"JL" was too short Posted September 6 Regardless of whether the experience fell short in practice, those maps embodied what Doom was for me as an adolescent: epic adventures through realms of existence touched by the supernatural. I hope he's finding that the afterlife is as grand as the worlds he envisioned. 7 Share this post Link to post
TheRealLotica Posted September 6 Although I'm not the biggest fan of Evilution, I do respect what O'Brien was trying to do with his maps, and it's apparent they touched a chord with a number of people. RIP. 4 Share this post Link to post
Lizardcommando Posted September 6 Damn, that sucks. Rest in Peace Drake. I should play his maps in his honor. 5 Share this post Link to post
june gloom Posted September 6 (edited) I just played through Evilution earlier this year. I remember not having a lot of nice things to say about Mt. Pain but I appreciate his emphasis on a sense of adventure. Learning about his passion for glassworking, I now realize what he was trying to do with some of those textures, especially in Administration Center. 5 Share this post Link to post
AdministrationCenter21 Posted September 6 (edited) Rest in peace, Drake O' Brien, and your maps shall never forgotten by those who witnessed their dazzling grandeur and scale, way back in 1996 to today. Thank you so much for what you have accomplished for this community, and may flames forever dance upon the surface of Mount Pain, it's glorious visage silhouetted against the crimson of the blood sunset... Edited September 6 by AdministrationCenter21 5 Share this post Link to post
Egg Boy Posted September 6 Sad news. A lot of the maps in TNT, including all of O’Brien’s had vision and atmosphere, things often ignored beyond the abstract by Id’s work. I hope he rests well, may his legacy continue forever. 5 Share this post Link to post
Amaruq Wulfe Posted September 6 (edited) Woke up to the death of Paul Harrell a day or two ago, and now once again the first thing I see after waking up. God bless him and his family alike. Truly one of the greatest artists that TeamTNT and the community alike had been blessed with. Rest in piece to a wonderful man. Just hurts to think that how many of the old day mappers are under the radar who might just not be with us anymore. 4 Share this post Link to post
Andrea Rovenski Posted September 6 heartbreaking. ev27 is one of my favorite maps in all of 90s doom. 4 Share this post Link to post
Walter confetti Posted September 6 That's a really sad news, rest in peace. 2 Share this post Link to post
Catpho Posted September 6 Very few people could have a legacy just based on three maps, and to have their name become synonymous with a team undertaking. I tip my hat. 8 Share this post Link to post
Jayextee Posted September 6 Imma pour one out, metaphorically speaking, and replay TNT Evilution after hearing this. Like or loathe his maps, they're iconic and definitely some of the main things we remember about the wad. 3 Share this post Link to post
Stupid Bunny Posted September 6 I've rambled so many times here about how much Drake's maps mean to me I could do it in my sleep at this point. I'll never forget playing through Central Processing the first time, the long slow burn from the harshly lit and claustrophobic cubicle area to that canyon, shrouded in night, vast, barren, nearly devoid of monsters. I'll never forget MAP21 and emerging from the labyrinth into the suddenly massive, dusky open area with the monolithic building in the middle. My first time playing Doom seriously was the Doom Collector's Edition, which came packaged with Final Doom. Of the two halves of it, I immediately took to TNT more, and of the maps it was immediately apparent that Drake's were the ones that impressed on me the most--although I didn't know until pretty recently they were all by the same person. All this is to say they were some of the first maps I ever played, and ever since I've been constantly chasing what I loved about them in my own work, the scale, the slow build and gradual opening and shifting of themes, the way that they made their worlds seem so much bigger than the space they occupied by encompassing so many visuals, optional areas, dense interlocking layouts tied to chasmic sprawling ones and views expanding beyond where the player could go. Even his textures added a layer of abstraction to the maps that made them feel even more alienating and unsettling. It's a special blend that I've only seen very rarely and, for every piece of Doom mapping I've called my favorite since, it's combined some aspect of the atmosphere, scale, style, and spirit of Drake's work. I always sort of hoped he'd somehow re-emerge and try his hand at mapping again, but then with three maps he's made a stronger impression than most mappers hobbyist or professional have made with dozens of times that. Rest in peace, Drake. 17 Share this post Link to post
GarrettChan Posted September 6 (edited) All 3 maps from Drake O'Brien in TNT are my favorite maps in the set. Even many people would say something like "oh, TNT maps are big and empty and there's nothing in it", I still like them. Map20, 21 and 27 are the 3 representative maps for these so called "big and empty" maps. Personally I really like the exploration feeling of all these maps, and these 3 maps are also kinda hard in that moment's standard, especially Map27. Due to some reasons that I don't want to speak, many people consider Map27 to be unfair or unfun to play, I would say otherwise, and Map27 does encourage to think about your approach towards all the encounters, thus my favorite. Map20 and Map21 do have a bit of emptiness in it, but they also provide some atmosphere that all other maps don't have, notably the outside areas from both maps. My favorite part of Map20 is when you open the door of the office area, you are welcomed by a hill side (kinda) view and you found that you still have a big chunk of the map to explore. Map21 feels like a transition from a human building into a plain in hell. No matter what other people say, these 3 maps have my love deep in my heart, and they are some of the most iconic maps in TNT. Thanks for the beautiful maps, Drake, and rest in peace. 13 Share this post Link to post
Dexiaz Posted September 6 I loved those maps. Even more, I did "ports" of those maps for PSX Doom (Map20 and Map27 for GZDoom TC & Map27-only for GEC Master Edition). Rest in Peace, Drake. 7 Share this post Link to post
PsychEyeball Posted September 6 Love them or hate them, Drake O Brien's maps left nobody indifferent. If you've only played Evilution once, you will certainly remember Central Processing, Administration Center and Mount Pain. These maps definitely had a knack to send you on a unique journey and about every part of it will be incrusted in your memory. My favorite thing from a O Brien map was the view on Mount Pain from that final base encounter. The sight of the hellish mountain from far away with the lost souls teleporting and mucking around was always a striking one, moreso considering it was made in 1996 with primitive tools. Thanks for the memories, hope you rest in peace. 10 Share this post Link to post
Captain J Posted September 6 TNT: Evilution for me is a very memorable expansion pack. I fond of it as a teen because the maps never went rough on me at times. The game becoming harder as i progress felt most natural I certainly remember its aesthetic, wonderful maps like Mount Pain. It's upsetting to hear that the creator of the said map passed away last year. Also, i didn't know he was a talented Glassmaker. Just like his contributions, i admire his works already Rest in Peace, Drake O'Brien. My deepest condolences to his family and relatives 5 Share this post Link to post
Frangalho Posted September 6 (edited) RIP Drake O'Brian. Never heard of him before now, but he contributed to our beloved game's history. "TNT Intermission" to him. Edited September 8 by Frangalho 3 Share this post Link to post
scalliano Posted September 6 I've played through Final Doom in its entirety a grand total of once, but it's always sad to hear that one of Doom's contributors has passed on. RIP. 2 Share this post Link to post
Scuba Steve Posted September 6 (edited) See you in Hell, Drake. (Edit: remembering that we're a community based around our shared love of a game about a space marine battling the legions of Hell, please read this comment in an upbeat voice with a stern salute at the end.) Edited September 7 by Scuba Steve 14 Share this post Link to post
roadworx Posted September 6 ah, shit. poor guy. 27 is one of my favorite maps in tnt... 5 Share this post Link to post
VoanHead Posted September 6 1 hour ago, Scuba Steve said: See you in Hell, Drake. what is wrong with you? 1 Share this post Link to post
Jayextee Posted September 6 Um. I thought that was meant in good humour; look where we're posting? Probably the only place you could use such a phrase in a friendly manner. 15 Share this post Link to post
T-117 Posted September 6 Yeah, I think it was meant to be humorous. But it's still in bad taste. 8 Share this post Link to post
Celestin Posted September 6 While I'm not a fan of his works or TNT in general, it always saddens me when someone from the old guard passes away. Sit tibi terra levis. 2 Share this post Link to post
ixfd64 Posted September 6 (edited) It's really sad that we've lost so many of the OG mappers in the past decade. Ty Halderman, Jim Flynn, John Anderson, etc. :-( Hope they're up there blasting demons and defending Heaven from the forces of Hell. 2 Share this post Link to post
Christopher Brown Posted September 6 As someone who doesn't enjoy most of Evilution, my main complaint is that most of the maps are unmemorable and blandly designed. Not so Drake's. While I may not have found them "fun", the sheer scale and intricacy of them is impossible to forget. Knowing that he was a glass-worker contextualizes a lot of the aesthetic goals of his levels, and I'll be keeping that in mind when I revisit them. The ultimate prize of any artist is to create works that live forever in the memory; the starlit canyon in Central Processing, the liminal dark/red expanse by the exit in Administration Center, and the looming sight of Mount Pain on the horizon are three pixel-art glassworks that will never be forgotten. Rest in Peace, Mr. O'Brien. 2 Share this post Link to post
ixfd64 Posted September 6 (edited) 1 hour ago, Jayextee said: Um. I thought that was meant in good humour; look where we're posting? Probably the only place you could use such a phrase in a friendly manner. I've always felt it's a compliment to tell a Doomer to go to Hell. :P Edited September 6 by ixfd64 4 Share this post Link to post