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Dragonsbrethren

PSX Doom: The Lost Levels - New Pre-Beta Available courtesy of Salahmander2

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Am I doing something wrong? The music download, which supposedly contains all these new tracks, doesn't seem to have any new music?

EDIT: Ah, I've started hearing them - I missed them because they're too similar to Hodges' existing work. The track you've got for Mephisto's Mausoleum sounds like a mashup of Hangar and Toxin Refinery. Don't get me wrong, this is good stuff, some of it's just over-familiar.

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LOST LEVELS ADDITIONAL MUSIC

Some thoughts and feedback, hopefully it will be useful rather than obnoxious, which I'll post in stages.

I didn't play most of the maps through for this, just listened to the new music and wandered around a bit, but I did attempt a full play-through of LOST58 (Anti-Christ). This play-through raised interesting questions:

Do the Lost Levels actually suit the Playstation style? Were there reasons beyond size and complexity that some of the maps were cut? PSX Final Doom proved the hardware could handle larger maps, even if the rame rate took a hit. (In fact 32X Doom seems to have been a 1:1 copy of PC Doom - textures, maps, etc - which was quickly chopped down and and re-textured due to unacceptable frame rates, and IIRC, some maps failing to even load.)

PSX Doom features lots of small-scale (by today's standards) battles, with only a few all-out wars in Suburbs, Courtyard, maybe a couple of others. There was lots of running through forbidding corridors while the music slowly destroyed your nerves.

The Lost Plutonia maps, by contrast, are relentless meat-grinders against tough opposition. The heavyweights seem to have been used in a more controlled fashion in the original PSX maps, with some of them hardly appearing at all, but here, they're everywhere. All well and good, but this brings us round to the music.

I could not hear the creepy, subtle music benath the constant blasting of guns. It did not suit such an action-packed level. So fair enough, we could pair Anti-Christ with another music track... but which one? None of the PSX tracks, or the new ones, are suited to run-and-gun style maps. The contrast between PC and PSX Doom cannot be more apparent.

And that brings us full-circle: was this another reason Midway ditched so many Final Doom maps? Did they drop certain maps because they broke the "flow" of PSX Doom? Did they drop them because they couldn't be made to work, which is hard to believe in some cases? Or was PSX Final Doom a quick cash-grab with insufficient time to include the new maps?

EDIT: These questions are NOT a criticism of this superb project, they're just things that occurred to me.

Anyway, onto the music. I've named the tracks after the map slots they first appear in.

LOST06 - This is a mashup of the Hell Beneath and Combine (IIRC?) tracks. I loved it and you made a brilliant job of it. Hell Beneath always was one of the scarier tracks but this goes way beyond. It suits the map too. However, there remains the question of why existing music would be re-used rather than going all original.

LOST09 - Gotcha always struck me as a shitty map which is only popular because of the boss fight. Good to see the map has become a horrific experience due to moody lighting and a subtle, unsettling track which seems to contain distant demonic voices. I'd say it suits the map but it's so quiet that you just cannot hear it over the Cybie stomping around.

LOST11 - This is genuinely scary stuff, with the ambient music during the "breathing" part reminding me of FDoom's Catwalk. Overall, while it partly has a Playstation vibe, it sounds like a higher quality version of the music from Doom 64, providing nice continuity across the "franchise" (for want of a better word). The high-pitched instruments can be clearly heard above the destruction and it makes the map a lot more enjoyable.

LOST14 - As creepy as fuck, sounds like a modern take on Doom 64 and also evokes memories of the PSX Final Doom score. This music might better suit a cramped, dark, indoor map with a temple or hell theme as opposed to the somewhat expansive layout. Titan Manor is "too pretty" for it. (Obviously this is subjective.)

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Next instalment.

In my references to volume, in order to even hear some of these tracks I had my GZDoom music and sound effects both set to 1.0. I usually have music set to 0.2 and sound effects at 1.0, so this was quite an increase, and I still struggled. You might get away with pretending it's an oblique reference to the light levels in Doom 64 being too low to see anything? ;)

LOST17 - This is a another mashup, this time of Hangar, Toxin Refinery and Sever the Wicked. I didn't even know it was a new track until I randomly gave the map another playtest. It's a good track, perhaps not as foreboding as this map would require, but nostalgic and nice to listen to. I keep seeing the FDoom map Crater in my head when I hear it. This was the first track I played for my brother, another Aubrey Hodges fan, and he was really impressed with it. So yeah, it's a crowd-pleaser.

LOST19 - For some reason this is another one that I didn't recognise as new the first time. It's miles too quiet. It's menacing rather than terrifying but seems to go well with this dark techbase map and evokes a nice atmosphere. It's also (apparently) really short, maybe even Virgil short, and it's obvious when the track ends and loops. I'd suggest this track needs some work to make it perfect.

LOST20 - It's VERY Final Doom, clearly based on the Canyon track, which was a subtle yet effective piece of music, but it is so close to the original I'm not actually sure if it's one of your new tracks. So I'll drop this now just in case.

LOST26 - Sounds very similar to Hangar with the background music from Sever the Wicked, with that essential Doom 64 feel. This one seemed a bit quiet compared to the action going on but I really liked this one, even if it's a bit familiar. It fits in perfectly alongside Hodges' work.

LOST28 - Nice! This is an Aubrey Hodges style remake of one of my favourite PC Ultimate Doom tracks. This answers what some people have surely wondered, which is "What if Hodges had done a PSX version of the original soundtrack?" The result is something I've never heard before - as far as I know, nobody has even attempted it - and this is likely to be the most exciting track for geeks like me. EDIT: Sorry, someone did do something like this on Youtube IIRC - something about playing the original music with PSX and N64 instruments? But they mostly sounded like an incoherent mess, yours is awesome.

LOST29 - A mashup of Hell Beneath, making this probably the second piece to use it, and Command Centre/Redemption Denied, with a heavy bias in favour of the latter track. These work superbly well together, they combine a lonely melancholy with outright creepiness, and to parahprase Jeremy Clarkson, "some poo came out" when it started. One of your best pieces.

LOST31 - Again, this sounds like Sever the Wicked, which was one of the better of Hodges' ambient tracks. As with Lost29, this sounds so much like the original, and it's so bloody quiet, that some people might miss it. A shame, for despite its similarity to other tracks, it really does capture the Playstation feel. Please turn the volume up a bit on these tracks!

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Why was the music choice of mine changed in And Hell Followed and Baron's Den?

I had thought only my music choice for Open Season was changed and I was okay with that.

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MajorRawne, thank you very much for comments!

Well, about re-editing music tracks - possibly I'll try to rearrange it again, but not now, sorry.

Glad you liked my work!

Avoozl, I'm sorry, I thought that changed tracks suits better to those maps. Of course it's subjective opinion, so maybe I did a mistake when I've edited music list...

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DeXiaZ said:

Avoozl, I'm sorry, I thought that changed tracks suits better to those maps. Of course it's subjective opinion, so maybe I did a mistake when I've edited music list...

I just felt Track 13 at least suited And Hell Followed, I also felt it was like PSX Doom's equivalent Sinister as well.

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I downloaded all the updated files. However, I'm having a couple issues with the Lost Levels. If I select Lost Levels in the episode select screen and then IDCLEV to another level, it takes me back to the corresponding original PSX Doom map. Secondly, if I drag and drop the new music by DeXiaZ along with the corresponding .PK3, I still get the original TC's music. Can anyone help me correct these simple problems? Thanks in advance.

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Job said:

I downloaded all the updated files. However, I'm having a couple issues with the Lost Levels. If I select Lost Levels in the episode select screen and then IDCLEV to another level, it takes me back to the corresponding original PSX Doom map. Secondly, if I drag and drop the new music by DeXiaZ along with the corresponding .PK3, I still get the original TC's music. Can anyone help me correct these simple problems? Thanks in advance.


Forget about IDCLEV cheat. Use console by pressing "~" and type "map lost##", ## is number of map. For example - map lost27

About pk3 file - you should change psxdoom.bat file

Edit the last line like this:

START GZDOOM.EXE +EXEC PSXDOOM.CFG -CONFIG PSXDOOM.INI -IWAD doom2.WAD -file PSXLOST.PK3 PSXFDHUD.pk3 PSXSSG.pk3 PSXLLTitlemap.pk3 PSXLOSTMUS.pk3
If you're using zandronum version, make similar codes via "-file PSXLOST.pk3 PSXLOSTMUS.pk3"

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DeXiaZ said:

Forget about IDCLEV cheat. Use console by pressing "~" and type "map lost##", ## is number of map. For example - map lost27

About pk3 file - you should change psxdoom.bat file

Edit the last line like this:

START GZDOOM.EXE +EXEC PSXDOOM.CFG -CONFIG PSXDOOM.INI -IWAD doom2.WAD -file PSXLOST.PK3 PSXFDHUD.pk3 PSXSSG.pk3 PSXLLTitlemap.pk3 PSXLOSTMUS.pk3
If you're using zandronum version, make similar codes via "-file PSXLOST.pk3 PSXLOSTMUS.pk3"

Thank you!

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I've been experimenting with the contrast/gamma/brightness settings for the PSX Doom TC, what are the optimal settings you guys would recommend?

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Piper Maru said:

I've been experimenting with the contrast/gamma/brightness settings for the PSX Doom TC, what are the optimal settings you guys would recommend?

YMMV, but I found these are very close to emulating the appearance of PSX Doom:

Display Settings
Gamma 1.20
Brightness -0.2
Contrast 0.9
Vertical Sync off

Texture Options
Texture Filter Mode: None
Anistropic Filtering: 16x (this may vary)
Texture Format: RGBS_A1
Resize Textures/Sprites: Off
High Quality Textures: Off

Open GL Preferences
Sector Light Mode: Doom
Render Quality: Speed
Ambient Light Level: 120.0 (this is important)
Vertex Buffer: Off

Although some of these settings may be redundant for some users, it should be a very good starting point on most computers.

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Piper Maru said:

Thank you kindly for the response, I've changed the settings and it looks pretty good!

Great, glad to hear it. The only setting worth messing with, if you're not quite satisfied at any point, is balancing the ambient light level against the contrast and gamma. But if it still looks a bit too bright, I'd recommend an ambient light setting of 110.0.

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It's been ages since I asked someone this but where's the rebalancing mod that slows the player down? (If it exists.) It's possible to run rings round the monsters as you still seem to move at PC speeds.

I also forgot to finish these off:

LOST34 - Seems to combine PSX Doom and Final Doom with a distinct D64 flavouring. It's really subtle and quite quiet, and sounds overly familiar. The map itself has interesting ideas but is flawed in execution with water that suddenly hurts for no reason and monster deployment that can only be written off as "bollocks".

LOST36 - Easily one of the scariest so far, is this a straight port of a Doom 64 track or is it a mashup?

LOST37 - A blending of a Computer-Station style track (with hints of Hangar) with the unsettling Doom 64 vibe. This one is not as beautiful as Toxin Refinery but seems like that kind of almost melodic track.

LOST42 - Pure Doom 64 with the addition of some really disturbing (and gracefully under-used) voices.

LOST45 - This one sounded familiar. It's quite disturbing, pure Doom 64.

LOST52 - Similar to LOST45. While the Doom 64 ones are more unsettling and often outright scarier than the PSX style music, I don't know, I just don't like it as much. That isn't to deny how well made it is of course. A dark and forboding level set in hell would suit this music really well.

LOST53 - The banging sound is effective, as it sounds like an Imp trying batter its way through a shutter, or a locked door. It recalls some of the more PSX-style Doom 64 tracks.

LOSt58 - A nicely creepy track which suits the underground map type that it's been paired with, but I couldn't hear it behind the constant blasting of gunfire.

LOST60 - This one's immediately obvious to have been chosen for this map, as it sounds like wind echoing along empty streets with vaguely discernible demonic roars. It sounds like the final stages of a world gone to hell.

LOST62 - It's difficult to tell if this is a new track at times although I am 100% certain it is new. It's kind of a blend of Mount Erebus and Hangar without the babies crying. Definitely fits the feel of Hodges' work.

LOST64 - Same music as LOST29?

LOST66 - It's only fair that a new map should get new music. Not sure if this one has already been used, don't think so, it had a Mark Snow Files vibe, a kind of repeating, almost breathing style of music that accompanied some of the scarier X-Files episodes. It's worth repeating how much better this map is than the one it replaces, it's a pity we'll never know whether the Playstation could have actually run it.

LOST71 - Been a while since I started reviewing these tracks but I'm pretty sure this one has been used on a previous map. Still creepy as fuck.

LOST72 - As for LOST71.

INTERMISSION MUSIC - I actually preferred the original one, sorry :( Yours is good though, don't get me wrong, people are going to like it.

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Thank you very much for reviewing and commenting my work! I'm really appreciate it!

LOST34 - Seems to combine PSX Doom and Final Doom with a distinct D64 flavouring. It's really subtle and quite quiet, and sounds overly familiar. The map itself has interesting ideas but is flawed in execution with water that suddenly hurts for no reason and monster deployment that can only be written off as "bollocks".


I'll make a revelation - this track inspired by Resident Evil 2 soundtrack. But I know LOST34 doesn't sounds like Resident Evil music... About water - sorry, my bad (I'm the "recreator" of this map, and of course Salahmander2 is our "saver" and second mapper, but I forgot to fix this).

LOST36 - Easily one of the scariest so far, is this a straight port of a Doom 64 track or is it a mashup?

It's a mashup. I've used D64 soundtrack (first Cyberdemon appearance) in Hell style.

LOST45 - This one sounded familiar. It's quite disturbing, pure Doom 64.

Well, it's a custom track (not reused from Doom games), but moment with scary creatures which are crying "Aaaah, aaaaah, aaah! [lol]" really sounds like it was already in original soundtrack.

LOST52 - Similar to LOST45. While the Doom 64 ones are more unsettling and often outright scarier than the PSX style music, I don't know, I just don't like it as much. That isn't to deny how well made it is of course. A dark and forboding level set in hell would suit this music really well.


You're right in most parts of this commentary :)

LOST53 - The banging sound is effective, as it sounds like an Imp trying batter its way through a shutter, or a locked door. It recalls some of the more PSX-style Doom 64 tracks.


I'm afraid (still) that people will dislike this "banging sound". But yes, I think it's still atmospheric.

LOST60 - This one's immediately obvious to have been chosen for this map, as it sounds like wind echoing along empty streets with vaguely discernible demonic roars. It sounds like the final stages of a world gone to hell.

Absolutely right! This track based on Alien Vendetta MAP30 music with my edits. Yeah, all guys who somehow helped were credited in "demo title" (when you doesn't run game and waiting for xmass)

INTERMISSION MUSIC - I actually preferred the original one, sorry :( Yours is good though, don't get me wrong, people are going to like it.


It's ok. Honestly I don't like it on 100%.

The first version of intermission music was epic theme based on Doom 64 intermission and Doom PSX intermission (not a mix/mashup, just inspired and recreated with old instruments), but I denied it because 70% of track were also repeating of old theme - https://youtu.be/atdyHvLhJXo?t=29s

This version is "second" (I'm lying but let's not count "prototype" versions) and I wanted to use rock music after choir sequence. Well...<!> I just failed with it <!> and I did an orchestra sequence (like original PSX intermission). But anyway it still sounds "specific" and "dark" in my opinion.

P.S.: You forgot about ending theme... xD

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I'm currently at a hospital appointment so can't listen to your Youtube track yet (I can only imagine what other people would do if they heard Aubrey Hodges-eqsue music coming from my phone!) but look very forward to hearing it. I thought there might be an ending theme, but being unfamiliar with the Lost Levels maps, I've forgotten where the final exit is, so didn't hear it... yet!

Overall your work has been terrific, you brought the 90s, and a lot of peoples childhoods/adolescence back to life in a way I only dreamed of. If I ever become a regular, consistent mapper, I wouldn't hesitate to use your new music.

Finally, the banging noise should certainly stay. It would be like the Alien Trilogy music without the chestburster squeals and lightning crackles. It scared the shit out of me and you need to keep it.

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I don't mean to seem lazy but is there a download link somewhere that has the latest version of the lost levels, PSX Doom and the multifarious add-ons, at all?

There are dozens of pages to wade through and there seem to be lots of builds of each component of both this project and the main PSX Doom one.

Thanks for any help. :)

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^^ Agreed, I'm still playing with a 2 year old version of the TC because I can't be arsed to spend weeks reading the thread (and there's another PSX TC thread floating around too). I can't even find my own reviews of all the maps.

I tried to exit Odyssey of Noises to listen to the ending music but the game crashed saying it couldn't find map LOST61B. Is there any way I can get the ending theme to play in-game?

EDIT: Sorry, I'm confusing the Lost Levels TC with the PSX TC... so blood confusing ;)

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Thank you very much, MajorRawne! Glad you really liked my work!

P.S.: There is an another way to listen my music - just open pk3 file via Winrar archiver or Slade Doom Editor

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DeXiaZ said:

Thank you very much, MajorRawne! Glad you really liked my work!

P.S.: There is an another way to listen my music - just open pk3 file via Winrar archiver or Slade Doom Editor

Excellent, I'll do this, thanks! I love the PSX tracks but after 20 years it's nice to hear the new ones.

Doom_user, thanks for the links.

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I enjoyed the tracks that you made and remixed, DeXiaZ. I wouldn't mind having a whole wad of tracks that I could load up with other maps or map sets.

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Again thanks, guys!

If PSX Doom NRTFL project woudl be created, I would be happy to create new music pack for this project...

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I don't know why you changed my maps music but I didn't think you had a slot which required you to change all of them, I only thought you could only work on your own maps, I just don't understand why I can't get a say with at least one of the maps I worked on.

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Avoozl said:

I don't know why you changed my maps music but I didn't think you had a slot which required you to change all of them, I only thought you could only work on your own maps, I just don't understand why I can't get a say with at least one of the maps I worked on.


My pk3 isn't official part of mod and it's MY vision how maps should sound like. As I said before - if someone had a reason to dislike any part of this .pk3 file (like impboy4 user) - just don't download it, this file isn't necessary. Play original version without my tracks.

BTW, in original version all my maps had another tracks, not choosed by me. And I didn't found this so bad fact.

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I would like to help with the NRFTL project (if there is one) but it'll probably just be limited to enthusing and playtesting, and suggesting music assignments if the mappers are open to it.

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