The /newstuff Chronicles #181

Why hello, as you can see it is I, Sarge of Baldy, and I've just returned from a magical adventure to /newstuff-land, where I've seen all sorts of outerworldly things.. which of course, I promptly slaughtered. Here I have written down the memoirs of my fabulous journey, which I wish to share with you. Eight lands of perilous evil for you to conquer, although three of them don't even have monsters so don't pretend you're all that cool. Let us begin our fantabulous journey, shall we?

• By the Pain I See In Others by Patrik Höglund
  159kb - Vanilla Doom2 (limitless port recommended to avoid Savegame Buffer Overflow) - SP - Map16 - (img) (img)
  A very nice map set in some sort of slimey base in a cavern. Or something like that anyway. The map not only looks good, but plays quite nice as well. The detail isn't merely a bunch of copy and pastecrap, I think most of it is fairly creative and intelligent. Nukage and and cavernlike environments don't come together very often so I personally found the theme quite interesting. The atmosphere alsoimproves the environment, and most of the way through it feels fairly dark and moody. The few drawbacks I can really point out is there's a fair number of misalignments, both on the x and y axis, althoughthese are fairly easy to overlook and don't really hurt the map much. It also feels a bit weaker as it goes on, both in terms of the map design and the gameplay.
  
  Verdict: Definitely worth checking out.
  
  
• Brains! Part 1: The Beginning by Shawn Huckabay
  2025kb - ZDoom + Doom2 - SP - Map01 - (img) (img)
  This map is, if nothing else, certainly interesting. This wad seemed to have been designed to scare the player, and it actually does succeed on a few occasions. The Wolfenstein zombies can look very funny inDoom, giving it sort of a bad horror movie feel. The map isn't very detailed or anything, rather the author seemed to concentrate on the atmosphere and new stuff. The new weapons don't really affect thegameplay that much but watch out for the zombies that want to bite off your legs, they can hurt you far more than you might expect after having experienced pinky demons trying to do the same thing.
  
  Verdict: Not a great map, but original enough that it might be worth a look.
  
  
• Metro2 by Carlos Guariglia
  249kb - CDoom + Doom2 - SP - Map24 - (img)
  Yes, a CDoom map. CDoom is a port by Carlos Guariglia that was released not long ago, and yes, that's the same guy who made this map. From what I can gather, this is a test map demonstrating his port,which is based off MBF and features Legacy's 3d platforms. This map has neither monsters nor an exit, so don't expect terrifyingly exciting gameplay.
  
  Verdict: Only get this if you're curious to see what CDoom is capable of.
  
  
• Metro3 by Carlos Guariglia
  132kb - CDoom + Doom2 - SP - Map24 - (img)
  Pretty much the same idea as the wad listed above.
  
  
• 3D Horror by Magnus Olsson
  98kb - Legacy + Doom2 - SP - Map01 - (img) (img)
  This map seems to have been either as a stress test for Legacy or for the player's patience. Use of the 3d floors feature is very rampant here, and I wouldn't say it has a positive effect on the design. The overall theme feels very newbish, and I noticed details here thatseemed more like an experiment to learn Doom editing than a genuine attempt at trying to make something that looked good. These on the whole tended to hurt rather than benefit the look of the map. The texture use looks circa 1995, and the gameplay comes across more as frustrating than fun.
  
  Verdict: New author still learning to map. Unless 3d floors really excite you, you should probably pass this one by.
  
  
• Somewhat Simple by Sgt. Crispy
  40kb - ZDoom - DM - Map01 - (img) (img)
  A tribute to Doom2 Map07 based off... Doom2 Map07 (ssh, no one tell Ty!) The map is designed for DM and
  features no monsters. For the most part it's the same map with some graphical boosts (including slopes)
  and a remix of the old gameplay. I don't really have friends, so, how it plays... well, I dunno. Play it for yourself and see.
  
  Verdict: Worthy update to a classic DM map.
  
  
• Blood Resource Pack Build 1 by Daniel "Tormentor667" Gimmer
  2320kb - ZDoom
  A large Blood texture set set up for ZDoom, complete with an ANIMDEFS lump. Seems to include textures from the Blood Plasma Pack as well. This should indeed be a handy resource for prospective mappers.
  
  
• City of the Damned by Daniel "Tormentor667" Gimmer
  2691kb - ZDoom - SP - Map01 - (img) (img) (img) (img)
  Well look what we have here. A new map by the author of the Torment and Torture series, City of the Damned certainly meets up their level of quality. Featuring the newly released Blood Resource Packmentioned above, the map's theme is that of... *drumroll*... yes, an abandoned city plagued with monsters. The detailing is top-notch and the atmosphere is even better.. great lighting combined with productive useof the new textures work together to give the map a spooky, very original feel. The gameplay is pretty difficult and make sure to watch out for groups of stealth arch-viles... as much as you can, anyway.My only real complaints are a few misalignments here and there and a sign declaring a building a cemetery and crematorium when it looks more like a library on one side and a morgue on the other, with no cemeteryin the immediate area.
  
  Verdict: A really good map, highly recommended.
  
  Note: The last review comes to us from AgentSpork, since I didn't think it'd be cool (or useful) for me to review my own map.
  
  
• Parcheesi by Owen "Sarge Baldy" Lloyd
  81kb - Vanilla Doom2 - SP - Map01 - (img) (img) (img)
  Parcheesi isn't exactly a huge map, but there are a few things that make it seem so. This map starts innocently enough, with only a few imps and some shotgun guys to deal with, but it doesn't stay that way.In fact, after exiting the first room, you are bombarded by masses of hell knights and mancubuses without enough ammo to kill them all. As I said the map actually isn't that large, but the huge monster countmakes it seem so. Overall a pretty good looking map, that doesn't have a super-high level of detail, but still looks decent. I did notice a couple of texture problems, such as the door right at the beginningbeing upper unpegged. If you like ultra-hard maps then this is the map for you. On the other hand, if you don't like ultra-hard maps, then I'm not quite so sure.
  
  

fp, better luck next time boys and girls.

fp! props to all logged in fags!

edit: :(

oh, and i don't know what old version i must have sent to agentspork, but the door at the beginning of parcheesi isn't upper unpegged.

tp!

Nice of sarge to not review his own map, and city of the damned looks very interesting.

Yippie :D Finally a map of mine made it as a screenshot in the "TopStory /newstuff" part *hehe*

Somewhat Simple is very very cool and meets up very well the feeling of Map07!

I can't find CDOOM in the source ports section of doomworld. Unless SargeBaldy is saying CSDoom

I never heard of cdoom, so I wouldn't guess that it would be in DW's port section.

Weird. It looks like both Sargebaldy's and Agent Spork's spacebar keys are malfunctioning.

Donce said:

Weird. It looks like both Sargebaldy's and Agent Spork's spacebar keys are malfunctioning.

I don't know what's up with that.. the version I sent to BS had proper spacing.

Epyo said:

I never heard of cdoom, so I wouldn't guess that it would be in DW's port section.

You can get CDoom here

sargebaldy said:

I don't know what's up with that.. the version I sent to BS had proper spacing.

Ah, I got it. There's something to do with text wrapping, since there's a space missing every 200 and a few characters.

Cdoom is a port? I thought you meant it was for Blackfish's Counter Doom.

Donce said:

Ah, I got it. There's something to do with text wrapping, since there's a space missing every 200 and a few characters.

Must've been his word wrap settings or something, when I posted 180 this didn't happen.

I wonder how Tormentor pulled off that incredible sky effect?

cyber-menace said:

I wonder how Tormentor pulled off that incredible sky effect?

Skybox.

"by the pain i see in others"

... well, there goes my intent to use that particular opeth song title in a map.

I don't really know what I should think about Gruls new map. On the one hand I really like his quite unique style, on the other hand some of the design just looks noobish and the partially godawful texture alignment makes me want to scream out loud.

Those snakes in the blood texture pack so remind me of Aliens. I don't know why considering its animated.

dethtoll said:

"by the pain i see in others"

... well, there goes my intent to use that particular opeth song title in a map.

Don't worry, there are plenty of other Opeth songs that would sound cool. "Patterns in the Ivy", "Blackwater Park", "Demon of the Fall", "Circle of the Tyrants", "In Mist She Was Standing"? Need more?

:)

boris said:

I don't really know what I should think about Gruls new map. On the one hand I really like his quite unique style, on the other hand some of the design just looks noobish and the partially godawful texture alignment makes me want to scream out loud.

Texture alignment is boring.

Grul said:

Don't worry, there are plenty of other Opeth songs that would sound cool. "Patterns in the Ivy", "Blackwater Park", "Demon of the Fall", "Circle of the Tyrants", "In Mist She Was Standing"? Need more?

circle of tyrants is a celtic frost(ed flakes!) song that opeth covered.

and i've been trying to make a map with the gothic textures called blackwater park, and it's been a real learning experience for me. i may finish it and release it, or i may do something else and call THAT blackwater park.

i actually have a plan to release a pack of maps (deathmatch of course) each named after a song on BWP. that is the best album ever.

dethtoll said:

circle of tyrants is a celtic frost(ed flakes!) song that opeth covered.

Hmm, correct when I come to think of it. Cool name still.

"By the Pain I See In Others, by Patrik Höglund"

Patrik has another winner here. Plenty of detail and great challenging gameplay.

Nice to see Sarge didn't review his own map. Not that anyone would ever stoop that low of course, mentioning no names. Ahem :-)

Well at least that exact same review wasn't typed by the author who's name start's with Chris. Then we would see some newbish bragging.

City of the Damned has to be one of the best single maps this year. Brilliant apart from one thing - where's the rocket launcher?

And of course, "How does a doom map divide my fps by 3?"

Wow tormentor, you are the only person I know who can make me play at 320x240 to get any kind of decent fps.

It's a good map though.

I tried to send this to news@doomworld.com but got a "full mailbox" error so I'll just post it here...

I doubt I'll be able to get to the site until after I return from vacation on Monday, so Newstuff may have to take a week off as well.

Sorry, but life, liberty and the pursuit of... well, stuff, y'know. See you in a week.

=-Ty

How cool was the music in Tormentors map? I loved it... which is cool, cus I made it!

Ty Halderman said:

I tried to send this to news@doomworld.com but got a "full mailbox" error so I'll just post it here...

I doubt I'll be able to get to the site until after I return from vacation on Monday, so Newstuff may have to take a week off as well.

Sorry, but life, liberty and the pursuit of... well, stuff, y'know. See you in a week.

=-Ty

Well, I've got 2 wads (1 playable in SP) so it can still appear, but obviously it'll be one of the worst ever.

Unless anyone who wants to release a wad puts it up somewhere else and lets me know where I can get it. (but then of course it won't be a newstuff wad until the week after)

l3xu5 said:

How cool was the music in Tormentors map? I loved it... which is cool, cus I made it!

So you finally registered here...great username btw. (not)

l3xu5 said:

How cool was the music in Tormentors map? I loved it... which is cool, cus I made it!

i rather enjoy it. it actually makes me think of one of the tracks on the CD audio portion of the original blood... at first. then it turns into something that makes me think of silent hill 1. nice job.