1995 called. They want their Doom levels back.

[Zylinderkatze]

UPDATE 1! The first beta (of the first map) is out: "E1M1: 2020 vs 1997"

UPDATE 2! The first beta (of the second map) is out, too: "E1M2: 2020 vs 1997"

UPDATE 3! The first beta (of the third map) is out, thre~.. as well! "E1M3: 2020 vs 1997"

UPDATE 4! The first beta (of the fourth map) is right here, right now: "E1M4: 2020 vs 1997"

UPDATE 5! The first beta (of the fifth map) has seen the dark of night: "E1M5: 2020 vs 1997"

UPDATE 6! The first beta (of the sixth map) is at the gates: "E1M6: 2020 vs 1997"

UPDATE 7! The first beta (of the seventh map) is all dressed in red: "E1M7: 2020 vs 1997"

UPDATE 8! The first beta (of the eighth map) wants to finish you: "E1M8: 2020 vs 1997"

UPDATE 9! The first beta (of the ninth map) is better A la mode: "E1M9: 2020 vs 1997"

 

THEN THIS HAPPENED: URE2020, published in 2020. Now I've seen everything.

^{DISCLAIMER: The above "2020" version of.. well.. URE2020 still has a few bugs (denying you a 100% secret rating on 3 maps, for example).}

                                              

Update 2021-01-28: You can find the "all known bugs fixed" version in this shiny new forum thread! 

 

For the historians: I uploaded the compiled 1995 original legacy maps as an Episode 1 WAD! Go check it out (if you must).

 

---

 

Hey there! 

 

I recently returned to this holl~ ..hallow~ ..god-forsaken place because I had to get back into Doom editing after a 10 year hiatus. Why? Well..

 

The "story" so far: I started level editing all the way back in 1995, still on DOS (without any WYSIWYG editors). I eventually got good enough (by my own 1995 standards) to dare make a whole episode, replacing E1. However I never published it beyond a testable beta build which only 2 people saw. In 2010 I got back into it in an unexpected surge of inspiration.. which was then shot down a few months later by an even more unexpected surge of computer failure, costing me my HDD and all the levels on it. No backup, no pity. I know xD

 

The reason I am getting back into it now is that I managed to find a copy of my old levels on a 3.5" disk.

Out of nostalgia (and because I like to punis~ ..challenge myself) I am keeping the levels "Vanilla safe".

 

Disclaimer: There are no new levels coming any time soon. It will likely still take months from now. I just want to start a thread early, to keep myself motivated.. and to test the waters.

 

What I can share is a before and after screenshot of my renewal efforts of my E1M1 ("Oil Rig"). I am basically redoing the whole thing, though, in the case of this map / mission. The "before" is already a slightly retouched version of the bare bone original, however.. the access "lift" (teleporter) used to be almost at sea level, without the footbrige.

 

Before: you get stuck near your objective and "walk across water" (which I never felt very satisfied with) to surprise the.. demonic personnel. Your goal is to get to the top of the platform to open a gateway towards the coast to proceed. You can stop the drilling, too, but that "only" nets you early access to the plasma gun. Which in itself kind of makes no sense.

 

After: You arrive at a docking bay by submarine (which, implied, took out the first guards by deck MG fire). Your goal is to stop production (no official details yet) and then gain access to a docked transport vessel, in order to get into the coastal port undetected. The new version has 3 layers ("sea level", "inside the platform" and "on top of the platform")

 

The sky (F_SKY1) is going to be the only texture replaced. This is out of necessity for a clean tiling beyond the center of the screen. I added it manually in the "After" screenshot; It's basically a night sky. This also gives the whole episode progression (the maps lead into each other) a slightly more "under the veil of darkness" feeling.

 

I will likely not publish the original levels, except maybe as a look back, with the finished product. Any thoughts on that? Some of them are really.. not so good and should have stayed concepts (requiring another full map redo for those). All the original maps can now be found under the "For the historians" section above!

 

Anyone interested in the finished / retouched product when it's done?

Edited February 14, 2021 by Zylinderkatze : Added pointer to the current download version

[tamara mochaccina]

Nice redemption story brah.

Also those screenshots look sick, apart from some texture weirdness here and there, I hope you have like a demo or something done, cuz I'd play it 100%

[SuperCupcakeTactics]

Cool! I like playing random 90s WADs time to time so I'm definitely game for the original levels.

[kknot5889]

Thanks for sharing! I'm always looking for more Ultimate Doom wads and would be more than happy to playtest this episode for you if you'd like. Good luck with your project!

[Zylinderkatze]

Thanks for the positive feedback, @tam, @SuperCupcakeTactics and @kknot5889. I'll keep updating this thread, once there's reason to do so.

 

One more screenshot: This is the current, very early state of the "new build, who dis?" layout.

The 3 stages of the Oil Rig. Top to bottom: top to bottom.

 

It's obviously still in a very early stage. The "inside" of the Rig (middle part) is still missing the living quarters and mess hall / canteen, along with some more fleshed out (literally? haha) production facility to be stopped by the player.

 

Once I know the exact layout of the upper layers I'll then still have to adjust the sea level area to reflect the shape and protrusions of the upper level(s).

[666shooter]

I really like the concept behind these levels and would be happy to give this a playthrough once you finish your polishing. It's a really neat idea.

[Solmyr]

On 2/2/2020 at 11:09 PM, Doomkid said:

No one ever truly escapes Doom’s gravitational pull..

OT: Nice screenshots and map concept, love oil rig levels since Fallout 2.

That's a weird looking sound tunnel.

[Doomkid]

2020 called, they want your 1995 levels!

 

I really dig each screenshot by the way, always good to see someone return to mapping too.

[Asking4Id]

90s is love, 90s is life.

[Zylinderkatze]

3 minutes ago, Solmyr said:

That's a weird looking sound tunnel.

 

Hey! No sound tunnel shaming in this thread. xD

 

But yes, you're right. Oftentimes an idea has already rather far proceeded in my mind before I even start editing.. but in this case it's a little less refined, so things get moved around. Including that sound tunnel.

 

This whole revamping of the "Rig" level is very much an amalgamation of ideas, together with my "I wonder how good I can make this illusion with just vanilla tricks" mentality. So kind of not the best way to go about a level, I guess. Either way, I can promise you that the final layout will look vastly different when it's done. But I am still going at a decent pace (for my liking) and it doesn't look like my inspiration is waning at all. *knocks on WOOD1*

 

 

[Steve D]

Yes, no sound-tunnel shaming! Sound-tunnels are 100% reliable and do their job well.

 

I concur with others who say it's nice to see an OG mapper return. I happen to be one myself, and have specialized in finishing and releasing mapsets I started -- or even finished -- in the '90s, so welcome aboard!

 

I look forward to seeing your ship, which appears to have at least one turret, so keep going. :)

[Zylinderkatze]

Here's an example of the level that follows (E1M2: "Canyon", still the old version, again without the SKY_1 replacement)..

It's right at the beginning when you arrive at the coast, just out of the water, really.

 

In the original version I had had the idea that the player would be fighting their way through a canyon with a bunch of hidden crevices and whatnot.. but since it was 1995 (without 3D preview editors) and because I was lazy, I ended up making the walls "ASHWALL". I realized that I'd never get done if I tried to align a less forgiving texture throughout the whole extensive canyon. When instead I should've just made the canyon shorter or picked a different approach for "getting from E1M1 to E1M3" altogether. Since I now have no excuse not to align textures more precisely, the whole thing will see a whole new lick of paint. Well.. wallpaper.

 

I might keep the building on the left in the level for sentimental reasons but the rest of the level will likely have to go.

[Zylinderkatze]

Just a quick update from my phone (so no screenshots this time). Ran into my first visplane limits (I thinks that's what it is called) on the top level of the oil rig. Switched to using the "RenderLimits" port of chocolate doom for now.

 

Already have an idea how to simplify / streamline the layout without sacrificing any of the core "message" of the area. I was getting a bit carried away at first but hrough that I realized which parts I want to keep.

 

I'm currently putting in a good 2 - 3 hours each day, consistently (more on weekends). I'll probably still need the rest of the week to get E1M1 far enough done to share it.

[tamara mochaccina]

No shame in using less vanilla-limit-stuff if it's for the greater good of the wad, imo, but if you wanna try keeping it strictly vanilla as a challenge, good luck with that c:

[BigBoy91]

Awesome!

[ketmar]

interested! there cannot be enough doom maps.

[Zylinderkatze]

10 hours ago, tam said:

No shame in using less vanilla-limit-stuff if it's for the greater good of the wad, imo, but if you wanna try keeping it strictly vanilla as a challenge, good luck with that c:

Thanks! Yeah I found that there usually is a way to clear up / declutter the level when you run into stuff like this.

 

In case of the Oil Rig's top level, there's a spot from which you can see too much level architecture. And since I am not completely satisfied with the current layout, I will just redo parts of it in a streamlined manner. As it is now, it's too distracting from the main "message" of the level (the top level of the rig shows the top part of the drill column, basically, along with pipes leading away from it which you can trace). 

 

Can trace. I usually dislike "find the switch for a door by following the cables" approaches in games, though. So I am not making it mandatory for finishing the level. Plus you'll find it by just walking around anyways. But I think it's a nice callback when you (may) realize "oh, so this is where those pipes are going".

 

Don't want to give too much away though. And the level may still change anyways xD

 

As a stroll down memory lane: This is what the old version of the top floor looked like, in 1995:

(again, with the "unreplaced" sky texture.. smh)

[taufan99]

Glad to see an old-timer return to share some stuff with us next generations! Hope I can play your maps when they're released.

[Rainne]

As for your visplane woes, Doom Builder has a "Visplane Explorer", either built-in or available as a plugin, depending on version. It can render a heatmap of visplane usage throughout the level, which can give you an idea of what parts are toeing the line and what parts you can afford to fancy up a bit.

 

Didn't have anything like that in 1995!

[Zylinderkatze]

Hey! Hi.

 

E1M1 still:

I ended up greatly reducing the initial area of the top platform that you get to, in favor of keeping the actual drill top "near-vanilla-Doom-limit" detailed.

 

Now the area only has the drill, the entry through which you arrive.. and an unassuming building complex leading away from that area again. From there there will be some more detail, away from the drill, to give you the impression of an interconnected inner structure.

 

As it currently stands:

- you can potentially get to the main part of the drill on the inside of the platform first, but

- (in good old Doom fashion) your progress there will be blocked by a key door

- you will get the key from another place (reachable from the top area)

- that place has a weapon which you might like¹⁾ but

- you won't be able to get to the weapon unless you disable the drill inside the platform (once you have the key)

 

Meaning, you don't have to go back to the place with the weapon because once you gained access to the drill, you can continue to the exit.

 

I will probably spawn in a few monsters though, for when you go back.. and again, once you get the weapon x3

 

Huh?

I guess this is all very basic level pacing / structuring. I am just postiting my progress to update you guys.. and to make a note for myself.

 

Oh! and I have a question, too:

What's your favorite Standard Doom 1 weapon? Not related to anything in the post, of course >_>

 

Screenshots later tonight.. if that's okay with you xD

 

---

¹⁾ Currently I am thinking of making it the shotgun, actually.. which is my favourite. Which would mean that you'll have to fight your way through most of E1M1 with just the pistol. How dare I.

[Zylinderkatze]

On 2/11/2020 at 1:22 PM, Rainne said:

As for your visplane woes, Doom Builder has a "Visplane Explorer", either built-in or available as a plugin, depending on version. It can render a heatmap of visplane usage throughout the level, which can give you an idea of what parts are toeing the line and what parts you can afford to fancy up a bit.

 

Didn't have anything like that in 1995!

Thanks, @Rainne! That is very handy indeed. It's built in with Ultimate Doom Builder which I ended up using now. It was a plugin for Doom Builder 2, which I had used before. And it started getting pretty red, before I resorted to the changes of my last post in this thread xD

 

Not everything was better, back in the day.

[tamara mochaccina]

3 hours ago, Zylinderkatze said:

What's your favorite Standard Doom 1 weapon?

Plasma gun. It's the second most consistent weapon after the shotty, and it deals with cacos and souls better.

[Zylinderkatze]

Screenshot Thursday? Sure why not.

This is the result of one of the bits that I actually scribbled out beforehand. The stairs to the left go up to the top level of the Rig, while the narrow tunnel in the middle of the screen leads to the drill's maintenance access. (the pipes on the right are a recurring theme throughout the level but this one is likely to be removed again)

[Rainne]

Not bad. Looks like you've contoured the floor at the foot of the stairs around the hex pattern of the floor texture. Is that something from your 3D Save Icon or is it something new you've added? Now that editors can show flats in the editor view, that kind of stuff is a lot easier these days.

[Zylinderkatze]

1 hour ago, Rainne said:

Not bad. Looks like you've contoured the floor at the foot of the stairs around the hex pattern of the floor texture. Is that something from your 3D Save Icon or is it something new you've added? Now that editors can show flats in the editor view, that kind of stuff is a lot easier these days.

yeah I did ^^ but I'm not sure whether I'll keep that particular detail - it feels a little strained. It was kind of just to see how easily I'd be able to apply details like that.. but it doesn't really add to the overall feel.

 

Also, I doubt that my levels will be a revelation or blow anyone away with how well crafted they are ^^; however, I'm still very motivated and inspired, after a good 2 - 3 weeks, so if nothing else, at least I'm having fun xD

 

The room from the screenshot is completely new, it's the result of going from the "two layers" (sea level and top of the platform) to the "three layers" approach (and ultimately redoing the whole level in the process).

 

The thing is that with all the renewal efforts and cautious (?) beautification, the levels might lose some of their retro charm >_> I still have the originals, though- so I can just publish them alongside the new ones, when I'm done.

 

I think the main thing that might work for me in favor of keeping a "1995 vibe" is that the last time I played Doom 1 was in 2010.. and even then only to test the results of my first renewal iteration.

 

Of course I've loosely checked back on progress of new maps -but never deep enough to have my "style" influences by it. This might actually be one of the few cases where ignorance turns out to be bliss.

 

Or just plain ignorant xD

[tamara mochaccina]

6 minutes ago, Zylinderkatze said:

I still have the originals, though- so I can just publish them alongside the new ones, when I'm done.

That's an interesting concept. I back this idea

[ketmar]

4 minutes ago, Zylinderkatze said:

Also, I doubt that my levels will be a revelation or blow anyone away with how well crafted they are ^^

there are still alot of love here for levels without excessive detailing. at least such an old fart as me loves them! ;-)

 

my motto: "detailing is overrated!" ;-)

[Zylinderkatze]

"High Res Editor View" time!

Yeah, no.. I'm not even going to pretend that this is in-game vanilla. But Vanilla can handle this, even if just barely.

 

It's the top level (viewed without any "things" and from an angle you can't get to in-game, so.. doubly cheating, I guess ^^). I am leaving it as it is, for now.. mainly because I am now fleshing out the "inside the platform" bits. When I return to this section, I'll make that boring lump of gray on the left a little more eye-catching and more looking like an actual building. But I wanted to share this bit with you guys because I'm pretty satisfied with it (for the time being).

 

Again, no replaced Sky texture.. it looks more ominous once the sky is black.

[tamara mochaccina]

Looks really nice and atmospheric, while still maintaining Doominess.

 

I'm excited.

[Arrowhead]

Love 90s maps. I'll definitely be giving these a play upon your completion.