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Rednov

Old Still Life .wad

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First of all amazing scenery and level design in general in the first map. Gameplay wise i would nitpick that you put way too much monsters in tiny spaces to fight. The first time i died was simply because of the lack of ammunition when encountering the archfiends. I also never figured out how you get the BFG. Thus main progression seemed a bit too harsh. Second map i wasted numerous minutes before understanding that some already pressed switches must be re activated to progress which made the experience quite tedious. I would give more ammo in the first map considering you spawn with nothing in the next map anyways.

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On 10/9/2021 at 10:10 PM, TeK (⌐■_■) said:

Hi, I'm not able to open the archive with 7zip or winrar, any chance you could re-upload?

 

The problem persists? What I could do? In my PC there's no problem apparently. All the settings should allow you to download it. Maybe do you need to update your winrar? However, I could send it to you in another way. Write me to the private messages if you want.

 

On 10/10/2021 at 9:22 PM, Doomdude89 said:

 

First of all amazing scenery and level design in general in the first map. Gameplay wise i would nitpick that you put way too much monsters in tiny spaces to fight. The first time i died was simply because of the lack of ammunition when encountering the archfiends. I also never figured out how you get the BFG. Thus main progression seemed a bit too harsh. Second map i wasted numerous minutes before understanding that some already pressed switches must be re activated to progress which made the experience quite tedious. I would give more ammo in the first map considering you spawn with nothing in the next map anyways.

 

I have to say it's true map 01 is very tiny, I intended the first map for a claustrophobic stage, but the rest of maps are more "normal". About the ammo, yes, there are few ammo, but if you are playing in UV: I had never intended this wad for playing firstly in UV. Probably even HMP is shit at the first time. About the second map, I intended the wad for being stuck in some ways: hidden/messy buttons, puzzles, the stage itself... But I recognize some parts can despair players. Think about I didn't have any tester apart of me to know what I could change to balance all the parts from the point of view of someone that didn't build the wad. Probably I will correct some things in a next version. All in all, thanks for playing and I hope you continue the following maps and enjoy more them!

 

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No problem dude you are talented ,dont get me wrong by no means were your levels bad. I can relate when it becomes to playtesting :) best of luck!

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I have gotten through the first 4 maps of this. This wad is low key one of the most interesting things i have played in ages. Atmospherically fantastic. Some neat ideas, and some unorthodox ones too, particularly when it comes to progression - holy shit. I got mega lost in map04 to the point where i had to break out the editor to understand what was going on and simply leaving the first room of map02 took me 5 minutes, heh. So in that respect, this wad definitely isn't for the faint hearted (and probably the reason why this thread has seen little feedback so far) but the other aspects of it make it very compelling and rewarding to play through, in a twisted way.

 

Got a bug for ya, in map03 you have some blocking hanging bodies in this area, which also lock this spider in place when it teleports in.

 

The unorthodox progression makes this pretty slow going to get through, maps have taken me up to 55 minutes to get done so far and i guess it'll only get bigger, but i am invested now :)

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Thanks for this words @Scotty . One of the main ideas for the wad was getting stuck and exploring the environment to advance, but to be honest, I wanted to avoid as far as possible extremely long and boring moments of doing nothing, but making this kind of wads have that problem if you don't have any tester. I'd considered to upload speedruns in youtube for saving players from going to the editor.

 

I'm curious, where did you get stuck at map 04? Maybe the brick labyrinth with switches and a CD behind an invisible wall?

 

Thanks for reporting that bug. I should have warned in the text file to deactivate blocking corpses if they are high, but when I upload a 1.1 version probably I'll deactivate that directly in dehacked.

 

For what you say, I think you will enjoy the next maps, but map 09 and 10 can twitch your nerves. So thanks for playing and have fun!!

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I agree with Scotty. This was very unique and I wish I had a little more time to figure out everything (having the numbered switches open a corresponding chamber or what have you is quite a nice touch in Map 01). Unfortunately, I have to play through so many newer wads, I'm just completely lacking in the time for something as cryptic as this.

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impressive map building, I like how you used geometry and combined textures to create new aesthetics. So map1 is a maze map apparently, the enemies are just decoration in a very decorative map. It kept me searching for a key for 25 minutes before I felt too claustrophobic and quit, no idea where to search. I guess those numbered switches have to be activated in order? I couldn't get to number 3. I hate that I got stuck because the map is so interesting.

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This was my favorite wad this year by a landslide so I was really glad to see it won a cacoward. I really enjoy the very close quarters combat and tight HP and I hope you won't change it too much in an update, at least not on UV. I did get myself trapped at the final part of level 1 though and couldn't reach the biosuit, could maybe put a berserk in that final corridor? Fair enough if you don't though.
Map 3 was incredible, tons of cool moments and setpiece fights but what really got me was this little spiral staircase where you fight a baron and some cacos. So many hard boom sets skimp on combat outside of lockin arenas and this wad does it so well.
4 was incredibly charming from bottom to top and back to bottom and back again. The number of theme changes is really fun and

Spoiler

that archvile basement

was fantastic. I think the exit was broken though, I noclipped and saw that there was a voodoo doll that moved onto a damage and exit floor but nothing happened. Maybe I missed something?
The start of 5 was really fun and 2 shotting the cyber in the space provided was challenging (not sure this was mandatory/intended but I did it...). The finale really drags the pacing down though. It takes a really long time for all the cacos to come out and you don't have the ammo to inefficiently splash/bfg them so I ended up just sitting in a corner in no danger and waiting.
After the slow end of map 5 it was more disappointing to find that instead of the combat ratcheting up even more we got a really expansive exploration level with fairly easy techbase kind of combat. Haven't finished this one yet so maybe it has mean stuff in store though :D now that I've taken a break I will probably enjoy it more, and really looking forward to the rest of the wad.

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Hi, @cassis, thanks for your feedback. Map01 ending on UV is the same as on HMP/HNTR but taking damage, so the berserk is for putting you on 100 health and getting you in tension while you watch your life going down.

Map04 doesn't end at the switch on that rock island. You have to push on that switch and... explore a bit.

Map06 was intended for a change in the dinamics, towards E1 techbase style. After that, I think (hope) map 07 will like you.

 

I take advantage of this post to thank the community for the runner up Cacoward. It's an honour for me. I'm playing Doom community wads since 2014-2015 and I remember when I freaked out with wads like Sunlust, Ancient Aliens, Stardate... I thought: oh shit I could never do even a quarter of this kind of art. And I keep thinking it actually, but winning this Cacoward gets me closer to that feeling, taking into account the quality of the great amount of wads that come out every year. So thank you all for recognize this work and dedication. And thanks to the people who didn't like it for playing and for criticism, too.

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The square area with three switches on MAP10 doesn't work right on LZDoom.

Never mind, the compatability was set on Boom (Strict).

Edited by joshescue18

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Hello, I'm on map 10, currently stuck with no keys and no clue of where is progression. Now how can I explain my situation..... the last thing I triggered was a short cramped fight with cacodemons and a pain elemental, after that there was basically no more to do in that room apparently, so I kept going back to previous rooms, then explored the entire sea like 5 times (as far as one can get since there're invisible walls in one side), double checked the two secrets I found, and still not a hint but only switches requiring keys I don't have...

 

Lemme just hand you a copy of my savestate so you can see my situation: prboom-plus-savegame1.zip (loads in prboom+ 2.6um -cl9)

 

If you could shed a light I'll be very grateful!

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Hi, @galileo31dos01, thanks for playing. Keep exploring: this map screwed up even me while testing time. Search switches, new paths that open when turn on something... Just explore.

 

Spoiler

Forget the sea, it was intended for despair lost players. Look for a hidden switch

Spoiler

at the L-shape blue hall.

 

 

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Hello!  Any chance you could make up a widescreen version of the STBAR graphic you have in the base WAD, or perhaps define a custom border flat that better matches the color scheme?  The stock DOOM II green bricks are pretty ugly to look at, in my opinion.  Also, if you're intending to use that dark status bar for the final product, you should remove the copies of the standard STBAR and STARMS graphics that are in the textures WAD, since they overwrite the base WAD.

 

EDIT:  I did eventually find the notes in the text file about those other WADs, but I really had to read things thoroughly to find them.  This is just my opinion, but I don't think there needs to be a "classic" option for the status bar and the music, so it might be best to just remove those WADs from the final release.

Edited by Bytefyre

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Just finished this wad not too long ago and I have to echo the sentiments above that this is one of the most interesting wads I've played in quite a while.  It's not one that I'd make an instant recommendation because of the unorthodox progression in many situations but there were so many cool ideas and challenges that it made for an unforgettable experience, one that continued to impress the more that I played.  Great job all around and thank you for making this!  I hope more people give this a shot.

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this is phenomenal. really atypical progression, great active puzzle solving, all of the movement you demand is really interesting. just absurdly standout across the board. you have a strong sense for designing really appealing claustrophobic encounters. i will never be able to do any of this saveless, but i can't even begin to care; it's just too fucking cool.

 

map01 really set the tone; i don't think i've ever felt less cared for by a map. it felt like it was doing nothing to further my chances of survival at all, and every time i made any advances, i was presented no "way out", it was all down to me getting to that point with enough resources. incredible!!!!

Edited by msx2plus

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I love this kind of level design.

 

Can this be played in GZDoom without issues? Also, does it need free-look and jumping or it can be played like regular DOOM?

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2 minutes ago, TasAcri said:

Can this be played in GZDoom without issues? Also, does it need free-look and jumping or it can be played like regular DOOM?

from the txt file:

Quote

Tested with: PrBoom+ 2.5.1.4, GlBoom+ 2.5.1.4, ZDoom 2.8.1, GZDoom 4.1.3.

 

- Not allowed jumping or crouching. Recommended up-down mouselook in some
  moments, but not necessary.

there is more info in the TXT so i would recommend reading it before playing.

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Hot damn, this is truly impressive for your first WAD! But, it also suffers from some pitfalls that appear in novice WADs. The biggest problem in your WAD is that frequently it's very hard to figure out how to progress further. I found some switches, puzzles and keys only thanks to luck, editor and cheats. And sometimes even that wasn't enough. Here are some notes, I played on UV in Gzdoom 4.7.1:

 

MAP01: I run out of ammo during the first archvile encounter.

 

MAP02: I couldn't figure out how to get out of the starting room. In the end, I skipped this map.

 

MAP04: I think the raising bridge to the exit switches is broken. The eye went all the way up, but not the brigde. Maybe it happened because I pressed the red switch only after I killed all the cacos?

 

MAP08: again, I couldn't find any way to progress through the map, even after I accidentally found the automap secret. I gave up after 10 minutes of running though the empty map and used cheats to exit. BTW, player can become stuck in the graveyard if they don't thave the yellow key.

 

MAP10: broken bridge again, this time the one behind the blue skull key door.

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This wad is great. I feel like I'm exploring a haunted house with a very messed-up guide watching me the whole time and... guiding me. It's hard to explain, but it becomes clear this is a wad that is designed by a very unique mind in the Doom mapping community.

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I know I'm late to post, but I was too busy this half-year. However, I have been looking at your reactions. Thank you all for feed back.

 

I have in mind two new versions for Old Still Life:

 

- 1.0.1: to correct the errors that I've noticed in your posts, etc. (trapping sectors, enemies that cannot be killed, HOMs, GZDoom...).

- 1.1 or 2.0: the corrections of 1.0.1 plus a light reimagination 100% according to the atmosphere of the wad (more or less enemies at a determined zone, new sectors, decoration, secrets...).

 

For technical major reasons, I can't start to make this stuff now. I hope to be able to do it before 2023.

 

Thank you all one more time!

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24 minutes ago, Rednov said:

- 1.1 or 2.0: the corrections of 1.0.1 plus a light reimagination 100% according to the atmosphere of the wad (more or less enemies at a determined zone, new sectors, decoration, secrets...).

 

 

Sweet, would make my favorite wad of all time even more amazing!

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Fascinating wad. Some of the progression might be a little obtuse but I very much enjoyed it. 

The only time it felt like the obtuse progression was a bit difficult (and one of the few times I had to pull the editor out and realising I never would have spotted what you were intending) was

Spoiler

in Map04 with line 3389 and the tiny brown triangle in the dark brown room.

That little bit of detailing was extremely difficult to spot in the dark.

Also in Map10, this Arachnotron decided he didn't want to tele in:

 

Spoiler

Screenshot_Doom_20220714_131042.png.4381d353a64c879b8453b32f5c5428df.png


I also felt Map10, visually, might have been a bit dark with some of the great detailing being lost to the dark light values, but I very much appreciated what you were going for.

Regardless, great wad. Hope to see more work from you in the future :) (Thanks to @Scotty for recommending it to me.)

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Just finished my playthrough of Old Still Life.....and I gotta say Im extremely impressed, considering this is your first mapset. 

 

The maps here all have the right balance between being adventurous and unorthodox enough to make you really think about the progression of each area, and enough interesting combat to keep you on your toes at all times. 

Even though I personally feel you need to work on your combat somewhat (too many caco fights, alot of fights being simple circle-strafe-and-win fights etc), this was still a really really damn good wad and Im excited to play more of your stuff. :)

 

Tho I really do wish you kept Map 9 out of this wad. Playing it was so unfun it nearly made me turn off the wad outright.  

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@Rednov will you upload this to idgames? This is an excellent wad that needs more attention. I've been playing this recently and certainly been impressed with the maps. Congratulations on this release and I'll be on the lookout for your future stuff.

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