Jump to content
Search In
  • More options...
Find results that contain...
Find results in...

Recommended Posts

while i'm yet to play it: the soundtrack bangs like hell. doom needs more techno and this delivers.

Share this post


Link to post

Here from that other forum.  Also agree: the soundtrack kicks ass.  It's oppressive, driving, and dark, and it's absolutely the thing I enjoyed most.

 

I've played maps 1 and 2 so far, on UV, but I hit some potentially game-breaking bugs that might need tweaking.  I'm playing on GZDoom, so I don't know if other ports have similar issues.

 

The pistol replacement feels powerful, and is fun especially early in map 1.

 

Textures are unconventional, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.  If you were going for jarring and disjointed, it kind of works.  It's like the UAC facility is itself having a nightmare, which does add to the oppressive sense of the levels .  That said, in some places it's a decision that's made the map geometry a little hard to read.  For instance, I couldn't tell this was an elevator for quite a while:

 

QymhqTp.png

 

In another instance, the large central platform in level 1 with a silver support texture reads as an elevator once its raised, because there's another elevator with that texture I'm forced to use earlier.  However, it doesn't appear to be useable, so it was a bit confusing when I was trying to get back up to the higher levels after falling down.  I think there's a way to choose a few consistent textures you can use to signal points of interest or importance to a player without necessarily losing the hallucinatory vibe you might be going for.

 

Swapping the roles of the cacodemon and lost souls was interesting.  I'm not sure how I feel about the cacodemons being homing attackers, but maybe I'm just upset by how much they murdered me.  It does make them extremely dangerous priority targets that must be stunlocked with the chaingun.  In ambush or open terrain, they're absolutely deadly, they do so much damage.  The opening of map 2 where you only have an SSG to deal with them is a real challenge.  I think your intent was to have the player use obstacles to block their rush and buy time, but having maybe a couple extra lamp or other obstacles would have been much appreciated and a tad less frustrating.  Having the lost souls as flying snipers did at times make me wish I had an effective sniping weapon, especially in the closing of map 2 after I'd dealt with the cacos.

 

In map 1, I really liked the cyberdemon bullying me the whole map and just getting punished for any positioning mistakes.  There's a decent amount of cover, I can use its rockets to kill enemies, and the telefrag is satisfying.  It's a fun theme and definitely sets that tone.  The only room I didn't really understand was the awkward box-climbing room in the dark.  Doom platforming is, well, doom platforming.

 

In map 2, as I said, the opening was pretty challenging with the rushown cacodemons, which I both loved and hated.  The dark pit they come out of was hard to read though, and I initially thought it was just a dark floor and stepped right into the hole.  I might be an idiot, but maybe just a little more light, or some strobing, so it reads clearly as a pit would help.  Cacos continued to be an enormous and literal pain in the ass for the rest of the map, and the most dangerous of the ambushes, so good job on that.

 

I stopped at this point because it was hard to gauge whether I was just breaking the maps with the unlimited ammo bug, but I'd be happy to revisit this if you can fix that. (this is fixed now)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited by LeschNyhan : author made bug fixes complained of.

Share this post


Link to post

Extremely good feedback, thanks. Hopefully I can fix that infinite ammo bug; GZDoom support is important.

 

I should clarify that the pistol and chaingun are still hitscan. The projectiles there are just meant to be tracers to give them more visual oomph.

I was worried that this wouldn't read, however. Any advice on how to make that more clear?

Share this post


Link to post

Oh, that's interesting.  So if I understand right, the damage is hitscan but the weapon spawns a non-damaging projectile, which behaves like an equivalent thing?

 

Honestly I think you could probably do away with the tracers.  The weapon's exaggerated firing animation, the increased damage, and the burn decal give plenty of oomph already.  Since the hitscan and the tracer behave differently in engine, I think it risks confusion for minimal reward.

Edited by LeschNyhan

Share this post


Link to post

agreed with the above post - just the hitscan is fine and dandy. i'd maybe replace the hitscan puff with a brighter sprite and/or change its animation timing to start fast and slow down if you want it to really pop on impact.

Share this post


Link to post

I fixed the GZDoom bugs with the weapons plus a couple of other small things.
I'm leaving the tracers in for now, because I'm still not emotionally ready to give up on a cool idea that isn't ultimately practical.

I did make them disappear faster, so maybe they won't look so projectile-y?

 

I played through in GZDoom and I can verify that everything works. I'm using reshade and man it looks cool

reshade.PNG.f64abe37a6083ce68704af845a342659.PNG

Share this post


Link to post
2 minutes ago, tei tenga said:

I'm still not emotionally ready to give up on a cool idea that isn't ultimately practical.

 

that's the spirit (genuinely)

Share this post


Link to post

I played the first level on Crispy Doom and I liked a lot! Very cool and inventive use of textures - the techno-crater architecture is great and imposing (and I love the industrial vibe). I also like how you put a cyberdemon right off the bat and keep him as the major gimmick of the map. The new weapons are very satisfying to use, but visually I feel they are a bit similar to each other (as being two different pistols). Still they are very fun, much better than their OG counterparts.

 

My only criticism is that it was a bit difficult to figure out what the last switch do. I know you could theoretically see through the window, but it's not visible enough since you have to keep your attention on the cyberdemon. I also agree with what LeschNyhan said about the elevator, changing it with a switch texture or the usual white support would improve navigability.
 

Overall I had a very nice impression so far! Will keep playing for sure.

Edited by Noiser

Share this post


Link to post

I like this wad! Overall a solid 3/5 as it was enjoyable and fun, but had some issues with stuff like missing textures (intentional? lol), weird ass lifts, somewhat awkward progression (despite the more particularly ordinary enemy placement), and a custom enemy that rivals the Scythe 2 Evil marine in absolute annoyance. Otherwise, some highlights include the soundtrack, the off-kilter visual direction, and the commitment to a very oppressive atmosphere. I recommend getting some playtesters [me, perhaps? ;)] to ensure the levels are the best they can possibly be as despite having the ability to constantly playtest your own level before release, stuff will inevitably slip.

 

Share this post


Link to post

Finished it, now that the GZ Doom fixes are in, I'll PM you some additional comments to avoid spoiling it more than I already have for others.

 

I do want to note that the sky texture really contributes to the feel when it appears.  The black with just the edges of the tekwall stuff visible in the mist both above and below really suggests this tekhell extends infinitely.  

Share this post


Link to post

I finished it. The highlight of the wad is the slightly discomforting feeling you get with the dark electronic soundtrack together the use of darkness or strobing lights, and the map layout themselves contributing too. When I say map layout, I refer to their originality, they aren't similar to what we could call 'standard' Doom map, so it helps to give the player a feeling of not knowing what to expect or how it will progress.

 

edit: oh yeah that new creepy caco sure as hell contributed to the atmosphere...

Edited by Turin Turambar

Share this post


Link to post

I had a lot of fun with this WAD. It's gritty and can be challenging at times. The custom pistol is pretty neat, though seems a tad inconsistent. Not sure how it's rapid-fire works. The custom eyeless Caco's with the gnarly mouths full of giant human teeth are simultaneous hilarious and terrifying. The first encounter genuinely made me jump back in my chair lmao. I think they're a tad OP though with their unstoppable charge and could be nerfed a little bit. Visually, it's quite grandiose. I like how the maps have large, oppressive vistas to help you feel small, but also provide enough info so you know where you're going and don't feel too lost at any point. While there's not really much going on in the way of colour, the brutalist architecture complements the atmosphere so there's a solid purpose to the drab palette. MAP01 was the only level where I lost my progression at one point, but otherwise it's pretty straightforward. Nicely done, man.

 

 

Share this post


Link to post

@Biodegradable thank you so much, this video is going to be really helpful. I clearly need to make the teleport in the first map more enticing. For a hint as to how the pistol works: keep an eye on your ammo when you fire it.

Share this post


Link to post

alright, i've sat down with this one a bit (maps 1+2) finally beyond just digging into the music (bandcamp soundtrack release when it's ready, please!). the atmosphere is out of control good and the atypical use of textures is a treat. i see what you're going for with the dual-shot pistol, but i'd recommend using either a different sprite for the projectile so it's clear what's going on (seeing the duplicate sprites is a little weird especially with one being so slow) or to make it two super rapid fire hitscans.

 

i do love the new cacos but they're pretty impossible to shake once they start attacking - maybe increasing their pain chance could make them a little more fun? not to say they're not fun, they're a riot, but once one starts charging if there's nothing to get them caught on you're pretty much hit.

 

will be digging into maps 3 onwards soon - what you've got so far is highly memorable, subversive, and reckless. even if you were to "fix" none of these things (i don't consider them broken, just that they could better emphasize what i feel like you're going for) it's standout work for your voice alone.

Share this post


Link to post

update: maps 3 and 4 are stonkers, wow! lots of cool structural transformation which i greatly appreciate.

 

i also rescind any caco critique - they're always a riot, just had to get used to stocking bullets to keep them stunned.

 

regarding the current final fight, personally i'd maybe not use a boss monster and just craft something else overwhelming with tricky combat geometry. the combination of your cacos and revenants is particularly dicey and fun. as it is, it was just a case of hiding behind cover and taking pot shots when it was safe.

 

i think my only other thing aside from the pistol/rapid pistol firing effect would be map 1's teleporter reveal - i just beat it a couple days ago and totally forgot it existed while replaying it and wound up running back and forth ignoring it, which is partially me being stupid and partially me looking for tells. granted, it's a generally unfriendly and unwelcoming space, so fair enough. but either way i'd maybe find a way to get some enemies guiding the player's eyes back to the center of the map when the teleporter is open.

 

keep up the incredible work, looking forward to updates!

Share this post


Link to post

Thanks so much for your encouragement! The pistol really is two rapid shots. The projectile doesn't really hurt. This point and the fact that the teleporter on level 1 are so hard to read certainly need to be addressed.

Share this post


Link to post

worth mentioning, by the by - many ports support the LOOP_BEGIN and LOOP_END metadata in OGG audio - for the final version i think it would be excellent to have OGG audio (for better encodes than MP3) with proper loop points - let me know if you need any help getting that set up, but it's pretty straightforward. the only thing that pulled me out of the zone the music got me into was the loop points.

Share this post


Link to post

Tried another one - sadly I got lost :(

 

Those caco variants were freaky and frustrating but pretty cool actually

 

 

 

Share this post


Link to post

well shit, that's 2 for 2 levels that were too complicated to figure out. The fact that you found the secret but not the intended route makes it clear that there is a problem with the map. I'm not sure how to clarify what's going on in this one. I'll have to think about it. Thanks for giving it a shot!

Share this post


Link to post
3 minutes ago, tei tenga said:

well shit, that's 2 for 2 levels that were too complicated to figure out. The fact that you found the secret but not the intended route makes it clear that there is a problem with the map. I'm not sure how to clarify what's going on in this one. I'll have to think about it. Thanks for giving it a shot!

 

Sorry friend maybe it was me haha

Share this post


Link to post

personally i found map 2 to be clearer, but if you need to help signpost, it helps to have enemies spawn in in a way that leads the player to where they need to be. i think that was a recurring "issue", that i couldn't tell where the action was leading me. i didn't find it to be a problem most of the time, but that's probably the best tool you could apply without messing about too much.

Share this post


Link to post

I solve a solution in @Biodegradable video I can't believe I missed it. I remember being in that area but I thought it was just a pass through hallway and I guess it changed into a yellow key bridge? Somehow didn't occur to me to go back to that specific spot

Share this post


Link to post

I wonder what's up with this project right now, I've been hyped for the final map since I first played!

Share this post


Link to post
19 hours ago, Bobby “lolmcswagger” said:

I wonder what's up with this project right now, I've been hyped for the final map since I first played!

 

same! this project's personality is totally unlike anything else i've played

Share this post


Link to post

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×