Mapsets openers: let's share thoughts

[galileo31dos01]

Yaaaay new thread!

 

For the three or so years that this game has been fulfilling an important part of my life every day, I have seen all kinds of first maps and appetizers that my perspective of what makes a map 01 good took a different road and is no longer just this or that. It could go ham from the start or gradually reintroduce the story of the game, or take a new step that hasn't been taken before, I believe there's nowhere set in stone what's the best way to begin your journey. For a game that's been modded to death since it was a newborn, there's so much content around that most people out there already internalized the main mechanics, and look for something else. Some well-known mappers take that step, others opt for a more traditional style of progression, with recreations of Entryway or perhaps Congo.

 

I still remember my reaction to the beginning of Ancient Aliens (main reason of why I make this thread), by that time around two years ago I used to believe megawads always started softly few zombies or imps to slap with the shotgun, so that sudden surprise at the end of the tunnel was totally unexpected, and breathtaking. Not a lot of megawads set the tone like AAliens (AA is another good wad okay?), but that's not to say every wad has to. However, after replaying the wad a week ago, it still amuses me how Skillsaw decided to put an ex-boss as the first hazard you encounter in a full megawad, knowing how polarizing it would be, that has my respects. 

 

Both openers in Back to Saturn X episodes 1 and 2 are also between my favourites, the first one because it doesn't take long to see meatier dudes and the best part is in a secret, while the latter primarily because of the music and vistas. Same goes to Mutiny, including barrels frenzy, or Going Down but with zombiemen. Then there's Sunlust by putting you in tight puzzle-like scenarios from the get go but with a gradual progression of difficulty, if still acknowledging you are decent at the game, which is how I prefer it the most personally speaking. Counterattack gives a rocket launcher and plenty of fodder to destroy while you must keep a distance from barrels, it's another example of a fun atypical start. If I have to choose what approach impacts more in my experience, it would be the "Plutonia" way, by not giving a damn about monster species per se but the usage of them (of course Plutonia is sort of a rollercoaster in terms of enemy effectiveness, so the point goes to awareness of threat level from earlier), but a simple shootout a la E1M1 can suit me too, as is the case of wads like Dawn of The Dead or No End in Sight, or even going hard on secrets like Alpha Accident does. 

 

So, what are your preferences on wads' openers?. How do you like to start your journey?. Do you care about how the rest of the wad grows?. And if you are a mapper, what's your approach? 

 

Also this includes single maps if you want to talk about them. I haven't touched any in a while so I have no examples to share.

[ketmar]

the main thing about first map for me is that it should be small. people tend to play more if they got some reward, and beating a level is a good reward in the beginning of a mapset. let players finish your first map easily, and chances are they'll play more maps. but don't make it too short and easy.

 

i tried BTSX several times, for example, because its first map was way too big for me. it was like: "ok, it looks like there is more in this map, i'll do it later". of course, next time i had to start it all again, and was dropping it around the same time.

 

but this is me, some people like big opening maps, of course. and BTSX opening map is not bad, don't get me wrong. just not my style.

[Nine Inch Heels]

5 hours ago, galileo31dos01 said:

So, what are your preferences on wads' openers?. How do you like to start your journey?. Do you care about how the rest of the wad grows?. And if you are a mapper, what's your approach? 

I have no definitive preference that could serve as a rule of thumb for me or anybody else, I guess. For me it depends a lot on what the map/WAD is like overall.

Let's look at Sigil, because almost everybody and their grandmother played it: What the first map does is introducing a mechanical trope, which are the shoot switches, and it also makes it pretty clear that you're not being given a lot of room to work with. And these aspects are present throughout the set, which makes Sigil's map 1 a competent opener for me. If all the maps past that employed entirely different tropes and mechanics, it would have been confusing, perhaps.

 

When looking at for example eviternity, its first map plays very much like every other "classic" first map there ever was. Nothing particularly outstanding, your bog standard imps and scanners, a few demons, and a final "fight" towards the end of the map that is more bark than bite for all but the greenest of players. I wouldn't go so far as to fault the map for what it's doing, because eviternity isn't as "trope driven" as Sigil, but it certainly isn't an opener that makes me particularly excited for what's to come next.

 

Looking at swim with the whales by ribbiks, you're given an entirely monsterless map01 that serves to get players accustomed to the colour scheme of the WAD, and it also has a very simple "gear check" for platforming built in. It's definitely unconventional, but I think it's what makes the map such a good opener for the WAD, because it piques my curiosity. Of course somebody else may find that map boring, I'm just saying it worked really well for me.

 

When I can be arsed to make a map, which is like once in a blue moon, I usually tend to start with smaller bits and pieces before eventually dropping the hammer. I never really thought about it much until now, though. I guess in retrospect, looking at my JOM05 map and my UDINO map I have a tendency to start maps with "platforming" of some sort, and then follow it up with a smaller fight before escalating stuff in some way. Sort of like a "warmup" fight, paired with a small "agility test". But I don't do that all the time either, so in the end it depends largely on what I'm in the mood for, and/or how far I want to "develop" an idea.

 

Ultimately I'd say it's usually a good idea to introduce players to new tropes slowly, rather than throwing everything at them at once, but then again it depends on what the tropes are. Looking at Sigil, understanding that the shootswitches are mandatory for map progression is key, so it's no surprise that the opener attempts to hammer that point home, and I'd say it's better for it. If the tropes of a given set of maps are more intuitive to understand, and perhaps even less meaningful, it might be just fine to build a small opener that has them all, and let players experiment around a bit.

Edited July 31, 2019 by Nine Inch Heels

[Budoka]

My favorite sort of MAP01 is the one that would actually be a MAP02 in the most old-school projects. I just don't understand the point of starting with a neutered, essentially pointless level as old wads often used to do. I think Valiant for example showcases the right approach, immediately getting into the meat of things and not wasting any time.

[Deadwing]

I like to think of MAP 01/openers as an introduction to key elements of the mapset, which is why I think Valiant, BTSX E1 - my favorite map from it -, AA and Plutonia do a very good job at it. All these levels sums up pretty well all the keys and contextual elements of the mapset, also introducing in an easy way the "language" of the mapset and the player's expectation of what will happen as he reaches the later levels. (which is what I tried to do also with the first Exomoon map).

 

Most of the earlier mapsets, though, would do shorter openers just because the same also happened with IWADs.

[DynamiteKaitorn]

Whenever I play a WAD, I'd like the first map to teach me about any major, new mechanics I need to be aware of. Whether that be jumping/crouching is necessary, stealth mechanics have been implemented or just simply to be aware of every key I see. Pretty obviously, MAP01/E1M1/Whateves needs to be small, sweet and most importantly: Fun. It's the "first impression" if you will. A good example of teaching the basics to the player is, and I can not beleive I'm about to say this, is Sigil's E5M1. The eye mechanic is very easy to understand. Just shoot the eyeball to progress! Of course, the eyes aren't always easy to find but they're never so cryptic that you'll never think to look in X position. (doesn't excuse Sigils other flaws but I digress...)

 

A few bad ideas on how to start a WAD is simply have a bunch of enemies surrounding the player and all facing them. Doing things like that just makes me cringe at how annoying that is. At least let me have a chance to survive longer than the time it takes for me to inhale a single breath! Another problem a few WADs I've played is that they feel the need to place medium to high tier enemies straight away. Plutonia starts with Archviles, chaingunners AND Mancubuses right out of the gate. Pretty harsh opener when you think about it.

 

Overall, just ease the player in. Like painting a picture, start with sketching the idea, rather than leaping into the fine detail painting.

[Maximum Matt]

On 8/1/2019 at 6:18 AM, DynamiteKaitorn said:

Plutonia starts with Archviles, chaingunners AND Mancubuses right out of the gate. Pretty harsh opener when you think about it.

Now that you mention it....