Map19 Version 10

Update Map19 version 09

I have tested this to the point that I am no longer a good judge of how difficult it is. It has been tested with prboom too.

johnson_map19_09.zip (241.83KB)
Download Link: http://www.sendspace.com/file/iam8fw


CHANGES Rev9, by Wesley Johnson:
Extensive changes to lower levels.
Gave each tower a foundation and lower levels, and used those to replace many of the underground rooms. Established relationships between underground tunnels and the foundations, with exposures and shared elements.
Kept the central monster lair and only one ring of the surrounding corridors.
Integrated most of the tricks and traps into the one remaining ring
corridor, removing the lift and putting everything on one level.
Combined several secrets into one secret area.
Moved the library to the new main tower lower level.
Moved the dungeon to be adjacent the main gate lower levels.
Moved the secret switches to a sub-hallway off the remaining ring
corridor.
Moved the switch to lower the courtyard water prize, to a lower level
room under the courtyard. Gave it a visible mechanism so the player
can deduce they need a return visit to the couryard.
Removed the rising staircase that went through the same 3d space as lower rooms.
Along with the ring corridors, it lacked interest and was just a place to run through quickly.
Provided two authentic castle style staircases. One from the main
tower mid room to the lower tower room, and another from the red tower
lower room to the sub-levels.
Distributed the color barriers to the new stairs and a lower corridor.
Expanded the lava theme at the exit, with it showing on the earth surface.
Moved the exit area to an unused area to facilitate this.
It is visible from the south castle wall.
Removed the maze near the exit and moved the item to a water-drainage
channel behind a secret. Added several water-drainage tunnels that are similar to a maze.
The riverside tower was changed to a low rampart with a moat because
of the sight lines down the river from it. The nearby wall was lowered to be just adequate to block the pathway, again to reduce the view of the joins of sky and river. The riverside rampart and wall now has a progressive defense that can be explored, with several level changes, that adds interest to the castle design.
Cacodemons were added nearby so the player can defend this rampart.
The fallen wall structure at the path was simplified to just a
fallen archway over the path.
Raised hills around the outside of the castle to block views of the lower edges of the city sky. The high vantage points on the castle required many high hills and sight control constructions.
Needed to reduce the size, so removed the duplicate map18 area. It was only seen if the player looked back at the start. A tie-in to map18 now is the bridge over the water. This is easier to maintain.
Added many monsters to fill the spaces, with more ammo and health to survive it all.
Removed the extraneous Keen.

Great stuff Wesley.

Not sure whether you intended it, but the bars on linedef 1685 can be climbed through from the Eastern side.

Jeff

Thanks, nice to hear.
No, there should not be any bars that anyone can climb through.
Will have to fix that. I will wait a while to see if any more bugs can be found.

It needs to be tested by other people.
After spending so much time on it, I don't see it like a player does anymore.

Which difficulty did you play, and was it too hard or too easy ??
That seems to vary depending upon how the player attacks. I am especially worried about getting up on the walls on only a pistol start.
That central courtyard is like a kill zone at the level start.

Plasma gun too easy to get ??
Secrets too easy to solve ??

wesleyjohnson said:

Which difficulty did you play, and was it too hard or too easy ??
Plasma gun too easy to get ??
Secrets too easy to solve ??

I'm a big cheat! I only tested it with IDDQD on normal mode!
Because I maintain my own source port I've put in all sorts of cheats for me. I have a cheat where monsters can be killed with a single shot.
I'll have to try it later playing properly.

Jeff

Great to see this fixes the bridge bug from the previous version. This new version looks great! Thanks.

Fixed the problem, and a few more.

johnson_map19_10.zip (245.50KB)
Download Link: http://www.sendspace.com/file/ry56jo


Release Revision 10. Mar 7, 2014

CHANGES Rev10, by Wesley Johnson:
Made some bars impassible, and adjusted the texture height.
Widen stairs on wooden platform.
Added portcullis to main gate passage, and moved a port to protect it.
Adjusted texture alignment in main gate rooms, and several other rooms.
Adjusted some light levels.
Added ceiling light transfers for main gate rooms.
Added some boxes in the tower store room.
Moved some special objects to better locations, changed others.
Adjusted the monsters for balance, some were missing.
Filled in the lower chamber of the riverside rampart.
More ammo, adjusted health.
Raised the passage under the front walk.
Adjusted the distant hills and added more height.
Fixed one area where prboom has texture leakage.

wesleyjohnson said:

johnson_map19_10.zip (245.50KB)
Download Link: http://www.sendspace.com/file/ry56jo

Committed per email request, thank you.