Ultimatum - Riding on the Backs of Giants [Now on /idgames!]

[Death Egg]

So, I thought recently, I kind of timed the projects start badly by having it take place during peoples exams and the release of the new Doom. so I'm thinking, unless I get the last three maps by tomorrow, who wouldn't mind me extending the deadline by another week? Anything beyond that is just testing anyways. I figure if we don't make it by then and are missing a map or two there's still enough for a decent sized episode.

[joe-ilya]

I do need some time to finish lighting and thing placement, so that'll take me a couple of days.

[Walter confetti]

Go with it

[Dragonfly]

Death Egg said:

extending the deadline by another week

Fine by me, naturally, since I'm done with my submission, heh. I would suggest enforcing that limit as an absolute final though - community projects can die through deadline extensions.

[Libor_john66]

Actually, at least there is time for me to modify that shitty maze to something, thats much better.

[scifista42]

Death Egg said:

who wouldn't mind me extending the deadline by another week?

I certainly wouldn't mind!

[Death Egg]

Extended then! You all have until June 7th. Anyone who doesn't submit by then will have to be excluded though, unfortunately.

[Libor_john66]

Hey guys! After you didn't like what I built, I worked hard on different approach today. I'm working on open area bossfight, and exit is planned for E1M8 slot, so I hope we can get it there. Anyway its short, but intense and I think it's gonna be great finale.

[Olroda]

I played some more:

Libor_john66
I know you're modifying your map, but I went through the old version nonetheless.
Just as Rdwpa, I got stuck when the pinky used the teleporter in the beginning, but the latter ones seemed to work, fortunately. I liked the Quake-like appearance of the gateways, by the way.

Map gameplay is very simple, with almost all monsters attacking your front. The only one that surprised me was the Baron behind the "pillar". The lighting is fullbright or close to it - the very definition of flat. The map layout reminds me of this - not too amazing in an engine that is able to render different height levels.
I suggest that you insert some variation into all those elements. The monster placement, the lighting and the layout.

For example: Have the monsters attack from odd angles and multiple directions at the same time. Figure out where you want the light to come from and add shadows where it doesn't fall. A maze isn't neccesarily bad, but a few areas with more space can break up the monotony. Just a few ideas. Good luck with your new version!

Olroda said:

I'll watch the FDA tomorrow

I got around to watching it, Rdwpa, and as I guessed, the pinkies were the ones that got to you! Well played, though. Very educative to see the map through the eyes of someone else.

[Pinchy]

I'll put the latest here now then.

Hextech V0.98

[Death Egg]

Only three days left until the deadline! Please try to get your submissions in by then so they aren't excluded and the maps can be arranged in a good sense of progression!

[joe-ilya]

Slaughterfest map ahead! The limitation wasn't limiting at all, I managed to stick many things within this hot sauce.

Map name : Fucked up little town
MIDI : Blink 182 - Anthem

https://www.mediafire.com/?9tykarbmo1ttd86

[Walter confetti]

Looks pretty cool, i'll download it later!

Btw, what's the limitation for this map? I guess is 5 rooms, right?

[joe-ilya]

Yeah.

[Libor_john66]

So, here is another version of the map, I took different approach, hope you will like it. I could upload screens, but I'm too lazy to do that, just play it :)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nk06bqgvx4gelx9/GREYTALL2.wad?dl=0

[NaZa]

I'll try to finish it for two days.

Expect it to be done for two days in about 5 pm GMT.

[Walter confetti]

Libor_john66 said:

So, here is another version of the map, I took different approach, hope you will like it. I could upload screens, but I'm too lazy to do that, just play it :)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nk06bqgvx4gelx9/GREYTALL2.wad?dl=0

Much better, but it's kind of difficult get where to go...

Why the fake teleport and the fireblu door that leads to a teleport in a fireblu room with the ending part of that section that looks like a teleport?

Also the ceiling needs to be raised a little bit...

Why don't using a tricky sidefes works on the lifts or the doors to the teleport in the fireblu rooms? Something like this, or choose you own style, just make it watchable:



Joe, your map is pretty cool! But i'm not pretty sure if this level have only 5 rooms, especially in the red skull cave area... also is pretty hard for my standards...

[Libor_john66]

Hey man, thanks for the reply! Thats really good idea, tomorrow I get straight to it. Not much of a change, just some texture modifications and/or bug fixes.

[Libor_john66]

So, final version of the map, not going to modify it anymore, I had just enough fun playing it, I hope you'll like it, peace and see ya :)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nk06bqgvx4gelx9/GREYTALL2.wad?dl=0

[Walter confetti]

better, but again the fireblu teleport doors needs to be recognized, as well as the path you need to follow, using different bright sectors or other stuff...

[Walter confetti]

Deadline is here, also is almost finished, but what's the progression of the remaining maps by DoomLover234 (that wrotes he will finish it this noon) and scifista?

EDIT: double post, sorry.

[NaZa]

I said I'll try to.

Super sorry, I can't make it. Death Egg, feel free to crucify me. I told you at the start I'm not sure will I make it, and I couldn't.

Sorry.

[scifista42]

Sorry, I will not make the deadline either. I have a map in progress, with most care put into an interesting start view, but the map has just a few rooms yet, and it's structured in such a way (intended to be nonlinear) that many additional rooms would be needed to give it any substance. I believe I'd need way too much more time to finish it, so unless you're willing to be waiting indefinitely, feel free to not count with me.

[Death Egg]

Well, it's alright that you two didn't make it. I had planned for if I had one or two mappers that didn't make it in time. I'll just have there be a short into level as padding and skip the secret and there should be enough to have a complete episode. I do encourage you two to finish your own maps though, if only for the sake of hating to see the work go to waste. Who knows, maybe there will be an Ultimatum Deluxe or something. (I wouldn't count on it but you never know) Hell, if bug testing stretches on too long one or both of you might make it in anyway, since there's no reason to throw it a perfectly good nap.

I suppose next comes putting the maps in order. When I get home tonight I'll test the remaining two maps and put together a potential order.

[Dragonfly]

@Death Egg

If you compile a 'beta' in a pre-constructed order that you feel is good I'm happy to then test it for you, logging any bugs I find along the way.

[joe-ilya]

Removed two inaccesible secrets : (same link) https://www.mediafire.com/?9tykarbmo1ttd86

[Fonze]

I'd love to test this if I get the chance, no guarantees tho!

[Death Egg]

Didn't settle on a map order quite yet, still had three maps to test first; Olroda's, Libor_john66 and joe-ilya's maps. My quick reviews are as follows:

Olroda: Unforgiving. With only 48 basic monsters (on the difficulty I played anyways) you managed to kick my ass non-stop. There was always hope that I would find some stimpack or medikit but my prayers weren't answered. It's amazing what can be done in such a small space.

Libor_john66: I have only played the second map, I didn't try your first attempt. It's a nice boss arena, plenty of room to work around the enemies and plan your attacks. Was fun getting enemies to crowd around one side of the map and teleport to the other side to ambush them. If I had one thing to say, it's that the map is actually kinda easy, especially when compared to other maps submitted, but requires it to be in the last map slot by design. As is if difficulty is taken into account it would probably be the third map or so but the sector tag only works on E1M8. As such I'd recommend upping the difficulty.

joe-ilya: Jesus this map is brutal. The other maps I've played take fifteen, twenty minutes to beat? I spent forty five minutes last night save scumming only to get halfway through. You've managed to pack every single individual corner of the map with a unique threat, and I was playing on HMP! The biggest thing that sticks out is I have doubts on you sticking with the limit, it seems very... loose. Maybe a veteran of Five Rooms of Doom would know better but the cave area especially seems against the limit.


Overall, it is going to be kinda hard putting an order to these maps. A lot of them are very difficult but in completely different ways. Some maps would suffer being too late on the game just because the player might be too well equipped by that point to face any kind of challenge. I'll have to look more at home after work tonight, see if I can complete Fucked up little town while I'm at it.

[Death Egg]

Just double posting to say I finished Fucked up little town, the only thing I have to report right now is during a battle I got caught on this little corner where the step was too steep resulting in my death, which was annoying. Otherwise my previous comments still stand, very good if extremely difficult! Would make a good late to end game map.

[Death Egg]

Download test release here! oops

This is the order I decided to go with, it may change based on feedback:

E1M1: Dragonfly - Pestilence
E1M9: walter confalonieri - [Unnamed]
E1M4: Death Egg - Nothing's Underbelly
E1M5: Pinchy - Hextech
E1M6: Olroda - VORTEX
E1M7: joe-ilya - Fucked up little town
E1M8: Libor_John66 - [Unnamed]

I haven't played through the maps yet to test to see how they work together in this order yet. I purposely made sure to put VORTEX before a map that replenishes all the health and ammo afterwards considering how shoestring everything is in that map. The only thing that really would stand to be changed is the final map due to difficulty concerns, I'm just hoping that after joe's map there will be enough ammo and health used up to present some kind of challenge, however minor.

Since this is a test release (And because I'm short on time) I didn't put the level intermission screen names in yet, nor a DEHACKED patch saying the map names in either. The next release should have these.

(Also, why didn't anyone tell me I somehow put a Baron of Hell in the first room in my map revision by accident?! That took me by a hell of a surprise with a quick test I did)


One more thing I should note... I would like walter confalonieri and Libor_John66 to come up with some kind of name for their maps, and for Libor_John66 (And I guess myself lol) to decide on a music track for their map, unless they were going with the default E1M8 theme.