*Template shamelessly stolen from Snakes shamelessly stolen from joshy*

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--------------
C O N T E N T:
--------------

  1.  INTRODUCTION            3.  LEVEL INFORMATION
                                
    1.1 Compatibility           3.1 Map List
    1.2 Resources               3.2 Map Info
    1.3 MIDI Music             

                              4.  AUTHOR INFORMATION
  2.  INSTALLATION 

                              5.  SPECIAL THANKS
               
                                
----------------
[1] INTRODUCTION
----------------

  The project that would eventually become known as NOVA: The Birth had its
  humble beginnings as the brainchild of Doomworld member kildeth, who came up
  with its initial concept during November 2011. It was intended as a
  collaboration project for those who were new to the Doom mapping community,
  as kildeth himself was at the time. Over a period of more than two years,
  the project grew into 32-map megawad in limit removing format (complevel 2),
  using only stock Doom 2 textures. In that time, there were plenty of
  submissions, many willing to participate, and more than a few who dropped
  out or mysteriously disappeared. In the end though, the project in the eyes
  of all parties involved, was a success. The maps contained within varied in
  quality, from the mediocre and gaudy to the breathtakingly scenic. Despite
  all the testing, there may still be occasional bugs and glitches present,
  but let's face it, we were (and some of us, still are) a team of newbs who
  had little experience at mapmaking for a Doom megawad - most of us didn't
  know any better as we were constantly figuring everything out as we went
  along.
  It took us quite some time to complete the 32 maps necessary for full
  megawad release, but we eventually made it, tying the map sequence up in a
  rather loose plot to go with the story screens of NOVA, adding some graphics
  and fancy skies, and then finally calling it a day. It certainly was quite
  the experience.

  Hope you enjoy playing this, and if you don't, well, YOU TRIED.

  - Getsu Fune and kildeth.

[1.1 Compatibility]

  This wad was designed for limit-removing ports. All maps have been tested
  in various ports, but usually PrBoom+ on -complevel 2.

[1.2 Resources]

  Only stock Doom 2 textures were used. However, EvilNed was kind enough to
  donate skies of his own to the mapset, so credit goes to him for that.

[1.3 Midi Music]

  Comes from various sources, see [3.2 map info].


----------------
[2] INSTALLATION
----------------
    
  Drag 'n' drop onto your source port of choice. Or feel free to use the
  command line prompt, if that's your bag.


---------------------
[3] LEVEL INFORMATION
---------------------

[3.1 Map List]

  MAP01: Outpost - PRIMEVAL
  MAP02: Administration Center - Jaws In Space
  MAP03: Water Treatment Plant - mrthejoshmon
  MAP04: Factory Factor - EvilNed
  MAP05: Hazard Facility - kildeth
  MAP06: Sewage Processing - Arjak
  MAP07: Service Station Sick - EvilNed
  MAP08: Compound - mrthejoshmon
  MAP09: Suspend - Fuzzyfireball
  MAP10: Hell's Furnace - EvilNed
  MAP11: Phobus Anomaly - Phobus
  MAP12: Incubator - mrthejoshmon
  MAP13: Warehouse District - sgt dopey
  MAP14: Man Cub Up - EvilNed
  MAP15: The Prisoner - Cannonball
  MAP16: Teleportarium - Paul D
  MAP17: Sewer City - EvilNed
  MAP18: Power Core - cannonball
  MAP19: Bad Blood - mouldy
  MAP20: Castle Bloodletting - Arjak
  MAP21: Beta Base - joe-ilya
  MAP22: Broken Confluence Point - Getsu Fune
  MAP23: Immaterium - Paul D
  MAP24: Ring of Gyges - Stygian
  MAP25: Vile Arterium - mouldy, Death Egg, dobu gabu maru
  MAP26: Hell's Playground - joe-ilya
  MAP27: Sensorium - kildeth
  MAP28: The Seventh Circle - mouldy
  MAP29: Extorta Nova - fiend-o-hell
  MAP30: Megiddo - kildeth, dobu gabu maru, cannonball, mouldy and Arjak
  MAP31: Iron Exuviae - dobu gabu maru
  MAP32: Riptide - Getsu Fune

[3.2 Map Info]

-=-=-=--=-=|Map01|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Outpost
  Author: PRIMEVAL
  Music Track: "Pumped Up" by PRIMEVAL, slightly ripping off Fight's song
  "Into the Pit"

  Author's Comments: A quick and simple tech-base map that kicks off with a
  bit of action. Originally it was going to be the starter map for a megawad I
  wanted to make with custom textures, but I scrapped the idea with only this
  map finished. I didn't want to release such a small map by itself,
  especially one with custom textures, but when I heard about Nova, I quickly
  removed any custom textures used and donated it as stock, happy to have
  finally given it a purpose.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map02|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Administration Center
  Author: Jaws In Space
  Music Track: "brace2.mid" by Paul D, based off of "Brace Yourself" by Jochen
  Miller

  Author's Comments: This is the 6th map I've posted to Doomworld, uploaded on
  March 1st of 2013. At that time Nova was in a slump with nothing happening
  to it so it was going to be released with about 20 finished levels. I was
  actually busy with my first submission to the Switcheroom project so I
  basically took a day off from that & threw this thing together in about 6
  hours. After that I became a lot more involved with Switcheroom & also
  finishing up maps for the Monochrome Mapping Project, so I kind of abandoned
  this map until mid October 2013. The secret outdoor area wasn't added until
  the very end of October. Even though it's not that great, I can't say I'm
  disappointed with this level. It's got a lot of stuff in it that comes from
  the pre Doomworld days, such as the zombie on the blood fountain in the hub
  room, a fancy desk & awesome toilets. It's also got new designs that I've
  learned to use more after the disastrous Monochrome Mapping Project, such as
  thinner doors, curved walls & better use of lighting. Adding the outside
  area was going to be an attempt to mask the hub spoke layout of this map. I
  was going to expand it through secrets to where the exterior would
  completely wrap around the interior, but I simply ran out of time before I
  could implement this properly. Several people have commented on how some of
  the areas in this map seem inspired by TNT, which I think is funny because
  I've never played TNT. I still have a lot to learn about making maps for
  Doom so I'll definitely be there for Nova 2.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map03|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Water Treatment Plant
  Author: mrthejoshmon
  Music Track: "Going Too Far" by nub_hat

  Author's Comments: This map used to be an attempt at vanilla mapping, of
  course I went over the visplane limit and crashed the game. This is also
  MAP01 of my (as of now WIP) Megawad: Thy PrBoom Maps (used to be Thy Vanilla
  Maps, changed for obvious reasons). This map pays homage to both MAP01 and
  MAP04 of TNT: Evilution as TNT is my favorite IWAD, the starting room is a
  replica (to some degree) of the switch room in TNT MAP01 and the tunnels are
  a replica (also to some degree) of the tunnels in MAP04. This would actually
  lead to Incubator, but not in this megawad ;)

-=-=-=--=-=|Map04|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Factory Factor
  Author: EvilNed
  Music Track: "Flatstomper" by nub_hat

  Author's Comments: One of my first maps. Heavily inspired by TNT, which I
  used to play a lot when I was younger. This map was started in the spring of
  2010, so it's taken roughly 4 years to be finished.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map05|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Hazard Facility
  Author: kildeth
  Music Track: Midi version of "She Is My Sin" by Nightwish, midi
  composer unknown

  Author's Comments: This was the very first map of mine that I was ever to
  see through to completion. I had dabbled in various Doom map editors over
  the years but nothing seemed to come together in a big way, until I joined
  Doomworld forums and took interest in a project known as 'Doom the Way ID
  Did' and decided to contribute a map that would later become 'Hazard
  Facility'. I did not stay in that project for very long and decided to start
  my own megawad project consisting of works from other newbie mappers. That
  project of course became Nova: The Birth and the rest was history. 
  Hazard Facility itself is a diverse map that takes inspiration from John
  Romero's works in the Doom episode 'Knee Deep in the Dead', having
  originally been targeted for 'Doom the Way ID Did' and containing all of the
  excitement a newbie mapper should have about their first work. Overall, I am
  very proud of what I created and think 'Hazard Facility' holds up very well
  as a mapping debut from myself. 

-=-=-=--=-=|Map06|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Sewage Processing
  Author: Arjak
  Music Track: Midi version of "Slaying the Dreamer" by Nightwish, midi
  composer unknown

  Author's Comments: This was only the second map I've ever done, after Caves
  of Hell (coh_v2.wad). Caves was a learning experience for me, and it showed,
  with its mishmash of themes, odd structure, and weird design in general.
  With Sewage Processing, which was the first map I made for this project, I
  tried to have a focused techbase theme, play with lighting a bit more, and
  create balanced encounters that flowed through the level. I do feel that I
  got a little lazy on this one, as the end comes somewhat abruptly with not
  much of a payoff and I didn't use all of my ideas for this level. I probably
  could've made it a bit longer, but my laziness won in the end, and what you
  see is what you get.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map07|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Service Station Sick
  Author: EvilNed
  Music Track: "Escape Pod Theme" from Might and Magic V: Darkside of Xeen,
  midi sequence by Joseph Collins.

  Author's Comments: I don't know what inspired me when I made this map. This
  was more of a "I'll start drawing and see where I end up" kind of deal. It
  sort of shows as well. This map was started in the spring of 2010, so it's
  taken roughly 4 years to be finished.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map08|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Compound
  Author: mrthejoshmon
  Music Track: Original midi composition by nub_hat

  Author's Comments: This map is one of the few "good" maps I have ever made,
  it takes place in an old storage compound that had been taken over by the
  demons during an invasion. This is also MAP03 of my (as of now WIP) megawad:
  Thy PrBoom Maps and would come after Incubator. With this map I wanted the
  player to explore an old but not quite so abandoned compound, the gloomy
  outdoors and pitch black warehouse are key elements that remind the player
  that this is an old and dreary place.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map09|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Suspend
  Author: Fuzzyfireball
  Music Track: Midi version of "The Kinslayer" by Nightwish, midi
  composer unknown

  kildeth's Comments: Unfortunately Fuzzyfireball disappeared early on in the
  project's creation and thus could not be contacted when it came time to
  writing a blurb for their map in this textfile. :(
  Guess I'll just have to fill in for them. 'Suspend' is a long snake-like
  level and one of the first three maps to be created and compiled for the
  first Nova demo. At the time this project was simply named 'The Newbie
  Megawad Project' and no-one knew where it would eventually be headed. I was
  very impressed at this map when I first saw it and still have fond memories 
  of playing it now. I was responsible for choosing its soundtrack off a
  website with a set of Nightwish midi's, which is also where several other
  Nova maps get their soundtracks from. The map itself, despite being linear
  is quite fun and challenging and fits in well with later Nova contributions.
  

-=-=-=--=-=|Map10|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Hell's Furnace
  Author: EvilNed
  Music Track: "Grinder" from Red Alert 2, midi credits go to Hazvex

  Author's Comments: Another TNT inspired map. I deliberately tried making a
  map with a theme, or a central thematic point, much like many maps of Doom 2
  had. So it's sort of a Doom 2 / TNT mashup. Hope you like it. This map was
  started in the spring of 2010, so it's taken roughly 4 years to be finished.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map11|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Phobus Anomaly
  Author: Phobus
  Music Track: "Hellfire" from Soul Calibur II, midi composer unknown

  Author's Comments: Whilst I'm aware that a project aimed at giving newbies
  their first showcase in a big megaWAD isn't really appropriate for me, I've
  always loved community projects where there's no pretension and that
  people's work can be accepted even with flaws and so felt compelled to make
  a contribution. The result is me cutting loose in a non-linear, vanilla-
  compatible little base map with no real cohesion to theme and a hellish 
  battle at the end. I kept it short and simple so I could get away with
  having some bite in the set piece battles, going for that arcade-y
  experience I enjoy so much in Doom. I chose the name because the map seems
  unusual in my body of work and me being in Nova also seems unlikely... Plus
  it was an easy pun!

-=-=-=--=-=|Map12|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Incubator
  Author: mrthejoshmon
  Music Track: "Kitchen Ace (and Taking Names)" by Bobby Prince (E1M4 of Doom)

  Author's Comments: This is my first real tech base map, I don't like making
  tech base levels. This map is also MAP02 of my (as of now WIP) megawad: Thy
  PrBoom Maps and was a direct follow up to the map "WTP".
  After you stepped on the teleport you realized that the UAC has a strange
  interest in plants, but not just ordinary plants, they like half dead
  plants. You have no idea what this strange collection is for (and you don't
  want to find out) but going through is the only way out. I wanted this map
  to be a straight up action packed blast through a tech base environment, the
  incubator idea just came out of the complete blue. This map has gone through
  6 different versions just for project NOVA, I hope it was worth it and I
  hope you have fun!

-=-=-=--=-=|Map13|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Warehouse District
  Author: sgt dopey
  Music Track: Midi version of "Feel for You" by Nightwish, midi
  composer unknown

  kildeth's Comments: Unfortunately we were unable to reach sgt dopey before
  Nova's release, and thus this map has gone without a written commentary by
  its own author. Pity, as it is a decent map with a mix of urban cityscape
  and storage facility type themes.
  I chose the midi for this one as well, another Nightwish song, this time
  from the album 'Century Child'. I feel the midi I chose was appropriate,
  although maybe slightly too short considering the map's length. I remember
  the soundtrack playing over a few times the last time I attempted this map,
  but otherwise, all is good.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map14|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Man Cub Up
  Author: EvilNed
  Music Track: "Sangy2.mid" by Paul D (midi transcript from "Final
  Liberation", composed by The Samsara Project)

  Author's Comments: Another map designed around a theme, which I think I'm
  quite fond of. This time, the theme was Mancubus and lots of slime. I also
  decided at a very early stage to make this a sort of non-linear map. There's
  some exploration to be done here, should one want too. This map was started
  in the spring of 2010, so it's taken roughly 4 years to be finished.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map15|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: The Prisoner
  Author: cannonball
  Music Track: Vile Flesh Map07/Map28 music by Gwyn "GMan" Williams

  Author's Comments: This was a very early map of mine, early 2012, maybe
  earlier??? This map has taken a lot of abuse, firstly from Paul D back in
  it's first incarnation and rightly so, due to gameplay issues. The second 
  was later on in a pre-beta test which actually involved other issues with my
  mapping at the time.

  Hello Tarnsman :)
          
  Overall I'm pretty hapy with the map now, given that the map has had major
  overhauls but somehow the original layout and skeleton is still visible. 

-=-=-=--=-=|Map16|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Teleportarium
  Author: Paul D
  Music Track: Original midi composition by nub_hat

  Author's Comments: This map really didn't start out as much, and since I am
  so new to mapmaking I didn't go into it with an overall thematic concept or
  much sense of cohesion. I had the idea for entering a fortified bunker-
  looking base, but didn't think much as to what would happen next. The rest
  of the map ended up being a patchwork of rooms that I would add over the
  next few months, and the original version of this map was much shorter.
  Looking back on it, I would like to have made it a bit more open and
  interconnected, and the room-door-room design of it seems like it kind of
  stifled gameplay a bit. My favorite Doom 2 map was actually Tricks and
  Traps, so I guess that's where I got that from. I think the best thing I did
  was add the teleportation gimmick if you decide to grab the blue key and try
  to make a run for it instead of fighting in that room.  It was my first
  complete original map.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map17|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Sewer City
  Author: EvilNed
  Music Track: Level 1: Cargo Hold from "Cyril Cyberpunk", midi sequenced by
  Zero Prophet

  Author's Comments: In some ways, my magnum opus of Nova I guess. Started
  working on this much later than the other maps of mine, and it turned out to
  be one massive map. I didn't set out to make a massive, epic map, it just
  turned out that way. Out of all my maps for this project, I'm still most
  proud of Map10 and Map14, as they are more concise and action packed.
  There's a few moments in this map I'm kinda proud of, however, such as the
  subterranean dark city part where arachnotrons and revenants are at your
  throat from behind the crushers. My experiment here was to make it as
  difficult as I could. I added lots of monsters and tweaked this area a lot.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map18|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Power Core
  Author: cannonball
  Music Track: "Circle of Fire" by David "Tolwyn" Shaw (MM2 Map28)

  Author's Comments: I made a map which has the exact same level progression
  as Map15 by complete accident... heh.
  This was made later on to replace a previous map I made for the project
  (Map21 of sparta.wad). Fair to say this had less drastic changes and most
  were based on people playing through the map, and noting down certain flaws
  which I didn't pick up at the time. Maybe I should have made a hell level. :P

-=-=-=--=-=|Map19|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Bad Blood
  Author: mouldy
  Music Track: Original midi composition by nub_hat

  Author's Comments: This was my first doom map and was basically something I
  did to get the hang of using Doom Builder. I spent more time working on the
  scenery than thinking about the gameplay so navigation is awkward in places,
  and because I was trying out a lot of visual things its a fairly disparate
  collection of areas, but it was a good learning exercise.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map20|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Castle Bloodletting
  Author: Arjak
  Music Track: Original midi composition by nub_hat

  Author's Comments: My third full map, and the one I'm most proud of so far.
  It definitely came closer to my original vision than any of my previous
  works, and I feel that for my experience level, it is quite solid. To be
  honest, I suck at detailing, and I feel that the gameplay and flow are the
  real stars here. I worked really hard on balancing, creating better secrets
  (Sewage Processing's secrets were WAY too obvious), and trying to give the
  map character and an epic feel. 
  At first, I didn't care for nub_hat's music track because I saw this map as
  very action oriented and deserving of something faster and punchier, but it
  grew on me and now I love it for the atmospheric qualities it gives this
  map. A map CAN be both action-packed and atmospheric, after all. Originally,
  this map was supposed to be longer, with a part where you'd teleport up to
  the ramparts of the castle and fight your way around, but that idea was
  scrapped due to my laziness and inexperience. The map as it is ends with the
  teleporter that would've originally taken you up to the ramparts. Besides
  that though, the map was all I could've hoped for. I tend to not plan my
  maps in advance, and instead just make it up as I go, but with this one, I
  actually tried to at least come up with a general outline of what I wanted.
  I think it shows, and I hope you enjoy playing this one as much as I did
  creating it.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map21|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Beta Base
  Author: joe-ilya
  Music Track: "Push On the Gas" by Sam Woodman (HR2 Map01)

  Author's Comments: Back when I was a kid and played random Mario ROM hacks,
  I didn't know how to map very well for Super Mario World. I had some ideas
  in my head, but never could map for SMW because it was far more complicated
  than you think, I mean it.
  So after I found Doom, I was playing it so much I wanted to make my own
  maps, so then an idea popped in my head and I decided to call it Doom0; the
  maps were all about being with just one weapon. When I finished those, I
  tried to make a normal map and I didn't finish it, then I found this project
  for newbies. I decided to remake the map into a base with hell around it,
  and what I got:        

  Bad reviews, but that's okay because I know it's cheesy and random, so I
  don't wonder.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map22|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Broken Confluence Point
  Author: Getsu Fune
  Music Track: Descent Level 6 (Mercury Solar Lab) composed by
  Parallax Software

  Author's Comments: I played CC4 Map24 and had the idea to make a small map
  that replicates that style, a base ramshackled by Hell's forces, yes, even
  the barrel explosions included. It will have the player going from techbase
  to hell, and back, and around again. Dobu had a hand with a number of thing
  placements, this is my mapping Achilles' heel AFAIK, and his stuff helps.
  Small, but rather tight on supplies. A lot of newb mistakes, like 1x1 grid
  bullshit, wrong brightness levels, and other stuff. The ending may provide a
  quick scare in the dark. On the bright side, I seem to have the 3D bridges
  working already, but they're only in the deathmatch portion of the map. I
  may just retool the ENTIRE damn map in the future, getting rid of all the
  shit stuff and further expanding on it ;).

-=-=-=--=-=|Map23|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Immaterium
  Author: Paul D
  Music Track: "Ordos Mentat Theme" from Dune 2 by Frank Klepacki and Dwight
  Okahara

  Author's Comments: I originally had many more plans for this map, but I got
  bogged down in actually making it, and I actually lost a few drafts of it
  with hard drive reformats and stuff. The concept was actually fairly hard to
  get to work properly in complevel 2, and although it was interesting to
  learn the limits of roughly vanilla, I think I'll stick to boom compatible
  and zdoom in the future.  
  I think the map is conceptually strong and has an interesting theme - I
  don't actually like the whole "stone and wood" hell theme, preferring the
  more psychedelic "distorted version of reality" type of hell, where the
  lines between the material and immaterial world are jumbled. I don't think I
  managed to accomplish particularly compelling gameplay, but oh well. It was
  during making this map that I regretfully got kind of burnt out on the whole
  Doom scene, but I am looking to get back into the thick of things soon.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map24|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Ring of Gyges
  Author: Stygian
  Music Track: "Ring of Gyges" by nub_hat

  Author's Comments: This is a terrestrial/hell-themed map with many large 
  outdoor areas and places to explore. Although  it is possible to complete
  the map very quickly, initial playthroughs can be slow and tedious due to a
  high monster count and heavy use of monster-blocking lines.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map25|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Vile Arterium
  Author: mouldy, based on a map by Death Egg and with some support from
  dobu gabu maru
  Music Track: Midi version of "Rebellion in Dreamland" by Gamma Ray, midi
  composer unknown

  dobu's Comments: I did a large amount of gameplay tweaking here, switching
  around enemies and throwing in a handful of traps (the revenant warp-in is
  mouldy's doing; don't blame me!) This was all based on Death Egg's original
  arrangement of baddies, but I tried my best at making sure each pathway is
  clogged with nasties and running ahead gets you punished (well, runners
  easily found ways around that). Hopefully my layout does the map justice.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map26|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Hell's Playground
  Author: joe-ilya
  Music Track: "Becoming" by Pantera, midi composer unknown

  Author's Comments: I decided to make another map, but this time it takes
  inspiration from WOS.wad's Map10: Playground of Caesar. It has the same concept:
  Challenge in every room, like Super Mario.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map27|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Sensorium
  Author: kildeth, based on a map by AlwaysDoomed
  Music Track: Midi version of "Sensorium" by Epica, midi composer unknown

  Author's Comments: Once 'Hazard Facility' had been mostly completed to my
  own satisfaction, I wanted to start on something really big and epic to
  expand my mapping ability and challenge myself. The result was 'Sensorium';
  a map originally created from a rather boxy and featureless ZDoom work by
  Alwaysdoomed. I went at the piece room by room, expanding the entire level
  several times in the process and making the necessary adjustments as I added
  more and more detail and height variation in an attempt to make the most
  awesome map possible. The creation of 'Sensorium' was not without its toll
  though, there were times where I would be burnt out for months as I chipped
  away at the map in increments, never feeling quite satisfied and always
  wanting to get everything just perfect. Eventually though, it all began to
  come together, and now finally, the map is here and complete. As with 
  'Hazard Facility', I am also very proud of how this map turned out, and
  think it to be a fitting tribute to the Epica song 'Sensorium', from which
  this map takes its inspiration and midi from. 

-=-=-=--=-=|Map28|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: The Seventh Circle
  Author: mouldy, based on a map by PRIMEVAL
  Music Track: Original midi composition by mouldy

  Author's Comments: This started life as a scrap map from Primeval, which I
  turned into an orgy of destruction. The idea was to set the player running
  for their life and fighting all the way, with a gratuitous amount of killing
  and complex pathways that allowed for multiple routes for both player and
  monsters. The 2 keys are entirely optional, but it will hurt if you don't
  get them. I also made the music for this map.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map29|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Extorta Nova
  Author: fiend-o-hell, based on a map by Memfis
  Music Track: "Castle Cimmeria" theme from the Lands Of Lore: Throne of Chaos
  soundtrack, Composed by Frank Klepacki, Paul S. Mudra & Dwight K. Okahara,
  midi arranged by Paul D

  Author's Comments: 'Extorta Nova' is a map inspired by my other map
  'ExtortaMontra', which is in turn from my standalone project. The former
  borrows its namesake and many of its elements from the latter. Since this
  was meant to be an end map, be prepared for extreme difficulty...

-=-=-=--=-=|Map30|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Megiddo
  Author: kildeth, dobu gabu maru, cannonball, mouldy and Arjak
  Music Track: Midi version of "Silent Screams" by Rob Halford, midi arranged
  by Paul D

  dobu's Comments: The name "Megiddo" comes from the Tel in Israel, more
  commonly known in Greek as "Armageddon" (a battleground in the end times,
  according to the Book of Revelation). I chose this largely because using
  "Armageddon" feels a bit trite, and I have a large fascination for Abrahamic
  theology.
  If you are to blame anyone for the nightmare experienced in trying to max 
  kills in this map, it can probably be me. I had this idea around
  Slaughterfest 2013 to have every author contribute an arena to encapsulate
  the project. I suggested a trimmed down version of this to the NOVA project
  (5 authors instead of every author) and it was well received. I went ahead
  to create the central room and final battle (which was stolen from an
  abandoned map of mine initially intended for the Panophobia project). Due to
  the length of each of our sections I believe cannonball suggested needing 3
  keys to finish the map instead of completing all 5 portions, and it worked
  out for the best that way.
  My section (top right) was a bit roundabout in its conception. While working
  on a map ultimately removed from the project (Immundum), I struggled with
  fitting the hell arena in the linedef-heavy monstrosity I had created.
  Considering that I might have to cut that section, I moved it over to be
  included in my slice of Megiddo. Squeezing out some more lines in Immundum
  allowed me to keep the hell arena, and so I got the gnarly idea to also keep
  it for Megiddo as the intro to my vision of hell. Wondering where to go from
  there, I got another idea to revisit prior areas in the megawad as a sort of
  homage, attempting at first to include every map until I realized how
  overambitious that was... so I reduced it to one area per author. I liked
  how it worked out in the end, allowing me to tinker with various rooms and
  enemy placement akin to my work in Vile Arterium.
  While my Immundum section had to be scrapped since the wad was withdrawn, I
  opted to reuse the furnace battle from Iron Exuviae and make it decisively
  more cruel as it's completely optional to tackle.

  cannonball's Comments: I made a section loosely based around the types of
  Doom 2 maps I had been making at the time (note the similarity to the end of
  Map15 of D2INO). I wanted a large slaughter arena but had to plan on using
  monster closets as of course teleport ambushes would fail miserably here. It
  took 2 attempts but I think it turned out well on the difficulty front,
  maybe not so on the time to beat front. As an aside I would like to give
  major credit to dobu gabu maru for the idea for this map, I think it's a
  pretty decent one :)

  kildeth's Comments: After finishing work on Map27: 'Sensorium', I was given
  the option to work on a final piece for NOVA: The Birth's grand finale.
  Being the one to start the whole project in the first place, I couldn't
  forgive myself had I turned the opportunity down, so away I went with some
  leftover inspiration and a half-baked set of ideas as to what I was going to
  make, and put together a small map featuring a pyramid and a lava river.
  What happened next was rather unfortunate at the time as I accidentally
  deleted my work and couldn't retrieve it. I didn't give up though, and went
  with my original plan to make something many magnitudes greater than the
  first work, whilst still being based around the lava river and pyramid idea.
  I'm still not sure what I think of my contribution to 'Megiddo', to me it
  feels slightly rushed in comparison to the meticulous work I performed on
  'Hazard Facility' and 'Sensorium', but given some time and distance from the
  project, I'm sure I'll grow to appreciate it just as much and am very proud
  of my work here also, which is more than I could say of my original
  (deleted) plan. :P

  Arjak's Comments: To be honest, I'm disappointed with this piece. I didn't
  know how long to make it because all I knew about Megiddo was the concept,
  that several mappers would each make a section of the map. With a supposed
  deadline coming up (which we missed), no guidelines on length, and my
  general laziness, I decided to keep it short, and the result is lackluster.
  I wanted to make something amazing and striking, but my fear of it being too
  long compared to the rest of the level made me cut down on my idea a lot.
  Well, it turned out to be one of the shortest and easiest sections. It's one
  of those maps where I wish I could go back and redo it with more time
  available, because I really like the concept of a map taking place inside a
  volcano.

  mouldy's Comments: My Megiddo section is blue and a bit of a bastard. There
  are 3 alternative routes to the exit switch, originally I made it so you had
  to do all 3, but it was taking too long so I simplified it. The ethos behind
  the design was a mixture of constant threat and awkward cover. I also
  learned that teleport traps don't work very well on map 30, hence the
  bolted-on monster closets.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map31|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Iron Exuviae
  Author: dobu gabu maru
  Music Track: "ohno.mid" by Paul D

  Author's Comments: Iron Exuviae (initially titled "Seance") was created for
  the Doomworld Mega Project 2012 as an offhand attempt to see if I could
  create a single "cool" room. The plan was to have no monsters and just let
  the journey be the experience, largely because the project was a haven for
  oddball entries. As 2012 came and went my project sat in the recesses of my
  HD, gathering the binary analog to dust. While mapping for my NOVA entries I
  decided "what the hell" and worked on the wad some more, eventually
  submitting it as a secret map. 
  My feelings are quite mixed on it. Inspired by Pottus I attempted to map
  using 45 degree angles but SURPRISE! It doesn't really work unless you stick
  to the grid, so I returned to x and y axes halfway through. The puzzles I
  tried my hand at are somewhat obscure but it was worth a shot as I'm
  unlikely to do so in my other works. The central chamber, while perhaps
  striking upon first glance, is the same structures copy and pasted eight
  times which removes some of the genuineness. I'm most content with the
  fights as they provide a good level of challenge but allow plenty of leeway 
  in maneuverability, prompting the player to mess around a bit. It's
  unfortunate in retrospect that my "unique" contribution to NOVA is a map I
  initially designed as a throwaway, but it is what it is.

-=-=-=--=-=|Map32|=-=-=--=-=-
  Level Name: Riptide
  Author: Getsu Fune
  Music Track: World 3: Under the Ocean theme from Super Monkey Ball (GCN),
  midi credits to Matthew Seldon

  Author's Comments: I really wasn't sure about this map for several reasons.
  One, I joined the project late and it seems that all they wanted were E3
  maps at the time. And two, I wanted it to be a part of a (since scrapped)
  project of my own. But it got accepted mainly because there wasn't a Map32
  yet and I basically went "fuck it" with the supplies on the whole. Also, the
  theme is pretty darn atmospheric, not many people make aqua-themed stuff.
  Yep, and this one is almost entirely chainsaw and pistol oriented, unless
  you find the secret shotgun, but then again I still don't give enough ammo. 
  Continuous players probably won't have a problem if they have plenty of
  ammo, but they're still gonna lose lots of it ;).


--------
[4] AUTHOR INFORMATION
--------

  Author            : Collin "Arjak" Pierce
  Email address     : arjak2@yahoo.com
  Webpage           : n/a
  Other files by me : coh_v2.wad

-------------------------

  Author            : Matt "cannonball" Powell
  Email address     : cannonballmp@yahoo.co.uk
  Webpage           : n/a
  Other files by me : cbspeed.wad, cbpandemonium.wad, sparta.wad, wtbhnn.wad,
                      ragstron.wad, mayhem2012.wad (maps 10, 11),
                      conC.E.R.N.ed.wad, sf2012.wad (maps 01, 05, 09, 10, 20,
                      22), Map01 of DMP2012.wad.

-------------------------

  Author            : dobu gabu maru
  Email address     : edemaomega@yahoo.com
  Webpage           : n/a
  Other files by me : Pesha.wad

-------------------------

  Author            : EvilNed
  Email address     : jonathanridings@gmail.com
  Webpage           : n/a
  Other files by me : E1M3 in HYMN, E4M9 in Switcheroo, CCore.wad.

-------------------------

  Author            : fiend-o-hell
  Email address     : n/a
  Webpage           : n/a
  Other files by me : n/a

-------------------------

  Author            : Fuzzyfireball
  Email address     : n/a
  Webpage           : n/a
  Other files by me : n/a

-------------------------

  Author            : Getsu Fune
  Email address     : nre622013@gmail.com
  Webpage           : n/a
  Other files by me : 32in24-13 Map40, pier.wad, "Aquafresh Crescents" in
                      SF2013, "Courtyards of Bodycount" in  Five Rooms of
                      Doom, DMP2013 MAP03.

-------------------------

  Author            : Jaws In Space
  Email address     : jawsinspace@gmail.com
  Webpage           : n/a
  Other files by me : Maps 3, 6, 7, 11, 16 & 19 from the Monochrome Mapping
                      Project.

-------------------------

  Author            : joe-ilya
  Email address     : Ilyadude1999@gmail
  Webpage           : n/a
  Other files by me : Doom0alpha.wad, doom0.wad, Map20 & Map14 from
                      100linet.wad.

-------------------------

  Author            : Michael "kildeth" Kilderry
  Email address     : michaelkilderry@gmail.com
  Webpage           : n/a
  Other files by me : n/a

-------------------------

  Author            : mouldy
  Email address     : n/a
  Webpage           : n/a
  Other files by me : n/a

-------------------------

  Author            : mrthejoshmon
  Email address     : joshmon96@hotmail.co.uk
  Webpage           : www.youtube.com/user/mrthejoshmon
  Other files by me : wastes.wad, AIRBSE.wad, WTP.wad, Inc_v4.wad, Term.wad,
                      Temp.wad, Comp.wad, WOOO.wad.

-------------------------

  Author            : Paul D
  Email address     : n/a
  Webpage           : n/a
  Other files by me : n/a

-------------------------

  Author            : James "Phobus" Cresswell
  Email address     : james@mpcressy.com
  Webpage           : www.phobus.serbegame.com/doom/
  Other files by me : Scourge (ph_scrge.zip), White Light (ph_wl.zip),
                      Warpzone (ph_wz.zip), Scars of the Wounded Prey
                      (ph_quik1.zip), Too Much Brown Texture Pack demo room
                      (2mbrown.zip), zctcmaps Map05 (zctc.zip), Twisted Joke
                      (ph_dac.zip), Community Chest 3 Map18 (cchest3.zip),
                      Justice - Infernal Mechanics (ph_quik3.zip), ZPack -
                      Random Maps for ZDoom E1M2, E2M1, E2M0 (zpack.zip),
                      Coils of the Twisted Tale (ph_quik2.zip), Ten Community
                      Project Map05, Map16 (TCP.zip), Virus Episode 1
                      "Shareware Demo Release" (ph_virus.zip), Tiny Pack 1 -
                      "Tiny Chances of Survival" (ph_tp1.zip), Claws of the
                      Enraged Beast (ph_quik4.zip), The Mouth of Death
                      (ph_mod.zip), Phobus' Fragments of DAC2009
                      (ph_dac2.zip), White Light: 2010 Edition (ph_wlx.zip),
                      Small Dark Twisted Computer Lab (ph_quik5.zip),
                      Doom 2 Unleashed Map10 (pc_cp.zip), Plutonia Revisited
                      Community Project Map14 (prcp.zip), Tactical Chainsaw, 
                      Stocked Player and Pistol Start Enforcer (ph_stuff.zip),
                      1994 Tune-up Community  Project Map16 (1994tu.zip),
                      32in24-11: Occupy Doomworld Map25, Map40 (32in2411.zip),
                      Doom The Way id Did E3M6 (DTWiD.zip), Blood Red
                      (ph_quik6.zip), MAYhem 2012 Map01, Map06
                      (MAYhem2012.zip), Community Chest 4 Map03, Map07, Map13
                      (cchest4.zip), Phobus Pre-'13 Grab Bag (ph_pre13.zip),
                      Escalation I: The Breach (ph_e0050.zip),ZDoom Community
                      Map Project: Take #2 (zdcmp2.zip).

-------------------------

  Author            : PRIMEVAL
  Email Address     : jswx06@yahoo.com
  Webpage           : http://www.reverbnation.com/tenebraeaeternus
  Other files by me : Music for Reverie (reverie.wad), Unholy Realms
                      (ur_final.wad), Plutonia Revisited Community Project
                      (PRCP.wad), PsychoPhobia, Arcadia Demade (arcadia.wad),
                      Alkylation (alk-ep1.wad), Flashback to Hell
                      (FTH666.wad), Hadephobia (h_phobia.wad).

-------------------------

  Author            : sgt Dopey
  Email address     : n/a
  Webpage           : n/a
  Other files by me : n/a

-------------------------

  Author            : Stygian
  Email address     : refdaemon@yahoo.com
  Webpage           : n/a
  Other files by me : n/a


--------
[5] SPECIAL THANKS
--------

Special thanks to: Firstly, you, for playing and/or reading these textfiles.
                   nub_hat for music compositions.
                   Whoever made those Nightwish midis, they can be found here:
                   http://freemidi.org/directory-770.
                   EvilNed for awesome skies.
                   kildeth for various graphics.
                   dobu gabu maru, Getsu Fune, and kildeth for story screen
                   blurbs.
                   cannonball for creating demos.
                   Snakes for offering advice and assistance to mappers very
                   early in the project's development.
                   nub_hat and Paul D for some sweet midis.
                   Everyone who did extensive beta-playtesting of the mapset,
                   including Demon of the Well, plums, Veinen and several of
                   our own mappers. Also marineController for spotting lots of
                   errors in our maps!
                   plums and dobu for fixing bugs for the 1.1 update.
                   Vermil, Veinen, Suitepee, Cannonball, Caleb13, and nub_hat,
                   for bug reports.
                   Getsu Fune for taking the time to write this textfile and
                   the other one.
                   Jaws In Space for testing the maps in Coop and DM, and for
                   implementing Deathmatch to Maps 1, 2, 11, 12, 13, 16, 21,
                   23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31 & adjusting Deathmatch on Maps
                   3, 6, 8, 9 & 20.
                   And finally, kildeth (again!) for starting the project
                   idea, even though dobu took over the majority of the
                   project whenever you were absent :P.