1995 called. They want their Doom levels back.

First bit of progress

 

Most of the changes were behind the scenes, along with some stuff that's not in this area (to guide the player to this area).

 

^{Ceiling light for mood? Yeh! Ceiling light design? Meh.}

 

It's still kind of crammed. Then again, in my head this is kind of a "behind the scenes" area that only technicians would access.. so.. it kind of works.

But I'm not 100% satisfied with the way the different height levels run together. 

 

Also, considering that this was only a first mock-up, I kept a surprising number of the original interactive sectors.. I might still change it because there's a lot of noise xD Then again, again, it's a technical area so.. that kind of checks out?

 

Almost done now! At least done enough to show it :)

..looks like I have a "first post on new page"-combo going.. all the way since page 11!

 

Arbitrary successes are arbitrary xD

Testing the level one final time.

 

^{I hope you like shotguns!}

 

Still a few textures to align a smidge better (not in this shot). Then it's off to the races!

 

I mean.. on to the server. For you to download <3

Question time!

 

If you saw a discolored wood panel like this.. would you get suspicious and try to press it? 

 

^{Spoiler: it is a hidden switch. One of four.}

 

It even makes a switch sound- hopefully enticing you to try the other discolored panels in the neighboring rooms.. and it's not essental to find it, in fact it only opens the passage to a blue armor.. but is this too subtle?

 

Seeing how I have to ask, that's probably already the answer. As in.. yes.

 

Alternatively, I might just use the skull panel.. 

 

Hmm. I'll try that now ^^;

 

But you can still answer, of course :)

Edited August 28, 2020 by Zylinderkatze

Answer time!

 

I remember now why I used the insuspicious wooden panel.. because it's a mid texture and the skull paneling makes vanilla crash (I believe because it's made up of more than one patch?) so they are out of the question, sadly. 

 

Maybe I'll just use the actual wooden skull switch texture.. but that would be a little too obvious xD

 

Thoughts?

Another screenshot of a different place..

 

You don't know it yet but you might just get scared of what happens when you shoot this Imp <3

 

^{It still gets me every time.}

Don't mind my babbling ^^

 

I already found a viable sulution to my previous question & answer~

 

^{I think that should work.}

 

But still- thanks for reading! Also, I am still open to "even better" ideas x3

I'm ready to leave..

 

^{Who's coming with me?}

 

Disclaimer: This is the kind of health you leave with if you find out how to get to the soul sphere. 

 

I'm really satisfied with the ammo balancing, actually.

 

About to pack up and write the "file-id.diz".

 

Yes, I'm that ready.

Edited August 29, 2020 by Zylinderkatze

Hold on to your hats!

^{Did I use that headline already?}

 

A month after E1M5, I give thee: E1M6. Surprisingly (if not to say scaringly) close to my initial projection of time and effort.

 

And now I put it right here so you can click it and download it! Like.. now!

 

M6-compare.zip

 

Oh hey.. this must be a short level! 2020

^{And it took you a whole month to finish a level that starts at the exit?}

Go to E1M6 to play the new version!

 

It doesn't look that different: 1997

^{I mean.. it's the same door, right? Did you just move that one body?}

Go to E2M6 to see the old version for yourself.

 

As usual, I ended up running into vanilla limits in a few places but thanks to @Rainne's tip from a few days ago, I could gauge the strain much better. Sadly, though, the level changes a whole lot while you play it so the Drawsegs mode didn't help at all times, not even with opening all the doors (and windows ^^). So it came back to playtesting a lot. But I didn't mind because the level is fun x3

 

As you may be able to tell (when you play it yourself), a lot of the level has / had to be tested in sequence to test for functionality. I couldn't just start from a particular spot (unless it was to check for layout / texture alignment) but instead had to play "to that point" each time. But I think it was worth it. I don't want to give too much away though. Just see for yourself!

 

There's two or three times when the enemies kind of "build up" / bottleneck in one spot and I think I could still improve that.. but it also depends on how you play the level. And for you to be able to do that, I needed to upload it. So there you go xD

 

Here are some previews from the early parts of the level:

 

There's ceiling lamps and ominous faces..

 

..some tech and obligatory metal beams..

 

..silently judging marble faces..

 

..a lot of darkness and some light (also, Imps)..

 

..and suspiciously empty areas with keys.

 

I put a lot of love and effort into this one. Well.. the other ones, too, obviously.. but I think it really shows in this one in particular. There was a lot of promise in the original concept already, it just needed some.. caring attention? And a lot of added blood :3

 

Please enjoy!

 

And please let me know what you think :)

[[END OF E1M6]] (for now)

 

8<--------------------------------------- cut here

 

[[BEGINNING OF E1M7]]

 

Yes.. yesyes! No rest for the wicked!

 

I mean.. I am about to go to bed.. but I wanted to show a preview of E1M7 already, before I go. 

 

To get everyone (myself, before all) amped up for it ^^

 

^{Yeah.. uhm.. that's a mess. Put on your hard hats and let's go!}

 

I already dabbled a bit in it (about a month ago) and started to clean up a few pieces. A loooot of it will have to go. I know I also said that about E1M6 but seriously this time.. it's just sad. A lot of the stuff on the left is just not fun to play, for example. Merely tedious and repetetive. I already apologize in advance for those of you who will dare to check out the old version of it when I publish it xD

 

As I said, though.. right now, it's time for bed.

 

Goodnight!

... and thanks to working weekend, I can't even say "I've been there when ZK posted e1m6".

Still, all of my thumbs up for this! ... no, that's underwhelming. Hm.

shoots a couple of zombieguys, adds their thumbs to the diorama

All of my and their thumbs up for this!

1 hour ago, wrkq said:

thumbs up

 

So. Many. Thumbs. O_o

 

Thanks- I appreciate your.. appreciation xD

 

Technically, since you posted your.. uhm.. post.. a mere 18 hours after I published the E1M6 beta.. that's still "within the same day". At least within the same 24 hours. It'll work out in some timezone or other ^^;

 

I hope you enjoy the level when you get to play it~

 

Also, I hope it's not confusing in any spot. I suppose realizing that you have to "run back in" isn't as intuitive as some other levels might be.

Did I fall asleep?

 

Well.. yes, last night. But no, not on this thread xD

 

Thing is (as I think I stated before), there's always a bit of "transition fatigue" between two maps. But it's not only that. It's also two other things:

1. The initial "oh wow.. so much of a mess. where do I even begin"-shock. Let's call it appraisal phase.
2. Time spent cleaning up the first room(s) once I picked a place to start

After "2", it takes some time to have stuff to show. And even now (after two days) I don't have much. But I wanted to update this thread anyways- I miss you guys!

 

Here's a "before" and "very early during" of one classic outside area:

 > 

^{It's getting dark outside.}

 

There will be more wooden and (or) metal beams and supports, the lift on the left is still in the process of being adjusted and nudged around.. and the vines snaking up that wall need some detailing as well to have a more organic.. uhm.. "vine-y" feel ^^

 

Take a good long look at the picture on the right, too.. because chances are that it'll look much different, once it's done. This is still way early.

 

I also might just change that added step at the entrance (or exit?) of that awning to wood. Because why not.

 

Also, there will likely be more outcrops in the walls. There already is one (and was, in 1997, too) just outside of view on the left.

 

It might also turn out that this area will get a bit bigger because it was a very small section of the map in the original.

 

More later!

Loving the updates and screen shots Zylin, I really like your vision for these maps.

 

I admit, I get a little nostalgic looking at some of the screenshots you post. I think it's because some of them remind me of Ultimate Dooms aesthetic and map design. That's definitely a good sign.

 

As always: I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines.

 

 

10 hours ago, Final Verdict said:

I get a little nostalgic

 

I think that about 50% of my motivation is nostalgia-induced or at least -infused, now that you mention xD

 

I'm glad that my levels cause some sort of (assumed / implied) fuzzyness. 

 

I'm curious what the future will hold. Level editing- along with the concept of creating worlds or invoking moods- has always been a passion of mine and Doom is kind of ideal for it (by now with the added bonus of nostalgia). I'm curious how long my "oldschool"-style output will prevail once I have a few more maps / forays into more modern ports under my belt.

 

Unless of course I completely collapse once this "magnum opus" of mine is done ^^;;

 

Thanks for the cheering!

Huh. Slow day?

 

Yeah, so. Yesterday I was kind of dowwwwwwn. Today I am less down. So I did a tiny bit of "further pushing around of vertices and textures". 

 

Not much though:

 

^{That's what happens when you fire your gardener.}

 

I ended up.. woodifying the floor around that outcrop, adjusted the light level (and height level, heh) of the lift.. and also some stuff that goes on behind that "might be a door"-thing at the top of the lift. Also, I might still make it look more like maybe a door, soon. 

 

Basically though I am probably going to leave this area to rot a little, while I focus on other parts of the level and come back once I am tired of those.

 

As a wise man once said: 

 

 

Let's procrastinate!

Pictureless Update!

 

Stuff with E1M7 is still progressing- but slowly. I am still working on finding the "vibe" of the whole level.. right now it feels a bit soulless.

 

I'm not sure, I feel like I said that about a previous level before already ^^;

 

So until I found that "groove", I am only working on the level for maybe an hour at a time.. because that's when I feel like it's not really on any promising track.

 

I know I'll get there. I usually do. Good thing is, this level has various themes (another "concept level", I suppose) and if one theme just doesn't feel right at the time, I can just switch to the next one~

 

But for now I'm heading to bed. Even though it's only 11:30pm on a Friday xD

 

Take care everyone c:

What's that? A screenshot?

 

No.

 

Okay, yes.

 

Here you go!

^Cave-y!

 

That's the area I am currently working on ^^; Right now I am just adding a little more height-diversity and nooks and crannies.. then (once I am satisfied with the way the layout feels) I am going to align the textures. 

 

That way I won't have to do quite as many passes to re-align textures later on. I hope. 

 

But for now I am off to bed~

 

Bye!

The cave looks pretty tight, I don't think I want to be in there with demons...

Happy to see progress as always, sleep well.

12 hours ago, Senor500 said:

The cave looks pretty tight, I don't think I want to be in there with demons...

Happy to see progress as always, sleep well.

 

Yes ^^ I'm glad that feeling comes across.

 

This map has you start in the middle of a "four way" room and each direction is a different theme, with.. gradually less inviting appeal. 

 

The "cave" one is the second-to-last inviting, in my opinion.. only one other theme is even less pleasant (and more deadly) ^^;

Progress! ..progress?

 

So this is part of the one section I hinted at in my previous post, which is "even less inviting than the cave setting":

 

^{I'm not sure this is what I meant by "wanting the level to be more organic"}

 

It's decent, I suppose.. and yes, this is already the "in progress" version. It could look a lot better though, have better transitions between walls and floors.. stuff like that. I dunno. I am just trying stuff out to see what sticks. Unsettlingly, all of this feels kind of.. sticky.. so by that metric, it might stay like this xD

 

For comparison, this is what it looked like in 1997:

 

^{Hmm.. it's wasn't really worse. Meaning it's not really better now..?}

 

Like I said, I am still testing things out. I like how it was less symmetric back then. And more narrow / crammed / claustrophobic. I think I will want to return to that feeling somehow. I am kind of doing that in the contrast between the snake stuff and the metal beams in the first screenshot.. but at the same time that new version is pretty much vertically mirrored at this angle. That's not how it would look (in my opinion) if it was "hells attempt to bleed into this world".

 

Then again that's not really what I was going for anyways.. but more on that later xD

Nice to see that you got the inspiration to flesh out the area somewhat! :)

12 hours ago, wrkq said:

Nice to see that you got the inspiration to flesh out the area somewhat! :)

 

I'm very tempted to experiment with all the "hell"-themed (mostly "flesh and blood") textures and flats.. make them look and feel believable (as always: without breaking the Vanilla limits bank).. but I'm not sure if I am as comfortable and well-versed with it yet.. meaning it'll either end up looking sub-par.. or taking a lot of time. 

 

I don't think I will come back to these levels in another 20-ish years from now so I want / need this version to count ^^; 

 

Here's hoping I'll be able to flesh (and guts xD) the place out well enough :)

Another quick update.

 

In regards to the "new view" of the hell-ish part of E1M7.. this is the way it looks when you turn around and look at the place you "landed":

 

^{So much disgusting stuff <3}

 

Those green "firesticks" are the same as in that other screenshot.. the small lava pit is the same on you can see in that screenshot, too. For orientarion ^^;

 

Also, there's two secrets in that view which I will make more obvious.

 

Sometimes it also pays to look at the map. Not because I put arrows in the map (which I did in the "old" version, though.. which is kind of lame xD) but because sometimes secret doors are not marked as "looking like a normal wall". 

 

But like I said, on top of that I will also make it actually more obvious, too.. so you don't have to guess too much xD

Oops.

 

^{324..? that's a bit harsh.}

 

And this is only a tiny room xD

 

I need to cut down on my detailing.

Edited September 8, 2020 by Zylinderkatze

Okay..

 

^{252. Sweatdrop.}

 

I think I saved it, but barely. Threw out a lot of detailing sectors, like the small lava pit (which was only a test anyways). 

 

The door on the right (which is closed in this DrawSeg evaluation) is a fast opening / closing door.. So it won't be open while you stand all the way in the room on the left (except from multiplayer). That room is still potentially a "270", if all doors (including the fast door) would be open at the same time.

 

Not 100% satisfied with that.

 

But enough to leave it for now ^^;

History time!

 

From "too blue" to "true blue"? That sounded better when it was still in my head xD

 

 > 

^{From "then" to "now", the latter still being very much in progress.}

 

It looks a lot better already- I really like how the door turned out.. but you'll just have to take my word for it, though- since I "unfortunately" had to open it for this screenshot.

 

And yes, this is still E1M7.

 

The problem with this map (like some others before it) is, that it's mostly just a concept case. As you've seen by now, there's "cave", "hell", "marble" and "tech". I thought back then it would be cool to have a map that explores the "natural habitats" of a few different monster types.. but then I didn't really do much with it, aside from using the textures and monsters that most felt like each of those themes.

 

Which leaves me with a lot of catching up to do, because stuff in this map isn't very imaginative, beyond that concept. I know I've said that before, too.

 

Also, I think that I found the reason why it takes me varied amounts of time on this project to get into the next level: My imagination needs time to get "primed". And this level needs a lot of that "mental preparation" because it's not just one or two themes to load up in my human memory banks, it's four.

 

But by now I think I've reached a comfortable cruising speed- I am back at enjoying the act of "saving" some parts of this level and re-inventing others.. but I'm still only working on it about an hour or two each day.. which is a lot less than I mustered on previous ones.

 

It'll get done in due time, though. I still have 21 days left, to stay within my own self-imposed time limit. Let's see how far I get.

 

Aside from the 4 different themes, the level is rather small, really.

 

"Shouldn't take too long!"

Edited September 10, 2020 by Zylinderkatze

Don't force the creativity ;) make it true, like the true blue, but 21 days seems doable. Best of luck.

6 hours ago, Senor500 said:

Don't force the creativity ;) make it true, like the true blue, but 21 days seems doable. Best of luck.

 

Thanks, @Senor500! I'm doing my best not to push myself to a point where it results in a level that feels labored :)

 

Actually I just had an idea on how to thematically explain why at some point there's a Baron of Hell in the "tech section".. which doesn't make much sense, since it's not a Baron of Tech.. ^^;;

 

But more on that when I get back to it later today ^^

12 hours ago, Zylinderkatze said:

But more on that when I get back to it later today ^^

 

No "before" and "current" this time, only a look at the idea I was hinting at in this line.

 

This is the (reworked) look at the Barons that somehow found their way into the tech area:

^{For some reason it looks to me like they should carry clipboards.}

 

And here's the part I added just now to imply whence they came. I mean where from:

^{Seriously.. they need clipboards.}

 

And yes, this is "fresh off the press", so to speak. Meaning it will likely still find some more adjustment.. at least in the light levels.

 

I was lucky because the "hell" area is in that direction, basically right behind that door (but not connected.. yet).

 

It kind of makes sense. Which is a first, for me xD

 

I think I might close that area off, though.. make it "revealable" by the player for more of a surprising effect :3

 

But not today. Had a long day so I am going to bed!

 

Buh-bye!