baby's first maps!

[Contraboss]

Hello all! Obviously, I'm really new to the DW community, but I've been an avid doomer for the past 25 years. This past year, I've been through the wringer and experienced some pretty serious lifestyle changes relating to depression and substance abuse. The reason I mention that is because playing Doom with my best friend and even going as far as making some maps for us to tackle, has been a healthy distraction during my transition. I've only modified my Doom2 IWAD for kicks over the past decade, but this past year with everything going on was my first attempt at making maps of my own. They turned out way better than I ever would have imagined, but obviously have a LOT of room for improvement. I've only been able to get critiquing from my buddy up to this point, so I'm absolutely open to comments and feedback from you guys. I've provided a bunch of screenshots, although I notice its really hard to see since the captures themselves seem to be taken at an even lower gamma correction than I expected.

 

Anyways, so here's the wad and readme if any of you are curious or just want to provide some feedback. There are 8 completed maps as of 10/27/17. Keep in mind that this is my first PWAD, and also I'm aware that some things seem kinda sloppy at times, or the flow occasionally gets a bit awkward, but I intend to improve all of this as time goes on. I'm really big on setting a mood for each map, so they're best played without rushing through. The readme clarifies a lot of stuff about the maps, so I highly recommend taking a peek before playing.

 

PWAD: contraboss.wad(temporarily)

Map Format: Doom

Ports Tested: GZDoom, Zandronum

IWAD: DOOM2

Map(s): Map01, Map02, Map03, Map04, Map05, Map06, Map07, Map08, Map09, Map10

Gameplay: Single-player, Co-op
Difficulty Settings: Only tested on UV
Multiplayer Placement: Yes, 2-players
Build Time: Started on 6/6/17
Textures: Various textures from DOOM2, CC4, TNTR, and PL2.
Requirements: Jumping/crouching/freelook not required, nor recommended.

 

Please enjoy!(and be nice!)

 

 

 

 

 

Quick demo/fail of MAP06

 

Quick demo of MAP10: Cargo Ship

 

Edited May 25, 2018 by Contraboss : Updated screenshot

[Misty]

Just give main information below huge text, like used ports for test and other short information, because I'm not sure which port I should use for test and demo recordings. 
Also, quick tip: you can change dl=0 into dl=1 so files will be downloaded automatically. 

[Contraboss]

Good to know! Thanks! I'll be rectifying this shortly.

[SuperCupcakeTactics]

Cool classy fun doom maps. A little too many monsters for my tastes though, as I started to feel a tad burnt out in map03. My favorite map is map07.

[Misty]

I just sneaked peaked in your maps with prboom+. I noticed some stuff, but I need more time for deeper gameplay. Would you be interested in those demos?Of course you will need prboom+ port for watch demos, unless I'll re-record them for youtube. 

[Contraboss]

1 minute ago, Myst.Haruko said:

I just sneaked peaked in your maps with prboom+. I noticed some stuff, but I need more time for deeper gameplay. Would you be interested in those demos?Of course you will need prboom+ port for watch demos, unless I'll re-record them for youtube. 

Sure! I'll be honest, I have to familiarize myself with prboom+, but I can't imagine that being too daunting.

[hardcore_gamer]

I suggest you redo some of the texture work at screenshot 5. Other than that this is looking pretty decent.

 

I hope Doom aids you in defeating your problems :)

[Pegleg]

Welcome! And good luck with the struggles you're going through.

 

The levels look good with a lot of variety and some nice details. I especially like the Revenant coming up out of the grave. It's a nice touch.

[Contraboss]

3 hours ago, Pegleg said:

Welcome! And good luck with the struggles you're going through.

 

The levels look good with a lot of variety and some nice details. I especially like the Revenant coming up out of the grave. It's a nice touch.

Thanks, man. Ya know, revs coming out of graves and ambushing in mausoleums, chasing you through the cemetery...it just felt so right!

[Big Ol Billy]

Wanna check this out. Screens look cool and the irl backstory is sweet. I've found that Doom is, appropriately, great for battling your own demons sometimes.

 

Btw I would encourage you to look into PrBoom+ for demo recording. Watching other people play your maps is both cool and really useful, and PrBoom+ seems to be the standard (and with good reason from my limited knowledge). I'll probably be sending along some demos.

[Contraboss]

Thanks! Just downloaded PrBoom+ and will be taking a look at it this week. I'm really behind the times when it comes to demos, as well as Boom and its variants, among other modern Doom things. So in order to view demos, I would need to run them in PrBoom+, is that correct?

[Misty]

Your wad and demo lump file should be dropped over prboom+ port. Don't forget copy iwad files in prboom+ folder too.

[SuperCupcakeTactics]

With ZDoom demos you can type messages in-game as comments, though folk hardly do that of which I find cool :y

[Omilab]

Is an awesome wad. I enjoy all 7 maps in it but my favourite is the 7 map. teh first and second map are so so cool specially the exit of the first is the start of the second. Keep doing maps man, youre good in it. 

Nice wad... i cant wait the other maps :) 

NIce day

[Chopkinsca]

I haven't played it, but from looking at the screenshots, you seem to have a solid grasp on how to map. :)

[Contraboss]

Thanks guys! Whenever I map, I always try to keep in mind what I love and despise about other maps. Like, keeping me on my toes by being generous with the traps and triggers, without them being totally obvious or unfair(such as being mindful of cheap hitscan traps and damaging floors). And although at points my maps can get a bit sloggish, I really don’t prefer straight slaughters, as I get easily worn down and then my skills just get bogged down with frustration. 

 

My mapping experience mostly stems from toying around with my most familiar iwad, Doom 2, adding monsters and generally anything I can do that made me laugh at my best friend’s plight when he attempted them. It took me a real long time to understand the dynamics between linedefs and sectors, but after 10 years of dicking around and now being inspired to make somewhat balanced maps, it’s really paid off. 

[Pegleg]

On 10/29/2017 at 4:42 PM, Contraboss said:

Thanks, man. Ya know, revs coming out of graves and ambushing in mausoleums, chasing you through the cemetery...it just felt so right!

It really does make sense! I never even thought about it, but it really does.

 

That's what I like about this community--things that I would never think of, but someone else does and then you say, "That is so right!"

[Contraboss]

On 10/31/2017 at 3:44 PM, Pegleg said:

It really does make sense! I never even thought about it, but it really does.

 

That's what I like about this community--things that I would never think of, but someone else does and then you say, "That is so right!"

That’s part of the fuel that keeps me inspired to keep making down-to-(hell on)earth maps. I try to recreate what I fell in love with DOOM like I was 8 years old again. I try to make maps that always keep you guessing and expecting traps, but somehow circumvent your predictions anyway. I think that’s why the Cemetery turned out so fantastically!

[Contraboss]

Hello, lovelies!

 

It's been a while since I updated anything regarding my wad, but I do have Map 09 completed for now, and should have Map 10 done in about a week. If anyone is still interested, grab yourself an updated wad and readme link! Here's some screenshots of the volcano base! Just be aware that Map 10 is INCOMPLETE and I wouldn't bother with it for now, unless you're honestly interested in what's coming up next. Let me know what you think!

 

Edited March 14, 2018 by Contraboss : Wrong file link!

[Merry Widow]

The screenshots look very nice!

[Contraboss]

Thanks! It's the best I could muster while clumsily fumbling with the printscreen button while maintaining the right amount of action on screen.

 

Also, if this is an indicator of how behind the times I am when it comes to the DOOM community, I've been playing DOOM for the last 25 years with just the keyboard, and never really grew out of it simply because I feel like the game-play I fell in love with becomes less challenging once I use the mouse like a non-weirdo. This probably isn't totally unheard of, but I mention it because I've been designing these maps with the degree of difficulty in mind if one were not using a mouse, and now I'm worried that it's too easy for the average player that more than likely uses a mouse, because it's 2018 afterall, and OH DEAR LORD WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE SOMEONE PLEASE HELP I AM NOT GOOD WITH COMPUTARS AND NOW MY MEGAHERTZ ARE LEAKING WHAT DO I DO-...

 

In all seriousness, do y'all think I have to worry about such a thing?

[StevenC21]

Quote

MY MEGAHERTZ ARE LEAKING WHAT DO I DO-...

The most perfect phrase I have ever seen.

[Merry Widow]

I only had time for a couple of maps, but I liked them. :)

[Contraboss]

8 hours ago, grouchbag said:

I only had time for a couple of maps, but I liked them. :)

No worries, glad you liked em!

 

I will say though, that the first 4 maps I was still getting a feel for my own style of level design, but by Map 05 and on I would say those are so far the best ones and also the most fun to play. I think Map 03 is a bit of a slog, and Map 04 needs some more filling out, but this whole wad is still a WIP anyways. 

[qweqioweuo123]

screenshots look good

[Contraboss]

So, I was messing around with PrBoom+ for a bit and noticed that a lot of things are out of whack, more than usual, with this wad...For instance:

 

-Some of the tagged sectors aren't...uh...working anymore. Like some lifts and doors won't budge now. But, hey, who need's 'em? Doors are dumb anyway...

 

-I'm noticing a lot of texture effects I was going for, such as a grated texture on a upper/lower linedef, don't default their transparency to black anymore. Now it's trying to blend the texture palette into the transparency or something? I dunno, it looks like someone ate the texture then barfed it back onto the walls - an effect I was saving for another map, thank you.

 

-Seemingly randomly clipping sectors and/or HoM on certain flats and textures. I mean, maybe that's on me since I tend to focus on creativity while neglecting map-tidiness sometimes...

 

But I wasn't having ANY of those issues with, say, Zandronum. Which is what I've been using to test this past year, before I knew how much much I was living under a box, as far as DOOM goes.

 

All in all I see the utility in PrBoom+. It certainly makes DOOMing much more convenient as well as appealing to many players. But after running a few of my maps through it, and not including the issues listed above, I feel like it just exposed a lot of the rougher edges of my map designs, and frankly, it's just bumming me out. :(

The thought of going back and revamping my maps to fit the gold standard, which apparently is PrBoom+, is really discouraging. Every map I've done was out of spontaneous inspiration, and there was a mood I was in when creating them. I just don't know if my heart is going to be in it if I have to overhaul everything.

 

Then again, I could just be blowing this waaaaaaayy out of proportion and "catastrophizing" the hiccups. That's always a possibility. What do you guys think? Do I need to go back and revamp? Do most players take these sort of wads with a grain of salt?

 

 

[Obsidian]

41 minutes ago, Contraboss said:

-Some of the tagged sectors aren't...uh...working anymore. Like some lifts and doors won't budge now. But, hey, who need's 'em? Doors are dumb anyway...

 

At a guess I'd say you might've forgotten to give the sectors tags and Zand just made them work anyway: it's a bit of a ZDoomism that plenty of people fall for. Re-check your sector tags.

 

42 minutes ago, Contraboss said:

-I'm noticing a lot of texture effects I was going for, such as a grated texture on a upper/lower linedef, don't default their transparency to black anymore. Now it's trying to blend the texture palette into the transparency or something? I dunno, it looks like someone ate the texture then barfed it back onto the walls - an effect I was saving for another map, thank you.

 

Yeah, those textures are only ever meant to be used as midtextures: in anything below ZDoom they'll look like ass.

 

If you're mapping for older formats like vanilla or Boom, you gotta test in the correct source port: Chocolate Doom for vanilla, Crispy Doom for limit removing and PrBoom/PrBoom+ for Boom. It's very easy to fall into the trap of testing on a convenient source port, but if it's not explicitly intended for that port you'll need to step outta your comfort zone.

 

[guineu]

Going to try this later.

 

You may want to update the download links in the first post with the updated version or most people will miss them. I almost did.

[Contraboss]

4 hours ago, guineu said:

Going to try this later.

 

You may want to update the download links in the first post with the updated version or most people will miss them. I almost did.

You are a saint - Thanks for catching that! Looks like I had the wrong version of the wad linked on my latest update anyways! (contraboss1.wad instead of contraboss.wad GAHHH!!!!!)

 

Everyone, BOTH links in the OP and later post now reflect the latest version as of 3/14/18. SO sorry for the mix-up, especially if you already tested out the map :(

[Contraboss]

Folks, I'm almost done with Map 10 which is a big ol' container ship! I'm just polishing some things, (which is one of my favorite parts!) and yet I'm still struggling with something; Some of the animated textures and switches that I borrowed from the TNT: Revisited resources are just static, and I can't figure out why. I'm sure it's something simple (at least I hope) because I've been learning a metric shitload of mapping tips these past months, but a cursory google search isn't turning up anything helpful. Anyways, if any of you savvy mappers know what I'm talking about, please enlighten me. In the meantime here's some screenshots!