E4M1: Cold and Stranded (Strange Aeons)

Strange Aeons maps
The Shattered City M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9
The Stagnant Fortress M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9
The Land That Time Forgot M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9
The Plateau of Leng E4M1: Cold and Stranded E4M2: Hell Frozen Over E4M3: Twilight Meat Train E4M4: The Biospherians E4M5: The Salt Mines E4M6: Alcatraz E4M7: Devil Canyon E4M8: The Crawling Chaos E4M9: Maniac Mansion
Out of the Aeons M1 M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M7 M8 M9

This level occupies the map slot E4M1. For other maps which occupy this slot, see Category:E4M1.

E4M1: Cold and Stranded is the first map in episode The Plateau of Leng of Strange Aeons. It was designed by Mike MacDee (Impie) and uses the music track "Docks theme" from F.E.A.R..

Walkthrough

Map of Cold and Stranded

Letters in italics refer to marked spots on the map. Sector, thing, and linedef numbers in boldface are secrets which count toward the end-of-level tally.

Essentials

You start where the last episode left off, standing over the corpse of the Spinner in Darkness. Head through the slipgate to enter the Plateau of Leng. You are immediately set upon by gunmen, and young Leng Spiders shortly afterward. Watch the houses on the cliffs above for snipers as you make your way through the valley to the upper levels. Grab the armor in the Grell pit by the waterfall and activate the slipgate at the tip of the peninsula: the first Leng Chieftain bursts out of it and begins gunning for you.

The slipgate spits you out onto a crescent-shaped plateau where Devils take potshots at you from nearby. Kill them, then grab the ammo and soul sphere on the ground below. Save the sphere for last, because it triggers a Leng Spider ambush and causes the plateau to partly collapse, making it more difficult to reach the exit. Kill the Grells that come out of the exit slipgate and jump through to escape.

Other points of interest

On higher difficulty levels, the first group of Men from Leng is immediately set upon by a pack of hungry Leng Spiders, which will chase after you next.

Secrets

1. Check the cliff just past the Grell pit: it opens when you "use" it, revealing a hidden Rage sphere. (sector 71)
2. The secret map E4M9: Maniac Mansion is accessed from this map. After triggering the spider ambush in the exit slipgate's area, teleport back to the first area and retrace your steps. A portion of cliff in the Grell pit has collapsed into a series of platforms. Climb them and follow the cliffs to the house: behind it is the secret exit. (sector 136)

Areas / screenshots

• 

  The Spinner in Darkness's abode, decorated with the god's corpse, at the beginning of the episode.

• 

  The Traveler's icy new home.

Speedrunning

Current records

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

Run	Time	Player	Date	File	Notes
UV speed (normal exit)
UV speed (secret exit)
NM speed (normal exit)
NM speed (secret exit)
UV max
NM 100S
UV -fast
UV -respawn
UV Tyson
UV pacifist (normal exit)
UV pacifist (secret exit)

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

Statistics

Map data

Things	285
Vertices	870
Linedefs	976
Sidedefs	1664
Sectors	141

Things

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

Single-player
Monsters	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Man from Leng	3	3	6	14	14	15	15	15
Devil	1	1	5	4	4	6	6	6
Leng chieftan	0	0	1	1	1	1	1	1
Grell	0	0	2	5	5	5	5	5
Weapons	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Shotgun	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	1
AK47 assault rifle	1
Ammunition	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Clip	6	6	6	8	8	8	8	8
Box of bullets	1
4 shotgun shells	8
Box of shotgun shells	1
Health & Armor	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Stimpack	1
Medikit	1
Armor	1
Items	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Armor bonus	21
Supercharge	1
Rage sphere	1
Miscellaneous	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Teleport landing	5

Inspiration and development

This map is based on the first level of Restraint, an obscure horror shooter Impie made years before. It was going to be the first level of a 3D adaptation of the game, which was quickly abandoned.