Dark Harvest [4 Level WAD/PK3]

iWAD: DOOM2

Map Format: UDMF (DOOM2)

File Format: ZDoom PK3 (Sorry Boom People) (Old version available in WAD format)

Source Ports:  QZDoom, GZDoom and Zandronum

Recent Updates:

Advanced Features:

Freelook: Optional
Crouching: Optional

Jumping: No

Rendering: Hardware or Software. (ZDoom hates the 4th map, you might to use GZDoom)

MAPS:

MAP01 - Constriction

MAP02 - Blight Cavern

MAP03 - The Meat Dens

MAP04 - Tyrant

Difficulty:

Easy to Medium

About:

This is my second released WAD hopefully you will enjoy it. I got a lot of map making advice from some awesome friends so hopefully these should be better than Newmaker.WAD

Please report any silly bugs to me asap (like misaligned textures and locked doors not being locked etc, i tend to make those mistakes often)

With thanks to:

Awesome feedback:

@Chamelenoel

@AnonimVio

Assets:

DrDoctor's Texture Pack http://realm667.com/index.php/en/texture-stock-mainmenu-152-97360/doom-style-mainmenu-153-87237

Recommended Mods:

Smooth DOOM is awesome.

Works with:

Beautiful DOOM

Brutal DOOM

Future Plans:

Get someone good at doom to run the maps and give me some par times.

Perhaps touch up the final room on map04 (I'm having a bit of a creative block at the moment)

(The PK3 is the newest version, I've kept the WAD in-case my conversion to pk3 went bad, if you have any issues with the pk3 play the old wad version)

Download: (Links Updated 2024)

Link 1: https://mega.nz/file/YJR3zRrZ#VbOCSWQpYjtTj839kmFU4TmCcnTEZznEsuuNJ8awmh0

Video(s):

Screenshot:

Judging from your screenshots, there is a noticeable improvement from the first set of levels you posted up here. I will give them a play after work and write up my feedback.  

Just now, Relinquished said:

Judging from your screenshots, there is a noticeable improvement from the first set of levels you posted up here. I will give them a play after work and write up my feedback.  

Grand, thank you kindly, I hope you like them.

After playing through your WAD, I decided to give my full opinion/feedback here.

Also, hello everyone! My first post here. I've been a fan of DOOM for a while now, but this is my first time here.

Overall, your WAD was really good! It had a very classic and simplistic feel, one that I've missed from a lot of WADS nowadays. The levels were atmospheric and claustrophobic, leading to some clever options for game play. 

MAP03 was probably my least favorite from the set. The whole thing felt some what sluggish and confusing. I do appreciate the idea of the stage though, but at a certain point I had to noclip so I could just move on to the next map.

MAP04 was my favorite from the set. It was climactic as hell, and the atmosphere was incredible. Few WADS I've played invoked  that feeling of immersion. However, despite using GZDoom as suggested, the dark segment in a certain section still felt almost unplayable. I had no depth perception or knowledge of enemies, and got mowed down immediately. It felt like a game of purely trial and error, and slowed down the pacing. Despite that though, the rest of the level was awesome, and that finale with the cyber demon was great.

The enemy placement in this WAD was clearly thought out, and makes sure you never let your guard down. Even when there's a ton of enemies, I found that the level design perfectly complimented this by providing cover and a place to plan. 

To conclude, this WAD was incredible. Especially for someone's second project. Even with it's few issues here and there, I still had a blast playing through it. It felt classic and simple, yet fresh at the same time. I look forward to what you might make next!

@Tmljaw

This has made my day, thank you. Also on MAP03 can you give some details on the place you got stuck :), I should be able to fix it.

Honestly thanks for playing through it, glad you liked map04.

I'm already thinking of new maps and ideas so you've got plenty to see next.

Thanks a ton for this awesome feedback, I personally feel MAP03 is my least favorite of maps I've made in this WAD.

I'll probably do a demo of the maps just to see how it is after your first mapset.

Visually and structurally, this is a big step up from your previous set. Gameplay is a weakness here. Going through the maps individually . . .

01: A single trap is the only source of excitement; apart from that every monster you encounter is directly in front of you and easily camped from. Hitscanners are ubiquitous, making camping a good idea.

02: Reads like a larger version of 01 -- largely camp-heavy gameplay against hitscanners, mostly stuff in front of you. Hell knights at the end are uninteresting meat; I killed one and hit the exit switch. As an aside I'm not a fan of these starts. If a shotgunner decides to shoot, you take damage. That sort of exposure to RNG-based damage leaves a bad taste in my mouth, even if it won't kill you and the maps are still quite easy.

03: A lot better than 01 and 02, which felt like throat-clearing. This is a four-map set, but both 01 and 02 feel like 'openers'. Here the player gets a SSG right at the start. The start even throws monsters at you from multiple angles. I think it slows down after that, again falling back to 'monsters placed in front of you', but it was a good change of pace. False wall secrets where you can't see what's inside before picking it up . . . would rather push the goodie back and put some space behind the wall.

04: This one is a lot like 01 and 02 but on a larger scale and with meatier monsters. By and large monsters are either hitscanners to engage in peekaboo with, or meat fought through doors or other narrow openings or in large rooms where they aren't much of a threat. A couple of random shots: pinkies that can't reach you, this stuff can't even get to you.

I played these maps from pistol starts without trying to rush and it took about 15 minutes, so it's a short set. I'd probably tie par times to casually playing the level as opposed to even semi-speedruns, though, because the hitscanner density would resist those quite well. 

Would suggest going through some acclaimed mapsets and studying monster placement and encounter design: BTSX, Lunatic, Vanguard, Scythe 1 and 2, and so on. Also the only traps I saw involve using Spawn actions, which aren't particularly interesting cosmetically. Give this wad a try; it's one of the best showcases of 'interesting ways of revealing monsters' I've played. 

@SynndraHey, here we go with a demo of all maps. That cybie fight and the sudden ending took me by surprise...I thought that it can be a proper exit XD.

Played on GZDoom 3.1.0. Enjoy

dark harvest.zip

@leodoom85 Thanks for those demos I noticed a few issues with my maps because of those ^^

I recognized one of the textures if you realized it in map 04. I saw that texture in Soul Reaver 1, in the long serpentine corridor near the chronoplast.

I've remade the map-set into a pk3 also took some feedback and fixed a few textures etc.

I like the structure of a pk3 more, makes things easier for me at least.

I've played through all four maps this evening, and so to the feedback.

I agree with much of what @rdwpa says above me. I enjoyed the visuals across all the maps, and as I mentioned earlier, you have clearly improved from your first map set, so well done! There is certainly more variation, and the maps are built with more varied shapes and encounters. I liked in map 01, for example, where you have the window which connects to the area you go to at the start. This kind of interconnectivity is a good starting point for some complex interactions later down the road, so keep it up :).

The game play could use some tweaking, but you do have some good ideas here, such as the teleporting enemies to keep the player on their toes. Again, as rdwpa mentions above, the best way to get a feel for monster placement, and encounter design in general, is to play other wads. I would personally recommend Scythe 1 and 2, particularly the original as the maps are small and punchy, giving solid game play throughout.

You have to be a little careful with the hitscanners sometimes (that is to say, the zombie men monsters, Arch-Vile, and Spider Mastermind). Placing them at the very start, such as in map 01 and 02, is almost like handicapping the player before the level has started. This is only because their attack is not a standard projectile and cannot be dodged (except by hiding behind map scenery, of course). Whether they hit or not is a matter of chance, but its entirely possible some players will be hit just after the level has loaded, which would be considered annoying at the very least. 

I noticed on map 03, in the red key area, the Arachnotrons are positioned such that their plasma fire is blocked by the stalagmites on the ground. This makes them easy fodder, without any chance to threaten the player. For these maps I would suggest changing them for a different monster and / or shift the stalagmites about so they don't get in the way as much.

There are other instances where certain monsters can't reach you (such as the pinky Demons), and one instance from map 02 (I think) where a Caco couldn't reach me near the start. While building maps its worth keeping in mind how much room your monsters need to manoeuvre themselves in an effective manner. You can drop in the monsters early during the mapping process as a guide, so you can adjust platforms and such if necessary.

I could probably write a great deal about the subject, but I feel it is something better experienced yourself by playing the work of others. As you make your way through a wad you can ask yourself questions along the way, or after beating a map that you particularly enjoy. Why was it enjoyable? How were the monsters placed for the map? These are some basic thoughts that spring to mind. You can also extend this into weapon placement, key placement, bonus items, etc. 

Even with the original cast of Doom monsters, there is a great deal of variety to be had in terms of combat situations. Anyhow, I look forward to your next wads. Keep it up, you are doing well!

        

Just went through it, a nice fun but not too difficult mapset by a newcomer mapper. The only thing I can notice to be fixed is the typo on the end text ("Tryant" instead of "Tyrant"). Once you fix up everything that's possible, consider putting it on /idgames/ for a more permanent location.

@Relinquished Firstly, thanks for the great response and thanks for playing through my maps. My monster placement could be much better I kinda went all plutonia with the chain-gunners and in my initial versions I relied to heavily on Hell Knights

When it comes to the arachnotrons on map 3 I noticed that they're being blocked by those stalagmites, I guess I just forgot to sort them. xD

I'm gonna play a bunch of fun map packs and see how they do stuff, also maybe it's time I play through the iWADs again.

Thanks for all the feedback^^ I'll work hard and Improve.

This was good. You really like to ambush people...heart attacks all around for me...which was fine with the plentiful ammo and health that lay around.

I played through all 4 levels and loved them. I didn't go hunting around for secrets. But I noticed a broken door shown on the map. which I'm guessing was a secret.

I really did like this mod the final battle was also very fun.

ALSO in Map01 there is a section marked as secret and I don't think it was supposed to be as you can see and walk into it like any other room.

ALSO ALSO.. Map03 was my favorite.

@DemonusDefunctus Hrm, no idea what that line is.. you've got me curious now hah xD.

Glad you liked the maps :3

Thanks for letting me know about those bugs i'll iron them out xD

14 minutes ago, Synndra said:

@DemonusDefunctus Hrm, no idea what that line is.. you've got me curious now hah xD.

 

Glad you liked the maps :3

 

Thanks for letting me know about those bugs i'll iron them out xD

This is the area. And the highlighted linedef.

That's in map 04, I spotted that as well...

Fixed, it was a broken secret door.

8 hours ago, Synndra said:

@Tmljaw

This has made my day, thank you. Also on MAP03 can you give some details on the place you got stuck :), I should be able to fix it.

 

Honestly thanks for playing through it, glad you liked map04.

 

I'm already thinking of new maps and ideas so you've got plenty to see next.

 

Thanks a ton for this awesome feedback, I personally feel MAP03 is my least favorite of maps I've made in this WAD.

Of course! Always glad to see active developers striving to improve. In MAP03, even after I found and turned on every switch, I was unable to reach the end of the level. This might have been a fault of mine honestly, but I couldn't tell. I noticed a black skull door, and I figured that was where I was supposed to go. But despite all of my efforts, I couldn't find a way to get through or open the door.

8 hours ago, Tmljaw said:

Of course! Always glad to see active developers striving to improve. In MAP03, even after I found and turned on every switch, I was unable to reach the end of the level. This might have been a fault of mine honestly, but I couldn't tell. I noticed a black skull door, and I figured that was where I was supposed to go. But despite all of my efforts, I couldn't find a way to get through or open the door.

When you kill all the cacodemons in the last room a yellow skull should spawn for you.

Are you using any gameplay altering mods?

All that I know is that Brutal Doom makes the key spawn instantly.

Edit: I just placed the yellow key on the ground and forgot the whole spawning after the fight thing.

Talk about an improvement, that's for sure. So, as far as feedback goes:

MAP01: A pretty big over reliance on STARTAN, which is fine, I have nothing against the texture, but it ends up kinda all merging together to make this samey look in some areas, maybe some SUPPORT beams here and there? I dunno, that's pretty subjective even by my standards. Take it with a grain of salt.

Gameplay wasn't bad. Definitely needed some punch, however. I'd suggest placing an ambush upon getting the red key and perhaps an ambush when you hit the exit switch, which would force you to fight a bit more before the level truly ended, and would throw the player off. Other than that, it's alright.

I'll play the rest later on today.  

Hello! First time poster, recently started getting into Doom mods more. 

First of all, I thoroughly enjoyed the aesthetics of your maps. 

As far as gameplay goes, it was solid and pretty fun, though there was an insane amount of hitscan. While it did drive me nuts in certain parts, it did contribute to the challenge aspect while still not being overly-difficult. 

Nonetheless, I enjoyed and appreciate your work.

3 hours ago, Sprink said:

Hello! First time poster, recently started getting into Doom mods more. 

 

First of all, I thoroughly enjoyed the aesthetics of your maps. 

 

As far as gameplay goes, it was solid and pretty fun, though there was an insane amount of hitscan. While it did drive me nuts in certain parts, it did contribute to the challenge aspect while still not being overly-difficult. 

 

Nonetheless, I enjoyed and appreciate your work.

Thank you very much^^, I really gotta work on my enemy placement.

Have some publicity!

@Glaice Oh my gosh! :D, thank you so much^^

dude this is a very cool wad. very inspired. I'm a fan of doom and write music. check it out if you like it, https://metusnex.bandcamp.com/ write me an email madma12@gmail.com i can write music ost for your levels. check it out!

https://metusnex.bandcamp.com/album/doomed

6 hours ago, metus said:

dude this is a very cool wad. very inspired. I'm a fan of doom and write music. check it out if you like it, https://metusnex.bandcamp.com/ write me an email madma12@gmail.com i can write music ost for your levels. check it out!

I'll totallyemail you  for some music for my next WAD, thanks. :)

On 04.10.2017 at 11:56 PM, Synndra said:

I'll totallyemail you  for some music for my next WAD, thanks. :)

sorry cant get your mail. mb it go to spam. can u write you @mail ?