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kildeth

NOVA: The Birth - v1.1 release now on idGames!

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castlebl.wad is good fun! I enjoyed the surfeit of ammo because I'm a lousy player and let the Pain Elementals go to town, haha.

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Arjak,

Also did a quick playthrough on Castle Bloodletting. It's really good, better than Sewage Processing, although all the green marble textures leading up to the throne room with the yellow key might have been a bit much. Maybe add more contrasting lighting in the halls leading up to the throne room or decorate the throne room with fancier textures and architecture and the final result might be a bit more appropriately dramatic. It is a throne room after all.

I also see that you've used a sky texture as wallpaper outside the throne room windows. I personally think this looks retro and cool and I remember a lot of old games which have used similar tricks, but the problem is we might be using a custom sky in the final release of this and there is a better way of doing this that results in an actual sky appearing out the window rather than just wallpaper. To accomplish this, you put a zero height sector outside of the sky room, leaving the sky not a wall, but an upper texture that you leave blank whilst painting the ceiling with a sky texture. When you walk past the throne room window now, there should be actual sky rather than just wallpaper.

Anyway, everything being considered, it will be interesting to see how you progress if you choose to make maps for Nova 2 as well. I think you have talent as a mapper and can produce cool stuff.

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Once you guys finish this. You should totally keep a dedicated (hey new people make maps for this) project going just as kind of an open community workshop like thing.

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Tarnsman said:

Once you guys finish this. You should totally keep a dedicated (hey new people make maps for this) project going just as kind of an open community workshop like thing.


That's what NOVA: The Birth is in a way (although it's getting more serious now that we're pushing for a release), NOVA II: New Beginnings will likely be a continuation of the first project and it's ideals, but it'll hopefully run a little smoother now we've got some experience behind us.

Now screenies for Sensorium, will probably take more than a week now to complete this considering I've resized everything and the level is still not completeable (need to get the gameplay sorted out majorly as well as adding and polishing yet more architecture). Worst case scenario, it'll be first map signed up for Nova II but I'll try to get it together before that.

Oh and ignore the dreadfully misaligned door texture on caco cage thing, I missed that as I was working on it and it'll be fixed before release.

Edit: Despite the crude, unbalanced gameplay and graphical errors still present from the resizing I performed on the entire level, Sensorium is now finally a completable map. You can still get stuck in places though, so be careful if I choose to release another alpha in a few days!

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/6366/sensorium1.jpg
http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/9282/sensorium2.jpg

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kildeth said:

Arjak,

Also did a quick playthrough on Castle Bloodletting. It's really good, better than Sewage Processing, although all the green marble textures leading up to the throne room with the yellow key might have been a bit much. Maybe add more contrasting lighting in the halls leading up to the throne room or decorate the throne room with fancier textures and architecture and the final result might be a bit more appropriately dramatic. It is a throne room after all.

I also see that you've used a sky texture as wallpaper outside the throne room windows. I personally think this looks retro and cool and I remember a lot of old games which have used similar tricks, but the problem is we might be using a custom sky in the final release of this and there is a better way of doing this that results in an actual sky appearing out the window rather than just wallpaper. To accomplish this, you put a zero height sector outside of the sky room, leaving the sky not a wall, but an upper texture that you leave blank whilst painting the ceiling with a sky texture. When you walk past the throne room window now, there should be actual sky rather than just wallpaper.

Anyway, everything being considered, it will be interesting to see how you progress if you choose to make maps for Nova 2 as well. I think you have talent as a mapper and can produce cool stuff.


Thank you for the high praise. I'll spend some time later today changing the Throne Room area's textures, lighting, and sky. I'll also take a look at reducing the ammo count for Paul D.

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Everything is about done except for the sky, which I can't figure out. I've followed Kildeth's instructions as best I can, and all I get is a hall of mirrors effect outside the windows. Can someone please give me step by step instructions, perhaps with pictures? That's what I need.

EDIT: Never mind. I figured it out by looking at my Shareware wad.

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I like the changes you have made. Now there isn't mountains of ammo everywhere, but there is still a generous amount.

regarding the windowed corridor before the yellow key:

I think you should extend the outdoor sectors beyond the window and build a scene out there, like a mountain or another castle or something.

It would be really cool to look out there and see a big scene, maybe you could have the player go out there to do something at some point?

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Arjak said:

Everything is about done except for the sky, which I can't figure out. I've followed Kildeth's instructions as best I can, and all I get is a hall of mirrors effect outside the windows. Can someone please give me step by step instructions, perhaps with pictures? That's what I need.

EDIT: Never mind. I figured it out by looking at my Shareware wad.


Sorry! I probably wasn't being very clear. It's something you can see in a lot of id's pwads so I would have suspected you would have inspected one of those for further details anyway.

PS. Shareware wad? Don't you own the Doom games in full or something?

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Paul D said:

I think you should extend the outdoor sectors beyond the window and build a scene out there, like a mountain or another castle or something.

It would be really cool to look out there and see a big scene, maybe you could have the player go out there to do something at some point?


I'd love to do something like that, but this level has taken forever for me to make already! I think it might be wise for me to call it finished. If I have to make some kind of serious alteration to it for serious reasons, though, I will consider it.

@ Kildeth:

Being the lazy punk that I am, I didn't want to risk accidentally messing up my Ultimate Doom IWAD in DB2, and then having to spend two minutes recopying it to my drive from CD. THAT'S how lazy I am! :P

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Good news! Got a reply back from fiend-o-hell who says he's willing to touch up his map (Extorta Nova) for the project. Hopefully he'll be in here soon as I directed him to the thread for further discussion.

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Arjak said:

Triple post! Here's an updated version:

http://www.mediafire.com/?yva395igvm9c9mu


Just played through castlebl.wad, its great fun. Really enjoyed finding the secrets, although I missed a few.

Did you know the switch in the library room can be pressed from the ground? Not a big deal on the first play as you don't know its there, but subsequently it means you can take a little shortcut. Wasn't sure if that was intended or not.

Design-wise it feels a bit square in places. I guess thats how buildings are, but could be spruced up a bit maybe with some detailing. Sounds like you had enough of working on it, but here's an example of what i mean:

I added a bit of extraneous stuff to the front of the castle, not much but just a quick something to show how big bland spaces can be broken up a bit. (also theres a slight texture misalignment on your wall near the door). Its up to you though, plays fine as it is.

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OK, I'm going on a detailing run. This will hopefully be the last revision.

Plans:

-Add general detail

-Fix misaligned textures

-Add a mountain range outside the windows

-Fix library switch bug

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Hello all. I've read through the last couple of posts concerning Extorta Nova and its criticisms so I'll see what I can do.

I'm still into mapping, its just that I've had a lot of stuff happen in my life these last 6 months or so that have taken up a good deal of my time. I appreciate the comments, and I'll definitely follow up on it before the end of this month.

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I already have a map I would like to contribute to NOVA 2 when it happens, when do you think the release of NOVA will happen?

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Here a new version: http://www.mediafire.com/?haqg0c7bo3r81lv

Changes:

-Added a fugly mountain range outside the windows around the Throne Room.

-Added a large stalactite in the cave where you start.

-Fixed a glitch where you could hit the switch in the library without climbing the shelves.

-Added some banners to the outside of the castle.

-Fixed a few misaligned textures.

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mrthejoshmon said:

when do you think the release of NOVA will happen?


I believe June is our target date; we definitely aim to release it this year. If I were you I would just work on the map and we'll see where it fits.

I played Castle Bloodletting Arjak (v.3, not the very newest one), got some feedback:

The start is pretty excellent: you have a superb mixture of enemies in the main courtyard to harass the player with, adding some real tension for that fight. However, like with mrthejoshmon's Incubator, the difficulty climaxes there and proceeds to peter out as the player makes his way through the complex. Health and ammo aren't really the main issue here as much as it is layout--the linear, straight forward nature of the level doesn't really lend to nasty traps or harsh battles. Seeing as you want to be done with it, I have a few suggestions to add which shouldn't be hard to implement.

When the player picks up the red key and releases the AV, it should probably be accompanied by two chaingunners on its side, as a lone AV won't really wreak that much damage. In the library area, I feel like there should be another caco released with the two. Also, the switch you have to hit there needs some kind of light near it, as I couldn't find out what I was supposed to be doing there other than running on bookcases (which was a neat thing to put in there!) due to the darkness. Replace the stimpacks on top of the bookcase with health bonuses.

There should be a revenant beside the baron in the blue key room and honestly, once the player moves onto the blue key box I'd make it trigger the door to open so the AV can be released, as his current spot of waiting for the player renders him ineffective. Past the blue key door, I'm really glad you hand the player both the RL and the PG--it's a pet peeve of mine when weapons are only given in secrets, and this assures that the player is well armed for the final stretch. In this outdoor room, I'd move that GARG pillar out a little more, as an arachnatron was unable to move past it when it was hunting me.

Continuing on, the light sectors in the hallways need to be pushed away from the windows more so it looks better. The first yellow key trap needs some more teeth to it too; I say since you've sprung AVs for the red key and blue key, you should warp in an AV right on the sigil as soon as the player picks up the yellow key, leaving them the option of using the chair as cover or braving the hordes of imps in the hallway. Outside with the cyberdemon, remove the cell packs that are in there with him since there is more than enough cell in the level. Also, warp in about 2 revs on each of the side columns where the imps/BFG are, so the player doesn't just have to watch the cacos and cybie. Finally, remove the supercharge before the exit and put down two medikits instead, as a supercharge is overkill for consecutive players.

Sorry if this seems like a lot of nitpicking--I did enjoy the level and found the layout smooth and interesting. I really like that there's a host of secrets to find in this map, and appreciated your use of lighting here.

Oop I forgot, slight texture hiccup here.

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Re: the June deadline.

I would like for us all to be pretty sincere about that. I want to get my maps onto /idgames so I can move on and work on other things. The first of those maps I made in 2010. That's a long while ago. My current feelings are that whatever happens to Nova, I want to release my maps by the end of June so that I partly get criticism for them and partly move on. I'd LOVE for Nova to be finished by then and I see no real practical reason why we shouldn't aim for that 100%.

A release in June would put the project into roughly 1,5 years in development. That's a fitting deadline I think. Especially considering a lot of us are newbies and want to get our stuff out there.

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mrthejoshmon said:

I already have a map I would like to contribute to NOVA 2 when it happens, when do you think the release of NOVA will happen?


Is it already finished or nearly complete? Submit it to Nova 1 instead. Nova 2 is only going to be for mappers who didn't finish their level in time for submission to the first installment. I've only put Sacrament of Wilderness down in the Nova 2 category because it is unlikely I'll get another map done in time for Nova 1, considering I want my third map to be even more epic than Sensorium, it could take awhile.

That and Nova 2 is only likely to go ahead if I get enough help/support from other mappers of this project. I've already spent nearly 1.5 years on this with various breaks inbetween and like EvilNed, I want to move onto other projects, be it community projects geared towards more advanced mappers, my own solo megawad or stuff outside of the Doom community entirely. If we are to finish this in June I'd ideally want 32 maps by then so I can consider this project truly finished.

Oh and dobugabumaru, if Nova doesn't make the June deadline it is definetly coming out this year through hell or high water, even if I have to make those extra maps myself! :P No 2014 release for this project!

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New plan guys! If people on the team are itching to see this released soon while others want to start working on a sequel, I'm thinking maybe we should make both Nova: The Birth and Nova II: New Beginnings 20-level mapsets instead of 32-level megawads. This way the first installment can be finished before June and EvilNed and others can get the feedback they are waiting for and we can quickly begin the sequel, which shouldn't go through as much development hell as this one if we make it shorter (which makes me far more willing to go through with it as well I might add) All up we would then end up with 40 maps, which is 8 more maps than the original plan of the 32map megawad which leaves us with more material when we finish and less time to wait in the meantime. Sound like a good plan?

This is what would be included in the first installment (The Birth) if we follow this idea:

<Note: Maplist is not finalised at all and we'll have to talk about it more and do some re-arranging before we can consider it compiled.>

MAP01 - Outpost [PRIMEVAL]
MAP02 - Admin [Jaws in Space]
MAP03 - WTP [mrthejoshmon]
MAP04 - Factory Factor [EvilNed]
MAP05 - Hazard Facility [kildeth]
MAP06 - Sewage Processing [Arjak]
MAP07 - Service Station Sick [EvilNed]
MAP08 - Suspend [Fuzzyfireball]
MAP09 - Hell's Furnace [EvilNed]
MAP10 - Phobus Anomaly [Phobus]
MAP11 - Teleportarium [Paul D]
MAP12 - Warehouse District [sgt dopey]
MAP13 - Ring of Gyges [Stygian]
MAP14 - The Prisoner [cannonball]
MAP15 - Man Cub Up [EvilNed]
MAP31 - Castle Bloodletting [Arjak] (*)
MAP32 - River of Blood [mouldy] (*)
MAP16 - Power Core [cannonball]
MAP17 - Sewer City [EvilNed]
MAP18 - Sensorium [kildeth & Alwaysdoomed] (**)
or
MAP18 - Extorta Nova [fiend-o-hell & Memfis] (**)

(*) Placeholder secret levels. Could easily be anything from the list.
(**) Either 'Sensorium' or 'Extorta Nova' could be used to round off the 20-map wad, depending on whichever is finished first with the other one becoming part of the mapset for 'New Beginnings'. EvilNed's 'Roundtable' is also a possibility for inclusion, although we could probably find something which would be more agreed upon by the team in general.. Maybe an Icon of Sin map is in order if we could make one in a short span of time? Without Extorta Nova, such a climax would be something that this mapset could lack...

(Edit: mrthejoshmon's map could fill the 20th spot if the post above mine about it nearing completion is correct)

Nova II: New Beginnings Maplist (incomplete and partially hypothetical):

- Sensorium by kildeth/Alwaysdoomed (if not in 'The Birth')
- Extorta Nova by fiend-o-hell/Memfis (if not in 'The Birth')
- Roundtable by EvilNed (if EvilNed/someone else wants to work at it)
- Sacrament of Wilderness by kildeth/ProcessingControl
- Hush by MajorRawne
- Atheist's Nil by MajorRawne
- mrthejoshmon's map ('Incubator' is it?) in the post above mine (if not in 'The Birth)
- Bad Blood by deathegg
- Immaterium by Paul D (a return to Teleportarium in the sequel maybe?)
- Mansion of Pinkies by Daiyu_Xiaoxiang (are they even still participating in this project?)
- Immundum by dobugabumaru
- Leaden Delve by dobugabumaru
- Untitled MAP31 concept by dobugabumaru
- A collaborative map from mouldy and PRIMEVAL
- Another map from EvilNed
- A map from yakfak
- And maybe a map from Flesh420
- ...and potentially even more maps from anyone I've missed or newcomers to the project. If I get Sacrament of Wilderness done I might take a look back at some of the early unfinished submissions from Nova: The Birth that looked promising and see what I can do with them.

At this rate we'll be looking at a third installment in no time at all! :P

If the majority of you agree to this new plan, I'll open up a new thread for Nova II submissions and we can all work on getting this finished before June now that we've basically got all the maps in place for a 20 level wad. This will be good as we'll have plenty of time to get everything working real smoothly so the /idgames release shouldn't appear rushed.

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Is Incubator a filler level or something a bit more special? If it's a decent map it can take 20th place in 'The Birth' and we can begin compiling the mapset, then move onto 'New Beginnings' which I'll open a thread for as soon as I get the green light from a few others about the 20-map wad idea so early submissions can begin.

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incubator took a while to make, I like it but I think it may not be on par with the rest of the maps (I.E looking at the screenshots of others maps) you can use it for any purpose you want to, doesn't bother me much. however the other map I recently posted is a filler map (comp.wad)

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I'll include it in the 20 level maplist and see what everyone else thinks. They might hate my idea and rather go for the full 32 so we'll see what happens but I'd prefer to do things this way.

* * * * *

Below is my plan for NOVA: The Birth (the first installment of Nova)

-Ordered levels-
Outpost [PRIMEVAL]
Admin [Jaws In Space]
WTP [mrthejoshmon] (does this map have a better name?)
Factory Factor [EvilNed]
Hazard Facility [kildeth]
Sewage Processing [Arjak]
Service Station Sick [EvilNed]
Suspend [Fuzzyfireball]
Hell's Furnace [EvilNed]
Phobus Anomaly [Phobus]
Teleportarium [Paul D]
Warehouse District [sgt dopey]
Ring of Gyges [Stygian]
The Prisoner [cannonball]
Man Cub Up [EvilNed]
Bad Blood [mouldy]
Power Core [cannonball]
Sewer City [EvilNed]

-Unordered levels- (need to be slotted in list above)
Castle Bloodletting [Arjak]
Incubator [mrthejoshmon]

20 maps total.

Notes:
- Whichever levels become MAP15 & MAP31 will require secret exits to either MAP31 or MAP32.
- A boss brain arena may have to be inserted into whatever becomes the final map to give the wad a feeling of closure.
- Difficulty may have to be ramped up across most maps to provide challenge. This is not compulsory though. Nothing wrong with an easy mapset once in awhile.
- Difficulty settings will have to checked for all levels to ensure that they are implemented on all maps.
- Deathmatch starts and deathmatch-only items should be inserted into all maps.
- Every map should have a unique midi. There should also be three extra midis, one for title, one for intermission and one for episode's end.
- Title pic, custom skies and other additional graphics should be looked into before the wad's release.

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I don't see the point in msking Nova a 20 map wad just because there's a prospect of Nova 2 around the corner. Get Nova 1 done first, we can make it by June, then start talking about Nova 2. Lets go megawaf if we can.

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I say go for the megawad. But its up to you guys. I have another map on the way, and won't want to wait another year to see it released so if you go ahead then I'll probably use it for something else.

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"WTP [mrthejoshmon] (does this map have a better name?)" yes, it stands for water treatment plant if thats any good

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I'm sure enough maps can be made before June to make a full megawad out of this. There are enough mappers willing to make them so it's fine :)

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