-
Content count
268 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Downloads
News
Everything posted by SGS Man
-
I think the RNG of Doom is both a blessing and a curse. I’ve always found Damage RNG to be problematic. It’s something that becomes less relevant as skill/knowledge increases. However, while I do understand that the high/low roll potential leads to “excitement” in encounters, I prefer the damage range being more restrained. Something like flat damage values or a range around the higher end (like 50-80 damage for Revenant missiles). This allows the enemies to be more threatening, thereby incentivizing more interesting resource management/monster prioritization from the player. This can even lead to “strategic” hit tanking from the player. Monster RNG I’m mixed on. It enables less-than-tight encounter design to not feel very samey, and even simple fights to be dynamic. You have to deal with a dynamic environment involving monster movement and firing (among other things). However, as mentioned by others before me, this puts an upper bound on the difficulty of encounters/consistency of runs. More deterministic behavior can hurt simple encounters, but would only help complex encounters. I’m undecided on this particular aspect, as it really depends on the implementation of monster behavior. Another minor case of RNG in Doom is bullet spread. I’m pretty positive about this. It does its job and inculcates weapon-specific behaviors in the player. I find it interesting that you mention Quake and its relative lack of RNG compared to Doom. One point to notice is that Quake uses a more complex physics system, which influences weapon/enemy design and player movement. This should enable dynamic encounter design without resorting to tons of RNG, at least in theory.
-
Caco or Pain Elemental, which is the more adorable monster?
SGS Man replied to CasualScrub's topic in Doom General
Why not both? -
Ah yes. Good ol' GmanLives with those delightful FPS takes. If anything, the review has piqued my interest in SIGIL even more. I have a soft spot for Doom 1 mapsets as they are exercises in limitations, and some have been exceedingly successful within those confines (Double Impact, No End In Sight, Thy Flesh turned into a draft-excluder, and Return To Hadron come to mind). SIGIL appears to be quite the trap-fest with ammo starvation thrown in for good measure.
-
Back to Saturn X Episode 3 [WIP]: 5 MAP PREVIEW BUILD ON PAGE 11
SGS Man replied to Xaser's topic in WAD Releases & Development
Let the hype flow... Let Doomworld be consumed with hype and one-upmanship... Astounding screenshots. Can't wait for the release! -
Sunder - Map20 Appears, finally.
SGS Man replied to Insane_Gazebo's topic in WAD Releases & Development
The legends were true after all... -
Double Impact comes to mind if you want what feels like the logical conclusion of E1’s gameplay and tropes. An outstanding mapset with incredibly honed gameplay and traps, although it may not feel E1 enough as it brings out the entirety of Doom 1’s enemy roster and has a few instances of the Plasma Rifle as well.
-
E2 is pretty solid, but I place it behind the rest of Doom 1's episodes as it is emblematic of the issues with Doom 1's enemy roster. Here is where the game starts bringing out the scarce few mid-tiers and high-tiers it has, but cuts back on the firepower you should have to deal with them efficiently. There is no BFG available, and you're barely provided with any rockets/plasma, relegating high firepower to one-time uses per level. Coupled with the incidental combat-heavy approach this episode takes (over traps/setpieces as in the other episodes), you generally end up with boring encounters ranging from using the Chaingun on a lonely Cacodemon, to plinking down a Baron of Hell. Even the Lost Souls take some effort to kill, further contributing to the grindy nature of this episode. When it comes to level layouts, E2 tends to opt for branching paths with secret connections which somewhat leads to linear approaches to levels. Comparably E1 is more backtracking focused but refills areas often, and E3 is outright labyrinthine, making levels more interesting to play and master. There are certainly exceptions to this, most notably E2M2 and E2M6, and there is a whole host of things I like about this episode. But these issues I have with how E2 plays inevitably put it below the rest for me.
-
What are your favourite 'Hidden Gems' Games?
SGS Man replied to Grimosaur's topic in Everything Else
I'll go with two games. God Hand Hands down the best combat system to ever grace a video game (yes, even better than DMC, Ninja Gaiden, Bayonetta, Nioh, SoulsBorne, etc.). It has unique controls, an unrivaled dodging system, a fully customizable move-set (with over 100 moves to choose from), relentless and ruthless enemies and bosses, and a wacky comedic tone. Tying all of it up is the best dynamic difficulty system in a game, where you are constantly incentivized to get better since the game becomes harder and more rewarding. It's genuinely impressive how many things Clover Studios (the ones who made Viewtiful Joe and Okami and eventually became Platinum Games) got right with this game. All of the core ideas behind Platinum Games' Beat 'em Ups (Madworld, Bayonetta, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance) were first implemented here. DESYNC The easiest way to describe this game is "Devil May Cry meets Quake". It's essentially an FPS where you are incentivized to kill things as stylishly as possible. The trademarked Arena Shooter gun roster can now be used in incredibly versatile ways. For instance, the shotgun can also shoot a spinning blade that allows you to trap charging enemies, and the machine gun can shoot a slow moving trap bomb that detonates on impact (or when you shoot it again). It has extremely aggressive enemies with great movesets and good properties to play around with. It has a killer soundtrack and aesthetic too! -
So how come a lot of music and games suck now?
SGS Man replied to MeetyourUnmaker's topic in Everything Else
There's simply more stuff out there. That brings more good stuff, but also more mediocre, and more terrible stuff. It just takes more effort to find the good. Regarding games, this gen is already one of the best, by virtue of having a higher bar for AAA releases and the spread of indie games. Frankly speaking, this gen is substantially better than every other gen apart from the 6th (PS2, XBox, GameCube, etc) and 4th (Genesis, SNES, etc). Music is a more interesting case. There are sub-genres within sub-genres now and there are hundreds of bands trying to get their voices heard. You have a lot more options for your musical palate but simultaneously have to deal with several bands trying to compete for your ear. This effectively makes a lot of them sound samey, even in niche genres. Other mediums like television, anime, books, and movies haven't really changed too much. Most are mediocre to trash as usual, but there are always a few good ones around. I guess you can frame an argument by claiming there aren't any "visionaries" anymore, but that's quite a different topic to deal with. Or maybe you are just older, more critical, and more aware of your tastes. You could try revisiting some of the games/music/movies/books/etc. that you grew up with or have fond memories of. Chances are that they don't really hold up well. -
Revenants may have high damage projectiles, but they're much slower than the Cyberdemon's rocket. You can practically dodge Revenant rockets on reaction (unlike the Cyberdemon's which require you to bait them out). If you dodge well and are close enough, even the homing rockets will struggle to hit you. Homing rockets can also be controlled into infighting. Plus, as you said, they're glass cannons, so you can dispatch them easily with a couple of SSG Blasts or Rockets. Revenant spam is fine since Revenants die easily to Rockets, Plasma, and BFG blasts, so you're just forced to contend with a mass body of projectiles (some of which are homing). You treat the homing ball of death the same way you treat a single homing rocket. Revenant spam can get really grindy/tedious though. I think Scythe MAP30 is a testament to that.
-
The Arch-vile by far. It's a speedy and high health monster that has an excellent implementation of hit-scan in a projectile heavy game. The delay to the blast gives you time to retreat or to be aggressive depending on the situation. The blast gives you a vertical launch as well, essentially trading damage for a lot of movement potential. It also resurrects other enemies, making corpses and their distribution matter. It's not only one of the best enemies in Doom, but also in video games in general.
-
Either "Agree" or "Disagree" with the above opinion ONLY. Then state one of your own.
SGS Man replied to MegaZzZeux's topic in Everything Else
Disagree Dark Souls 2 is the weakest of the series. Still pretty good though -
Either "Agree" or "Disagree" with the above opinion ONLY. Then state one of your own.
SGS Man replied to MegaZzZeux's topic in Everything Else
I don't know what you look like but I agree. Half-Life and its expansions are much better than Half-Life 2 (and Black Mesa) -
So what is the best game on the build engine you think?
SGS Man replied to MeetyourUnmaker's topic in Everything Else
Blood is easily the best. Ranks handily with the iD Tech FPS. -
Either "Agree" or "Disagree" with the above opinion ONLY. Then state one of your own.
SGS Man replied to MegaZzZeux's topic in Everything Else
Agree Open additional portals on Deimos, Mars, and Earth just in case. -
Either "Agree" or "Disagree" with the above opinion ONLY. Then state one of your own.
SGS Man replied to MegaZzZeux's topic in Everything Else
Disagree. My Hero Academia is a disappointingly mediocre shonen anime/manga. -
Either "Agree" or "Disagree" with the above opinion ONLY. Then state one of your own.
SGS Man replied to MegaZzZeux's topic in Everything Else
Agree Melee is the best Smash. -
Either "Agree" or "Disagree" with the above opinion ONLY. Then state one of your own.
SGS Man replied to MegaZzZeux's topic in Everything Else
Agree Viewtiful Joe > Alien vs. Predator > Any Streets of Rage -
Either "Agree" or "Disagree" with the above opinion ONLY. Then state one of your own.
SGS Man replied to MegaZzZeux's topic in Everything Else
Agree Although Coffee > Tea -
Rank your top FPS or TPS games from best to worst
SGS Man replied to koke's topic in Everything Else
My top 5 FPS: Doom (Ultimate, 2, Final) DESYNC Half-Life Quake Quake 3 My top 5 TPS: Vanquish Resident Evil 4 Spec Ops: The Line Resident Evil 6 ... I don't have a fifth one There are tons of great FPS I missed out on, but there are shockingly few great TPS around. -
1. Almost always, yes. Even if I drop the megawad for some reason, I make it a point to return and complete it. I treat them like individual games/expansion packs, so I try to see them to the end. 2. Map the way you want to map. Would I prefer smaller projects with sharper focus? Absolutely, but no one is obliged to make that for me. Mappers are like developers. They make whatever they want and once they're done, it's all in the hands of the players. 3. Episode and Megawad lengths are somewhat arbitrary themselves. Aside from technical (and time/resource) limitations, I don't see why the Episodes in The Ultimate Doom aren't 7 or 10 maps long, or the Megawad format is 50 maps long. Mappers can create as many maps as they see fit. Personally, I would love to see more maps in my favorite mapsets, and less in the ones I dislike.
-
This thread
-
I'm a big fan of all of Plutonia's maps. It's my favorite IWAD since it takes the best aspects of The Ultimate Doom and Doom 2 and fuses them into a Brown and Chaingunner-Revenant-heavy package. There's a lot to love about all of its maps and frankly, I don't think it has a "bad" map. Though if I had to choose, the best ones are probably Hunted, Go 2 It, and Odyssey of Noises. Hunted is probably the quintessential gimmick map. A confusing and repetitive maze filled solely with Arch-viles. And it gets great mileage from the 14 (18) Arch-viles on Ultra-Violence. The dickish fake exit trap at the end is also excellent, as it cripples continuous players before Speed (which is on the harder end of Plutonia's maps). Go 2 It is classic balls-to-the-wall madness. Easy by today's standards of slaughter-ish maps, but it still serves as a great introduction to that sub-genre of Doom maps. Odyssey of Noises is a city map done right. I've grown to be more forgiving of the city sandbox maps in Doom 2, but I still find that they're extremely tame. They are content to let the player explore at little risk and only unsheath their fangs sparsely. Odyssey of Noises resolves that by making entire lanes lethal with several turrets (most notably the Cyberdemon one) and having progression that requires the player to move into those lanes. The weakest maps are The Temple of Darkness and Cyberden. The Temple of Darkness feels like the fusion of two different maps aesthetically. There's the blood-red area with wooden planks, and then there's the jungle-temple structure. Still, the map plays well and has excellent ambushes. My only issue with it gameplay-wise might be the nasty shotgun ambush at the start. Continuous players would be able to withstand that, but pistol-start players are at a sizeable disadvantage. It's still fairly easy to snag new guns and recover though. Cyberden boils over into grindy territory with a touch of ammo starvation. The Cyberdemons control a ton of space, and the map requires you to move into that space quite often. This incentivizes the player to kill/weaken the Cyberdemons with just the Rocket Launcher and Super Shotgun (to conserve plasma for the eventual BFG). The final armada of Revenants is still quite engaging, but getting there just ends up feeling tedious.
-
While I wouldn't claim the 8th generation is terrible or even mediocre, I definitely feel the 8th generation is uninspired. People have been more observant and critical of industry practices and the games themselves, effectively demanding higher average quality. As a result, 2017 was a notable year. We had a lot of games that range from good to great, but none truly stood out. This generation does have a few more years to become impressive though, and I'm hopeful for 2019's lineup of games. Regardless, I'm quite satisfied with this generation. Some of the best games I've ever played come from this gen, which is something I can't say for most console generations before the 6th one (PS2/XBox/Gamecube). Fighting games are quite strong (if not stronger than ever), indie games are booming, and AAA games are absolutely trying their damndest to improve. I'm on the fence whether the 6th or 7th gen is my favorite. The sheer quality of the best 6th gen releases is unmatched, while the sheer number of quality releases from the 7th gen is impressive. Both are definitely better than the current gen, but I'd take these three generations (and the 4th) over any other.
-
As an overall package, TNT is extremely boring for me. Stronghold, Pharoah, Caribbean, and Heck are the most memorable maps. Mt. Pain and Habitat come to mind for being terrible maps.