A certain idea about a possible UD E4 Intermission Screen

[The_MártonJános]

Recently I was thinking about why the Hell I'm seeing only molten greyish black skulls in the background of "Sever the Wicked - Completed", while the same screen with "Computer Station", "Deimos Lab" and "Slough of Despair" represent an interactive background with places pointed at by a bloody red arrow "You are here", and also a blood patch appears on every place you have already made it through.

So, either lazyness or rushing about finishing Ultimate Doom, but even the lack of idea caused this to poor Ultimate Doom's fourth episode's intermission screen - just the recolouring of the brown one which is displayed in Doom II. The last option, though, is solved now, because of a rush thought crossing my mind at that certain point of time.

The flow begins from the lower part of the screen, which looks rather hellified and burnt up - the Hell just beaten. Hell Beneath is on the very-shores of this hellish scene. Going upside, the landscape start to form into something rather Earth-like, and the last two levels are in a quite "peaceful", Earth-like environment (though it would look like foolish in a DooM intermission, but never mind...

It was just a though coming. Here you can share your ideas about how you could have been imagined an E4 status screen or even organise your own fanwork to fill the hole Id software made (like the unfinished Commander Keen series which was continued by a guy called Ceilick).

[hervoheebo]

EP 4 just reminds me of.. grass, orange sky, wood and SUPPORT3. So yeah.

EP 4 not having a map in the intermission made it feel half-assed. Good to see someone is doing something about it.

[Hellbent]

Maybe this is why I never really appreciated the episode very much. Of course, you know, if DTWiD ends up doing an episode 4 and you do an intermission screen for it, we'll have to ask you to contribute it to the project. :D

[Xaser]

Skunk's made one before. It had a few parts I wasn't super happy with (a few buildings were obviously photo-rip houses :P ) but on the whole it was not bad at all. I seem to have misplaced it, though...

If DTWiD actually manages to spill over into a 5th episode, I wouldn't mind donating Lost Episode's E5 intermission+sky, assuming people would want it. :P

[40oz]

hervoheebo said:

half-assed

You could say half assed but don't forget the significant amount of work required to make it. There's only been a small pinch of wads that have ever replaced the Doom intermission backgrounds with new ones.

[hervoheebo]

All things considered, Ep 4 is pretty much a quick hack job, so to say, made to increase the amount of content of the retail version of Doom 1. They (id) could have gone for the extra mile to include new graphics, music and so on. To make the episode feel like an integral part of the game, like the rest of the episodes.

Obviously it's possible that it was never intended to be a proper episode, just some bonus levels intended as a little extra to the shelf version like I said previously. But that's why I don't like it as much as the other episodes, is what I'm saying.

[Gez]

Here's a thread with a custom interpic for episode 4. Requires ZDoom. Want a screenshot? Go here.

[The_MártonJános]

Thanks Gez. I was searching for one in these forums (Doomworld) not considering that the entire Doom universe doesn't consist of only these forums :D

[Alfonzo]

For some reason, I always got the impression that epsiode 4 was set in the Netherlands or Denmark or something. Must have been all the wood and grass. Smack a windmill on that intermission pic, flatten it out a bit and it's gold, Jerry. Gold!

[The_MártonJános]

Now, let me know how the hell this .7z file works!
I've downloaded it and launched with ZDooM, but the intermission screen remained to be the same asshole dull background.

[Gez]

Works for me, so you're doing something wrong somehow.

Type this command line in the ZDoom directory:
zdoom thyinterpic.7z +logfile log.txt

Choose the Ultimate Doom IWAD in the selector, then start episode 4, complete the first level, and look at the interpic.

If it's still not the custom interpic, then quit and paste here the content of the log.txt file that will have been created.

[The_MártonJános]

Gez said:

Type this command line in the ZDoom directory:
zdoom thyinterpic.7z +logfile log.txt

Uh, I didn't do anything like ^this^ before...

[Gez]

What, command lines? If you have Vista or 7, just go in the ZDoom directory and type "cmd" in the address bar of the file explorer window. It'll open a command window already placed in that directory.

With Windows XP, you'd have to install a "PowerToy" to get an equivalent feature. You may as well create a .bat file and copy/paste that line in it, it'll be simpler.

[Devalaous]

I really dont get that custom interpic, it looks like a farm or something. Isnt E4 inside that big castle thing at the end of Episode 3? Since you know, its in the ending screen for E4.

[Gez]

Ragnor said:

I really dont get that custom interpic, it looks like a farm or something. Isnt E4 inside that big castle thing at the end of Episode 3? Since you know, its in the ending screen for E4.

It's not a castle, it's a city with skyscrapers, in super-deforming perspective.

[The_MártonJános]

The "big castle" you're telling about is actually an invaded and demolished city on EARTH :D

[Devalaous]

I know its on Earth, but the look of the thing, along with pretty much every level looking like its in a castle...aside from Fear, but thats the secret level

Just had a look at it closely, and wth, it IS just cheaply bent skyscrapers. Way to ruin my interpretation of E4 :{