1995 Tune Up Project - Limit-Removing Community Project [SLOTS ARE OPEN!]

[Sparktimus]

 

Hello there, and welcome to the 1995 Tune Up Project! I will be updating this thread over time as progress on this project continues. IF YOU PLAN TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROJECT, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU READ THE RULES AND GUIDELINES BEFORE YOU DO SO. For now, enjoy this primer.

 

-------------------------------

 

Just about a decade ago, @Snarboo and @traversd released the 1994 Tune Up Community Challenge, which can be found here. The main goal of this project was to take maps from the early pioneering days of Doom mapping and modernize them with the mapping standards of the time. It turned out to be a big hit and remains a classic to this day, as well as one of my favorite wads to go back through. I was in love with the idea of going back through the years and giving care and attention to some of these forgotten maps and paying tribute to their creators by updating their work for a more modern audience. The wad itself felt like a Doom community museum of sorts, honoring those who came before and dared to keep this wonderful game and community alive through their efforts and tools. If you have never experienced this megawad for yourself, I highly recommend you do yourself a favor and go through it to see just how far things have come for us.

 

The idea of orchestrating a sequel to 1994TU has always sort of been in my head ever since I played it and finished it, but of course, this was back when I was still just starting to get back into the groove of mapping back in 2016 or so. Thankfully, by the grace of the powers that be, both Snarboo and Traversd have graciously allowed me to take on the mantle of making such a thing happen and now the 1995 Tune Up Project officially has the greenlight! This, for me, is equal parts exciting and terrifying since this is the first time I've ever led any sort of project like this, so apologies for any sloppiness in that regard. I will do the best I can to make sure things go smoothly and most importantly that everyone involved has fun with this. I don't plan for this project to be a 24/7 workload or anything like that, so please don't feel pressured about anything going in if you wish to participate. This is going to be as free-form as I can make it and I want you guys to have a good time! However, there are a few per-requisites and understandings that I need to convey:
 

• I would prefer everyone wishing to get involved with this join my Discord server I'm going to link at the bottom of this post. In it, you will find the Wad Toybox, which are a zipped up compilation of different maps that all have been cleared by the original authors from which you can choose a map if it has not already been claimed by someone else. Just a primer in case anyone is drawing a blank on what they'd want to work on.
   
• Rather than going for boom-compatible like 1994TU did, I want to be shooting for limit-removing at the most. My reasoning for this is because I want these maps to have a slightly more "quaint" feel to them to put us back in the sort of headspace of the original creators without completely having to be vanilla or all that restrictive. However, this may change in the future as the project goes on.
   
• Please be considerate of others and try not to take too many slots for yourself. Everyone is allowed to make multiple maps, but I would try and keep it to a maximum of three maps per person.
   
• As far as actually working on the maps go, certain liberties can be taken with the updates you make to them as far as progression, enemy, and item placement go. What I'm really looking for is that the mechanics and overall architecture of the original map be considered in your maps so that it doesn't look like you've completely made a brand new map. In a similar vein, I'm also not looking for anything about the map to be 1:1. Make changes where you have to or where you'd feel the map would benefit from it, but try and include as much of the original map's look, feel, and size within reason.
   
• Try and keep the maps reasonably challenging for your average modern Doom player. I don't want them to be trivially easy, but I'm also not really looking for anything too ballbusting. If you're unsure of that, run your map by me and I'll give you my opinion.
   
• As for custom textures, it's still too early for me to tell if I would want to use them or not. For now, we will be using Doom 1 Textures For Doom 2 which can also be found in the Discord server I will link below.

 

As far as any kind of strict rules go, the three biggest and most important ones are this:

 

1. When searching for and selecting a map, make absolutely sure that the original wad author has given permission for their work to be redistributed or modified. I intend to 100% respect the wishes of the original authors and if they say they'd rather not have their creation be changed in any way, look for another map. The easiest way to find the permissions for these maps is to go onto the /idgames archive and read through the attached .txt at the  very bottom. It should be near the bottom of the .txt file itself. If you aren't sure about it, you can always run it by me and I will tell you if it's eligible. WE WILL STILL BE CREDITING THE ORIGINAL AUTHORS IN OUR REMAKES.
    
2. 1995 will be the hard cut-off date for wad selection. Anything past this year will not be eligible for a remake. The reason I chose this date was because I feel like 1995 was the last true "pioneering" age of Doom mapping.
    
3. We will be using the original maps as a base reference, but every map should be completely made from scratch, from the ground up.
    
4. If you plan on participating and want to claim a map slot, please have a map already chosen for you to work on before doing so. This is so we don't have too many people sitting in mapslots without anything to do.
    
5. If you found a map you'd like to claim, please make sure that that map has not already been claimed by someone else. Claiming a map will be on a "first come first serve" basis, so if someone has already claimed it before you have, you will have to find another one. I will try to keep this as fair as I can.

 

-------------------------------

With all that out of the way, here are some screenshots of the work thus far:

Spoiler

 

 

 

Click on the image below to join the 1995TU Discord:

 

When joining, please read the #guidelines channel for there is some additional information in there that I didn't cover here. This server is also open to those of you who don't wish to participate but would like to watch the progress we make anyway. We're glad to have ya!

 

One more sidenote: If you plan on collaborating with another member on the project, let me know so I can credit you both!

 

Current claimed map list:

1. "mb_new.wad" - Sparks (Original author - Curtis Turner II)
2. "deadbs10.wad" - Sparks (Original author - Alberto BARSELLA)
3. "E2M1 from DARKHELL.wad" - Xyzzy (Original author - Greytale)
4. "3daypass.wad" - TrialD (Original author - Dr Bombay aka AgX)
5. "deeps.wad" - Sparks (Original author - Enrique Zamudio López)
6. "PRIMUS.wad" - Zero The Red (Original author - C.John Thompson)
7. "THECLAVE.wad" - Breezeep (Original author - Roberto Ullfig)
8. "2MEGA.wad" - Q Dude (Original author - Shayne Hawthorne)
9. "FATE02.wad" - Roadworx (Original author - Thomas Evans)
10. "SKUNK.wad" - Sparks
11. "sirius.wad" - Cacodemon187
12. "radplant.wad" - Roadworx and Sparks
13. "jsf01.wad" - Sparks
14. "dm2tiger.wad" - Walter confetti
15. "malgnant.wad" - TheV1perKiller
16. OPEN
17. OPEN
18. OPEN
19. OPEN

20. OPEN

21. OPEN

22. OPEN

23. OPEN

24. OPEN

25. OPEN

26. OPEN

27. OPEN

28. OPEN

29. OPEN

30. OPEN
31. "????" - ?
32. "100PCTV2.wad" - Xulgonoth (Original author - Lonnie Yearwood)

 

Aside from 31 and 32, the above list does not represent the actual order of the maps in the final version. This is simply a list to show who has what map.

 

For any additional concerns or questions, feel free to message me either on here or on Discord about them. I will be more than happy to get you up to speed.

 

Thank you all so much for your time, and let's have some fun! c:

Edited April 30 by Sparktimus

[Snarboo]

Being almost 10 years old now, 1994tu has been on my mind ever since this year rolled around. I'm glad to see it's not been forgotten, and that its spirit lives on! :D

Edited April 8 by Snarboo : grammar

[Torturephile]

This is sweet. The 1994T-uCP is among my favorites and usually play it yearly. Once, I decided to replace the remade maps with the originals in a separate wad just for fun.

 

Looking forward to this.

[VisionThing]

My currently insomnia-stricken mind is telling me that this is a very cool idea and that I'd be interested in having a crack at it. I'll have a look through your compiled list of author-cleared WADs later and see what takes my fancy. 

 

Edit: just for clarity as I'm a little unsure (and strung out) right now, but is the goal to modify/expand an existing map rather than remake it from the ground up in an expanded style, or is either okay? Just that I prefer the idea of modifying an existing WAD in this case. 

Edited April 8 by VisionThing

[Sparktimus]

25 minutes ago, VisionThing said:

My currently insomnia-stricken mind is telling me that this is a very cool idea and that I'd be interested in having a crack at it. I'll have a look through your compiled list of author-cleared WADs later and see what takes my fancy. 

 

Edit: just for clarity as I'm a little unsure (and strung out) right now, but is the goal to modify/expand an existing map rather than remake it from the ground up in an expanded style, or is either okay? Just that I prefer the idea of modifying an existing WAD in this case. 

That's a good point. I would honestly prefer that you remake it from scratch and use the original map as a reference since that's what I'm doing and I feel a bit dirty going into someone's own wad and changing it myself.

 

Thank you for bringing that up, though! I'll add an addendum to the main post.

[sincity2100]

Can I have a slot?

[roadworx]

ooh!! i'm really interested in having a slot. do i need to give any of my work as a sort of resume?

[VisionThing]

28 minutes ago, Sparktimus said:

That's a good point. I would honestly prefer that you remake it from scratch and use the original map as a reference since that's what I'm doing and I feel a bit dirty going into someone's own wad and changing it myself.

 

Thank you for bringing that up, though! I'll add an addendum to the main post.

 

Fair enough, and I can totally respect the idea of not tinkering with someone else's work. I guess I misread as a kind of retroactive collaboration between the original author and someone new.  I'm gonna tentatively say I'm still keen as it looks like you've given a pretty generous timeline here. I'll take a slot if you'll have me! 

[Sparktimus]

4 hours ago, sincity2100 said:

Can I have a slot?

 

 

4 hours ago, VisionThing said:

 

Fair enough, and I can totally respect the idea of not tinkering with someone else's work. I guess I misread as a kind of retroactive collaboration between the original author and someone new.  I'm gonna tentatively say I'm still keen as it looks like you've given a pretty generous timeline here. I'll take a slot if you'll have me! 

 

Sure! Before I can add you, though, I need you to select a map you'd like to revamp before I put you up on the board.

Edited April 8 by Sparktimus

[Walter confetti]

Sign me in.

[Sparktimus]

34 minutes ago, Walter confetti said:

Sign me in.

Welcome aboard!

[Sparktimus]

PSA: I'm going to go ahead and raise the mapslots back up to the full 32 since more people than I thought happen to be interested in this and I don't wanna bottleneck my own project :P

 

I am sincerely honored by the turn-out. Thank y'all so much!

[roadworx]

On 4/9/2021 at 12:05 PM, Sparktimus said:

PSA: I'm going to go ahead and raise the mapslots back up to the full 32 since more people than I thought happen to be interested in this and I don't wanna bottleneck my own project :P

 

I am sincerely honored by the turn-out. Thank y'all so much!

yay <3

 

does this mean the maximum maps per mapper is also raised?

[MajorRawne]

Holy kitty litter, Batman, I was only wondering yesterday if the 1994 TU project had a sequel.

 

I'm confused though. From your post, it seems like we are tuning up maps, then you seem to say we will be rebuilding them from scratch?

[roadworx]

11 minutes ago, MajorRawne said:

Holy kitty litter, Batman, I was only wondering yesterday if the 1994 TU project had a sequel.

 

I'm confused though. From your post, it seems like we are tuning up maps, then you seem to say we will be rebuilding them from scratch?

yeah, the title is a bit of a misnomer. this time around it's not gonna be about modifying existing maps, it's instead creating faithful remakes that are more up to modern standards. it requires more effort, but at the same time it offers much more flexibility than simply editing preexisting levels

[Sparktimus]

On 4/11/2021 at 12:21 PM, roadworx said:

yay <3

 

does this mean the maximum maps per mapper is also raised?

I still think around three or four maps per person is fair enough. Not counting potential collab maps, which I'm still trying to suss out myself, heh.

 

On 4/11/2021 at 6:20 PM, MajorRawne said:

Holy kitty litter, Batman, I was only wondering yesterday if the 1994 TU project had a sequel.

 

I'm confused though. From your post, it seems like we are tuning up maps, then you seem to say we will be rebuilding them from scratch?

Echoing Roadworx explanation here. The idea is to use the original map as a point of reference and build a map from scratch while citing themes, architecture, and encounters from the original while adding your own unique spin to it. I just feel like modifying the original map itself takes a bit away from each individual mapper's own creativity, which all due respect to the 1994TU of course. The reason it's simply called "1995 Tune Up Project" is more or less just to designate it as the successor to the original project.

Edited April 14 by Sparktimus

[VanaheimRanger]

I might be interested in this, however I am not well versed on early Doom maps aside from ones that were in the old top 100/10 Years of Doom.  Might be easier for me if I was assigned a map to update.

[Sparktimus]

A few more WIP screenies for those who are curious!
 

[TheV1perK1ller]

Expressing my interest to join, but since I'm currently on my phone, I can't currently look at the available maps. Will be on my PC in the coming hours to decide. Cheers.

[Sparktimus]

37 minutes ago, TheV1perK1ller said:

Expressing my interest to join, but since I'm currently on my phone, I can't currently look at the available maps. Will be on my PC in the coming hours to decide. Cheers.

Glad to have ya! Join the Discord if you can and check out #wad-candidates to help you get started if need be.

[toxic.rat]

I don't map, but I leave my recommendation for someone to take charge of tune-up this map of 1995: https://www.wad-archive.com/wad/Assault-on-Alcatraz-2

 

I'd love to see someone make this great wad shine properly

[Walter confetti]

Sure, but the author stated in the readme to DON'T use his map for modifications or other stuff...

[Gez]

If you're making a new map from scratch inspired by a previous work, you're not modifying a previous work -- you're making a new map from scratch. Original author's permission doesn't seem like it really has room to apply here.

[Sparktimus]

3 hours ago, Gez said:

If you're making a new map from scratch inspired by a previous work, you're not modifying a previous work -- you're making a new map from scratch. Original author's permission doesn't seem like it really has room to apply here.

I've given that line of thought a lot of consideration, but personally, I just feel like it would be a lot safer to simply find maps where the author does give explicit permission to modify or redistribute their maps freely to avoid any sort of doubt or semantics, even if it's being rebuilt from scratch. Especially since the maps themselves are being directly cited. I want to be as careful as I can to not step on any toes.

[Sparktimus]

Some brand new screenies!