Do you remember the colors of locked doors?

[Memfis]

One thing I noticed about the way I play Doom maps is that typically when I e.g. find a red key, I don't go to the red door: instead I go to the closest locked door. So basically, I can usually remember the locations of locked doors but not their colors. Is this common or should I take some memory tests maybe?

[scifista42]

I'm not even aware how do I remember locked doors, but I use the automap to find out the correct colored ones. :)

[Graf Zahl]

It depends on the level. Sometimes I get them mixed up, especially when the layout gets too confusing but most of the time I still can remember.

Of course for the originals and stuff I frequently play I already memorized all the important locations so this never becomes an issue.

[snapshot]

Sometimes i get confused between keys and skulls .

[Avoozl]

If you easily forget with three colours of keys then imagine playing a game with six different emblems of keys like Blood for example.

[Graf Zahl]

... or something like Hexen where the doors are marked with small icons at best.

[Xaser]

No trouble here -- colors have identities (and, by extension, so does Hexen's key setup), so they stick in the Xaserbrain. Now if they were numbered for some reason, I'd never be able to tell them apart. D:


I do suppose I have no idea what key really does what in Strife, but the game's progression style (e.g. an NPC saying "hey, go to the Keymaster!") makes it unnecessary to really know what's going on in your inventory. Good design, that.


[EDIT] Thinking more on this, I suppose there's a potentially-dangerous assumption I'm making when mapping. Since it's easy for me to remember where locked doors are, I'm probably assuming it's easy for everyone else too, which could be problematic in practice. :P

I've spouted for ages that keys+doors are superior to switch-locked doors in many aspects since the player is able to associate the trigger (key) with the action (door) much better since there's a common piece of identifying information (color) and declaration of what the trigger's supposed to do (OPEN the GOD DAMN DOOR, yo). Guess this isn't true for some folks, though. O:

[40oz]

Weird, but sometimes it helps to say the color out loud, even if just under your breath. "there's the red door"

Sometimes that helps take a mental picture of the location.

[Blastfrog]

As horrible as my memory tends to be, I have no problem remembering colors or numbers for identifying stuff in a game world.

[SFoZ911]

Usually as soon as I grab a key I automatically switch to the automap to look for the door unless it's a small map. I find the automap a great feature for not only help me navigate a map, but also understand the layout and the design of map.

[driftyloon]

Normally I remember where the locked door I need is except when it is a exceptionally large map. The thing that irritates me is in some Wads where they don't mark the doors! Therefore I have to look at the automap instead of the door.Also maps with keys in strangest of places :(

[Deleted_Account]

Generally, I remember them. Unless it's a massive, non-linear map than I'll be running around in circles.

[Fuzzball]

40oz said:

Weird, but sometimes it helps to say the color out loud, even if just under your breath. "there's the red door"

Sometimes that helps take a mental picture of the location.

I do this- even if I'm playing on my own I'll make lil' expressions and describe things as I go :D

[Deleted_Account]

Sometimes if I'm playing a rather large map and I know I'll forget where the door is, I go to the automap and mark it using numeric keys, same goes for stashes of goodies that I may need later.

[Hoodie]

I've always took a mental picture of it and would try to remember where it was once I get the key.

Sometimes I forget...Usually maps will flow to the door or it's an obvious backtrack to it.

[joe-ilya]

Depends, if the map is non-linear and bigger than a small map, if then, then yes, I don't remember the colors.

[AD_79]

Generally I remember the location and colour of key doors.

[Never_Again]

That's nothing. Do you remember the colors of the socks* you put on in the morning?
And more importantly, DO THEY MATCH?

-----------
* Not applicable if you are ghey and never wear socks. Stick with the locked doors then, just don't lose the closet key.

[MFG38]

I usually remember the location of a locked door. Usually.

[RUSH]

Very rarely will I remember, unless it's one of the maps from E1 that I've played to death. The addition of colored door lines for the automap in source ports is literally the greatest thing ever conceived. Colored door lines have probably prevented me from having a full-on aneurism.

[Surreily]

I rarely play maps where a situation like this would occur. Most of the time, it's either a linear journey through each door in turn, or all the doors are in the same location.

[Gez]

RUSH said:

Very rarely will I remember, unless it's one of the maps from E1 that I've played to death. The addition of colored door lines for the automap in source ports is literally the greatest thing ever conceived. Colored door lines have probably prevented me from having a full-on aneurism.

You can thank Raven Software because it's something taken from Heretic.

[Enjay]

I definitely remember the colours of locked doors. When I see a colour-marked door, it lodges in my head. I know that I have to find a key of that colour and I remember the location of the door reasonably well. This allows me to back track reasonably effificiently when returning after finding the key.

If I see more than one key requiring door before finding the keys then I sort of stack them in my head and tick them off mentally when finding the appropriate keys. Again, back tracking is helped by this.

As a result, when people don't mark key-requiring doors, it annoys me and it has a negative impact on how I play the map and on my general impression of the map. Similarly, if a mapper uses the traditional door marking textures as mere decoration with no relation to keys/key activated items then I also find that a little bit annoying.