DWBS

Woohoo! finally some crates and other main-textures-on-2s-sidedefs tricks... and yeah, first post!

I wonder i those screenshots were taken with or without cheatcodes ;)

PS. I liked Ola's infoline

From the looks of the screenshots lately, it appears that even if I somehow manage to finish my entry before the contest ends, I have no chance of winning. That's OK though, because the megawad(s) will be extremely awesome and I can't wait to play the other entries.

...that my entry will make it into the Megawad. The prize doesn't really pull me into this one at all. I just hope no one does anything lame like giving the player cell guns before my level is played. It's only really meant to be started from scratch... the ammo is perfect right now... Oh well. Maybe if I'm lucky it will be first in the WAD.

I'm sure everyone is assuming their map is being played as if the first and only map (I sure did), it might be fun to play all the way thru, but people can also warp to a map from scratch and play the maps as they were meant to be played. Perhaps that should be emphasized in the readme...

To GeekMarine -make your map, make it the best you can, and submit it with pride! You are taking the screenshots as making you look bad. Roll with the punches and use them for inspiration!

Well I'm about to make the en fight of my map. and I make it as a start with nothing but pistol map. So you better play it as one aswell.

Oh yeah. I'm sure it'll come in the megawad. But I have no idea if it'll win or something. Not really intresting anyway. since I had fun making it. More fun than I've had in quite a while with a doom editor.

Cool shots. I have one coming shortly, and I am beginning to wonder if any of these levels being entered (including mine) will at all work in a megawad. Mine has a sorry excuse for a storyline which depends on the player starting out with the default starting weaponry, and from what I can tell, all the rest are somewhat built upon that same structure as well.
I think I can get the player killed at the end of my level or something so he starts with scratch on the next, but that would kinda suck. I was just wondering what linguica (or whoever is going to be slapping these all together) has in mind for solving this problem.

A number of people have made a comment about this contest that I agree with 100%. The challenge of creating a 10 sector map and getting it included in a megawad is what grabbed my attention. The prize is cool and all, but nothing beats getting some recognition from ones editing peers. Especially since I'm a complete unknown.

I had also thought of the problem of how many maps would be designed to start slow with a pistol and build to a climatic battle. If this is the case, then weapons and ammo picked up in earlier maps will kinda make a mockery of maps placed later in the megawad.

Is there a preference or a certain prestige to a specific map number? Maybe once the 30 maps are chosen for the megawad, they could be placed in an order that would minimize weapon and ammo collection from earlier maps.

All I know, is that the map that I'll be submitting, you can have a backpack with full weapons and ammo and you're still going to be in a world of hurt! (g)

One last comment: Why not 32 maps? Maybe once Linguica places the maps in order, he can notify the makers of map 15 and 31 to edit in a secret exit. Doesn't have to be difficult or hidden or anything. Just a thought.

Make a script that will reset the player stats for each level. Hmm maybe not. this is working so fine cause it can be run with practically any port so if there would be a fraggle /ACS script it would ruin it.

I dont know what to think of this... All I care about is Oblivion Doom III.

Use those "Kill player/exit level" sectors. Whoever throws together the megawad can add an 11th sector to each level: set it so that any teleport and switch exits (BOOM does have switches that teleport you, so no damage done to levels with switch exits) will teleport you into this kill sector, and place a second Player1 start on the teleport destination for instant exits. Wha-la! Thank you, thank you...

It would be wonderful having to go all the way through a map only to be forced into death;P Actually I thought of that and I think it's a great idea

All this talk of making the megawad work as a whole has me wondering: Does it really matter? For one, it's going to be near impossible to mesh together all the different themes properly. Two, with Doom 2 enemies such as Archviles, Revenants, and Chaingun dudes, any level can be quite tricky no matter how much ammo you have. No doubt we will be seeing plenty of those guys around. I think it will work just fine to have the smaller levels first and the larger levels last. Just picking the appropriate order to put the levels in will be enough work in itself anyway. The best levels will be well balanced anyway right? That alone should ensure that the next level is started without a whole lot of extra ammo health and armor.

You don't see ME complaining about people starting with weapons, do you? Of course not! (Of course, this might be because my map is designed such that you get weapons really early on in the level and you're still overmatched probably... but we'll leave THAT for another discussion.)

Oh yeah, I'm still working on map #2 of 4. And I've got a third map that's got a few more than ten sectors.

As for the next contest of this type, why not make it a chain WAD instead? People sign up in teams of four, and they have to create a level that follows these guidelines:

Limits (100 points):
(1) Uses no FEWER than 40 sectors and no MORE than 60 sectors. (10 points, based on how far off 50 sectors the result is)
(2) Uses no FEWER than 32 textures and no MORE than 72 textures. (20 points, based on how far off 52 textures)
(3) Uses no FEWER than 10 flats and no MORE than 40 flats. (15 points)
(4) Uses no FEWER than 6 of any one thing and no MORE than 36 of that thing, player starts excluded. (15 points)
(5) Uses no FEWER than 30 different thing types and no MORE than 40 different thing types. (5 points)
(6) Highest floor to lowest ceiling distance is no LESS than -512 and no GREATER than -32 units. (20 points, based on 24-unit steps to a point.)
(7) Lowest floor to highest ceiling distance is no LESS than 32 and no GREATER than 512 units. (15 points, based on 32-unit steps to a point.)

Playability (150 points):
To be rated by a panel of fifteen judges, on a scale from 0 to 10.

Appearance (90 points):
Rated by the same panel of judges, on a scale from 0 to 6.

Balance (135 points):
Rated by the same panel of judges, on a scale from 0 to 5 on skill levels 2, 3, and 4. If two skill levels are identical, the second one is to be scored zero.

Bonuses/Penalties:
5 points for a level that runs under normal Doom.
-5 points for a level that runs only under a port other than Boom, MBF, or normal Doom.
10 points for a level with no new textures.
5 points for a level with only textures made by members of the team STRICTLY for this level.
-5 points for a level that uses textures made by the authors of the level that they used on other projects.
-10 points for a level that uses the Gothic DM texture pack, the Return resources, etc.
10 points for a level that includes a demo of someone fumbling through the level, a demo of how to actually do the level as quickly as possible, and a perfectly-done demo of the level.
5 points for a level that contains at least one demo.
-5 points for a level that contains a demo done by Adam Heygi that has him dying at least twice in the level, even in his best performance.
-10 points for a level that has a demo of George Fiffy beating the level on Nightmare with 100% items and 100% secrets.

Total possible points: 500.

Levels will be put into at least one WAD.

Here's an idea. Someone independendant makes a cool level, and four teams of people are assembled.

One team must add EDGE features, one team must add Legacy features, one team must add SMMU features, and one team must add ZDoom features.

Kinoshkanas idea seems much too complicated and it looks like something that would spoil all the fun I think. Nicks idea has some potential but what about this: Someone makes a level and then people get to modify it, within certain limits. For example, a size limit could be used (# of sectors or something) but other than that, the limitations should be as few as possible. Too many restrictions makes it boring and annoying, which is why I dislike Kinoshkanas suggestion.
Another thing I've thought about is to start a new map that then gets handed to someone else for one week - then that person must hand it on to the next one. It's been done before, but without the time restraint I think. It could be a nice experiment, given that people can find the time to edit in the week or so they have.

I like Ola's idea, but i wouldn't want to be left with the texture alignment at the end.

This strikes me as odd:

-5 points for a level that runs only under a port other than Boom, MBF, or normal Doom.

All this is decrimiate against other ports. I would imagine that Kinoshkana most obviosuly like Boom and MBF. However feel that penalising that makes no sense.

Cheers

dk

Please do not give poor Ling any more ideas for any more contests. One is enough. So far the screenshots idea is pretty good. From what I can tell there are some talented people entering. Oh yea 19th post. :-)

Hmm, odd, my cookies got deleted or something. Anyways, I have thought of that serial-WAD idea before, but it wouldn't be a contest, just something for fun. I have also thought about having regular speedmapping competitions where people gather in an IRC channel, are given a "topic" of sorts, and then have an hour to make a level. No prize, just for fun.

I hope you're all happy. My finger is completely numb after me clicking ON EACH AND EVERYONE of all lines in one area to be able to copy it so I could get the ending arena on my 10 sectors finished. In other cases I would simply click on the sectors and copy the damn thing that way. GRRRRRRR. It feel really weird in it now. Well I'm soon finished with teh area and I'll make you all pay by adding really bad monsters. MWUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

I spent all night on my 10 sector map, Pulling out all the stops to make it look some what good. Now you show these screen shots and I feel like shit again. Hmmm.... Well I guess it's back to the drawing board, if I can build a wad in time... I hope I get in the mega wad!! No one but my small circle of friends have ever played my levels. It would be so great to have one of my level's played by some one else.