Impromptu Minidido (Project Thread)

Release Thread

 

Premise: Work on a section of map, post it in this thread, and at the end, I'll take all the sections and assemble them into a single map, creating original content in order to connect them fluidly. This is an impromptu community exercise, meant more for fun and experimentation, but I scribbled down an extensive set of guidelines just so that everyone is on the same page. 

 

Restrictions: 

 

- Boom-format (cl9 in prBoom+).

- Stock Doom 2 textures.

- If you want to make a section, demonstrate interest in this thread. The first person to claim a spot should also post '100-199'. The second person '200-299'. That keeps going up in increments of 100. These are the tag numbers you can use, but you can also use as few as you'd like. Don't feel obligated to use lots of them. (Posting the numbers in this thread is for the convenience of those who claim spots after you.)

- You should work for no more than 120 minutes on a section, plus some time after that if you want for testing and tweaking. You can contribute more than one section, within reason (a few would certainly be fine -- a dozen, unlikely). 120 minutes isn't a lot, but ideally sections will be 'areas', rather than small but full-fledged speedmaps. 

- Your section should not require the player to remain in it for more than a few minutes. (That doesn't mean that there can't be lots to do -- but the player should have the option of leaving and coming back, for example.) 

- All switch textures should be in a SW1 state prior to being triggered. Switches shouldn't be used purely for decoration. 

- Water, blood, and brown slime shouldn't do damage or be used in inescapable pits. Lava should do 20% damage. All other liquid textures should do 10% damage, except when they are inescapable pits, where they do 20%. 

- No conventional doors. Other types of barriers can be used, however. 

- No keys or keystrip textures. 

- No Romero heads (or other exit triggers), boss spawners, or Keens. 

- No multiplayer thing flags. 

 

Guidelines: 

 

- Monsters if alert will move from your section to others. Use the "deaf / ambush" flag as well as typical devices such as teleportation traps, monsters popups, and closets to keep encounters more or less the way you designed them. 

- The first 96 tags assigned (e.g. 100-195) are traditional tags tied to actions in your section. The remaining 4 are wildcard tags that control wildcard sectors in other sections (if they are actions) or are controlled by wildcard actions in other sections (if they are sectors). They shouldn't be used for fully self-sufficient action-sector pairings in your section. Use the wildcard tags if you're up to the challenge. I'll use my best judgment to match these in a sensible way (and choose actions that make sense). No crossmap switch hunts for example -- which is part of why there are only 4 of them, which is still a lot tbqh. A platform with a megasphere lowered elsewhere, a switch in a secret area that controls something . . . there are numerous possibilities. Use either 0, 2, or 4 wildcards; half should be action tags and half should be sector tags, for logical reasons. Smaller sections don't always need them.  

- Use Player Deathmatch starts to express a general preference as to where connections between your section and other sections might happen. Place at least three. 

- When you post your contribution, also mention which weapons the player should have at a minimum, if you don't want to place redundant weapons (this is a good design choice, imo). 

- A significant amount of content will likely end up optional or freeform, as it's unlikely a rigid progression scheme would work or even be good if it did work.

- If your section threatens to eat up a sizable chunk of the prBoom+ sidedef/linedef limits (#4 here) on its own, it might not be included. 

 

NAQ (Never Asked Questions): 

 

How small or large can my section be? 

Huge sections are mostly not a good idea. On the upper end, no longer than 3072 map units from the most extreme -x coordinate to the most extreme +x, and likewise for -y and +y. That doesn't mean 'make a 3072x3072 box and fill it in -- more on that later. On the lower end, as small as you want. 

 

How will sections be connected? 

 

Ideally, in open ways that position individual sections as part of a seamless larger map. That means the map won't be structured as a hub with teleporters to and from individual sections, nor will sections all be connected by 64-wide hallways. There will be open lines of sight at the periphery of your sections, as well as larger openings to move through. So if you detail all of your walls extensively, something will have to give. If you submit a section, please be open to this possibility. 

 

Can I express a preference in what can be torn down?

 

You can do even better. Leave either physical or visual openings into placeholder sectors (STARTAN2 walls with bare floors will be interpreted as such). The southwest area of Ancient Aliens map10 is a good example, if you imagine the red line being a STARTAN2 wall and the ground below being bare. A good rule of thumb is that some areas will have to be connected to others in four directions, so leaving broad openings into placeholders on all sides will maximize the likelihood of your section remaining intact. By 'broad', think 192-wide at the minimum for each opening, possibly even larger. If your section is a freestanding structure on flat ground/liquid bounded by STARTAN2 walls (for example, a boat floating in the sea), it'll be very easy to work with. But again, I should emphasize that one should be open to the possibility of their section being modified to allow it to connect smoothly to others.

 

Are there any other things to keep in mind?

 

1) It's highly unlikely that a precisely calibrated fight will retain the base inputs from testing. A fight dependent on the player having an exact amount of BFG shots might not work, for example. Gameplay that is viable with both the bare minimum and a gratuitous maximum of supplies will fare best. 2) I'm also not going to put all of the parts with lower-tier weapons at the beginning and force the player to play for 10 minutes or even longer before even getting a SSG. 3) Think of your section as a seamless part of a larger map. Small and medium-sized is just as good as large for this purpose -- or even better -- so don't feel like the ideal contribution involves filling a 3072x3072 box with a complex network of stuff. Creating a section that locks the player in and then takes 20 minutes to complete is against the spirit of the exercise (and violates the restrictions so won't be included). 4) Inescapable pits might not remain inescapable if they are large and on the periphery of your area. 

 

How do I do thing placement so that my section has a purpose? 

 

Prioritize rewards that have value when redundant. A secret containing nothing but a RL is likely to be pointless because the player might have it already; adding two or three rocket boxes would allow it to scale properly. Use your wildcard tags too! 

 

Can I use voodoo doll scripts? 

 

Yes.

 

I want to make a cool fight, but it might end up pointless because I can't use keys. 

 

I will try to give all fights a purpose, by either implementing keys myself or placing rewards that make sense. So feel free to design good fights that have no apparent purpose. Wildcards also work excellently here.

 

What about lock-in fights?

 

These are fine. As per the restrictions, just don't make them too long. 

 

I want to make an extensive secret section. 

 

Cool idea. I can do that. Just mention that you'd prefer your section to be secret when you contribute it.

 

Do I have to be good at mapping to contribute. 

 

Yes, if you submit a bad section you'll be sued. (Kidding. Whether you've never mapped before or have made countless maps, give it a try.) 

 

Deadline and Logistics: 

 

- Starts: 3/18 Noon.

- Ends: 3/31 Midnight.

 

Have fun!

 

List of Interest and Contributions

 

- bonnie [tags 100-199] [Contribution]

- paymentplan [200-299] 

- Nine Inch Heels [300-399, 1900-1999] [Contribution] [Contribution] [Contribution]

- Benjogami [400-499] [Contribution]

- Archi [500-599] [Contribution]

- bioshockfan90 [600-699]

- WH-Wilou84 [700-799] [Contribution]

- yakfak [800-899]

- Walter confetti [900-999] [Contribution]

- PepsiBepsi [1000-1099, 2700-2799] [Contribution] [Contribution] [Contribution]

- scotty [1100-1199] [Contribution]

- TabbiKatt [1200-1299]

- Roofi [1300-1399] [Contribution]

- DanielAlexander [1400-1499] [Contribution]

- Big Ol Billy [1500-1599]

- Pegleg [1600-1699]

- Paul977 [1700-1799] [Contribution]

- NoisyVelvet [1800-1899] [Contribution] [Contribution]

- therektafire [2000-2099] [Contribution]

- elmle [2100-2199] [Contribution]

- DMPhobos [2200-2299, 2600-2699] [2 Contributions]

- DerFurer'sFace [2300-2399] [Contribution]

- Memfis [tagless] [Contribution]

- xdarkmasterx [2400-2499] [3200-3299] [Contribution] [Contribution]

- Bdubzzz [2500-2599] [Contribution]

- Yugiboy85 [2800-2899] 

- Dragonfly [3000-3099] [Contribution]

- Kyle2959 [3100-3199]