Everything I Learned from Doom

[40oz]

In light of the Reality Bites topic, I was thinking. Based on all the stuff I learned from playing the maps the Doom Community makes, and looking at screenshots, and hearing varying opinions and reading reviews, I can most likely pinpoint every detail that makes a map (And subsequently, modern video games) good. I've been a part of the doom community for numerous years. I've been playing Doom since I was 4 years old and have not even become close to being sick of it yet.

As pretentious as it sounds, just about any game can be good if it tries to mimic doom as closely as possible.

But I've learned through playing Doom maps that visual elements do nothing to make a map good other than the screenshots to entice people to play it. Detail is more an advertising technique than it is a symbol of a good map. As has been brought up plenty of times before, gameplay is by far more important. In order to create good gameplay in Doom, there needs to be generic weapons available at the start, and bigger weapons available at the end, unless the player can discover secret areas. The number of monsters and the strength of monsters develops progressively toward the end of the map/episode. The amount of ammo given should consider the amount the player can carry by himself, in relation to how much is needed to kill the monsters in a given area. There should also be a nominal amount of health given in relation to how much health the doomguy can have, and to how much of a threat the monsters are. Occasional puzzles, branching hallways, and obstacles/objectives makes a map less straightforward and boring. The player should have a large obstacle, whether it be a difficult puzzle or a boss battle at the end of a map/episode to determine that once the obstacle is overcome, the player can exit and win.

Coincidentally I know enough that if games (specifically shooters) followed generally the same criteria as this, the game essentially would be pretty good.

Despite all this ranting, it's a bit of a digression off the initial point. The real question is, what am I gonna do with all this knowledge? I tend to clearly understand the subject of good gameplay so well, but where can I utilize this knowledge in somewhere other than playing around with Doom? Are there careers where people would pay me for knowing this kind of stuff? I've wondered for a while if I'm wasting a lot of time figuring out the differences between good games and bad games if I'm never going to be able to put it to use for anything other than my own personal judgment.

I've said before that I can't really seem to pinpoint any specific career I want to pursue, but I do know a ton of stuff about making a good game not become a bad one. I'm just wondering if Doom will ever be anything more than "just a hobby".

[Jodwin]

First, I hope you mentioned only the most basic things of what might make an FPS game or level good, because the things you listed aren't even nearly enough to guarantee being good (and don't include any things that definitely would set Doom apart from its competitors).

As for your question, you should try creating a portfolio of your own maps and mods for different games, see if you can take parts in small indie projects, pretty much anything to actually show that you know what you're talking about. Then you can try approaching bigger game companies for level designer positions and hope for landing a job.

[40oz]

Heh. I should probably note that despite the title of this thread, this isn't exactly "everything I've learned from Doom".

[AirRaid]

JohnnyRancid said:

Coincidentally I know enough that if games (specifically shooters) followed generally the same criteria as this, the game essentially would be pretty good.

I disagree. If games followed this they would essentially be boring as hell. It's formulaic and soulless. Not much room for story, intrigue, or character.

It's a fairly decent set of guidelines for a beginner mapper to follow, but if you want to make a great game, or even a great map, you have to improvise, think outside the box, and generally set away from established techniques. So something new. Something different. Something fun. Something interesting.

That said, the Job title you're looking for here is 'Game Designer'. It's a job I would like to do, and something I am helping out with on Phobos. It's hard though. Really hard.

[Jodwin]

AirRaid said:

It's hard though. Really hard.

With the hardest part probably being that you grow partial to your own designs, no matter how flawed they are. Very few people manage to hit a good design right away that doesn't need any changes, big or small, so for a good designer it's important to get the designs tested and to not ignore the feedback, no matter how negative it might be.

Of course, at the same time it's also important to keep in mind the original focus of the game and not move away from it just because of the testers' input (A sad example is the recently released Puzzle Kingdoms, which was supposed to mix puzzle gameplay with strategy; too bad 90 % of the game's testers found AI moving its units on the board confusing, so the game was released with no AI outside combat, and thus no strategy gameplay at all).

[printz]

Map design helps develop creation skills; making stuff that appeal to audiences. By making maps you can channel your imagination and perhaps train it. You do not have to become a game designer for your career, just because you've been playing too much Doom while young :) I've been doing so, but the idea of remaining a game worker for my life sounds too cheap for me.

Inside gameplay, I can say that Doom 3 helped me with tennis. :) I'm not a regular player by any means, but after some expanded Dooming, I was able to get quick reflexes to catch the ball.

[Super Jamie]

JohnnyRancid said:

The real question is, what am I gonna do with all this knowledge? ... Are there careers where people would pay me for knowing this kind of stuff?

Not that I know of. I find myself in a similar position, not specifically to do with games, but mostly just general stuff people have problems with. Getting tricky things to work in Linux, what obscure program to use for a task, etc. I find forums full of people who can't figure this stuff out, and I'd like to think I'm known as a pretty handy person to have around by my friends.

Sometimes it's not even restricted to computers, I've managed to sit down with a book and rebuild a car engine, porting the head and getting the exhaust and intake and everything all matched and flowing properly too. I find I'm the kind of person who's not real good at any one thing, but at least average in most things.

As far as I know, there's no job description for "being intelligent", it's just a nice, trouble-free, way of existence.

[Hellbent]

Johnny Rancid said:

In order to create good gameplay in Doom, there needs to be generic weapons available at the start, and bigger weapons available at the end, unless the player can discover secret areas. The number of monsters and the strength of monsters develops progressively toward the end of the map/episode. The amount of ammo given should consider the amount the player can carry by himself, in relation to how much is needed to kill the monsters in a given area. There should also be a nominal amount of health given in relation to how much health the doomguy can have, and to how much of a threat the monsters are. Occasional puzzles, branching hallways, and obstacles/objectives makes a map less straightforward and boring. The player should have a large obstacle, whether it be a difficult puzzle or a boss battle at the end of a map/episode to determine that once the obstacle is overcome, the player can exit and win.

These observations are far too general, basic and well known, and also not the most important things to be worth anyone hiring you (no offense). This barely begins to start to scratch the surface for what makes good gameplay--nor does it always apply (you can be very successful in creating a fun map employing none of those tacets). There are many other general things that I think are more important and there are nuanced and less obvious things that are euqally if not more important than what you've listed that makes a game good that might be marketable for finding a paying job. What you listed is not of value to a hiring company (again, no offense).

What are some of the other things that make doom maps fun and Doom as a game good/best? You're missing a few key things....

I sometimes think to myself it would be fun to "teach a class" on how to make fun DM maps since that's the kind of mapping I primarily do and have received positive feedback for. It's fun to analyze the various elements on what makes for fun playing maps. It's very hard to quantify, though, why one map is great fun and another one isn't. It's hard to come up with a single all encompassing formula... but I bet there is one. I think the common trap people fall into is oversimplifying the elements that make something good, whether it's a hollywood movie or a game. People also perhaps overlook the fact that certain elements of a formula may need to change with the times (while some may remain constant foundations for what makes good games or movies).

In the case of Doom DM maps, I know it has something to do with sector size, height, shape and connectedness to other sectors--but exactly how these elements work together to create great maps is very elusive. I imagine the formula for a great playing single player map is as equally elusive. Non linearity, "interesting" puzzles, progressive monster/weapons, nice atmosphere--these are so broad and general--there's so many other smaller, less obvious things that I don't yet know how to quantify as for what makes a good SP map and I've never heard anyone come up with an all encompassing formula. If you could.. then perhaps you'd be very valuable.

Air raid: a formula isn't inherently soulless. But, generally, becasue formulas are too simplistic, their products often come across as very cheap and soulless (as they often are). It shouldn't be obvious how ten maps made off of a good formula are similar.

Perhaps it would be a fun contest or community project to write essays on what makes a game fun or more specifically what makes Doom fun? The paper could focus on elements for good DM gameplay or SP gameplay.

[40oz]

uggggghhhhhh I know their really general. I'm not really trying to prove my worth to you guys, I'm just saying that after spending so much time working with doom and judging peoples work and reading reviews, is having experience in this field ever gonna aid me if I take a particular career path?

[AirRaid]

It won't hurt, but I don't think it would be enough. You need more in your portfolio than just working with Doom levels and reading reviews. Currently you've got more going for you as a critic than as a designer.

[Super Jamie]

Try become a game mag writer or columnist?

Start by producing your own unique game review website, like Zero Punctuation.

That dude lives in the same city as me too, god it would be hilarious to run into him out drinking :D

[myk]

Hellbent said:
It's hard to come up with a single all encompassing formula... but I bet there is one.

Nah... but I'd say what you can do is form basic principles from which to work from. These will, though, vary from one designer to another. Yet various developers can feel part of "schools" that share a set of these, possibly based around other aspects such as ways of playing or aesthetic directions, if not all of them or in the same way.