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Zulk RS

Does anyone else hate hot-starts?

How do you feel about Hot-starts?  

161 members have voted

  1. 1. How do you feel about Hot-starts?

    • I like it
    • I Hate it
    • Meh, I'm indifferent towards it


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I'm not really a fan, and the harder the hot start is, the less I like it. But because a lot of maps like to do that, I have stopped saving at the START of a map, and start saving right before the END of the previous map.

 

I also tend to put health in or near the starting room for continuous players or as a last-resort supply.

 

That said, I do put in a lot of lukewarm starts. I will define "lukewarm" starts as ones where you start out in the same area as enemies, but they do not immediately see you. I do that at the start of my Map 02 with a handful of former humans and a couple sergeants around a corner.

 

Map 03 starts with you facing a Hell Knight and 3 Chaingunners... but they're facing away from you. The intent there is to get the pistol-start player moving to look for a weapon, but not to immediately shave off a third of their health. Here, an aggressive pistol-start player will be injured by trying to take on all those enemies, but a more cautious player will find the box of shells just to their left and the double-barrel shotgun down an enemy-free hallway to their left, which also displays the "Exit" sign above a red-keyed door with a window next to it, to give players a glimpse into what they'll ultimately be facing.

 

I'll probably make Map 06 a hot start, placing the player face-to-face with a barrel and a shotgunner behind it, in close quarters, encouraging the player to immediately back up, which will send them falling into the giant crusher and across the trigger line to activate it. (They'll be fine, it'll take almost exactly five minutes for the ceiling to reach danger levels.) I might change my mind and instead place players onto an extremely narrow platform so that if they twitch, they'll start to fall.

 

Map 11 is a cold start, in a rising elevator, but once the players open the door, there's a shotgun, and a swarm of enemies who'll be in the player's face once they step out.

 

Conversely, Map 08 is a very cold start. No enemies in the first three rooms, and no enemies immediately visible in any of the rooms branching out from the third.

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Mostly indifferent, but lean more towards not liking it. I like to take my hands off the controls after a map for a stretch or to grab a drink. Forcing me to jump right into the action is annoying in moments like that.

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On 6/6/2020 at 6:40 PM, Stocki said:

I dont care at all. Like it either way. But if it is a hot start, I prefer the one's where I can look around, all monsters with their back to me. But when I fire the first shot, all hell breaks loose. Hmm ... Does that count as a hot start?

 

I'd say no, because you can plan your first move. I think of a hot start as these maps that have you spawn into alerted enemies with a pistol and 50 bullets, now that's just mean!

 

Even if its just a few imps or zombies, it's still like... c'mon man.

 

I don't like it, I think it's poor mapping etiquette.

Edited by Hellektronic

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I don't like having to immediately get going, what I've always liked to do is have enemies at the start be facing away and have the player observe for possible strategies before moving, if enemies are to detect you first thing I always had them be low threats from a distance away (like a "warm start" or something).

 

Hot starts are understandable to a degree, if the goal is to get you moving then yeah I get it but putting a manc behind you is something I perceive as dickish.

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E1M2 is great. E4M2 levels (considering the map before) and beyond are stupid, IMO. I don't care for pistol starts with cyberdemons up the ass or nuts level of enemies attacking you immediately. Makes it feel like that one meme with the petite girl surrounded by 5 overbearing and presumably well endowed men.

 

Frankly though I'm not a fan of maps or hell even entire mapsets that are action through and through. I prefer maps to let me have little breathing room here and there with a little bit of looking around and easier encounters between the main course(s).

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I love hot starts only when the monsters are all facing away from you, and you're given a moment to survey and fire the first shot. Like a "Gotcha" situation, but where the player is surrounded.

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