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

Random thoughts!

I occasionally have ideas for realizing DOOM-unrelated concepts in (vanilla) DOOM.. oftentimes ones that very likely have already been done (or have since been done, because I don't follow up on my ideas most of the time). Like a "capture the flag" concept, for example.

This time it's a sort of "create your own playing field" / "tower defense" of sorts. Where you can raise and lower walls and pillars and activate traps, but some parts can also (or only) be triggered by enemies.

You either do it "in the midst of it" or from some command center that will get overrun by monsters if you can't stop them. Or both. You have to get them to infight because there isn't enough ammo, perhaps.. and enemies might be walking along paths that the player can't get to..

It's still a very unrefined idea in my head (and I'm pretty sure it's very likely that parts of this have already been done).. but it feels interesting enough for me to pursue (mentally and eventually also as an actual map).

I think it's a little "campy" and "unlike DOOM" (by design) but it might make a nice bonus / secret level, maybe for URE:E3? ^^

What do you think?

On 11/29/2023 at 11:36 PM, Zylinderkatze said:

baybee!

It's onnn!

^{My favorite colors! Black!}

I'm almost a bit surprised that everything worked right away. I guess I still "have it". Or something.

Now back to mapping!

17 hours ago, Zylinderkatze said:

Now back to mapping!

And mapping I did!

Finished that one area "off to the left" that I mentioned as should probably be a dead end, a while ago. That one in the circle on that screenshot.

I also added a hidden door (more like a hatch) with a switch behind it to open the access to the passage leading to the secret map.

All in all did nothing overly exciting, though, so no screenshots that time / this time.

But! This means that I'm technically done with E2M5! However, I still have to do more playtesting for balancing and I'll likely find some more stuff that can be fine tuned. I already found a spot where chocolate doom was facing too many Drawsegs (which UDB didn't catch in the "heat map" view).. I'll potentially find more of those.

Hopefully not ^^;

But I'm visiting my parents today so no mapping for a few hours.

More later!

No. Oh no.

Visplane mode.. you were the chosen one!

^{How could you betray me like this.}

I guess I need to find some ways to take some visplane variety out of this area.

33 minutes ago, Zylinderkatze said:

find some ways

I found some ways! Crisis averted (I think.. but I'll know more once I actually check it out in game).

On to more details.

This room was empty and I thought it was too empty so I put a few crates in there!

^{Pickups, too!}

No light falloff / "fake shadow" sectors yet.. it's only 160 light in there so I might not even add shadows- also because there isn't really any directional lights in there.

As I said before, this is now the playtesting & detailing phase.. which might still take a day or two.

Or five.

3 minutes ago, Zylinderkatze said:

so I put a few crates in there

This is how you actually enter the room, btw.. and I am not sure whether I like how much room the crates take up.

^{That's a whole pile of stuff :0}

Then again.. "piling up stuff more than you should until it gets in the way" is not an unlikely, unusual way of handling excess.. stuff.

On 12/3/2023 at 1:13 PM, Zylinderkatze said:

Crisis averted

One crisis averted, another one rears its (much uglier) head.

^{Ooo that's hot :(}

I don't know yet how I'll solve this.. I think I have too many "light falloff gradient sectors" in this area. I'll check if removing them helps.

This, by the way, is already after I removed some stuff.

Always lower your lifts, people. That's what had been hiding this sightline mess for me until now.

More playtesting..

..more ouch.

^{Hello floor.}

It's coming along! added a lost soul monster closet.. then removed it again because it wasn't working as I had hoped.

But balancing is coming along nicely. Trying some different approaches of playing my own map.

2 hours ago, Zylinderkatze said:

Trying some different approaches of playing my own map.

Had a few times now when I cursed myself out for making such a mean map.

So you could say it's going well!

I think I am just about at the point where I'd call it a day and go on to the next map. 

Like.. there will have to be some more balancing of the whole episode as a whole when all maps are done.. but that's not now.

For now, it's good enough. 

Maybe a few too many Barons.

Hehehehehe.

It's like rush hour!

Only with demons.

Look at them.. they did most of the work for me!

^{I don't think I fired a single shot at these three.}

I fired a bunch of shots at the two Cacos that remained, though.

It's fun! I like this map. 

Yes I am still playing even though I kinda said I was done :D

But now I'll stop for the day. See ya soon!

That was easy.

Ahem. 

E2M5 is finishable*.

^{Don't mind the default intermission map screen. No work went into that yet.}

Of course I forgot to take a screenshot of my final ammo.. but I felt pretty good about the whole ammo / no ammo / having to switch weapons dynamics. 

I know I said this before but I really like the map.

Oh wait! I'll just start the next mal and see how much ammo I have.

So smart.

Here:

^{Verdict: Not enough monsters or too much ammo. Or both.}

The whole "you need to conserve ammo" kind of goes out the window towards the latter part of the map.

Especially if you find "71%" of the secrets. I'll have to do a "no secrets" run at some point.

But it's still really quite fun for now :>

I think I'll go on to the next one, starting.. tomorrow.

Goodnight!

___

^{* One door that can't be opened again after it closes behind you.. and a few sound-blocking lines that aren't fully closing some passages so monsters roam before I want them to.. also one set of stairs that has some "too low" in-between sectors so it doesn't allow enemies to walk over.}

On 12/3/2023 at 2:46 PM, Zylinderkatze said:

It's like rush hour!

 

Only with demons.

So which demon is Chris Tucker and which one is Jackie Chan?

On 12/5/2023 at 7:34 AM, jerrysheppy said:

So which demon is Chris Tucker and which one is Jackie Chan?

You'll have to find out for yourself! :D

I know it's not really fair to compare the two..

..what with E2M1 being an actual "relic, reworked", in the vein of the original URE.. and all E2 maps from then on were made from scratch. But still!

I've come some ways from this:..

^{Sensibly updated 199X map that is now E2M1}

..to this:

^{One of my favorite parts of E2M5.}

I started work on E2M6.. have a neat idea for how it starts, actually.

But I think I'll actually go to bed early today.

Early-ish.

It's already 10pm after all ^^;

Goodnight!

[[END OF E2M5]]

8<--------------------------------------- cut here

[[BEGINNING OF E2M6]]

..did I even do that with the previous maps? Since M3, M4 and M5 kind of transition into one another, I don't think it's that necessary.. but still ^^;

Okay so.. yes. I am officially starting with E2M6 now.

Actually I already did that yesterday, to be fair.

I have a few ideas of what I want the starting area to look like. Hehehe.

Oh! Also, this is the last time you see the transport boat / ship thing. You.. kind of get stranded, in E2M6. For good, this time.

Or.. I suppose.. for bad.

Nothing to show yet because that would give things away >_<

What I can say is that- in the first URE- thing started to get more grim around the "M6" point.. and I think I am pretty much in line with that again, now.

I'll share stuff here soon(ish)!

And here's a first look!

Admittedly, not much to see.. and I can guarantee you that the "green marble" look will not stay like this. Also, this "hole in the wall" will be a "this is where you came from"-passage for you to maybe explore a little and find some of that tasty "environmental sorytelling" that everyone's talking about.

^{Yay, I get to work with the uneven GStone textures again!}

Actually, I am legitimately looking forward to working with the Marble / GStone textures, though. I don't know what's wrong with me.

Basically, E2M6 (and, in parts, also E2M7*) will be the transitional area on your way to this episode's "hell".

A lot of work ahead of me!

___

^{* I already have some stuff prepared in E2M7.. but I may move that up to here (in E2M6), now that I know you already get into "this type of area" this early.}

Hello!

Lots of work during my final work days this year, not enough time for doomin'.

Also, I'm still preparing some final presents for the parents.. but once that's all done, I'll be back here with URE progress reports!

have a good one, everyone :3

I'm all set!

PC running, work done, new desk at home.. now I'm a real gamer!

But now I'm at my parents for today and the day after. So again: No doomin'.

I have plenty of ideas for E2M6 though! Also with how it's so close to E2M8 in the intermission screen ^^ I'm actually excited about exploring that idea.

For now though, people of Doomworld, have awesome holidays with whatever you do (or don't) celebrate <3

Since this is Doomworld, I suppose a "Merry Antichristmas" is appropriate?

Take care!

And you hoped thought you had heard the last of me!

Ha!

I am working on E2M6, now more than ever. 

And I already ran into my first "I'll have to seal off this area so vanilla limits don't overheat"-moment.

Not because of this area.. but the one next to it.

(THIS IS WHERE THE SCREENSHOT WOULD BE IF imgbb WAS WORKING. SADFACE)

..Basically you have to abandon ship at the beginning of E2M6.

I'll add screenshots when I can again ^^

Oh would you look at this!

imgbb is back up :D

^{This is the secluded optional area I hinted at before.}

That's kind of a loading bay of sorts, maybe?

I like using DOORHI as an implied impact bumber.. thing for boats.

Unrealistic? Semi. I just said that I like it, not that it's realistic. Sheesh.

So yeah, that area is basically "behind" the starting area. You can get to it.. but I don't yet know how.. because Vanilla limits.

Vanilla limits?

^{Vanilla limits.}

..and that area is basically not detailed at all yet. It's just too many (unoptimized) lines / Segs / Subsectors.

One day. ONE DAY I will make a limit removing version of URE and it'll make GTX 4090 cards die :3

But not this year :D

...

Next year doesn't look too good either ^^;;

Happy New Year (in advance)!

On 12/31/2023 at 5:57 PM, Zylinderkatze said:

that area

"that area" being the starting area. Not the area from the screenshot. 

The in-editor scene image in my last post was taken in the area south of the DrawSegs heatmap.

I somehow feel that explanation didn't make anything any clearer xD

You'll see soon enough eventually!

Hmm..

I should probably change the name of this thread ^^;

New year, same URE.

On 1/17/2024 at 6:45 PM, jerrysheppy said:

New year, same URE.

I'll just blame it on my new job some more.

I mean- I am making progress but I don't think I've ever had this little energy at the end of a work day, as I do now, at my new job.

Or maybe I'm just getting old xD

Perhaps URE:E2 will take another 20-ish years, like the journey of URE.

Let's hope not. It's not a fine wine.

2 hours ago, Zylinderkatze said:

Let's hope not. It's not a fine wine.

I don't know about that, URE2020 really was very fine.

(I still hope it doesn't take as long, but it'll take as long as you need it, don't let it stress you!)

On 1/20/2024 at 5:46 PM, brick said:

URE2020 really was very fine.

I was not fishing for this (for once xD).. but I do very much appreciate the kind words :>

A little update:

As I am writing this, I just sat down with some tea and opened E2M6 in UDB again!

I have a few ideas how to solve the Vanilla Limits heat death of the starting area.. not sure if I mentioned it before but I'll see how far I get today and then I'll post it here :D

WIP, not VIP

Here's a little progress image.

^{Stuff looks broken :0}

So the idea originally was that it's a whole wall of bricks that came down.. but Vanilla wouldn't cooperate. So now it's more of a "there's a GSTONE1-wall behind a SLADWALL- ..uh.. wall" and.. well you'll find out eventually, why and how that's a problem. I think I already kind of gave it away in previous posts.

I am still not done, obviously.. the long, uninterrupted / intact SLADWALL section behind the sunken segments.. will still have to go / be more broken up.. more "stressed", basically. But I need to let this image sit with me for a bit and mentally work out, how that'll best work out in my map.

Also, this looks way too inviting for "allowing the player to find a way to walk across the top at some point to get to a secret"-path.. which will eventually be my downfall, I feel like :D

We'll see.

Documentation is so important!

So yesterday I finally updated the shared "map overview / progression / mood" file that I made ..uh.. only a year ago.. so that @Bucket would have a few pointers for making the music for it (don't ask).

And then I realized that I had originally described E2M6 as a "Factory" of sorts.

Yeah. Well.. uhm. 

It's not really a factory T_T

I might have to revise the map (a little). We'll see. Silly Zylinderkatze, not reading his own design document.

6 hours ago, Zylinderkatze said:

It's not really a factory T_T

Well, it would be hard to look like less of a factory than the Doom 2 map so I'd wager you're still ahead of the game.

16 hours ago, jerrysheppy said:

 

Well, it would be hard to look like less of a factory than the Doom 2 map so I'd wager you're still ahead of the game.

What you're saying is I need more moving floors. Got it. xD