My First Wad Has Been Accepted!

I know it's lame and all that crap (especially the name), but can you tell me how I can improve my map? I am a noob mapper. The map name is me.wad and I can be reached by Doom Connector or the Doomworld Forums (email is down at the moment, should get fixed soon).

P.S. It's for Skulltag and can hold up to 8 players.

um... could you please post a link to the file?

http://www.doomworld.com/idgames/?id=13423

Of course, you rated your mod 5 stars.

This is a joke right?

I start with loads of BFG10000's in front of me, enter a teleporter and find myself in a huge room with only blood textures and cacos, cybers and a bossbrain that is remarkably easy to beat.

I don't even know where to start on how to improve it.

For a first time mapper, I am well aware my map will suck. However, I must start with the basics.

I am open to all remarks, no matter how hateful or flaming.

Also, try to prevent this thread from being post helled. It will ruin my reputation even worse than it already is (from having a lousy wad).

Well first, um, try to make your maps abit more difficult. I had more problems completing E1M1 on ITYTD than I did in this map on NM.

Your map definitely needs more detail. I don't mean go and add 1000 sectors to each room, but please, at least use more than 2 sectors and one colour per room. This looks like something out of 1994 (although skulltag never existed back then) and terminator667 would probably die if he saw it.

And gameplay... well... nuff said.

I need a bit of help with elevation. That's why there are no doors or anything at the moment. That is my main weakness (elevation).

I've studied other maps and it kinda seems hard sometimes to "picture" the elevation. Any ideas on how to take care of that without testing the map after every change made?

Doombuilder has a 3D mode for that purpose. By default you can access it by pressing W in Doombuilder, if it doesn't work then go to Tools/Config/3d mode and check if your video driver and stuff is correct.

Thanks Xenophon!

I tried it but it was a little confusing. I will practice with it and see what things look like. However, I'm not sure if I should test to see if that makes the doors work or not.

My first wads also looked about the same as this,back then I didn't even knew how to make a proper door.
And made stupid large rooms full of monsters,and was actually proud that I achieved that.

Altough I must say this wad is only slightly better than wow.wad but only just.
My advise ditch this wad and start over,take it slowly start with a small room.
And continue from there.

I suggest load in somebody else his wad in doombuilder and see how it is done.
The best way imo to learn the basics of modding,is by looking at someone else his wad.
Believe me I have done it like this also,for me its the fastest way to learn new tricks.
Hope my reply helps you a bit.

An author's first X number of maps should be scrapped and never released. No one wants to play newbie maps, no one wants to hear about them. If you want to release your newbie maps to a select group of people who want to help you, then by all means, but to submit it to /newstuff for everyone to see is kinda over the top.
Everyone's first maps sucked, without fail (heh... or with fail, depending how you look at them), and the only way to fix that is to map more and more.

Wasnt Deus Vult that mappers first map?

Zeg-Vok said:

Wasnt Deus Vult that mappers first map?

Maybe his first map that he submitted, but I am sure he has had to start at the basics like me. In most cases, everyone starts out as a noobie mapper, unless they are verrrry gifted.

Doom Builder is the solution to all n00b mappers' problems. At least, it was for me when I first started mapping(because I used to map with the BUILD engine).

Pure Hellspawn said:

For a first time mapper, I am well aware my map will suck.

My first 20 maps did sucks like hell, I never release them.
First you have to learn how everything works.
For doombuilder there is a user guide you can download.
Then learn how you must make everything in doom, like doors, stairs, windows etc.
You can do that in prototype maps for yourself.
Make a map with a door. ( name it door )
Make a map with a stair. ( name it stair )
Make a map with …..etc.
When you don't remember how you did it, you can fall back on the map.
The first period you see green snow, but after this you can concentrate on the map, and not how you must do it.
Then you can make your first nice map.

Greetings.

Nick Perrin said:

Doom Builder is the solution to all n00b mappers' problems. At least, it was for me when I first started mapping(because I used to map with the BUILD engine).

I use Doom Builder.

Pure Hellspawn said:

I've studied other maps and it kinda seems hard sometimes to "picture" the elevation.

If you do use doombuilder then "picturing" it should be no problem.

my first map didn't suck, and it was my first map that i built more than a single room, not just first released. Just read lots of tut's and practice all the technique's in one small room/area then bust out a level.

rottingzombie.com

Zeg-Vok said:

Wasnt Deus Vult that mappers first map?

*cough*bullshit*cough*

Yeah, more probably like the people around say. It was his first released map.

What I did to learn how to do things is edit the orginal Doom2. Delete ALL of the things and put your own weapons nad monsters in. Don't be ridiculous though like placing a cyberdemon in the outside area with the shotgun. Practice balncing health, ammo and monsters. Oh yaeh, probably best to keep the keys in though ;)

What ever you do, DON"T RELEASE IT. It'll just get rejected because you just modified the orig levels for Doom. If you need to know how to make a Door or an elevator, get the manual for Doombuilder (serch on google) and/or just look at how ID did it in Doom2.

Hope this helps ;)

Doombuilder manual (PDF)

Xenophon said:

Doombuilder manual (PDF)

Could you put that into HTML format? Im not that big of a fan of PDF and Adobe Acrobat.

ellmo said:

*cough*bullshit*cough*

Yeah, more probably like the people around say. It was his first released map.

It was my first honest-to-God attempt for a map; a prodigy is a prodigy :)

Still shaking your head in disbelief? Here's evidence.

I held my standard of mapping very high; if it's crap, it's gone: 600 hours of honest work went in it [DV], and 20,000 newbie sidedefs burned away before the final version was released. I guess it is true that I got what I put into it, so I sure hope that it inspired all you newcomers to map to your best of abilities!