Can I get testers/reviews for my map? It's called Jupiter Station (Redux)

[tejdog1]

EDIT: IMPORTANT - if you've downloaded this map PRIOR TO 12:24am eastern on September 16th, 2018 - YOU MUST DOWNLOAD THE MAP AGAIN. I fixed a very crucial error that I did not remember until just now. 

 

EDIT II: IMPORTANT - found a gamebreaking bug (9/18/18 - will upload a new version when I figure out how to fix it)

 

EDIT III: IMPORTANT - new version uploaded 09/19/18 3am EST. Version number 10.05.63. Added 32 monsters, 1 secret, and several teleporters, and many supplies. Overall nerf to difficulty, map should be more balanced. Fixed several critical bugs, added several features, including the ability to travel between sections of Part III via teleport. Map more closely resembles the playstyle I'd envisioned. 

 

EDIT IV: Fixed another thing I'd overlooked. Same version number. Recommended to download the latest build, as of 09/20/18 at 1:51am eastern

 

Edit V: Deleted 104 viles, added several other classes of monsters. Fixed some odd texture glitches. Map should be close to complete. 

 

Edit VI: Added like... ~700 or so monsters. Final count is 4358 with 52 secrets. I believe the map is fully balanced and very beatable. It's a good 3, 3.5 hours long, though. 

 

Edit VII: I just playtested the whole thing, found zero bugs. Beat the map in a little over 3 hours. It's good to go. Final updated download as of 09/27/18 at 3:35am EST. Version number 10.38.77

 

Edit VIII: Final bug tracked down and fixed thanks to Gorf. 

 

Edit IX: Updated version 10.39.78. Added in a thing or two to combat cheesing in a particular area. You know who you are, and you know what you would've done. :P

 

Jupiter Station Redux

Some of you may remember a little map I posted way back in 2014 called Jupiter Station. I had to abandon it for a good long while due to losing interest, but recently came back to it and spoofed it up, fixing a whole lot of the little gameplay issues from back then, and overall refining it a good amount. The core gameplay is still slaughter, but there's a loose story to it now. I've also learned a great deal more about mapping, scripting, etc... so I've gotten to do a few cool things with it now. 

 

Map Name: Jupiter Station (Redux) v10.05.63
Monster count: 4358
Secrets: 52
Areas completed: Three of Four
Ports tested on: ZDoom (final release before discontinuation), GZDOOM v3.3.0 - play with any other port at your own peril. This is intended and tested on GZDOOM v3.3.0. Do whatever you want in the map. Freelook, jump, crouch, SR50, whatever. IWAD is doom2.wad, you start on Map01, it's a one map wad with a sneak peek at Part IV which right now is on Map02, but the final version will be in Map01. 

 

As I said, this is a slaughter themed map, but it shouldn't be too difficult, if you approach with with some thought, and don't just run in guns blazing (though you can do that too, if you want). I have not implemented difficulty settings, you will not get harder/easier gameplay if you choose HMP or ITYTD or UV. It's all one. 

 

Future plans: Once I get feedback, and fix up any/all bugs found by you lovely people, I'll again set the map aside for a bit (not four years this time), since I've been working non stop on it for months now, and am kind of burning myself out on it. Once I'm recharged, I plan to make one final area which should close out this map. 

Thanks for playing, and please leave any/all feedback below. It's much appreciated. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jupiter_Station Redux v10.38.77.zip

Jupiter_Station Redux v10.39.78.zip

Edited October 6, 2018 by tejdog1

[bonnie]

1 hour ago, tejdog1 said:

recently came back to it and spoofed it up, fixing a whole lot of the little gameplay issues from back then, and overall refining it a good amount

perhaps show screenshots of the refined version then

unless those images are of it in it's current state

 

in that case, my review: very bad

[tejdog1]

Why do you say it's very bad? 

[bonnie]

massive wide open generic empty ugly flat barely textured rooms with slaughter gameplay in a zdoom map

at least that's the impression you give with the screenshots

[baja blast rd.]

52 minutes ago, bonnie said:

massive wide open generic empty ugly flat barely textured rooms with slaughter gameplay in a zdoom map

 

'with slaughter gameplay in a zdoom map' ZDoom can run slaughtermaps just fine. The monster deployment in that map won't result in much lag, either. I looked, rather than guessing based on screenshots. :/ Also I feel bad for tejdog that these nonconstructive low-quality posts of yours were among the first replies. It's generally the worst way for a W&M thread to get started. Even if the map is not so good...

 

 

tejdog1: from the 10 or so minutes I've played, the visuals are quite ugly. You can get better at that by studying maps that look good thoroughly. I haven't seen much resembling an encounter yet, mostly just blocks of monsters fought from one direction. I think that in the case where monsters have low HP -- imps, hitscanners, souls, etc. -- that is fine because they go down quite fast (although I'd arrange the monsters more artistically in either case). But the big group of mid-tiers -- mancs, 'trons, cacos -- that come along with the mastermind doesn't really work too well. Neither do similar groups. Besides, a big group of monsters that spontaneously infights and never has a chance to be threatening comes across as pretty funny. The handling of secrets as well is another thing that strikes me as unintentionally funny. There are just so many, and most of them are easy to spot, so it's like, "a secret. another one? another one? again? wow yet another secret?" 50 is a bunch, even in a map that appears to be well past 'medium-sized'. 

 

Suggestion would be to study good maps and practice by making a few maps smaller than this. 

Edited September 11, 2018 by rdwpa

[SilverMiner]

Aaargh! My eyes! Big bare rooms...

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

I'm glad that rdwpa came along to give this a proper review, because the "reviews" we're seeing here are extremely unhelpful.

 

I'm probably going to come across as harsh, but I feel I have to make my thoughts clear.

I don't know if rdwpa took the time to grind through this, and if not, he's probably far wiser than I, because I did finish it, albeit with cheats at the end because I got tired of the map.

 

First, this map comes under the guise of slaughter without an understanding of how slaughter works. The encounters aren't interesting, the groups tend toward large groups of one type of monster, and the map generally leans toward BFG+invul use, which is boring. To get an idea of how I think slaughter works best, I suggest checking out Ribbiks' Stardate 20X7 maps 8 and 9. Those are the maps I will always challenge enterprising slaughter against, because they stuck in my mind.

Second, I take no issue with this being a ZDoom map except for the fact that only a handful of times are ZDoom-exclusive features used, and those are exclusively scripts to print giant messages on my screen, as best as I can tell. Essentially, in my view, this is a glorified Boom map.

Third, the last room is the absolute worst. You fight nothing but cyberdemons and masterminds and other high-tiers with tiny hallways to maneuver, the exits of which they will block, and you have to find twelve switches scattered about this room just to exit the level. This was the point at which I used cheats just to finish the map, because not only was I tired of the map, but I couldn't find the switches.

 

I agree absolutely with what rdwpa said, that you should study other maps first and make ones that are much smaller than this. I think you should shelve this map, not for a week, a month, or four years, but indefinitely. Put this behind you so you can look ahead at future endeavours and make maps that people will be more inclined to play.