Switcheroom 2 - Alpha 2

I used RROCK03 for the streets in Map13 looks a bit like Asphalt...

...and good to see some progression here again.

I hope in seeing progression from other mappers as well. I've sent out some PMs to the recently inactive participants.

scifista42 said:

In my opinion it gives the road a more unique character than the obvious choices (CEIL5_1, FLAT19, FLAT1), but I might change the texturing eventually anyway.

Not even FLAT5_4?

Apart from this, I eventually managed to put an end to "Nirvantlet" as I still couldn't find a better name for my map of 03's design and 21's layout, so enjoy or suffer through:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/qpky72h2959757j/Switche03-21.wad

^Waaaay too much ammo (especially shells), but I really like how this level plays, flows and is shaped. Very good job on giving the layout a Base theme. I like how you approached the Nirvana similarities, I think I personally do Switcherooming in a similar way. The defaultly-same music track helps to recognize the map ingame.

^^ Very well done, i allready liked the concept of this map you've posted some time ago and now i've really enjoyed the final result.
I agree with scifista, there's really a lot of ammo available, it won't hurt to reduce it a bit.

scifista42 said:

The defaultly-same music track helps to recognize the map ingame.

Why do you think I chose to do it this way?! :D
...
Of course it's not the exact reason why. :D

Of course I understand that, it's not like if I praised you for a masterful brilliance of music selection. :)

I've also noticed that despite difficulty settings are implemented, difference between them isn't felt that much in the game. HNTR has half as many monsters as UV, but it's apparently just a simple cut of monster count, which is IMO not enough and not ideal approach to difficulty settings. Pure and minor nitpick, I know, just saying for your info. I'm not concerned about forcing an improvement at all costs.

scifista42 said:

HNTR has half as many monsters as UV(...)

It's been my philosophy since time began. I'm not that really fond of those Doom2 IWad solutions of "Let's just make this section have 2 zombiemen on HNTR, 3 on HMP and 467 on UV!". The other thing is that approaching by monster count is a bit of a distortion of facts, since many of the monster placements has different type monsters on different skills.

My personal approach goes more along these lines: "OK, this area isn't much challenging anyways, so let it be the same for all difficulties, so that our HNTR player at least has fun. Hm, hm, hm... Look here, this area provides too much challenge, so let's change the monster cast or count to tone it down as much as needed, maybe even lower." What I meant was that shotgunning 6 imps in alcoves instead of 10 imps doesn't make any difficulty wise difference, in practice. And similar. It's not about monster count, as I see it. :)

Given that there's MAYhem and other distractions for mappers and other excuses... And also, that I won't be doing any mapping in May because I need to prepare for my very important final year exams... The project gets postponed again. People's (also my) excitement and motivation has somehow vanished already. Additionally, I think I came to a conclusion in the meantime, that original work is anyway superior than playing with homages over and over in various (though interesting) ways. For both players and map creators. Of course, I still believe Switcheroom project(s) were and are worth creating and completing, as long as there's fun.

I greatly apologize that I wasn't able to force myself to get even my own maps finished yet. There's still something which I'm unsatisfied with on the maps and that slows down (halts) my progress significantly. In other words - my fault is that I repeatedly fail to schedule my time effectively, which is very wrong and I should be trying to improve that. Sorry again. My maps exist in a better or worse state, but I'm postponing my attempts to finish them for now.

I'd really like to finally get this project to completion till June at last, though. Mappers - please count with it. Allow to make it happen - by finalizing your work.

If I ever start some project again, I'll make sure it has more free approach to submissions - no fixed slots and waiting for particular people, better something like a free collection of maps, unified by a rough theme. I don't think that I do well at managing a project with serious goal and rules. Apologize once again.

Hey!

I never forgot about this project, despite my lack of time to devote to it. When we kicked it off I had tons of free time, but due to a mountain of obligations, it dwindled steadily until I was scraping for even a spare hour to map. Anyway, I've managed to free up some time (re: no internet access for a week) to get map31 to a mostly-finished state.

Linky

Awesome! The project needed such a thing to start flowing again. Honestly - the same applies not only to the project, but to me with my mapping too. Nevertheless, let's get on it again! It's been a long time.

I like this map. Megalyth, I like your levels because it seems like you don't try them to be overly complicated and "fancy" just for the sake of being considered "fancy" be the players. Instead, you're all for a natural immersion and beauty in simplicity - I've noticed this already in your MAP01 hellish remake. This MAP31 was indeed pleasant to play and look at. I like way you have altered the structure, it even becomes somewhat reasonable and meaningful in my eyes, more than the original! Not too challenging, but the adventure of exploring it was very enjoyable for me. Good job. I'm adding the link to the OP.

Everyone signed up in the OP who still has a work to do, please get to it, preferably let me know the status of your progression (and your interest).

By the way, I've sent out PMs to some of the participants several days ago - please, read them finally at least.


EDIT: @Megalyth: Map name? ;)

^^ Pretty decent. Never was a huge fan of those Wolfenstein maps, but i actually really enjoyed playing this one.

At last one step closer towards completion of SR2.

Good to see this project is back up and running. I was afraid you all forever forgot it.

I actually haven't forgotten. I have continued mapping continuously, but extremely slowly. It's going to take some more time, hopefully less after I get into work more intensively once again. Ahh, it's still just words (it must sound embarassing already)... I wish I already had the maps ready to show them.

I actually did forget about this, because I already finished my maps.

Been atime... Nevertheless, I can make one or more minor changes to Nirvantlet if urgently needed. Just to make the compiled Where's All the Data?'s reputation half-a-star better.

Just dropping in with a status update of sorts, and by that I mean I've started my Map 07 entry again from scratch as the last one was so incredibly shit.

I'm going about with a more generic American McGee style tech base with the central factory based around a series of connecting corridors and set piece rooms this time, with less of the Dead Simple gimmick. Right now I'm working on getting a layout started, and I'll be looking for advice on where to take it as I really don't know how to go about making the map playable right now. Shall I try and use the 666 and 667 tags so as to make the entry feel more Map 07? Or shall I just go with the flow?

Months passed and still no progress, what's wrong?

Good question. Still i doubt anyone's able to answer it besides....Scifista?!?

The problem is still the same. It's myself, unable to finish maps. Plus other mappers, who signed up and also stopped to care. Jayextee, Brusle and TheMionicDonut haven't answered my PMs, in fact they haven't even read them. Nobody posts in the thread, which gives an impression that nobody is excited about "switching rooms" anymore, and I can see how nobody feels motivated to work, then. Speaking for myself, I admit it. I can't even map that well, and whenever I try to progress, I'm unsatisfied with the result. Yes, I know, it's not good that the project stagnates. Like I said before, it's bad, and my fault. As I stated in my post from May 4th, I won't want to lead a project of this kind anymore.

I'll most likely reopen the unfinished map slots now (including at least one of the mine ones). I assume that I won't get any reply from Jayextee or Brusle. Reopening multiple slots will also allow for picking them again in a different combination of model-target map couples.

Thoughts? Can the other involved mappers finally say at least something, please?


@an_mutt: Thanks for letting me know (you still have my PM, unread). I'd say that you should primarily follow MAP12 layout. Preferably also a progression, but not necessarily. Everything other is up to your consideration, as long as it complies with the project rules. Making some use of tags 666/7 is unnecessary, but of course - it would be cool if you found some interesting way to fit them into the map's layout.

I can at least tell you with some certainty Jayextee won't be returning here any time soon.

I can't judge your mapping problems but at least i can say that Map12, which was also one of the keystones for this project, is a solid map.

And yes reopen slots, maybe other mappers get attracted and carry some new flow into the project.

This is as far as I've gotten on MAP15-as-02... still very rough and some areas not mapped out yet (and a lot of the switches/etc not set up yet). But you can hopefully see the general theme I had planned out... if someone else wants to fill the slot, or swap another map in, that's fine. I figured I should finish up the Switcheroom 1 maps first, and that's been slowing me down as well (though I have been making some progress there... but the muse comes and goes).

If your reopening slots I'd like to do Map 10 in the map 23 slot.

scifista42 said:

@an_mutt: Making some use of tags 666/7 is unnecessary, but of course - it would be cool if you found some interesting way to fit them into the map's layout.

Yeah, the thing is that I really feel like there's an actual map hidden in the idea of putting Map 12 in Map 07 (it's why I took it in the first place), but I'm really struggling to put it together at the moment.

That reminds me... I didn't take a look at Megalyth's new MAP23-as-31 until now. It's pretty good, but you know what would make it better? Filling it back up with barrels!! I like making Nazis explode...

From switching rooms to cyber demon puzzles...

We CAN'T let BOTH of these projects die!

Fellowzdoomer said:

From switching rooms to cyber demon puzzles...

We CAN'T let BOTH of these projects die!

We MUSTN'T let NEITHER, to be more precise.

Hey my projrct died already. Shall I link it?