NOVA: The Birth

NOVA: The Birth

Authors	Various
Port	Limit-removing
IWAD	Doom II
Year	2014
Link	Doomworld/idgames

NOVA: The Birth is a limit-removing megawad created for Doom II and released in 2014. It was made by members of the Doomworld community who were new or inexperienced with mapping at the time.

The project was founded in late 2011 by Michael Kilderry (kildeth), who himself was new to mapping. Kilderry led the project through most of its development, although late in development Darryl Steffen (dobu gabu maru) stepped in as a second leader. Dobu would later replace Kilderry as the sole leader of NOVA II: New Dawn.

The project was uploaded to the idgames archive on 22 February, 2014. Reception of the WAD was generally very positive.

Content[edit]

Levels[edit]

MAP01: Outpost by John Weekley (PRIMEVAL)
MAP02: Administration Center by Micah Petersen (Jaws in Space)
MAP03: Water Treatment Plant by Josh Baker (mrthejoshmon)
MAP04: Factory Factor by EvilNed
MAP05: Hazard Facility by Michael Kilderry (kildeth)
MAP06: Sewage Processing by Collin Pierce (Arjak)
MAP07: Service Station Sick by EvilNed
MAP08: Compound by mrthejoshmon
MAP09: Suspend by FuzzyFireball
MAP10: Hell's Furnace by EvilNed
MAP11: Phobus Anomaly by James Cresswell (Phobus)
MAP12: Incubator by mrthejoshmon
MAP13: Warehouse District by Dan Townsend (sgt dopey)
MAP14: Man Cub Up by EvilNed
MAP15: The Prisoner by Matt Powell (cannonball)
MAP16: Teleportarium by Paul Dezső
MAP17: Sewer City by EvilNed
MAP18: Power Core by Matt Powell (cannonball)
MAP19: Bad Blood by Cyriak Harris (mouldy)
MAP20: Castle Bloodletting by Collin Pierce (Arjak)
MAP21: Beta Base by Ilya Lazarev (joe-ilya)
MAP22: Broken Confluence Point by Olivia Riley (Getsu Fune)
MAP23: Immaterium by Paul Dezső
MAP24: Ring of Gyges by Stygian
MAP25: Vile Arterium by mouldy, Mars Jurich (Death Egg) and dobu gabu maru
MAP26: Hell's Playground by Ilya Lazarev (joe-ilya)
MAP27: Sensorium by Michael Kilderry (kildeth) and Unholypimpin
MAP28: The Seventh Circle by Cyriak Harris (mouldy) and John Weekley (PRIMEVAL)
MAP29: Extorta Nova by Paul Stasiuk (fiend-o-hell) and Memfis
MAP30: Megiddo by kildeth, dobu gabu maru, cannonball, mouldy, and Arjak

Secret maps:

MAP31: Iron Exuviae by dobu gabu maru
MAP32: Riptide by Olivia Riley (Getsu Fune)

Soundtrack[edit]

MAP01: "Pumped Up" by John Weekley (PRIMEVAL)
MAP02: "Brazo" by Paul Dezső, based on "Brace Yourself" by Jochen Miller
MAP03: "Going Too Far" by Mikael Haladyn (nub_hat)
MAP04: "Flatstomper" by nub_hat
MAP05: MIDI rendition of "She Is My Sin" by Nightwish
MAP06: MIDI rendition of "Slaying the Dreamer" by Nightwish
MAP07: MIDI rendition by Joseph Collins of "Visitors from Beyond the Stars" from Might and Magic V by Tim Tully
MAP08: "Compound" by nub_hat
MAP09: MIDI rendition of "The Kinslayer" by Nightwish
MAP10: MIDI rendition by Hazvex of "Grinder" from Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
MAP11: MIDI rendition of "Hellfire" from Soulcalibur II by Junichi Nakatsuru
MAP12: "Kitchen Ace (and Taking Names)" by Robert Prince (from Doom)
MAP13: MIDI rendition of "Feel for You" by Nightwish
MAP14: "Sangy2.mid" by Paul Dezső (transcribed and remixed from Final Liberation)
MAP15: Vile Flesh MAP07/28 music by Gwyn Williams
MAP16: "Tech Maze" by nub_hat
MAP17: MIDI rendition by Zero Prophet of Level 1 theme from Cyril Cyberpunk
MAP18: "Circle of Fire" by David Shaw (Tolwyn) (from Memento Mori II)
MAP19: "The Darkest House" by nub_hat
MAP20: "Urinating Sun" by nub_hat
MAP21: "Push on the Gas" by Sam Woodman (Metabolist) (from Hell Revealed II)
MAP22: Level 6 theme from Descent
MAP23: Ordos Mentat theme by Frank Klepacki and Dwight Okahara (from Dune II)
MAP24: "Ring of Gyges" by nub_hat
MAP25: MIDI rendition of "Rebellion in Dreamland" by Gamma Ray
MAP26: MIDI rendition of "Becoming" by Pantera, transcribed by RazTor
MAP27: MIDI rendition of "Sensorium" by Epica
MAP28: untitled by Cyriak Harris (mouldy)
MAP29: "Castle Cimmeria" from Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos
MAP30: MIDI rendition of "Silent Screams" by Rob Halford, sequenced by Paul Dezső

MAP31: "Oh No, I Forgot the Title" by Paul Dezső
MAP32: MIDI rendition by Matthew Seldon of World 3 theme from Super Monkey Ball

Title screen: MIDI rendition of the title theme from Final Liberation, transcribed by Paul Dezső
Intermission screen: "NOVA Intermission" by nub_hat
Text screen: "NOVA Story" by nub_hat

Built-in demos[edit]

This WAD features three built-in demos. All require Doom II v1.9 to view them. The demo levels are:

Demo	Level	Skill	Tics	Length
DEMO1	MAP10: Hell's Furnace	4	3339	1:35.40
DEMO2	MAP16: Teleportarium	4	3275	1:33.57
DEMO3	MAP28: The Seventh Circle	4	5618	2:40.51

Speedrunning[edit]

Current records[edit]

The DSDA episode records for NOVA: The Birth are:

Run	Time	Player	Date	File	Notes
UV speed episode, MAP01-MAP10	17:48	Andrea Rovenski (Cyberdemon531)	2015-11-15	noe1-1748.zip	Plays back with Reject Overflow Emulation enabled
UV max episode, MAP01-MAP10	36:29	Andrea Rovenski (Cyberdemon531)	2015-11-14	noe1-3629.zip
NoMo episode, MAP01-MAP10	05:32	Aleksey Kamenev (4shockblast)	2021-09-26	noe1o532.zip

The data was last verified in its entirety on July 28, 2022.

External links[edit]

NOVA: The Birth at Doomworld/idgames
NOVA: The Birth (2014) at the Doom Speed Demo Archive
NOVA: The Birth (2015) at the Doom Speed Demo Archive
Doomworld forums thread
Review at ONEMANDOOM: WAD Reviews

NOVA series v · t · e
WADs	NOVA: The Birth \| NOVA II: New Dawn \| NOVA III
Project leaders	kildeth \| dobu gabu maru \| an_mutt