countdown/progressbar textures and objects

not sure if any maps already did this, but the number of great wads are in hundreds so its impossible to check them all out.

when player does something(cross line, grab item, hit a switch etc.), he often triggers something else(releasing monsters, lock/open door, changing landform etc.). however sometimes the effect is not immediate but delayed, and a countdown/progressbar object would hint the player how soon something is going to happen, especially in desperating battles like map30 of SOD.

the idea is simple: an ascending/descending pillar, textured with numbers or a distinct line between two colors, seen from a small hole(countdown) or a long and slim hole(progressbar).

That sounds very gimmicky.

What about a slow Boom-type scroller that is like a progress bar filling up?

Yes I'd do it with a voodoo doll on a conveyor, a trigger to start the conveyor scrolling, the voodoo then triggering a floor lower slowly; this would be the sector that the player can see, and also a sector at the end of the conveyor (same amount of travel), such that when it hits the bottom, the voodoo is freed up to scroll onwards and trigger the final walk line to achieve whatever it is you wanted.

Hell to Pay MAP15 (I think that's the one) has a 15 minute self destructing building map where you have to navigate the labyrinths and destroy fusion cells (reskinned commander keen dolls) to reveal the exit. The map has working displays dotted around the map that tell you the estimated time left. I think its done with lowering floors with lower unpegged textures on the outside, but it uses tiny 1px wide sectors and tremendous heights so its kind of tricky to observe how it works from within the editor. The timer uses some sort of calculation of the floors change in height per second to assemble the right floor heights and change the display at the correct time, and its surprisingly accurate -- at least within a few seconds I think.

Transfiguration has a scene like this. You're in a room with overwhelming numbers of demons and revenants, and there is a computer screen that tells you how much time is left. I really liked the idea. Usually I can get quite nervous in situations like this, almost to a point where I'm not enjoying the game anymore. The timer really helped me to calm down and have a good time.