"New year, new URE" - URE:E2 - E2M2 up!

17 hours ago, ketmar said:

such sights

No pressure, right? xD

To me it'll be old news because I'm just recreating what already existed before- but I suppose it'll be "new news", here ^^

Let's hope it'll be good news.

Here's to lowering expectations~

So today, despite limited time on my hands, I spent some time on "feeling out" the layout of (part of) the "former 1/5th".

There's hardly any details, a lot of unaligned textures, no "things" yet and still a bunch of space that's not appropriately occupied by architecture that should be there..

But here you go:

^{Are you kidding? That actually is almost nothing.}

And you thought I was kidding xD

The little "arm" that branches off from the main "L"-shaped passage.. is where I kind of lost my way. I realized that I am still missing a bunch of detail that I thought I had. 

Basically you arrive in the top left and those two passages used to- somehow in a way that made sense architecturally- loop over one another. Like.. the branching-off part would be a flight of stairs up and there was a sector that served as a passage / throughway (when using the main path) and as a floor (for walking across), with some vanilla quick floor raising / lowering "magic". But right now I don't remember how they connected to the rest / one another.

Also, the rectangle in the middle is going to receive an inside area that holds the switch that lets you back out of that "maze" bit.

Eventually, this whole section of the map will be more detailed and sensical.. and more interactive and "fun".. but it will not become much larger than it already is, here.

Because it's only one of five, each having kind of a puzzle to solve or challenge to survive..

And then there's the boss fight >_> ..so I don't want the sections to be too long ^^;

I'll post more when I have it!

Goodnight!

In the meantime, I think I'll submit some older genre-appropriate tracks for use in this WAD.

"Black Helicopters"

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9nX-nszGzKvSU5HYUp3VUF5clE/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-GKDVii5rtf73Z_huSFviAw

"Syncopaticon"

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yrPv6hXzYlzgM9wSLE-bz17nQD_JwvQ4/view?usp=sharing

6 hours ago, Bucket said:

In the meantime, I think I'll submit some older genre-appropriate tracks for use in this WAD.

 

"Black Helicopters"

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9nX-nszGzKvSU5HYUp3VUF5clE/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-GKDVii5rtf73Z_huSFviAw

 

"Syncopaticon"

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yrPv6hXzYlzgM9wSLE-bz17nQD_JwvQ4/view?usp=sharing

You know what.. I think I will actually do the "have a song play while mapping and let it drive the mood of the map" with one of these.

I like the polyrhythmic nature of the Heli piece! 

Then I looked up what "syncopate" means and decided that you were definitely the right choice / suggestion for this project.

You music nerd.

Thanks, again, for being part of this! And thanks to @Lippeth, again, for the recommendation.

If my posting frequency is any indication..

So yeah, with the returnal (speaking of which: great game, first "rouge-like" I could get into) of "the memory of the lost fifth" of E2M8 ..and how comparably swiftly it came back to me in most of its detail when I started mapping it out.. I'm eager to find out if I can conjure up the remaining details of that area from the grimy depths of my derelict mind.

There are (or used to be) several interactive elements in that area.. that had a quite playful, ominous, "flowy" rhythm and logic to them, back in 2010 when the first version of this map arrived and departed.. and.. I am not sure whether I'll be able to remember quite the order in which I had them trigger and unlock one another.

Stuff like blood spouts that had to be started, blocking marble slabs to be raised, lifts activated.. this map even had one of my (by now) "signature" miniature preview screens in it.. maybe even the very first I originally ever did.. 

Each of the 5 sections are (or will be) standalone, solvable in any order- and the idea is that you can't leave a section until you've cleared it, basically.

It will be quite a "grand finale", if I can pull it off c:

On 9/1/2021 at 1:25 AM, Zylinderkatze said:

Here's to lowering expectations

you definitely doing it wrong. you left so much room to the imagination, than our expectations would raise to infinity.

Going from a crawl to a creep

Not saying I'm a creep. That's unrelated.

A "creep" is slower than a "crawl", right?

What I mean to say is.. here's an update! A first look at the "gradually turning into an actual level"-version of the previous map view:

^{That's a lot of green.}

Don't worry, there will be a lot of red, too. Even more so when you're done with that part of the map x3

Not completely sure about some of the detail in this shot. Like that "outcrop" on the right with the "MARBLE2"..

Also, the steps on the right used to be lower / more flat and not metal, in the 2010 version, if I remember right.. but that's creative liberty for you.

I will definitely also add some wood. Wood goes nicely with marble and metal in Doom. Maybe in that outcrop for example.

Hold on I'll show you:

^{Hmm.. maybe, yeah.}

This is obviously still early but maybe it'll give us some nice "start > progress > finished" progression ^^;

Also also, that "MARBFAC2" (in the first picture) is where there used to be a narrow passage in 2010 instead.. I am approaching it a little differently this time but I think this should work as planned.

There's more detail in other places of the map but you'll have to wait for now.

Also³, for.. particular reasons.. each of the 5 sections to finish this map will use the "101" action (S1 Floor raise to lowest ceiling) in order to be able to leave again..

"Pondering"

I believe the plan for this part was.. somehow.. to reactivate a teleporter to be able to leave again. Possibly by using the above-mentioned line-action 101. 

However, I think I wanted that teleporter (which you use to leave again) to be the same one you arrive on (as opposed to placing the teleporter landing elsewhere). Which means the only viable option to achieve that ..would be to have a raised floor that's too high for you to get back on to (once you stepped off the teleporter landing) and thereby making it impossible to cross the teleport line action that sinds you back.

The thing is, this section of the map already followed a similar pattern to what I introduced in URE2020's E1M6 ("Fuel Extraction").. but I can't think of how I had those two concepts work together, in this map. 

Knowing me, I'll think of something as soon as I submit this post ^^;

Footnote

I'm obviously still going kind of slow right now but that's not completely unusual for me. I was more driven for URE2020, obviously, but that's because there was more built-up tension then, from all the ideas that had been festering since at least 2010 (but more realistically going all the way back to 199X). These URE2021 maps on the other hand are more a "I have these ideas that I should probably turn into maps some time", which is a lot less self-imposed pressure xD

I'm definitely still having fun mapping but there's other things that are fun, too ^^;

that green is so warm and calm… put a carpet and some sofas there, please, looks like a good place to rest. well, except that scary head at the far wall, but i believe that it will become much less angry when you'll show it a carpet…

11 hours ago, ketmar said:

that green is so warm and calm… put a carpet and some sofas there, please, looks like a good place to rest. well, except that scary head at the far wall, but i believe that it will become much less angry when you'll show it a carpet…

You just want "carpy" back, don't you xP

7 hours ago, Zylinderkatze said:

You just want "carpy" back, don't you xP

yesyesyesyes!

More shenanigans

Working on reviving an old 2010 concept for this E2M8 (that I did borrow for URE2020's E1M6 already, as previously stated)..

This looks fine. Right? Sure.

^{Not sure about that little pool of "dried blood?" there yet..}

So far it's looking pretty neat to me.. now to see if vanilla will be able to handle all that I plan to do with this.. xD

Btw that demon face thing in the back is a "heavy marble slab" of a door that is opened elsewhere.

Also the lighting is basically not adjusted at all and mostly a uniform 170.

But it's going.. somewhere.

"Enjoy it while it lasts"

Wait.. are you back to editing every day now?

Jein.

^{Currently a dead end, perhaps soon it will open up for surprises?}

Not sure whether that will happen- or what kind of surprises it'll be.

Also, there's this..

^{I told you there'd be wood and metal.}

This.. is currently way too small, still. Because in here used to be.. if I remember correctly.. a whole U-shaped passage with a crusher trap and all.. as it stands right now it's barely big enough to park a forklift* inside ^^;

So that section will have to grow considerably.

Also, I don't remember whether.. at the end of that trap.. there was a necessary switch or "just" a neat bonus.

I think it was a necessary thing of sorts.. because this is kind of a central structure in the map section.

If you look at the first automap preview image, it's pretty much exactly in the middle, that's how "central" it is to this map section.

Haha.

Speaking of automaps, here's the current view!

^{"The devil is in the detail"}

So far, as the image subline suggests, I've mostly spent time working on details.

Seeing how that room in the middle will have to become much larger (and, in the process, also receive a wider moat, most likely), the rooms below it in the map screenshot will also shift further down and over to the right, possibly.

At the same time I'm still juggling a few loose concepts about how "unlocking the progression" will go.. I am still pretty sure it will not be like it was originally. I mean.. I did remember the layout for the most part and also a few "scenes" of revealing stuff.. but for every interactive sector I remembered, there are two that I forgot ^^;

I'm hoping that in the end that "rethinking" will lead to greatness rather than mediocrity.

___

*^{There will not be any forklift}

Unaligned and underdetailed 2:

^{Unaligneder and underdetaileder™}

Coming to a theater near you!

..I'm still in the process of recreating areas from (a very hazy) memory..

Including an outside area of sorts:

^{Not really pictured: a moat hazard}

The room in the upper right of the automap. This, too, used to be much bigger(!) in 2010. There was a jump involved that was quite challenging (to me), to get to that switch..

The thing is, I believe most of this outside area was mainly there to have enough lines for the player to (Walk-)trigger in order to open, move and close off sectors in the main area.. and I am not 100% sure which ones those were, though.. because right now I already managed to trigger the main things with the lines in the actual level itself. Maybe I just got better since then with grouping / joining sectors or using line actions more effectively. Or maybe I'm missing something major, still xD

Speaking of the actual (inside) level:

^{Watch the newest trailer for "Clash of the textures"!}

This is from the very bottom / south of the automap screen, after some detailing and hardly any texture aligning.

The thing is, I am still shifting stuff around, moving rooms, etc.. so X-aligning textures at this point would be futile.

Still, it's hard to resist ^^;

Last post of the day

I swear.

Just wanted to share this tantalizing view of the switch, once you cleared the path:

^{Vanilla can handle it and all that happens when you press it..}

..but can you?

Is it only me?

16 hours ago, Zylinderkatze said:

^Greeeeeen.

Seen in this picture: Something I almost desperately try to avoid: "free-hanging" supporting bricks.

Not above the doorway (I actually shifted the texture a bunch, along with those of the walls on either side, to make sure the "brick" above the archway is supported at least on one side).. 

..but above / below the awnings on either side of the passage (the ones with the lion faces nested in them).

I know it's nothing big but that's the kind of stuff I look out for, when I make (or play) a DOOM map ^^;

I guess I have my work cut out for myself when I return to mapping again later today (after work).

Seems I actually am kind of back at it? Three days in a row, that's almost URE2020 performance!

ah, what a joy! another morning, and more posts in URE2021! now i am happy ketmar again!

Update time~

I did work on E2M8 today and added a pretty neat secret as well as cleaned up some stuff but not much to show, really. 

I'll show stuff when there's stuff.

And you thought I was only pretending to be working!

What's that? Oh.. you didn't think that? It was all in my head? ..that does sound like me.

Here's some updated impressions (still hardly any lighting adjustments):

The "center room" is now open (but empty)

^{Basically that switch lets you out but getting there, that's the challenge}

On the outside, looking in:

^{One attempt at using (and currently overusing) "GSTSATYR"}

The "what's this on the floor" strip now looks like this:

^{Different, yes. More obvious, certainly. Better? Maybe.}

The sight when you initially arrive in this part of the map:

^{You know you want that shotgun.}

Regarding the mentioned "lighting adjustments": This map is still in the vein of "hey, it's night.. how dare you make it bright outside". However between URE2020 and URE2021 that "outside night" light level has risen already. It started off as 140 in E1M1 and rose to 160 already towards the end of URE2020.. and now it's at 170 in E2M8 (and is hardly nightlike anymore).

The thing is, I don't have predetermined / preconsidered "inside vs outside" light levels in mind yet, for this particular map. Meaning I'm not 100% certain whether I'll make the inside generally more well lit than the outside (meaning light levels above 180).. or darker. Right now the inside was dropped in some spots down to 150 and all the way up to 220 (like under the "light source" above the shotgun). It's currently still way too uniform.

This will certainly shift around a bit while I get a better feel for what mood I want to convey.

Aaand here's two of the typical "construction sites" (on top of the ones I posted previously):

Around the corner, greatness awaits!

^{Sadly, the corner itself has two clashing textures meeting. Boo.}

Speaking of corners..

^{GSTONE1 and MARBLE2. A match made in.. well.. this is hell after all.}

I know there's a whole bunch of ways to make those texture transitions more pleasing to the eye.. either by some smart weaving or by some less smart, more bold contrasting detail.. like maybe a wood or metal (or wood AND metal!) accent between them.

Those details, man. They sure pile up xD

But for now, it's time for bed.

Goodnight!

Non-Update Update

I'm currently planning a journey (as in: actually moving my real body through the physical world) which requires a bit more of my attention so yesterday was a no-doom day, sadly. Today.. not sure. Weekend is looking good, though :)

I'll be back soon!

Define "soon"

Yeah stuff is still crazy here, preparations for my trip are getting more serious (flying out next Tuesday!) so Doom is on the backburner for me right now. But I'm taking my laptop with me so.. I'll be here on rainy days ^^

I'm still here.

yay! enjoy your trip! (and don't forget to steal any interesting idea you may stumble upon it it! ;-)

1 minute ago, ketmar said:

yay! enjoy your trip! (and don't forget to steal any interesting idea you may stumble upon it it! ;-)

I'll be bound to find inspiration along the way- I always do when I go to new places.. that's actually part of the reason why I am excited about the trip.

I'll be gone for 4 weeks, the first two will be business-related, though. the latter two will be leisure :3

Even if I'm not mapping right now..

..my mind is still revolving. Like a door.

I mean.. like a revolving door. Otherwise it.. wouldn't.. uh..

You know what I mean.

So today I give you my current "what's next?" thought process:

One of the concepts that interests me the most- or at least that's still sticking with me after a lot of time- is that of maps leading into one another.

You know.. like I did with some of the transitions between the maps of URE2020 already.

Only it's "always" been an idea to make it a little more elaborate.

Here's the concept.. or part of it, generally:

^{So crude}

Here's a little more on the actual environment that I thought of:

^{Start from the bottom, then go to the right, then, later, to the left..}

And wouldn't you know it:

^{It would fit pretty much spot on with E2M3, E2M4, E2M5}

Meaning if I stick with my "proven" concept of "North is to the lower left corner of the map" (which I used in URE2020 already), even the angles would match.

This is turning out to be promising. Let's hope it works.

seeing part of the previous map from the starting point could be fun!

On 10/9/2021 at 7:13 AM, ketmar said:

seeing part of the previous map from the starting point could be fun!

At first glance, it's just a gimmick, really.. and saying it ahead of time might take away the surprise for some ^^;

But it's actually part of a bigger idea, with contextual connections and all.. so it should feel like more than just a gimmick.

Now I just need to pull off the trick that each map will still be fun and make sense by itself.. so that it doesn't feel like I just split up a bigger map into three parts to avoid putting in the effort.

Though I think I've already proven that I usually don't avoid effort xD

Before I do this, though, I'll first finish E2M2 and/or E2M8. Don't want to open up another construction site ^^;

Hello hello. I'm still around. Currently at Yosemite National Park so.. excuse me while I focus on nature for a bit ^^

2 minutes ago, Zylinderkatze said:

Hello hello. I'm still around. Currently at Yosemite National Park so.. excuse me while I focus on nature for a bit ^^

enjoy yourself, pal!
You deserve it ;)

I'm back!

Very motivated but also still unpacking and already busy with getting back into work ^^;

On 11/4/2021 at 12:14 AM, Zylinderkatze said:

Currently at Yosemite National Park

watch out for Revenants. i cannot say anything definite, but i heard some rumors…

p.s.: oh. what a great necroposter i am! but wait… does it mean… I AM THE REVENANTS?!

6 hours ago, Zylinderkatze said:

busy with getting back into work

As in.. "my day job". Which means, no mapping yet. 

Also.. there's jetlag.

I'll post more when I am more awake. Or less. I don't know right now xD