Japanese Community Project [Final Version released on idgames]

[bhelyer]

I've only played through the first three maps yet. Taking my time with pistol start and no mid-level saving, but I've liked what I've seen so far. I'll admit that I just sprinted past the final Arch-Vile on MAP03 -- I was running pretty low on ammo.

[GrumpyCat]

I played first half of the maps so far and I enjoyed most of the maps!
All was pistol start friendly.
New map 05 is much better than first version, now it probably have too many boxes of bullets.

On map 09 in the room with plasma rifle player can be trapped inside
if he tries to open the door while it's not completely closed - it stops halfway.

On map 10 there is a large HOM in the start area after returning with the yellow key.
It caused by the lift raising too high for some reason (played two times with the same resilt).


Also on map 10 trap with revenants in the building with caged arch-vile
can be easily avoided by pressing this button from below.

[Amarande]

A few more notes:

MAP32: How the heck are you expected to figure out the secret there?? :)

MAP20: The fact that the secret door to the BFG needs to be "activated" could stand to be telegraphed better - after figuring out the first part (the walkover trigger that actually opens the door) I kept thinking it was bugged ...

MAP22: Can't seem to figure out how to get to the BFG platform. Engine compatibility issue? After getting the two switches (stairs then the shootable switch in the wall), there is no clear ability to jump over to the BFG.

[jerrysheppy]

rdwpa said:

Map 08: Had to look at the editor to get out of the bathroom (cool idea, btw). It seems like there was supposed to be a switch that lowered but didn't.

I don't think anyone ever replied to this, but I don't think the switch is ever supposed to lower/be revealed.

Spoiler

Look in the un-warped bathroom in the "mirror" and press the wall where the switch is shown in that version of the bathroom

You're right, it was an incredibly cool idea and the solution makes it even cooler.

[id.dav]

Ok! Insta download! Screens look amasing))

[Amarande]

MAP24: Do you need an AV jump to reach the teleporter to the megasphere? The stair run-up isn't high enough and I can't seem to strafe jump to it (though I'll admit I only try SR40, I'm no good at SR50 ...).

[gaspe]

I have finished to play the wad, though I didn't record fdas as many maps seemed to be quite long.

MAP25: Gorgeous setting. It's really dark but I loved it. I couldn't get out from the red key room after I picked it, how are you supposed to do that?

MAP26: There's lots of cool stuff going on here. In particular I liked the sequence of the raising floors. There's a hom at the line 8500, and the line 412 appear to have a wrong texture.

MAP27: This made me think of Sunder/Sunlust when I saw it. The gameplay is really different though. It was cool to see a different take on the gameplay on this kind of setting.

MAP28: Also this one was really dark, but it gives a nice mood. I was also expecting to find more monsters in the traps but I guess that it's fine as it is.

MAP29: I loved this one, it's quite like a psychedelic trip.

MAP30: It didn't dragged for too long to kill the IoS, it was fine as the final map.

This is a really cool megawad. I hope to see more from the authors in the future :)

[Amarande]

On MAP25 after getting the red key, look north. Does it remind you of something? What do you usually do when you encounter that something? ...

Spoiler

Shoot a rocket into the spot that looks like the boss brain hole; there's a Commander Keen in there that "pops the lid" on the exit from the room when you kill it.

[LanHikariDS]

Huh, I never saw Japan as having much of a Doom community. I remember reading somewhere that FPS games weren't very popular in Japan, since they got motionsick often. Regardless, this looks really nice, and I'm giving it a try later.

[gaspe]

Amarande said:

On MAP25 after getting the red key, look north. Does it remind you of something? What do you usually do when you encounter that something? ...

Spoiler

Shoot a rocket into the spot that looks like the boss brain hole; there's a Commander Keen in there that "pops the lid" on the exit from the room when you kill it.

I shoot it with the pistol actually :P and since nothing happened I though that that texture was there as decoration. Anyway, thanks for the answer!

[GrumpyCat]

Played the rest of the maps.
I like the most 08, 25 and 26 maps.
Some areas in third episode are too dark to my taste.
Some crates have different textures on sides, can't remember exact maps.
On map 24 it looks like impossible to return from final underground rooms to the main area.
On map 29 red firestick (thing 684) raises when you open near door.

Overall very good wad!
Hope there will be final version soon.

[tatsurd-cacocaco]

Now, I understand some maps is too dark on non-openGL ports, like ZDoom. I must improve them.

Amarande said:

A few more notes:

MAP32: How the heck are you expected to figure out the secret there?? :)

MAP20: The fact that the secret door to the BFG needs to be "activated" could stand to be telegraphed better - after figuring out the first part (the walkover trigger that actually opens the door) I kept thinking it was bugged ...

MAP22: Can't seem to figure out how to get to the BFG platform. Engine compatibility issue? After getting the two switches (stairs then the shootable switch in the wall), there is no clear ability to jump over to the BFG.

MAP24: Do you need an AV jump to reach the teleporter to the megasphere? The stair run-up isn't high enough and I can't seem to strafe jump to it (though I'll admit I only try SR40, I'm no good at SR50 ...).

Map 32, 20: Does it mean that I should give more hints for finding them easily?

Map 22: What port do you use? It can work on ZDoom, GZDoom, PrBoom....

Map 24: Yes, AV jump is necessary for it.

[Amarande]

GrumpyCat said:

Played the rest of the maps.
I like the most 08, 25 and 26 maps.
Some areas in third episode are too dark to my taste.
Some crates have different textures on sides, can't remember exact maps.
On map 24 it looks like impossible to return from final underground rooms to the main area.
On map 29 red firestick (thing 684) raises when you open near door.

Overall very good wad!
Hope there will be final version soon.

There is a way back on MAP24 to the beginning. You need to have opened up the exit first, though.

Spoiler

In the exit room there's a switch at the South end of the room. It opens the exit, but it also opens up the silver pillar you may have seen in a western building. This pillar contains a teleporter that leads to the secret area with the computer map/megasphere/blur/invulnerability that you saw at the beginning of the level, which has four teleporters. The west teleporter leads back to the exit areas, while the other three all lead back to earlier parts of the level.

tatsurd-cacocaco said:

Map 32, 20: Does it mean that I should give more hints for finding them easily?

Map 22: What port do you use? It can work on ZDoom, GZDoom, PrBoom....

Map32: Mainly wondering what the clue (if any) is to the timing of the door (as with the Eternal Doom MAP05 megasphere it's a 5-minute timed door, but unlike the Eternal Doom MAP05 megasphere I didn't see anything that indicated that you needed to be there at a specific moment in the level? Typically it seems such things are telegraphed in some way as in Eternal, or the area does not count as an official secret e.g. CC4 MAP08 where the Steve Cohen tribute area is behind such a timed door, but is strictly an easter egg that does not count towards 100% secrets).

Map20: Some indication that something else besides the tripwire needs to be done to unlock the BFG door (as is, an observant player will probably discern the walkover trigger to open it the first time through that area and may well after several attempts dismiss things as being a bug, since there's no clear indication something else needs to be done to make the trigger work!).

Map22: Using PrBoom+, with default configuration (as a rule I tend to only turn on compatibility options sparingly, and only when it's clear a level requires it, e.g., MM2 MAP25, CC2 MAP24, Eternal MAP25, etc.).

[GrumpyCat]

Oops, I wrote wrong level number, it's 32, not 24, sorry.
I checked all levels for the ability to return to the main area from the finish.
And there was two that I thought it was impossible: 24 and 32.
Then yes, I discovered the way you described. That leaves level 32.

[Suitepee]

https://www.twitch.tv/johnsuitepee/v/60811332 = part 1 of my playthrough, covering maps 01-12. (UV, pistol starts)

This is proving to be an interesting megawad so far, except for map 10 which I disliked.

The highlight for me was map 08, in which I'm now convinced that 'toooooasty' is the Japanese dobu gabu maru. That was one clever use of the automap to say the least!

Looking forward to seeing more squirts of creativity such as that one for the rest of the megawad.....

[Amarande]

MAP27: It's beautiful (kinda Sunlust-ish ...), but am I getting the impression right that if you aren't adept with SR50 you might as well get off the bus now? (I can't even seem to make it to that big teleporter in the middle that seems to be how you're supposed to leave the starting area ... even with a normal strafejump from the previous platform I land in the muck).

I guess it's time to hit PgDn and go on to MAP28 with pistol start :(


MAP32: Yes, GrumpyCat, it appears to be a complete sawtooth in this case. Looked at the final area in SLADE and there's nothing even resembling a door to before ... nary a teleporter linedef in sight, which would be the only way back :)

[Keyboard_Doomer]

Amarande said:

MAP27: It's beautiful (kinda Sunlust-ish ...), but am I getting the impression right that if you aren't adept with SR50 you might as well get off the bus now? (I can't even seem to make it to that big teleporter in the middle that seems to be how you're supposed to leave the starting area ... even with a normal strafejump from the previous platform I land in the muck).

You'll definitely do yourself a favour if you use some straferunning here but it's not required.

Use the platform with the arrow for a bigger run-up. Here's a demo without using any straferunning (feels so awkward and unnatural to not use it for me nowadays, heh).

[rhinoduck]

There is a HOM near the switch near -1700 850 in MAP11 introduced in JPCP_coopfix.wad. Seen in ZDaemon and prboom+.

[Suitepee]

https://www.twitch.tv/johnsuitepee/v/61447825 = part 2 of my playthrough, covering maps 13-18 plus both secret maps. (UV, pistol starts)

No bad maps this time around, thankfully. I liked map 32's homage to PAYDAY, although alas I'd been spoiled on this by watching a brief stream of the project elsewhere. The elevator "teleport" in the final vault area didn't seem to work quite as intended, and the monsters sort of trickled through instead of the bumrush I was expecting. Otherwise cool map.

I also like map 18's use of the atmospherically lit giant room. Really made the encounters in there interesting.

Didn't manage to figure out the final secret switch for Kura's map 15 to get the secret exit open legit, so just noclipped it. Was a bit more evil than her map 11, but a fine map nonetheless.

I'm looking forward to see what creativity remains in the project.....

[tatsurd-cacocaco]

GrumpyCat said:

I checked all levels for the ability to return to the main area from the finish.

I also prefer it.

Amarande said:

Map32: Mainly wondering what the clue (if any) is to the timing of the door (as with the Eternal Doom MAP05 megasphere it's a 5-minute timed door, but unlike the Eternal Doom MAP05 megasphere I didn't see anything that indicated that you needed to be there at a specific moment in the level? Typically it seems such things are telegraphed in some way as in Eternal, or the area does not count as an official secret e.g. CC4 MAP08 where the Steve Cohen tribute area is behind such a timed door, but is strictly an easter egg that does not count towards 100% secrets).

Map20: Some indication that something else besides the tripwire needs to be done to unlock the BFG door (as is, an observant player will probably discern the walkover trigger to open it the first time through that area and may well after several attempts dismiss things as being a bug, since there's no clear indication something else needs to be done to make the trigger work!).

Map22: Using PrBoom+, with default configuration (as a rule I tend to only turn on compatibility options sparingly, and only when it's clear a level requires it, e.g., MM2 MAP25, CC2 MAP24, Eternal MAP25, etc.).

Map32: "5 min" words would appear in front of the door on map mode, but the author forgot to show them on map mode. He will fixed it. A teleport for returning from exit area will be also added.
http://i.imgur.com/UBUieuX.jpg?1

Map20: I understand. People may feel this seems to be a bug.

Map22: I checked it on PrBoom+(ver2.5.1.3) with default compatibility, but it worked correctly. Sorry, I don't know why this bug happened on your PrBoom+.

[rhinoduck]

We'll be running the second part of this wad in ZDaemon Thursday Night Survival this week (21st Apr.), same hours, same place as the first part. TNS #245 post in the MP section coming tomorrow; if you'd rather postpone playing this for a later week, let us know by then. Otherwise I'm looking forward to seeing all of you who decide to join in :)

EDIT: Postponed to 28th April.

[tatsurd-cacocaco]

rhinoduck said:

We'll be running the second part of this wad in ZDaemon Thursday Night Survival this week (21st Apr.), same hours, same place as the first part. TNS #245 post in the MP section coming tomorrow; if you'd rather postpone playing this for a later week, let us know by then. Otherwise I'm looking forward to seeing all of you who decide to join in :)

I want to postpone it to the next week. This is because 4/29 is a Japanese public holiday, so more Japanese might join in it and logon time might last longer. Of couse, I can join in it this week's TNS. The next week is just better.

[rhinoduck]

tatsurd-cacocaco said:

I want to postpone it to the next week. This is because 4/29 is a Japanese public holiday, so more Japanese might join in it and it might last longer. Of couse, I can join in it this week's TNS. The next week is just better.

Consider it done. 28th April it is.

[Suitepee]

https://www.twitch.tv/johnsuitepee/v/61816204 = part 3 of my playthrough, covering maps 19-25. (UV, pistol starts)

Urgh, the quality of this project just took a nosedive in these last few maps. Kura's maps were alright, although map 19 seemed a bit lacking. (Doom needs more female mappers!)
Map 22 was awful. What was burabojunior thinking with that Cyberdemon fight right next to the switch in a tiny room up an elevator? One of the worst Cybie placements I've ever seen. (unless I missed something)
There was a certain charm to map 23 by Guna, although it was just a more well-decorated "boxy"/corridor encounter by the numbers-fest.

I'm hoping for one last big tooooooasty-flavoured surprise in the 5 maps remaining next time....

[Liberation]

Just finished my play through, for the most part I really enjoyed the megawad. Loved maps 12, 15, 16 and 20 the most. Map 20 could do with some more health in the blue to red area I think. After finishing map 16 I looked around and the floors were covered in bodies, made me smile, haven't had that much fun in ages!!

A couple of levels were slightly to much for me and I skipped them, as they were rather out of place. but that's just me! The last few levels I didn't really enjoy as much, possible due to megawad fatigue, but they seemed really big and kinda dragged on for me!

All in all really good work, congratulations to the Japanese doom community.

[Suitepee]

https://www.twitch.tv/johnsuitepee/v/62007498 = part 4 of my playthrough, covering maps 26-30. (UV, pistol starts)

3.5 out of 5 in conclusion, and I'm going to be nominating tooooooasty for an individual mapper Cacoward in the official thread!

Map 26 was awful.
Map 27 was decent, especially since I was fearing some kind of Eternal Doom-esque cryptic puzzle map amidst the green spectacle.
Map 28 started badly and got better towards the end, although I missed the rocket launcher somewhere.
Map 29.....and here I was thinking there wasn't going to be a map that would rival map 8's awesomeness, but tooooooasty delivers something amazing with this mess of a map! I'll say it again, this person is the Japanese dobu gabu maru!!!!
And so map 30, another Icon of Sin map. Which I kind of liked. Short, simple, and once I was on the tower I was able to plug rockets in without resistance. A good archetype for how IoS maps should go down (although I'd prefer them to stop being done altogether).

Some good creativity came out of this project, although the first half was consistently much better than the second. Toooooasty, Kura, Tatsurd-cacocaco and burabojunior seem to be good mappers and I look forward to seeing more maps from them in the future.....

[Szymanski]

Map 29 is really well executed, a beautiful mess

[tatsurd-cacocaco]

rhinoduck said:

Consider it done. 28th April it is.

Thanks! I will have joined in it for a long time.
I will also update JPCP for this TNS on Wednesday.

[[McD] James]

These maps look absolutely spectacular! I'll be certain to check them out at some point.

[Keyboard_Doomer]

I don't quite understand what's happening here but it seems that in map18 a chaingunner (thing 43) somehow blocks sector 73 from being lowered in the position he's placed. This means that a player can get stuck after pressing on line 325 (which is supposed to lower sector 73) and dropping into sector 70. To make it possible to lower sector 73 player has to either kill or wake up the chaingunner so he moves out of his position.

This is true for -complevel 2 (vanilla compatibility). In -complevel 9 and higher as well as in more advanced source ports it works as intended.