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

SIGIL v1.21 - New Romero megawad [released!]

Recommended Posts

Just completed E5M6 and E5M9, found the secret exit by shooting an eye in the SE side of the cave. I found these two maps a bit more easy than E5M5 with some excellent puzzles. The final room in E5M6 was stunning and what I first did was wipe out the weak monsters and the bone shaking fearfulness of a Cyberdemon chasing you around as you hear his footsteps beating away like drums. Luckily after about roughly 20 tries of load / save I nailed him at close range with the BFG and then killing the Barons in the cage. E5M9 was also good fun too with tons of platforming and puzzles plus not to mention the Cyberdemon fight in a small fortress like structure. Atmosphere was great despite a few little imperfections such as the yellow key BIGDOOR6 sector was 128 tall instead of 112 but in a limit removing port at least that removes of tutti frutti. BIGDOOR7 or possibly WOOD5 would have been a better texture choice for those doors.

Share this post


Link to post
45 minutes ago, m8f said:

This may be considered a heresy, but I found out that dark Si6il levels go very well with brightmaps (e.g. glowing eyes) and dynamic lighting.

That's how I've been playing it, and I haven't had a problem with the brightness at all.

Share this post


Link to post
7 minutes ago, Chubzdoomer said:

That's how I've been playing it, and I haven't had a problem with the brightness at all.

Definitely going to try it with that! and Smooth Doom as well

Share this post


Link to post

Without spoiling anything else, could someone please tell me which level (or levels) leads to a secret exit so that I'll know which one to pay extra close attention to. Thank you in advance. 

Share this post


Link to post
4 minutes ago, Ajora said:

Without spoiling anything else, could someone please tell me which level (or levels) leads to a secret exit so that I'll know which one to pay extra close attention to. Thank you in advance. 

Since it's an E3 replacement the secret exit is in m6.

Share this post


Link to post

I'd just like to throw this in:

 

If you are low on ammo and health (my own fault, too excited and frivolous), E5M5 is a serious challenge, at least for me. Haven't had a lot of time to play, but I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to make it through.

Share this post


Link to post

I bought the soundtrack version and played it in GZDoom, which apparently was a mistake due to BS darkness in the later levels. Not too impressed with the soundtrack, tbh, so I'll probably replay it in PrBoom+ with the midi soundtrack later. Definitely did love the visuals (when I could see them :P), though, and it plays like you'd expect a Romero WAD to play.

 

I didn't find the the secret level (or at least I think I didn't), so that's also left for the next playthrough.

Share this post


Link to post
2 minutes ago, Rathori said:

I bought the soundtrack version and played it in GZDoom, which apparently was a mistake due to BS darkness in the later levels. Not too impressed with the soundtrack, tbh, so I'll probably replay it in PrBoom+ with the midi soundtrack later. Definitely did love the visuals (when I could see them :P), though, and it plays like you'd expect a Romero WAD to play.

 

I didn't find the the secret level (or at least I think I didn't), so that's also left for the next playthrough.



I actually prefer the midi score over the Buckethead tracks myself. Not that the Buckethead tracks are bad... they just seem a bit out of place in DOOM (imo, anyway).

Share this post


Link to post

Personally didn't have issues with lighting in GZDoom myself. I mean, sure, it's really dark, but it was never annoyingly so. I love when darkness impacts gameplay, and isn't just used for aesthetic purposes. I use Software light mode fwiw.

Share this post


Link to post

So, I just finished Sigil twice so here's my spoiler free review. Finished it once while playing fully vanilla and another with Samsara (as Duke). Both on Ultra-Violence with no mouselook, no jumping, no crouching, etc, since that's how I play. Currently doing a third with MetaDoom just for fun.

 

I thought the level design was incredible. Leagues better than anything I've played up to this point, and I've played a lot of megawads. The eye switch gimmick was a lot of fun. It gave me something to look for constantly rather than having me hump the walls to find secrets as is tradition. Sigil did have a few wall humping secrets, but not too much.

 

I was also surprised by how easy it was. Given how much difficulty some people had, even Gmanlives complaining about the difficulty, I expected something extreme. I think I died only a handful of times.

 

Overall, I think it was fantastic. I hope to see more from Romero in the future. I also hope to see more mappers take inspiration from Sigil so that we can keep getting maps this fun.

Share this post


Link to post
2 minutes ago, Buckshot said:

I actually prefer the midi score over the Buckethead tracks myself. Not that the Buckethead tracks are bad... they just seem a bit out of place in DOOM (imo, anyway).

Yeah, that's pretty much my impression after playing through the WAD. Nothing wrong with the tracks per se, but it felt like I was playing with winamp running in background.

Share this post


Link to post
1 hour ago, TheMightyHeracross said:

I have no idea how Gman could have panned it so harshly. He must be spoiled by Realm667-style projects or something. Personally I thought it played exactly how a Doom E5 should.

 

Some people just want to run around like a mad man and kill everything they see and then SIGIL comes out and you need some patience and precision to survive. In Doom you should be very cautious opening a door, but instead Gman just died rushing into door with two Barons behind it and complained how it was somehow unfair. SIGIL was great experience for me because it made me watch my every step, something that was pretty accurate to how the original Doom 1 experience was back in the day.

Share this post


Link to post

Question about software renderer vs. OpenGL -- using the software renderer, either in zDoom or GZDoom, I notice a lot of little clipping errors. Is this normal? A lot of the 'Hell cracks' have vertical lines that stretch down to the bottom of the screen. In E5M7, in one of the early rooms, you can see a hanging body clip through a piece of wall at times; it's essentially 'flashing' in and out. There are other little issues too. None of them affect gameplay. Using the OpenGL renderer, these issues all go away, although I run into the standard OpenGL clipping errors (Baron heads clipped in tight halls, dynamic lights clipping through walls, etc.)

 

Is this normal or do the standard settings need to be altered? Is there a limit removing setting I need to change? I don't have any clipping issues in the original 4 episodes playing with the software renderer, only SIGIL.

 

Otherwise I think the episode is fantastic. I personally love the visuals (it's dark but with the software renderer not *TOO* dark) and there's a lot of creativity in all of the levels. Telefragging cyberdemons never gets old, either. My only real complaint is the very end of the entire episode, it was a little confusing to me what exactly happened and/or what I needed to do. Overall it's terrific work and it's amazing how popular Doom is more than 25 years after the fact.

Share this post


Link to post

This is the same guy who unironically called Shadow Warrior the Dark Souls of first-person shooters, and was explicit in how hard Quake was for him. He also had to play through Opposing Force on easy mode, even though he later stated on Twitter that playing first-person shooters on the easiest difficulty setting is shameful. I've personally had little difficulty playing through the aforementioned titles on the hardest difficulty settings. 

 

I've never been the sort of person who would insult someone for not being good at something (video games or otherwise), but when said individual attempts to belittle me over social media for not being as l337 as they are when it comes to first-person shooters, I have no qualms with throwing everything right back in their face.

 

I haven't seen his review yet because I'm trying to avoid spoilers, but I can imagine how it will play out. Sorry for digging all of that up again. I think we should all move beyond this subtopic, but in the event that it crops up again, I'll hold my peace. 

Share this post


Link to post
33 minutes ago, dew said:

go into SET VIDEO MODE and set the render mode to DOOM SOFTWARE RENDERER. Then go down to APPLY CHANGES.

 

+Bonus points to play it using Vanilla Essence mod if playing on Gzdoom.

Share this post


Link to post
2 hours ago, Revenant100 said:

This unfortunately highlights how little control mappers have over how their maps actually appear when rendered in GZDoom. You figure a map set designed as a (limit-removing) vanilla episode firmly entrenched in the footsteps of the original Doom should just work as-is, but the discrepancy between the normal software renderer and GZDoom's default lighting settings is enormous.

 

SrQvWgG.png

fuQfj2d.jpg

 

As a wise man once said: What a shame.

Yeah, I played it in Crispy Doom and didn't have much of a problem with the light apart from E5M6.

When I went over to GZDoom to check out the Buckethead tracks I was amazed by how dark things were.

Share this post


Link to post

The standard sector light mode in GZDoom makes things close by a bit brighter, and things

further away a bit darker. But options exist in GL mode to closer mimic the software renderer.

ClearlyCheating.jpg.5ebb7666f82bafe6441a8a1b115f7805.jpg

Sector light modes 'Doom' or 'Software' have similar effects, if for example you're using

an older version of GZDoom.

 

Personally, I also adjust the constrast and brightness by a tiny amount to make things

slightly more vibrant, and get that Doomsday Engine look.

Share this post


Link to post

I find it odd that the walls are so close but sprites are so different. Seems like something that could be deliberately fixed (at least optionally) w/o a ton of effort.

Share this post


Link to post

I mean, I guess it all depends on how you have your GZDoom set up? I use it almost exclusively, so I've already set the lighting mode I need to not have everything pitch black (looking at you, Moonblood and Eviternity.)

 

*(edit: This was meant as a general comment, not directed at any specific post, as it may seem to be; the last couple of comments only popped up while I was typing this.)

Share this post


Link to post
56 minutes ago, Ajora said:

I've never been the sort of person who would insult someone for not being good at something (video games or otherwise), but when said individual attempts to belittle me over social media for not being as l337 as they are when it comes to first-person shooters, I have no qualms with throwing everything right back in their face.

 

I agree. That and the fact that he's an "influencer" with around 230k subscribers. He's someone people are listening to and potentially basing their buying decisions from. It's important to hold these people accountable when they spread misinformation.

Share this post


Link to post

Finished it yesterday - certainly an interesting mapset.  It was a surreal experience, perhaps because it wasn't what I expected, but then I'm not sure what I was supposed to expect and maybe this was for the better.  I spent more time than usual looking for secrets while also finding a few bugs like the inescapable pits (ones that don't kill you with damage) and the like that have already been mentioned, but regardless, I enjoyed it a great deal and also became more of a fan of Buckethead as an added bonus.  I'll have to play it again with the midi soundtrack.

Share this post


Link to post

I've really been enjoying the maps. I'm up to E5M5, which is pretty gnarly. I've been recording as I go.

 

 

 

 

Share this post


Link to post
32 minutes ago, Urthar said:

The standard sector light mode in GZDoom makes things close by a bit brighter, and things

further away a bit darker. But options exist in GL mode to closer mimic the software renderer.

Sector light modes 'Doom' or 'Software' have similar effects, if for example you're using

an older version of GZDoom.

 

Personally, I also adjust the constrast and brightness by a tiny amount to make things

slightly more vibrant, and get that Doomsday Engine look.

Spent the time ages ago to set up a bat file that auto applies certain changes on a fresh ini, among them is switching to Software light mode. Didn't even know Vanilla existed until now. Maybe it's just on my machine but switching back and forth between the software and hardware renderers Software actually comes closer to the lighting in the software renderer. Vanilla's light fall off is just too harsh resulting in dark areas being significantly darker, where Software is very, very, very close to actual software lighting.

Share this post


Link to post
12 minutes ago, MeatSafeMurderer said:

Didn't even know Vanilla existed until now.

It's a relatively recent addition. It's basically just a slight variant of the "software" shader-based lighting mode, the difference being that "software" emulates how ZDoom's software renderer works while "vanilla", well, you can guess I suppose. In my experience "vanilla" seems actually a bit darker than "software", though I didn't test it extensively.

Share this post


Link to post
32 minutes ago, MeatSafeMurderer said:

Spent the time ages ago to set up a bat file that auto applies certain changes on a fresh ini, among them is switching to Software light mode. Didn't even know Vanilla existed until now. Maybe it's just on my machine but switching back and forth between the software and hardware renderers Software actually comes closer to the lighting in the software renderer. Vanilla's light fall off is just too harsh resulting in dark areas being significantly darker, where Software is very, very, very close to actual software lighting.

That is because the software light mode is exactly the same math as used by the ZDoom software renderer. The vanilla one was my attempt at creating one using the somewhat more complicated math used by the original Doom software renderer. Vanilla light mode should (*) look more like the Chocolate Doom software renderer.

 

The main difference between the two modes is that the GZDoom software renderer only uses the distance for how the light should behave. The vanilla one also uses the angle of the first vertex of a wall, and the flats are lit slightly differently as well. To be honest, the math in original Doom is so odd here that I suspect its more emulation of a bug than an intended look on behalf of id software. Either way, because so many people complained about GZDoom's software renderer light, I figured maybe someone would prefer this version instead.

 

*) Assuming I made no mistake when reading the Chocolate Doom source code and implemented it correctly.

Share this post


Link to post
8 hours ago, fraggle said:

My Beast Box is on the way and due to arrive by Thursday so I guess it's only some that haven't shipped yet?

 

 

I contacted LRG regarding my boxes, and here's their answer:

 

Quote

SIGIL will be shipping out in waves over the next couple of weeks. We're expecting all orders to be shipped soon!

 

Weeks? Great, just great.

Share this post


Link to post
3 hours ago, dew said:

go into SET VIDEO MODE and set the render mode to DOOM SOFTWARE RENDERER. Then go down to APPLY CHANGES.

(8 hours ago, Viscra Maelstrom said:

i'm still in the dark on my beast box over here)

 

Lol @dew am thinking @Viscra Maelstrom is saying he doesn't know where his beast box is yet. But sure he will need that tag anyways cause he won't be able to see it when he starts playing it and be thinking: I'm still in the dark on where to go in E5M1 lol jk

 

I am NO expert in GZDoom, programming, wad creation etc but it is fairly easy to adjust video settings.

 

Edited by Welfare Prodigy

Share this post


Link to post

I've beaten E5M7 about four times now, and I still can't get over just how bad its ending is.  The design of that last structure is god awful.  And the "windy narrow ledge" run leading up to it isn't much fun, either.

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
×