justanotherfool
Junior Member
Posts: 195
Registered: 12-07 |
Phobus said:
Any future testers:
-A speed run attempt from somebody would be quite appreciated, just to see if the extra routes I put in were worthwhile.
-The computer map room has been suggested for alterations - do any of you aree with this, and if so, what are your suggestions?
I would like to see the computer map room altered, but it's difficult to say what should be done with it. It looks a little simplistic compared with the other rooms in that starting area, and the computer map is just lying there ready to be picked up. Maybe you should keep the idea of the pit, but enlarge it and make it so that you have to run across some platforms (which would rise and fall so that you had to time it correctly) in order to finally reach the CAM. You could have some imps and hitscanners firing at you from openings in the walls, and maybe some cacodemons and pain elementals get released once you pick the map up. I think it would be better too if the room weren't so dark (maybe the light levels could be decreased once the CAM is taken). I also think that the slime does too much damage (not that you spend a lot of time in that particular pit), and the trap as it stands is laughably easy. The CAM is the key to the many secrets within the map, so getting it should be a riskier proposition than it currently is.
Just a few suggestions off the top of my head. The room could definitely be improved.
I have a fair number of other things to say about the map, but be warned that my feedback isn't very well structured...
http://img251.imageshack.us/img251/5605/doom83.png
I did not like this grating at all, as it makes it far too difficult to see what's going on outside, greatly increasing the probability o taking a rocket to the face before really being aware of the location of the cyb. I'd prefer some kind of long window along this corridor instead. Seems like you might have intended the player to be forced to run outside to get a better view, but even with improved visibility they'd have to go outside to kill the demons and avoid the rockets anyway, but the chances of being crushed by an unseen projectile would be greatly decreased.
The other irritating thing about this fight is the difficulty of targeting the chaingunners who snipe at you from those really tall platforms (obviously this doesn't apply if you found the secret lift with the invulnerability). Even with the chaingun you have to do some awkward running up and down the stairs to be able to target them. Could lower the platforms or construct a lift to some higher vantage point.
Without the obstructive grating and the difficult to hit chaingunners the fight isn't actually very difficult, since it's easy to shelter from the cyb and there are only a few other (weak) monsters that can get you while you're out of view of the cybie. Maybe a few more imps and some barons/knights would make the fight a bit more interesting.
http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/7894/doom80.png
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/861/doom79.png
This part I did not like the look of. The stair texture is horrible, there are too many steps and the steepness is too great. Some curvy stairs or a lift might make this a bit better, or maybe a slight tweaking is all that's needed. Once you get to the top the shape of the wall is quite strange, looks almost triangular.
http://img17.imageshack.us/img17/7412/doom78.png
Something about this doesn't look quite right to me, maybe it's the transition between brick and metal where the switch is. Something about the pool looks very artifical too.
http://img28.imageshack.us/img28/1488/doom77.png
Same with the switch here. I'd prefer it if the exit was a teleporter set up on the grey platform. At least set the button higher up in the wall, it seems too low to the ground. I appreciate that this (and some of my other stylistic points) may seem overly pedantic, but I'm of the view that a few minor visual alterations can have quite a large impact on the feel of a map.
http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/3963/doom62.png
The sectors on top of the metal poles seem to be flickering or unusually dark in a way that didn't translate very well to screenshots. Anyway, I thought it didn't look how I would have expected.
Regarding the secret cave in the river: the slime does far too much damage. If you get hit by the spectres or waste too much time fighting them, your chances of getting out alive are very small indeed.
http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/554/doom65.png
This outdoor area is nice, but the contrast between the light levels in the cave sector and the sky sector seems excessive. Also, I don't know that the LAV goggles are really worthy of being a secret (same could be argued for the rad suit at the beginning).
http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/7188/doom64.png
Textures here are misaligned, plus the shape of the rock seems odd.
http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/9458/doom63.png
It doesn't seem that you can actually use the lift from this side, don't know if that was intentional. I also think this would look better with a lift texture instead of a switch (same goes for other lifts of this kind in the map, as in the next picture).
http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/6826/doom71.png
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/8798/doom76.png
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/4652/doom75.png
http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/401/doom74.png
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/1525/doom73.png
http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/9131/doom72.png
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7299/doom70.png
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/4238/doom69.png
http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/7959/doom68.png
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7766/doom67.png
http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/9626/doom66.png
It's difficult to know exactly what to say about this section, except that I didn't like the look of it at all (played fine though). It just looks like a really weird combination of a bunch of different themes. There are areas where the rooms seem too blocky, areas with some extremely oddly shaped sectors, areas where the ceilings and walls are too bare, areas with not enough texture variation, areas where computer panels and SHAWN have been used excessively, etc, etc. I don't necessarily think there's anything wrong with the overlying structure of the second base, I just think you might want to go over it and change some textures and reshape some of the rooms slightly. I think your use of lighting was much better in the first part of the level. Some wall lights, really dark areas, etc, could make the second base a lot more interesting. Most of the lights are just textures embedded in the ceiling and don't even have their own fixtures at the moment. I did really like the room with the blue key, and the base is pleasingly non-linear, so it's not all bad :P.
The second base was the only weak point, though, the outdoor areas and the base at the start were very much to my liking. The secrets were clever (especially the plasma gun which was hidden in plain sight).
I don't have too much to say about the gameplay right now, but I'll keep looking and see if I come up with any improvements. I'll record a speedrun if I don't forget, too.
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12-11-09 01:24 
