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Jayextee

The Becoming - episode 2 replacement (BETA 2 DEMANDS YOUR MEATS)

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Previously had "(DEBUNKED)" in the topic title. I totally blame this terrible joke for the relative lack of interest my SUPER AWESOME episode thread has had so far.

BETA 2 DOWNLOAD: (clicky!)

---

Because I still live in the '90s (as even my apartment Internet loves to remind me), I'm making a bit of a '90s tribute episode to finally give me some closure so I can stop mourning not being in the Doom mapping scene back then. Hopefully.

Well. Not totally '90s, as this has some texture alignment </sarcasm>. Actually, this is my vanilla grace note because I want to move to limit-removing/Boom mapping in the future, see what I can do. I wanted to make a vanilla-compatible Ultimate Doom WAD that wasn't hinged upon a gimmick like 100 linedefs per map or something; and to say 'thanks' to the good folk who loved my previous effot, Nex Credo. The '90s thing? Self-mockery innit.

So anyway. How '90s do you like your WADs?

Features include
- Vanilla-compatible levels of detail!
- Maps all named after Nine Inch Nails tracks! (Really. You don't get more '90s than that)
- Not a single Revenant in sight!
- No need for any DeuSF trickery! Just run the WAD with doom.exe! ;)

It's at BETA now, so you've time to play this well before QUAKE arrives sometime next year.

Screenshots

E2M1 - Corona Radiata*
Starter map. A base in the mountains. Some ambushes, nothing much.

Spoiler

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E2M2 - The Good Soldier*
A fast-paced run and gun in a facility with some computers and crates.

Spoiler

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E2M3 - Ghosts*
I apologise in advance to the demo-recording scene for this one.

Spoiler

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E2M4 - The Warning*
Something's wrong here.

Spoiler

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E2M5 - Terrible Lie
Almost unrecognisable as a base, this mountain facility has been overrun.

Spoiler

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E2M6 - Happiness In Slavery
An aqueduct of blood (haemaduct?), where tormented souls are kept to rot away.

Spoiler

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E2M7 - All Time Low*
A baron's castle, existing in an ocean of lava, it is sprawling and evil.

Spoiler

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E2M8 - Mr. Self Destruct
So short, I haven't bothered with screenshots.

I repeat, BETA 2 DOWNLOAD: (clicky!)

*; well done you, you spotted a non-'90s NIN track title. Award yourself a round of applause.

 

Edited by Jayextee

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Nice! I like how maps become more hellish towards the end, with E2M7 having the least amount of techbase influences, + the layouts seem engaging enough + I love me some 90's themed modern maps.

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Tarnsman said:

What is debunked? The concept of E2 replacements?


Hahahahah, nah just a sly wink toward certain other goings-on here. I found it funny, because you know what else is authentically '90s? ME HAVING A SHIT SENSE OF HUMOUR. ;)

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Geometry of E2M4 done, now time for the enemy placement. Screens:





(also added to OP)

After which, I reckon I gotta design the first half of E2M8 (boss fight's already in place, it was the second or third thing I did of this episode!) and then, well, y'all wanna play a RC1 sans secret level (whilst I work on exactly that)? :D

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BETA 1 DOWNLOAD: (clicky!)

This is the episode, minus E2M9 (although the exit to it exists if you really want to play Fortress of Mystery for some reason). There's a bit to do as yet; proper co-op stuff (not all maps have starts yet), DM starts (although why anybody would play any of these in DM is beyond me, seriously), automap cleanup, some additional detailing here and there, plus DEHACKED lump for text replacement -- and whatever changes the good people of Doomworld demand of me. ;)

Some thoughts, spoiler-tagged, about these maps.

Spoiler

E2M1 - what I call a short, sharp shock. Kinda. If you're careful it's a breeze, but still. I'd say this was tougher than E2M2 but with good reason; to get you familiar with the kind of health-rationining I'm up to for the duration.

E2M2 - As I say, it's a simple run-and-gun. There's a stupidly-pointless optional computer area here, but I've thrown a few of these things in because the IWAD maps had 'em in spades. So why not?

E2M3 - I'm totally willing to put my hand up and say "this is a shit map". Probably. So far out of my comfort zone I'm learning another language at this point; first time may be a great experience but once this map is learned, it's definitely the easiest of the bunch. Guess I really am channeling my inner Sandy Petersen here. Probably the map I'm least-willing to make sweeping changes to, because I like the concept.

E2M4 - Okay, another (predictable, I admit) concept map. Anyone who's played Nex Credo will know how I love concepts in general. Idea was; one half linear and 'scripted', the other more chaotic and open. Alas, I couldn't open it up like I wanted for fear of VPOs and HOMs. But hopefully what's here conveys the idea across.

E2M5 - My personal favourite of the set, and representative of what I'd consider to be my mapping style right now. Semi-nonlinear, with platforming and a couple of (mild) puzzles. Would go far as to say this is my best map ever.

E2M6 - Didn't mean to ape Halls of the Damned so strong with this one; it was originally a Heretic map I didn't want to waste (completed the geometry, but when it came to populating it I found Heretic's bestiary to suck hard. Rather than waste it, put it to work in this episode. 3 keys, any order. GO!

E2M7 - Another ex-Heretic map, this one was originally larger; I cut 25% of the original Heretic map because barns and village taverns do not really fit DOOM per se. Another crazy run-around, as was my aim for the latter part of this episode; I've not really played around with incidental combat until now.

E2M8 - Tower of Babel redux. Kinda, sorta. I liked the idea enough to make it a boss map. Kudos to anyone who beats it first time on UV, you crazy bastards. Also, had to do crazy things to stop the original versions of each area from VPO'ing. Alas, had some nice details going on. They had to go.

Righty-ho, you guys. ENJOY. :D

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Thanks, dobu!

I think I should also add: I tested the entirety of this WAD in Chocolate Doom (took my cue from a comment in this thread about testing a vanilla-targeted WAD in ZDooom, a thing I won't do).

I think I've been pretty stringent with looking for VPOs and HOMs, but I can't rule them out entirely; even VPO Explorer failed to pick up one I had for ages around the shotgun in E2M8, but it's fixed. Hopefully. ;)

All the same, if anybody finds any problems (not limited to vanilla/chocolate incompatibilities) then by all means, speak up! :D

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So, I've played the first three levels, FDA's here (I do really suck, though lol): http://www.mediafire.com/file/si6skx6kds2svnb/becoming.rar

Each level plays really differently from each other, which is a really nice thing! Couldn't yet figure out where this is going, except for the part where hell gets creeping over the techbases haha Still, you took a lot of care for monster placement, which made the levels flow really well and forced me to get "into" the game.

1: Monster placement here is brutal. I liked it, though it made it the hardest level of the first three. All these hitscanners are brutal and you'll regret getting shot even by a former human haha Still, I loved it and got myself surprised a lot of times, especially the ending. Also, it was really good to see a different song (no E1M1 or E2M1 lol) I noticed two a bit weird alignments, though: that larger lift and some computer panels on the corridors before you get the key. No big deal though, detailing felt good and that beginning was a lot atmospheric!

2: A much larger level, still linear and not so hard, but still a very satisfying one! The beginning was a bit though but I was able to overcome it without too much worries (unlike the first level hahah). Some side-quests were quite fun, like the computer labirynth where the light goes out when you reach the secret. Raising the water to get BK was cool too, though I choose take the long way and not complicate myselft too much hahaha That last barrel run, omg, that was scary!

The only things I would suggest was to vary the computer panels texture a bit on that last room (it felt boring, though what happens next was awesome) and when I get outside (the area with the "crane"), I think the hidden mosters woke up too early. It would be cool if they went after you when you are in middle of the area, not when you've just opened the door and entered (which happened to me and I cowardly took cover over the door lol)

3: This is very atmospheric, and the song helps a lot. Now we have a very non-linear layout with some quite interesting twists. Hell is all over the place now and I got some scarejumps there lol Can't believe I took that long to finish this short level haha but it was fun regardless! I think this level could have a bit less boxes, still no big deal, though!

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I watched your FDAs. That was really something, it looks like; despite my doubts; I really hit the mark here.

Deadwing said:

Each level plays really differently from each other, which is a really nice thing!


I am to please. Hopefully, all 8 of them (eventually 9) will be different experiences.

1: Monster placement here is brutal. I liked it, though it made it the hardest level of the first three. All these hitscanners are brutal and you'll regret getting shot even by a former human haha Still, I loved it and got myself surprised a lot of times, especially the ending. Also, it was really good to see a different song (no E1M1 or E2M1 lol) I noticed two a bit weird alignments, though: that larger lift and some computer panels on the corridors before you get the key. No big deal though, detailing felt good and that beginning was a lot atmospheric!


Firstly (and not doubt you've noticed), I've merely selected music from the IWADs that I thought matched the general mood of each map. D_E2M1 makes an appearance for the second map, but wasn't the best fit at all for this one.

Dat monster placement tho: I absolutely love how I was able to force some pistol play out of you; both here and in E2M2, where sometimes you'd go for the pistol despite having enough shotgun ammo to deal with a situation. Criminally-underused weapon, IMO.

And maaaaaan, I clearly had you running scared. All that wall-humping (especially to try for the chainsaw, hahahah) I could almost see it dripping off you. GREAT! <3

2: A much larger level, still linear and not so hard, but still a very satisfying one! The beginning was a bit though but I was able to overcome it without too much worries (unlike the first level hahah). Some side-quests were quite fun, like the computer labirynth where the light goes out when you reach the secret. Raising the water to get BK was cool too, though I choose take the long way and not complicate myselft too much hahaha That last barrel run, omg, that was scary!


Yep, sometimes my thought process whilst mapping is "what's the obvious thing to do here? How can I turn that on its head" and the expected thing? Lower computer columns with enemies on them. Well, I couldn't have that could I? So barrels it was. They're enough of a threat to make you cautious, not enough to totally ruin your FDA, clearly. ;)

The only things I would suggest was to vary the computer panels texture a bit on that last room (it felt boring, though what happens next was awesome) and when I get outside (the area with the "crane"), I think the hidden mosters woke up too early. It would be cool if they went after you when you are in middle of the area, not when you've just opened the door and entered (which happened to me and I cowardly took cover over the door lol)


Just one more set of sound-blocking lines should do the trick with that latter point. And yeah, could do with mixing up the computer textures a tad (on the to-do list is detailing, so...)

3: This is very atmospheric, and the song helps a lot. Now we have a very non-linear layout with some quite interesting twists. Hell is all over the place now and I got some scarejumps there lol Can't believe I took that long to finish this short level haha but it was fun regardless! I think this level could have a bit less boxes, still no big deal, though!


I saw you jump and jerk the mouse a couple times, yeah! I gotta admit, this one didn't function quite as intended; a handful of spectres were let out early (you're not supposed to fight them until after the RK) but I suppose it works out well enough here. Might ensure they're just a UV thing.

This was the map I was the most unsure about. I don't really 'do' atmosphere or horror in general, and I was afraid it would be quite boring. Looks like it wasn't, crate-maze aside (which I'm keeping because I love the lighting in that area). Again, I saw you running scared - BIG grin on my face, because this concept was very far from my comfort zone.

Thanks for those! Can't wait to see the others (although the later maps are definitely more action-oriented I admit).

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Yeah, choosing the pistol to preserve some of the valuable shells was a really good sign of good level design and ammo management haha Loved it! The music choices also felt really good! (I'm not a big fan of TNT soundtrack, but it fitted well regardless)

I'll try to play later today some more levels (I hope the whole thing). It's not common to see a .wad with focus on monster placement, so I'm loving it

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So, I've played the other levels, here's the attempts: http://www.mediafire.com/file/ijkarbck6t9118a/deadwing-4to7.rar

Sadly I wasn't able to finish most of them, they were too hard for me to do in one go without dying (even on HMP)

I think you were able to give some good distinct feel to each level, though the difficult did rise a lot and unfortunaly I wasn't able to keep up haha Still, I liked the layouts a lot, which got a good amount of abstraction, tech bases and hell stuff.

-> 4 was initially similar to 2, but the twist to the last part was very interesting. I liked that you've done some storytelling there, though I found the hell part really though (even on HMP). No way I would have enough ammo to deal with all these cacos, demons e souls haha, so I just ran (unfortunally missed the plasma gun) and somewhat got into the end hahahah

-> 5 has a really tough beginning, and I found the concept really fun. It's non-linear and there's lots of cool setpieces. I found the beginning harder on HMP than UV though, because on UV you get the shotgun earlier and can kill some annoying hitscanners, while on HMP you've only the rocket. I couldn't get myself go past that trap though lol

-> 6 was my least favorite. Here the survival aspect is way too much for me, with Caco's, baron's and demons and then damaging floor everywhere. The lack of health clearly shows that this is meant for more skilled people. I don't think it is bad, it is just not really for me hahaha

-> I've played 7 only on HMP, since UV was alreadly too much hehe and felt a pretty good experience. I've no idea how I died though, I guess I got hit by two projectiles at same time. But, anyway, I loved the layout of this one, felt more spacious with some cool separated sections.

-> 8 was the last level, but I didn't like that gimmick at all hahaha It's a cool concept to make the fight harder, but OHKO with those tiny plataforms was too much for me.

---------------------------------------------

So, my overall impression is quite positive. You clearly know how to make some cool and intricate layouts, and more importantly place monsters in a challenging way (without relying to only traps or setpieces, which even most "famous" mappers sometimes limit themselves). It doesn't feel like vanilla doom, but there's a lot of your style.

The survival aspect is really present, since map 1, and while I do like it, I found it too much on certain levels (5, 6 and later parts of 4). I don't think this is objectively wrong, though, it's just an aspect I don't find too much appealing if reinforced too much, but I think it can work, especially for more skilled players (which should definitely try this).

Anyway, congrats and sorry for taking too long to awnser haha

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Hey, no problem. If it's all too tough on HMP, would you be averse to trying ITYTD or HNTR? I've put support for all difficulties in, but I'm always painfully-aware that my skill level is above that kind of thing (for this episode, I balanced HMP around my own skills -- UV is purposely at the very ceiling of what I can manage, though I have pistol-start completed every map on UV).

I may think on the amount of health though. I worry there's not enough, even taking into account skilled players on UV.

Thanks though, your commentary does mean a lot. :)

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I'm currently changing things over to a new computer, so I'll watch these shortly. Gotta say, thanks for all this. Definitely earned a place in the textfile, that's for sure.

Now. How do I get more eyes on this thing for feedback (outside bumping my own topic to say thanks :P)...?

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Here is a foodback if you want. :D

e2m7 FDA. I played the others casually but wasn't in the mood for recording FDAs. Since this one is fresh in my memory: it felt anticlimatic later on. I was expecting some harsher traps or something. The monster population is also surprisingly sparse in most places, but that really seems to work with the atmosphere; it's kind of like the monster infestation is blase, which makes it feel eerie. Okay, and then there's that big pack of pinkies, but mostly the level adheres to that approach.

As a whole, these are light and fun, mostly, with a few startling moments scattered throughout, which is a nice change-up. e2m3 I honestly found very boring. Rest were mostly fun. Your pet trope of pinky hordes is cool. :D Anyway, always nice to see new takes on UD episode replacements.

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I won't lie, I'm disheartened (not by you rdwpa, in fact I thank you for the commentary and FDA :D ). I suppose that's what comes of hubris -- if you can call it that. Some of these, I'd finish and play through and be all "this is one of my best ever maps" (and I'm still proud of E2M5 here to that end).

E2M3, yeah, I'll accept that as boring. Horror/suspense isn't really my kind of thing, but for some reason I've been wanting to make something like this for ages; the idea of an empty map that explodes into life after a solitary key is collected for completion, it appealed to me. Maybe I should exaggerate the latter part? I dunno.

Taking a break as I set up a new computer, then I'll make E2M9 and just release, I guess. And then move on having written this experience off as a bad idea. We live and learn, I guess.

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lol wtf don't be so hard on yourself. :P These are pretty cool designs. E2M5 has a nice structure on the automap, too, which is something I value highly. I think you have to be more patient for feedback -- DW has been quieter than usual in that respect lately.

e2m3 might really appeal to a certain kind of taste; these maps aren't so common. Me, I just wasn't scared, I guess; a cyberdemon lurking around might have done the trick, but I guess that would be out of step for the mapset.

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rdwpa said:

DW has been quieter than usual in that respect lately.


Hmmm, yeah. Actually noticed that, you've a point there. I think part of my impatience is due to how I've been with feedback; previously, I've been a much a "release late, don't let people talk me into any changes" kinda guy and I'm really eager to change that. I want specifics, such as "lose the barons after the blue key in E2M5" or "backpack secret in E2M7 should be a soulsphere" (just to name two changes I'm thinking of making personally).

Then again, I made this off the back of a wave of mania and might be dropping a bit mood-wise (bipolar things innit) so my negativity could be that.

Either way, I do look forward to creating E2M9 nonetheless. Should be a fun map to make, with the ideas I have for it. :D

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Jay, this is great! I meant to play it weeks ago but got distracted. So far I'm halfway through.

 

M1: A solid start. The various open-air parts give it a very different feel from classic Doom, and I love little overdetailed nooks that don't contain anything but a couple items (see the shotgun and ammo up that little elevator). The demon behind the blue key platform comes across as misplaced, though. I think most people will kill it before releasing it, but even if you don't, it hardly poses any threat. Just seemed weird.

 

M2: Water-themed -- awesome! Sunken boxes, rising water to reach the key, but the coolest detrn03.png.d680c3723abca8f966058bf46bcef75e.pngetail is the moldy rain lines coming down from the sides of the windows. I appreciate the psych of how intimidating it is walking into that big circular room with the lifts, but then no big battle happens there (it's made up for in the perfect final trap). But on the way back through the dark maze, there should probably be something dangerous lurking in the shadows. Also, your computer console flats are backwards!

 

M3: So good. I love maps that take it easy on enemies and build up the creepy atmosphere. The teleporter is a little too difficult to find, maybe. That shifting flesh wall is brilliant, but make sure linedefs 0, 10, 24, 30, etc have one of their vertices moved so they don't get that terrible brightness variation effect on them.

 

M4: I was just thinking this map didn't have as strong an identity as the previous ones and then the twist happened! Not a completely original idea but you did it the best I've seen. Not sure the music fits this one that well, though, and boy is there a lot of "meat" in this level. It could do without a few cacos and lost souls in the hell part.

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In the transition to the new forum software, I appear to have missed the above reply. Nice, thanks!

 

On 16/03/2017 at 9:57 PM, Ryathaen said:

Also, your computer console flats are backwards!

 

Oh? I took it that the 'dark' part of the console flats were like, a keyboard or something. Ah well. Speaking of little details though, notice how one tired programmer left their energy drink (health bonus) on their console? Now that is poor health and safety!

 

On 16/03/2017 at 9:57 PM, Ryathaen said:

The teleporter is a little too difficult to find, maybe.

 

Oh? I did put a little hint in the automap that appears if you get a certain badly-obscured secret at the north computer server room... ;)

*cough* Bumped the topic because BETA 2 NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD, WITH ADDED E2M9 (still deciding on music choice though)!

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Bumpity-bump, what's this?
 

 

Awesome dude @Ed graciously offered to write some MIDIs for The Becoming, giving it an added layer of welcome polish for the eventual final release. Can you even handle the amaze? I can't! :D

 

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