My first WAD

[Manapro]

Welcome to my first WAD named heck.wad.

This WAD is really slaughter-mappy so expect to die and also make sure to quick save when possible :)

here are some screenshots:

Took those with GZDoom, but the WAD can be played with other source ports like Chocolate Doom or Crispy Doom.

The WAD will come with another file called heckpatch1.bex, YOU must run it with the WAD or the ending won't work.

Hope you enjoy! (or don't, any criticism is advised)

Here's the WAD

Run with doom2.wad

[Simomarchi]

I've completed your map on UV in 12.04 minutes, with 85% kills, 100% items and 50% secrets.

 

For some reason, I was able to heal myself using stimpacks and medkits also if I had more than 100 health, and there was no limit to my health points (maybe it was 300, I'm not sure about that). I suspect that this was intentional, but I think that having so much health stocked can result in an easier than expected experience (supposing that your goal is to make an hard map). 

 

Other than that, starting with the visuals:

The map had a classic doom style, without much detail, and with very simple architecture. Nothing bad for a first map, but I suggest to add some decorations to brake the linearity of the walls and to add some light variation (like shadows or light sources) to give the player a sense of realism. The idea is that the player must always have something to look at, something cool to see.

We can take the room with the raising trap full of imps as an ecample. It is a simple square room, with only one side containing the entrance and the exit, so it is quite boring to look at it when the fight is over, adding some light that enter through the openings, or some windows can help a lot here. 

 

Thing placement:

The map was not as hard as you may think. The main problem was that, in the biggest room, there were no enemies on the floor, and a lot of enemies placed on high places. You have to force the player to move, maybe out of cover, maybe forcing him inside some trap. Replacing the chaingunners and the hell knights on the floor with demons or spectres will help you a lot. They are weak enemies, so you can use a lot of them at the same time, but they are also a perfect "pushing machine" because the player is always forced to move in order to avoid the damage. 

You have used a lot of archviles, but the problem is that, in the end, they are all on the same "turret". Of course you are forced to kill them in order to gain access to the final zone, but maybe reducing their number in the yellow skull trap, but at the same time adding one or two of them in some strategic spots (on the floor from the beginning, or on the top of some turrets near the walls) can help you when it is time to limit the player movement.

I liked the use of the cacos. In an open map they are almost always a good choice.

The final fight with the cyberdemon was interesting. I liked the archviles that teleported in, they added some tension to the fight. But, again, I didn't like the imps. It is never a good idea to place a cyberdemon and other monsters in the same room, because in the end they always infight each other and your boss fight is reduced to a low health cyberdemon or a bunch of imps that survived and managed to kill your boss.

 

General layout: 

I liked how you managed to create a path inside a single room, it is a good start for a first map. On the other hand, I spent half of the time to understand what was the correct way to reach the yellow door. I think that the problem is that you have to use the same teleport of the archviles, but at the same time, when you see them, the first thing that you do is to jump off the cliff to avoid death, so you don't really notice the teleport. 

The biggest mistake in the map is the red pit on the left side of the main room, it is inescapable and at the same time it deals no damage, so the player is trapped forever inside it. 

 

It was a nice map, with a lot of mistakes but having that it is your first work I think that it is quite a good start. 

[Manapro]

27 minutes ago, Simomarchi said:

General layout:

The biggest mistake in the map is the red pit on the left side of the main room, it is inescapable and at the same time it deals no damage, so the player is trapped forever inside it. 

That red pit on the left side of the main room (I think you mean the blood pool) had a stair that blends in with the floor you really need a good eye to spot it,

other than that thanks for the criticism. Greatly appreciate! :)

 

 

[piesunisko]

I really liked it, good for a first map

[Simomarchi]

15 minutes ago, Wneaf said:

That red pit on the left side of the main room (I think you mean the blood pool) had a stair that blends in with the floor you really need a good eye to spot it,

other than that thanks for the criticism. Greatly appreciate! :)

 

 

Sorry, I apologize for my criticism. My mistake

[Sir Hattington]

I beat this map in 18:38 on ultra-violence with 100% kills, items, and secrets. I really have nothing to say except that your map was 50 times easier than you hyped it up to be. I don't think ~150 monsters is nearly enough to be called a slaughter map. Anyways, it's a neat WAD.

[Manapro]

3 hours ago, Sir Hattington said:

 I really have nothing to say except that your map was 50 times easier than you hyped it up to be. I don't think ~150 monsters is nearly enough to be called a slaughter map. Anyways, it's a neat WAD.

I probably said it was a hard map because when I tested it, I got my ass handed to me like a loser.

I definitely didn't play poorly so I can call it a hard map.