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Crunchynut44

Unconventional texture choices that just work

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Emulating realism with Doom textures is far and few between, so what's the best looking texture combination you have seen or created that when put together look incredible from either an abstract or realistic standpoint?

This is something I put together just yesterday, and to be honest I really like the look of it despite how little sense it makes. I can see this becoming a common in my future maps:

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That is a cool room. Remind me of Thy Flesh Consumed a little.

For me almost any combination of 2-3 iwad textures can be interesting as long as it's not some classic family-friendly theme that I've seen in 1000 wads already. But this is only for iwad graphics: when custom textures come into play, for some reason I get incredibly picky and find many ideas repulsive. The iwad graphics somehow work perfectly together. Maybe it's just because I'm so used to them.

Also I think texture misalignments are very fascinating. Some mappers strive for perfect alignment everywhere, but to me this basically means that they limit themselves to just one use of each texture. Whereas in a level with no alignment at all the same texture can appear in thousands of variations depending on the wall lengths. Nowadays I usually don't need horizontal alignment at all. Vertical is a bit more important.

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At least half the maps in Going Down feature some texture combinations that are uniquely unconventional and awe-inspiring at the same time.

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That's not fair, tekwall4 goes with everything.

Btw SUPPORT3 as a step texture looks cool with any flat, except maybe f_sky. E4M2 even uses it with lava.

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Crunchynut44 said:

Emulating realism with Doom textures is far and few between, so what's the most unrealistic texture combination you have seen or created that when put together look incredible from either an abstract or realistic standpoint?

This is something I put together just yesterday, and to be honest I really like the look of it despite how little sense it makes. I can see this becoming a common in my future maps:

http://i.imgur.com/QDApoUN.png

I'm not sold on the ceiling flat, to be honest.


There was a level that used a lot of the Wolfenstein blue stone textures in a sort of large techbase with caverny bits, and it worked surprisingly well. I can't remember how it was called, though.

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I like to combine marble and wood, as odd as they are materialistically. I've always found wood to be super evil, I think because of how liberally it was used in Doom 1's E4, and the fact that it's a fairly brutal episode (at least in the beginning). Marble was used very effectively in PSX Final Doom, so I think that's why I have such a fondness for those textures as well. Using them both within a map can produce interesting results. I think it's also because the colors go well together.

Gez said:

I'm not sold on the ceiling flat, to be honest.


There was a level that used a lot of the Wolfenstein blue stone textures in a sort of large techbase with caverny bits, and it worked surprisingly well. I can't remember how it was called, though.


I was thinking the same, but it could probably work if a few more architectural accents, like trim or some recesses, were added.

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I think a lot of unconventional things can go well together when the lighting is good. Try playing Hellbound with lite-amp visors on and see how weird it is. It looks really good on its own though.

Lately I haven't been too finicky about textures looking good together or aligned very well because what you really see is the lighting if you're willing to go crazy with it, which I have been working on more lately, and usually do last after everything else is in the map is done.

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@kuchitsu: I also appreciate it when people use the stock textures in ways that invokes surrealism, like step textures being used on flats that look like a different material. Same goes for misalignment, though I can't deal with windows that have not got the upper and lower textures pegged.


@scifista42: Agreed, Mouldy is the kind of unconventional texture use. Going Down had plenty of it, as did his map for 50 Shades of Greytall, which had some really creative use of such textures.


@40oz: Haha this is very true, I tend to over use it a bit as well XD


@Gez: I think for me it's more the colour scheme that I find really eye pleasing, though I tried the same colours using other textures and I didn't find it had the same result.

I have never seen the wolf textures used outside of a secret map, that would be cool to see.


@GoatLord: Marble and wood definitely go hand in hand,it makes for a perfect temple theme.

Yes it definitely needs a recess, though in this case I am going for simplicity. Ill keep it in mind for future reference though.

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40oz said:

Lately I haven't been too finicky about textures looking good together or aligned very well because what you really see is the lighting if you're willing to go crazy with it, which I have been working on more lately, and usually do last after everything else is in the map is done.

It's not just me, then. Lighting is king and can sell almost anything. I really came to appreciate that with Strife: Veteran edition, when I realized that the softened shadows and bloom made the game I had played often enough before look a zillion times better. The concept of course extends to sector-based dramatic lighting as well as smooth gradients. Give me good lighting and you can sell me on plenty of texture choices.

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