Beginner wad

[Idkmemes]

This is the first map I've posted outside my small group of friends, and I want to know what I can improve on in future maps. Currently this only replaces map01 for doom 2, with it replacing the map and music.

Gzdoom was used, and the only rules I'm putting down is no jumping/crouching, otherwise go nuts.

I am currently working on a 2nd map for this wad, and after i get some response to this i could carry over any info/tips into the 2nd one as well.

I'd love to hear some feedback as that's why I'm here anyways Thank you!

 

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1qd6crnCAUL0-wiU1gJHjw3MQwXgFnroj

I Have also added a 2nd map to this wad, and  for not making that clear earlier(below pics are 2nd map above is 1st)

Edited August 21, 2019 by Idkmemes : update to wad

[Idkmemes]

New link at the end of head

Edited June 18, 2019 by Idkmemes

[Simomarchi]

I have completed your map in 9.04 minutes, with 76% kills, 90% items and 25% secrets.

 

It was a nice and quite hard canyon/rocky map, with an ammo and health placement sometimes tedious. This resulted in some nice moments of tension and others were I was thinking "what was the idea here?"

 

But, first of all, we start with the visuals:

The map was quite underdetailed. There were basically no wall's decorations, and also the rooms missed some kind of touch to give them a unique feeling. But, in reality, this map reminded me of some old doom styled map, and the fights left no time to focus on the ambient. So an underdetail that doesn't ruin the game experience.

There are some minor texture misalignments here and there (on the steps and on the windows mainly) and also I noticed a rough texture transition from one wall to another (in the main canyon, the one with the mancubus guarding the precious ammo. There is the brown brick wall that contrasts too much with the rocky walls of the canyon having that there is no transition between the textures, just for example)

Overall a good number of textures were used, and they were used well too. They provide a really basic information to the place that I'm exploring and also help to define the various zones of the level.

 

Monster placement:

I think that I've just played a map with a beautiful monster placement. There is no safe zone, you are generally low on ammo and you constantly run to find other resources awakening other monsters. 

Maybe you should have placed the SSG in a more comfortable position (I found the red key before thw SSG, so I've simply used it for like 3 seconds before reaching the exit). Having to play a map like that with only the chaingun and the SG can be a little bit too much frustrating or grindy for some players (but yeah, missing the SSG made the map a lot different, I think. Maybe in a better way, I'm not sure about that).

 

General design:

some nice touches here and there. The earthquake in the cave was an unexpected event and also the visual connections between the areas were very well made. There are no similar rooms and the layout is made in such a way that, most of the time, the monster are the ones with the advantage (and they were helped by the fact that I was without weapons for a while, but ok)

I founded only one secret, the (useless) bfg. I was prepared to fight an arch-vile, or even a cybie when I opened the last door under the exit signal...but a lone imp is not as much of a challenge.

 

Overall e very well made and challenging map. You can improve your visual style but having that this is your first released work I'm quite satisfied. Thanks for sharing it

[Panda]

As for my personal op, I think it's very good!

I think he has achieved the most important thing that a game should have, and that is to really entertain whoever plays it. That is, a map can have an excellent structure, an incredible decoration, etc. But if the game is boring, then nothing would be worth it. I've seen incredible maps, really worthy maps of a professional architect, but when I play, I find it really boring. So I reiterate, it was quite fun, and the rest is important but in comparison with the objective minimally, in the end everything has a complement.

 

Good theme!

 

 

Edited June 17, 2019 by Panda

[Idkmemes]

I have Updated the wad, with a second shorter map, and some small edits to the original map.

Besides changing the skybox most changes are minor, and hopefully dont change the experience too much.

How did i fare for my 2nd attempt? better? worse? what do you think of my 2nd map? I would like to know

[Simomarchi]

I've completed your second map on UV in 6.19 minutes, with 70% kills, 96% items and 60% secret.

 

I was expecting another medium-hard map, without so much ammo and with constant tension but it was a little bit easier then the first one.

The map was another short map, with a theme of a nuke base with an hellish touch in the underground.

 

Starting with the visuals:

great improvement in the level of detail. I liked how every room was detailed, with one or more point of interest for the eyes. You have given your map some personality. I mean, there are no rooms or decorated rooms. There are a stockpile, a pipe full of nuke where you can go, and an outside zone where the nuke has for some reasons invaded the floor. If your rooms have sense so you have more probability to have made a well detailed map, and this is exactly what you did here. 

Obviously it is not the most detailed map out there, but it has the correct level of detail to provide minimal informations.

The light work can be a little bit improved. There are some points where a lamp lighted the room, but it is still an unnatural light. A lamp doesn't change the light level of all the room, but only of a small part of the floor in front of it, then the light as to fade away. The idea for a good light work is to have a single light level for the room, with some small variation here and there to break the darkness, or the light.On the other hand,  it is not good to have a room with 2 big light levels that merge without any transition, for example. You have done this right in the first stair and not so much right in the red key room. There are lights but the light variation is quite invisible, and the elevated part of the room is unnaturally brighter than the rest of the room.

No misaligned and weirdly placed textures this time.

 

Thing placement:

This map has a really hard start, without a shotgun. I liked the idea that you have to kill the shotgunner in the nuke-invaded zone, under the fire of the mancubi, but maybe it is a little bit frustrating. 

The archvile fight is the best part of the level in my opinion. Having to reach the SSG ignoring the archvile in order to kill him is a good idea.

Overall the resources amount was higher this time, so it is not an incredibly hard map.

Good fights and good ambushes.

I really don't understand why there is a megasphere in the underground hellish zone.

 

General design:

this map was much more linear than the first one (and I appreciate this kind of layout) but however with a good level of connection between the areas (so it is not a maze, but a linear level that uses the same rooms over and over in a different way), so a really well made layout.

I also liked how all the locked doors where visible from the beginning. It gives the player the idea of not being lost.

 

Another good map. Better than the first one

 

Edit: I've just opened your map in DB. The correct light work has been done in the mancubus tunnel, not in the first stair. Sorry for my mistake

Edited June 19, 2019 by Simomarchi

[Suitepee]

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/447434614

 

I play this at 1:19:50 into this livestream. The 2 maps I played were alright.

[noisebloom]

I played Map 01 and really enjoyed it.

 

I'm honestly not a very skilled Doom player (I haven't played many difficult WADs, but I'm slowly getting there), so I was getting my ass handed to me on HMP, but I still had a blast. The gameplay was absolutely stellar, for the most part. Can't honestly think of many complaints... I'm generally not a fan of rocky Plutonia/TFC-ish levels just because of the overall color palette, but the fun factor made up for it.

 

Looking forward to seeing more from you.