[Now on /idgames!] 3x3 - 3 flats, 3 textures, 3 monsters! community speedmapping(ish) project

[Walter confetti]

rusty tower.zip

 

Title: Rusty Tower

Author: Walter

Music: Queen - Made in Heaven

New skybox: Yes, a sky from Blood modified by thundercunt from Doomer Boards

Build time: 2 hours and half, i was thinking to finish this earlier.

Difficulty Settings: Yes, monsers are almost all pretty different between skills

Edited December 26, 2020 by Walter confetti

[AtticTelephone]

https://www.mediafire.com/file/2grcrsx36010e3l/malum.wad/file

My entry, Malum. Basically a very short hell map with some difficulty, but not much. Uses two rock textures and flats, along with blood flats and bloodfall textures.

Comments: Think fast, stupid, but not too fast or you'll waste precious ammo. Archviles will occasionally spook you, and revenants will make sure you don't stand still for most of the very small map. Additionally, there are some demons that will block your way and annoy you. There's a death exit at the end, so you can't bring your weapons to the next map. Inspired by the Scythe hell maps, uses the RSKY2 texture from Scythe, and has a midi version of Iron Maiden's Killers, thanks to maidenmidi.com.

[MFG38]

@Omniarch @Walter confetti @AtticTelephone Thanks for your submissions! I'm unfortunately unable to playtest the maps right now, but I'll give them all a spin as soon as I can tomorrow.

[Ar_e_en]

I think I'm gonna have to drop out.

 

The midi track I picked was too short and it looped too much (which got really annoying), and I can't pick a different midi, because the map I was making was based off of an already existing game that had the midi track that I was gonna use, and using any other midi would have just conflicted with the original idea behind the map.

[MFG38]

10 hours ago, Ar_e_en said:

I think I'm gonna have to drop out.

 

The midi track I picked was too short and it looped too much (which got really annoying), and I can't pick a different midi, because the map I was making was based off of an already existing game that had the midi track that I was gonna use, and using any other midi would have just conflicted with the original idea behind the map.

 

Alright, no worries. :)

[we're closed]

Just finished my map: "Plain and Simple"

 

Name: Plain and Simple

Map Slot: 7

Textures used: BRICK7, MIDBARS3, SW1COMM (+ DOORRED2, DOORYEL2)

Flats used: FWATER1, RROCK10, GATE3 (+ F_SKY1)

Monsters used: Mancubi (surprise!), Arachnotrons (surprise!) and Former Sergeants

Difficulty Levels: No

Multi starts: Co-op only

MIDI: No

Build time: 3 days? Ofc all in the span of around 4-5 hours.

 

Tell me how it plays, cuz I'm pretty sure I might've screwed up a GATE flat. Didn't double check, sorry.

 

plain_and_simple.zip

Edited December 25, 2020 by elio.exe

[MFG38]

@Omniarch That map was certainly hectic, but it was the enjoyable kind of hectic. I liked how the Cacodemons in particular put a bit of pressure on the player and encourage them to stay on the move. Didn't catch any oddities or major points of critique.

 

@Walter confetti Another pretty cool entry. Similarly to Omniarch's map, I quite liked how this map encouraged me to stay on the move, especially on UV with the PEs and Cybies. However, I can't say I'm a fan of the approach you took with the door to the exit switch - making the player wait for it to open for minutes on end at worst isn't exactly fun. On my HMP run, I'd killed all enemies about 2 minutes into the map and would've had to wait 3 minutes camping by it. It also got me softlocked on my UV run because I was at the center of the map when it opened and didn't get to it fast enough before it closed again. Unless it reopens in another 5 minutes, but few players tolerate playing waiting games like that. Change that into a SR door instead of a timed one and you'll be golden - that's my only major point of criticism.

 

@AtticTelephone Dude... I don't even know what to say. This is the first entry I was honestly unable to beat legitimately - if there's even a way to do so. There isn't nearly enough ammo or health to deal with everything that's going on in the first room alone, and a godmode fly-through of the map pretty much confirmed my suspicion that your map is either a bad joke or, worse yet, an untested mess. If you either 1) redesign the map's gameplay to not be borderline unfair or 2) record a demo of yourself beating it legitimately and send it my way, I'll accept your map and throw it into the MAP31/32 slot. If you fail to do either, your map is going in the "reject" pile.

 

@elio.exe Good work here! I was initially unsure how to progress in the map, but at some point, I remembered why you requested the MAP07 slot for it. I have to appreciate the creative texturing of the fence pillars, and I'm happy to report that I didn't catch any stray 4th flats anywhere. Only point of criticism I can think to bring up is that the Invul artifact in the room with the 4 Arachnotrons surrounding it may not be fully necessary, since you should be able to outsmart the Arachnos and leave the room relatively unscathed. Try removing the Invul and see how it plays out - if it isn't to your liking, I won't stop you from leaving it in.

[KeaganDunn]

45 minutes ago, MFG38 said:

 

@Walter confetti Another pretty cool entry. Similarly to Omniarch's map, I quite liked how this map encouraged me to stay on the move, especially on UV with the PEs and Cybies. However, I can't say I'm a fan of the approach you took with the door to the exit switch - making the player wait for it to open for minutes on end at worst isn't exactly fun. On my HMP run, I'd killed all enemies about 2 minutes into the map and would've had to wait 3 minutes camping by it. It also got me softlocked on my UV run because I was at the center of the map when it opened and didn't get to it fast enough before it closed again. Unless it reopens in another 5 minutes, but few players tolerate playing waiting games like that. Change that into a SR door instead of a timed one and you'll be golden - that's my only major point of criticism.

 

@AtticTelephone Dude... I don't even know what to say. This is the first entry I was honestly unable to beat legitimately - if there's even a way to do so. There isn't nearly enough ammo or health to deal with everything that's going on in the first room alone, and a godmode fly-through of the map pretty much confirmed my suspicion that your map is either a bad joke or, worse yet, an untested mess. If you either 1) redesign the map's gameplay to not be borderline unfair or 2) record a demo of yourself beating it legitimately and send it my way, I'll accept your map and throw it into the MAP31/32 slot. If you fail to do either, your map is going in the "reject" pile.

These maps were certainly hectic and fun for the most part. Walter's map was consistently softlocking on all difficulties somehow for me - that's the problem with a map like this where the focus is fighting enemies without being able to move on for some time. The only other choice would be to make it a normal openable door (or a door activated by multiple switches using a voodoo doll) and have the map be completable in like 30 seconds.

 

As for @AtticTelephone's entry, I was able to get through it after quite a few deaths - I would definitely suggest throwing in more health and/or decreasing the mass amount of revenants. Or altering the layout a bit. Difficulty implementation would be appreciated, too.

[we're closed]

1 hour ago, MFG38 said:

 

@elio.exe Good work here! I was initially unsure how to progress in the map, but at some point, I remembered why you requested the MAP07 slot for it. I have to appreciate the creative texturing of the fence pillars, and I'm happy to report that I didn't catch any stray 4th flats anywhere. Only point of criticism I can think to bring up is that the Invul artifact in the room with the 4 Arachnotrons surrounding it may not be fully necessary, since you should be able to outsmart the Arachnos and leave the room relatively unscathed. Try removing the Invul and see how it plays out - if it isn't to your liking, I won't stop you from leaving it in.

Did not expect such a good review, thank you! And about that invul, I absolutely NEEDED that invul during that battle, but maybe I can make it work by only placing it on lower difficulties. I'm up for another map btw

[MFG38]

2 minutes ago, elio.exe said:

I'm up for another map btw

 

You're more than welcome to make a second map. The more maps we can get, the better. c:

[Walter confetti]

Ok, I'll go with the switch thing, is better than waiting 5 minutes for opening the door... Glad you liked it!

[Salmon]

Here's my submission:  A straightforward map with a library/water temple theme.  Difficulty settings are implemented.  Coop starts are placed.  3 keys, 3 items, 3 secrets.  In keeping with the spirit of the project, I tried to make something decent without spending too much time on it.  This is my first Boom map, so most of my time was actually spent figuring out conveyors and sky transfer tags!

 

permeable.zip

 

Name:  Permeable

Textures:  PANBOOK, METAL2, BRICK7

Flats: RROCK9, RROCK12, FWATER

Monsters:  Shotgunner, Hell Knight, Mancubus

Sky:  THKSKY02 by Mechadon

Music:  Day of Mourning by stewboy

 

Let me know if I need to change anything.  Like I said, it's my first Boom map, but I think all my sky transfer tags and conveyors are in working order.  MIDI is in there as D_RUNNIN for now.  This was a lot of fun!  Really, a great idea for a community project.  Happy to make any requested changes.

Edited December 27, 2020 by Salmon : updated file version

[MFG38]

@Salmon Okay, dude, for this being your first Boom map (in a speedmapping-like CP to boot), the effort you put into learning the format really shines through. I'm happy to confirm that the sky transfers and conveyors do indeed work problem-free. The custom sky you picked compliments your texture choices flawlessly, and the music track is delightfully atmospheric. The only "hitch" I ran into, if it can be called one, was a missing texture on linedef 322 when the "door" closed on me for a moment. (On that same note, linedef 1014 is also missing a texture.) Though in all fairness, they don't necessarily need to be textured anyway, given the related scenario.

[Salmon]

@MFG38, thank you!   I had bookmarked some Boom-related tutorials because I had been meaning to learn the format, so this was a good excuse to look through them.  I'm usually pretty minimalist with the number of textures I use so this wasn't too much of a stretch for me.   I'll update the file to fix the missing textures, although I may wait a day or two to see if anyone else notices problems.

[AtticTelephone]

The first fight in my map, and mostly the map in general is supposed to be hard. I really wanted to make a map to break someone's spirit. I get what you're saying, so I changed some things about my map to make it a bit less unfair.

https://www.mediafire.com/file/2grcrsx36010e3l/malum.wad/file

Removed a chunk of revs and some pinkies in the final arena. Added some health bonuses, a berserk for the pinkies and gave the player a chaingun and some bullets in the first arena. Additionally, there are more stimpacks and a medikit after the first fight. If there's anything else I need to change, tell me, since I feel like the final arena still may be a bit too overwhelming even with a blursphere and invincibility.

[MFG38]

@AtticTelephone Well, it's an improvement, but I'm still contemplating slapping the map into the MAP31 slot given the enemy density. Granted, the project already has a couple other entries that sort of lean towards slaughter-style when it comes to gameplay, but they're not quite as intense as this one. A map of this difficulty among other maps of a generally less stressful caliber would stick out like a sore thumb. Anyway, congratulations - your map isn't rejected!

[AtticTelephone]

5 minutes ago, MFG38 said:

@AtticTelephone Well, it's an improvement, but I'm still contemplating slapping the map into the MAP31 slot given the enemy density. Granted, the project already has a couple other entries that sort of lean towards slaughter-style when it comes to gameplay, but they're not quite as intense as this one. A map of this difficulty among other maps of a generally less stressful caliber would stick out like a sore thumb. Anyway, congratulations - your map isn't rejected!

Oh thank god. I should also say that this map is my first map for a community project (not considering I made Doom -1), so there's a reason for it's, questionable quality. I think that I might make a much less stressful second map, with a more calming landscape. Maybe something MAP32 worthy. Thanks for not rejecting it, a lot.

Oh, and for a name for this map, I guess Malum is just good enough.

[MFG38]

1 minute ago, AtticTelephone said:

I think that I might make a much less stressful second map, with a more calming landscape. Maybe something MAP32 worthy.

 

Don't stress about the map slot. The maps will be going into the final wad in order of submission, with the exception of Elio's map (because it has to be in the MAP07 slot due to the way it functions) and possibly yours. In any case, you're welcome to make a second map. It'd be unfair of me to deny you the chance based on the impression that map gave me anyway.

[NaturalTvventy]

Realm of the Matriarchs beta 1

 

Download Beta 2

 

 

No skill levels yet.

 

Please share your thoughts.

Edited December 26, 2020 by NaturalTvventy

[MFG38]

@NaturalTvventy I must say, I feel kinda stupid for not expecting a bunch of Spider Masterminds and Cyberdemons based off the map's title. :P I know I keep making the same comment with some of these maps, but I liked the way you utilized Arachnotrons, making the player stay on the move with their rapid-fire plasma. I was less a fan of the Spider Masterminds, even with the couple invisibility artifacts, surprisingly enough. I really liked the visuals, though - props for the creative usage of EXITDOOR. I did notice some EXITSIGN being used where there isn't an exit, but seeing as it's excluded from the texture limitation to begin with, I'm tempted to let it slide.

[NaturalTvventy]

15 minutes ago, MFG38 said:

@NaturalTvventy I must say, I feel kinda stupid for not expecting a bunch of Spider Masterminds and Cyberdemons based off the map's title. :P I know I keep making the same comment with some of these maps, but I liked the way you utilized Arachnotrons, making the player stay on the move with their rapid-fire plasma. I was less a fan of the Spider Masterminds, even with the couple invisibility artifacts, surprisingly enough. I really liked the visuals, though - props for the creative usage of EXITDOOR. I did notice some EXITSIGN being used where there isn't an exit, but seeing as it's excluded from the texture limitation to begin with, I'm tempted to let it slide.

Thanks for playing :). You just gotta let the masterminds catfight themselves to death for the most part! Hmmmm, there's no EXITSIGN in the map. I didn't even know I could use it. I'm going to add it at the exit.

Edited December 26, 2020 by NaturalTvventy

[MFG38]

7 minutes ago, NaturalTvventy said:

Hmmmm, there's no EXITSIGN in the map.

 

Ah yeah, I browsed through the map's SIDEDEFS entry and didn't catch any instances of EXITSIGN. My bad!

[NaturalTvventy]

3 minutes ago, MFG38 said:

 

Ah yeah, I browsed through the map's SIDEDEFS entry and didn't catch any instances of EXITSIGN. My bad!

I suspect you're seeing the grey box from my switch texture ;)

[Omniarch]

7 hours ago, NaturalTvventy said:

Please share your thoughts.

Just finished playing it now, finally exiting with 100% kills & secrets after an embarrassing number of attempts. I had a great time!

 

The combination of monsters present here combined with the open layout force the player to stay aware of the entire battlefield, or else risk being cornered by plasma steam crossfire or gibbed by a stray Cyber rocket. This same situational awareness is required to efficiently orchestrate the largest possible infight party in order to conserve ammo. I exited the map with 30+ shells and a handful of rockets, so I think I did an okay job at this part.

 

The texture usage is very clever here, especially with EXITDOOR. I've never seen such a variety of uses wrung out of one simple texture! The lighting is also strong, drawing the player's eye towards important structures and creating some visual variety. The layout is also interesting, since I actually didn't notice how square the map is until the end of my last run, when I finally had time to examine the automap. I think it has something to do with the diagonal alignment of the central structure and the exit contrasting against the horizontal alignment of the rest of the map, which makes the map seem more angular than it actually is. Clever!

 

The ammo balance is fine, I think, especially if the player knows how to manage infighting. For a while, though, I thought the map was excessive in its health deprivation, until I realized I had somehow missed two soulspheres and the (very helpful) megasphere secret. So I don't think that's an issue, at least on UV.

 

One aspect of the map that I'm unsure about is the optional nature of the 'final' encounter, the one activated from behind the key rooms. It feels odd, being allowed to exit before the climax, though I am sure most players will want to 100% the map anyway, so it probably doesn't matter.

 

Overall, a creative, fun and interesting map, exactly as good as I expected from my favourite mapper :)

[NaturalTvventy]

3 hours ago, Omniarch said:

Just finished playing it now, finally exiting with 100% kills & secrets after an embarrassing number of attempts. I had a great time!

 

The combination of monsters present here combined with the open layout force the player to stay aware of the entire battlefield, or else risk being cornered by plasma steam crossfire or gibbed by a stray Cyber rocket. This same situational awareness is required to efficiently orchestrate the largest possible infight party in order to conserve ammo. I exited the map with 30+ shells and a handful of rockets, so I think I did an okay job at this part.

 

The texture usage is very clever here, especially with EXITDOOR. I've never seen such a variety of uses wrung out of one simple texture! The lighting is also strong, drawing the player's eye towards important structures and creating some visual variety. The layout is also interesting, since I actually didn't notice how square the map is until the end of my last run, when I finally had time to examine the automap. I think it has something to do with the diagonal alignment of the central structure and the exit contrasting against the horizontal alignment of the rest of the map, which makes the map seem more angular than it actually is. Clever!

 

The ammo balance is fine, I think, especially if the player knows how to manage infighting. For a while, though, I thought the map was excessive in its health deprivation, until I realized I had somehow missed two soulspheres and the (very helpful) megasphere secret. So I don't think that's an issue, at least on UV.

 

One aspect of the map that I'm unsure about is the optional nature of the 'final' encounter, the one activated from behind the key rooms. It feels odd, being allowed to exit before the climax, though I am sure most players will want to 100% the map anyway, so it probably doesn't matter.

 

Overall, a creative, fun and interesting map, exactly as good as I expected from my favourite mapper :)

Thanks for the feedback! It sure is nice to have fans :)

 

I've gone ahead and added a soul sphere to the start. You are right that health was an issue at the start. I've also taken away a couple arachnotrons near the rocket launcher, allowing for an easier pickup and a faster clearing of the initial arachnos. (there's a new beta up in case you feel like suffering through again).

 

It's definitely a map that leans heavy on boss infighting. An omitted e1m9 map for The Beginning of the End part 1 was a map where the player revisits the original e1m8 and reenters the teleport for revenge. The player had to lure cybers and spider masterminds together to infight. I scrapped it because I was afraid of basing a map off of an original Id map, and replaced it with a map that was meant for End2 (hence some of the End2 map style in End1 e1m9, Sleeping  Demons). I later revisited the Phobos Anomaly idea with No End In Sight e3m6. Now I've finally realized the boss infighting idea with this map. I admit it can be a bit of a waiting game, luring in spiders to the two guardian cybers at the exit. If the map was smaller it would be a better experience I think but I'm in no mood to rearrange the pieces. I do wish I still had that original end1 e1m9, but it's way, way lost in time.

 

Thanks again for the feedback!

[MFG38]

And here's the first of my own maps. Second one will follow shortly.

 

Title: They Come at Knight

Author: MFG38

Flats: GATE4, GRASS1, RROCK16 (+ F_SKY1)

Textures: ASHWALL7, ROCK5, SW1COMM (+ DOOR***2 and EXITSIGN)

Sky: NITESKY3 from Mek's Box o' Skies

Music: MIDI rendition of "Temple Ruins" from Crash Bandicoot

Difficulty settings: Yes

Description: A small cave/valley system with a foreboding start. The map starts out with the player having to find three skull keys and using them to open the exit - but it's only then that the carnage starts. HKs constitute most of the enemy count here, hence the map's title, complimented by Barons and a Cyberdemon. Some Barons turn into HKs and the Cyberdemon turns into a Mancubus on lower difficulties.

 

they_come_at_knight.zip

 

Edited December 27, 2020 by MFG38

[Omniarch]

17 minutes ago, MFG38 said:

And here's the first of my own maps. Second one will follow shortly.

I enjoyed this one! Small and quite easy (even on UV), with nice naturalistic geometry, a whimsical midi and a good sense of build-up. The actual encounter is a little underwhelming though, mostly due to the very small number of enemies. Since I found the BFG secret easily, the Cyberdemon fell very quickly, though not before doing most of my work for me. It is still fun though, and quite satisfying.

[Alper002]

Title: Dwindling Growth

Author: Alper002

Flats: FLOOR7_1, FLOOR7_2, FWATER1 (+ F_SKY1)

Textures: BROVINE2, TANROCK4, ZIMMER1 (+ DOORYEL and EXITSIGN)

Sky: SKY2 from Doom 2

Music: "Message for the Arch-vile" from Doom 2

Difficulty settings: No

Description: An abstract and mysterious overgrown area of sorts, with a texture theme I've been thinking about for a while. The map progresses linearly, but not obviously. Has switches that don't use any switch textures, and also a few too many pain elementals. I apologize in advance for the combat in the final room of the map.

I am thinking of putting in difficulty settings later, but aside from that I feel the map just needs feedback. I am also considering making a second map that I'll try making less painful.

Dwindling_Growth.zip

[we're closed]

Name: Batalioni ne balte (Not english obv)

Textures used: BIGDOOR1, WOOD5, ZIMMER5 (+ DOORRED, DOORYEL)

Flats used: SLIME01, RROCK13 (I think) , FLAT23 (+ F_SKY1)

Monsters used: 3

Difficulty Levels: Yes

Multi starts: Not yet

MIDI: D_BETWEE from Doom 2

Build time: 2-3 hours

 

batalioni_ne_balte.zip

[MFG38]

@Alper002 A pretty fun map with an intriguing style of progression, but that final room does need a bit of an overhaul. With how many PEs spawn in, the player is obviously incentivized to kill them quickly, but the combat becomes a problem once they spawn enough Lost Souls. On my test run, I even ran out of bullets and shells, and when there's nothing to use but rockets on a literal cloud of Lost Souls, avoiding self-damage from your own rockets becomes virtually impossible, eventually leading to accidental suicide. It simply becomes way too crowded to deal with the ordeal efficiently. I'd advise you to replace the better part of those PEs with Spectres - that way, it won't be as crowded later on, but the player will still need to stay on the move if they wish to survive. Props for the creative elevator puzzle, though - that was easily my favorite part of the map.

 

@elio.exe Another good map you've made here. Nicely compact with just enough enemies, and the combat doesn't get overwhelming at any point. It could use a bit more ammo, though, and the placement of the BFG is a bit odd in that the player can just accidentally run into the exit picking it up and miss out on a Cyberdemon kill (which is what happened on my test run). One way you could fix that is by moving the BFG into one of the Cyberdemon cages.

Edited December 27, 2020 by MFG38