Looking to play and record your maps

9 hours ago, xvertigox said:

@Nebula-Kristian

As per the name this map is set amongst Mayan ruins. It uses all custom textures which leave it feeling almost like a mod despite 99% of the bestiary being stock and having no custom weapons.

 

Visually, the map looks great. The custom textures fit great and aren't overused or shoehorned in. Because a lot of the textures look quite busy the map feels detailed even in areas where there isn't an abundance of sectors. That being said the map does have good detailing throughout, especially with it's use of slopes. The use of slopes is restrained and used for minor details which I think is part of what makes it feel like a mod when it's not. You don't see an overuse of slopes and think "oh, it's a zdoom map". It's much more subtle and leave the map feeling different but not in an overt way.

 

The map flow and progression works great. It's non-linear but is well thought out and balanced. This is made obvious when you come to a fork in the path early on and realize that there's a SSG on either side of the fork meaning there's no "wrong" path. A big relief for me was that when you flip a switch you can logically work out what it probably did. You don't have to backtrack to some arbitrary point in the map which would have killed the map's fun.

 

For me personally this map's difficulty is right on the money. It's definitely tough in parts but not in any cheap way. There's a good balance between archviles and the rest of the lower tier monsters. The fight compositions are well thought out meaning you have to think on your feet and prioritize correctly or you might eat a manc fireball or take a revenant rocket to the back of the head. The map is tight on health giving it a tense vibe.

 

I actually really, really liked this map. This one is a must play IMO. Awesome work Kristian.

 

Download: https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/a-c/bor_lost

@xvertigox Thanks a lot for putting your time into it, it was a great watch and fun to listen your comments! :) Keep up the great work with these videos!

4 hours ago, HAK3180 said:

 

I'm realizing more and more that making a mapset work well for both continuous and pistol start just doesn't work that well or is very hard to execute. On pistol start you either have to chainsaw a hell knight for the plasma gun or waste half your plasma on him. On continuous, you've had a plasma gun for four maps, so why even go over there? And in general, secrets with weapons are just so much less meaningful. I'm playing a megawad now where I almost always have 600 cells, so secrets with BFG and 100 cells are pretty much worthless, but they'd be quite welcome if I were pistol starting. Continuous seems much more organic/immersion-friendly, obviously, but pistol starts tend to be the intended experience of the map. The tension...

 

At about 9:45 you mention that both the star platforms should be secret. Actually, they are joined sectors, so whichever one you access first will reveal the secret. 

 

If you run out of stuff, go ahead and do some more of mine, but I'm still doing some tweaking. 15 is probably the closest to ready.

 

Balancing for both continuous and pistol start would be real tough outside of placing shotguns near each spawn. I think it should be balanced for pistol starts with a note in the readme explaining so. That and making it obvious with a shotgun and 4 shells right next to the spawn in the early maps just to convey that pistol start is expected.

For the secret I actually said I'm glad that they both aren't secrets since you flip one switch to get both / they are right next to each other :)

I'll play through map15 soon.

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thanks a lot for putting your time into it, it was a great watch and fun to listen your comments! :) Keep up the great work with these videos!

Glad you liked it. The map was sick, I'll definitely play the other one you posted. Great work man.

@StormCatcher.77

This is StormCatcher.77's submission for the texture extravaganza project. The idea of the project was to make maps with very limited and randomly selected textures.

Despite the fact that the texture choice is so limited the map actually looks pretty damn good. The architecture combined with the "flooded palace" motif works well. There were a few areas where this is particularly noticeable where as other areas sort of look same-y due to the repetitive texturing.

The same-y looking areas play a lot into the progression because this map involves a lot of switch hunting. To get to the final arena of the map you need to collect 4 red keys and place them on columns which was conveyed well however how you get those keys was not. This map features /a lot/ of "flip the switch then go figure out what the hell it did" gameplay. This was the main detractor for this map. If the progression was just a bit clearer it would be much more enjoyable. That's not to say it's not enjoyable how it is now but it definitely could be improved.

The second biggest detractor to the map was the insta-kill red glyphs on the floor. The idea is interesting but they don't really add much to the map other than gibbing you when you forget about them. They are used to block off areas in a few places which is cool but then other times it's they are just in the middle of the path. One of the issues is that they are used to spawn monsters which means they can get covered up by corpses so are almost impossible to see when running around at doomguy's ridiculous speed.

The traps and battles are entertaining for the most part. The map strikes a good balance between difficulty and fun. Stronger enemies spawn in around you in cramped spaces but there's a way to maneuver out - assuming you don't step on an insta-kill glyph.

I enjoyed the map but that's because I forced myself to keep playing through it. If I was playing this just for myself I probably would have quit halfway through and not gotten to see the cool ending section which would have been a shame.

As long as you're aware of the switch hunting and are OK with that I would recommend grabbing this wad.

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/file/4gb5x9i1znqn9na/Cursed_Realms_-_Flooded_Palace.zip

@xvertigox

Excellent game! Even I did not play so well when testing. Apparently, the map came out not so bad, although it's clearly not my best gameplay experiment. Yes, I forgot to mention that the map was designed for Boom, the jumping and mouselook were not allowed for it.

The moment at 08:20 was not taken into account. This place should open later. As you can see, on your video, it did not break the gameplay. Glitch with one of the marks I was just surprised ... Now there is an excuse to fix all these bugs.

I have a couple more maps. When I correct for them already known bugs, I will offer them to you for play, if interesting.

@StormCatcher.77 I'd be very happy to play any other maps you release my friend. Just let me know when they are ready and I'll add them to my list.

So here's my playthrough request, for Standing Up! A very short map with very few chairs a whole lot of glass.

Operation Body Count just came out, if you're down for somewhat mission-based maps and 80s action movies.

@Impie I can do a few levels. Are they viable for pistol starts? Which ~3 maps would you prefer?

9 minutes ago, xvertigox said:

@Impie I can do a few levels. Are they viable for pistol starts? Which ~3 maps would you prefer?

All missions are done pistol start by default, so no worries there: between each mission all your shit gets removed because of the time lapse in-between.

They tend to be a bit lengthy, too. Missions 1 through 4 are probably the best bet for a showcase, and you can probably fit 1 and 2 in the same video since 1 only takes a few minutes; the other three take about fifteen, twenty minutes if you know what you're doing, including the intro briefings explaining the premise of each mission and what your main objective is. Give it a whirl before you record and see what you think.

Sweet as. I'll play map01 and maybe 02 to get a hang of it then play 03 and 04 as FDAs. How many maps total?

4 minutes ago, xvertigox said:

Sweet as. I'll play map01 and maybe 02 to get a hang of it then play 03 and 04 as FDAs. How many maps total?

It's 9 missions total, most of them around 20 minutes to a half hour in length depending how well you fare.

@xvertigox

Today, I released to float freely my map of 2016, which I did for a non-completed CP. Fixed many critical bugs. Download link in this thread.

The map is quite long, with difficult gameplay. In order not to remain without ammo, it should be carefully explored. Here is alot of swithees too, but what they open, usually is near. Exactly, you'll not have to run to other side of map... ;]

Here is Sosuria, my first Heretic map. Large and filled with monsters, but plenty of ammo to go around!

@Impie

I've decided to release these individually rather than as a big pack once done

Oh damn, you went on hard mode? They gonna give you a run for your money.

Too bad you skipped the basement area. There's a ton of ammo down there.

Gonna make some maps for you to play.  They might be hard.

I want to mention a few more of my works:

Complex 502. Arrival - My very first map from 2015. Recently I made a couple of decorative edits. It is a technobase in the mountains. Duration about 30-40 minutes. Was done for ZDoom, only by stock Doom 2 resources.

Cursed Realms - Path Over The Abyss - Work for Vinesauce Mapping Contest 2016. The first version, got on the stream was very buggy. The final is completely passable. It is important to remember that here it is necessary to save literally every bullet. Duration about 25-30 minutes. Only GZDoom.

Cursed Realms - Fiery Monkey Arena - A small map for DMP2016 (about 15 minutes). Only GZDoom. Again, here is many switches. The way to the player in some places will block the barriers from the symbols on the floor, which are disabled in one way or another. To complete the level, you will need to find two yellow keys. And again - you need to save your ammo.

Time Parallax - Fiery Rooster Arena - Map for DMP2017. A mid-sized map for GZDoom in the fusion of the ruins of ancient civilizations. Here you need to find three yellow keys that can be collected in any order, by exploring the level. Duration about 25-30 minutes.

@Dragonfly

I'm having so much fun that I'm going to go through and do a 100% run for each map :) It's like a beautiful mix of the feeling I get grinding speedruns and the glory that is Doom.

Awesome stuff! Looks like I've got plenty to watch this lunch break. Thanks a whole bunch for blasting your way through! :D

It's been wicked fun to play through so expect a bunch more over the weekend. At this point I'm not going for really high scores / good times - the videos are getting 100% tokens without too many mistakes. I'll probably grind out a few levels I especially like once I've finished them all.

I just viewed them all, great runs! :D

@PepsiBepsi

Sigma Waste Facility is PepsiBepsi's entry for the Vinesauce project with it's most notable features being the detailing and monster use.

The actual detailing with sectors is good for the most part and keeps the map looking interesting and not overly boxy. In other areas it's a bit overused and in some cases noticeably impedes movement.

The flow of the map is one of it's strongest points. The progression is logical and I never felt lost. This is helped by the main map area being fairly small and featuring a couple of central hubs.

The texture use was interesting. In some parts the Quake 4 textures looked good and in others it stuck out like a sore thumb. This happened most when it was next to BROWN1 and brown flats were used. I think the fix for this would be to use all Q4 textures or to not use BROWN1 etc.

For the most part the map was quite easy. 95% of the time you're fighting Zombiemen, Sargents, Imps and Pinkies. There's a few Hell Knights thrown in and a Baron as the final boss.

The weapon progression matches this so you'll be using a shotgun/chaingun combo until the very end of the map when you get a super shotgun, rocket launcher and plasma gun. It is a bit strange to get all 3 of these weapons very late into the map and only using them for one or two encounters.

Overall, it was a fun 20 minutes of Doom. It could use some polishing but I'd still recommend giving it a quick blast in it's current release.

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/file/gv7exec56wk6b2q/SigmaWasteFacility.wad

54 minutes ago, xvertigox said:

@PepsiBepsi

 

 

Sigma Waste Facility is PepsiBepsi's entry for the Vinesauce project with it's most notable features being the detailing and monster use.

 

The actual detailing with sectors is good for the most part and keeps the map looking interesting and not overly boxy. In other areas it's a bit overused and in some cases noticeably impedes movement.

 

The flow of the map is one of it's strongest points. The progression is logical and I never felt lost. This is helped by the main map area being fairly small and featuring a couple of central hubs.

 

The texture use was interesting. In some parts the Quake 4 textures looked good and in others it stuck out like a sore thumb. This happened most when it was next to BROWN1 and brown flats were used. I think the fix for this would be to use all Q4 textures or to not use BROWN1 etc.

 

For the most part the map was quite easy. 95% of the time you're fighting Zombiemen, Sargents, Imps and Pinkies. There's a few Hell Knights thrown in and a Baron as the final boss.

 

The weapon progression matches this so you'll be using a shotgun/chaingun combo until the very end of the map when you get a super shotgun, rocket launcher and plasma gun. It is a bit strange to get all 3 of these weapons very late into the map and only using them for one or two encounters.

 

Overall, it was a fun 20 minutes of Doom. It could use some polishing but I'd still recommend giving it a quick blast in it's current release.

 

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/file/gv7exec56wk6b2q/SigmaWasteFacility.wad

Thanks for the review man! And yeah, replacing most the textures with the quake 4 textures was a last minute idea (the day before I had to submit the map lol) so it was a bit rushed, but it's good to now that they were ok for the most part. The weapon drops could definitely have been a lot better. I might add the level to a map pack so that you actually get to use the weapons more, than I might "officially" release it.

But like I said, I appreciate the playthrough!

It's also worth mentioning that out of the 3 people who've played the map so far, none of them have shared an opinion. It's kinda cool seeing how different play styles alter the experience. It'll definitely help making future maps to understand how different people might approach playing a level.

@Empyre

The main question I wanted to answer with this video was "Is this mapset a coop mapset with sp support or are these actually viable sp levels?". This is definitely a coop wad with sp support.

The core concept of this map is there is a central hub elevator and you have to go to separate areas connected to it to lower it further and further until you reach the bottom. This works really well and keeps progression nice and smooth. It makes the map very linear but honestly that's ok.

The areas are varied which really keeps things interesting. Each time you're about to go to a new zone you have no idea what it'll be like.

In parts the map looks good but often times it's underdetailed and boxy. If you were playing this in coop with a handful of people this would be less of an issue but in single player huge, bland, open areas get tiresome.

I played this on the custom 'slaughter' difficulty and still found this overly easy. The fact that this skill retains Nightmare!'s 2x ammo modifier and that there is overabundant ammo means it's almost broken. You spend the majority of the map using the plasma gun and then once you get the BFG you can use that exclusively and still have ammo to spare.

The combat itself is fairly one dimensional. Most of the time you're circle strafing a clump of barons/hell knights or spamming through a doorway. There are times where this isn't the case (notably the circle lift hub) and those feel refreshing but also make you more aware of the bland combat elsewhere.

If you're looking for a single player mapset I wouldn't recommend Empyrion. If you're looking for a fun coop wad check this out.

Thread/download: https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/94601-empyrion_v39-14-udmf-coop-maps-with-single-player-support/

Thanks for the review!

That area that reminded you of the Lava Giant map from UT was not a coincidence. :)

I do host these maps with mods on my Zandronum server (Empyre's Little Server) here in Texas, USA, but your accent sounds like you are far away from here. If you want to host them on a server nearer you, I would be delighted. There is a server in the Ukraine that hosts them with Brutal Doom, one of the Ninferno servers.

You are good at handling crowds of monsters, but I noticed that you don't use the BFG efficiently. When the BFG ball hits, a spray of hitscan attacks comes from the player in the direction where he shot the BFG. If you shoot the BFG and then hide behind a wall, the BFG spray hits the wall you are hiding behind, not the monsters. The ball itself only does 100 damage, about the same as a rocket, but with no splash damage.

6 hours ago, Empyre said:

Thanks for the review!

 

That area that reminded you of the Lava Giant map from UT was not a coincidence. :)

Awesome, that's a cool reference. It really feels like Lava Giant which is a great map in it's own right.

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You are good at handling crowds of monsters, but I noticed that you don't use the BFG efficiently. When the BFG ball hits, a spray of hitscan attacks comes from the player in the direction where he shot the BFG. If you shoot the BFG and then hide behind a wall, the BFG spray hits the wall you are hiding behind, not the monsters. The ball itself only does 100 damage, about the same as a rocket, but with no splash damage.

I know about the rays but yeah my BFG use is pretty trash. I did try to do maximum damage on some enemies but was lazy for some of them too.

@RaphaelMode

A quick, tough little map which seems more focused on movement and RNG than typical Doom combat. There isn't too much to say other than it's a fairly fun short blast.

Thread/download: https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/99901-standing-up-the-chairless-moment-of-glass-filled-struggle/

@Voltcom9

Legions of Death is a slaughter map set in a Nazi castle (correct me if I'm wrong Voltcom9) and it's pretty fun.

When I first jumped in and heard the SS alertcry I got a bit worried but that was unfounded. The Wolf3D theme is actually pretty clever in that it makes the map more distinct and interesting.

The map makes good use of 3D floors and the gameplay itself is enjoyable. I'm not a slaughter aficionado so I can't say if it's a "good" slaughter map but I liked running around shooting at fat gobs of Hell Knights and seeing their numbers dwindle.

I'd recommend grabbing this map even if you're shit at slaughter maps (like me).

Download: https://www.dropbox.com/s/3151ze9w709obv5/HKmadness.wad

http://www.mediafire.com/file/3u8p6co99g0eg7b/atnmntE1+2rc.zip Here's that super, top secret release candidate of Atonement E1 + E2 for ya. No one else play this -- it's top secret ;)