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Lycaon

[DEMO] Doom Happens - v0.4 Major Remastering, last Alpha version

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Cyberpunk/Horror Fantasy, story driven TC-ish map pack for GZDoom


"That was... strange" - Suitepee




Greetings, Doom community. I'm currently working on a .pk3 featuring 6 maps for GZdoom. "Doom Happens" is a project I'd started a few years ago and, unfortunately, lost every single map in a failed backup. The idea was to make a Megawad, but now that I've started over I'm taking a different approach.


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::Downloads::

GZDoom only

Doom Happens - Alpha demo 0.41


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::What's this about?::

The idea is to make a map pack consisting of a few large, themed maps with a strong narrative element throughout the whole thing. I'm making cutscenes, ingame dialogs, characters, etc. The game is divided into chapters. Each map will have 2-3 chapters aprox. The maps will have abundant minibosses fights, as well as a final boss for each map. I have a whole cosmology tought over for this universe. Each map after the first one and before the final one will take place in different realms of purgatory. Each of this realms is a sort of eternal plane of existence where an aspect of reality lies in its pure form (Darkness, Flesh, Conflict, Machine, Mind, Lust, Light, those last 3 won't be playable though), but they have been taken over by powerful people that managed to enter purgatory in body and soul, hence enabling them to draw power from this realms and creating vast armies. This will lead to bizarre clashes, each of this powerful villains being famous people in history that somehow were related to the occult. For example, the second map will be in the Darkness realm, and there you will find the castle of DrĂ¡cula (Vlad Tepes in his human life), which was built in purgatory to serve as a mirror to the material castle still standing in transylvania, object of popular lore. Said map will be a tribute to Castlevania, and will mimic many of the NES classic's mechanichs in FPS form. Each map will have unique traits and mechanichs to it. To give another example, the flesh themed map will constantly change architecture, as the whole map will be the titanic body of the boss itself, who will shift forms to create traps and decieve you, twisting your notion of space to stop you from reaching his heart. The first map, which is the longest and is still in development (there is a demo of chapter 1), has a urban warfare/survival concept. You will be fighting human soldiers, assassins and robots in this one, but later in the map there will also be zombies (still not released). It's a huge map, consists of the first 3 chapters. I estimate each chapter has about 40 min gameplay, though for some people it takes over an hour to beat the first one in the demo.

Everything in the demo map will be improved in some way in the future, so bear in mind that the finished thing will attempt to look different. I will try to implement features like a PDA with monster logs and weapon descriptions.


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::Story::

You are Sgt. Woods, an ireful soldier from an 80's styled futuristic cyberpunk world divided by a civil war between two factions: People's army, a group of rebel soldiers and ex-members of the dismantled US army, and Monochrome, a dark corporation that is taking over the world and have formed an alliance with the EDF (who are, at the same time, smuggling state of the art weapons from the UAC). His team was ambushed during a very important mission and, having sworn vengeance, Woods continues alone, and eventually ends up in purgatory (dem teleporters). He then travels across five realms of otherwordly landscapes in which he will face his own destiny.


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::Screenshots::


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::Features::

- 6 maps with different themes (urban, medieval, titanic, tech, flesh and Inferno)

- Textures, monsters, weapons and items taken from different sources such as realm667, as well as original Doom stuff.

- A silenced pistol can be used if you like playing stealthy.

- Narrative. Cutscenes. Ingame dialogs -no voice, just text- and a combination of run n' gun action with ingame storytelling

- 16-bit music from Arcade classics and popular game tracks in general. 80's movies soundtracks here and there.

- Mini-bosses and Bosses, some will have to be killed in unique ways

- Loads of references to games -old and new-, movies and popular culture in general

- It will feature a button to skip cutscenes, but it is not yet available in the demo. However, cutscenes are very short and usually there is autosave after them, just in case. Currently you can still skip the opening cutscene which is the longest.

The story is not going to take itself too seriously, it will have tragic and comedic moments, introduced by the many pop culture references.
I'm currently nearing completion of the first map, which is the most extensive and complicated one, for it takes place in a city and is the less conventional map (the others will be much, much more doomish, with more classical monsters). Nevertheless, the rest of the maps and the story are already planned and thought over.


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::News::

EDIT [03/16/16]: Major remastering of the map. This will be the last Alpha before the Beta. I've done countless things to it: nearly total retexturing of most of the map areas, enhanced stealth system (enemies will have a hard time shooting at you when you stand in dark places) as well as gameplay changes to the Alpha zone to take advantage of this feature, more architectural detail pretty much everywhere, swinging and sliding doors, flickable light switches, resized textures for duke nukem and kingpin patches that looked gigantic (specially doors), new decal effects for blood and bullet puffs, loads of new props, new visual effects for explosions, slightly rebalanced difficulty, new sounds, improved weapon animation for the rifle, new fonts... I've done everything I could, but it's still the same length, all the new parts for chapter 2 are still in development, though I included a piece of it as "MAP01F" if anyone wants to have sneak peak at what I'm doing. Simply enter "map map01f" in the console. The reason why I did this is that I want this mod to look tight and polished and let you know that i'm taking this serious. I plan to add even more features in time. This goes to show that I do not intend this to be an amateur map pack, I'll do my best with it. I will keep improving this as I learn more about editing myself, since this is my first project and started it without even knowing how to script.

Older news
Spoiler

EDIT [12/23/15]: UPDATE: There is still a lot to polish, but I think there are major improvements in gameplay and a lot of new visual details. Cutscenes are way better now, with more cuts and better shots. there are new dialog lines all over the place that explain a little more of what's going on and what you are doing. This version ends with the Gamma section of the EDF building complete, the previous one was cut in half, so now there is a sense of closure, like a chapter ending, insted of a sudden black screen. The city areas are still in need of some detail, but now it's getting closer to what I want to do in the end.

EDIT [7/13/15]:10:15 am - Alpha 0.21 released. Just some second thoughts on ammo ammounts, no big deal. They have been reduced to make it so that you have to scavenge some more to survive. There's still more than enough, you just won't be sitting on countless ammo you have no use for.

6:45 am - Alpha 0.2 released. After what seemed to be a very hard first version, I have just released this second rebalanced one. The main change here is the difficulty, which has been dropped down a notch. You will also find some minor bug fixes as well as a reworked sound propagation which now allows the player to play stealthy with the silenced pistol more easily at the beginning. Almost every enemy now has less hp and lousier accuracy, and there are a few more bullets around the place. The story is also included in the .txt file along with the enemy list, that provides more background as to who you are slaughtering.

EDIT [7/11/15]: DEMO RELEASED: This is a first take at what i'm trying to accomplish in the long term. I have uploaded this manily to recieve feedback. I take all kind of advices into account, please share your thoughts. This first version is far from the finished project, It's just the first half of the first map, which happens to be a long map. This first map is not very "doomish", since you only fight human soldiers and robots, which behave differently from the demons of the original DOOM. This is why I want to know if the direction i'm taking for this introduction level is working out for now. I promise the other 5 maps will be much, much more DOOM-oriented.

In the future, I might add an introductory cutscene in the menu that explains a bit of what's going on with the story. All there is in the .txt I included is a list of enemies so as to be introduced a little bit in the universe of the game. I have not finished the .txt that goes with every wad submission, mainly because the credits are too many. I do not claim to have done any of the resources here, most of them are taken from elsewhere. I asked permission when permission wasn't already given in the page I took it from. I did redo some decorates from scratch and edited every other one in a way or another, but mostly my work is on the map and the scripts.


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::Troubleshooting::

. Invisible polyobject doors? Try a non-dev version of GZDoom builder
. Zandronum version has been discontinued, it has major bugs and makes some of the parts of the map I have made since the last version unplayable.
. If you experience fps drop when steping outside, try switching fog mode from "radial" to "standard" in the options menu.
. Keep the fonts unresized, otherwise dialogs and text in general wil be extremely buggy


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::Changelog::
Spoiler

v0.41

. Some aesthetical changes recommended by Ozymandias81
. Corrected typos in dialogs

v0.4

Major remastering

. Enhanced stealth system: enemies won't be able to aim very well at you in the dark

. Flickable light switchs (so as to put the stealth system to use)

. Retextured most of the map

. Resized gigantic textures

. Loads of new props

. More detailed geometry and extensive use of 3D floors implemented

. Enhanced weapon animation for rifle

. Decal blood and bullet puff effects

. New explotion effects

. Changed fire sound for the machinegun

. Rebalanced difficulty

. Reduced file size (even though there are lots of new textures, sprites and sounds, I deleted lots of unused textures from previous releases. I mean A LOT)

. Decorate and script overhaul: no more yellow or red error messages should appear when running GZDoom. Much cleaner decorates all around.

. Falling damage implemented

. Type "map map01f" in the console if you want to take a sneak peak at an in development section of chapter 2. Nothing's nearly final there.

v0.32

.Fixed bug that made you star in a box after the initial sequence if you don't skip the cutscene

v0.31

. Fixed bug that stopped Beatrix Kiddo from coming back after she teleports in the middle of the fight
. Minor dialogs added and revised cutscenes

v0.3

. Difficulty rebalance
. Realistic stealth mechanichs
. Improved and new cutscenes as well as more expository ingame dialogs that explain some of what you see
. 2 new mini-boss battles (the end to the Gamma section of the EDF building)
. Lots of minor visual improvements around the place
. New sprites (player specific sprites and black skinned marines)
. Minor bugfixes
. Polished some scripting and decorates

v0.22

. The short lived v0.21 had more ammo, but it was way too much. Rebalanced ammo ammounts in general.
. Fixed sound bug with Captain Lance's fireballs

v0.21

. You can now jump over the table at the director's office

v0.2

. Difficulty rebalance. Grenadiers, Assault troopers, Paladins, Black Ops and Heaven Guards all have less health. Hitscan enemies have less accuracy and lower fire rate. Minibosses don't shoot so often and a bit less rapidly.
. You can now skip the introductory scene, which is the longest one. I still haven't done a button to skip cutscenes, but they really are very short and there's usually an autosave after them when you are not in danger of being autosaved in a harsh situation.
. Rework of the sound propagation in the city area. It is now easier to play with the silenced pistol in the first parts before you confront the main building opening its gates.
. Minor fixes: sound bug with the fire effect, "to be continued..." message when the map is over, relocation of certain enemies


Let me know what you think!

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I'd be happy to play a demo when you have one ready.

Oh, and if you can't get all this stuff done for your first release, don't sweat it. Sometimes it's better to release a few small maps, improve/refine your own personal style, then try to move on to something big like what you have planned here.

I mean no offense, I just found this approach to work better in my early mapping days. Best of luck regardless which approach you take!

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I get what you mean. Even though this would be my first release, it is not my first map, I have done about ten in the past, but lost every single one. I think I might be able to pull all this off, perhaps in a future re-release I could improve some of the visuals, but the scripting and stuff I can manage.

Anyways, right now i'm inspired and really want to do this, so I'll take my chances.

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Man, I'm really liking the look of these screenshots - I've always loved city themed wads. The level of detail appears just right, hard to say for sure without a demo, but this most certainly looks promising. The new gun sprites are very well done, they fit right in with the Duke3D inspired environment.

Keep it up man, and most of all, take your time. Looks like you've poured quite a lot of effort in here!

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Doomkid said:

Man, I'm really liking the look of these screenshots - I've always loved city themed wads. The level of detail appears just right, hard to say for sure without a demo, but this most certainly looks promising. The new gun sprites are very well done, they fit right in with the Duke3D inspired environment.

Keep it up man, and most of all, take your time. Looks like you've poured quite a lot of effort in here!


The map is not far from over, the only thing stopping me all the time is having to learn ACS at every single step. I still have to do a HUB thing with smooth pitch black screen transitions and a bunch of actor modifications and switchs that activate multiple stuff... and about 25% of mapping left also. So I guess I'll release a demo in about 2 or 3 weeks, I'll let you know.

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The M16 has been replaced by a machine gun, which is the same being used by the enemies in black. The main reason is that the M16 was angled whereas the rest of the weapons were centered. Also, it fits the enviroment much more and the sprite is better overall.

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DEMO ANNOUNCED - view first post, it has been edited with new screenshots

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CPL. Menendez and SGT. Woods? Okay something is telling me that's not some coincidence. Any way, screen shots look cool. I'd love to give this a try

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Yes, that's one reference amongst other douzens.

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Demo uploaded! Let me know what you think of it

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Well after spamming the resurrect cheat a bunch I finally beat it (I think). Played on ultra-violence... I think you should put some more bullet ammo in the beginning or reduce the amount of overkill enemies (actually I think you should reduce the enemies overall since all those hitscanners fill me with holes. But it was okay in some parts (like the hallway after that captain lance fight guy, thought it does get repopulated every time you leave it :P). I liked how messages popped up when I interacted with buildings, ATM, monster deaths, item pickups etc. When I was told that the beta switch would lead to death... yup that was right because it was like an instant death trap >.<. I liked the atmosphere of a city war zone and the details of the aftermath of a firing squad and gunfire ambiance. I think I picked up a rocket launcher of some sort but no ammo for it... also I think you should have kept the silenced pistol out of that level since it feels kinda useless if there's no stealth section (I guess you could try playing stealthily but that's not exactly an option I feel >.<). I liked the cool laser turret, also as another thought maybe you should reduce the health of most of the baddies since if they can kinda insta-kill me I should be able to do the same to most of em... I'm talking about the guys that shoot grenades in particular(I guess just reduce their numbers by a lot). You should give me a alternate fire grenade to punch 'em back. I wish you let me jump off the table in the poison gassed office, that would have let me take less damage, also you should make that exit more noticeable in the bath.

About the story... most of the time I didn't know who anyone was or what the heck was happening. Who's Budd, and Monochrome (nvm I read the text document) ? However, I did find the introduction of the Deadly Viper Assassin Squad kinda funny with that barrage of names out of nowhere. Vernita Green really was a deadly assassin with her infinite ammo throwing knives and being in the dark (I didn't even know what hit me so she succeeded in being an assassin). Elle Driver was very much overkill. Also is Natasha Sgt. Wood's girlfriend or something? So was that the end of the map? After that bit the screen fades black and there isn't even an exit going on I'm just left there wondering if something is supposed to happen or not.

Overall gameplay was kinda bad, everything else was pretty cool. I liked your ideas and call of duty sort of stuff adventure - it was nice, and reminded me of my little army fantasies years ago :)

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Well, thank you very much for your insight. I was starting to believe nobody would say anything. I will upload a new version with less and easier enemies (less health, less accuracy), more ammo and the story I wrote in this post included in the .txt, as well as further explanation as to what's going on. About the assassin's, they are taken from Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. Their special traits are done after their specialization in the movies. And no, that's not the end of the map, but I already said that in the original post. I only uploaded this to see how other people would fair in the map, since I already know it by memory and it's too easy for me. Thanks again!

EDIT: I forgot, did you check the pit with all your dead allies? It has a lot of ammo for the rocket launcher and other guns in general. Also check every dumpster and pile of thrash, there's items everywhere.

EDIT 2: Now that I think about it, that might not be obvious, I might have to make it clear through something the character says as soon as you go down the first lift that takes you to the street level.

EDIT 3: The whole first section of the map can be done with the silenced pistol, up until you open the gates to the EDF building (except the uac robot of course)

EDIT 4: It was supposed to say "to be continued" at the end, I screwed up with a that script, sorry

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v0.2 Released! See the main post for a changelog

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Played the update again on ultra-violence and I think it was a lot easier this time knowing where stuff was put and using the rifle (I hardly used it the first time). I would say there is too much ammo now (the beginning is okay in that I guess, just saying not all of it was picked up and used but w/e) since there was a bunch of ammo laying on the ammo shelves and lots of other places. Reducing enemy hp = less bullets it takes to kill them. I think the enemy hp change was a good thing (might need some tweaking) and it was a lot easier this time around, especially just using the rifle most of the time. I had an abundance of ammo laying around for other weapons though. I didn't find it boring or repetitive (though I can be easy to please, especially since I just woke up) and I think a problem with the gameplay is that when I do take damage it's usually in large amounts in sudden bursts, like having plasma or a grenade in my face. The assassin fights were in rooms pretty cramped and when I try to dodge I run into a wall. I'm certainly not the best Doom player and I tend to play pretty rashly so don't hold up everything I say as I'm just one playtester with my opinions.

That's all I got right now so, uh, later.

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Well, it's true, I got carried away with ammunition. I've made a couple sound bug fixes as well as rebalancing the ammo issue in v0.22, which is already available. I don't think people who already played it will play it again just for some minor fixes, but people who haven't played it yet might have a better experience now.

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I was somewhat worried by the large filesize, but seeing all of those custom graphics and other various bits made me realize why. Totally worth the big download in terms of resources - Normally stuff like this comes straight down to mp3s, though I can tell that's not the case here, which is great right off the bat.

I'm really liking what you've put together here so far. Great use of custom resources and very atmospheric design in what's there as of now. It's not often I come accross wads with a story and I think that's one major plus you've got going for you here. Keep it up man, looking forward to seeing this develop further :)

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Actually, out of the 62 mb, there's about 20 mb in mp3's... but yeah, overall it's mostly graphics and sounds such as voices for the soldiers.

In the mean time, here's a sneak peak at what i'm doing on the other side of the lift after you finnish the demo. The idea is that O-Ren Ishii comes at you in the building's rooftop with a railgun (she was a sniper in the movie), and runs along the balcony while she sends weak enemies to distract you (not the crazy 88). To that purpose, you'll have the minigun to quickly get rid of said enemies (in case you didn't already have it by finding it in a secret). I'm just drawing the general layout of the fight and I haven't done the decorate for the actual miniboss yet, but it will be something like this: she will fire high damaging railguns but will take a while to aim and actually shoot. That is your chance. Nevertheless, since she runs really fast and quits firing as soon as you hit her, it's hard to keep track of her and could stab you in the back. With a giant steel bar launched at gauss force, that is. To balance this, she will have much less health than all prior minibosses. It will hopefully be a tight, suspenseful fight. Probably gonna use Metal Gear Solid's battle music.

EDIT: I know some textures are offset, I just didn't start with the detail yet.

Screenshots here:

Spoiler





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I'm bumping this so that people who might have had performance issues with this know that I included a Troubleshooting section in the main post. Long story short: If you have an fps drop when you go outside, set fog mode to "standard" and keep the fonts without any resize (this is because messages display incorrectly otherwise).

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Big trouble in little china.

Spoiler

I'm enhancing all the city visuals for a more convincing cyberpunk atmosphere.

Here's some sneakpeek into a flashback cutscene and the fight against O-Ren Ishii
Spoiler





I'm striving for a more tight and visually filled enviroment, but I also changed most of the cutscenes since the new ones were getting much better. I'm using much more cuts and less panoramic shots to give it more rythm.

Here's a before-after comparison of the detail level of a shot.
Spoiler


Before


After


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New version uploaded. I'm hoping to correct some of the mistakes I made in the last version, but this is still far, far away from the finished product.

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I have no idea why more people aren't giving this feedback. I'm going to leave some proper comments soon - been bogged down with other stuff, but I just want others to join me. This looks like a lot of effort and it warrants some responses :)

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I'll be most grateful for some insight, i'm kind of in the dark here lol. I guess this type of map is not most people's cup of tea.

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v0.31 uploaded. There was a major bug that slipped through my tests last time. In the last fight against Beatrix Kiddo she would stop coming back after teleporting a couple times. I think that is fixed now, and you can see the actual end of the wad. I'm sorry about that one.

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I'm really sorry about v0.31, there was a bug that made you start in a box unless you skipped the initial cutscene. v0.32 solves the issue, it's right there in the download section.

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Hey man I'd just like to say that I've been keeping my eye on this for a while now and though I unfortunately haven't had the time to test this I have to agree with Doomkid that this looks nice and this amount of work really should warrant more responses.

I hope you continue work on this and I'll try to make some time when I get my laptop back to do a little playtesting on this thing. Gonna be a couple weeks, though.

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