Nightmare Difficulty

[flubbernugget]

I'm trying to create a map designed to be playable on Nightmare difficulty without an annoying amount of difficulty. Is there any way I can limit the wad to be only playable on Nightmare and not any of the other difficulties?

[SaladBadger]

The closest you can come is flag all objects so they aren't there on HMP/ITYTD/HNTR, but UV still exists. If you are using Zdoom though you can create custom skill levels. You could just remove all but nightmare.

[Gez]

Not really.

ZDoom lets you define new skill levels, and you can clear out the default skills, so you could make a small MAPINFO lump which would let only a copy of the Nightmare skill available. (Would be a good idea to get rid of the confirmation message while you're there, since it would be the only skill available; though I think that if only one is defined then it is automatically selected and you skip the skill selection menu anyway.)

Some ports, notably ZDoom and Eternity, also allow you to skip the skill selection menu and use a skill selection map. You could make one that only lets you select Nightmare. I'm not sure if both ports use a compatible system for doing so, though. ZDoom requires you to define an episode with the noskillmenu property in MAPINFO. Then the first map of that episode serves as an introduction map. Then you use a 179:ChangeSkill linedef near the exit of the intro map. This mean your skill selection map has to be in Doom-in-Hexen format. (The following map might be in standard Doom-in-Doom format, though.)

I have absolutely no idea how Eternity does it, though. I know the engine supports it since it allows you to use its own internal skill selection map, so it has stuff for that. I just don't know which, and can't even find that map in its data files.

But anyway, all this would just mean that people using another port wouldn't be affected.

[Jodwin]

You can make a readme for the map and in big block letters write "PLAY ONLY ON NIGHTMARE" in the description-field.

[Chopkinsca]

Jodwin said:

You can make a readme for the map and in big block letters write "PLAY ONLY ON NIGHTMARE" in the description-field.

Yeah, but who reads the text files?

[gggmork]

If for boom, maybe make a dummy map01 that most will thus see, that just has a custom texture w/ writing that says 'nightmare only. rest = cheating bla bla' & warp to exit. Then put the real map on 02.
Or put a dummy blank text file in the zip called 'nightmareOnly.txt' so everyone would immediately see it.

[myk]

Limiting a WAD to nightmare seems like a waste of potential to me. Since in NM you can't kill all the monsters players just try to reach the exit or at most visit all the secrets, without having to face every monster in the level, with good planning and testing you can ensure that the necessary areas are doable in NM while leaving "all kills" play still balanced for ultra-violence. As they are different modes of play, with competent play testing you should be able to make both work.

[40oz]

In addition to what was said above, you can also limit ammo so it's pretty near impossible to kill everything given the ammo provided unless it is doubled which Nightmare does. But if monsters are respawning i guess that doesn't make much sense.

myk said:

Limiting a WAD to nightmare seems like a waste of potential to me. Since in NM you can't kill all the monsters players just try to reach the exit or at most visit all the secrets, without having to face every monster in the level, with good planning and testing you can ensure that the necessary areas are doable in NM while leaving "all kills" play still balanced for ultra-violence. As they are different modes of play, with competent play testing you should be able to make both work.

I kinda agree. Fast monsters isn't necessarily a whole lot different than normal monster behavior. And with some clever traps you make the player have to backtrack an area one or two times but still have to suffer teleport ambushes where Nightmare-respawned monsters would have been.