Barrels

What's dw's opinion on barrels? I dont see barrels used very often. Perhaps because they have a strictly techbase look to them that would make them kinda juxtaposed in other themed maps.

I think it kinda sucks how rarely they're used. I think they can be a great compromise for introducing tough monsters without giving away the good weapons early. They're also very interesting in ammo-tight maps, where they can be a severe danger in some circumstances if you don't want to waste the ammo to destroy them as you pass them. I think there's some missed potential for cool chain explosions like in MAP23 barrels of fun.

I like modified barrels that will burn for a bit after you shoot them and then explode (but explode instantly when hit with a rocket or other explosion). It adds the extra element of timing to the mix.

I think there's barrels in every map I've done..maybe not the BTSX one on second thought. I'll never tire of them.

Haha I made a map using a shitload of barrels to enforce a stealth approach. You have to use your fists to stealth kill (BD). Also I chucked in an Archvile on a platform to increase the intensity.

Barrels might be more useful if they were immune from monster damage, as often a monster fireball will set them off before you get a chance to plan some stategic usage of them.

I love barrels

40oz said:

I think it kinda sucks how rarely they're used. I think they can be a great compromise for introducing tough monsters without giving away the good weapons early.

I agree. I remember them being used this way in some recent high-profile megawads like BTSX and Valiant, but usually in no more than several maps. However, barrels are fun to use against both weak and tough monsters, and not only for the gibbing animations of the weak ones.

A lot of people use them crappily. Sometimes the mapper sees barrels as nothing but a gimmick and it is very clear that he just wanted to have an out of place comedy moment in his level. Other times you can almost see which barrels are intended to be used on which monsters: it is so obvious and forced. It takes some skill to place barrels in a way that seems natural and doesn't scream "lol barrels".

I love barrels, but I sometimes simply forget to put them into my maps. So my maps either have no barrels at all or there are barrels in every single room.

I love it when barrels are in DM maps.

Please use barrels- especially in ways that make them both a threat AND a useful tool for dealing with groups of monsters. So much fun to shotgun a barrel only to get those pesky lower tier enemies gibbed!

Bonus points if you save them for encounters earlier too as a kind of possible hint...or just a fuck load of barrels to blow up for the hell of it! :D

...also M3.wad :)

I'll spend a lot of time while mapping fuzzing over the exact position of the barrels, just to make them look and project right. They're a great gameplay tool, potentially serving as a trigger for emergent gameplay. Favorite usage is to use them to trigger infighting amongst same-species opponents - such as a cluster of barons.

you know, I think it would be the best to start my own barrels o' fun map during my next wad

Some original Doom 1 maps use them well. The coolest barrel setups are when a monster has to walk right past a barrel, and the player is lined up perfectly to shoot the barrel. Awesome! Barrels should be used a lot, and placed strategically.

I have, somehow, never made a tech base map (well got anywhere with making one) and I figure they don't look so fitting in other map themes.