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This is a DSDA entry (https://dsdarchive.com/)
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EXE: DOOM2.EXE v1.9
IWAD: DOOM2.WAD
PWAD: HR.WAD, HRMUS.WAD
Level: MAP21: Siege
Category: UV-Respawn
Skill: 4
Time: 2:49
Date: 14.06.2026
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Player: volleyvalley
Country: Estonia
Email: volleyvalley123@gmail.com
Website: volleyvalleydoom.neocities.org
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Description: 

"Funny map for -respawn.." - Jakub "Method" Razak
                             9th of October, 2003
                                (he21-326.txt)

Not really! While I can't possibly imagine the 
standards of running -respawn in 2003, I imagine it
was pretty easy to beat Opulent's he21-408 recording,
but as for me trying to beat Method's he21-326, it was
hopelessly frustruating all the way through. In the 
end, I have spent about 9 hours to get this demo which
is the most I've ever spent on a UV-Respawn demo so 
far and it's also crazy now to think that I almost 
quit! Yeah no kidding, after getting my first exit in
here with 98% kills in 2:35 in the 15th of May, I 
really considered quitting running for this. To this
day, I don't know what considered me to return, maybe 
it's the DooM addict in me subconsciously telling to
start neurotically grinding for this, and on the 12th
of June, I came back to it. On that day, it was much
of the same thing as last month. By that I mean the
very rare exits with 9x% kills with 2:5x time, which
prompted me to try a hr21t recording, which I'm gonna
try next I think. For now, it's held by Alexander 
Sushkov with a time of 21:28. My first "successful" 
exit there was a 20:4x. So why don't I upload that?
Well, I forgot to spawn in the teleport closet 
monsters and so I exited with only a mere 77% kills!
That was very devastating to say the least, but I 
gained something else from it. Getting into the cyber
platform, lowering the second platform and going for 
the teleporter on either side ASAP and then lowering
the first platform without the cyber getting off and
while yourself stay there is the best way possible to
get as many pinkies on the platforms which is very
ripe for infighting shenanigans. I owe so much to the
ht212128 recording for it's clever and creative
infighting strategies, very thankful for it. I think
it was 4shockblast that recently said on the HoE 
Discord that tyson demos have some very creative
strats that you don't see / don't need in other
categories, but this is not the case here :)

After finding the new strat, I knew that a hr21r
recording is within reach, which was true too. I think
I ended up with seven individual exits yesterday,
all being about 95% kills with 2:2x times, so I was
pretty confident at the end of the day and went to
sleep in utter peace. Waking up today, I went straight
to recording, and this the result after one hour
today! Well, am I happy with my run? Yes, but not
truly but I don't think of it as a bad thing. Of
course the run could've gone much better, I didn't 
need to kill the imps at the end and my failed 
attempts had much faster times, but all that means to
me is that I CAN try to record a better time, which
when you think of it, it's neccessary for a good life.
Picture this, what do you think the ideal life is?
Having a wife and kids with a home in the nature with
no work and worries? It is for me and I imagine it's
the same for many other people too. Even then, would
you be 'truly' happy? The way I think about it, noone
is 'truly' happy per se, because as humans we want to
always do something that seems important to us, no 
matter what it is because otherwise we as individuals
would lose our purpose and then become very bored.
This is why I think that people tend to complete their
life's work once they're very old and die shortly 
afterwards it's done, like they're completing their 
true inner purpose, a swan song if you will. I think 
this is beautiful in many ways in the sense that it
makes life worth living, even if the competition or
work brings potentially endless frustruation and
discord. The same way could be said about my demo. Is
it perfect? No, of course not. Am I proud of it? Yes!
Am I willing to improve it? Yes.

The point I'm trying to (vaguely) make is that this is
why we as players and competitors try to one up others
demos, it's to give our life somesort of a purpose
that we can look back on later in our life with pride
and nostalgia, whether or not the demos are still
world records then! :)
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