Your knowledge of WADs can help me.

So, with my current level set, I'm loosely following the themes of the names of the episode 1 levels -- right now I'm at MAP03, which is to be Toxin Refinery. Kinda.

Anywho, I can't see much on Google image searches in the way of refineries that I can actually translate to Doom architecture, so I'm asking you guys -- have there been any really awesome and/or inspiring WADs with levels based on refineries?

I'm not looking to copy outright, but get inspiration.

There are dozens and dozens of wads with "refinery" in their name, but I don't know if any of those actually followed any theme (I think 90% of mappers, myself included, just sortof slap a title on after a map is done).



Just one of countless diagrams. Gives a mental sort of idea of an industrial process. It's not detailed enough to grab architecture ideas from, but you can abstract the different components into your level (it doesn't really matter if the player understands what each vat/pump/whatever represents in real life).

Heh, this thread amuses me as I draw PFDs (Process Flow Diagrams) of refineries up as a job.

ComicMischief said:

Anywho, I can't see much on Google image searches in the way of refineries that I can actually translate to Doom architecture

I'd say that's the very issue with them, such design is not conducive to good gameplay imo. I think you'll have to go fairly abstract for it to work. Here's a site with some decent pictures of a bauxite refinery. Just think pipes, pipes and more pipes. :P

Try BLODSTEL.wad MAP03. Perhaps it is not exactly what you're looking for but it might give you some ideas.

Khorus said:

Heh, this thread amuses me as I draw PFDs (Process Flow Diagrams) of refineries up as a job.

Will you hide an Easter egg in it?

Vorpal's diagram is going to inform the layout of this map, in a vague way. I think.

My priority is gameplay with the maps I'm making, although some sense of theme would be pretty awesome too. For the one based on E1M2's name; Nuclear Plant; I pretty much settled on a few areas with coolant storage and processing and went with that. No reactor areas per se, but enough machinery and computers around to make it look like there's some tenuous mechanism afoot.

If there are no halfway-decent refinery maps out there, I guess I'll aim at making one of the first. ;)

Vorpal said:

You should base your intermission screen on this!

Pretty much every feature in Vorpal's diagram could be represented recognizably in Doom engine architecture. You wouldn't want to just string them together and call it a map, but having the ponds, heaters and cylindrical tanks as setpieces in a map otherwise designed for gameplay would be a good compromise.

My industrial zone map, though never finished, was based on a lot of pics from refineries and factories...

http://www.mediafire.com/?0h3h918bkyifzmh

It's e4m2.

jerrysheppy said:

t having the ponds, heaters and cylindrical tanks as setpieces in a map otherwise designed for gameplay would be a good compromise.

This is totally what I'm doing. I have a 'concept' for the gameplay of MAP03, should be something quite unique. I think. My knowledge of what's been done before isn't a great as some (hence topics like this) but I'm sure I can throw some nice surprises into my levelset here and there.

NaturalTvventy, I'll check out yours later. :)

My memory is not good enough to remember specific "Refinery" named maps, however I seem to recall Kurt Kesler maps having a mostly industrial theme. Might be a good starting point?