What defines "Megamap"?

[antares031]

After I read hardcore_gamer's "Megawads vs Megamaps" thread, I suddenly wondered "What is the megamap?". We do have a definition of megawad, thanks to the idgames archive; a wad that contains 15, or more levels. We also have a 'Full-scale megawad' to call a wad that replaces the entire 32 levels of the original Doom 2. Regardless of the scale of each map in the wad, we have an objective criteria to distinguish between normal wads and megawad, and that's the amount of level. Even if each level of Congestion: 64 only has a sector with 64x64 size, we still call that wad 'joke megawad' because it replaces more than 15 levels.

 

I do know that 'megamap' is not an established term like 'megawad'. But we do have lots of wads in the community that contains a few levels, or even a single level, with the bigger scale than a compact megawad. But in this case, what exactly defines 'megamap'? Is it playtime on UV-Max? Is it the size of level? Or is it the amount of linedefs or things? What if I only made a giant single sector with the size of 20480x20480 and fill it with thousands of monsters and supplies, and it's totally doable to beat for anyone on UV-Max in about an hour, would you call that level 'megamap'? What if someone made a giant level with 32,000 linedefs, with excessive details all over the place, but it only takes less than 5 minutes to beat it on UV-Max, would you call it 'megamap'? It's hard to define something as a megamap, since there are lots of elements to concern, unlike a megawad. But I believe that there are three major elements that can be used to define a megamap; playtime on UV-Max, size of a playable area, amount of linedefs and monsters. While I consider the playtime as a primary criterion of megamap, I want to hear the opinion of other people in the community.

[Voros]

A megamap is a map that a significantly long time to playthrough. This implies that the map has a significantly large size. A 20480x20480 box full of Cyberdemons isn't megamap to me. A megamap is a normal map, with proper difficulty and progression, but on a larger scale. IMO.

Foursite, Memorial, 7 Sins, etc. are what I consider to be megamaps. The former can be separated into 5 maps alone, and the latter as 8 maps. Memorial is 32 maps in one.

[Arctangent]

Don't forget that the playtime is based around the intended progression of the map; if the exit is right next to your spawn and the goal of the map is to remove the bars blocking it, but the bars are actually far enough apart to just be glided past, then that shouldn't really affect whether or not the map is considered a megamap.

 

Granted, it would mean that speedrunning the megamap would involve it being shorter than most anything you could consider a "micromap" unless a no bar glides category was opened, but y'know.

[printz]

I consider a megamap one which takes me over an hour to complete. It's amazing when I can survive so long, especially when it's my first playthrough and I'm using my MacBook trackpad instead of the mouse.

[Dragonfly]

For me a mega map is any map that feels like an endurance test. To define it with actual values, I would say any map that takes an hour to complete on first playthrough for an average player. 

 

The first map of this type I ever experienced was Europe.wad:

 

http://www.wad-archive.com/wad/Europe

[galileo31dos01]

39 minutes ago, Dragonfly said:

I would say any map that takes an hour to complete on first playthrough for an average player. 

Then any map for me is a megamap! 

 

I'm kidding, although I would extend it to "two/three" hours on first playthrough, or one hour on second/third re-playthrough, for an average player. Some of us prefer it slowly and carefully the first time in a new map.

 

In regards to the OP's question, I see it this way:

 

- Megawad: consists of 15 or more maps. This is the official consideration, not a personal view.

- Megamap: single map that can be divided into at least 4 maps, or 3 long maps. Also when said map has more than one theme in it (hell, techbase, blue whatever). Regardless of your skills, speed or slow runner, or how many times you replay it, it will take no less than 40 minutes to 1 hour to complete it successfully. My most recent experience was map 29 of Deus Vult II, which is more or less map 05 from the prequel, which also is maps 01-04 from the same. 

 

Any other map that takes me more than two hours to complete 100% everything, I may or may not consider it megamap depending on my progress, it can be a long map without being a megamap. Misri Halek for example is long, but it never feels like it's more than one map inside a map.

[leodoom85]

ZDCMP1 and 2 are prime examples of megamaps...

[Combinebobnt]

the map is very big

[Reisal]

Sunder is an example of a megamap map set.

[Gez]

On jeudi 13 juillet 2017 at 9:44 AM, antares031 said:

I suddenly wondered "What is the megamap?". We do have a definition of megawad, thanks to the idgames archive; a wad that contains 15, or more levels.

How about a map that is at least 15 times bigger than a vanilla limit map could be? :p

[antares031]

2 hours ago, Gez said:

How about a map that is at least 15 times bigger than a vanilla limit map could be? :p

 

Sounds reasonable. But what would be a good criterion for that? 960kb blockmap, 1,920 visplanes, or 491,505 segs? ;)

[Gez]

Whichever comes first, I guess.

[Erick]

I like to think of them as wad files with one large map that takes around 30+ minutes to complete and are pretty much a giant adventure that is a key card hunt to finish an objective or just reaching to the end of the level. Of course some of them can be confusing in where you should go or what to do next, but for the most part I find them beatable and enjoyable, even if I want to play a different level after 10 minutes of playtime. :P

[Memfis]

Nothing. This is the first time I see the term.

[AdirBlaz]

foursite.wad, anyone?

[Voros]

memorial.wad, people?

[Moustachio]

planisf2.wad, fellas?

[TheV1perK1ller]

While not specifically a mega massive map, Community Chest Map 29 usually takes someone more than one hour to complete.

[Nine Inch Heels]

I don't know why the term "megamap" is required to begin with, because any aspect you could take into consideration is more or less uninteresting/subjective.

 

If you went by linedefs or the likes, well, what's the point? Players won't notice the difference between 20k and 21k linedefs much, if at all, for example.

 

Terms like megawad are so much easier, you have Xmaps in them and that is very noticeable.

 

Also, if you went by things like monstercount and playtime, then okuslaughter sure is in a top position, since it excels in both aspects.

[Zanieon]

The entirety of Knee Deep of ZDoom is a pack of megamaps and usually consider a megamap maps that is very extensive in gameplay which can hold the player on it for at least 30 mins, ZDCMP2, KDiZD, Foursite, UACVPRB, any map that Mechadon does when he is really inspired, CChest 3 MAP12, Alien Vendetta Map20, Enjay's Waterlab GZD and Gene-Tech, Deus Vult Map05 and the list goes on.

For me i consider a megamap any map that crosses the 16384x16384 bounds and doesn't have ultrawide rooms or fields all the time, like the maps in Hellbound.

[Doomkid]

I think this is a term that will remain ambiguous. A map that takes one player 2 hours could take another 10 minutes so that throws time out as a qualifier and linedef/sector count is rarely representative of a maps actual playable area in square feet. An individual would probably just have to decide for themselves on a case by case basis whether a map fits the bill.