Technomancy - A Sunlust inspired slaughtermap.

[Relinquished]

Important Info:

 

IWAD: Doom2.wad
Map Replaced: Map01

Additional Textures?: Yes
Tested sourceports: Zdoom, Prboom+ / GLboom+
Difficulties Implemented?: Yes (HMP / UV)
Build Time: 52hrs
Map Link: Technomancy

Credits:
Recoloured Doom Textures by Nick Baker
GothicDM Textures by Gothic Team


Description:
 

Hello once again. At long last my second map is ready to be viewed, after many hours yesterday faffing around in Slade 3 and testing all sorts. It has all been worth it though. After taking on board the advice given to me for my first map, Blood Temple, I really wanted to push my current mapping abilities. I wondered what might happen if you combined map 19 of Sunlust, 'Blood Geometry,' with map 01 'Chasing Suns.' 'Technomancy' is the result of that idea, although it has taken on a life of its own. It was never my intention to simply copy the Sunlust maps, but rather use them as inspiration and a challenge to improve my own work. This is the first map I've attempted to use curving linedefs as part of the main structure of the level, for example. I've also spent a great deal longer on the game play elements and trying to create a fun and challenging experience. The theme of the level is that the demons are using the Arch-viles magical / psychic abilities to directly interface with the technology, in order to summon ever greater numbers of beasties. 

As ever, I'm looking for feedback on the game play, the level design, and anything else you may notice on your travels. This is an arena style slaughter map, and I've made HMP a more comfortable, but hopefully still fun, experience. UV is reserved for the hardcore folks, and I actually prefer playing the level on this difficult myself, but I wanted to implement at least one alternative difficulty level.

Release version changes:
- Changed a divot at the start so the Soul Sphere is easier to collect while running.
- Changed the secret fight to be more of a 'lock in' combat.

- Monsters teleport in faster in the secret fight.

- Reduced the number of Mancubus in the second fight very slightly to avoid redundancy.

- Added additional ammo in the secret fight.
- Removed the Plasma Gun from the final area.

- Added rocket ammo to the final area.

- Moved the Soul Sphere in the final area to where the Plasma Gun used to be.

- Added additional pillars at the start to prevent players falling off by mistake.

 

Screenshots:

Spoiler

  

Edited August 28, 2017 by Relinquished

[Killer5]

Here is a demo. Comments in txt.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/wgervfsnh8etasl/Technomancy.zip?dl=0

[Relinquished]

@Killer5, thank you very much for the demo and the comments. You raise very good points in terms of the game play. I'll likely adjust the game play before I submit the map to the idgames archive, but I'll wait on further feedback to get a consensus.  

[baja blast rd.]

Cool, nice to see the evolution from your first map. 

 

Aesthetically it feels like the kitchen sink was thrown in wrt texture choices, which actually gives it a cool vibe. I was reminded of a color painting. It's kind of messy but it works. The first fight has the issue with stuff like powerups and the GA/backpack/etc. in little divots, which are fine to grab in (G)ZDoom but really annoying in prBoom+ since if you simply run over them as you might pick up a normal powerup, you'll miss them. I noticed the same thing with the mancs as MrZZul. The secret megasphere fight felt like a big resource drain -- you are likely to get there with near-megasphere health/armor and lots of rockets, and leave with near-megasphere health/armor but a lot fewer rockets. The second-to-last fight with all the revenants can be trivialized by staying here and spamming lots of rockets. The revenants can't get down the stairs, and nothing else touches you there. Wasn't a fan of the last fight. Bumpy floors, and all the PEs are basically harmless cleanup if you hang back and BFG spam the cybers to death quickly. Favorite fights were the second fight and secret megasphere fight, and the big revenant fight would be there too if not so easily cheesed. I'd probably provide a more convenient way of killing the first cyb if there isn't one already. (It's already enough of a Blood Geometry homage that you might as well add a telefragging method. :P)

[paymentplan]

Just finished the map on HMP with a handful of saves and a lot of deaths. Quite an enjoyable ride! The theme is really cool and comes across very well, especially in the revenant fight. The start is very reminiscent of Blood Geometry. I agree with @Killer5 about the mancubi and hell knights teleporting in during the first big fight. It might be worth while to add another set of teleport destinations and split up the closets to allow the monsters to teleport in faster. Towards the end the mancubi are just trickling in and it feels a little goofy. 

 

The revenant fight was probably my favorite bit. Usually mappers add a lot of obstacles for the player to have to dodge to avoid accidentally eating a bunch of revenant rockets. Forcing the player to run up INTO where all the revenants are coming from to avoid a train of rockets was a neat twist on that. My only problem with this encounter was it was a bit too easy to take out the arch viles before really being threatened by the revenants. But that may only be a problem if the player has foreknowledge of the arch vile locations.

 

The last fight against the cyberdemons was a fun end. Good pressure from the pain elementals in the back to make it a dynamic fight.

 

The aesthetics are great, the ribbiks influence is strong. I loved the way the red and green of the first room was mirrored in the red and green fireballs of the mancubi and hell knights. You've really got a knack for this! 

[Scotty]

I played through on HMP then UV, and had fun - i actually thought one or two fights were a little easier on UV cause you could use the cybs as a distraction, funnily enough. My only gripe was the repetitive use of vile turrets, as it was a case of always starting the fight by targeting them for me. It might be cool if you can somehow telefrag the first cyber later on in the map or something too so you don't have to grind him out straight away or backtrack to him. Finally i know aesthetics are completely subjective but damn, this would look awesome with a better sky than the stock D2 one :P

 

Btw, if you climb onto this ledge you can drop into the abyss.

 

[Relinquished]

Thank you again for everyone who has commented so far, a lot of good points have been raised.

@rdwpa, thanks again for your input. I was concerned the player could abuse that spot in the revenant fight, so I'm glad your play through highlighted that. I'll have to pay more attention when designing this kind of fights in the future. Yourself and Killer5 have mentioned the difficulty picking up the items in the divots, so I'll have to be careful with this kind of thing in the future. I had it in my mind to add a telefrag for the first cyber as well, so I'll implement this before I submit it to idgames.

@paymentplan, I'm glad you enjoyed playing the map! Yes I agree with Killer's comments about the second fight, so I'll look at changing this slightly. Not too much, but at the very least to clean up the teleporting enemies one way or another. I enjoyed making the revenant fight, and I'll likely expand on the general concept in the future and make it better. 

@Scotty, As I was focusing on the theme of the level, I've perhaps over used the Arch-vile turrets. I'll keep it as it is for this particular map, but I will keep a note of what you say as I'd like each fight to feel different. I was worried the fights may feel the same, but overall I think its acceptable in this one. I completely agree about the sky! I really wanted to change it, but I had problems creating a custom sky as it was showing vertical tile lines, which looked horrible. I'll need to look up some tutorials on how to make them properly. As for the first cyber, I'll definitely be implementing a telefrag before I submit to idgames :P. I'll have to block off that ledge as well without it looking crap.   

[Scotty]

5 minutes ago, Relinquished said:

I completely agree about the sky! I really wanted to change it, but I had problems creating a custom sky as it was showing vertical tile lines, which looked horrible. I'll need to look up some tutorials on how to make them properly.

Heh, as it happens i've spent the last few days tearing my hair out trying to figure out how skies work. AFAIK vertical tiling is unavoidable so you need something that will tile seamlessly.

[Paul977]

Very cool map, I played on UV and got harshly destroyed on the revenenants fight and the last fight in particular, due to my lack of practice in this kind of combats; I had a good fun on HMP. I like the visuals and also the architecture is very well designed, only lacks a custom sky. Good job !

[Empyre]

The skies in cc4-tex tile vertically as well as horizontally.

[Relinquished]

Just a final bump, as I've updated the link in the original post with the final version of the map. I'll also add a brief list of changes.

Thanks again to everyone who has given feedback and advice for this one. @Scotty, I decided not to use the Sky you made in the end (but not because I didn't like it!) as I want to move onto my next project, so I'll save the fancy skies for the next one!