Russian Speedmapping Contest #17 - Results

!!! - Latest info is in this post.



Russian Speedmapping Contest #17 will begin at January 7th, 11:00 UTC (Countdown). Everyone is welcome to participate.

RULES

- Use this texture pack.
- You have 4 hours to make a level. It's okay if you're late for 5-10 minutes, but if you take more than that you're likely to be disqualified.
- Boom format maps only. (sky transfers are allowed)
- Your map must be winter-themed.
- There will be a list of additional themes and you will be required to pick one of them. So your theme might be: winter + city, winter + crushers, winter + puzzles, etc.
- Music can be in MIDI, tracker, or OGG format. Please compress your OGGs nicely!
- Don't post your map here! Send it to me via PM, e-mail, etc.
- After the mapping stage there will be a judging stage where anyone will be able to rate the maps. All authors will remain anonymous until that stage is over.

Hope to see you there, and if you have any questions please feel free to ask here.

Cool, i hope to be woke up yo participate in this!

Is that a problem if I start late but I still send to you my map in time?

That's OK of course. You don't have to use all 4 hours if you can't or it's too much for you.

Some tricks can be used: I make a map earlier. While time run, I copy this map and paste. So, I made a good map in 4 hours :)

CrazyDoomguy said:

Some tricks can be used: I make a map earlier. While time run, I copy this map and paste. So, I made a good map in 4 hours :)

Yeah, but that's cheating. I mean, it's not nice.

bzzrak said:

Yeah, but that's cheating. I mean, it's not nice.

Yes. I wrotte it, that memfis need be carefull

Well you have to choose one theme among some that will be revealed only when the session start.

I would like to participate, but I'm not sure that I will be present.

15 hours 29 minutes until the start!

No clue if I am supposed to add my own music/level/titlepic before I submit and I'm probably to late to ask now. I have a quick map layout thoughT out bang ready to go that might work for this - we'll see. I'll probably be the last to submit, though - mark my words. :-P

Just make a map and you can add music to it if you want.

What do you mean you have a "map layout", like something drawn on paper? Your map must be made from scratch, you can't use previously created levels. (paper plan is probably ok)

Sorry, but I can't participate on this, due to other stuff irl.
Good luck to everyone!

I'll try to participate but I don't know will it be very good, since I have a little over two hours of time to create my map.

Memfis said:

Just make a map and you can add music to it if you want.

What do you mean you have a "map layout", like something drawn on paper? Your map must be made from scratch, you can't use previously created levels. (paper plan is probably ok)

Oh, you're not a native English speaker(well, technically I am neither) - I have a map layout thought out in my head. As far as it being precreated in any form physical paper might be a stretch. MSpaper... MSpaint is closer.

:-P


When I wrote this post my usual luck struck - my internet connection is going down from time to time exactly now. If it continues I'll have to withdraw from this speedmapping.

THE CONTEST BEGINS!

You have 4 hours to create a winter-themed Boom format level using this texture pack. Aside from the winter theme, your level also has to follow one (or more, if you want) of these ideas:

Cyberdemon controls the area
System of teleporters
Rockets and cells only
Mountains with buildings built into rocks
Switches that turn on the lights
Towers

(So, for example, the theme of your map can be Winter+Towers, Winter+System of teleporters, etc)

You can add new music if you want. After you're done, send the level to me via PM or e-mail. Don't post it here!

Thanks a lot to everyone for participating! If I'm not mistaken, I got 13 maps including mine. I'm going to play through all of them now, and if I find a fatal bug or something - I will fix it so that you guys can experience all maps normally.

Most likely I will post the compilation tomorrow. Try to be patient. :)

16 maps already! But 3 maps won't count in the voting stage since the authors were too late.

In the end I didn't have enough time to make something :/ looking forward to play the maps though.

Download: Compilation (17 maps) [v2]

Now the voting stage begins, and anyone can participate in it (including the mappers). If you wish to do so, play through all the maps and then rate each of them on a scale of 1 to 10. You need to explain your rating: please try to write at least 2-3 sentences, otherwise your vote will be probably ignored.

Maps 14-17 are not officially included in the contest because they were sent too late. But please comment on them anyway: the authors will be happy to see your comments.

Have fun!

Should we play each level from a pistol start, or treat them as forming a continuous experience?

Pistol start of course!

Oops, I missed a very ugly HOM on Map12. Here is a fixed version, please redownload! -> http://www.doomshack.org/uploads/russpd17v3.zip

MAP05 has a critical linedef error: the teleporter in the starting area is W1, so if one of the imps crosses it in the triggering direction, you can't complete the level.

Thanks. Version 3 (also fixed a small problem on Map01): http://www.doomshack.org/uploads/russpd17v3.zip

map01: 2/10

The map geometry is put together well, but the darkness failed to resonate atmospherically and simply just annoyed me a great deal. Combined with minor nuisances like the nukage pit and progress-halting raise/lower floor, the gameplay felt incredibly obnoxious.

map02: 7/10

Top-flight detailing work given the time constraints. The layout is fairly rudimentary (all orthogonal lines) and the gameplay is rote, but the strong texture scheme and spectacular touches like the visible sky floor get this a 7/10, not because I'll replay it but because I'll open it up in GZDB to see what the author did.

map03: 10/10

Brilliantly flowing map, with strong use of a centralized overseer cyberdemon to supplement both freeform and claustrophobic encounters, culminating in a climactic inner sanctum battle. Speedrun-friendly too: the single shotgun segment doesn't overstay its welcome by throwing out a beefy monsters early on. The map isn't without blemishes, however; the friction effect in the last area throws off typical movement patterns (even cyber two-shotting!) in unpleasant ways, but I might not mind that in a UV-max run due to the ample stock of cells. This map feels like it's by Eternal, or at least a competent imitator.

map04: 5/10

This one was surprisingly unenjoyable, and the primary culprit in this case was the layout flow, which allows for infinite height to become a persistent nuisance, and forces one to make multiple trips to the crate room to accomplish objectives. The roaming cyber was less of a persistent source of terror and more of a nuisance that had to be shepherded out of the way. The combat took place in a very large open area where monsters could not really be threats as deployed, serving more as temporary roadblocks. So early gameplay fell entirely flat, but the mandatory rocket jump at the exit redeemed it somewhat in my eyes.

map05: 4/10

The primary combat scenario is a pseudo-challenging one that strikes me more as annoying than anything. The pain elementals and their lost souls will never truly be a threat given the open space, so they mostly create janitorial work. Revenants are used in an obnoxious way -- ledge snipers in a map with no green armor, where taking damage from them will almost always feel cheap.

map06: 5/10

I had high hopes for this one based on the looks and the elegant shapes in the central structure, but the gameplay actively detracted from the experience, presenting cannon fodder that was above all a chore to get rid of, beyond the very first scenario with pinkies. The three-key structure (as opposed to one or two) feels very perfunctory, like it was tacked on in the place of more fleshed-out side areas due to the time constraint. In such cases while speedmapping I find it's preferable to rein in one's goals and shoot for a more tightly bound scale.

map07: 7/10

map08: 5/10

Awkward geometry with unsatisfying combat of varying shades (camping against hitscanners, clearing out meat walls). Its chief merit is that it doesn't drag on too long. Design is compelling in places too.

map09: 6/10

I believe one of the strongest merits of a jokemap-tier speedmap is that it doesn't insist on wasting your time, so being able to just sprint into the next map is a strong plus here. On top of that, I got a chuckle out of the use of boss monsters. So a pleasant experience overall, despite the obvious flaws.

map10: 5/10

A short affair, lasting no longer than a few minutes, which is a good thing otherwise all of the decorative object spam that impedes movement would have started to grate on me. The archvile scenario at the end could have pushed the score up if it were a lot more engaging -- all viles awakening at once, perhaps warping around the map. As is, it's not much of anything, plus I had to get rid of some of the gratuitous high snipers that I wanted to ignore because they were taking shots at me as I was dealing with the viles.

map11: 7/10

A rougher cousin of map03, reasonably well executed but with some bumps along the road: very slow teleporter for the RK imps, infinite height issues with the imps that appear in the first bookshelf lift blocking the drop. Action as a whole is less fine-tuned across the board but still serviceable. The bookshelf lifts are really cool.

map12: 6/10

Not much to say about this one. Short and inoffensive. If the combat were a bit more satisfying (more monster encountered face-to-face, fewer snipers, perhaps a heavier weapon like the SSG/RL) it would get higher marks by virtue of being a compact and fluid punchy map.

map13: 9/10

The early berserk pack trap is in very poor taste, but after that the map is quite enjoyable, a satisfying mix of close-quarters combat and more spacious affairs. I appreciate the generous supplies at the end, making for a fun spamfest, and encouraging the player to keep the cyber around even longer if they choose to replay the map. The setting is also kind of striking.

map14: 4/10

The primary threats are sliding ice floors that highly disrupt movement and hitscanner spam in an effectively armorless setting (getting supplies requires sniping away at a number of HKs with low-powered weaponry). Water is an inescapable damaging pit. Strongest weapon available is a chaingun, despite ample hell noble usage. All in all, a miss for me.

map15: 7/10

A nicely varied adventure, but I feel like it falls flat with the supplementary themes it uses. The cyberdemons control vantage points well, but since the early action deprives me of a GA, a personal pet peeve, I wasn't in a sporting mood. I used the cells I was given to rid myself of the cybers at the earliest opportunity, supplemented with the scads of shells and bullets. Not so engaging. I feel the darkness was used quite poorly. Three things are worth bearing in mind: it's impossible to see anything inside, there are heavy hitters like revenants and mancubuses, and a doorway is right nearby! So I took the lesser of two evils and lured as many monsters as I could to the door. Not exactly fun or engaging. The last 'purely for fun' battle and the complexity of the layout left a good impression, and the dark indoors were compelling once the monsters had been cleared out, so overall it was a decent experience.

map16: 7/10

Not bad, with a tight structure and even an optional pit stop sort of area, making it feel like a complete map despite the small scale. The ammo balance is a bit too tight for a map of this sort, demanding some pistol use early on before the berserk pack is discovered, and preventing some of the carefree spamming of heavier tier weapons that might suit the action a lot better.

map17: 5/10

A highly ambitious map given the timeframe, and unsurprisingly it has its warts. The gameplay early on is somewhat obnoxious: even basic movement on those bumpy floors is unpleasant, and apparently the supply cubbies have revenants, which can deliver infinitely tall punches unless you make sure they are all down. The ammo balance is quite tight early on but becomes quite lax around a third of the way through, strikes me as a miscalculated balance (early, that is). I was already disengaged by the time the action got better, and as a result didn't enjoy the puzzle elements later on. With tune-ups and polishing, however, I feel this could become a decent map. Visuals, of course, are excellent, showing skillful use of the texture pack.

FDAs.

01
All the darkness immediately diminishes this map's potential worth to critical value. Aside from that - it's very small and utterly forgettable.
2/10

02
Same as above, thankfully the lights are on.
3/10

03
Approaching decency, but not really there yet.
4/10

04
Rather poor, the idea for the exit is especially stupid.
2/10

05
Too small and nothing memorable.
3/10

06
Repetitive, unimaginative, and the way keys are teleported into the playing area is irritatingly confusing.
4/10

07
Finally, something that doesn't suck balls gameplay-wise.
7/10

08
Nothing interesting to be found here.
3/10

09
What the hell was that?..
1/10

10
Lazy and vexing rather than engaging.
3/10

11
Among all these cyb-centric maps this is the one that resonated with me the most, at the very least it demonstrates some creative thinking. Still, I believe something is totally wrong with those remote caco isles.
7/10

12
The appearance is somewhat unorthodox but nevertheless solid, sadly that's all that can be said about this one, as it's short and forgettable otherwise.
4/10

13
What has Star Wars music got to do with all this?.. The map is okay actually, decently lengthy and mildly entertaining adventure.
7/10

14
Nah, this is bad.

15
Could've been okay-ish if not for boring action and another annoying section with lights off. This is not fun.

16
Jack of all trades, master of none, the very idea of combining several supplementary themes to a varying degree has spawned this awkward frankenstein of a map that fails to execute any of said themes well enough to be able to redeem itself.

17
I understand that the author can save himself from trouble by relying on excessive copy-pasting and clearly pronounced symmetry, though I'd rather see some ammo so that I could actually fight back without being annoyed in the process. Turned the recording off shortly after I realised that I'm going nowhere with this one.

P.S. That was a weak session. What, you guys haven't got sober yet? Or did all the rookies that occupied the boards ultimately - and predictably - fail to deliver? Try harder next time.

Not voting; too many of the qualified entries were in styles I don't like and thus can't comment fairly on.

The things I did like, though:

• Short but sweet: MAP02. Beautiful use of the texture pack, and the floorsky was a really nice touch.
  
• Short and inoffensive: MAP12. In my competence envelope, doesn't outstay its welcome.
  
• Good, but fell flat near the end: MAP06. The trip along the balcony past the remaining monsters of the level was not very interesting compared to the fights in the big room earlier.
  
• Feels like a Proper Level: MAP15, MAP16, MAP17. Shame they all missed the cut :(
  

MAP07's sins were somewhat compounded by the background music appearing to be The Shamen's "Ebeneezer Goode", which is great music for making a tit of myself on the dance floor to :) but not so hot for shooting hellspawn in the face.

I recorded some FDAS for the first 15 maps, though I used the first version as I started to play the maps when the wad was uploaded.

MAP01: It's okay overall, I liked the final courtyard. The darkness and the light effects were fine enough, and the gameplay wasn't particurarly annoying due to that. 5/10

MAP02: The look is quite good, but the map doesn't offer so much apart that. I liked that for some reason there's snow even inside the starting area. 4/10

MAP03: The use of the cyberdemon was good. I really liked how before reaching the big final battle the encounters were all small but very varied. 8/10

MAP04: Not a good idea for the exit. The map itself isn't offensive at least, but I don't think it has something good either. 2/10

MAP05: A simple big area with a chaotic fight. The little houses were cute, but the map hasn't something good to redeem it. 3/10

MAP06: The central structure is really cool, and I like how the gameplay slowly builds up at the start but then the things became rather monotonous. 4/10

MAP07: I could have being more persistent and actually do another try in the demo but I though the things would have become really hard later on so I finished with saves. This one was a really cool Plutonia inspired level. Not enough snow :( 9/10

MAP08: Gameplay doesn't offer so much, but I liked the bit of the ruined church and the music gave a strange mood. 3/10

MAP09: Lol. This deserves a much worse vote actually but I found it to be rather entertaing to be honest. 5/10

MAP10: Best thing is that you can lure one archvile at time, otherwise I didn't like this one, very annoying to play. 2/10

MAP11: This one was really tough, and it's well done visually. The cyberdemon was really nasty, I think the author did a pretty good job with the theme. 8/10

MAP12: Towers on the void. Gameplay is non-existent though, but the other aspects aren't strong enough to overcome its lack. 3/10

MAP13: Very amusing due to the music, and I think it's a bit a shame that the map became more serious after you end the initial "race" and the bigger fights start to appear, but it stays still very enjoyable. 8/10

map14: Another map that offers just a big chaotic scenery, and the lack of good weapons doesn't encourage you to stay there.

MAP15: Not bad at all overall, it's a nice trip between the two bases. I liked the trees and the wooden house with the rocket launcher.

MAP16: Visually it's pleasing and well done, but the gameplay is tedious and annoying.

MAP17: Where's the ammo?

Demonologist said:

FDAs.

~

P.S. That was a weak session. What, you guys haven't got sober yet? Or did all the rookies that occupied the boards ultimately - and predictably - fail to deliver? Try harder next time.

And that was weak feedback, as it's short, knee jerk, elitest or almost entirely negative.