Sandy Peterson (sic)

Hellbent said:

I would love for people to post some screenshots of some of Petersen's work they think was ugly. I always thought his texturing style was neat and distinctive.

The level itself didn't bother me, (although I guess that gap in the doors was pretty stupid) but I just cringe when I see Nirvana's automap

Hellbent said:

I would love for people to post some screenshots of some of Petersen's work they think was ugly. I always thought his texturing style was neat and distinctive.

In previous "favorite/least fav IWAD levels", I expressed my dislike for E3M6, and people rose in defense of it, what with the open-endedness and stuff. This made me think more indepth about why I don't like this level, and it boils down to the near-allergic reaction I had with this building in particular. I hate it. It displeases me greatly.

Oddly, the building right in front of the starting point is FIREBLUed too, but doesn't annoy me. Maybe it's because in my playthroughs I generally enter it nearly right away and don't look at it again afterwards.

It's pretty much the only level I dislike for its aesthetics. I mean, a lot of people hate on E2M3 for this reason, but it doesn't bug me the way that this FIREBLU wart in the middle of E3M6 does.

Yeah, I'd say that (and the start) building are by-far the worst examples of Petersen's texturing. The guy knew what he was doing most of the time, and even really cared about alignment (more than Romero, I'd say), but then there's that. He also has a habit of using repetitive textures like wallpaper in places.

Guys, it's hell. You're not supposed to like it. If they'd known what we know at the time, there's be Fredrik's head on a stick.

I've found in my study of various iwad maps that Sandy's occasional use of shocking colors was most probably done purposefully with the intent of being just that: shocking.

The fake exit in e2m6 is the clearest example of it that I can think of: he sets you up with a standardly techy, manmade-looking exit room with a calm blue and silver theme to encourage you to let your guard down a bit, then when you trigger the trap, you're lowered into a room with bright, vivid red and pink everywhere.

When he used weird colors in a few of his maps, I'm pretty sure he was completely aware of how garish and surprising it would be, and did it specifically to serve that purpose.

I have no doubt it was intentional, but it's still completely hideous and clashes against the rest of E3M6. There's no particular reason for that building to be more shocking than the rest of the map, unlike the E2M6 elevator (which was executed brilliantly).

Hellbent said:

I would love for people to post some screenshots of some of Petersen's work they think was ugly. I always thought his texturing style was neat and distinctive.

All his city maps (specially suburbs) in Doom II are "fugly", also, map31 and map32 that originated awful wolfdoom mods. =P

Hellbent said:

I would love for people to post some screenshots of some of Petersen's work they think was ugly. I always thought his texturing style was neat and distinctive.

Here you go - 3 examples:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/wojtunio/doom359_zps04edf64d.png
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/wojtunio/doom360_zpsacb0be4e.png
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/wojtunio/doom361_zps64646854.png

And a screenshot from TEUTIC - by no means the best '94 PWAD - for comparison:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/wojtunio/doom362_zpsd13a4cef.png

The only real valid complaint about Petersen specifically is the shot from E3M1; you can see worse texture alignment than the other two in the start room of E1M1.

About the E3M1 shot: you're in hell, it's is supposed to be warped and different from our reality. That was my take on it anyway.

That E3M6 building is one of the parts I always remember when I think of that map (ditto with the triangle-shaped depression, and other weird stuff). Obviously he wasn't going for a beautiful, gothic depiction of hell but rather a very chaotic and alien one. It doesn't make sense because it's not supposed to.

Makes somewhat ugly looking levels, but they all play out pretty well and are really fun like Suburbs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f58rlLKGBfk for Matt Chat 168: Sandy Petersen on Doom, Quake, and Ensemble.

Yeah, I am not a fan of his DOOM maps either. I love the space levels like E2M2!

Wish he went into level design a bit more. Still cool.

Edit: Forgot to mention, apparently infighting was a complete accident? First I've ever heard of that. E2M9 makes even more sense now.

In Doom I in particular, his levels are okay designs, just lame textures.

Dragonsbrethren said:
Forgot to mention, apparently infighting was a complete accident?

No, if I recall correctly, the id guys have commented about this and it was intentional, arguably to evoke the idea of hellish chaos and selfish and evil monsters with tribal factions.