One and a half year later... third published map: Stellar Depopulation

Download link, 3.33 MB: https://www.dropbox.com/s/52oa1a6w7i64n9q/Stellar Depopulation.wad?dl=0
Working on making the map brighter, in the meanwhile bump up your gamma a little bit.

I began working on this map back in May 2019, and took a long break from DOOM map making, before returning to it halfway though November 2020. Worked hard over a weekend and a few other days to finish it (a majority was still undone), and touched it up after some feedback at the end of November/beginning of December.

It's the third map I publish here on Doomworld, but in some way it's a first for me. The first map with the more restraining Boom compatibility, the first map actually balanced for multiple difficulties, and the first map where I have actually replaced the music.

Stellar Depopulation is...
IWAD: Doom 2
Compatibility: Boom
Tested in: GLBoom+ and GZDoom (recommended GLBoom+, if some areas are too dark in GZDoom switch render option)
Not designed for freelook, jumping or crouching
Balanced for multiple difficulties, though the intended one is UV.
A single level, in MAP01.
Using replaced music: A Dying Wish by Anathema (IMDI)

Additional textures: Nick Baker's 5th episode pack to spice things up

About the map:
When I first played Plutonia many, many years ago I stumbled upon gameplay sections and ambushes that killed me, making me think "That's bullshit!"—I wasn't very good back then. Stellar Depopulation isn't inspired by Plutonia. It's inspired by my memory of those feelings. Slightly challenging and punishing, but I'm still not a great Doom player, so it might not be for you. Stellar Depopulation is a dark and (to me) moody attempt of using more old-school design, which is also why I replaced the music with a fitting 90s metal track MIDI. Not exactly a secret that Doom 1 & 2's soundtracks are inspired by metal.

Despite the map being somewhat challenging—far more so than my previous two maps, there are helpful secrets that the attentive Doomer can find that makes the tougher sections easier.

I hope you enjoy the map! Please provide feedback whether you hated it, enjoyed it or merely found it middling. I appreciate it.

Check screenshots in the spoiler below below, this is the intended brightness you should have.

Trivia:

Changelog:
2/1/2021 — updated lighting, moved a couple of ammo pickups, added two enemies.

I'll have a look and attach a video. Hopefully you do not mind keyboard and mouse noises as I am not currently in my "studio".

Now that's a true work of art, @Reelvonic. Appreciated ;)

9 hours ago, Reelvonic said:

forgot to record demo, so i drew a dumb comic to reenact part of the level

 

Oh yeah this room. Not a fan of that room, gotta say.

Starting to watch @HAK3180's video, I see the map is far darker for him than it is for me despite using GLBoom+. I would have issues with the map if it was that dark as well, was that one of your issues in that one room @Pechudin?

I updated the OP with screenshots at the end to show what it looks like on my end, and what the map is supposed to look like. I'll work on another version that just straight up increases the brightness in all sectors across the board for those who can't get the intended lighting in their port of choice. The ammo in the very second room... isn't supposed to be invisible.

Are you sure you are not just on gamma 4? I fired it up and compared your screenshots to my game side by side. Mine on gamma 4 looks exactly like your screenshots. My recording started at either 0 or 1 and I switched it for the super dark moments.

I'd recommend no more than 2 as a default.

Ooh shit, you might be right there lol. I think I upped my gamma years ago since with using f.lux everything turns darker by default and I kind of had to default to a higher gamma no matter the source port I used. You might have found the culprit there.

I'll go down in gamma and rework the lighting in the map and upload it when done tonight or tomorrow. Thanks for the insight there!

There is one problem in the acid/chaingunner puzzle near the end: if you raise the catwalks but then fall into the acid near the entry corridor, you can't reach the teleporters. Thus is will become inescapable deathtrap.

I tried playing in software lighting and was quite enjoying the map, but when I got to the revenant maze with the pillars it was totally pitch black and unplayable regardless of gamma. :P

Okay, I've updated the file with a redone lighting. It was as HAK3180 helped me realize. My default GLBoom+ was on gamma 4, which explains the different lighting I experienced from others. This didn't happen in my UDMF maps prior to this one, as I was completely unaware of GLBoom+ defaulting to that. Even had to google how to change the gamma...

Anyways, I have updated the map with redone lighting so it should work better for everyone with default gamma. The map is still somewhat dark in places as is intended, but nothing should be invisible and even if your monitor is dark, you shouldn't have to increase the gamma a lot. Find the new file in the link in the OP, and enjoy!

@Caleb13 Could you capture some footage of that? It's never happened to me, I've ran circles around every pillar to make sure players could get through them no matter what, so if I've missed it somewhere I'd like to fix it ASAP.

@BoxY Sorry for that experience! If you want to have another go at the map to finish it, the new file should be much more playable. Would love to hear your feedback if so.

@Malefication Ah, you're right, it's a bit tight squeeze in Gzdoom, but you actually can go around the center pillar. Nevermind, then.

It's a pretty good map and I enjoyed it. Solid texture work, combat was varied and interesting and that rather hairy fight Reelvonic illustrated is a bit more on the mean side, but a totally doable challenge and you never got relentlessly cruel like the IWAD you were inspired by which I'm personally grateful for. Some good stuff here for sure.

Layout & Design: 7/10 

Alright layout and design. There's room for improvement, but the map's design & gameplay work together well so I give it a 7/10. 

Gameplay: 9/10

The gameplay is really good. Challenging encounters & rooms, but not many are super cruel.

Detailing: 5/10

Subpar detailing. I'd put the vanilla IWADS right above this since I noticed multiple stuff that knocks this map's detail below the IWADS.

Some examples include:

• various unaligned / off looking textures
• repetitive texture use
• low amounts of detail in rooms, making them look bland

Overall: 8.5/10

Tiny Nitpicks: Fuck that room with a bunch of archviles with mancubus & chaingunners that have a bigger field that they can watch over so they basically snipe you down from anywhere and then you get ambushed by revenants and it's like "o shit" and then when you finally make it out alive the map trolls you by spawning in another archvile. Fuck that.

Layout

Ok so at start i wanna mention i found 2 secrets so maybe i missed something :v

Layout was technically ok, not so linear and fun. Some parts was boring like going straight and fighting imp/zombies but some parts was intense like archville room with mancubi and chaingunner (YES fuck that room) and (i think last) room with spawning mancubi from nowhere. But as i said gameplay was technically fun

Deco

Decorations around the map were pretty decent and nice to look at - just simplicity thats i enjoyed (some rooms was not deatailed like others but i skip that)

Monsters

Okay so monsters growth rate was pretty damn good and i give it +

I mean there are good monsters on good parts, just that room with archvilles and mancubi was too much on UV but possible

other parts was good - like start some pinkies, imps and zombies and next revenats and hell knights

(i thinking about big endning like cyberdemon fight or something but its alright)

Bugs

I dont find some gameplay bugs but that happend when you play this map on zandronum
 

Overall

Map was pretty decent - some things to change but fun

Punctation from meh