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schwerpunk

[WiP] "The Dreaded Word" 1 of 3 levels describing a journey from Ruins to Techbase

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Thanks to Jimi, mouldy, hex11, and gggmork for feedback!

[download v0.4] - latest
-changed a bunch of stuff
-to avoid confusion, damaging water is now blood
-radiation suits added
-gussied up
-made UV harder again


[download v0.3]
-added rocket launcher + ammo
-made UV easier
-misc cosmetic changes


[download v0.2]
-green armour easier to get
-added second green armour
-added grass (cosmetic)

[download v0.1]
-first draft

designed for: Chocolate Doom Singleplayer
iWAD: DOOM2.wad
difficulties: all (only tested on HMP)
tested with: Chocolate Doom, Chocorenderlimits
level length: longish (20~ mins)
custom music: none (taking suggestions)
custom textures: mudwater.wad
inspirations: too many, but mainly DTS-T by Deathmatcher

I'm looking for feedback on anything and everything. Particularly, on 1) aesthetics, 2) health/ammo, 3) fun factor, and 4) whatever else. Any feedback is appreciated, but if it's shit I'd like to know how exactly it's shit. The boring metal part is presently the least polished, because it's so tedious to bring up to snuff. And now because you're a bunch of illiterate, yet lovable hyenas, here's some screenshots:



outdoor area with ruins and steep cliffs


indoor ruins with new supports


underground ruins with supports missing


leads to collapses like this one


briefly transitions into boring metal stuff

EDIT: derp, forgot to mention this is for Doom 2.

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Felt more like large to me. Well, took me around 4 tries to get through it, and 20 mins. Could have been two or three levels easily.

Maybe the armor could have been in an easier place, and maybe there could have been another later. And maybe some medikits.. I always got to the berserk when I had just picked up the soulsphere, so it didn't feel like a health item.

Also it was a bit weird for the blue water to be damaging. The spectre at the exit tunnel was a bit unnecessary.

The metal end section could use some woodmet* or wood5.

The outdoor ruins were pretty cool. There could have been some more of them, and maybe some more grass areas.

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Nice map, here's a fda in which I died:
http://www.mediafire.com/download/5xdkttq0e3u56da/tdsw-mouldy.lmp

I really liked the oganic feel to the layout. After dying I started again and went a completely different route, seems like there are a lot of different paths to take.

I found it fairly tough going, definitely didn't feel like a short map. I was struggling for ammo and health a lot of the time and ended up having to play a bit more conservatively than I like to, but thats just me I guess. What I would say is that the armour was a bit of a pain in the bum to get to and I could have used more of it.

The fighting was cool, lots of chaotic scenery to make use of during the ambushes, although I was getting pretty bored with that shotgun after a while. I felt like it could do with more texture variety as well, that blue brick and brown rock was giving me a bit of eye fatigue, and the metal area at the end is also a bit uniform. Nice use of lighting though. Damaging blue water was a bit weird...

Looks like I've pretty much repeated everything Jimi said.

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I liked the looks, and weird architecture. Also liked the way lone imps kept stepping out from nooks and crannies.

I had a lot of trouble getting the green armor. Kept missing that jump! It would be a lot easier if it was on the high pillar instead of the one after it (running into the side of that pillar can mess you up).

Health & ammo seemed fine, but it's very non-linear, so I ended up several times with no shells, only to find a whole bunch around a few bends. But that's fine, there's enough there.

Some parts are really dark, especially the part after you go down a lift. I got ambushed down there, and had some trouble seeing where the monsters were. I heard a hell knight sound off, and felt then saw his shots coming at me at some point, but couldn't locate him for some time (was busy fighting imps who kept coming out of the darkness). Maybe some more light would be nice.

There's also some damaging water down there (next to a waterfall), and I didn't like that, especially since there's non-damaging blood elsewhere. It's probably better to make that into lava, or remove the damaging sector type.

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Thanks a lot for the feedback, guys.

Jimi said:

Felt more like large to me. Well, took me around 4 tries to get through it, and 20 mins. Could have been two or three levels easily.

Damn, then my biggest fear has come to pass. I've once more succumbed to map sprawl.

Jimi said:

Maybe the armor could have been in an easier place, and maybe there could have been another later. And maybe some medikits..

Armour is now easier to get, and I've added another near the blue skullkey. Added stimpacks (saving medikits for special occasions), too.

Jimi said:

I always got to the berserk when I had just picked up the soulsphere, so it didn't feel like a health item.

Yeah... Which is why I pretty much forced the player to pick it up by triggering that stampede of Pinkies. I could just make it a chainsaw, but I prefer the 'zerk for that room.

Jimi said:

Also it was a bit weird for the blue water to be damaging. The spectre at the exit tunnel was a bit unnecessary.

Mh. My reasoning is that I'm making extensive use of brown and green, and I wanted those fountains to pop, as they're the primary source of monster spawns. Also, I thought it was funny to turn an old Doom notion on it's head. *Shrug.* Took the Spectre out. It was stupid.

Jimi said:

The metal end section could use some woodmet* or wood5.

It definitely could, but I'm purposefully going for the boring, boxy look. Caves and ruins are more organic, whereas the metal rooms are mostly right-angles and same-y texturing.

Jimi said:

The outdoor ruins were pretty cool. There could have been some more of them, and maybe some more grass areas.

I'd love to add more, but I'm already right at the visplane limit in some areas, so unfortunately I can't afford it. Added more grass, though. You're right - looks better.

mouldy said:

The fighting was cool, lots of chaotic scenery to make use of during the ambushes, although I was getting pretty bored with that shotgun after a while.

Yeah, it's way too long for a shotgun-only map (although there is a secret chaingun behind a mudfall). Maybe I'll throw in a rocket launcher somewhere. Might make the close quarters fighting even more hectic! >:D

mouldy said:

I felt like it could do with more texture variety as well, that blue brick and brown rock was giving me a bit of eye fatigue, and the metal area at the end is also a bit uniform.

The limited texture palette and spartan metal rooms are a bit of an experiment. Although perhaps the length of the level is trying Doomers' patience. I'm looking at ways to spice it up a bit now...

hex11 said:

Some parts are really dark, especially the part after you go down a lift. I got ambushed down there, and had some trouble seeing where the monsters were. I heard a hell knight sound off, and felt then saw his shots coming at me at some point, but couldn't locate him for some time (was busy fighting imps who kept coming out of the darkness). Maybe some more light would be nice.

I dunno, man. What you described sounds pitch perfect to me. As long as it wasn't annoying, this level of franticness is what I'm going for.

hex11 said:

There's also some damaging water down there (next to a waterfall), and I didn't like that, especially since there's non-damaging blood elsewhere. It's probably better to make that into lava, or remove the damaging sector type.

The damaging water seems to be universally disliked. I like the idea myself (reason mentioned above), but I also like your suggestion of using lava, as I'm not using a lot of red anywhere else in the texturing, either. Also, I guess it doesn't need to damage the player - would become obvious after a while that water = danger.

P.S. @ mouldy: What do I play your FDA in? Looks like Doom95? Too legit for me, lol.

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fda, probably like 6 deaths cuz I suck at fda the game cheats against me:
http://filesmelt.com/dl/tdsw02-01-fda.lmp
I don't think its too sprawling or any problem with shotgun/berzerk. Good tyson potential.
Only problems I saw: 1) a stimpack near a waterfall where 4 shotgunners spawn is kinda hard to get in prboom+ cuz its lower than ground level in a tight corner (but still can get it. 2) you can do that no shooting trick at the start which I eventually started doing (but I don't think this is a problem because it makes for a fun slight "exploit" route, and lets you have the option to pick up the pace and skip past an otherwise long forced punching sequence).

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schwerpunk said:

P.S. @ mouldy: What do I play your FDA in? Looks like Doom95? Too legit for me, lol.


Should work with prboom +

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@ gggmork: Heh, I was specifically thinking of you when trying to make the map tyson-able. Fixed the stimpack near the font for v0.3. Also, you don't even have to hit the button to raise the first bars if you find the Soulsphere secret shortcut. ;)

Playing your fda in prboom+ desynchs. Must be a version thing.

@ mouldy: Works now! Thanks, fun fda. I will admit to cackling maniacally when you triggered traps. I was worried they wouldn't be intense enough, because I can't help but anticipate them when I'm testing the map. Watching your fda, I think they were just right.

Based on your feedback, I've ended up adding a rocket launcher in the underground ruin in v0.3. Still working on peppering the area with rockets, but at least now there's a reward for surviving that trap.

P.S. Did all of you guys play in UV? To be honest, I only optimized HMP for health and ammo. UV isn't really meant to be fair. Anyway, I took out some of the more annoying bullet sponges and added back some of the stimpacks.

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UV for me. I always figure HMP is the cinema release and UV is the directors cut, so you have more artistic license to be brutal and heartless with UV.

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