Doom Beyond?

[Use]

Hello all

For my 3000th post I've decided to do something cool and drum up attention for my megawad Doom Beyond. This is my oldest Doom project, and basically sums up my entire career in Doom mapping. It technically began in high school, when my life pretty much revolved around Doom. I had only completed a handful of random maps, and I was constantly drawing layouts. My friends at the time had been impressed with my work, which doesn't say much cause they had only played the original levels. Doom Beyond began as a five level Hell episode, which was to take place after Doom2. I had completed two generic hell maps, The Gateway at map25, Hell Pit at map26, and partially completed The Museum at map27. This was in late 1996 or so. These didn't use any fancy features or textures or anything like that. I had so much fun building the hell maps I began to plan the rest of the game, and slowly filled 32 slots with map names and ideas for levels that didn't even exist.

During school instead of doing work or normal kid activities I drew many layouts. When I felt I had enough to keep me busy, Doom Beyond the megawad officially started. Later, after I had discovered DeuTex, I began gathering textures for a real iwad. My editor at the time was a total piece of crap and slowed me down a bit, dealing with it's bugs, problems and general user unfriendliness. At this time I felt my original 3 or 4 maps in the Hell episode weren't any good and scrapped them. You can find Hell Pit and the old version of map2 on the archives now. Because I was learning all this on my own, my original iwad was full or textures from any game I could get my hands on, and was totally disorganized. Luckily I didn't make many maps that used these resources. I also started writing a story for the game, and Doom Beyond became a retelling of Doom2, loosely based on the 'Doom: Hell on Earth' novel.

Not long after I became active in the Doom community, and found some much better tools, like Wintex and Deepsea, which compared to my old editor was a godsend. I slowly picked all the work I had done with DeuTex apart and redid the entire iwad. Doom Beyond finally had some new flats! This of course meant I had to retexture a bunch of the old levels. It was during this phase that the old 90s era levels showed their age. So I began scrapping a few maps here and there, mostly in Episode 2 and 3. During 2003 I spent a lot of time rebuilding the scrapped maps into much better versions of themselves, and preserved most of the ideas I was trying to do but simply wasn't good at, either because of my archaic editor or lack of understanding of the Doom engine. 2003 was a great year for the megawad.

So, now with the iwad mostly where I like it, and the old maps fun enough to stick around I just focused on making the levels. During the entire course of the project maps names and themes changed a bit. There's still debate on some of the map names, but I'll worry about them when I get there. Episode 1 (map1-11) is very close to finished, gameplay is refined and most of the 90s layouts are tweaked enough to work. Here's a little taste of Episode 1, The Spaceport. Please click on the thumbs for a larger image!


Map1: Launch Bay (2001 version)

This is the second version of map1, the first having been built in 1997. I don't think I have the old version anymore, but if I find it I'll include it in the release package as an extra.

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Map2: Deep Core (2005 version)

I rebuilt this map too, the old version is on the archives. This has become one of my favorites.

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Map3: The Sewage Gates (1997/2001 version)

I remember drawing the original layout for this map in psych class. I put it in the editor and it dead-ended in a large outdoor area. in 2001 i rebuilt it, and the remake ended up in an outdoor area, so I stuck the two pieces together and finished it. It's weird in places, but has it's own personality now.

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Map4: Refueling Base (2005 version)

I only had a few rooms of the original map4 done, so in 2005 I redesigned the whole thing. This map is excellent, and pretty large.

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Map5: The Process (1999 version)

Unfortunately this is the one map in the first episode that will probably still get axed. It has some moments, but the layout is nonsensical and there's too much barrel stupidity in places. Here are some screens anyway.

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Map6: Technology Center (2003 version)

I like this map too, it turned out very well.

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Map7: The Vault (2003 version)

I had been dreaming this level up since the beginning, and although it toots my own horn I love this map, it might be one of the best I've done.

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Map8: UAC Labs (1998 version)

I drew this whole map on paper in 98, and it was in the editor a little later. It was around the time I was still building it that Columbine happened. Weird.

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Map9: The Mainframe (1998/2005 version)

This map was partially drawn on paper around the same time as map8. I started building it in 2005 and used most of the drawing.

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Map10: Military Base (1999 version)

This map is still incomplete, but it's really large, so far the biggest in the megawad with close to 2000 sectors. Sections of it are on paper, drawn in late 98 or so.

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Map11: Operations Tower (1999? version)

This map is still only on paper, and I may redesign the entire beginning section to match the end of map10. This is the final map of the first episode!

So that's it for now, there are random maps scattered in the other two episodes, all which need heavy work. Most of them will get axed anyway.

I've decided after cc4 I'm going to vanish for a bit and put 100% of my resources into just finishing this thing. I have a few projects in the pipe that will need my attention, but nothing with a deadline, like Nilla2 and...a secret project ^___^
This is my biggest contribution to the game that I love above all other games, so I don't really care if it takes me another 10 years to finish it. Doom Beyond's focus has always been gameplay over looks, so expect a classic themed game with large maps filled to the brim with stuff to shoot at and explore. Thanks for reading and feel free to butter me up with praise and support! Haha! Special thanks to Essel for hosting my screens!

[kristus]

Cool. I feel all nostalgic after reading this post. Back in 1997 I used to draw my maps on paper too.. in physics class among other I might add. :p

[myk]

Seems interesting. What engine specs does it stick to?

[Use]

Limit removing. Doesn't use any boomtriggers. <3

A few other features are new textures, and some new sound effects. I also made a deh file back in the day that tweaks a few gameplay aspects, like monster attack speeds, and the player weapons have minor changes. Doom Beyond also has a 'super' chaingun, which has a faster fire rate.

[lupinx-Kassman]

Ah, I think I remember hearing about this project several times before :P. It has that classic feel, and looks pretty fun. Keep it up Use!

[Butts]

pretty intense 3000th post if you ask me.

anyways, this looks fun, im ardently awaiting the large levels (refueling base especially). also, im glad you are making it doom triggers, then i can see how creative you can get with it.

[Fletcher`]

I still sketch maps on paper. It works. You should scan those and show us them too.

[Use]

rf` said:

I still sketch maps on paper. It works. You should scan those and show us them too.

Hey, that's a good idea, I still have most of them.

[Kyka]

Those levels look really good. Well spaced out, really unique style.


Since you have been mapping this many years, I hardly need to tell you to keep going, but I will anyway.


So keep going already.

[Use]

There's a little more work I'd like to do on the iwad. It seems every few years I get sick of a texture here and there and decide to revamp some things. I definitely need a few more hell textures. I'm always on the lookout for new music too.

[Use]

Use3D said:

I only had a few rooms of the original map4 done, so in 2005 I redesigned the whole thing...

Correction! I actually found the original version of this map and it was completed, just pretty small and relatively uninteresting. I still plan on gathering the old levels and releasing them as bonus material.

I also made about 5 deathmatch maps to go with the game, in various states of 'good'. I've never considered myself a great dm player or dm map maker, but these might interest a few people.

[SYS]

I read iwad and immediately thought of all that shit that Apple sticks "i" in front of.

You got some amazing mappage going on there. Those TEK maps got me jealous. Texturing and design just melt together in a beautiful manner. Rome wasn't built in a day. This project is real cool cause it began at the roots of your mapping and is brought up to your present skillset.

[Use]

POTGIESSER said:

This project is real cool cause it began at the roots of your mapping and is brought up to your present skillset.

Thanks for the kind words. That's really the only nagging feeling is consistency. One map may be 'wow this is great!' and the next might be 'wtf is going on here?!' Once a release candidate is ready another stage will be a final polish on the old maps just to make them a little more presentable. I'm still holding onto the gameplay golden rule, if it's fun, they'll play it.

[Vegeta]

Hey, that looks interesting. I particularly like this pic http://sl4.poned.com/screens/beyshots/map3b.png I'd absolutely play that. If you release this wad I'll be sure to make a survival server (with jump disabled of course).

[TomoAlien]

Design is top-notch and i'll play that if it's finished.

[Use]

TomoAlien said:

Design is top-notch and i'll play that if it's finished.

If you're still alive, odds are good!

[Butts]

why would you worry about the looks of your old maps? i vote leave them the way they are!

[Use]

Butts said:

why would you worry about the looks of your old maps? i vote leave them the way they are!

Not only the looks but some suffer from major gameplay problems. A few were just gimmicks that I was trying to pull off in the game and don't really fit well with the concept of a megawad. I plan on gathering the unused ones up and releasing them with the main project just for fun.

[Butts]

oh alright, that would be a very good thing to improve the gameplay/bugs/etc.

[Gusta]

Use3d, I have always liked your mapping quite much so I am really looking forward to see and play this wad finished.