1995 called. They want their Doom levels back.

Nice redemption story brah.

Also those screenshots look sick, apart from some texture weirdness here and there, I hope you have like a demo or something done, cuz I'd play it 100%

Cool! I like playing random 90s WADs time to time so I'm definitely game for the original levels.

Thanks for sharing! I'm always looking for more Ultimate Doom wads and would be more than happy to playtest this episode for you if you'd like. Good luck with your project!

Thanks for the positive feedback, @tam, @SuperCupcakeTactics and @kknot5889. I'll keep updating this thread, once there's reason to do so.

One more screenshot: This is the current, very early state of the "new build, who dis?" layout.

The 3 stages of the Oil Rig. Top to bottom: top to bottom.

It's obviously still in a very early stage. The "inside" of the Rig (middle part) is still missing the living quarters and mess hall / canteen, along with some more fleshed out (literally? haha) production facility to be stopped by the player.

Once I know the exact layout of the upper layers I'll then still have to adjust the sea level area to reflect the shape and protrusions of the upper level(s).

I really like the concept behind these levels and would be happy to give this a playthrough once you finish your polishing. It's a really neat idea.

On 2/2/2020 at 11:09 PM, Doomkid said:

No one ever truly escapes Doom’s gravitational pull..

OT: Nice screenshots and map concept, love oil rig levels since Fallout 2.

That's a weird looking sound tunnel.

90s is love, 90s is life.

3 minutes ago, Solmyr said:

That's a weird looking sound tunnel.

Hey! No sound tunnel shaming in this thread. xD

But yes, you're right. Oftentimes an idea has already rather far proceeded in my mind before I even start editing.. but in this case it's a little less refined, so things get moved around. Including that sound tunnel.

This whole revamping of the "Rig" level is very much an amalgamation of ideas, together with my "I wonder how good I can make this illusion with just vanilla tricks" mentality. So kind of not the best way to go about a level, I guess. Either way, I can promise you that the final layout will look vastly different when it's done. But I am still going at a decent pace (for my liking) and it doesn't look like my inspiration is waning at all. *knocks on WOOD1*

Yes, no sound-tunnel shaming! Sound-tunnels are 100% reliable and do their job well.

I concur with others who say it's nice to see an OG mapper return. I happen to be one myself, and have specialized in finishing and releasing mapsets I started -- or even finished -- in the '90s, so welcome aboard!

I look forward to seeing your ship, which appears to have at least one turret, so keep going. :)

Here's an example of the level that follows (E1M2: "Canyon", still the old version, again without the SKY_1 replacement)..

It's right at the beginning when you arrive at the coast, just out of the water, really.

In the original version I had had the idea that the player would be fighting their way through a canyon with a bunch of hidden crevices and whatnot.. but since it was 1995 (without 3D preview editors) and because I was lazy, I ended up making the walls "ASHWALL". I realized that I'd never get done if I tried to align a less forgiving texture throughout the whole extensive canyon. When instead I should've just made the canyon shorter or picked a different approach for "getting from E1M1 to E1M3" altogether. Since I now have no excuse not to align textures more precisely, the whole thing will see a whole new lick of paint. Well.. wallpaper.

I might keep the building on the left in the level for sentimental reasons but the rest of the level will likely have to go.

Just a quick update from my phone (so no screenshots this time). Ran into my first visplane limits (I thinks that's what it is called) on the top level of the oil rig. Switched to using the "RenderLimits" port of chocolate doom for now.

Already have an idea how to simplify / streamline the layout without sacrificing any of the core "message" of the area. I was getting a bit carried away at first but hrough that I realized which parts I want to keep.

I'm currently putting in a good 2 - 3 hours each day, consistently (more on weekends). I'll probably still need the rest of the week to get E1M1 far enough done to share it.

No shame in using less vanilla-limit-stuff if it's for the greater good of the wad, imo, but if you wanna try keeping it strictly vanilla as a challenge, good luck with that c:

Awesome!

interested! there cannot be enough doom maps.

10 hours ago, tam said:

No shame in using less vanilla-limit-stuff if it's for the greater good of the wad, imo, but if you wanna try keeping it strictly vanilla as a challenge, good luck with that c:

Thanks! Yeah I found that there usually is a way to clear up / declutter the level when you run into stuff like this.

In case of the Oil Rig's top level, there's a spot from which you can see too much level architecture. And since I am not completely satisfied with the current layout, I will just redo parts of it in a streamlined manner. As it is now, it's too distracting from the main "message" of the level (the top level of the rig shows the top part of the drill column, basically, along with pipes leading away from it which you can trace). 

Can trace. I usually dislike "find the switch for a door by following the cables" approaches in games, though. So I am not making it mandatory for finishing the level. Plus you'll find it by just walking around anyways. But I think it's a nice callback when you (may) realize "oh, so this is where those pipes are going".

Don't want to give too much away though. And the level may still change anyways xD

As a stroll down memory lane: This is what the old version of the top floor looked like, in 1995:

(again, with the "unreplaced" sky texture.. smh)

Glad to see an old-timer return to share some stuff with us next generations! Hope I can play your maps when they're released.

As for your visplane woes, Doom Builder has a "Visplane Explorer", either built-in or available as a plugin, depending on version. It can render a heatmap of visplane usage throughout the level, which can give you an idea of what parts are toeing the line and what parts you can afford to fancy up a bit.

Didn't have anything like that in 1995!

Hey! Hi.

E1M1 still:

I ended up greatly reducing the initial area of the top platform that you get to, in favor of keeping the actual drill top "near-vanilla-Doom-limit" detailed.

Now the area only has the drill, the entry through which you arrive.. and an unassuming building complex leading away from that area again. From there there will be some more detail, away from the drill, to give you the impression of an interconnected inner structure.

As it currently stands:

- you can potentially get to the main part of the drill on the inside of the platform first, but

- (in good old Doom fashion) your progress there will be blocked by a key door

- you will get the key from another place (reachable from the top area)

- that place has a weapon which you might like¹⁾ but

- you won't be able to get to the weapon unless you disable the drill inside the platform (once you have the key)

Meaning, you don't have to go back to the place with the weapon because once you gained access to the drill, you can continue to the exit.

I will probably spawn in a few monsters though, for when you go back.. and again, once you get the weapon x3

Huh?

I guess this is all very basic level pacing / structuring. I am just postiting my progress to update you guys.. and to make a note for myself.

Oh! and I have a question, too:

What's your favorite Standard Doom 1 weapon? Not related to anything in the post, of course >_>

Screenshots later tonight.. if that's okay with you xD

---

¹⁾ Currently I am thinking of making it the shotgun, actually.. which is my favourite. Which would mean that you'll have to fight your way through most of E1M1 with just the pistol. How dare I.

On 2/11/2020 at 1:22 PM, Rainne said:

As for your visplane woes, Doom Builder has a "Visplane Explorer", either built-in or available as a plugin, depending on version. It can render a heatmap of visplane usage throughout the level, which can give you an idea of what parts are toeing the line and what parts you can afford to fancy up a bit.

 

Didn't have anything like that in 1995!

Thanks, @Rainne! That is very handy indeed. It's built in with Ultimate Doom Builder which I ended up using now. It was a plugin for Doom Builder 2, which I had used before. And it started getting pretty red, before I resorted to the changes of my last post in this thread xD

Not everything was better, back in the day.

3 hours ago, Zylinderkatze said:

What's your favorite Standard Doom 1 weapon?

Plasma gun. It's the second most consistent weapon after the shotty, and it deals with cacos and souls better.

Screenshot Thursday? Sure why not.

This is the result of one of the bits that I actually scribbled out beforehand. The stairs to the left go up to the top level of the Rig, while the narrow tunnel in the middle of the screen leads to the drill's maintenance access. (the pipes on the right are a recurring theme throughout the level but this one is likely to be removed again)

Not bad. Looks like you've contoured the floor at the foot of the stairs around the hex pattern of the floor texture. Is that something from your 3D Save Icon or is it something new you've added? Now that editors can show flats in the editor view, that kind of stuff is a lot easier these days.

1 hour ago, Rainne said:

Not bad. Looks like you've contoured the floor at the foot of the stairs around the hex pattern of the floor texture. Is that something from your 3D Save Icon or is it something new you've added? Now that editors can show flats in the editor view, that kind of stuff is a lot easier these days.

yeah I did ^^ but I'm not sure whether I'll keep that particular detail - it feels a little strained. It was kind of just to see how easily I'd be able to apply details like that.. but it doesn't really add to the overall feel.

Also, I doubt that my levels will be a revelation or blow anyone away with how well crafted they are ^^; however, I'm still very motivated and inspired, after a good 2 - 3 weeks, so if nothing else, at least I'm having fun xD

The room from the screenshot is completely new, it's the result of going from the "two layers" (sea level and top of the platform) to the "three layers" approach (and ultimately redoing the whole level in the process).

The thing is that with all the renewal efforts and cautious (?) beautification, the levels might lose some of their retro charm >_> I still have the originals, though- so I can just publish them alongside the new ones, when I'm done.

I think the main thing that might work for me in favor of keeping a "1995 vibe" is that the last time I played Doom 1 was in 2010.. and even then only to test the results of my first renewal iteration.

Of course I've loosely checked back on progress of new maps -but never deep enough to have my "style" influences by it. This might actually be one of the few cases where ignorance turns out to be bliss.

Or just plain ignorant xD

6 minutes ago, Zylinderkatze said:

I still have the originals, though- so I can just publish them alongside the new ones, when I'm done.

That's an interesting concept. I back this idea

4 minutes ago, Zylinderkatze said:

Also, I doubt that my levels will be a revelation or blow anyone away with how well crafted they are ^^

there are still alot of love here for levels without excessive detailing. at least such an old fart as me loves them! ;-)

my motto: "detailing is overrated!" ;-)

"High Res Editor View" time!

Yeah, no.. I'm not even going to pretend that this is in-game vanilla. But Vanilla can handle this, even if just barely.

It's the top level (viewed without any "things" and from an angle you can't get to in-game, so.. doubly cheating, I guess ^^). I am leaving it as it is, for now.. mainly because I am now fleshing out the "inside the platform" bits. When I return to this section, I'll make that boring lump of gray on the left a little more eye-catching and more looking like an actual building. But I wanted to share this bit with you guys because I'm pretty satisfied with it (for the time being).

Again, no replaced Sky texture.. it looks more ominous once the sky is black.

Looks really nice and atmospheric, while still maintaining Doominess.

I'm excited.

Love 90s maps. I'll definitely be giving these a play upon your completion.