BACULUS: 32 Map Scythe / Doom 2 Inspired Megawad (Now On Idgames)

[Memfis]

Any updates? :)

[Crunchynut44]

8 hours ago, Memfis said:

Any updates? :)

Oh dear I forgot about this poor lost soul. I've done a bit of ground work like title screen art and MIDI replacement, but there is still a fair bit of stuff I need to do for it. Might try and get this out within a month or 2 completely playable. Cheers!

[Pure Hellspawn]

I very rarely say this, but Memfis deserves a reward for a good necro post. If this site had badges...

[Linguica]

I mirrored a copy of this in the OP so it won't go dying on us. I also played through the first three levels and it looks very promising!

[Valboom]

great gameplay and great music!

[Keyboard_Doomer]

I approve of this necropost. I can finally post this list of issues I've been sitting on for over a year now...

MAP06:
- Small nitpicky misalignments near blue key. I suppose there are more small misalignments in the wad, only noticed these because I was checking the difference in -complevel 2 and -complevel 9 behavior of the switch that lowers the pillar with blue key.
MAP09:
- Possible to get stuck inside the room with yellow key if you walk over the pillar with key again because the switch (line 135) to open the bars to get out is one-time only.
MAP12:
- A hanging corpse (thing 260) blocking player from above.
MAP13:
- A hanging corpse (thing 96) near the blue key blocks the player from above.
MAP15:
- Sector 228 locks player(s) inside the area with red key and in case they all die the rest of the player can't progress in the map
- The pillar with the red key (sector 218) should be slightly raised because it's easily possible to pick up the key without even lowering the pillar (however you still need to walk over the lowered pillar to progress in the map)
MAP19:
- A mancubus can use the teleporter (line 1483) leading to the blue key and get stuck there. Probably best to make line 1483 or 1488 monster-blocking.
MAP21:
- Possible to fall off and get stuck near blue key (next to sector 10).
MAP24:
- One arachnotron (thing 48) stuck on a pillar.
MAP25:
- Hanging corpse (thing 46) blocks the player from above.
MAP28:
- Misaligned texture here - it's behind the switch (line 951) that lowers the yellow key
MAP29:
- Possible to fall off and get stuck near red key in 2 different places in sector 18. The good news is if you do manage to get out with either cheating or archvile jump you can make the Doomguy fly.

 

 

It says in the title this is a boom megawad but you mention in the OP that a lower compatibility might be possible. I played the maps with -complevel 2 and here are the issues I noticed (all of these are irrelevant if you play with -complevel 9):

 

MAP06:
- The switch (line 2346) to lower the blue key requires -complevel 9 to work correctly.
MAP08:
- The switch (line 414) to lower the red key requires -complevel 9 to work correctly.
MAP09:
- The switch (line 1704) to lower the yellow key requires -complevel 9.
MAP10:
- One zombieman (thing 9) at the start is deaf and doesn't wake up until you either move or shoot him.
MAP12:
- Seems like the switch (line 1657) to raise a floor gets broken if at the same time you press it the baron there blocks the floor from raising. If that happens you can't press the switch again even though it is repeatable.
- Pressing line 426 (a switch) works as intended except the pain elementals don't teleport in. I believe the reason for this is that the PEs are stuck in their closets (sectors 179-181) because the ceilings are too low and that prevents the floors from lowering in -complevel 2.
MAP13:
- Sector 200 (with a hell knight behind it) doesn't lower in -complevel 2.
MAP15:
- A candle (thing 199) floating in the air.

MAP23:
- The chaingunner (thing 23) in the first room is deaf.
MAP32:
- Walk-over lines (lines 2917-2920) by blue key to release cacodemons require -complevel 9.

Edited March 14, 2018 by Keyboard_Doomer

[Memfis]

Also on Map18 you can get stuck behind a crate here: https://i.imgur.com/5bePIh9.png

[Crunchynut44]

Thanks so much for the extensive testing, I do want the project to be limit-removing and its only boom now because I'm a lazy SOAB! So I will take all those bugs into account and start to polish this WAD and get it out. As for multiplayer every level was designed with only SP in mind, I will try my best to make it playable and bug free for multiplayer but I won't be doing much testing unless someone wants to help out in that department.

 

Thanks for playing what I have so far guys, much appreciated!

 

Edit: as for that doomguy flying bug goes I might leave that one in there, I've never seen that before. Plus I like speedrunning and hopefully someone can use that to their advantage somehow. Good find!

[Keyboard_Doomer]

I've played the wad many times in multiplayer during this 2-year beta period and I would say unless you plan to make plenty of big changes I wouldn't worry much about many new issues appearing. Also, speaking for TeamTNS, as soon as the wad has full 32 maps (or whatever is the goal) we're ready to test it on Thursday Night Survival. 

 

Regarding the flying doomguy - the issue there is that you actually get stuck in that place and can't move. You can get out with an archvile jump however that of course requires the archvile nearby to be still alive when you get stuck. I only recorded the video (using jumping) because I thought the long flight was hilarious. Never managed to reach the key/BFG this way.

[Crunchynut44]

Just a quick update/bump. I have finished map 30 and polished some of the bugs you guys pointed out as well as doing some testing of my own and just doing all round maintenance. I have updated the OP with the latest version (2.0) ready for a full playthrough and testing! Enjoy!

[EffinghamHuffnagel]

I had just started playing this last week. I guess I'll have to start over. Two things, just looking inside the new version: you have the entries DOWHELL, RED SKY, and GREY SKY (with spaces in the names), but no Texture1 or Pnames. How will those be used? You also have two D_ADRIAN (same music, different numbers of tracks), but no D_SHAWN. Liked what I've played so far. Except for some forced pickups. I hate those.

[Crunchynut44]

32 minutes ago, EffinghamHuffnagel said:

I had just started playing this last week. I guess I'll have to start over. Two things, just looking inside the new version: you have the entries DOWHELL, RED SKY, and GREY SKY (with spaces in the names), but no Texture1 or Pnames. How will those be used? You also have two D_ADRIAN (same music, different numbers of tracks), but no D_SHAWN. Liked what I've played so far. Except for some forced pickups. I hate those.

I can't account for the extra D_ADRIAN, but the other sky graphics are old ones that I just forgot to delete. Also it was on purpose that there is no D_SHAWN as I liked the stock track with that particular map. Ill make sure I clean all that up for the next update. Thanks for playing!

 

EDIT: All levels a beatable from pistol start so it wont be too hard to just IDCLEV to the level your up to and continue as normal.

Edited March 21, 2018 by Crunchynut44

[Keyboard_Doomer]

Glad to see this wad with 32 maps at last.

 

As promised, we would jump at the first opportunity to host this wad so here it is:
Baculus on TNS tomorrow starting at 19:00 GMT/15:00 EDT.

 

We would appreciate a visit from the author if you'll have the time but of course this invitation is for anyone reading this.

I'm sure the maps will be especially fun with -fast and 2x damage which is what we do as 2nd "rotation" each week on TNS.

[Crunchynut44]

RC1 ready to be played. If you enjoy small vintage style maps then this is the wad for you! Enjoy everyone.

[FrancisT218]

I played & recorded Levels 1-7 blind. There's also some gameplay related feedback in the video starting on Level 3. The shortish levels and relatively simple aesthetics are a nice change of pace. :)

 

 

 

[Crunchynut44]

1 hour ago, FrancisT18 said:

I played & recorded Levels 1-7 blind. There's also some gameplay related feedback in the video starting on Level 3. The shortish levels and relatively simple aesthetics are a nice change of pace. :)

 

 

Hey dude just finished watching this and I really appreciate you playing and providing feedback. I'm glad you found a couple of those visual errors I definitely missed! Just so you know this is meant to play in the style of Doom 2, I want the player to explore, take time, find secrets and what not but you went into this with a very 'run and gun' kind of attitude. You missed a lot of health and ammo scattered around and you were killing enemies too far in advance which caused you to not have the ammo you needed to kill what was right in front of you. Ammo is tight so i'm okay with traps not locking you in, that's a trope ill leave for slaughter maps to be honest. Otherwise there's a lot of good stuff ill take into account! You were right at the end of map 4 so no need for a replay ;)

[Bryan T]

I'm liking this so far.  It's getting a biiit confusing but it's a solid project so far. 

Edited December 16, 2019 by Bryan T

[FrancisT218]

Thanks for watching and giving a response. :) It's your choice entirely what to/not to do & I'm hoping to get another session recorded in the not too distant future. Are the later maps made more recently than the earlier ones (generally)?

 

About the traps, I'm not so much about being locked in; sometimes just a higher-tier monster (and/or a handful of weaker ones) near the escape point would easily do the trick as well.

 

BTW, is Cereal Killer still alive? How's it coming along? I haven't played it but recall it looking promising.

[Crunchynut44]

1 hour ago, FrancisT18 said:

Thanks for watching and giving a response. :) It's your choice entirely what to/not to do & I'm hoping to get another session recorded in the not too distant future. Are the later maps made more recently than the earlier ones (generally)?

 

About the traps, I'm not so much about being locked in; sometimes just a higher-tier monster (and/or a handful of weaker ones) near the escape point would easily do the trick as well.

 

BTW, is Cereal Killer still alive? How's it coming along? I haven't played it but recall it looking promising.

Yes and no a few are old but most of them a newer then the earlier ones yeah. Fair enough, I guess i'm not too worried if people want to skip it, most people don't anyway.

 

It's on the back burner but it is alive, there is actually a few more complete maps then what I have released here on DW.

[NaZa]

I've played up to MAP07 for now, and I can say that it looks pretty nice, the overall look is very vanilla (I think only vanilla textures were used?) but it works nicely. However, from a gameplay point, I got pretty bored until MAP06 when I finally got a chaingun. Shotgunning Hell Knights is really not my cup of tea, and there's so much bullet ammo everywhere but no chaingun, and using the pistol would be a bit funny (I understand there were probably secrets with chainguns that I didn't find, such as MAP05). That's really the only major flaw I've found - it plays well otherwise, it's not too difficult but there are some edge-of-the-seat moments. I think there were a few typos on the post-MAP06 text screen I've seen.

[Crunchynut44]

@NaZa It always has been very vanilla in nature, some of these levels are very, very old! It also plays like a vanilla WAD would expect to, slow difficulty and weapon progression, though I do feel that I should nerf some earlier levels to speed up the gameplay. That will come in RC2, then hopefully ill be finished!

 

Thanks for playing man!

[Salt-Man Z]

Started playing on UV, then just completely ran out of bullets early in MAP02. I'll dial it back to HMP before I continue, but it looks cool so far!

[Egg Boy]

Just downloaded and I want to say that the status bar is a masterpiece. Haven't even killed a zombieman yet and it's already a 10/10.

[Keyboard_Doomer]

Somehow this bug made it back in (it wasn't there in 2.0):

MAP10:
- One zombieman (thing 9) at the start is deaf and doesn't wake up until you either move or shoot him.

 

Something I wanted to ask way back when we played the wad in TNS but forgot:
Could you add the player 2-4 starts to the maps? Currently no maps have them. It will take some time add them to all of the maps but it really would improve the spawning in ZDaemon which can be very slow with just player 1 start and many players on the server.

 

If you decide to do so please only add one of each p2-p4 starts otherwise the extra starts will be just voodoo dolls.

[bLUEbYTE]

I am not sure whether I missed some weapon secrets but at MAP06 - the dig site I still only had the pistol and the shotgun, with lots of bullets and no shells left. Needless to say, the idea of taking on the pain elemental with the pistol did not appeal to me and that's where I threw in the towel and quit. It's a shame because the maps looked and player pretty well up to that point.

I get that making the players grind a bit and slowly feeding the weapon supply is core of good, gradual progression but this may be a bit extreme. This was on UV BTW.

[pcorf]

Had a quick look and it is very impressive indeed, especially from MAP26 onward.

 

MAP13 music is the wrong version, the drums come in too soon. Here is the version from TNT.wad (in MUS format, just replace D_DOOM2 with it)

[P41R47]

now that you released a final version of Sinergy, @Crunchynut44, will you come back to balance and finish this? Its a great project and its a little shame that it stay unfinished for soo long.

[Revved]

I agree, I'd say now's a better time than ever to polish it to near-perfection.

[rampancy]

sorry for the necro but whats up with this project? i was going through my directory of wads ive downloaded and didnt know what this was. and now im hooked on it. i hope the finished product is still forthcoming. 

[Crunchynut44]

Hey everyone.

 

After all these years I have finally given this project a MAJOR overhaul. Nearly every single level has been changed in some way for the better, whether its a a small area being changed to an entire map being replaced, Baculus should play very very fresh if you've ever played it before. Most noticeably will be how less grindy I have made it, you'll see a lot more weaponry and ammo early on.

 

I don't think much of this project, but I hope you guys do. I hope you enjoy where Baculus as is it in 2020!

 

See DL link in description. Thanks!

 

 

 

PS. I always have wanted to respond to all these amazing comments, but I don]t really like taking control of the first page in Wads and Mods as there are all sorts of projects you can miss with these kinds of threads taking over. However I can't thank you guys enough for the support.