New map available! - Looper Trooper

[kos]

Name : Looper Trooper
Map Format: ZDoom
Ports Tested: ZDoom 2.8.1
IWAD: Doom 2,
Map: MAP01
Gameplay: single play
Difficulty Settings: Yes
Multiplayer Placement: No
Requirements: No Jumping, No crouching
Build Time: About a month

 

"Stuck in a base of sorts. Strange things are happening. It seems you are caught in some kind of loop! Gotta find a way out before reality itself breaks down!"

Word to the wise: Choose your battles with care!

 

This is doom2 with a tad of survival shooter and a twist of non-euclidian geometry.
Map has been "disabled" through all hidden sidedefs. Secret areas are not tagged as secrets to avoid that annoying immersive breaking text and sound. There are plenty of carefully crafted secrets though. Hopefully they translate the feeling of being in secret areas anyways.

Hope you enjoy playing it. Good luck and have fun!

This is my third map ever made. I appreciate all comments and thoughts.

 

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/j-l/lt_wad

 

Edited March 1, 2022 by kos : forgot link to download

[azerty]

I think you forgot the download link

[Clippy]

2 minutes ago, azerty said:

I think you forgot the download link

 

Maybe that's part of the challenge

[kos]

oh crap! Sorry! 

https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/j-l/lt_wad

[Clippy]

You put it on ID games before seeing people test it here? 

 

Bold 

 

Doritos bold

[Komenja]

Playing it now. Your environmental detailing is very nice!

Had to restart, got trapped in this hole in the chaingun room near the start. I realize now its supposed to raise up with an Imp and Zombie to surprise the player, but it seems the line that triggers that is on the other side of the room. There's nothing over there, so no reason for players to cross that line, leaving this dark hole with monsters you can hear milling around in, suggesting there is progress to be had down below. Might I suggest moving that line more to the center of the room, or just before the chaingun?

Spoiler

 

[azerty]

39 minutes ago, Clippy said:

You put it on ID games before seeing people test it here? 

 

Bold 

 

Doritos bold

Yeah for next time I suggest you first let some people play first so you can change your map a according to the feedback instead of putting it directly on id games. Just a suggestion you don't have to do it.

[kos]

26 minutes ago, Komenja said:

Playing it now. Your environmental detailing is very nice!

Had to restart, got trapped in this hole in the chaingun room near the start. I realize now its supposed to raise up with an Imp and Zombie to surprise the player, but it seems the line that triggers that is on the other side of the room. There's nothing over there, so no reason for players to cross that line, leaving this dark hole with monsters you can hear milling around in, suggesting there is progress to be had down below. Might I suggest moving that line more to the center of the room, or just before the chaingun?

  Hide contents

 

 

[kos]

OK! Well that is a bug something my test group has not found... Thanks - I will definitly consider a bigger testing before releasing any maps in the future! So sorry about that.

[LadyMistDragon]

Was the final outside area supposed to be gray everywhere? just a little question

[kos]

49 minutes ago, LadyMistDragon said:

Was the final outside area supposed to be gray everywhere? just a little question

Yes. Gray as hell. 

[LadyMistDragon]

Just now, kos said:

Yes. Gray as hell. 

Ok. It's just hard to know if that was a deliberate choice or not. That area also has some other issues (stuffing spectres in literally every corner to the extent of overdoing) so I just had to know.

[kos]

Yes. I know that is an unusual approach. You are ment to clear that arena without necessarily having to worry about the specters. They lurk in the shadows, just like in the warehouse earlier. The specters cannot enter the main arena, they are more ment to be like spec(ter)ators. 

[Clippy]

Since I crashed this thread I felt obligated to play 

 

I'm not the best at reviews but here is video. Seemed overly ambitious for your third map. Some cool stuff like the switch that fell off the wall and udmf stuff but TBH I didn't find the gameplay great. Particularly stealth hitscanners and dark area spectate fights. And that ending was cramped and awkward. 

 

Lots of wacky stuff here but I played thru - good luck on your future endeavors 

 

 

[Delisk]

I tried to play this with Project Brutality on hard... big mistake I made it to the last arena but then I was completely overwhelmed.

 

So I played with Project Brutality on medium... I know shame on me!

 

 

A very reactive map... this is my kind of thing, and you can be sure I had a look under the hood!

 

Until I saw it in the editor I did not notice the "moving" door, at first i was sure you where playing with portals... well played my friend!

[kos]

Delisk and Clippy & all you other guys 

 

Short version: Thank you so much for submitting videos of playing the level! Though I understand there were some mixed reviews it did make my day watching those vids. I think the feedback and criticism from you guys was totally fair and nuanced. I also think I learned a lot from watching your playthroughs. Also fun to see Project Brutality applied.

 

Long version: I have only received written feedback about the level before posting the wad and now I wish I had waited a bit to do so. I am a little new with doom world and as some of you have pointed out I should have done more play testing before releasing it. Also I want to apologize because now it feels like I suckered you guys into actually doing the play testing and that was not my intent. I am sorry for this. Some parts of the level are still just raw I realize now. It is only now I understand how crucial it is to actually see someone else play testing when creating a level. 

 

Now about the level:

My first goal was to make this looping level that kind of breaks down on itself while playing. Though I think I pulled off some of those intents in this level but I simultaneously realize I did bite of more than I could chew as a level designer.

 

My second goal was to try to force a little more restricted playstyle on the player than usual. I was trying to find a way to guide the player not to engage in battle with every moster. I was trying to use the spectres almost as an environmental hazard rather than anything else because they only move around in the periphery, in the shadows. It is not necessary to engage with them in order to proceed. I was trying to create a sense of dread. Don't get me wrong, I know Doom is  basically about plowing through hoards of enemies. I was just  playing with the idea of putting the player in some situations where that is not a viable strat. To force the player to choose his/her battles rather than run into each room with guns blazing.

 

Seeing how the last arena was played by both of you I realized that I did not make that happen as intended. I feel like the final area is not good, not enough space, not enough cover and the gameplay is also relying on that you find the secret right before the teleport to max out on cells. That "secret" definitely should have been way more obvious. Also the switches in that arena are too hard to find, and it is not clear what they do and even worse is that the end of the level is not so easy to spot... I could go on for a long time about this area. Textures might not have been the best choice and so on. That part needs a total overhaul.

 

I could go on for a long time about this, but I think I'll end here for now.

It has been a lot of fun making it! Certainly took a lot longer than I had anticipated. 

 

PS I am truly sorry about the stealth monsters. 

 

[kos]

10 hours ago, Clippy said:

Since I crashed this thread I felt obligated to play 

 

I'm not the best at reviews but here is video. Seemed overly ambitious for your third map. Some cool stuff like the switch that fell off the wall and udmf stuff but TBH I didn't find the gameplay great. Particularly stealth hitscanners and dark area spectate fights. And that ending was cramped and awkward. 

 

Lots of wacky stuff here but I played thru - good luck on your future endeavors 

 

 

 

10 hours ago, Clippy said:

This is KOS´s comment on the video, obviously KOS cannot use the forum properly.

 

I'm quite impressed you finished that playthrough the way you did because there are ways to make it easier and I´m not referring to difficulty levels :). I guess you saw my post below, but I wanted to comment on a small thing that was funny to me because I´ve created the damn thing. At 5:44 you ALMOST hit a switch to open a secret and me watching I´m like "damn!". Now the second time around 12:08 you do activate that same switch, but because the door opens behind you you don't see it and leave and I´m like "damn! damn!". The THIRD time you enter the room around the thirteen minute mark you find the secret and comment on things being happening at random. I am sorry for my level design being what it is, but I just found this situation funny. I hope you are not offended for this comment.

 

[Clippy]

I'm not offended I hope you're not offended I'm just sharing my experience. You don't need to apologize for anything or stealth monsters I just personally detest that type of gameplay. Despite me not finding the gameplay appealing I do appreciate the effort you put into this map and hope you keep at it buddy

[kos]

7 hours ago, Delisk said:

A very reactive map... this is my kind of thing, and you can be sure I had a look under the hood!

 

Until I saw it in the editor I did not notice the "moving" door, at first i was sure you where playing with portals... well played my friend!

Thanks a lot! - I a wrote bigger post about the feedback earlier.

 I am really impressed with the time you finished the map in! 

 

It is also nice to hear that the trick with the "moving door" worked! 

 

Seeing the level in project brutality was also a blast - I wouldn't say it is necessarily the intended way of playing the level but on the other hand I have never played that mod myself. Building a level you know you have all of these ideas of how you want it to be percieved, and then someone goes and does something different with it but It still works. That is great!

 

[Dubbag]

 

 

[Looper]

Funny, my nick was 'Trooper' around 2000-2001, but as it was too common, my cousin suggested to use 'Looper'.

 

Guess I'll try the WAD.

[kos]

On 3/5/2022 at 7:49 AM, Dubbag said:

Dubbag!

 

Thanks for the playthrough/review! 
"Dicks in the cieling!" "Styrofoam city!" Entertaining. I had a blast watching. Glad you enjoyed it!

I learn so much about mapmaking by watching by seeing stuff like this. Everyone seems to have their own playstyle. Is that GZdoom? 
Some dark areas are really bright!
 

 

Quote

 

 

[kos]

34 minutes ago, Looper said:

Funny, my nick was 'Trooper' around 2000-2001, but as it was too common, my cousin suggested to use 'Looper'.

 

Guess I'll try the WAD.
 

That is a funny coincidence!

Choose your battles with care. Really no need to waste ammo on the spectres. Have fun and good luck!