New community project: Megawad in a Month - August 2015

[Capellan]

Other theme options:
- no hitscanners
- at least 1024 x 1024 of player-accessible outdoor area (not necessarily all in one place)
- at least half the sectors have to be 256+ high

I'm really not sure themes are necessary, mind you. I know ASS and Mayhem do them, but not every community project needs to follow suit.

[Surreily]

Throwing in some theme suggestions of my own:

- Extreme height variation.
- Huge health and ammo stash that player must return to.
- Lots of transparent mid-textures.
- 3 hidden keys, 2 required to exit.
- The map is a giant 1-way circuit.

Feel free to expand on these ideas. I believe that the best themes are those that can be explained in just a few seconds without having to add a bunch of extra conditions to make the idea work.

[Beed28]

Thanks. I've changed the themes now. Here are my chosen ones:

Map theme #1: Silent teleporters in playable area
Map theme #2: 3 hidden keys, 2 required to exit
Map theme #3: Ancient ruins

[Surreily]

Awesome, I think I'll try some ancient hellish ruins along with the keys (and maybe some silent teleporters if I can fit them in somewhere).

[Pinchy]

Since it's a full megawad of complete maps (not speedmaps) I think a set of 3 themes for each episode is a better idea.

Episode 1

Map theme #1: Silent teleporters in playable area
Map theme #2: 3 hidden keys, 2 required to exit
Map theme #3: Ancient ruins

Episode 2

Map theme #1: [Line Action Mechanic]
Map theme #2: [Items, Monsters]
Map theme #3: [Structure/Visual]

Episode 3

Map theme #1: [Line Action Mechanic]
Map theme #2: [Items, Monsters]
Map theme #3: [Structure/Visual]

31 + 32

- Anything

Possible Ideas

- Extreme lighting contrast, lights changing from 35/255
- Only very close or very long range combat.
- Tech, wood or flesh encrusted mountains

- Apply decorative/detailing actions to lines that also open progress/optional areas.
- Two progression choices, one key to open both. Different monster sets and items each one.
- The structures are almost entirely made of vehicles such as ships, cars, flyers etc.

-Replacing the floors with damaging ones as the map gets more intense to reduce the safe area.

[Surreily]

The texture pack has all-black textures... I totally know what I'm doing now :D

[Beed28]

Pinchy said:

Since it's a full megawad of complete maps (not speedmaps) I think a set of 3 themes for each episode is a better idea.

That's an excellent idea. How would these do for episodes 2 & 3?

Episode 1
Map theme #1: Silent teleporters in playable area
Map theme #2: 3 hidden keys, 2 required to exit
Map theme #3: Ancient ruins

Episode 2
Map theme #1: Transparent textures
Map theme #2: No damaging floors
Map theme #3: Wooden structures

Episode 3
Map theme #1: Scrolling walls or floors
Map theme #2: No hitscan enemies
Map theme #3: Black void

Secret Levels
Anything goes.

[AD_79]

Beed28 said:

Map theme #3: Black void

YES

[Havoc Crow]

Working slowly on a map that uses silent teleporters, if everything goes smoothly I may finish it in time.
Though for some reason the teleporters seem to act awfully glitchy at times.

[Capellan]

Beed28 said:

Map theme #2: No damaging floors

For a "no X" theme you need to eliminate something that tends to be pretty fundamental to level design, like "No doors", "No keys", or "No 90 degree angles".

"No damaging floors" will be practically invisible as a design element.

[Beed28]

Capellan said:

For a "no X" theme you need to eliminate something that tends to be pretty fundamental to level design, like "No doors", "No keys", or "No 90 degree angles".

"No damaging floors" will be practically invisible as a design element.

Thanks for the advice. Here's what I'm hoping is the final, final theme listings:

Episode 1
Map theme #1: Silent teleporters in playable area
Map theme #2: 3 hidden keys, 2 required to exit
Map theme #3: Ancient ruins

Episode 2
Map theme #1: Transparent textures
Map theme #2: No keys
Map theme #3: Wooden structures

Episode 3
Map theme #1: Scrolling walls or floors
Map theme #2: No hitscan enemies
Map theme #3: Black void

Secret Levels
Anything goes.

[Suitepee]

Beed28 said:

If you take up MAP30, you may go ahead and provide a custom DeHackEd boss. I doubt that anybody will want to fight the Icon of Sin for the umpteenth billion time.

I like this project already. Best of luck to you Beed28!

[Phobus]

I'm surprised - over 1/3 of the month gone and no early entries. I suspect going for a full megawad is a touch ambitious :p

I quite fancy the silent teleporters idea, so I'll try and get something done later this month.

[Beed28]

Phobus said:

I'm surprised - over 1/3 of the month gone and no early entries. I suspect going for a full megawad is a touch ambitious :p

I quite fancy the silent teleporters idea, so I'll try and get something done later this month.

I'm quite surprised too. I think it's because of the rather rocky start regarding map themes.

Then again, I'll need to start making a map myself. Just need to decide which episode it will be.

[Havoc Crow]

I have been working on an ep1 map for some time now, though I don't have much to show yet.

[Havoc Crow]

I got a question. I know we cannot add extra textures, but can I bend the rules a little and add one extra flat which is nothing but a mirrored version of an existing flat? I need it for a special effect.

[Beed28]

JudgeDeadd said:

I got a question. I know we cannot add extra textures, but can I bend the rules a little and add one extra flat which is nothing but a mirrored version of an existing flat? I need it for a special effect.

Alright, I might be able to let that one slide. What special effect do you have in mind?

[Havoc Crow]

Beed28 said:

Alright, I might be able to let that one slide. What special effect do you have in mind?

Basically, an "impossible topology" trick like something out of Portal or Antichamber, using silent teleporters. You are on a ledge and can see the opposite ledge across a cliff... and a door right next to you leads right onto the same ledge which you are right now watching from afar. But to make the illusion seamless I need to use the same, yet inverted flat for the opposite ledge, otherwise the flat will be seen to instantly invert when the player walks through the silent teleporter.

[Obsidian]

Map name: The Dark Semprini
Format: Boom
Map slot: MAP30
Difficulty settings: Yes
Multiplayer: Player starts only
Music: "Nemesis: Final Metamorphosis" From Resident Evil 3
Build Time: about 4 or 5 hours


http://i.imgur.com/Gebn6Cb.png?1

And yes, it includes a custom boss. :3 Hopefully this prompts a few more people to participate. Let me know what you think.

EDIT: Spelling.

[Obsidian]

Updated with a quick bugfix. Link is the same.

[Beed28]

It's great, and nice use of the episode 3 map themes. The last boss is also decent, though the "walls" should be "sky portals", if you know what I mean, because rockets exploding off of them is weird (don't forget, you can use sky transfers and a custom black sky if you need to).

[Obsidian]

Beed28 said:

It's great, and nice use of the episode 3 map themes. The last boss is also decent, though the "walls" should be "sky portals", if you know what I mean, because rockets exploding off of them is weird (don't forget, you can use sky transfers and a custom black sky if you need to).

Heh, I suppose I was using the low-budget void, wasn't I? :P I'll fix that up.

[Obsidian]

Just to clarify for other mappers: the Commander Keen is still intact in case anyone wants to use it. The only non-Nazi frames I used were the Pain Elemental's resurrection frames(which only see use in glitches) and the Cyberdemon's BossDeath frame(which is only used in E2M8 of Doom I). Also I updated the link again to catch a little bug with the DeHackEd.

[Havoc Crow]

...So... Is anyone else actually making maps for this? So far I only see two maps (Obsidian+me). And to be frank, I'm not sure if I will manage to complete mine before the deadline.

[Beed28]

It is disappointing that not many people are showing interest. Hmm...

Even me. I don't know why, but I just can't bring myself to GDoom Builder and make a full map. I really hope it's not mapper's block or anything.

I could extend the deadline if I want to...

[vizyeay]

I might be able to help, I've been working on a map for a while, but it uses skulltag stuff, so i might have to re-texture.

[vizyeay]

vizyeay said:

I might be able to help, I've been working on a map for a while, but it uses skulltag stuff, so i might have to re-texture.

ok, i think i've decided what im going to do, i would like a map slot from 9, 10, or 11, and im going to go ahead and retexture, because it fits the theme of the 2nd episode. hope i can be able to finish it soon!

[DoomTheRobot]

I'll try doing a map with the no hitscan enemies theme. I'll try and brew up something special. Hopefully I can make something before the deadline.

[vizyeay]

DoomGeek101 said:

Hopefully I can make something before the deadline.

Me too, I hope we will be allowed more time if we can't, but that'd be bending the rules, maybe deadline 31st?

[Pinchy]

Although it will probably end up in something else by the looks of it, here's what I put together, likely for the end of E1.

Ruinous Impact

It uses sky transfers so for now run it with the resource in Zdoom (The sky should be black with small white stars)

Gallery: http://imgur.com/a/nXuaN#0

Music: Sit by Jmickle66666666