Can we have another birthday map thread? :)

[valkiriforce]

I'm not totally sure that I have the inspiration to make any maps but I may like to challenge myself to make birthday map(s) for anyone who has a birthday coming up or had one recently. Also it always seems to be a good challenge for the community in general as it is all done in good spirit and almost in a speedmap fashion. I had a lot of fun the last time I did this and it seems people enjoyed doing it as well.

Also my birthday is May 11th, so there's that as well. :)

[Obsidian]

I made one recently for Pavera.:) He said something about streaming it on his channel...thing, so I've got that to look forward to.

[Deertag]

I'm not sure what a birthday map is, but mine was on April 8th :)

[Merry Widow]

December 27.

[Larzuk]

Deertag said:

I'm not sure what a birthday map is, but mine was on April 8th :)

A birthday map is a map made for someones birthday. In the past there have been a couple maps dedicated to the birthdays of certain months.

[Antroid]

Hey, mine was just on the 19th. But I don't really care for single maps without a backstory and things like that so a birthday map seems largely pointless. Don't even know why I posted this.

[scifista42]

The *problem* I feel there is with birthday threads / maps is how to involve newcomers or less-prominent members. What is right and who should participate?

For example me. I cannot at all say I'm a prominent member of Doomworld community. In addition, in my personal life I'm a really shy person, which I'm (honestly) trying to hide when making appearance on internet forums. I've already seen birthday threads here, and in fact, my own birthday will be soon. Nevertheless, I'd hesitate to either ask for a map for my birthday, either to make a map for a well-known member. In the first case it would be from fear of being inappropriately selfish - meh, nobody knows that guy and he asks for presents, how daring! In the second case, I'd be afraid that the person who received a map from somebody unknown, who isn't his friend, *might* take it as "asskissing". You know, I (and other very shy people, I'll try to speak for all) tend to always think this way, and not only in real life. If I was a long-time well-known member of this community, considering other members my friends and they were considering me a friend, then I'd behave differently, but this...

I also don't know why I posted this.

[Antroid]

I really think you're overthinking it, and it's coming from someone who also overthinks things constantly. You can always just throw a request/hint out there and forget about it. Doesn't mean you "demand" one, just state the simple fact that your birthday is approaching or happened recently, and if someone is feeling inspired they may just make a random map on this occasion - just to have a reason to make one. Similiarly with making one for someone, it doesn't really have to mean anything, even if you customize the map for the person in question, imitating their style for example. You just wanted a reason to make a map, and that's true if the person isn't really your friend or anything. They won't think too much of it probably.

[Tristan]

I made one for Cannonball back in February. Was a definite speedmap as it only took me about half an hour. I think they're pretty useful for speedmapping, and it was pretty fun making it, even though the final result was pretty poor.

tl;dr - What valkiriforce said.

July 3rd here.

[dobu gabu maru]

I made this joke wad for someone that wanted a birthday map (can't remember who).

[40oz]

I don't know for sure if I founded the idea of making maps as gifts for people on their birthday, but I often saw it as a challenge to make a functional level before the day was over.

Sometimes I'd intentionally design the level in a style that I thought the mapper would appreciate, by trying to simulate the things that they do in their own maps, or have shown are the kind of maps they like to play.

Mr. Chris, I think is the first doomer that I made a birthday map for, and when I created it, I started with bulky supports and tons of ammo and monsters, because at the time, I had observed that he liked playing Oblige megawads with tons of monsters, so I thought it would be nice to give him something that was sort of in that vein.

I made a map for Zap610's birthday that was kinda a gothic-brick sort of map, because for some reason I pinned him as some kind of an RPG, castlevania liking guy. I'm not even sure if that's true, maybe he'll come in to this thread randomly to confirm it. Doubt it though.

If I didn't know the guy very well I usually just made a short linear detailed techbase since that's a pretty open and generally accepted theme for a doom level. I haven't made any birthday levels in a long time because I'm rarely full of spare time like I used to be, and I usually see peoples birthday threads pop up 3 days after they were made. So I kinda feel like I don't meet the qualifications I made up for that job. It's good to see the idea catch on though, because maps are quick, easy, and very thoughtful gifts to share with us Doomers, and since other people can download them too, everybody wins.

[valkiriforce]

Deertag said:

I'm not sure what a birthday map is, but mine was on April 8th :)

Does this mean you want a birthday map? And if so, any kind of map style you enjoy?

[Xaser]

Hmm, if we're going to post birthdays, mine's coming up rather quicklike. April 28th.

(According to my ZDoom forums profile, looks like I'm turning 100 again.)

[Scypek2]

Wow, I'm here for quite a long time, have a Member rank and all, but I still feel like a newbie for some reason :) . My birthday is on September 21st anyway.

[schwerpunk]

Scypek2 said:

Wow, I'm here for quite a long time, have a Member rank and all, but I still feel like a newbie for some reason :) . My birthday is on September 21st anyway.

September birthdays, represent!! I was born on the 2nd of the same month. For some reason or another, it seems to be a pretty rare birth month.

EDIT: Never mind! Turns out it's quite common! I guess I'm just lonely. :P

[ClumsyDoomer]

Birthday maps would be good gifts for me, at least they're easy to make :) BTW, my birthday is September 13th (I had few birthdays in Friday 13th :p)
I've never made any birthday maps, but you gave me a good idea (*shhh* I don't know about Xaser's birthday)

[schwerpunk]

Dear God, I just whipped up the shittiest example ever (pic) of a birthday map's layout. Anyway, I like the idea of a Slough of Despair-type reference to a birthday cake. Only it would be optimized for the automap, so it could be pretty complex if one made use of hidden lines and secret lines, instead of a boring, unplayable piece of crap, as is pictured above.

Ideally, I would find out a few details about the birthday person and work them into the level.