mrthejoshmon Posted March 25, 2020 Hello, I wanted to see what people thought their own best creations were, hear their insight into what they like so much about the things they have made and maybe even the thought process behind it, see it almost as a self review. I'll start with my example: MAP08 of a cancelled (but still released) project called TPBM: I like MAP08 "Lockdown" for a few simple reasons, for starters I began the map to include a clear focus for you to start with: You want that key, To open this exit, located at the other end of the complex behind a gate. This makes your objective somewhat clear, I also wanted to encourage the player to look around the complex, I did this by having a blue door immediately after the red to give you another objective (if you ran straight to the exit that is). I focused the entire map on one central building, you travel around this focal point, the other buildings on the outside are not just dressing however as you need to enter those to progress. I did my best to make each building unique in appearance (However, as of this post, I'd consider them to be incredibly basic and ugly) so you hopefully wouldn't get lost. I created a rather basic "Crate maze"tm inside the central hub, it isn't pretty by any means: I did this to give the central building a purpose, I did that for all of the buildings interiors, I wanted each building to feel like it served a function. The gameplay is, well it isn't the strongest at all, it is simple non-complex unchallenging encounters, I'd say that is why I actually enjoy it as it is a great level to just relax and play however it offers nothing for anyone looking for an interesting or complex/difficult scenario. The room i actually like the look of the most is the exit: It has this crisp, clean look about it, compared to every other room included. When it's all said and done, I wouldn't actually say that Lockdown is a good map, it is quite simple, flat, non-engaging and even primitive, ugly even, however it just jams with me and I love to just lazily stroll through it. What about you? What have you made that you enjoy the most? 15 Share this post Link to post
Doomkid Posted March 25, 2020 Your map doesn’t look ugly or primitive at all, it looks like a sturdy classic Doom map. Love that style. 5 Share this post Link to post
Phobus Posted March 25, 2020 Self-appreciation, eh? Very much my bag. Before I go down my own rabbit-hole (disappointed Doomkid hasn't pointed out one of his favourites from his own extensive library of stuff), I will say that your map looks very nice to me, mrthejoshmon. Perfectly suited to an old-school mapset. Obviously I've put together a "best of" series not too long ago, so I like a lot of my stuff and think you should too ;) However, if I had to single one thing out, that is already released, it'd be my "Winter Wonderland" map (MAP10) in DBP19: A Doomer Boards Christmas Carol - it's a great-looking map, if I do say so myself, and the resources we had to work with allowed for some amazing takes on the Christmas theme. I'm particularly proud of the frozen cave with the waterfalls and shadows that leads to the big frozen valley. It's a small area with very little meaningful combat, but it's probably the nicest looking thing I'll ever make. 4 Share this post Link to post
Doomkid Posted March 25, 2020 (edited) On 3/25/2020 at 9:54 PM, Phobus said: (disappointed Doomkid hasn't pointed out one of his favourites from his own extensive library of stuff) If I had to pick which single-player wad overall I think is my best, it would definitely be Rowdy Rudy’s Revenge. My favourite map in isolation would probably be map16 of rot90fix.wad, I had a lot of fun making that city map years ago. It’s one of the few maps in the wad that makes it worth playing! Edited March 30, 2020 by Doomkid 5 Share this post Link to post
MFG38 Posted March 25, 2020 Ooh, I like the idea of this thread! I'm going to try and pick a Top 3 - unreleased and still-WIP maps don't count. Hell's Asylum (2011) Even though it was one of my earliest efforts, this map is still one of my personal favorites to this day. The level design isn't anything to write home about - it's a fairly linear affair with lots of bland, rectangular rooms - but the reason I regard Hell's Asylum highly despite its age is the gameplay. In addition to the regular business of shooting demons, this map utilizes ACS to a rather high degree in order to throw some traps at the player. And traps aren't a very common sight in my maps. Overall, not a particularly good map layout-wise, but the gameplay makes up for it quite well, if I do say so myself. Luciferian Lust (2020) Something a little more recent, Luciferian Lust was made as a 2-hour speedmap on Valentine's Day of this year. In fact, it was my first speedmap ever. Making a map within a self-imposed time limit was a fun challenge, and I'm quite proud of what I managed to conjure up in that time. The shapes of some rooms could potentially do with some improvement, but the relatively non-linear and interconnected layout (compared to a lot of my prior works) is a personal lesson from which I strive to learn. I guess the gameplay isn't bad either. Deliverance 2600: MAP01 (2017) Considering that my one-man total conversion Deliverance 2600 took two whole years to develop, I'd be a maniac not to mention it here. Despite its flaws, MAP01 of the TC - its only map - is one of my proudest creations. Given that Deliverance 2600 was intended as a non-linear experience, I put a lot of thought into how the map should progress and where different areas should connect. Even though the end result still isn't particularly impressive layout-wise, I do like how interconnected I managed to make it. 5 Share this post Link to post
DynamiteKaitorn Posted March 25, 2020 I might as well throw in a few maps I've done over the years (~90% of which being from the TMoD series XD). TMoD EP 0 TS: Map 31 - House I'll forever regard this map as the turning point in my mapping career. This map sparked me to want to try to add custom textures to a map. Took me a little while but when I eventually nailed it, I decided "why not try and make a megawad?" So I did and TMoD Episode 0 was born! (And jesus I really need to make a remake of it because that thing looks awkward when looking back at it XD). Also this technically isn't the map that made me start working on TMoD specifically but since I lost the true original file, this is the closest I have. (most of map31 is similar to the actual map). TMoD Vanilla! MAP01 - Electric This is the first vanilla TMoD map I ever made for vanilla DooM and yeah, it's pretty awesome to know I can work with vanilla (and it's not as hard as I originally thought it would be but it's still a pain in the arse ._.). DooM PSX Master Edition - GO2IT This was a bit of a ball ache trying to convert a final DooM map to the PSX engine of DooM but I did get it to work after a little while and I'd say I kept the difficulty relatively hard (though the map is far easier just due to the limited engine :l). If team GEC ever release the final build of the tools and the revised engine, you KNOW for a fact I'm making TMoD on PS1 XD. 2 Share this post Link to post
Breezeep Posted March 25, 2020 If I had to choose a personal favorite, it would be Plum Predicament from Mayhem '18 Purple version. I made this shortly after I shoved off my Orange version map to Marcaek since I was feeling burnt out from working on it. Work on this one map went a lot better than my orange map since I wasn't worrying that much about how it was shaped, and I even managed to finish it in less than a week. I also feel like this was some sort of breakthrough for me personally after struggling to stay focused on finishing a single map due to the fact that I have *really* high standards for myself whenever I make something people would enjoy playing. 5 Share this post Link to post
Doom_Dude Posted March 25, 2020 (edited) Hmmmm lets see. I have several projects on the go, so this is just off the top of my head. I may not be thinking of something that should be in here... [edit] None of these are released. Some of the maps are done but the projects themselves are not finished. Vilecore 1.2 ~ Map 27 ~ Infested Tomb Sometime about a year or more ago, I decided to do to Vilecore what I originally intended to do to it but ended up with Vilecore 2 instead. SO I decided to revamp the megawad with improved architecture (anything would be an improvement.. HAH), new textures, fixed unalignments, better battles... in other words a whole list of fixes. I'm being strict with not adding any new areas (fuck I don't want to end up with Vilecore 3), except for small additions that allow for better level flow and views into adjacent sectors. The original end area was a shitty cluster of uninteresting halls, so I did a major redesign to make it more interesting. For the most part, fixing up what already exists is fairly straight forward but sometimes I run into the sector weirdness I designed 20 years ago. I faintly remember all that time ago, not knowing what to do with the end of the level and just making whatever in a bit of a rush to get it done. I have yet to get around to making new skies, but that's coming. Anyhow I'm keeping it vanilla but at this point I'm leaning towards limit removing with the whole thing. This map doesn't make an appearance in Vilecore 2 because I decided to cut it out as I wasn't happy with most of the Vilecore 2 version, which allowed me to add a new map but that's another story. Vilecore 2 ~ Map08 ~ Helion Base This is a map that I originally made for the NDCP (Newdoom Community Project) in the case that I might need it to fill a slot once we got close to project completion, but all slots got filled and I shelved it. Not too long ago I needed a map to fill the map08 slot for Vilecore 2 and so I decided to use it. I had to convert it to UDMF and then made some textures for it (well I didn't want to use the NDCP textures so I made or used whatever I already had available among 1300 +). Overall, it's one of my favorite maps to jump in and shoot stuff. Particulary like how the level flows from interior to outside areas. Vilecore 2 ~ Map 27 ~ Splintered Temple The original map is Hellpitt Temple from the first Vilecore. I took it, ripped it apart, slapped it around, added new marble and rock textures, removed areas, made new areas and I'm still hacking at it. Lots of ruined marble, lava and shit trying to kill you. That's a portal to another area in the doorway / arch. I absolutely love ruined buildings and stuff so the map is the most broken up ruined thing I've made so far... Constriction Zone ~ Map 03 ~ Dryflow One of my projects consisting of small to medium maps. The idea is that for whatever reason the water that used to flow through here dried up. This is a small map that features 3d gates, slopes, new textures (as usual), caves, decorate critters thanks to Realm 667 and more than one path to the exit. Really like the layout here. It's just a fun map to blast through. Minihell ~ Map02 ~ Mancubusia There was a thread on here not too long ago where level designers tried to make a level in an hour. There's no fragging way I can do that, despite trying about four times. This map spawned from that along with a map I'm calling 'Marble Hatred' that's in the same project of course. The project is made of small maps you can play through anywhere from a few minutes to maybe 15 or something. The map is small, isn't overly hard or anything and it's one I just enjoy playing. Uhhh time for a break. Edited March 26, 2020 by Doom_Dude 8 Share this post Link to post
pcorf Posted March 25, 2020 (edited) Twilight Zone - MAP22 Twilight Zone 2 - MAP16, MAP25 Selfish1 THT: Threnody - MAP03 Incineration - E3M3, E3M6, E3M7 Death Tormention - E4M7 (E2M7 in trilogy) Death Tormention 3 - E4M4, E4M7 2002ADO - E3M7 Simply Phobos - E1M5 Whispers Of Satan - MAP14, MAP16, MAP25 Community Chest 4 - MAP27 2048 Unleashed - MAP22 Doomed Space Wars - MAP02, MAP03, MAP06, MAP09 The Great Urban Battle Sinful Outpost Dens Of Borsippa Unhealthy 6 Share this post Link to post
NaturalTvventy Posted March 25, 2020 Hmmmmmmm I'd have to go with Boom Stick in the Mud. Spoiler Maybe followed by RGC Alpha. 9 Share this post Link to post
FrancisT218 Posted March 25, 2020 @Doom_Dude Is there a download yet for any of the wads you listed? I know none fir Vilecore 1.2 or 2 but wondering about the others. Your NDCP maps are pretty decent though I'd have liked to have a SSG or RL in NDCP2 Core map. 1 Share this post Link to post
Chris Hansen Posted March 25, 2020 I feel super proud of what I achieved with Helpyourselfish so many years ago. It still looks pretty good imho. It was never dull work and it was made with DoomCAD 6.1 (yikes!) But The Wailing Horde has to be my favourite now. Likewise, it was never dull to work on and I just love that messed up look you can do with episode 2 themed levels! It's a big level, but I somehow managed to keep it an interesting and engaging affair. The gameplay is tighter and more fair than my earlier work, so that's why it (narrowly) beats Helpyourselfish. Honorable mention goes to CH Retro Episode 11 Share this post Link to post
Terminus Posted March 26, 2020 (edited) The favorite map of myself, huh? I'd probably go with my yet unreleased wad Endless Night's Map04 - Caving Into Fear. Flow for this map just felt so natural and I had a great rush of inspiration working on it like no other map I've ever made. Editor shot: Ingame shots: Another map which is actually only partially my work, is my Mapwich 2 collab map with Remmirath - Morbid Manor. As I gathered more mapping experience I feel like both gameplay, layout and texturing wise I outdid myself. OTEX also helped a lot for the inspiration part. Editor shot: My part of the map is the bottom middle and most of the left side. It's all conjoined so well together thanks to Remmirath's help! More ingame shots can be found in the Mapwich 2 Thread. I should map more often. 5 Share this post Link to post
FrancisT218 Posted March 26, 2020 @Chris Hansen I also llike how you 'modernize' some older levels. ie Rising Blood, Flay the Obscene, Unknown Chasm. (I don't consider the rest of Monument different enough to be a 'modernization' though I did think changes were generally positive.) 1 Share this post Link to post
Doom_Dude Posted March 26, 2020 5 hours ago, FrancisT18 said: @Doom_Dude Is there a download yet for any of the wads you listed? I know none fir Vilecore 1.2 or 2 but wondering about the others. Your NDCP maps are pretty decent though I'd have liked to have a SSG or RL in NDCP2 Core map. No downloads for the maps I listed. Everything is still in production. ;) 1 Share this post Link to post
DMPhobos Posted March 27, 2020 There's so many to chose, so i'll share 3 maps that im really proud of in no order, in 3 different formats, only one of those is available and the other 2 are yet to be made publicBoom map Spoiler This one is for a personal project that is still to be finished, a short map completed somewhere around october as part of the nanowadmo challenge (this was the only map i managed to complete for that), the thing im proud of this map is that pretty much all the ideas i tried to implement made it, and i feel they were executed rather nicely, and also i find it a really fun map to play, usually when i complete a map there's a "should have done this, shouldn't had done that" sensation, but with this map im satisfied with it, it's the perfect opener for the mapsetVanilla Map Spoiler This map is from the 1k project (go play it!) considering the limitations i went for a map using the classic doom 1 looks for a techbase and im really pleased with the result, while there's some things in it that could had been played better (some sloppy baron teleports) i like the end result, i love the style of classic doom bases and i also love mapping for vanilla format, not to mention i had a ton of fun making this mapUDMF Map Spoiler I'll keep things brief for this one, at the time i was still experimenting with the use of dynamic lights as opposed to regulat sector lights and other stuff i was unfamiliar. For some reason, things didn't clicked with this one until i finished it and realized that there was more going on with it that i had realized. If anything i think it has one of the cleanest and best looking layouts i've done 7 Share this post Link to post
mrthejoshmon Posted March 27, 2020 11 minutes ago, DMPhobos said: UDMF Map I actually had to double take that and make sure that wasn't a screenshot of Quake I was looking at, good lord that is impressive. 2 Share this post Link to post
tourniquet Posted March 27, 2020 (edited) On 3/25/2020 at 10:18 PM, Roofi said: Ventôse Why do i have to stumble upon such a gem just by accident? I mean seriously why did you never make a thread about it here, apparently you've posted it on the french forums quite a while ago and what i played so far is "so bloody brilliant". I'm currently taking a break, because this thing is flipping long, i'll add some more thoughts and a demo later to this post. But i can already say it's one of the best Ultimate Doom maps i've ever played. Countless deaths and more than an hour later i've finally completed this masterpiece, hunting down all the secrets and hidden switches was really fun. Fights in general were thoroughly enjoyable, the puzzles and convoluted mechanisms are well designed without being too complicated. Every corner has something cool to discover or unveil and overall stock texture usage is just absolutely delicious. Fabulous map, just my cup of tea, kudos. Now go and make a thread so that others can enjoy it as well ;p Here's a demo of my playtrough if you care, i've played in CL9 just for the luxury of being able to save. Edited March 27, 2020 by tourniquet 1 Share this post Link to post
Lorenz0 Posted March 27, 2020 Alienated MAP03 - Seatooth Out of all the Alienated maps, I have the least amount of problems with this one. At the time I made it, it was by far my best map yet. Skinship My best truly large map up to date. The first time I made use of some fancy gzdoom features I haven't tried before. 3 Share this post Link to post
mrthejoshmon Posted March 27, 2020 1 minute ago, Lorenz0 said: Alienated MAP03 - Seatooth That shot is legitimately beautiful, I love the alien architecture and contrast of the "sky" in the back. 1 Share this post Link to post
Remilia Scarlet Posted March 30, 2020 Umbra of Fate is the one I'm most fond of, but it was a very personal map where I focused on the encounters and gameplay I like the most. I think it's also special to me because of the amount of work I poured into it, and because it was where my own personal head cannon story thing started to really take off. 8 Share this post Link to post
cambreaKer Posted March 30, 2020 I haven't made much maps, and the ones that i made weren't very good, but if i had to choose, then i'd take my upcoming map "Dam It", yup, you guessed it, a map featuring a dam. It's a map with quite a few rooms that have some supplies, so exploration gives you a reward, there's also a few traps to surprise you. Now the map is very unfinished, and it doesn't have a dam yet, but here's some screenshots: 3 Share this post Link to post
Misty Posted March 30, 2020 From released projects and maps: Spoiler This one was experiment with Eternity Engine. I liked how it plays , so I decided to make map for it, You can grab it from here:https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/g-i/igaite Spoiler This one was created for Vinesauce mapping contest. I kind of regret this map, but mistakes are done, so here's no point to be sad. You can grab it from here:https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/d-f/dlv Unreleased projects: No name project 1: Spoiler This one contains couple of screenshots from map01 and map06. This set is huge leap for me... Once, I'll fix plaguing issues with gameplay and visuals, add outro map, I'll release this, hopefully this year. No name project 2: Spoiler This one will have 2-3 additional maps, maybe one secret map if I'll feel like it. I love direction I took with this "no name" project 2. Mapwich 2: Spoiler This was collab between me and @DMPhobos. I'm proud of this map and our styles here meshed well together. Mapwich 2 isn't released yet, so I put under unreleased projects. To sum my experiences up - my creations and collabs , I'm proud of experience I gained through these few years I'm here, I hope in the end everything will be worth it. 6 Share this post Link to post
Archanhell Posted March 30, 2020 Originally, MAP03 from Entering the Impending Chaos was my best map on the time around August or probably September and October, however my PC was formatted... Thrice, around December so I do not have pictures for it. However, right now I can say I am proud of the design E1S1 for TCTOA [The Chaotic Tides of Agrazoth] is taking so far, and the tweaks that I have done for it to make the map and gameplay basically better, and this time making it a real demo and not just a showcase for the rest. Spoiler Those three images are from March 01-04 maximum so they are "old", hopefully I can upload the most recent progress soon or later, using Imgur or something! 1 Share this post Link to post
Alper002 Posted March 30, 2020 Thanks to NaNoWADMo 2019, I have actually made more Hexen maps than Doom maps, although that might change at some point. One of the highlights of the megawad I made then was the 17th map, simply titled "Dark Dungeon". Not the most creative name, but it fits nicely. Spoiler My particular satisfaction with this map was that it sort of felt like an actual place in a sense, seeming like the kind of dungeons used as a prison, and has cells which don't really need to be enterable, but are if you're able to find a secret key. I also quite enjoyed how I was able to make something that I felt "looked good", or at least much better than the maps I had made beforehand. 1 Share this post Link to post