UPDATE: (WIP) Golden City (map02 ready)

UPDATE 07.11.2019...
 

Most recent Version:https://drive.google.com/open?id=1uBiCadc0AlJ4Hud2JkdZFdOgkhLOsehG

CHANGES FROM THE LAST VERSION:

1. Killed two buggers in Map01 @OleBumma found.

2. Changed the brown sludge in Map01 to green nuke-slime to fit the theme.

3. Map02 is now ready to go into the final testing phase. (fully solvable with 100/100/100)

4. BlueKey Plasma-lockers are now included.

5. The final switch area is ready (and adds just another sentinel for the left side of the map). Yeah I'm a sadist. :)
6. Difficultys included. (Easy is a walk in the park, medium has some potential rapists and UV is Central Park 1980).

WHAT TO DO:

Some detail work. Waiting for the test-results to come in to fine-tune health/ammo.

Starting the hub Level from which you can choose any map to progress. :) 

The Idea:
 

Each map will be playable with a pistol start and should give you a different kind of playtime. So in whats now Map01 you will get a relativly linear map with some scriptet events to spice up the simple gun and run play. Map02 is an "open world" map with almost unlimited ways to solve it.

Designwise I try to use similiar assets in each map (pedestals, teleporters, switch-consoles) so that you always feel that it's a set of maps. I also try to spawn enough ammo/health right after or before some of the bigger fights so if you run low just check the different spawn points. Both maps will take between 30 and 45 minutes - three more are in the planning stage. :)

What you have to do:

- Play - in any way or form you want, but please let me know wich way you choosed and how you ended the level. (Time, Secrets, Kills, Ammo Health)

- As in Map01 I will spawn additional Ammo/Health at the according pedestals - inform me if a place needs some more (or has to much).

- Let me know of all bugs gameplay-wise.

- Visually I'm aware of some problem-zones and obviously one switch area and the Exit are worked on. But let me know anyway if something glitches or any HOMs coming through.

Things to watch out for:

- Keep an eye on your back at the start. There's a nasty Hellknight-Sentinel overlooking almost the whole map. ;)

- One area is stolen from my Eternal-Map08. :)

- If you are able to trap the final boss in the river you should have no problems (even without the Plasma).  If he roams free - well, your in for a fight. ;)
- The music in Map02 is a new piece by Rich Nagel. Still a bit short and rough, but he's working on it. :)
- The music in Map01 is also by Rich, but an improvisation on well known themes. :)

txt:

And some new Screenies:

Light inlets within light inlets as shown on the pillars in the second screenshot look a bit odd in  my opinion.

8 minutes ago, Vermil said:

Light inlets within light inlets as shown on the pillars in the second screenshot look a bit odd in  my opinion.

Yeah you´re right. I need these collumns there so the player can take cover in this open area (you will be under fire from all sides later on). I will check how it looks with the simple version from picture 03.

will it contain floodfill tricks again? ;-) pleeeease, k8vavoom cannot into this!

6 minutes ago, ketmar said:

will it contain floodfill tricks again? ;-) pleeeease, k8vavoom cannot into this!

:)

Nope, they are done. :) Hey, I´m close to the big 6, but stil able to learn...

good news, everyone! it seems that all 5.76947 k8vavoom users will be able to play this too! ;-)

(i can test it on k8vavoom for you, but i'm not a good doom player; and usually boom-compatible maps are working ok in k8vavoom anyway. except transporters -- their speed is slightly off.)

3 hours ago, ketmar said:

good news, everyone! it seems that all 5.76947 k8vavoom users will be able to play this too! ;-)

 

Nope, when executing a script it stops working on k8vavoom. :(

1 hour ago, theDia said:

Nope, when executing a script it stops working on k8vavoom. :(

ah, unimplemented ACSF/ACS, i guess? ok, i'll wait for release to see what is missing, and will try to implement it (if it is not something i don't want to have -- there are some opcodes i don't want to implement for various reasons like lazyness ;-).

@theDia  I'd love to help playtest these.

8 hours ago, ketmar said:

ah, unimplemented ACSF/ACS, i guess? ok, i'll wait for release to see what is missing, and will try to implement it (if it is not something i don't want to have -- there are some opcodes i don't want to implement for various reasons like lazyness ;-).

Seems like it, because everything else runs smoothly so far (even if I saw some serious framedrops in some of the big outdoor areas). 

6 hours ago, joepallai said:

@theDia  I'd love to help playtest these.

The first test-version will be available in about 14 hours and include (as mentioned) the fixed Map01 (so that Ketmar can check for compatibility-issues).

The trouble is that i was away for such a long time and so have lost the contact to the players out there. Design-wise I´m still "good old Dia", so don´t expect realistic settings and be prepared for a more surreal approach, but depending on playability I definatly need your help. :)

6 hours ago, theDia said:

The first test-version will be available in about 14 hours and include (as mentioned) the fixed Map01 (so that Ketmar can check for compatibility-issues).

The trouble is that i was away for such a long time and so have lost the contact to the players out there. Design-wise I´m still "good old Dia", so don´t expect realistic settings and be prepared for a more surreal approach, but depending on playability I definatly need your help. :)

 

Not to worry, Eternal Doom is one of my favorites and I'm just excited to help.    I'm good for HMP or lower skill settings.

The lamp-posts have to go..., but I need something to take cover during the later attacks in this area.

Any ideas?

ventilation shafts exits are always loved by people!

Better?

yeah, for me it looks better. now i feel like i almost know why they're there (besides being put there as a cover for me ;-).

And they also fit nicely into the overall design theme (and so will apear in the other levels also). :)

can't wait to play it crash k8vavoom with it! ;-)

7 minutes ago, ketmar said:

can't wait to play it crash k8vavoom with it! ;-)

If anything runs smoothly you at least can play two complete levels next monday. And you can be sure I have added enough tricks and traps to kill k8vavoom. :)

2 hours ago, theDia said:

And you can be sure I have added enough tricks and traps to kill k8vavoom.

two challenges for the price of one. yummy!

GZDoom 4.1.1, playing continuous.
 

Really a lot of fun. Looking forward to the rest of it.

1 hour ago, EffinghamHuffnagel said:

GZDoom 4.1.1, playing continuous.

1 hour ago, EffinghamHuffnagel said:

 

The secret lift was being triggered by monsters as soon as I shot the Chaingunners, before I even opened the door and went inside. Probably need some sound block lines or deaf tags.

Done. :) This was a residue of the first version of the level were you didn´t find the chaingun at the start.

1 hour ago, EffinghamHuffnagel said:

 

Stealth monsters - it's a choice. Thank you for not having too many of them.

And - absent from the chaingun surprise in front of the blue key they will be gone soon. Again residue from the 15 year old version when stealth monsters were the big shit. :)

1 hour ago, EffinghamHuffnagel said:

 

The 'helper' monsters were interesting. Are you using a distance test? The Arachnos can kill Demons quickly, usually before they can get close to them. So the Arachnos ended up attacking me, even when I ran back to the west end of the walkway, unless they hit a Demon and let it get too close. Still really useful, though. Much more so than the Mancs. They got chewed to death quickly.

The only trouble with the help-monsters is that everything in this area is really unpredictable. F.e. as soon as a pinkie runs over one of the map-spots where the monsters appear, they will appear at random in other close by areas. So if the Arachs appear in the front they are cannon-fodder for the Knights and vice versa.

It´s a tight rope to walk, but at least I hope I left enough ammo to deal with any survining monster. :9

1 hour ago, EffinghamHuffnagel said:

 

Killing the 'Stooges' in sequence - I appreciate the mechanics required to create that puzzle. It is really hard and required a LOT of running around. Thank you for re-spawning ammo and powerups.

In the meantime they are teleporters all around the level which transports the player back to the starting area (so right in the middle of the level).

1 hour ago, EffinghamHuffnagel said:

 

Seven monsters never teleported in.

Yeah - a big problem. Thanks for discovering the once only teleport LD. Never thought about this - a typical case of mapper-blindness. :) I will change this a bit...

1 hour ago, EffinghamHuffnagel said:

 

BFG secret - WAY subtle hint. Found it afterwards in the editor.

Well, it´s blinking and the only reason ever to use the rad-suit. Also - you really don´t need the BFG at all, so I think I will let it bee this way. :)

1 hour ago, EffinghamHuffnagel said:

 

-------
MAP02
-------
Just north of the Green Armor secret, there is an SSG on a higher level which seems unreachable. Did I miss something?

Yes - you can jump over from the other side

1 hour ago, EffinghamHuffnagel said:

 

Before I ran up the wide stairs, I saved and went through the opening to the right into the nukage. Found one Manc and two Caco statues around the corner. Funny.

Area closed now because part 3 and 4 of the level are in the work. :)

1 hour ago, EffinghamHuffnagel said:

 

When the nukage changes to water, why are you using water flats for the waterfalls? Retres has three different waterfall sets. Just curious.

Copy and pasting while writing ACS - done. :)

1 hour ago, EffinghamHuffnagel said:

 

The sector tag 28 Rocket Launcher - you have to pick it up to open the doors. If you've been saving your Rockets and are full up, you're stuck. Not hard to figure out what to do, but still.

Thats a problem when creating an "open world map". In the end you have three different ways to approach the map - in each one you will find an SSG and an RL in similiar ways/areas with similiar ways to get them needed. If you are to scared to grab a weapon your at the wrong place. :)

1 hour ago, EffinghamHuffnagel said:

 

After you grab the Yellow Skull Key, if you don't find the secret, it's a long run through the -10 nukage to dry land. Just sayin'. There's only one Rad Suit in the map.

 

The exit is blocked by Red and Yellow Key bars, but there is no Red Key in the map. It's a Blue Skull Key, so you can't exit the map. I gave myself a Red Skull Key and the second switch still wouldn't work.

 

The path to the Blue Skull Key is not obvious. It felt more like a path to a secret.
 

After grabbing the yellow key there will be another Rad-Suit just below in front of the area were you got the RL. :)

There is no red key yet, because this is what the next part of the map is for and the blue key is simply not needed to solve the map at all, but will provide the player with a way to get additional goodies in each of the three areas (the already blue marked but not working doors). Perhaps I will make the way to the key (and the SSG for this area) a bit more obviously later.


For now I thank you very much for the detailled and helpfull (I could bite my own ass about the once only teleport-lines;) ) review.

Some of the troubles you had will be probably none anymore in the final version, because I will explain some of the mechanics running through the whole set in Map01 which will be called "The Ropes".

In the end it will be a 5 map-set where what now is map01 will be 3 and map02 will be 4. In the beginning you will learn "the ropes", than you have to find your way to the time-gate, clean up the "golden City" and finally kill the big baddies (not yet sure who they are) and find a way back home in Map 05.

As mentioned further above - if everything runs smoothly I will get a final (or at least completely playable) version of the "open world map" to you on monday. :)

The new update for map02 will come tomorrow. This time around it should be at least fully playable, absent from one area I still have to add and the usual detail work. In the end the map will have 4 different areas wich are fully accessable/playable from the beginning, so the different ways to solve the map are astonishlingly high (you can go in any sequence but have to clean all four to get to the end), which will hopefully add to the replay value.

The trouble is I simply can't test all of the possible ways so help would be appreciated. :)

Update 08.07.2019:

Just look at the first posting. MAP02 is now fully playable. Start your open world experience now. :)

 

@theDia should it crash in k8vavoom, and how can i make it crash, if it should? sadly, i don't have time to properly explore the maps right now, but if i can debug a crash...

5 hours ago, ketmar said:

@theDia should it crash in k8vavoom, and how can i make it crash, if it should? sadly, i don't have time to properly explore the maps right now, but if i can debug a crash...

Right now I also havn't a lot of time to play, because I have my summer-vacation. :) And when Im opening the level it's now for detailling (yes, the final area is ready now).

But I will give the case to one of my testers - I'm sure we will find something for you to do. :)

I made it - so at least it's solvable. But even knowing every corner and every attack I had to change my plans more than once during the playtime. So I think the "open world" idea works at last. :)

With 157 Monsters it surely isn't overcrowded, but almost each of them can give you trouble. I'm really proud of the three Senitinels (one Knight and two barons) who will guard the whole map. :)

Now I will do the skill-settings and then it's time for the next map. :)

 

is the player supposed to strafe jump to get the rad suit in map01, or it's granted to use key jumping?

so far I haven't found a way that doesn't involve key jumping in order to get on top of those upper lands where the rad suit is :p

also, I'm with GZ and when the "stooge 2" mancubi spawns he was pretty much stuck in the teleport without attacking me once. whats the problem with it?

3 hours ago, OleBumma said:

is the player supposed to strafe jump to get the rad suit in map01, or it's granted to use key jumping?

so far I haven't found a way that doesn't involve key jumping in order to get on top of those upper lands where the rad suit is :p

Nope, this was residue from the old version. :) Corrected now...

3 hours ago, OleBumma said:

 

also, I'm with GZ and when the "stooge 2" mancubi spawns he was pretty much stuck in the teleport without attacking me once. whats the problem with it?

Short answer. I added the starting teleporter without thinking about that this was the point the mancubus will teleport in later. Also corrected now.

Strange, that these little things are the gamebreakers in such a more complex map. May be because I tested each script so intensly and lost track of the "normal" playing areas. :)

I liked the idea of getting ammo rewards in map01 as the mission progresses, so the player isn't grabbing it all at once and wasting it all before the map is over.

not sure if this is worth of any real consideration right now but while playtesting the first map, which took me some real time, I'm getting the "sucks" lettering at the end of the game lol... par time is also set to 0:30 which is impossible. the game is matching the scoring times based on Doom 2's map01, you should fix that up sometime, possibly based on actual par time from playtesters.

bugs in map02

- these imps don't fight back unless you head to the their side

- a not-so bug unless you head on it intentionally, but this passage here could trick the player to enter the area nearby from a wrong angle