Pumping Station - short vanilla map

[VisionThing]

Hi

 

I recently made my first vanilla-compatible map, it just so happens to be 1000 lines exactly. This map fell out of my head pretty much completely formed, after I had scrapped an entire map I didn't like, so I was quite happy with it.

 

I had planned to continue and make a small set, because I thought 1000 lines was a neat concept, but all kinds of negativity has set in around my feelings towards Doom and myself as a mapper and so, to prevent irreparable damage to my otherwise deep love of everything Doom, I need to walk away from it for a while because all the signs point to me being burnt out and creatively exhausted. The few days I've already given it weren't enough, and looking at the editor right now is just making me feel angry and hopeless. I'm aware that my levels are no masterpiece, but the massive high I felt on getting my last mapset out the door as a cohesive, themed project, has crashed and burned and for my own sake I'm done trying to blunt force this stuff. How long it will take for me to again feel that desire and feeling of discovery and satisfaction that comes with mapping, I can't say. All I can say is that right now, its not there. To be forced to admit this to myself is painful, but clearly nescessary. 

 

If you read through that dirge, then thanks. I hope I don't come across as too self-indulgent, I know we've all had a rough couple of years and I'm not special, but all I can do - perhaps sometimes to my own detriment - is be brutally honest. As I don't want the effort I did make to go to waste and sit gathering dust for eternity, here's MAP01.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/qij9jfu00c83t1z/PumpStation.wad?dl=0

 

Here's a screenshot:

 

Music is from Descent.

There are no custom textures.

 

Thank you and bye for now. I hope to come back better than ever when the time's right for me to do so. 

 

-VT

[Sr_Ludicolo]

I can test this when I get home

 

Also, good music taste B)

[Doomkid]

You’re an excellent mapper. Have yourself a good break, looking forward to your return!

[Biodegradable]

An enjoyable techbase snack, mate. Good stuff!

 

 

Edited Saturday at 03:52 AM by Biodegradable

[Clippy]

Lol @Biodegradable what's with the video of 90% dead air? 

 

You made me think it was a long map

 

I will check it out when I have time 😄

[Clippy]

Hey stay positive @VisionThing - I do always enjoy your maps and always make an effort to play them

 

Always try to take it easy and not get bogged down by insurmountable projects or whatnot. Breaks are also needed sometimes you have to step back and step back in when you really feel it - but it's always important to have fun and not try to bite off more than you can chew - this can be tricky of course but we all care about you and I hate to see people get into a negative place

 

I wish you all the best my friend and I will play this for sure. Working right now I think my wife has the flu and I need to figure out what kind of chicken I'm eating for supper

[RED77]

That was a really fun map!

[magicsofa]

Nice map... almost perfectly balanced for me playing a bit sloppy on UV, shotgunner got me down to 1% hp early on and then later I was at 3% due to revenant problems. But I scraped by on 1st attempt which is always a fun time...

 

Not sure if you want critique but here it is anyway:

- I felt there wasn't enough contrast between light and dark areas. I think the sky sectors could be significantly brighter.

- The blue key courtyard was kinda fun, but the hell knight and caco weren't very threatening to me. Actually, none of it was much threat: the setup naturally leads to taking potshots and blowing up the barrels, so I doubt many players will run in fast enough for the "trap" to work. I'd consider moving the caco, maybe even stick it right in the middle so that it can complement the hitscanners more. You might also consider making the stairs climbable by the monsters... it's too easy for them to just get stuck at the ledge. I didn't even bother killing the hell knight because of that.

- Another (?) hell knight got stuck in the yellow key pit, maybe a teleport or lift that he can use would help him be more effective

- The revenants seemed slightly out of place to me, especially for an intro map to a set. I did almost get punk'd by one of their bony balls however so I can't say they weren't effective

Breaks are really important. If you feel like you've been bashing your head against a wall, then it's time for a break. However, also keep in mind that there is a certain mental "leap" that is sometimes required to get past the fear, uncertainty, and doubt that plagues all mappers at one time or another. Take a break to rest your brain and allow inspiration to creep back in... but once it does, and you are ready to start again, try not to lose your momentum. What I mean is, there will be a point where you are rested, inspired, and suddenly plotting linedefs... but then Doubt comes in and says hey, is this really that good? Is it worth it? Should you even complete it? And in response you should say yes, it's worth it, I came back to this for a reason and I will see it through

[Briøche]

A pleasant map. I don't have any argue, since I don't see important negative points, and the main positive one is the pleasance of playing, so you won. :)

 

Also, keep yourself good. Peoples could tell you "it's just a video game" or some kind of blank conformism, and maybe don't see your own perspective of 
what you can feel... But when creativity and hobby become a burden, it is exactly that time where you can give yourself a large moment of plenitude

[user76828904]

A nice one. It reminds me a map don't have to be too complicated to be fun.

[beast]

Great post @VisionThing, it really resonated with me. I am in that same boat, having completed 3 out of 6 maps in a set I am working on, I lost steam around February and need to pick it up to fruition.

 

I will break out the old DosBox later, after some weekend chores, and do some UV runs of your Pumping Station :)

[Casketkrusher]

Good map dude!

[Biodegradable]

8 hours ago, Clippy said:

Lol @Biodegradable what's with the video of 90% dead air? 

 

Rendering error lol

[Sr_Ludicolo]

This is pretty neat! I like the double rev ambush at the end. It really helped create a sense of finality, even if it was a cakewalk. 

 

Keep your chin up dude, this is good shit!

[Clippy]

So this is dumb but in @sandwedgestream I see I played this lol 

 

 

U sent me it but I thought this thread was about some other map 

 

Anywho great stuff man 🍗

 

[beast]

I dig this map! UV monsters and health pickups feel balanced just right. The Decent track suits it well. This is the first game of Doom I have played since March, my dodge skill is a lot rusty and I had a blast scraping through. Will replay this one for sure 🤘

 

 

[StodgyAyatollah]

Very solid vanilla map. Good balance and pacing overall. Enjoyed fire on the mountain quite a bit as well. Sometimes we need to pace ourselves, step away from things to let our minds process and rest. Don't force it, when inspiration hit's and it's time you'll know.

[Lizardcommando]

Very nice. That was a solid, short map.

[Hitman]

Doom II _"PumpStation.wad" - MAP01 : "Pumping Station by VisionThing" _ UVMax 100% Speedrun Smooth Mod Pistol Start.

 

 

[VisionThing]

Hey thanks a lot everyone. I felt a bit silly after posting this thread, like I shared too much, or just used a lot of words to say "I'm taking a break from mapping for a bit". Its my own fault really, I let myself get frustrated to the point that I had a minor public freakout. 

 

I'm a firm believer in the idea that we diminish our problems when we name and identify them, and putting it in writing is an important first step in acknowledging what's going on and moving towards being in a positive creative state again. I feel a lot better for having confronted it and spelled it out, even if it was a bit of a rant! It can just be a bit painful when you *know* you can do something, but for whatever reason there are mental blockers in the way.

 

I'm glad to be among people who get it. As fun as it is, this hobby can also be a struggle, but that's all part of what makes it worth it. I'm also really pleased that this map is being recieved well. I knew it was decent, I guess I just wasnt able to be consistent this time when I went to do more, which means a break is clearly in order. Again, my own fault for trying to force things and even though I know all this stuff deep down, it never hurts to be reminded to pace yourself.

 

Lesson learned! 

[Lucius Wooding]

I played through it twice on UV and I have to say, it was one of the more accessible and fun maps to play of those I've tried out recently. You made tasteful use of stock textures, some nice lighting features and a compact, well connected layout that flows nicely. Every room has some nice visual features and there's an abundance of cover without anything being too cramped. Enough monsters to keep you busy but not to make it play too slowly. The music is nice and fitting for the tech environment as well.

 

I think the difficulty and length are perfect for enjoyment by pretty much anyone. It falls right into the comfort zone for myself and probably a lot of players.  A lot of mappers try to make grandiose or experimental stuff, they'd be like the Dali or Picasso of mapping. This is more like the Bob Ross of techbase maps IMO; engaging, not stressful, and authentic. Plus it wraps up in well under 30 minutes to boot. 

 

If you're ever feeling burnt out about mapping, just know that you should do it for yourself first since it's no guarantee people will widely play your stuff. Better to make a fun and successful 5 minute map than an hour long one nobody will appreciate because it's frustrating and huge. I think a lot of people are quick to pass on wads that they don't initially like since there's so much out there to play; this kinda gets you hooked and really doesn't demand too much of one's time to finish since it's just a single map. Stuff like this IMO is a good use of time; most people who do load it up will beat it and get everything out of it, and be left with a good taste in our mouths.

 

Some opinions containing spoilers:

 

Spoiler

The second playthrough was more fun since I was on low health for a good bit of the first run. I definitely played sloppy and got victimized by hitscan a bit, so I ended up dying stupidly to a shotgunner close to the end. Should have had no trouble getting a blind run but I was kinda indecisive early on. The screenshot of doomguy at 38% health was more or less spot on to my first try on this one.

Once I found the secret however, it made the map much easier. Being able to take down the heavier demons was a lot more fun than shotgunning them and the extra health turned the map from being stingy to downright generous. I only got it by chance wall humping, but to be fair a general examination of the map is enough to notice it. Good design decision to use the berserk since it addresses both the main challenges the map poses, those being ammo/weapon scarcity and limited health.

I think you did a nice job with or without the secret. It's either a careful techbase crawl with light armaments and decent monster density, or a nicely made semi tyson map that's a bit more lively to play. 

 

[sandwedge]

Great short vanilla map.  Keep it up!  You also get to see when clippy realized he played your map on stream, lol.