Atmospheric Extinction - a Boom mapset (Now on idgames!)

[Velvetic]

Updated the OP with the idgames link. I hope there's no game breaking bug.

[Clippy]

This was an interesting experience and my favourite map so far

 

I botched the gameplay by not noticing the plasma gun - but you may be interested to know you can beat the map without it - made for an interesting challenge actually

 

Stunning map and the combat was right where it like it - fun and difficult without being sadistically overwhelming - good times

 

vid may need to cook longer but my hot turkey sandwich is ready and I gots to eat

 

 

[Velvetic]

@Clippy That plasma gun can totally be ignored, and it's placement is 100% intended to be a bit cheeky. The blue armor secret is just a simple strafe run setup, it's the arch near the blue key (you were there at 8:25).

 

Also, THAT never happened.

[Captain Ventris]

This is an awesome map set. It feels great, looks great, and has great atmosphere.

[Clippy]

Well done for only under 150 monsters took a while. Interesting use of archviles. I got painfully lost until I seen the yellow key emblem on the wall thanks for that 

 

 

Didn't find the plasma gun this time. It was probably infront of my face

[Velvetic]

@Clippy That yellow skull trim indicator was put there after the first person who playtested it got extremely lost as well. :D

The plasma is inside a secret, and the last two archviles are linked to both secrets. Also, the start/end room is designed to fight archviles, there's lots of cover with those pillars with torches, and the way you approach that is just by grabbing the key and falling down the hole again (ammo spawns down there alongside the last archies).

[Clippy]

That monster count freaked me out - but bio assured me it wasn't a long one. It was fun to play with the BFG so much. Enjoyed the 6 unique arenas and map design - great fun! 

 

 

[Clippy]

a much needed breather map following that 1000 map stuff eheh

 

 

[Velvetic]

@Clippy It always makes me happy when people figure out the blue armor secret.

 

Been watching your vids lately, I'm glad you're liking it so far. Can't wait for the last 2 maps!

[Clippy]

Thanks buddy I'm genuinely enjoying playing this

 

The armour secret was cool because it almost looks like you shouldn't be able to do what you can do to get it

[CrueCut]

Hey, I registered just to say how much I enjoyed playing these levels.  The split into 3 sets of 3 levels each worked really well.  I played on HMP and it was just the right difficulty for my playing skill.  Thanks for making these.  Hope you make some more.

 

[Velvetic]

@CrueCut Thanks! I really appreciate it. I'm already working on a new map, probably going to come out by the end of this year. ;)

[Clippy]

I really enjoyed this map 

 

For the penultimate map I was expecting something extremely ferocious but this was a very nice time. 

 

 

[Velvetic]

@Clippy Great as always! That last area punishes you if you run away because of the archvile and the pain elementals, it was a fun area to design the combat in, the first version didn't have the spawner at the top section, so the bottom just flooded with enemies that could easily be avoided without much hastle. Also there wasn't any flying monsters there as well, that was Bridgeburner's idea to spice it up a little, and I gotta say, it made that area sooooooo much better to play.

 

And now for the finale... and the ending map.

[KeaganDunn]

So I finally got around to playing this. Did a UV-continuous playthrough of the first two episodes, and I am very impressed. The amount of detail (and linedefs) in these maps is immense and so finely crafted. Not to mention the cohesive layouts and entertaining combat throughout.

 

And the MIDIs...you clearly know music and your way around such a simplistic format. I heard sounds I haven't ever heard before in MIDI, and they all conveyed the atmosphere they were going for. You are clearly a very talented individual, @Velvetic. I'm already looking forward to what else you make down the line.

 

I wrote down a few notes about the maps and combat as I went, and a little more afterwards. Spoilers inbound.

Quote

MAP02 - Favorite MIDI. In fact, I was planning to use this one in a WIP mapset. The yellow key arena took me completely by surprise, and definitely was a hike in difficulty. Was a lot of fun but I can't say I'm fond of the amount of chaingunners used in that fight.
MAP04 - Didn't find the plasma rifle before the red key arena, pretty much went through the whole map without it and starved of SSG and chaingun ammo. Found it just in time for the last few monsters coming out of the red key arena.
MAP05 - Was a bit of a letdown - definitely one of the more laidback maps despite the immersive beginning. I was expecting shit to get real, but the viles are only released in singles or pairs and there's not much opposition most of the time.
MAP06 - Very grandiose, large-scale ending. Adoring the visuals. At first I shuddered at what the map would be like from a pistol start, but soon after I learned that the map was nonlinear and once I got the BFG (about halfway through), it was pretty much a power trip for the rest of the map. I feel like there could've been an extra fight at the top of the Reality Binder to close it off. Although, I completely understand how hard it can be to properly balance the combat in a nonlinear six-key map. I've done it before.

 

[Velvetic]

@Dunn (& Dunn) Thanks! And I feel the same about MAP02's midi, after making the rest of the soundtrack it's still my favorite one. Can't wait to hear it in one of your maps!

MAP05 was an experiment that failed (in many ways) and helped me to see the flaws in my combat design. As I said before, I'm extremely thankful for everyone who gave their feedback, right now I'm trying to avoid making the same mistakes on all my future projects.

 

MAP06 is supposed to be a power trip, grab those guns and kill a bunch of demons! Balancing this one was tough, nearly gave up on it.

 

Looking foward to see what you think about the last episode.

 

----

 

Since I'm already here, the OST is also available on Spotify now! (The add-on is still free, and the FLACs are on my bandcamp, both are linked in the OP)

https://open.spotify.com/album/4VR9jNwNS19zsiUmsDTnpK?si=AqnnIevXT_Of4jzjGwozfg

[MuddyFunster]

Buzzed through this on HMP (sorry, I'm a timid boy) and it's rare I immediately want to play a set of levels again. Might notch it up to UV this time.

The enhanced music is spectacular, particularly big fan of the tracks for Map 04 and 08.

As for the maps themselves, Map 06 is a huge highlight, purely for the amount of variation it crams in. I saw the monster count at the start of the level and sighed, like "Oh, it's going to be one of THOSE maps, is it." Anything past 500+ usually sets alarm bells off that I'm probabaly not going to have fun, but I did! It felt fast and slick and fun to explore, never got bogged down in the encounters. Singling out one level isn't fair because they're all really good.

 

Well done! Gorgeous looking set, plays superbly.

[BetelgeuseSupergiant]

A W E S O M E

[BetelgeuseSupergiant]

I fully completed this mappack. This is simply amazing! And it also looks like Eviternity, i very like it!

[Teo Slayer]

Brilliant WAD bro, I'm surely going to try it

[KeaganDunn]

Finally played through the last episode. Gotta say I was surprised by how relaxed it mostly was. Although I did traverse MAP07 with little health and took a few tries to get through the Arachnotron arena - was a neat hike in difficulty. The final encounter of MAP09 was also a fun challenge despite only using the BFG and some rockets. The atmospheric and non-Euclidean MAP10 was a really nice touch, thanks in no small part to your track "Memory is a Virtue".

 

See, part of me is pretty happy with how the set played out - and the other part of me really wants these to have more bite overall, especially the final episode as I blazed through that one unlike Episode 2.

 

This is already on idgames, so take my feedback here as just personal thoughts and how it lines up with my preferences. Overall, I am impressed by everything here - really high-octane stuff. You excel in creating cohesive layouts and map detail, showcasing expertise in OTEX; as well as your music, which I will definitely take a gander at and use in future works!

Something to work on would probably be combat design like you mentioned - creating more difficult/larger-scale setpieces and taking more advantage of the bestiary's abilities (fodder enemies serving as walls to push through in arenas; archviles for boundary control; player encourages infighting to survive; etc). There wasn't much of a difficulty curve throughout the set - I thought the final episode would be a turning point, where Velvetic has run out of all mercy for the player. :D

 

Although, I can see you built this around a large audience and didn't want to overwhelm the player much - that's totally understandable as everyone has their own perspective on what kind of map they want to build and play. Regardless, I enjoyed playing through the set and I look forward to anything else you do!

[Clippy]

Finally finished sad to see it end.  @Biodegradable showed up on my final leg of the journey for extra commentary and to provide a laugh track for when I died so many times haha. I was confused why map 6 wasn't finale but that last fight was epic. An appropriate ending. Such great stuff you really provided a unique beautiful and fun experience. Here is last vid good times  

 

 

[Velvetic]

@Clippy Glad to see the finale, great as always! A bit sad not to hear the HQ version of the track used in this map after you've used the add-on on the rest of the set.
 

To think this map was entirely made within a week (an absolutely chaotic week), just before the first beta was released. Not gonna lie, this will always be the one I was most afraid people were not going to like.

 

@Biodegradable He didn't have the same amount of megaspheres there at the end as you, because the version you played had one in each switch, the final version that Clippy's played has only on 2 switches. :D

And to answer the question of "why am I hearing a cyberdemon dying?" here's a vid showing why:

 

Also, not the last time you'll see those towers. See you all in Firebase November! (Not coming out in november, it's just the name)

[Clippy]

I can't believe I forgot to load this with the better music file I'm so sorry

 

I also can't believe you made this in a week that's absolutely bananas congratulations what an accomplishment!

 

II'll check out that video later I got to go to bed

[tom3kb]

I started playing doom wads not to long ago (3 months ago :D) this wad was one of my first that i finished.

Great maps. :)

Ps. Played with Project Brutality becose i like the weapons and gameplay changes.

[Bryan T]

Good stuff!

 

 

[Deadwing]

The soundtrack on the bandcamp is glorious!

Gotta play this asap

[Noise]

Finished! One of the best mapset I have ever played

[nobleflame]

This is amazing. I really love how beautiful this map set is - it just goes to show what can be done with the DOOM engine. Honestly, visually, this is on par with Eviternity, Valiant, BTSX, and so on. 

 

Very impressive stuff.

 

Edit: and how did I forget to mention the music? It's as brilliant as the visuals.

[Egg Boy]

Sorry for the bump, but I finally had a go at this. And I've gotta say, had I played this last year it would have definitely been in my top 5. Incredible stuff. The second episode was my favorite, with a finale that was climactic without being tiring or overlong. I also like to see a mapper that follows the combat philosophy of throwing archviles in until its fun (it always works). One of the most beautiful WADs I've yet played, really appreciate the naturalistic realism on display here, reminds me a lot of Lost Civilization by Jaska but with the punchy gameplay I come to expect from skillsaw derivatives. Bravo.