URE2020: What's one more month after 25 years? [DOOM 1 Vanilla - NOW LIVE]

at last :D

i was wating for this, usually peeking the dev thread.

Gonna test this asap ;)

EDIT: where is the download link?

8 minutes ago, P41R47 said:

where is the download link?

Thanks for the question xD I updated the post for clarity!

The download of the newest version (as well as the previous betas and the 199X version of the maps) will remain in the original "dev thread" because I don't want to set myself up for errors from forgetting to update one thread or the other. But now I made it an actual link, which hopefully stands out more and "calls to action" more obviously :)

If this is going to be your main promotion/final testing/release thread, then I would include the download link here, and just stop using the old thread.

6 minutes ago, Not Jabba said:

I would include the download link here, and just stop using the old thread

Thanks! Yeah.. that was kind of my thought as well but I was a bit reluctant to let the other thread go xD

I'll link the file here directly (so you don't have to follow 2 follow up links to get there) and change the other posts (that used to point to the file) to this thread instead. That should be cleaner.

Thanks for that "+1" :)

sorry double post

I must admit that the level of detailing is just far beyond whatever i ever saw on vanilla O_O

And thats just the cherry of the whole cake. Big and complex maps, full of interesting layout and realistic areas.

The time you spent on this is maps is obscene.

Never, just on Eviternity and as a little detail on map04, saw something like ''monitors'' pointing what the switch activated.

You are a master of vanilla for sure.

tagging some fellow doomers that will find this really interesting:
@Omniarch @Doomkid @SilverMiner @A.H. Sankhatayan @The_SloVinator @MrTAD @Biodegradable @Endless

4 hours ago, P41R47 said:

 

I have been summoned!

Those screenies look fantastic, right up my alley. I'll definitely check this one out.

Right, so I played the first map, and its easily the most interesting E1M1 experience I've had since PAR (and in the intervening time I've played practically every half-decent UD pwad in existence). So many clever tricks, particularly the fake Boom-style room-over-room layout. Stylistically, the map feels like an (un)holy blend between Lutz's pseudo-realism and Espi's intimate vanilla detailing, with a dash of nineties wack for good measure.

Exploring spaces that feel like functioning worlds unto themselves is one of my favourite Doom activities, and I can see myself getting many happy hours of such from this wad. I'll share my thoughts on each map as I go, along with any bugs I encounter of course.

Also, I love it when UD wads have their own animated intermission screens, especially vanilla ones. They really do add another layer of immersion for me, and also provide excellent future reference for my own (planned/wip) creations.

5 hours ago, P41R47 said:

I must admit that the level of detailing is just far beyond whatever i ever saw on vanilla O_O

Thank you :3 It's definitely a labor of love. 

6 hours ago, P41R47 said:

Big and complex maps

That's also part of why I want these maps tested by Doomers of all walks of life, veterans and greenhorns alike; Because after writing these maps and playing them a lot in the process, I know for a fact that I am by now technically blind to some potentially missable hints or quirks in design. Some of the errors I had made were already caught in the original development thread but more eyes find more bugs! :D

5 hours ago, P41R47 said:

The time you spent on this is maps is obscene.

The fact that the original maps were made in 1995 / 1996 (aside from E1M1 which is 100% redone) and me wanting to appropriately bring them to 2020 had me invest a considerable chunk of time ^^;

6 hours ago, P41R47 said:

tagging some fellow doomers

Much appreciated!

5 hours ago, Omniarch said:

easily the most interesting E1M1 experience I've had since PAR

Thank you thank you :) I read on the readme of "Phobos: Anomaly Reborn" that they put a lot of focus on presentation / visuals and (although I have to admit I haven't played it yet) I would say the same goes for me. I think that my "layout idea first, then monster placement" situations far outweigh my "monster encounter ideas with pacing first, then layout" ones. 

Meaning: My maps are probably more for people who enjoy scenery ^^;; There are a few places with "nice" surprises, traps and "enemy reveals" but (without trying to fish for compliments) I know that enemy encounters are something I could still get better at. Suggestions are always welcome!

5 hours ago, Omniarch said:

So many clever tricks

Again, thank you for the appreciation ^^ E1M1 in particular is kind of an "un-Doom" map (if a map can be "un-Doom") and possibly not a good first impression for action. You only have the pistol for most of it.. or even all of it if you don't bother to try to find how to get the Plasma Gun. The maps do pick up in pace  and weapon variety ^^; It's just that stylistically / "story"-wise I wanted the first map to feel a little claustrophobic. I'm glad you enjoyed the quirkiness! For those that don't like that kind of stuff: You can be in and out of the map within about a minute or two, if you just want to rush through it. About 60% of the map are optional xD

5 hours ago, Omniarch said:

Exploring spaces that feel like functioning worlds unto themselves is one of my favourite Doom activities

If that is indeed your "guilty pleasure" in Doom maps, then you should have a lot of fun with my wad, that is true xD I hope you will!

5 hours ago, Omniarch said:

their own animated intermission screens

I wanted it to feel like a connected thing, even to the point where the map positions on the intermission screen match with the way they connect / transition into one another.. even though I had to add the "north isn't up" info to the intermission screen for that purpose xD That was already true in their 199X version but I kept with it (and even refined it, in parts). If you like to discover details like that, I think you'll have a few (hopefully pleasant) surprises ^^

In closing: All of this said, I totally expect less positive feedback or even frustrated remarks about some parts of my maps. And I don't think that all of it can be excused with "creative vision" at all times, either ^^; 

So don't be shy to point out things that didn't feel fun or weren't obvious enough.. or even rooms that felt repetetive, for example.

10 hours ago, P41R47 said:

I must admit that the level of detailing is just far beyond whatever i ever saw on vanilla O_O

And thats just the cherry of the whole cake. Big and complex maps, full of interesting layout and realistic areas.

The time you spent on this is maps is obscene.

Never, just on Eviternity and as a little detail on map04, saw something like ''monitors'' pointing what the switch activated.

You are a master of vanilla for sure.

 

tagging some fellow doomers that will find this really interesting:
@Omniarch @Doomkid @SilverMiner @A.H. Sankhatayan @The_SloVinator @MrTAD @Biodegradable @Endless

Oh hello.

I'll give this a go, maybe some time in this week.

Added this to my E1 episode list. Can't wait to play it. Will probably try to go partly through this tonight... :)

Alright, I played through the first 3 maps, and really enjoyed it. There was a lot more 'doomcute' than I expected from a retro themed set, (that's not a bad thing, for the record :) ) and I really enjoyed your style of progression. I especially liked map 1's verticality.

So far, I've only played through the first two levels but I have to say I like what I see so far. There might be *slightly* too many cramped spaces for my liking but the combat certainly felt good once I got into it. I was initially a bit confused by all the teleports happening, it might be worth to disable the particle effect for each teleport so that the player can see what's going on straight away given that it happens so many times in the first level. The second level was definitely more my style. Open area with some indoor combat is always a good one in my eyes. I'll have to agree with the above post and say that the verticality of MAP01 was definitely a nice change from regular old Doom. Overall, good shit!

22 minutes ago, sanicstudios said:

So far, I've only played through the first two levels but I have to say I like what I see so far. There might be *slightly* too many cramped spaces for my liking but the combat certainly felt good once I got into it. I was initially a bit confused by all the teleports happening, it might be worth to disable the particle effect for each teleport so that the player can see what's going on straight away given that it happens so many times in the first level. The second level was definitely more my style. Open area with some indoor combat is always a good one in my eyes. I'll have to agree with the above post and say that the verticality of MAP01 was definitely a nice change from regular old Doom. Overall, good shit!

Its vanilla, you can't disable it map per map. Only way to do something like that on vanilla settings is using a transparent graphic that replaces the teleport fog...for the whole wad. But you can't get rid of the momentum-stop the teleports have.

I tried the URE1995, too, and for certain, i'm really enjoying it, too.

For a wad made in 1995, its really good, if it was released backthen it would surely be part of the top100 by now.

Loving the aesthetic of both URE so far.

Digging it slowly looking for possible out of nowhere bugs.

1 hour ago, Arrowhead12 said:

There was a lot more 'doomcute' than I expected from a retro themed set

I suppose it's the result of the ingredients- retro maps as a base (the ones I saved from the 3,5" floppy disk), brought up to speed with the tools available in 2020 (so many hours spent in the visual preview, pushing around textures ^^), imbued by years and years (and years) of ideas "festering" on my mind and just my overall sense for space and place.. which doesn't always make sense.

I guess the length of my sentences are kind of a decent analogy to the length and "running on" nature of my maps xD

1 hour ago, Arrowhead12 said:

I really enjoyed your style of progression

Thank you, thank you :) Some of the maps' biggest pitfalls may have already been caught and smoothened out, as it stands. I know that some things will not be (self)evident or logical but I try to always make an effort in my maps to hint towards the next step or an item that you might need. Moreso in the 2020 version than I did in the 1995 one. 

But what I really meant to say is: I'm glad that you enjoyed the maps so far!

1 hour ago, sanicstudios said:

There might be *slightly* too many cramped spaces for my liking

Valid point! I know that I have a tendency towards "building small" which I tried to remedy as I went through the maps. 

Unfortunately I made the mistake of going through the maps in order, meaning the whole of E1M1 was built at the very beginning of this renewal project, when I hadn't yet fully found my groove / style / visual language yet. Though I did come back to it when I was done with the rest and made a few adjustments xD

All in all, most "crammed places and tight spaces" (no comments, please ^^) were within the "tolerable" realm.. of my own judgement, at least.

But that's why the maps are here! If there's room for improvement, this is the stage to bring it up :)

1 hour ago, sanicstudios said:

all the teleports happening

Agreed- it's definitely not the best experience. In the 1995 version there's only 2 levels ("sea level" and "top of the platform") and the teleport doesn't feel as odd.. with the 3 levels in this version, the teleporter flash / sprite is confusing. I wasn't sure how to solve that in Vanilla, though. There may be a limit removing version of this wad at some point, which is when I'll switch to more seamless transitions between the floors for sure :)

1 hour ago, sanicstudios said:

definitely a nice change from regular old Doom

I'm just glad that my vision for a "fun to play and look at" episode is not completely contrary to what my fellow Doomers on here enjoy.

I'm sure that my maps aren't for everyone.

I'm glad that they are for you (so far), though xD

1 hour ago, P41R47 said:

Its vanilla, you can't disable it map per map. Only way to do something like that on vanilla settings is using a transparent graphic that replaces the teleport fog...for the whole wad. But you can't get rid of the momentum-stop the teleports have.

Here I go, quoting a whole paragraph xD ..that's a great idea, actually- but yes, the drawbacks don't really warrant the change.

It's definitely something I am going to address in a limit-removing version of URE2020.. should that ever happen >_>

1 hour ago, P41R47 said:

For a wad made in 1995, its really good, if it was released backthen it would surely be part of the top100 by now.

I was really "nitpicky" about my work and creative output back then (well- okay- not only back then ^^) so I just got stuck in the "this is too bland" or "the whole map is too brown" pit. And just kept digging that pit deeper xD

I'm nevertheless pleased to hear that you're enjoying the original version as well, despite (or maybe because of) its 90's "charme".

I am kind of regretting not having published it then, for sure. But with how it is now, at least I escaped the "this could still be so much better" feeling I would've otherwise had about the maps, back then ^^;

1 hour ago, P41R47 said:

Loving the aesthetic of both URE so far.

Thank you. 

Incidentially, The 2020 version of the maps is kind of a slow transition from "all new, all the time" into "carefully renewed original map structures".. since E1M1 was completely redone, E1M2 has a few bits and pieces left from its 1995 source.. and E1M3 is about 85% the map from 1995. 

So the deeper you get into the episode, the more it might feel like it's actually a retro thing :)

1 hour ago, P41R47 said:

Digging it slowly looking for possible out of nowhere bugs.

I appreciate your effort and the bug-seeking sentiment!

I hope you won't find any but I'm glad you're looking :)

3 minutes ago, Zylinderkatze said:

It's definitely something I am going to address in a limit-removing version of URE2020.. should that ever happen >_>

I think your maps are perfect for vanilla, no need on going LR, not even when you take the time to make them vanilla compatible.

About what i stated on the teleports, it could be done on boom setting the feature called silent teleporter, and on zdoom base ports with full 3d floors.

And yes, E1M1 feels a little cramped, and i got the jigs that it is somewhat the usual on most lately UD mapsets, but you debunked that on the second map and the later.

7 minutes ago, Zylinderkatze said:

I appreciate your effort and the bug-seeking sentiment!

 

I hope you won't find any but I'm glad you're looking :)

Surely i will not find any, as i saw on the other thread how you take care of all those possible VPO or other bugs out there.

Bur looking for something that, maybe, pass under your radar will not hurt anyone ;)

I do hope to not find anything, too.

It was already pointed, but damn, those interpics are awesome for sure.

You really take your time with these projects for sure.

Any chance on expanding it and making more episodes?

This is totally a Cacoward candidate at this point, if you ever expanded it, thats a total win by miles :D

9 hours ago, P41R47 said:

I think your maps are perfect for vanilla, no need on going LR, not even when you take the time to make them vanilla compatible.

About what i stated on the teleports, it could be done on boom setting the feature called silent teleporter, and on zdoom base ports with full 3d floors.

I'm 99% sure that I just used the wrong term and we mean the same thing, actually xD

What I meant when I used the term "limit removing" was (in this case) "add features not supported by the vanilla engine". Of course those features (like silent teleporters) do not mean that the maps themselves would get any more detailed (making them require a limit removing port).. in my mind it's just connected in a weird way. I feel as though if I add stuff like silent teleporters (where appropriate), and thereby requiring a (slightly) advanced port, I might also add more detail to the maps themselves..

Basically my train of thought was: "If I ever go back to URE2020 to add details where I previously had to cut them due to vanilla limits, I would definitely also add features to improve gameplay sensibly (like the silent teleporters in E1M1)."

But I presume it's possible to add silent teleporter actions that will be silent in Boom but still work like a normal teleporter in Vanilla? Is that true? Then that would be a feature that could be added right now and improve the experience on Boom while still working "with graceful degredation" in Vanilla.

Look at me, getting carried away xD

11 hours ago, P41R47 said:

You really take your time with these projects for sure.

As stated before, it's a labor of love :D I never really felt like it was too much time spent or too much effort, for me.. but at the same time I am glad to be done with it ^^;

11 hours ago, P41R47 said:

Any chance on expanding it and making more episodes?

Funny you'd ask! 

There are definitely still a lot of potential ideas waiting to become maps; I still have all kinds of unused ideas from the 90's on recently unearthed, yellowed sheets of paper.. and I've even had some additional, new ones, lately (and I already made a new post for a potential upcoming episode). But for the time being, I think I am still kind of focused on how this thread (the URE2020 test) will go.

I assume that I'll be able (and willing) to keep going at an output of loosely "one episode per year" at a similar quality as this one. However, aside from E1M1 (which was a "completely new from scratch" map), I don't have much experience yet with the average speed at which I'll be able to create new maps. So I can't yet reliably say whether I'll be much slower or much quicker than that projection ^^;

I think my main passion project really was URE2020- anything that comes after it will have a lot less "historic gravity" for me, naturally. Which can be freeing, for sure- but my source of motivation will very likely be a different one for URE2021 than it was for URE2020 :)

So, I just finished playing through E1M2, and I must say, it was the most fun I've had with an exploration-focused map since I finished Espi's Back to Basics. It took me over an hour to fully explore the map and slay all of its demonic denizens, and even then I was only able to find 9/13 secrets. Truly, this map is a masterclass of vanilla-compatible detailing and open-ended exploration. My favourite part was the BFG breadcrumb, especially the red key secret. Satisfying as hell to unravel. The resource balancing is also on point, since I was carefully conserving ammunition till the very end, yet I never actually ran out completely.

Of all the map's many visual achievements, the most impressive to me are the shockingly naturalistic cave sections. I don't think I've ever seen SP_ROCK1 used so well outside of a Chris Lutz map. An excellent example of an impressionistic environment design. The map's layout is also quite exceptional, with a similar sense of pseudo-realism to the first, and delightfully and unexpectedly interconnected.

I have only two criticisms: first, the ending is a little bullshit if you haven't found a) the BFG or b) the computer area map. Personally, this didn't really bother me, since I had no intention of leaving the level until I had explored every corner of it, but it's still something to take note of. Second, some of the secrets are a little on the obtuse side, like the first backpack secret (sector 4) or the hidden invisibility secret (sector 1296), the latter of which I only discovered with idclip. Again, not really a big issue, just a little unsatisfying for a soft-core completionist like myself.

Those are only minor gripes though, trivial even given the scale of the map's accomplishments. This wad is already shaping up to be one of my personal favourites. I look forward to unraveling the rest of this enigmatic set!

@Omniarch, I'll just not quote everything I liked about your post, otherwise I'd quote all of it xD

First of all, way to lead with the good before coming to the "slightly less good". I appreciate all of your feedback :)

About the ending of E1M2: I do agree- and it seems as though all the things that came up as odd or unfair in the past are the sections that were lifted 1:1 from the 199X version. This bend before the exit.. with the.. chewy surprise.. is pretty much exactly the same as it was in the old version. Aside from added detailing.

I did add a little bit of a hint to the wall and floor before that secret door (and as you said, it's visible on full automap) but aside from that it seems to feel more out of place than I had anticipated. Again with the inability to look at it objectively from it being such an old part of the map. 

Another thing that the 2020 version is lacking, compared to the 1995 version: Throughout the old version, there were always barrels in front of every secret door or lift.. so by the time you'd get to the final stretch, you'd potentially remember that a barrel might indicate something. But now that I switched the hinting in most parts to other methods, the barrel probably only feels misplaced, if anything. 

I am not particularly "married" to the idea of keeping that part in.. but perhaps it can be made more fun, by offering a way out or by triggering the trap sooner so you can still retreat.. something like that. I'll give it some thought but I'm open to ideas! Right now I'm thinking some sort of hinted cable channels / connectors like in other parts of the map.. maybe along the ceiling from the secret outcrop to the lift with the switch.. hmm..

Backpack (s 4): Understood. It just felt right (to me) to have a door that can only be opened by finding the right way to shoot a "seemingly previously shot" wall. However when you are in front of the wall, there is no direct indication where that shootable bit is.. so I am thinking of a way to make the connection just obvious enough ^^;

Invisibility (s 1296): This is a last minute addition to the map (if you compare the "rev1" version of the wad to the version I put out in december, that room wasn't there yet). And I might very well remove it again. Because 1) it's a lousy powerup because there aren't any hitscanners and 2) it's behind a textured wall, which I use.. well.. not at all, ever (unless you count vines.. or play E1M9). It just felt like a spot that's made for a secret.. but I didn't make it worth the player's while, I think.

Scale / size of the maps: Don't get too used to the complexity! There are more maps coming up that are extensive and detailed (in hopefully all the right ways) but E1M3 (the one you seem to be coming up on next) is rather compact and instead just loops back on itself a bunch of times. It's still one of my favorites, though. But it might feel a little.. well.. little, especially when coming from E1M2 ^^;

2 minutes ago, Zylinderkatze said:

I'll just not quote everything I liked about your post, otherwise I'd quote all of it xD

 

First of all, way to lead with the good before coming to the "slightly less good". I appreciate all of your feedback :)

Thanks for the high praise! I try to whittle down my posts to emphasize key points, minimizing my natural tendency towards writing massive, impenetrable walls of text. Editing is an essential skill for writers! The only issue is that my post take forever to write. Quality over quantity, perhaps?

11 minutes ago, Zylinderkatze said:

About the ending of E1M2

Very interesting! I always appreciate insight into a map's creation process. I agree with your proposed solution. Creating a distinct visual language is of key importance to pseudo-realistic wads, and so far URE certainly has that. Its just a matter of applying it consistently.

15 minutes ago, Zylinderkatze said:

Backpack (s 4):

 

Invisibility (s 1296):

I'd say both of these issues are caused by deviation from the map's pre-established visual language. Shoot-able switches and fake walls are some of the hardest tools to use, due to a) their lack of use in the first two IWADs (though they are used occasionally in Final Doom) and b) their lack of an intuitive real-world counterpart (usable computer panels in Doom pwads have this going for them). Personally, I really like both when established appropriately beforehand or otherwise telegraphed.

23 minutes ago, Zylinderkatze said:

Scale / size of the maps: 

Not an issue for me. Variety is the spice of life, after all. Especially since I love maps that loop back in on themselves and repurpose existing spaces.

38 minutes ago, Omniarch said:

Quality over quantity, perhaps?

A quote I tend to apply to myself (with varying success): "I apologize for such a long letter - I didn't have time to write a short one." (attributed to Mark Twain, I believe).

I myself have a tendency to write too much.. and I don't always give myself the time to do self-editing passes for length (or shortness, rather?). I apologize for the resulting word floods on my part >_>

41 minutes ago, Omniarch said:

a matter of applying it consistently

Indeed this shall be done! I added a list of shortcomings to the initial post by now, so that people who come here later might use it as a jump-off point to check which things might already be known :)

43 minutes ago, Omniarch said:

otherwise telegraphed

Agreed. I will make sure that you can see that there is a connection of that door to the shootable wall (where I then hope the bulletholes on the texture will do the trick) for the backpack. For the invisibility.. it might instead become an actual lowerable sector / lift instead of a fake wall. 

In E1M9 there are 2 hints for the fake wall- one being that there's an enemy behind it that'll sneak up on you if you pass by that wall without noticing it.. and the other (late addition), a dim cone of light implied to be coming from the room behind it. Plus it's a secret level.. weird stuff like fake walls might be more permittable.

But yeah.. I generally don't really like (using) fake walls..

..so maybe the Invisibility will just become.. completely invisible by next version xD

So I probably went through not even half of the M1 and realized that I have definitely played some version of this before.. So I checked out the older thread and immediately remembered it by the title (1995 called...).

Apart for playing M1 (which was almost a year ago, apparently!) I somehow missed the whole progress of additional 8 maps... Will definitely play it trough, congratulations on the release!

15 minutes ago, revlis said:

(..) realized that I have definitely played some version of this before..

Wait a minute.. did he plagiarize someone else's ma~ ..oh.. oh it is him.. a whole episode? ..and it took him how long?

:D

Welcome back! I hope you will enjoy what happened since the humble beginnings :)

Hey, this is a cool episode! I've played through it in all its weird glory and loved how interactive everything was (curious if you have clear influences or if it's more of an "outsider art" thing -- to me it feels like Wraith meets Espi, although the earlier comparison to Phobos: Anomaly Reborn was also apt).

A couple bug reports:

 

Also, in E1M9, I ran into a really nasty bug where all of the tag 33 sectors somehow closed again after I had opened them, which shut off my path to the exit and then I had to use a noclip cheat three or four times to get back there. I'm not sure what happened, but my best guess is that I went through this door, then hit the "open wait close" switch on the other side, then came back through the door, and it closed and cut me off. If so, it seems best to remove that open wait close switch (not sure what it's there for, since you've already opened the doors).

On 2/8/2021 at 7:31 AM, Not Jabba said:

so it doesn't do anything

Oh! Good find! Thanks.. I completely overlooked that (obviously) when I adjusted the way that this switch is integrated into the map.

On 2/8/2021 at 7:31 AM, Not Jabba said:

not sure what it's there for, since you've already opened the doors

That door (along with pretty much the whole transmitter area) is a bit tricky because I wanted it to be traversable in either direction (you can get up there through the inside of the tower as well as around and across that "H" landing pad with the lift that then opens to the outside of the transmitter).. the idea is that you have to find the switch in the center of the transmitter room (which looks the same way as the switch in the starting room that you need to leave that room to begin with).

But I suppose you know all this and did all this but the door still closed.. at which point it's rather sucky that I made it an "S1" (because I wanted it to look like it stays "on").. so, as you said, when that door in your screenshot closes (in some way that's unplanned by me) after you already used the "S1" switch in the central room.. that would be a blocker.

Hmm.. I'll give this some thought.. maybe give that one door its own sector tag and instead have the switch in the central area open an access panel to open that door from this side.

Glad you found that bug. I don't want any bugs in my maps! ^^;

---

Edit: I just updated the download links with bugfixes for those two progression errors. Thanks again, @Not Jabba!

So I've been working on the MIDI for this episode since the last few days of December, and plan/hope to have it completed in the first few weeks of March. My original goal was the end of February, but I'd rather focus on making the music as good as I can and explore ideas to their full potential instead of focusing on a deadline. That being said, I've compiled all the completed songs into a wad file to be loaded after the main PWAD, and would love to get some feedback on how it's sounding so far/what can be done to make it better. The songs that are still missing are E1M4 and E1M9, plus the intermission and ending music. I'm currently working on E1M4 and plan to have it completed by this weekend, and I did have a full idea for the intermission screen and decided it didn't fit so I haven't included that.

Download - UREMIDI-Lippeth03.zip (Updated to include E1M4, intermission and ending)

All music was composed with Apple Quicktime Music Synth and a hardware SC-55, with the target being Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth, so those or any SC-55 based synth or soundfont will yield the best results. OPL emulators will have instruments cut out here and there due to a higher polyphony, but it doesn't sound too bad, and I can live with it.

One thing to note is that the intro music doesn't play in DOSBox with the OPL synths, and is replaced by the default IWAD music. I'm assuming it's the length that causes it to not play, but I'm open to learning the real reason and how to fix it. I do plan to shorten it anyway it so that the demo doesn't cut it off so awkwardly.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy and I'm looking forward to some feedback on the progress so far!