Screenshots of a beginner WAD

Since everybody has been so helpful thus far on the editing forum, I thought it would be nice to link to some pics of my progress. I don't know how many of you frequent both forums, but if anybody else has anything to say, I'm interested in your opinion too.

I've been adding resources to this WAD like crazy and want it to be as epic as possible. At the same time, I used an original Doom level as a base--but you'd be hard-pressed to recognize it. It's been completely changed, with new rooms and corridors and gobs of insanity. It has what I like to think is a tasteful mashup of sprites, models, voxels, Brutal/Beautiful/Cosmetic Doom features and more. If there's anyone who thinks a newbie wouldn't be able to keep all of that under control, I assure you, I'm learning fast. But if you think it's inevitable that it will all clash, well, speak your mind.

Kudos if anyone can tell me which map it is, but so far I've only uploaded four screenshots. Be aware--a few textures in these screenshots haven't been finalized yet.

http://imgur.com/WOyXe85,lmnlXBL,5cWSEpR,Bz6qvQo#0

I like the rock texture, but it doesn't fit with the other textures, or the Marble face. And that ceiling, won't work with everything you've got here either. New textures need to have a cohesive theme, and putting two busy textures next to each other that aren't the same theme is an eyesore. New textures can be good, but don't just put in random ones. The medikit sprite is a bit too industrial looking for such a clean map too.

If you can, go to the library and read some graphic design books about color use and patterns.

Well, to be fair, the floor and ceiling in the first image don't match what I intend to put there. On the other hand, I'm pretty attached to the rocks and marble face together, especially with the windows there too.

What constitutes a "clean" map?

I don't think it is that miss matched....rock and marble can go together easily.

I don't know if this is the intention, but the map looks to me like it is a blend of an industrial factory/warehouse sort of thing, built into a much older structure. Contrast will happen there, and if contrast is done right, it keeps things interesting.

I must confess that I was taking it as I went along at the beginning with very little solid idea of where you're supposed to be. As I've been working I thought up a couple ideas to explain it. I'm thinking maybe the UAC was digging a new underground facility, and they accidentally dug right next to an underground demonic temple. So there's been a lot of fighting and smuggling each other's stuff back and forth, and they put up bars and force-fields to keep each other out, and the UAC decided to experiment on some of the new life they found...etc.

I know, a good WAD doesn't need a story, but it could use something to explain the hodgepodge of rooms. Each room is consistent with itself and they segue as you go, but I'm expecting mixed reviews.

Here is, I hope, a more compelling image. There's a ceiling turret by the window and another discreetly hidden above the cabinet to the left, but I destroyed them before I took the pic. The dead thing on the floor is a Hacx Buzzer.

http://imgur.com/fcu98UP

rabidrage said:

http://imgur.com/fcu98UP

Well, this is just a very small room, with flat floor and ceiling and a couple details, unimportant from gameplay perspective. Not bad, of course; it's good, yet really simple and small-scale. I only wanted to point out that screenshots of impressive architecture look differently. That's what you should primarily rely on - impressive architecture - when showing screenshots of your progress; not just purely on texture/thing resources.

Yeah, I'm really impressed by what some people can do with their architecture. It's going to be a very long time before I can emulate their work even a little bit, so for now I've focused on resources, traps and game balance regarding ammo/powerups vs. enemies. I'd like to think I've gotten pretty good at hiding the bigger items, but it's still not worth showing off.

All the same, it's nice to know where I stand--I now know I definitely need to invest more time in my architecture.

Can a map be enjoyable without all kinds of weird angles and sectors within sectors within sectors?

Of course it can, too many weird angles and overdetail might get messy and even disgusting to look at, if done badly.

However, it's worth to put effort to make a map easily navigable and also comfortable to move around. That means, provide enough space for a comfortable free movement and combat, without bumping into anything. Too many cramped areas are generally bad from this standpoint, not to mention that they're often unimpressive to look at.

Yeah, I've been trying to avoid clutter. That room got a bit busy, for sure. I want to put some goodies behind the table and I'm counting on people to use jumping, so they might find them.

Back in the day I was always a fan of big, mazelike WADs full of corridors and row upon row of rooms branching off of them. I liked exploring them even when the architecture was very orthogonal. Hopefully I can mitigate the tightness of some areas by keeping them uncluttered and making other areas big and open.