Uncertain Doom - MAP01 replacement!

[Reisal]

Here is what I've been working on this week..a techbase map for Doom 2 for MAP01, it just needs some final adjustments before uploading to the Archives.

Idgames download

Thanks for those who provided pre-archives feedback before I uploaded it there!

[Use]

Hmm it's ok. The final mass teleportation 'traps' were kinda meh. Maybe open up that architecture more in that area to make it a more interesting battle. Music is queer.

[ArmouredBlood]

FDA with prboom 2.5.0.5 -complevel 2. Unfortunately it seems the switch in the room before the pillars blocking the exit door and another door is broken, as it looks activated but idk what it did. Otherwise it's pretty fun, and the architecture is pretty cool, I like the 2 secrets I found, not sure if I missed one or if it was beyond what I got to.

EDIT: finished it in skulltag, and looked at your map in DB2. Apparently action 159 isn't vanilla doom2, as it says unknown in that format, and it recognizes it in boom. Idk what's up there.

About the last bit, you warp in a lot of random-seeming monsters, kind of lottery of pain. I guess it works but seems a bit weird. Also I don't think using all 3 keys works here, just having one and making a cool alcove for it with the baron and hk's closets opening seems good to me.

[Jodwin]

FDA UV-max on -complevel 9

+ I liked the music
+ It was fun
+ The tight ammo and health balance in the beginning was nice
+ A couple of nice traps

- The ammo and health balance was kind of lost towards the end...it was still balanced, but different style
- Lots of texturing mistakes, your tekgren was all over the place. Also see the crates in the blue key room. Read Essel's mapping tips.
- The teleporting hordes after both blue key and the red/yellow key were meh. The layout does need to be more open for them
- Well, overall the layout could be a little more open, and the rooms were very boxy
- The lamp in the red and yellow key room is dreadful. Remove.

[Reisal]

*Changed switch lowering silver bars to vanilla line action
*Lamp in Red/Yellow key removed
*Made areas wider/larger for teleporting monsters
*Changed starting room texture to GRAY7

[Jodwin]

Mr. Chris said:

*Made areas wider/larger for teleporting monsters

This isn't the main issue - the big problem is that during these fights there are no alternate routes or locations for either you or the monsters. For example, at the red/yellow key they just come at you from the door, rather than, say, coming from two directions. Similarly you're stuck into that small room with no other options than just stand there and shoot at the monsters. At the blue key, on the other hand, the monsters will just stand at the upper end of the stairs which leads to a rather plain and boring fight. Although if you just made the stairs easier for the monsters to come down, the fight would be hardly different from the red/yellow key one (monsters coming from one way). Try adding side rooms and/or routes to the fights to make them more interesting.

(I realize this can be hard and frustrating when you've got an otherwise complete layout, but if you could do it well it would improve the fights dramatically)

[Super Jamie]

First play. 1 death, 1 completion. UV. PrB+ complevel 9

It's a similar style to your other maps, vanilla-feeling with some finer detail here and there but with Doom 2 monsters in it. This isn't a bad thing as you make fun maps :)

I walk back and forth over a couple of areas to indicate things. First is a lamp sector that could do with a blocking line.

Second is the grate lifts which should be monster-blocked or something to stop the lift just going up and down in front of you because bad guys get stuck half-on it. You could even reverse the vertical direction of that whole encounter, so the player has to go UP a lift and face monsters straight away.

I thought giving the SSG that early was a bit of a nerf. I would have waited at least until the first Revenant, the above-mentioned grate lift, or the stairwell just before the huge trap where I die.

Speaking of, the hordes-of-monsters traps were kinda rubbish. That first one I just sit there and snipe through the window with the chaingun.

The next is then way too hard as it's very easy to just get blocked in, panic and die which is how I got my first death. I'm all for attacks coming from multiple directions but I thought that one was a bit too much. I only just escaped it the second time.

The last one is boring, except for the Revenant there's no real threat cos it's just weaker stuff coming from the front, and coming pretty slowly at that. You also have a shitload of ammo by the end, which is a concern if you're planning a MAP02.

Overall enjoyable, good use of the weaker enemies to place the player in danger in early parts, a few points could be better.

[Reisal]

-Escape routes from stairwell trap and Yel/Red key room added
-SSG moved to upper computer room overlooking the first hallway at the start
-Another surprise regarding the final teleport trap
-Stairs leading to exit room widened so demons can move up and down them into the exit room easier.
-Cacodemon removed from first teleport trap to keep him from teleporting to secret corridor.

I think it is ready for Archives upload now..

[Super Jamie]

Cool. I played this again a few times simply cos it's a good bit of fun. You know this already but I love the way you lay out your rooms and windows and enemy placement, also re-use the same areas, it really gives a good sense of "3D space" wherever you are. The first view of the exit door in particular is so classic :)

Couple more tips:

Make the chainsaw secret slightly more visible? It's totally missable there.

Don't use Lost Souls in the final teleporter. When they charge you, they get stuck on Things like weapons other enemies have dropped and there's heaps of those around, the LSs end up being kinda pointless.

[Reisal]

Idgames link added.