Where to start on new levels?

[Reisal]

I am building that "Computer Chaos" map that I posted in my blog and am thinking where to carry on from my initial start point. I don't know where to look for further computer textures to use (Skulltag ones) but also don't know the legalities of using them outside the port.


This isn't the starting room but a room adjacent to the start.

Also for the mappers, what part of the map do you end up building first? I normally build the starting area but this time around I built one of possibly a few 4-door intersection rooms and built towards the starting section.

Do you build the basics of the room or do you detail it up before moving to the next area?

[stewboy]

When I make a map, if I don't have an existing idea, I just create some random sectors, and rearrange them to make some sort of playable starting area, and then just go from there. I detail as I go along, because I know that I'll be too lazy to come back and detail it afterwards.

Also, AFAIK you can't use Skulltag textures in outside wads. To quote Rivecoder on this:

You're allowed to reference the textures but not rip them. Hence, wads for other ports can't contain Skulltag textures as you'd have to extract them and copy them, which isn't allowed. Wads for Skulltag simply use the names.

[boris]

stewboy said:

Also, AFAIK you can't use Skulltag textures in outside wads. To quote Rivecoder on this:

Aahh, I always love it when you're not allowed to rip textures from some WAD that contains ripped textures.

[Reisal]

A bit hypocritical if you ask me, Boris.

[fraggle]

boris said:

Aahh, I always love it when you're not allowed to rip textures from some WAD that contains ripped textures.

Rather like those "sprite sheet" image files that contain sets of sprites ripped from console games, with some ridiculous demand for credit at the bottom.

[esselfortium]

Yeah, at least 95% of the textures in skulltag.wad are stolen either directly from other peoples' texture wads (NiGHTMARE, etc.), from other Doom iwads, or from other commercial games. Rip away.

[printz]

Try your best to only put original work in the wad. This includes music.

As for how to map, try this: reserve a whole day for one map. One only and no less. It's speedmapping. Personally I wouldn't try it because it's not my style to know what I'm supposed to do for the day.

[kristus]

You start with an idea.

[Reisal]

esselfortium said:

Yeah, at least 95% of the textures in skulltag.wad are stolen either directly from other peoples' texture wads (NiGHTMARE, etc.), from other Doom iwads, or from other commercial games. Rip away.

That I will do for those few textures, with credit regardless.

printz said:

Try your best to only put original work in the wad. This includes music.

As for how to map, try this: reserve a whole day for one map. One only and no less. It's speedmapping. Personally I wouldn't try it because it's not my style to know what I'm supposed to do for the day.

I am putting a little bit of effort into it every day, and I've never speedmapped since it can be a hassle sometimes if I hit mapper's block (which happened when I got to the middle of the third episode for this).

[stewboy]

boris said:

Aahh, I always love it when you're not allowed to rip textures from some WAD that contains ripped textures.

Perhaps I should have also quoted a later post:

The problem is as we didn't make the textures, so we can't set their license. You'd need to track down the makers and ask permission for your project as well.

[Reisal]

If they couldn't find the authors contact info, than it should be fine for me since I am not about to go scouring the internet for some unknown author's contact information.

A bit confusing, isn't it?

And a little on-topic, I've always built from the starting area and worked around it. As one can see, I'm pretty good at E1 and tech style maps for the most part.

[myk]

If there's anything you want that wasn't made by the Skulltag team, ask the original authors or check their files. In many cases, such as NiGHTMARE's, they have already granted you permission. Not being able to contact them is not an excuse to use someone's work. They might be dead, lost in space, or something, and thus unable to complain, but they could also show up and have your stuff nuked from the archive, for great justice.

There are tons of new resources made by the community, many of which have been offered for use, so ripping isn't usually a necessity.

boris said:
Aahh, I always love it when you're not allowed to rip textures from some WAD that contains ripped textures.

Yeah, that annoying. Although people also often use that hypocrisy as an excuse to justify ripping, even from people who aren't hypocrites, which is just as lame.

[Reisal]

I'll look around Realm667's texture gallery first.