*2020 HAKAWARDS* I&#039;m Also Looking to Play and Record Your Maps 2 *CLOSED*

What can I even say anymore? This wad’s quality speaks for itself. Consistently you get fun, innovative encounters and map designs that don’t overstay their welcome. That’s what this is.

Bottom line: some distinct combat in a somewhat more traditional layout

HAK3180 · August 31, 2019

http://www.mediafire.com/file/9hk5pkqgx7x53gz/massexe330.wad/file

The linear aspect, the music, and the pervasive elevator travel lend an adventurous feel. There are some tough encounters, and although none is really signature, you can’t help but enjoy yourself. There is some distinct Chasming, but it's mostly a somewhat generic hell map.

Bottom line: It lacks the innovation of the first episode and the nostalgia of the middle maps, but it’s still fun.

Milkman · August 31, 2019

On 8/23/2019 at 12:21 PM, HAK3180 said:

Table of Contents

@Milkman

Doomworld forum topic

This map is not very different from what comes before it, so it’s a touch odd to see it as a secret map, but it is a good map, heavy on exploration. It seems that no matter which way you go, there’s another fork. You never backtrack and eventually you find a connection to familiar territory. Still, it seems to be balanced well – I wasn’t able to cheese anything because of the direction I came, nor was I ever health or ammo deprived. One thing that might make a map like this more purpose-driven would be to show the exit earlier and make the puzzle getting to it.

Bottom line: very fun sprawling nukage tech base

Thanks HAK for yet another wonderful playthrough - I'm just catching up on all these since MAP15. The reason for this being a secret level is actually a bit personal - it was one of the first maps I ever 'designed', drawing it out as an 8 year old. I don't think this is something I would have designed as an adult, so it was interesting to tap into what I found interesting as a child and try to make it work

This level is, as you discovered, massive and could easily be a standalone map. As it is I cut out a few things just to make it quicker. To follow the original idea from my drawing would have taken close to an hour to complete. But I'm glad you liked the exploration aspect - it's definitley the intention of this map, to get pulled in to a dark, drab maze.

image.png.7b1262c8de2be65ee21f612e619b50c7.png

nicolas monti · August 31, 2019

20 hours ago, HAK3180 said:

Table of Contents

@nicolas monti

Doomworld forum topic

What can I even say anymore? This wad’s quality speaks for itself. Consistently you get fun, innovative encounters and map designs that don’t overstay their welcome. That’s what this is.

Bottom line: some distinct combat in a somewhat more traditional layout

Thanks! Whatching this today, here is the latest file:

It contains up to map26, I was stuck with that map because of bad concept, then I replanned it and turned to be something nice.

Edited August 31, 2019 by nicolas monti

HAK3180 · August 31, 2019

The map does a good job of building suspense until you get to the big moment. There are long, empty paths, corpses, and a preliminary wave of revenants to suggest trouble is coming. What I really like is that you’re not so likely to get killed by spiders, but their presence is definitely felt.

Bottom line: an atmospheric episode finale

HAK3180 · August 31, 2019

I love it. This is probably my favorite “traditional” map in this set and one of my favorites overall. You just collect two keys and then exit, but you’re bound to unleash lots of hellspawn as you do that, as it’s a well-connected map whose keys are in opposite distant corners. You’re immediately under the gun, so survival is the name of the game: get some firepower and start thinning out the monsters.

Bottom line: a hectic map of interconnected paths and areas – good stuff

HAK3180 · September 1, 2019

After getting all the weapons fairly early in most of the previous 5 or so maps, now it’s time to get reacquainted with the single shotgun. Some may not appreciate that, but there are no meaty monsters, and it’s not that long. Call it a transitional map, because I’m sure more heat is coming.

Bottom line: a little breather map, suitable for getting one’s feet wet in an episode opener

HAK3180 · September 1, 2019

This has the magnum opus feel of a penultimate map: somewhat grand appearance, long, and adventurous. It’s got a classic appearance with standard indoor and outdoor hell elements present. There’s definitely a lot of exploration to do; perhaps the way in which I played this map can explain the situation I ended up in, which was a frustrating scarcity of ammo. Yes, I had a berserk and practically unlimited shells. But the combination of very few rockets + very few cells + no super shotgun + an abundance of meatier monsters = no. It wasn’t the health. Health was abundant, but I’m not going to single shotgun every hell knight, cacodemon, and baron I encounter. I don’t want to use the berserk fist when I have an invulnerability. I would like to be able to switch to plasma or rockets for a reasonable number of those tough encounters/densely populated areas, rather than having enough only for about one fight. I found no secrets. I suspect the secrets are tremendously helpful like some of the ones I found in other maps. If that’s the case, I advise against this usage for secrets – it’s too much of a game changer.

Bottom line: I wanted to like this map. But I ended up hating it. And it had everything to do with ammo.

nicolas monti · September 1, 2019

54 minutes ago, HAK3180 said:

@nicolas monti

Doomworld forum topic

After getting all the weapons fairly early in most of the previous 5 or so maps, now it’s time to get reacquainted with the single shotgun. Some may not appreciate that, but there are no meaty monsters, and it’s not that long. Call it a transitional map, because I’m sure more heat is coming.

Bottom line: a little breather map, suitable for getting one’s feet wet in an episode opener

Well played! It's obvously a shotgun themed map and also an opener so not too long, all the stuff is coming back in the next map, also some textures I've never used and more city towards the end of the mapset :)

DemilinX · September 2, 2019

Any chance of uploading to Twitch and other platforms?

HAK3180 · September 2, 2019

@DemilinX, I do this primarily for the wad authors themselves, so I'm not really interested in the potential reach of my Youtube channel or other media. I hardly even maintain a Youtube presence. Basically it's just a way to be able to post videos on Doomworld. Is Youtube problematic for some users?

I'll keep the thought in mind. Thanks for the link.

Arbys550 · September 2, 2019

Hi this is formerly Archie550. I changed my name. Map03 of In the Doghouse is finally done! The wad uses DOOM2 instead of plutonia now, and I recommend prboom.

This map is a techbase/swamp thing that doesn't really look like any of the other maps. It also has a secret bfg slaughter fight.

download:https://www.dropbox.com/s/nb0gu5odgo29t10/boomhouse.wad?dl=0

HAK3180 · September 3, 2019

@Arbys550

I definitely like the intricate layout and the appearance for the most part, though I think there's too much brown - lots of similar and similar-colored textures near each other. Combat has a lot of fun moments but there are a few dull encounters that definitely don't feel expert-made. I'm thinking especially of a massive swarm of imps that just doesn't really do anything and a boss fight that's basically just a grind.

Bottom line: Mostly good with a few moments that could be improved

HAK3180 · September 3, 2019

This map takes some quick turns for the more brutal. It has a certain innocence to it – perhaps the tekgreen that reminds me of the Focus, which is a Map04 – that makes you believe it will be alright. But some of the traps are tough – not unfair, not just a matter of foresight, but plain tough. You’re on a spaceship, I believe, so there’s definitely a little bit of atmosphere.

Bottom line: Still some Montian tropes, but it seems more combat-driven than layout driven

HAK3180 · September 3, 2019

This map appears to be broken – there’s a room I got stuck in every time I went in. But the concept works. It’s basically just a cyber arena with a few off areas to collect more ammo.

Bottom line: Simple ending with a little fierceness

HAK3180 · September 4, 2019

https://www.mediafire.com/file/5hs4m68o1wxw627/massexe340.wad/file

The appearance of this map felt a little bit rushed. All of these maps are perhaps a bit underdetailed by modern standards, but the number of misalignments in this one suggested a certain level of haste that fortunately did not translate into the gameplay, because I had a great time running through this little city, exploring the buildings, finding the connections, etc. Monti has a way of making you want to play these maps regardless of the monster composition. I’ve never really thought of this until now, but I think this whole set would be pretty fun with no monsters.

Bottom line: A fun city map focused on travel and verticality

Milkman · September 4, 2019

@HAK3180 thank you so much for playing through all of these - I'm sorry the WAD ended on such an unsatisfying end for you, but I hope you enjoyed it overall. The idea was definitley to get a mix of styles. Just on the last two levels:

Maw:
You did in fact miss a super shotgun pickup in the first section (kinda near the Mancubi, the opposite section to the Chaingun) but the feedback still stands - watching you play made me realise how necessary that pickup is and that the map could do with less Shells/more rockets and plasma. as well as a spot where you have to get the super shotgun and can't miss it

While I'm not going to make or expect you to replay it, I'd be curious to know how you felt about the map had you picked up the super shotgun.

Also, you actually only needed one key to get to the exit - the beams are 40p wide with space around them, you should have tried to squeeze through and your pain could have ended so much sooner!

But that lava should definitley be damaging, I have no reason to state why that's not the way it is

The Committee/Comittee/Council:
There are are a few errors on this map (the name and the teleportal), but not actually the blue teleporter room - the '4' room actually has a puzzle in it that I know works, you should have been just a bit more patient, you went past the start of the sequence a few times :)

And the hall of mirrors section is actually on purpose - it's me experimenting with some nodebuilder glitches. The concept being that you actually leave DOOM itself. Not sure how to make it clearer that that is the intention, but i'm happy to keep it, even if it makes it a touch confusing

Some other notes on other maps;

Arch-Vill (with all the arch vile jumps)

Great point about being confusing as to which Arch Vill's need to be kept alive for jumps and which don't. I think I might change the order of scenarios to make it clearer what's going on.

Hiding in Hell (map 23)

I'm so glad you like this one, it's one of my favourites in the whole WAD. Just sorta came together. The Cacodemon Cave is definitley not meant to be fount in that scenario, i'm expecting the player to just bail and have them drip out as you move on.

UAC maps:
I do apologize about all the Barons, in particular on these maps. I'll be revisiting the comat in these. But I hope I captured the flaour of E1/kinda E2.

As I said I hope you enjoyed the experience overalll, and I'll definitley be making a '2.0 version' that doesn't have the Doom 1 resource issue so I can upload to Doomworld properly. So while this was an 'official' release, there will be a 'more offical' release later this year in the Doomworld archives.

HAK3180 · September 4, 2019

@Milkman, I tend to be harsher in wads I really want to like, and I always want to like conventional-ish megawads. Overall I think it's great with lots of innovative ideas mixed in with the nostalgia.

I did another Maw run. I found the super shotgun 69 kills in. Incidentally, I didn't have the chaingun yet. It does make a big difference, but I still experienced significant ammo issues, most notably in rockets. I'm almost positive I never had more than 10, using them sparingly. This made me very curious so I checked in Doom Builder. There are two boxes of rockets and 21 rockets in the entire level. There are also three rocket launchers and five backpacks. That is a grand total of 42 rockets in the entire map. That is an insanely low number for a map of ~350 enemies. There are 15 hell knights alone. 42 rockets is just enough for them, and we haven't even gotten to 10 barons, 19 cacodemons, and another couple dozen 2+ rocket monsters. I think at least a third of the rockets could be turned into rocket boxes. In a map like this, I think it's important to err on the side of too much ammo because you don't want to punish the player for taking the wrong path because there's clearly not supposed to be any wrong path. Yes, it may be possible to stockpile ammo, but that's a better alternative, in my opinion. As far as including another super shotgun itself, I think one of two things would be appropriate. I am okay with only one important pickup if and only if it's clearly visible somewhere, even if you have to work out how to get to it. Because then it would be clearly my fault for not getting it. In this map the super shotgun is not visible in any part of the map except within several feet of picking it up, and it's in a very optional area.

In Committee, I looked at the editor. Even having done that, I had to look very hard to see the puzzle. This is not for a BFG or a megasphere - this is mandatory progression. For that reason I would make it more obvious.

nicolas monti · September 4, 2019

17 hours ago, HAK3180 said:

@nicolas monti

Doomworld forum topic

The appearance of this map felt a little bit rushed. All of these maps are perhaps a bit underdetailed by modern standards, but the number of misalignments in this one suggested a certain level of haste that fortunately did not translate into the gameplay, because I had a great time running through this little city, exploring the buildings, finding the connections, etc. Monti has a way of making you want to play these maps regardless of the monster composition. I’ve never really thought of this until now, but I think this whole set would be pretty fun with no monsters.

Bottom line: A fun city map focused on travel and verticality

Great review, I thought the same about some repopulation after grabbing the keys, I'll work on it, also on the missaligments, I'll fix some of them, mostly the ones of metal and gray but also I always leave some as they are, I kinda hate the autolign feature, sometimes the results are worst and look artificial in the way some computer pannels end up oddly curved on the vertices, sometimes I prefer raw looking but I agree with you this time is maybe too much!

Edited September 4, 2019 by nicolas monti

HAK3180 · September 5, 2019

@NEANDERTHAL

This map is a little bit confusing, mostly related to the blue key/doors, I think. There were a few other oddities, like certain damaging floors, but I like the idea here. There’s a hub, but you can’s spend much time in it or it will kill you! It’s a lot of tight space and maneuvering through a well laid out space.

Bottom line: Needs another pass obviously, but it’s interesting and distinct

NEANDERTHAL · September 5, 2019

Thank you for your playtest, Hak! I'll definitely take it into consideration as I complete this map. Those pillars in the marble room actually contained the blue key and more monsters (I'll have to retexture those); and that other lowering wall in the vines room was supposed to allow you to get the plasma gun, but you found another way to get to it. In hindsight, those damaging floors definitely dont signal danger anoigh.

nicolas monti · September 6, 2019

New maps for Mass Extinction: 27 and 28, thanks for the advices!

meapineapple · September 7, 2019

I have another one for you, @HAK3180 ...

Magicana · September 8, 2019

You'll probably see it in the other thread, but thought I'd drop it here too. Still work to be done with detailing, but the main structure I think at this point is set*

*unless people play it and think it doesn't work

HAK3180 · September 8, 2019

@Magicana, Alright, I guess I'll stop playing this and record it later, haha.

HAK3180 · September 8, 2019

This is another map that’s more about specific encounters than about the layout. While other maps in this wad are memorable for their appearance or even their automap appearance, this is more combat-centric. With three boss fights and a few more big encounters, it works. Two minor critiques would be the one section can be quite brutal on non-freelookers and the last boss fight seems to be a rehash of one in an earlier level.

Bottom line: a little more wide open space than there usually is but just as much heat

nicolas monti · September 8, 2019

1 hour ago, HAK3180 said:

@nicolas monti

Doomworld forum topic

This is another map that’s more about specific encounters than about the layout. While other maps in this wad are memorable for their appearance or even their automap appearance, this is more combat-centric. With three boss fights and a few more big encounters, it works. Two minor critiques would be the one section can be quite brutal on non-freelookers and the last boss fight seems to be a rehash of one in an earlier level.

Bottom line: a little more wide open space than there usually is but just as much heat

Thanks for the review! I'll tone down the snipping chaingunner from above stuff and tweak the final encounter!

EDIT: just to mention, the map is slightly inspired on a shopping center near my town, the central part of it, and I find it good you perceived it very doom2-ish, it's the idea of the episode so the texture scheme, to me tekgreen is to doom2 the analog of startan to doom1.

Edited September 8, 2019 by nicolas monti

HAK3180 · September 10, 2019

@meapineapple