DTWID: Project is done, check the release thread

I was considering making the blood non-damaging, as the Lost souls and Spectres are threatening enough :P There are enough Rad-suits to survive it, but it could probably do without.

Any other feedback from that quickie E2M1 map would be appreciated, it is similar in size and difficulty.

Sheol's Spiraling Descent first screens.

Before lowered:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

After:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Many more to come!

I see potential, but you might want to use different decorations, and spread them out a bit.

I'll try your E2M1 now Mr. Chris, but I see some homage-ery in the second shot.

I made that in 10 minutes. Just started about 30 minutes ago. Don't worry, I'll do a good job.

Well, remember the last canceled E2 map? I got back to it, i was thinking to put it in:

E2M3: Storage Facility

C30N9 said:

E2M3: Storage Facility

You shouldn't forget Evilution MAP11 also has this name.

Cell said:

You shouldn't forget Evilution MAP11 also has this name.

E1M1: Hangar
TNT: MAP05: Hangar

However i'm not sure about the name.

Seems like E2 is the most popular episode :P

I guess when John showed up people shat so many bricks that they had to go somewhere :D

Marcaek said:

I'll try your E2M1 now Mr. Chris, but I see some homage-ery in the second shot.

Yea, I had DOOM.WAD open while creating the map so there was slight inspiration but beyond that, the rest of the map is original. If it doesn't make the cut, I'll upload it to the archives.

Marcaek said:

I was considering making the blood non-damaging, as the Lost souls and Spectres are threatening enough :P There are enough Rad-suits to survive it, but it could probably do without.

Blood is always damaging in classic Doom. Only Episode 4 deviated from the rule a couple of times.

DoomHero85 said:

Sheol's Spiraling Descent first screens.

Before lowered:
http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/4378/doom07.jpg

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

After:

http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/3055/doom08.jpg

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Many more to come!

I find the first version more classic Doomy. The second looks pwaddy. The equally textured intestine-pits remind me of MAP28 also by Petersen, nice.

Here is the current layout of my map:
http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/8594/e2m3layout.png

I like how simplistic that layout looks, C30N9.

Forget what I said about homage-y, it looks better ingame. I liked your level a lot, but:

The exit is awkward because you can't see the sign, maybe light it up a bit around the lift.

You should use something else for the secret lift with the Area map, maybe SUPPORT2.

It's a bit difficult for E2M1 :P The red key area is hectic, and I'm not sure about the Spectres in the map. They're very difficult to see in the chaingun room in particular.

dannebubinga said:

too details. lower them a little bit...
also, e2m9 is still on work, retxterured the hallway and the crate room, added a entrance in "sorta of" e2m1 gateway, also added few more rooms, and improved more other things...

"city of corpses", unlikely, is still locked. Just added few monsters, i thnk to made the starting maze more "doom-ish"...

walter confalonieri said:

too details. lower them a little bit...

Sorry, I don't understand.

dannebubinga said:

Sorry, I don't understand.

Too much detail, lower the level of it.

walter confalonieri said:

no problem, i'll see to fix them...
also nice map lorenzo
EDIT: Please change the tlite ceilings in the 3rd shots...

Thank you.
Why should i change it?

Lorenzo said:

Thank you.
Why should i change it?

It looks silly to have it as a ceiling texture when those ceiling computers have it as well.

Mr. Chris said:

It looks silly to have it as a ceiling texture when those ceiling computers have it as well.

seconded.

Hellbent said:


From Facebook chat

Hellbent said:
We're actually finding it quite difficult to make maps that could be mistaken for the originals.
One thing that I am really impressed by in the originals is the lack of detail, yet the levels don't look bland.

Romero said:
really? how come? the original maps and their design is sitting right there......

The man kinda has a point... so stop bitching and start delivering!

I think too many people think that there is some kind of magic formula to make id style maps when there's no such thing ... You could write down all the tricks and rules that Romero followed, and still make a sucky map.

Mr. Chris said:

It looks silly to have it as a ceiling texture when those ceiling computers have it as well.

Perhaps it's better if i change the ceiling computers ceiling, leaving the lights in the remaining of the area?

Lorenzo

Enlarge your map today!



I've added few new areas, making the map longer and (I hope) more E2-ish, and retextured the starting area, so it doesn't look as much as the original E2M6. There probably aren't going to be any major layout changes. I'm placing monsters and items now.

Here are a few shots portraying the changes:







GRAB-EET:
http://www.filefront.com/17755048/dtwid26.wad

Lorenzo said:

Perhaps it's better if i change the ceiling computers ceiling, leaving the lights in the remaining of the area?

Lorenzo

Yes....

Nice-looking map, ellmo, though as I walked through it, the influence from specific parts of different e2 maps was frequently obvious. I'd think "this part is like e2m6," then "oh, now I'm in e2m4," and "here's that one e2m5 area". The fact that they're textured similarly to what inspired them, and that several entire adjacent rooms and ideas seem to be based on each map, makes the comparisons almost inevitable I think.

There's also some walls that would be tutti-frutti-ing (from vertical tiling a non-128-tall texture) if it were played in vanilla. The brownhug-based texture with the round valves on it in the e2m6 part, and a couple of steps (many of the steps in Doom.wad are only 8-tall, not 16-tall like in Doom 2).

esselfortium said:

The fact that they're textured similarly to what inspired them, and that several entire adjacent rooms and ideas seem to be based on each map, makes the comparisons almost inevitable I think.

Actually I did this on purpose, to give it a more obvious E2 feel, like it's a child of all mid-late E2 levels, to be honest I like it that way, exactly because you think you've seen this somewhere before and it brings back memories, I understand however it may be in "violation" of the project rules. Retexturing those places can make wonders, but I'm not sure I want to do it just yet.

You have to make me!

E1M4 was started by Tom Hall, and he had a rough skeleton of the entire level already made by the time I got to working on it. The flow and pacing wasn't in, just architecture.

Tom had no input into the design of any of his started levels after he left id in august 93. Sandy completely took over the levels and made them his own. Most of the levels Tom started were just small stubs; nothing huge or architecturally complete. E1M4 was the most-done map.

One of my favorite levels is E3M6 because of the awesome complete openness of the level. Trying to figure out which building was next to enter was fun. I originally had a song on that level that drove me nuts for months and then i finally replaced it with the song you hear now. The song i tossed out is in the "Lost Doom Songs" zip I have on my website.

My favorite song in Doom is Sinister, E2M6(?).

Episode 4 was definitely not part of the original storyline. We made it so we could put more high-quality levels out there. So, making a level for E4 is, to me, making a level for something that wasn't part of the original core story. I think the levels are of higher quality than many E2 and E3 maps, though.

BTW, i coded every single flickering light, switch, slime/hell damage, door, platform, really anything that moved, i coded all that.

If there are any questions about Doom, ask away. It would probably be helpful for my talk at GDC this year: A Post-Mortem on DOOM.

Romero said:

If there are any questions about Doom, ask away. It would probably be helpful for my talk at GDC this year: A Post-Mortem on DOOM.

POST MORTEM? You have to be kidding, Doom is knee-deep in the dead, but it's alive and kicking itself, it has been for 17 years now ;)

As for my map - I was thinking about it, and I'm definitely not making my intension clear and the product is not finished, so here goes an explanation: I intentionally built it the way so it would host some pretty obvious "homages" and "cameos" from original E2 maps; I did it because it's just my method of trying to get into 1993 Sandy Peresen's head. I said I don't think I'm going to touch the layout anymore - as I'm completely happy with it - it doesn't mean I'm not gonna swap textures in some places. They will be changed so that the map starts to look like something more original, but plays like something familiar.

Also - for all your maps, I recommend this simple method of mine: remind yourself of a very specific landmark you saw in Doom; copy and paste; then start to change it and it's surroundings. When you start feeling like you're loosing the connection with the episode you meant to mimic - just stop changing it and move along.

Lorenzo, I think that the lights should be on the bottom of the computers, and that the ceiling should be CEIL5_1.

ellmo, you can probably use a custom TEXTURE lump with a 128 tall version of the valve texture essel mentioned. TEXTURE edits using stock patches are allowed.

As for E4 Mr Romero, we're trying to figure out what to do about it for this project. I suggested an alternate texture scheme, but there's other suggestions :) I honestly like the GSTONE, METAL and wood combo it was done in, but perhaps we could pull off another style.

How did you guys at Id choose the E4 style?

We just picked texture sets that we liked for our own levels. There wasn't an overriding art direction for them.