Fresh Meat - Maps01-07

[Flying01]

Most recent update: 22/05/2023

- Download: FRESHMEAT.rar

- Added Map07, a varied map with plenty of behind-the-scenes voodoo doll programming.

 

 

Hi Doom fans,

 

Fresh Meat is a work-in-progress megawad that seeks to evoke that good ol' fashioned Doom experience. The levels are designed with the intent that they could be substituted for those of the originals. As such, each level so far has a specific lesson to teach a would-be newcomer, be it the use of cover or the value of circle-strafing. Most Doom veterans will have a comfortable time playing on Ultra-Violence, but the levels are adjusted for lower difficulties too. I estimate each individual map will take players about 10 minutes to progress through. They are designed with both sequential play and pistol starts in mind. I adore secrets, so expect plenty of those.

 

I'm mapping using Doom Builder 2 in ZDoom in Hexen format, using the DoomII IWAD. It is tested with both Zandorum and GZDoom. Freelook is beneficial but unnecessary, though jumping and crouching are not intended parts of gameplay.

 

As a relative newcomer to the Doom mapping scene, I absolutely treasure feedback and commentary, especially recorded gameplay. I believe there's no such thing as negative criticism (outside of intentional trolling), so please have at it.

 

Thanks for your time, and please enjoy!

 

 

 

Screenshots:

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Original Post:

Spoiler

Hi folks,

 

Long time Doom fan, first time map maker here. I made this WAD to develop my knowledge of the builder, and practice my design. I intended it to capture the spirit of the first levels of Doom and Doom 2, creating a silent tutorial that teaches the game's mechanics without their realising it. It won't challenge veteran players, but it does include a couple of tricky secrets intended to reward those with a keen eye. It has varied enemy spawns based on the difficulty setting chosen.

 

The WAD was created using Doom Builder 2, using ZDoom in Hexen format, and tested using Zandorum. Jumping is not an intended part of gameplay, but it doesn't have any major detrimental effects here.

 

As this is my first effort, I'd love any feedback I can get. I intend to add maps for as long as it holds my interest, so if I'd made any disastrous errors here it'd be great to know about them before I go and repeat them.

 

Thanks for your time, and enjoy!

 

~Flying

 

 

FRESHMEAT.rar

Edited May 22, 2023 by Flying01 : 22/05/2023 Update

[leodoom85]

@Flying01Welcome to the forums m8. I tested the map and it's quite good for a start. Just found some misalignments but that's not important to the gameplay. The gameplay flow is good, the detail on the areas is also good and the secrets helps for a introduction map. The plasma gun is a bit overkill though, you could replace it with a chainsaw or a chaingun but since this is a test to show your map, it's fine for now. 

 

I left a demo for you if you want to check it out. Played in GZDoom 3.2.1. Enjoy the demo and solid map man. You can extend this map and turn it into a short megawad if you want. Thumbs up.

 

fmld85.zip

Oh...in case that you don't know how to check the demo, it's simple. Just select your wad with the file inside of the zip and load both files by drag&drop or copypasting to the GZDoom executable.

[Job]

I dig the visuals. I'll give it a try when I get a chance. 

[Niya]

This is very good as a first attempt. I would enjoy playing more maps like this, but a little longer though. Was kinda disappointed at how quickly it was over but it's a good map regardless.

 

I do have a couple of tiny criticisms. Firstly, seem to ignore Y alignment in a few places which is quite noticeable with some textures and especially with STARTAN textures. In your 3rd screen shot, there's an example where the inner wall of the window is not Y aligned to the outer adjoining wall.  Without proper Y alignment, some windows and walls look a bit ugly. Try to Y-align the inner walls of your windows if they are using the same textures as the outer walls. And when using upper or lower textures after joining sectors of differing ceiling and floor heights, an easy way to Y-align them to the solid walls(single sided linedefs) is by unpegging. This works especially well for quickly Y-aligning upper and lower textures of windows.  More complicated scenarios would require both unpegging and Y offsets. Both X and Y alignment can go a long way towards making something look better.

 

Another tiny criticism is that you make sudden texture changes along a couple straight walls without an intervening seam-like texture. I'll illustrate what I mean.

 

Texture change without a seam-like texture in between.

Texture change with a seam-like texture in between.

 

 

Generally speaking people find the second way more visually appealing that the first.

 

Aside from those minor things, your map is good. I'd say 7/10.

Edited November 19, 2017 by Niya

[Erick]

Welcome, always nice to see new map makers trying to make good maps. For a first time map, it's a pretty nice level with some nice detail and neat tricks that goes along with it, although the texture alignments could be improved. The gameplay flows well and it's pretty fast-paced, though my problem would be that it's short and can be finished rather quickly, kind of a shame but I can set that side being that it's your first map. When making secrets, know how to reward (or punish) the player since a Plasma Rifle in a pretty short level does seem odd to have, but again, I can set that aside. Other than that, I enjoyed the level and I encountered no bugs, a solid map that can be added upon to make it longer and perhaps even better.

[Flying01]

Hey all! Thanks for the warm welcomes, and thanks all the more for checking this out. This is such a great community.

 

I'll go over it again and fix up the sloppy texturing, and play around with the pegged/unpegged textures per @Niya 's recommendation. I probably should have clarified that this would be intended as the first map of a series, which is why I kept it short and sweet. Expect future maps to have some more meat.

 

@leodoom85 I loved watching the demo. Seeing someone else enjoying something I've made gives me great joy. Thank you very much for the extra effort!

 

Edit: I'm probably being dumb. Could someone tell me how tag another user in a comment?

[Nine Inch Heels]

1 hour ago, Flying01 said:

Edit: I'm probably being dumb. Could someone tell me how tag another user in a comment?

You can either mark a user's text and then click the "Quote This" button to make sure everyone can understand what you want to refer to in particular (in which case the user gets notified that they have been quoted), or you use "@username", which will make a menu bar appear from which you can then choose the desired user to adress after typing in the first few letters, as in @Flying01. If you see this blue background like shown here, it means you did it right. Just make sure not to overuse the "@username", because usually people who already commented on a thread get notified when something happens.

With great power comes great posting, or so they say. ;-)

[Flying01]

@Nine Inch Heels

 

Thanks for the assist.

[HAK3180]

This was a nice little map. Some attention to detail. A nice variety of secrets. The plasma rifle is a little tough to get because you have very little time on the one lift, and it's a two part secret basically, but it's nice to have the window giving you a hint. 

 

It certainly reminded me of Knee Deep in the Dead. Creatively, I admire a a good base map because for some reason I just struggle more with those. I really don't have anything specific to improve on. One minor and certainly subjective thing is that I did think having some hanging limbs just in that one area that wasn't really any different from most of the rooms was a little odd. I hope to see more.

[Reisal]

I'll take a look at it and record something that will be posted in the future.

 

Edit: This was a short, fun little map but I can wager you could have added a monster or two the the exit's courtyard, like a couple of demons or former humans of any flavor.

 

 

Edited November 20, 2017 by Glaice

[Flying01]

Hey doom fans,

 

Map02 is now complete, and ready for your viewing pleasure. Map03 is 90% complete and doesn't have an ending yet, but is included for giggles' sake.

 

Map01 was intended as an introduction to movement and shooting mechanics. Map02 seeks to emphasise the value of fighting from cover, and is therefore littered with hitscan enemies and shotgun ammo. Secrets are intended to provide advantageous positioning and timely power-ups.

 

Map03, is case you play it too, creates situations where circle-strafing is a valuable technique.

 

Jumping is not intended. It was tested using Zandorum. As always, feedback and criticism are most welcome.

 

Please enjoy!

 

~Flying

FRESHMEAT.zip

[Flying01]

Hi again folks,

 

Here are maps 03 and 04. Eager to hear your thoughts!

 

Please enjoy,

 

~Flying

FRESHMEAT.rar

[unpleasantmarine]

>ZDoom in Hexen format

 

why not udmf?

[Flying01]

6 hours ago, unpleasantmarine said:

>ZDoom in Hexen format

 

why not udmf?

 

I think when I started out I was trying to be true to the original Doom experience, but was told that ZDoom in Hexen format offered more tools and options should I need them. I've been using Doom Builder, so I'm not sure what options are available outside of there.

 

Is the format causing issues for you? And, since you're no doubt a more experienced mapper than me - what are the benefits of UDMF?

[Flying01]

Oh, also, a question for the wider forum userbase:

 

Is there a certain forum etiquette for posting updates to megawads? I like the idea of adding content as I finish it and gathering feedback (which helps me make improvements as I progress), but I feel like it's poor form to keep necro'ing an old thread like this. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[spaztacus]

Great stuff!!!!  I think Map 05 was my favorite.  I enjoyed a lot of your designs and gameplay.  You seem to have a great grasp on interconnecting your rooms and using parkour for secrets and the like.  Nice pacing and difficulty increase.  Got to say it might have been a little harder for me since I couldn't figure out the freaking plasma gun the first run through.  Keep up the great work.

 

[Flying01]

Hey @spaztacus, thanks for playing. How did you go finding the secrets overall? I think the backpack in Map03 is the most obscure one because it requires going into a secret area, and then some significant backtracking to get to. I'd be curious to know if you found it.

[unpleasantmarine]

10 hours ago, Flying01 said:

 

I think when I started out I was trying to be true to the original Doom experience, but was told that ZDoom in Hexen format offered more tools and options should I need them. I've been using Doom Builder, so I'm not sure what options are available outside of there.

 

Is the format causing issues for you? And, since you're no doubt a more experienced mapper than me - what are the benefits of UDMF?

its not causing issues or anything: i just dont get why someone would use hexen format unless they are supporting an old version of zdoom

UDMF gives you features like colored lighting, fog, scaling and rotating of textures

 

doesnt really matter though

 

(also im definitely not an expericended mapper, havent released a single map lol)

[HAK3180]

13 hours ago, Flying01 said:

Oh, also, a question for the wider forum userbase:

 

Is there a certain forum etiquette for posting updates to megawads? I like the idea of adding content as I finish it and gathering feedback (which helps me make improvements as I progress), but I feel like it's poor form to keep necro'ing an old thread like this. Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

In my perception, most people just necro the thread. It can help to change the name of the thread to include the date of the most recent update (like source port threads do). Even with a new post, though, be sure to update the original post and anywhere you have a download link. You can even entirely change your OP and just put the original text in a spoiler or with strikethrough.

[Nymbus_Hustle]

Map01 is pretty good, I'd say it's just a little too short, which honestly is the best complaint haha. I'll play through your other maps later, you should bundle these into one wad file!

 

I really like the lights done here

 

 

I also think that this button was kind of hidden and if you didn't intend that then I'd move it, but it felt p good to find ngl.

[spaztacus]

19 hours ago, Flying01 said:

Hey @spaztacus, thanks for playing. How did you go finding the secrets overall? I think the backpack in Map03 is the most obscure one because it requires going into a secret area, and then some significant backtracking to get to. I'd be curious to know if you found it.

So, without giving it away?  Well, I needed a chaingun to pull it off and once I got one, I ran back because I wanted to know what was there.  That was a good one. And now that I've looked at Map01 in Doombuilder, no way in heck I would have found the plasma gun.  Even knowing how to do it took me a while to time it correctly.

[Flying01]

16 hours ago, unpleasantmarine said:

its not causing issues or anything: i just dont get why someone would use hexen format unless they are supporting an old version of zdoom

UDMF gives you features like colored lighting, fog, scaling and rotating of textures

Ah, gotcha. I'll probably stick with the familiar format for now, but it's good to know I'll have the options in future. Thanks for the tip!

 

14 hours ago, HAK3180 said:

 

In my perception, most people just necro the thread. It can help to change the name of the thread to include the date of the most recent update (like source port threads do). Even with a new post, though, be sure to update the original post and anywhere you have a download link. You can even entirely change your OP and just put the original text in a spoiler or with strikethrough.

Nice one - I'll edit the initial post soon to reflect that the thread's dedicated to a WIP. Thanks for running through the maps, too. I'm enjoying listening to your feedback.

 

13 hours ago, Nymbus_Hustle said:

Map01 is pretty good, I'd say it's just a little too short, which honestly is the best complaint haha. I'll play through your other maps later, you should bundle these into one wad file!

[...]

I also think that this button was kind of hidden and if you didn't intend that then I'd move it, but it felt p good to find ngl.

Glad you're digging it. Based on yours and others' feedback, I will add something more for the final room in Map01. It's a tad anticlimactic at the moment. I'll also be updating the initial post with the master wad file, so that'll save people combing the thread for the latest update.

 

I quite like the button nestled in there. It serves a fairly minor purpose - lowering the platforms so players can pick up the shotgun ammo - but I quite like it.

 

2 hours ago, spaztacus said:

So, without giving it away?  Well, I needed a chaingun to pull it off and once I got one, I ran back because I wanted to know what was there.  That was a good one. And now that I've looked at Map01 in Doombuilder, no way in heck I would have found the plasma gun.  Even knowing how to do it took me a while to time it correctly.

Awesome, I'm glad to hear that secret piqued your curiosity. I'm still tossing up whether or not to change the plasma rifle secret in Map01. It's certainly not obvious, but I definitely want to reward the players among as who love secret hunting. Tricky.

 

 

[Suitepee]

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/439084561

 

I play this at 1:32:30 into this playtest livestream. Some good potential here!

[Flying01]

4 hours ago, Suitepee said:

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/439084561

 

I play this at 1:32:30 into this playtest livestream. Some good potential here!

 

@Suitepee, thanks so much for playing and recording. It was great to hear your thoughts, as well as the input from chat.

 

Good point about not trying to strive for the magnum opus 32-map megawad. So far (and the reason I've been progressing at the rate that I have) I've just been working on it when time and inspiration allow. I'm just going to keep plugging away at it and trying to make good maps. If I eventually get to 32 - good stuff. Otherwise, I'm going to just keep having fun making things that people seem to enjoy. Thanks for the sound wisdom.

[Flying01]

Hi folks,

 

I'm happy to say that Map05 is complete, and ready for play. It's been by far my most ambitious attempt to date.

 

My intent was to create a map that played differently depending on the which parts the player explores first, which I achieved using a lowering floor that grants and removes access to certain pathways and platforms. The tone of this map is a lot more hostile than any so far, with plenty of monsters, darkness and nukage to impede the player. I've also updated the end of Map01 to make it a touch more climactic, as well as a few other touch-ups to maps 2-4.

 

As always, feedback is highly appreciated. I'm especially interested to know if anyone finds themselves getting lost or confused in this one.

 

Thanks for playing,

 

~Flying

 

FRESHMEAT.rar

 

 

 

 

Edited March 24, 2020 by Flying01

[Flying01]

Hi gang,

 

In light of some immensely helpful feedback, I've updated Map05 to be a little kinder on players going in blind. It should be a little more intuitive to explore, and a little less easy to get lost.

 

Changes include:

- Items, particularly armour and health bonuses, have been added in places.

- Some enemies have been moved or replaced.

- A button at the end of one area has been relocated to help prevent players from missing it or moving away from it and forgetting about it.

- Enemies and items have been adjusted according to difficulty levels.

- Invulnerability spheres have been replaced by soulspheres or megaspheres, depending on the difficulty level.

- Added or moved radsuits at the end of routes to make them more available and apparent.

 

Download: FRESHMEAT.rar

 

Special thanks to the anon who recorded demos and helped me figure out what was going wrong and causing confusion.

 

~ Flying

 

 

[Flying01]

Hi all,

 

Here's map06. After the claustrophobic environment of map05, I wanted to provide a map that promoted fast, mobile, active movement and plenty of pressure from roaming and stationary enemies. It uses rising lifts to ensure that enemies can chase you onto the high ground, help to ensure that no one place is safe to hide.

 

Hope you enjoy and, as always, feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

~Flying

 

FRESHMEAT.rar

 

 

[Bryan T]

Wow man. This was seriously good. The levels flow so well. The attention to detail. Maps 5 and 6 are the definite highlights.

The design of map05, good lord. It was slightly confusing but I managed to find my way. I ran out of suits a few times but it keeps you moving. I usually hate damaging floors but I loved this map. Having the key eventually reveal itself, just brilliant stuff.

Map06 was nonstop action. You hardly get a chance to breathe. I love the self raising lifts. It makes you wish all lifts were like this. Sure gets old waiting for lifts in doom.

 

Edited May 23, 2020 by Bryan T

[Tango]

those are some damn fine screenshots, really digging your geometry and visual design

[Flying01]

Hi all,

 

After a long hiatus, I've finally had that chance to produce some new content. Map07 is complete and ready for release.

 

This map takes full advantage of Map07's unique 666 and 667 tags, so there's a fair bit of voodoo doll programming and other trickery going on behind the scenes.

 

I've also made minor changes to the other maps in the set, some cosmetic, some gameplay-affecting.

 

Please enjoy!

 

~Flying

 

FRESHMEAT.rar