The Library - UDMF Atmospheric Map

[SiMpLeToNiUm]

Graphic credits go to @Xenaero

As some have seen in the Doom Pictures 2021 Thread, I recently starting working on a map. Before I let you know what this is, I want to thank everyone who's built me up during the short development of this; it means a lot and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy :)

This map is the first in an experimental design philosophy I'll be trying out called "Environment Studies": making a focused effort to produce one high-fidelity scene, with a special emphasis on atmosphere or exploration, leaving other more traditional elements like progression or combat behind. I may consider revisiting these maps later for combat implementation, etc. but for the time being it isn't a focus of mine.

 

Why?
I don't think there's enough atmospheric or walking sim maps in Doom. I also wanted to take some cues from more traditional art such as discrete scenes, landscape art or environmental art. I can also cite folks like Mari: https://twitter.com/MadMaraca who produce lovely bite-sized creations with a clearly detail-oriented focus as inspirations for this venture. There's also an attractive simplicity and means for quick turnaround for this; something I've been craving for awhile after a host of sapping project obligations. Not having to worry about complicated layouts, progression and difficulty balancing and encounter design is a tremendous weight lifted, allowing me to focus on the real meat and potatoes of what I find compelling about these imaginary places.

How?
There's not much "playing" to be done for the time being. Walk around; take in the sights, sounds and tunes. Be aware that your starting arsenal is removed and you move at 35% of your normal speed in order to slow down Doom's naturally breakneck pacing.

 

Port?
GZDoom for the time being. I may do some Boom in the future, but it's not a guarantee as I think the featureset of UDMF allows me a lot of creative utility for something like this.

 

What next?
Not sure! Let me know what you think. Feedback, ideas and thoughts are more than welcome. I have a few ideas in the oven right now and am eager to get started on them! Thanks for taking a look at this whacky idea, and I hope you like it!

Check the CREDITS.txt file for a full list of attributions. Be sure the rename the .zip to .pk3!!

The_Library.zip

[azerty]

This looks so good I am playing this right now!

[Alper002]

The title on the titlepic is cut off if you play in a 4:3 resolution. Aside from that, no bugs :P

 

I happened to like the vibe a lot!

As you say, there isn't much "playing", but trying to figure out how to get everywhere is something I found some fun in on its own.

On top of that, there was a bit of me that wished there were secret places to find beyond the actual playable area, but that could just be me wanting more.

[Biodegradable]

Very cool and atmospheric, Sim. I also liked the midi.

[SiMpLeToNiUm]

4 minutes ago, Alper002 said:

On top of that, there was a bit of me that wished there were secret places to find beyond the actual playable area, but that could just be me wanting more.

I thought about it! And that may very well be something I try and go for in the next one!

[SiMpLeToNiUm]

2 minutes ago, Biodegradable said:

Very cool and atmospheric, Sim. I also liked the midi.

Ah yes, the finest selection from our resident @Eris, the Infinite Labyrinth! Fit the mood perfectly!

[RonnieJamesDiner]

Had to give this a try. I'll just say, I can't wait to see more of these! 

 

This feels like something that will only get better and better over time, the further you explore the concept. The choice of music was perfect and does a lot for the experience, and I loved the ambient sounds of creaking / settling wood (I think giving the torches an ambient fire sound might be a great idea). Slowing the player speed to 0.35 was probably the best choice you made, in my opinion! That alone immediately shifted my brain into a lower gear, and help me soak up the atmosphere as I wandered around the space. It was nice to play a Doom map that had me asking different kinds of questions, like, "What is this place?" "I wonder what kind of books these are?" "Who does this library belong to? Are they still alive?". Very cool. 

 

One thing I edited myself almost straight away (for my own sanity), that might be worth including, was reducing the player viewbob to balance out with the new movement speed. I'll drop the decorate and updated mapinfo here if you're interested in adding it: Library_viewbob.zip 

[SiMpLeToNiUm]

Thanks for the kind words Ronnie! Sortof the takeaways I'm going for! I've actually done that viewbob modification before for another similar test project ages ago, so I'll totally be implementing that. Thanks for the suggestion!

[FreazyWarr]

I love this so much. There's a certain quaintness to the architecture possible in GZDoom, which lends itself well in your map.

I think the small size of the map makes it enjoyable as this is very much an example of quality over quantity. If you go on from here, I would love to see what else you create. As someone who struggles to make interesting combat scenarios, but loves making architecture, seeing maps like this is inspirational.

Would you ever be interested in creating a narrative based walking sim? I think there's a lot of potential for that genre in this engine, but creating a story can often be just as difficult as mapping.

I'm excited to see what else you make.

[SiMpLeToNiUm]

3 hours ago, FreazyWarr said:

As someone who struggles to make interesting combat scenarios, but loves making architecture, seeing maps like this is inspirational.

Would you ever be interested in creating a narrative based walking sim? I think there's a lot of potential for that genre in this engine...

Thanks for the thoughts and kind words! I definitely think it's an untapped niche for the most part, and having "places to walk around and explore" rather than having to worry about intricate encounters and classic game design elements allows me to focus on other things. It definitely can appeal to a certain audience; I know I enjoy it myself.

 

As for future plans, especially those involving narrative, I'm playing it by ear for now and seeing where things go. If I really got into it I think ultimately I'd love to do something in the vein of Myst or other similar exploratory puzzle/walking sims.

[KneeDeepintheSludgemetal]

Fantastic feel! Can't wait for more. Would also like a surprise twist of action! 

[Obsidian]

A little late to the party, but I just checked this out now and I like what you're doing here. :D Beyond my well-documented fondness for library maps, the concept of a map who's sole focus is invoking atmosphere is something I'd love to see explored in more detail and as it stands this is an excellent proof of concept: I do however echo @Alper002's sentiment in regards to secrets. :P Looking forward to seeing where you take the idea.

 

Oh, and feel free to send me a message if you want to do future maps like these in Boom format: I can rig up ambient noise in DeHackEd and a few other neat things besides and I'd love to see this sort of thing take off in earnest.

[Bri]

Inspiring! Would love to try this myself.

[Clippy]

 

[SiMpLeToNiUm]

Hey thanks @Clippy for the recorded playthrough and the commentary! A UVMax so fast!! :p Definitely an aspect of the map is to get your mind to wander, and I definitely appreciated the musings on "old world" woodworking and whatnot. It's associations like that I hope more people can make and take whatever they want from their time with the map!

[Chipper35]

Looks super awesome excellent!!!!

[msx2plus]

spent a few minutes in here and i really enjoy what you've got going on. i'd be super interested in existing in however many more of these spaces you end up creating.

[SiMpLeToNiUm]

Adding in @RonnieJamesDiner's viewbob correction, the map was successfully uploaded to idgames early this month! Thanks everyone for the comments and feedback!

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/s-u/the_library

[K_Doom]

I found it very good. And I can also learn a lot about design and lighting.