper ledge and open the door at the corner. This leads to a small corridor with up to three imps. Open the door immediately to the left of the entrance, which leads to a chamber with up to two shotgun guys and a chaingunner. Flip the switch at the end. This lowers two walls in the area, revealing a pair of Hell knights. Use the steps to quickly back off into the previous large room, where you can now easily take out the Hell knights. An orange arrow will have appeared on the floor, pointing to a newly revealed switch - flip it. Again, head back out to the upper ledge. The door at the end is open. This leads to a balcony with two Hell knights (one on Hey, not too rough and below). While on this balcony, watch for fire from the spiderdemon in the distance (not present on Hey, not too rough and below). Follow the balcony around to a brown door and head through it.

In this next gray hallway, the door will seal shut behind you. You will be immediately attacked by three zombiemen and two shotgun guys. About halfway along the hallway, walls near the entrance will lower, releasing two Hell knights behind you. At the end of the hallway, the walls will flare out into alcoves, one of which has a shotgun guy. Flip the switches in both alcoves - the northern one reveals a way back to the previous area, the southern one opens the door at the end of the hallway. Head through before the door closes.

This new area is a T-junction. Immediately, you will be attacked by a demon, three zombiemen and a shotgun guy (not on Hey, not too rough and below). At the junction, go right and grab the radiation shielding suit from its alcove. Follow the corridor around and kill the revenant at its end. Flip the switch to the right of the green door to open the door ahead.

From now on until you reach the outdoor courtyard, every single piece of floor, regardless of whether it has a slime texture or not, is damaging. This next room contains just some cannon fodder, but the bigger problem is figuring what to do before your radiation suit runs out. The correct sequence is as follows:


 * Flip the switch in the southwest to lower some bars.
 * Find the platform between the two metal strips in the north. Lower it and ride it up.
 * Follow the raised area around to the southwest. Step onto the orange-floored area.
 * From the orange-floored area, look east. There is a button high on the wall. Shoot it.
 * The door to the east is open. Exit into the outdoor courtyard.

This outdoor courtyard contains up to three Hell knights and two revenants. You will see more monsters in the east, but you don't have to worry about that area unless you are going for secret #11. Flip the switch in the north and the nearby doors will "slide" open. A baron of Hell and two shotgun guys (not on Hey, not too rough and below) will emerge from the hallway beyond. Kill the imps in the back, then take the door to the right of the entrance. A group of three zombiemen (and a revenant on Hurt me plenty and above) will immediately attack. Follow the corridor to a set of steps and head up them to the higher part of this room. While on the higher section, watch for a spectre. Follow the path anticlockwise to a switch next to a door. Flip the switch, then go through to be back at the T-junction area.

At the T-junction, go into the north arm to find an alcove with a baron of Hell. Flip the switch in its alcove to re-open the door to the previous hallway. About halfway along the previous hallway, a previously locked metal door has opened. Kill the arch-vile in the corridor, then head into the room with two teleporters. Step onto the western teleporter pad to obtain the yellow skull key on the other teleporter pad.

Blue Keycard

Leave the building and return to street level. Head to the yellow skull door in the brown building in the south of the map. Clear out any revenants you see in the windows with rockets. As you open the door, you will be immediately attacked by a chaingunner and a spectre. Head around the wall to find a darkened area with another spectre. Flip the skull switch here to lower the bars blocking access to the western half of the room, then kill the chaingunner and shotgun guy you see through the window. Make your way into the western half of the room (watch for a third spectre, if still alive) and open the door in the northwest.

On Ultra-Violence and above, a chaingunner will immediately attack as soon as you open the door. Head down the corridor, open the door at the end, peek inside, back off and fire a rocket. This should make light work of the demons and imps waiting in ambush inside. Head back into the room at the end of the corridor and look through the window in the south wall of the eastern extension. Through this window, you can see the monsters in the next room - try to pick off as many as you can see from here. Once ready, head through the door in the east to the next room. With imps, Hell knights, barons of Hell and a mancubus (last two on Hurt me plenty and above only), you have a good mix of monsters for infighting, saving you time and ammo.

Your first task is to flip the switch in the eastern half of the room, exposing the eastern half of the surrounding outdoor walkway. Clear out the imps, revenants and baron of Hell here. By doing this, you are defusing a trap, as the switch in the western half of the room opens both halves of the surrounding outdoor walkway. Once the eastern half is clear, you then flip the switch in the western half to open the western half of the outdoor walkway. Head onto the western half and kill up to four imps ahead. Continue along and you will find two Hell knights lying in wait (and two revenants on Ultra-Violence and above only). Kill them and proceed up the steps to the ledge with the blue keycard, which you can now take.

Red Skull Key and Exit

Head to the northeast of the map. At this point, you should probably kill the cyberdemon. Find the elevator on the side of the grey brick building, lower it and ride it up. At the top, lower the UAC panel and head through to a L-shaped roof. Kill any arachnotrons you see on it, then head north along the bridge to the blue keycard door.

Open the door and lower the elevator ahead. Kill the demon on it and ride it up. In this next area, two shotgun guys and two chaingunners are the main threats, but you have to watch out for two revenants and up to two Hell knights in each of the corners of this area. First, head to the left side of the room and flip the switch. Next, head to the right side, go to the northeast corner and head down the steps to the west. Kill the baron of Hell (two on Ultra-Violence and above) and collect the red skull key.

With all six keys, head back to the building with the white and green floor tiles (use secret #15 for a shortcut; if not, head to the northwest of the map, and find the wooden ledge in the south with a teleporter. Lower the metal platform, ride it up and take the teleporter to return to the starting room. Exit via the door in the east and run across the bridge.) Go west to the switch in the alcove next to the "exit" sign and press it. This opens a nearby door. Head through the door to drop onto an L-shaped ledge and follow it around to a doorway marked exit. Step into the teleporter at the end to be taken to the final area.

In the final area, all you have to do is run forward (on Ultra-Violence and above, put some rockets into the arch-vile dead ahead while you're at it). As you continue into the second half of this area, a monster will appear in the alcove dead ahead via a fake floor trap (a baron of Hell on Hey, not too rough and below; an arch-vile on Hurt me plenty and above). Imps will also appear in the 10 cages in the room. This encounter is easier on higher skill levels, as arch-viles have less health and do not have a close range melee attack - just hug it, spray plasma and pray that it flinches.

Step onto the teleporter where the monster came from to end the level.

Secrets

 * 1) Exit the start building via the northern door. Go on the bridge, but look to your left and you should spot a veranda with a revenant and a blue switch on the column. Shoot it, then return to the starting point. Go behind the crates and you will find an opening leading to the veranda (sector 1551), where you can collect a backpack.
 * 2) Inside the building where you can get the red keycard, press the switch in the dining hall to lower the lift, and ride it up. Go south in the next hall opening the door at the end to reach the arch-vile's ledge (sector 531) where you can get an armor.
 * 3) Head back to the starting room after picking up the red keycard and open the red door. Press the switch here and open the western door in the starting room, going to the dining terrace to find that the door ahead is open. Head through it to the next room, climb the steps up, and flip the switch to lower a pentagram wall behind you with a baron of Hell. The closet the baron was in has a smooth back wall that doesn't match the sides; press the back wall to lower it and reveal another closet (sector 270) with a lift that takes you to a megaarmor. Trying to walk off teleports you back to the switch that revealed the baron.
 * 4) The switch that reveals the baron of Hell near Secret #3 also lowers the bars leading further inside the building from the dining terrace. Go back there and head up the steps, then head down the next set of steps. Just before the large lift, look at the floor lamps. One of them has a skull switch behind it. Press it to open a window at the top of the steps, where you can jump out to the walled off part of the back alley (sector 286) and get a medikit and an invulnerability. Mind the revenant inside the secret, as he can block your jump or even punch you.
 * 5) Climb up the steps at the starting point and open the door to cross the bridge to the other building. Enter and press the green switch on the right to raise the stairs and then climb up. If you have the blue skull key, press the switch to remove the bars near the green switch. Now take the lift that was blocked by these bars (to the left of the switch) down to the ledge (sector 444) with the soul sphere visible from the entrance to the underground tunnels where you collect the blue key.
 * 6) After getting the blue skull key, go back to the room near Secret #4 and use the blue skull switch to open the door. The recessed grey tiled wall at the southwest point of the next room can be pressed and will lower, revealing an alcove (sector 369) with boxes of ammo and shotgun shells, five of each.
 * 7) Once you get the yellow keycard, head to the brown building to the north near the street corner. Enter, climb the steps and find the door with yellow markings. Open it for a tiny infernal room (sector 476) with an arch-vile and an invulnerability.
 * 8) Lower the lift in the northeast corner of the main street. Ride it up and lower the wall next to you, then ride it up. You will be able to get to the platform with the box of shotgun shells (sector 1011) by riding the wall up and hopping to it.
 * 9) Enter the building with the yellow keycard markings (directly east of where the keycard was) and examine the computers. Find the only one with a red screen, use it, and another terminal in the room will rise. Go upstairs, find the terminal that rose, then jump onto it. Look in the direction of the megasphere on the wall. There is a small unlit green button you can shoot behind the megasphere; do so to raise a platform that leads up to the alcove with the item (sector 607). You can run to it as it rises or, failing that, the platform can be lowered like a lift.
 * 10) When you head outside into the southeastern courtyard, go around the large rocks on the west side to get a partial invisibility. (sector 778)
 * 11) To get the soul sphere sitting on the boat, enter the building just behind the boat. Go all the way around until you find two switches next to each other. Flip the blue one to lower the dock gate behind the boat. Flip the green switch to raise the dock gate and quickly get on as it rises, and as it does, jump to get the soul sphere. (sector 1326)
 * 12) Once you get the blue skull key, head back to the dining terrace and go south until you reach the balcony overlooking the water that had chaingunners on it. Enter the small opening in the brown building and use the blue column to raise it, then drop down. You will be on the side of the street that had the spider mastermind. In the southwest corner of this area (sector 3841) there are a BFG9000 and a teleporter back.
 * 13) Enter the yellow skull building in the southern part of the map. Straight ahead and to the left, there is a skull switch and a darkened nook to its left. Inside this nook, press on the wall with the picture frame to lower it for a soul sphere. (sector 442)
 * 14) Enter the blue keycard building in the northeastern part of the map near the six-key switch. Head for the right side of the building looking out of the northern window. There is a skull switch in the distance; shoot it to lower shotgun shells in the room. (sector 3824)
 * 15) On the balcony above the six-key switch outside, you can jump to the small yard to the north. Press the switch to lower the lift and ride it up, then enter the brown corridor for an energy cell pack and a teleporter back. (sector 1966)

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

The data was last verified in its entirety on April 3, 2022.

Player spawns
This level contains ten spawn points:
 * 1) facing west. (thing 852)
 * 2) facing west. (thing 855)
 * 3) facing east. (thing 856)
 * 4) facing west. (thing 857)
 * 5) facing west. (thing 858)
 * 6) facing north. (thing 859)
 * 7) facing east. (thing 860)
 * 8) facing north-east. (thing 861)
 * 9) facing north-west. (thing 863)
 * 10) facing north-east. (thing 865)

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