Newstuff in a Coma - so here is my level AOF

[Xanthier]

It is officially completed, and so here is the final version of my wad, THE ALTAR OF FLESH, for those who were interested. You can use either of these hosts.

Have fun, and tell me about it.

UPDATE:
Oh and use ZDoom if you can, it's the only one that has been tested thoroughly for bugs. PrBoom misaligns certain textures for some reason.

http://rydia.net/udder/!crap/altrflsh.zip
http://www.sausage.1.vg/wad-upload/files/altrflsh.zip

[esselfortium]

Well, I just tried it out. The beta you had sent me previously crashed in both Doomsday and Legacy, but this version did actually start up. Hooray!

I only tried it in Doomsday this time, and it gave me a ton of errors while loading the wad. Lots of 2-sided walls that didn't have a left side. I'm pretty sure this was the cause of a bizarre graphical glitch I saw in many parts of the map, where the first column of a texture would be stretched across the entire width of the texture, instead of the entire texture showing.

Doomsday crashed a little bit after I walked through the yellow-key door, but from what I did get to play, the gameplay was pretty good. On the other hand, the architecture and actual map design needs a lot of work.

One area used a lighting flat for its ceiling, but the sector was oddly shaped and so most of the lights were awkwardly cut off. Certain flats simply don't work this way, you have to confine them to a 64x64 square grid if you want them to look properly. By using a different texture (maybe a plain wood ceiling or something?) for the sector and creating some 64x64 grid-aligned sectors within it (optionally raised or lowered from the ceiling, to add some more detail), you could both correct this problem and add some nice-looking ceiling detail.

I also noticed certain flats and textures which were looped in ways they weren't intended to be. The pink-to-tan gradient snake flat that you used a lot was meant to bridge between the solid pink and solid tan flats. It doesn't tile correctly in both directions, because it fades to one color, then jumps back to the other. If you used this flat more sparingly, making sure to align it properly to tile right, and used it to bridge between the two solid-colored snake textures, it would look a lot nicer.

Also, I see that you took some wall textures that don't tile very well vertically, and put them on tall walls. I don't have an editor open at the moment, so I don't know the exact texture name, but it's the pink fleshy one with the faces on it (SKINFACE, maybe?). Instead of replacing this texture, though, I suggest maybe building it into a wall, like a computer console (build it like a window, but without a room on the other side, and put the tall texture inside the "window").

Another thing, with the yellow key puzzle...it took some guesswork to figure out that one of the platforms could be lowered. I'm not sure exactly how, but if you could mark it somehow to look differently enough from the others that the player could figure it out without having to keep trying all of them, not even being sure whether any of them did anything at all.

I'm sorry for sounding so critical, please don't take it personally. I'm just trying to help.

[Xanthier]

superloud4 said:

Well, I just tried it out. The beta you had sent me previously crashed in both Doomsday and Legacy, but this version did actually start up. Hooray!

I only tried it in Doomsday this time, and it gave me a ton of errors while loading the wad. Lots of 2-sided walls that didn't have a left side. I'm pretty sure this was the cause of a bizarre graphical glitch I saw in many parts of the map, where the first column of a texture would be stretched across the entire width of the texture, instead of the entire texture showing.

Doomsday crashed a little bit after I walked through the yellow-key door, but from what I did get to play, the gameplay was pretty good. On the other hand, the architecture and actual map design needs a lot of work.

One area used a lighting flat for its ceiling, but the sector was oddly shaped and so most of the lights were awkwardly cut off. Certain flats simply don't work this way, you have to confine them to a 64x64 square grid if you want them to look properly. By using a different texture (maybe a plain wood ceiling or something?) for the sector and creating some 64x64 grid-aligned sectors within it (optionally raised or lowered from the ceiling, to add some more detail), you could both correct this problem and add some nice-looking ceiling detail.

I also noticed certain flats and textures which were looped in ways they weren't intended to be. The pink-to-tan gradient snake flat that you used a lot was meant to bridge between the solid pink and solid tan flats. It doesn't tile correctly in both directions, because it fades to one color, then jumps back to the other. If you used this flat more sparingly, making sure to align it properly to tile right, and used it to bridge between the two solid-colored snake textures, it would look a lot nicer.

Cool, well, I don't know what those errors were, I only tested it in Zdoom. My computer can't handle Doomsday so I can't even test it in there, sorry. I was pretty sure I had my errors almost nil in doombuilder but could be mistaken. that stretching thing sounds hairy, yikes.

I know exactly what ceiling your talking about, the corridor between the yellow door room and the marble room. I was meaning to change that texture but it wasn't high priority and was subsequently forgotten.

Good idea with the 64x64 sectors within the sector, It was only later that I decided to add things that hadn't been previously drawn, and this could have benefitted from that as well.

I know those snake textures are supposed to be aligned, but I have no idea how to align flats in doombuilder and I forgot to replace them. It is used once correctly at the yellow door.

Also, I see that you took some wall textures that don't tile very well vertically, and put them on tall walls. I don't have an editor open at the moment, so I don't know the exact texture name, but it's the pink fleshy one with the faces on it (SKINFACE, maybe?). Instead of replacing this texture, though, I suggest maybe building it into a wall, like a computer console (build it like a window, but without a room on the other side, and put the tall texture inside the "window").

Yes skinface was probably the flat that didn't tile well vertically, I didn't think it looked terrible. but I don't see how putting it in a tall window would fix that...maybe I misunderstand.

Another thing, with the yellow key puzzle...it took some guesswork to figure out that one of the platforms could be lowered. I'm not sure exactly how, but if you could mark it somehow to look differently enough from the others that the player could figure it out without having to keep trying all of them, not even being sure whether any of them did anything at all.

This is meant to take guesswork, and considering there is only about 10 surfaces to push at any given time, and your not standing in acid, I don't think it makes it too difficult.

I'm sorry for sounding so critical, please don't take it personally. I'm just trying to help.

Not at all, I'd like my level to be at its best, and you brought forward points that I didn't hear during testing. but the port incompatibility is the most disturbing, I don't know how to begin to remedy that.

[esselfortium]

Xanthier said:

Yes skinface was probably the flat that didn't tile well vertically, I didn't think it looked terrible. but I don't see how putting it in a tall window would fix that...maybe I misunderstand.

The idea is to make the window shorter than the room. Like, 128 tall or less; that way, the texture doesn't tile vertically. Then, make sure you turn on upper and lower unpegging for the outer wall of the window, etc.

Mike

[Xanthier]

okay I get it, so the face just shows at the bottom, right?

Did anyone else play it yet?

*Okay so I fixed the room with the unaligned lights, it looks much better,

*fixed the skinface columns.

*I checked the linedefs and errors and you were right, there are now no errors at all


I'm not posting it because I'm not through
fixing everything, I'm thinking about changing the music as well.

[ale]

Two hom for report

1)



2)



It is a good blaster level to me.

[Xanthier]

where? crap I forgot to upload the new version, will soon. some people like the gameplay a lot, others do not, some think its hard too. but it's not as hard as kappa.

oh and thanks ale.

[Nuxius]

1)Linedef # 619 - action is set to happen to a sector that is tagged #26, but there is no sector with that tag.

2)Please mark your exit, I hate it when I flip what seems to be a normal switch and I exit the level out of nowhere.

[Xanthier]

okay, anything else? you didn't say much.

I didn't mark the exit because I thought an exit sign would clash with the organic feel I was trying to create but meh.

[TheHighestTree]

You can use other means of marking an exit. I haven't (and likely can't) play the level myself, but those posted screenshots get the point across. Just think creative! Remember that it really only has to stand out as being more important than any of the other switches in the level...maybe make a sector in front of it that flashes and put lots of gory crap by it...hope this helps!

[Vile1011]

Xanthier said:

This is meant to take guesswork, and considering there is only about 10 surfaces to push at any given time, and your not standing in acid, I don't think it makes it too difficult.

This area bothered me too. Guesswork has little if any place in a doom level. There's no challenge to it, it just makes it boring.

The level wasn't half bad, despite lacking polish. The multi-archvile fight with the invulnerability sphere that you can't get to without being under fire for several seconds was just plain cheap though.

[ragnew]

If you're talking about the Invuln. that is used in the levels final battle, that one can be grabbed without being under fire at all.

[sausage]

thanks for using http://www.sausage.1.vg/wad-upload/

- sausage

[Xanthier]

ragnew said:

If you're talking about the Invuln. that is used in the levels final battle, that one can be grabbed without being under fire at all.

That's what I thought, but I think he refers to the one earlier on the platform in the center of the room which is hard to get because frankly, the room is possible without it, and you can get it if you kill the arch and rev first. and there will still be plenty enemies left below, and the jump is possible without the jump key.

AgentSpork played my level and said he ran out of ammo 5 times, did anyone else have that problem, I never had any problems with ammo, there was always plenty.

I'm dling all the suggestions thus far and going to implement them :)

[Anima Zero]

I thought there was plenty of ammo. Of course, I got lucky when dealing with the cybers. Took out the last cyber with my last SSG shot. Heh, I laughed after that one :).

Of course...I noticed a BFG soon after. Cripe, that would have been nice to get sooner for dealing with the cybies :P.

Other than that, nice level. I enjoyed playing it (of course, I couldn't find all of the secrets :P).

If anything, I'd say try to mark the exit with something like dead bodies or something so no one spends half an hour trying to find which wall to search :). I got lucky and found it rather quickly though.

That should be it for now. Once again, nice job.