AnArchaicApparatus Posted December 15, 2023 (edited) Given the title map Raith posted a while ago, and since stuff is wrapping up soon, I thought I'd contribute some stuff to maybe tie the stuff together/add a bit of flare to make the WAD feel more, "professionalized," or whatever ya call it. 30 Sectors Title Stuff by AnArchaicApparatus.zip Contains: - My take on a titlemap, which is made of less than 30 Sectors of course > For using as a titlemap/demo screen though, you wouldn't be able to see the thing as a full title without flying up, or editing the map to have an invisible floor or a platform, and it wouldn't like in the pictures unless you could look down, etc, etc. - Multiple TITLEPIC and INTERPIC variations, based on the map - An M_DOOM graphic. It's kind a generic, but it's less generic than just letting it be the DOOM II graphic - A MIDI that I had lying around that I converted into something fitting for a title screen > I couldn't find one that I thought would work for the intermission, but if ya want me to Raith, DM/@ me to let me know. Otherwise, I'd still suggest getting a custom midi that ya like and slapping that in there at least. Also, Raith, if you want me to do a credit graphic, let me know in DMs or @ me once you've got all the maps compiled in the finalized order, and I can cook one up with whatever need be there. preview w' one variation of the title background and interpic: Spoiler Also, just as a note, since Titlemaps require Zdoom-compatible ports, if ya really wanted that (or the one that I made in the package,) I'd suggest considering having that as a demo of a map in a later slot, especially since the WAD is gonna be cut off below the usual 32-map format. That would mean something like having Map30 just be the title map, record a Vanilla, Boom, or similar compatible demo, and replace one of/all of the demos with that. -- Also, an extra note, good luck on finishing Matts map, Stochastic! Given how your good map was, you'll prolly do Matts architecture justice. I can def see the Sunder influence on the architecture, it looks great. Edited December 15, 2023 by AnArchaicApparatus 5 Quote Share this post Link to post
stochastic Posted December 15, 2023 3 hours ago, Matt Eldrydge said: Hey, thanks! You might need to do a little more than just the ending, most of the monsters didn't get placed - mostly just the ones in the closets are there. :P Either way, good luck! Feel free to message me if you'd like me to take a look at what you added to the map to make sure our styles work together. :) Absolutely! Your map is too good to not see the light of day, so I'm happy to try my best with it. :) And definitely! Not gonna add much to the layout besides what you had in mind; and I'm gonna stay faithful to the theme/textures so there's as little clashing as possible. I'll work on it this weekend and message you my progress some time next week! 1 hour ago, AnArchaicApparatus said: Also, an extra note, good luck on finishing Matts map, Stochastic! Given how your good map was, you'll prolly do Matts architecture justice. I can def see the Sunder influence on the architecture, it looks great. Much appreciated! Definitely love this style and wanted an excuse to work more with it, haha. Your assets you've created for the project look great, btw. Thanks for taking the initiative to really tie the project together! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
stridertech Posted December 15, 2023 still in dev with ver 2, will send soon 0 Quote Share this post Link to post
stridertech Posted December 15, 2023 (edited) 17 minutes ago, scientifikgenius said: still in dev with ver 2, will send soon got it ready. bit more meaner and tougher but still passable. the difficulty might fit for the later stages so if you want you can change the map to a different slot if it being in map08 doesn't make sense. title is still "THE WORLD BOX"WORLDBOX_v2_scigen_30sect.zip feedback appreciated :) Edited December 15, 2023 by scientifikgenius 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Raith138 Posted December 15, 2023 I have created a discord server for the project. Should help out with better communication. https://discord.gg/MqrNe6VN 4 Quote Share this post Link to post
stochastic Posted December 19, 2023 (edited) Here is my final submission for Map 21. I made several quality of life changes from my last submission - major changes include: removing damaging blood floors, removing bottomless pits, and adding an additional tech/flesh area in the flesh tunnels. Additional playtesting would be much-appreciated! STO_30Sec_MAP21.zip Map Title: The Shrine of Mad Laughter Map Slot: Map 21 (previously Map 27) MIDI Used: "Baron's Province" by James "Jimmy" Paddock Map Author: stochastic Difficulties Implemented: All Tested With: PrBoom-Plus 2.5.1.4, dsda-doom 0.26.2, GZDoom 4.6.1 Screenshots: Here's that newly-added room: Edited December 30, 2023 by stochastic 7 Quote Share this post Link to post
Moustachio Posted December 31, 2023 Was able to get my map done for New Years. Download Title: Plumbing & Power Co. Slot: MAP02 MIDI used: "Umbra" by Psyrus Author: Moustachio It's a short MAP02 with some light Doom II style combat. Didn't want to go overboard for MAP02, but I think it's an action-packed little techbase romp. Took me about 5 minutes to UV Max. I didn't use too many Boom effects in this one. But I did use exactly 30 sectors: 6 Quote Share this post Link to post
Scionox Posted January 3 I apologize for not being able to meet deadline, ended up bit more busy lately than expected and haven't had inspiration for this unfortunately. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post
The Kingslayer Posted January 5 Hey, sorry for such a long absence. Has the deadline changed? I'm currently back to work on my map. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post
Raith138 Posted January 5 5 minutes ago, The Kingslayer said: Hey, sorry for such a long absence. Has the deadline changed? I'm currently back to work on my map. The project has been moved to a discord server without a deadline. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post
The Kingslayer Posted January 5 1 minute ago, Raith138 said: The project has been moved to a discord server without a deadline. Thanks, I think the invite link has expired tho. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
stochastic Posted January 16 (edited) Alright, I finally finished up @Matt Eldrydge's map. Really happy with how it turned out! It's an interconnected series of slime-ridden libraries and abstract structures with nonlinear progression, hence we landed on the name "Slimewood Municipal Library". Matt of course built most of the map, while I added several sections (noted in blue in the screenshot) - I tried my best to keep my sections aesthetically consistent with his beautiful and unique architecture. I also handled the combat/enemy placement. While it's challenging at times with a few surprises, it's a pretty forgiving map overall, allowing you lots of room and freedom to work out each encounter. Despite its size, I've been able to UV-max it in around 15 minutes. That all being said, I know the original slot for this was Map09 - IMO I think this would work best in the second half of the wad. Matt and company, please let me know if y'all have any feedback - I'll be happy to fix/tweak anything, especially the combat - this is my first time designing combat for such a nonlinear map, so I want it to be fun! Thanks again for letting me finish this up, Matt. :) Learned a lot by working on this. Uses exactly 30 sectors, btw. 30Sectors-SML.zip Submission Details Map Title: Slimewood Municipal Library Map Slot: Previously Map09 (may need to be adjusted) MIDI Used: "Greenhouse" by Stewboy Map Authors: Matt Eldrydge and stochastic Difficulties Implemented: All Tested With: PrBoom-Plus 2.5.1.4, dsda-doom 0.26.2, GZDoom 4.6.1 Screenshots Edited January 17 by stochastic Added more ammo 10 Quote Share this post Link to post
Raith138 Posted January 16 1 minute ago, stochastic said: Alright, I finally finished up @Matt Eldrydge's map. Really happy with how it turned out! It's an interconnected series of slime-ridden libraries and abstract structures with nonlinear progression, hence we landed on the name "Slimewood Municipal Library". Matt of course built most of the map, while I added several sections (noted in blue in the screenshot) - I tried my best to keep my sections aesthetically consistent with his beautiful and unique architecture. I also handled the combat/enemy placement. While it's challenging at times with a few surprises, it's a pretty forgiving map overall, allowing you lots of room and freedom to work out each encounter. Despite its size, I've been able to UV-max it in around 15 minutes. That all being said, I know the original slot for this was Map09 - IMO I think this would work best in the second half of the wad. Matt and company, please let me know if y'all have any feedback - I'll be happy to fix/tweak anything, especially the combat - this is my first time designing combat for such a nonlinear map, so I want it to be fun! Thanks again for letting me finish this up, Matt. :) Learned a lot by working on this. Uses exactly 30 sectors, btw. 30Sectors-SML.zip Submission Details Map Title: Slimewood Municipal Library Map Slot: Previously Map09 (may need to be adjusted) MIDI Used: "Greenhouse" by Stewboy Map Authors: Matt Eldrydge and stochastic Difficulties Implemented: All Tested With: PrBoom-Plus 2.5.1.4, dsda-doom 0.26.2, GZDoom 4.6.1 Screenshots That looks quite large for 30 sectors. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post
stochastic Posted January 16 31 minutes ago, Raith138 said: That looks quite large for 30 sectors. Yeah, it's a big one! Pretty sprawling. But here's the proof! 0 Quote Share this post Link to post
Raith138 Posted January 16 8 minutes ago, stochastic said: Yeah, it's a big one! Pretty sprawling. But here's the proof! Nice, 1000 things. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
Matt Eldrydge Posted January 16 6 hours ago, stochastic said: Alright, I finally finished up @Matt Eldrydge's map. Really happy with how it turned out! It's an interconnected series of slime-ridden libraries and abstract structures with nonlinear progression, hence we landed on the name "Slimewood Municipal Library". Matt of course built most of the map, while I added several sections (noted in blue in the screenshot) - I tried my best to keep my sections aesthetically consistent with his beautiful and unique architecture. I also handled the combat/enemy placement. While it's challenging at times with a few surprises, it's a pretty forgiving map overall, allowing you lots of room and freedom to work out each encounter. Despite its size, I've been able to UV-max it in around 15 minutes. That all being said, I know the original slot for this was Map09 - IMO I think this would work best in the second half of the wad. Matt and company, please let me know if y'all have any feedback - I'll be happy to fix/tweak anything, especially the combat - this is my first time designing combat for such a nonlinear map, so I want it to be fun! Thanks again for letting me finish this up, Matt. :) Learned a lot by working on this. Beat it on my second try with some saves and I can vouch for it being moved to the second half of the WAD! None of the fights here take long to finish nor are they too hard or tricky on UV, but it is a longer map on account of how many monsters you fight - took me a little over 20 minutes to clear it when going for all kills. The only piece of criticism I have is that sometimes, ammo is a teensy bit tight. I had no problem since there's an early berserk and it's pretty easy to make everything infight at multiple points in the map, but a few extra shells and cells in easy to spot places would certainly be welcome. I think your additions only made the map better, by the way! I particularly like the cave-looking area with the locked archvile, but just about everything here fits and looks amazing. Good job there too, it was fun seeing how you made the map work. :) 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
stochastic Posted January 16 33 minutes ago, Matt Eldrydge said: Beat it on my second try with some saves and I can vouch for it being moved to the second half of the WAD! None of the fights here take long to finish nor are they too hard or tricky on UV, but it is a longer map on account of how many monsters you fight - took me a little over 20 minutes to clear it when going for all kills. The only piece of criticism I have is that sometimes, ammo is a teensy bit tight. I had no problem since there's an early berserk and it's pretty easy to make everything infight at multiple points in the map, but a few extra shells and cells in easy to spot places would certainly be welcome. I think your additions only made the map better, by the way! I particularly like the cave-looking area with the locked archvile, but just about everything here fits and looks amazing. Good job there too, it was fun seeing how you made the map work. :) Definitely would be happy to add some more ammo! In general I try to not be very stingy with ammo, so I'll get to adding a bit more. Also, do you think I should trim some enemies here and there? Don't want the combat to ever feel sluggish or monotonous. Thanks for your kind words, though! I'm glad you enjoyed the additions and don't mind having your name on the map after I've touched it :) haha. I had a blast finishing this up. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post
Matt Eldrydge Posted January 16 7 hours ago, stochastic said: Definitely would be happy to add some more ammo! In general I try to not be very stingy with ammo, so I'll get to adding a bit more. Also, do you think I should trim some enemies here and there? Don't want the combat to ever feel sluggish or monotonous. Thanks for your kind words, though! I'm glad you enjoyed the additions and don't mind having your name on the map after I've touched it :) haha. I had a blast finishing this up. It's a much better destiny than lying around my HD and gathering dust, that much is certain. :P I think the monster count is actually pretty good as it is, I'd just make those revs and other monsters that are released in the central Southern building not set to ambush - they can't reliably wake up by sight alone, given there's at least three ways to access the Southern building. They're the ones circled in red. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post
RED77 Posted January 17 (edited) On 10/14/2023 at 8:13 PM, RED77 said: MEAGRE MEAL BY RED77.zip Map Title Meagre Meal - V1 Map Slot MAP07 MIDI used - Asteroid Dance, Part 1 by Alexander Brandon Map Creator RED77 Favorite Screenshot updated version. it changes mostly aesthetics, but some of the fights as well MEAGRE MEAL BY RED77 v2.zip updated screenshot Spoiler Edited January 17 by RED77 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
stochastic Posted January 17 On 1/16/2024 at 4:38 PM, Matt Eldrydge said: I think the monster count is actually pretty good as it is, I'd just make those revs and other monsters that are released in the central Southern building not set to ambush - they can't reliably wake up by sight alone, given there's at least three ways to access the Southern building. They're the ones circled in red. Will do! Made those changes plus added some ammo and updated my submission post. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post
Djoga Posted April 13 (edited) At last, it's made. DJOGA-30SEC-MAP11.zip This map makes heavy use of middle textures and voodoo scripts. You can also get up to 300% secrets when playing on non-ZDoom-based ports (total percentage depends on chosen difficulty). Also, do NOT waste your ammo on the monsters that are hard to reach, the map will take care of them itself. I have playtested it a lot so everything should be working fine but please report any bugs you encounter. MAPINFO is there so GZDoom doesn't break anything in the map. Submission Details Map Title: Antisanguinitaria Map Slot: Map 11 MIDI Used: "I'm the Doomguy with the Gun" by James "Jimmy" Paddock Map Author: Djoga Difficulties Implemented: All Tested With: PrBoom+ 2.6.2, DSDA-Doom v0.26.2, Eternity Engine v4.03.00 "Glitnir", GZDoom g4.7.1 Screenshots (choose the last one as favorite): Spoiler Edited April 13 by Djoga Changes for lower difficulties 3 Quote Share this post Link to post
Djoga Posted April 22 (edited) On 4/13/2024 at 4:24 PM, Djoga said: At last, it's made. DJOGA-30SEC-MAP11.zip This map makes heavy use of middle textures and voodoo scripts. You can also get up to 300% secrets when playing on non-ZDoom-based ports (total percentage depends on chosen difficulty). Also, do NOT waste your ammo on the monsters that are hard to reach, the map will take care of them itself. I have playtested it a lot so everything should be working fine but please report any bugs you encounter. MAPINFO is there so GZDoom doesn't break anything in the map. Submission Details Map Title: Antisanguinitaria Map Slot: Map 11 MIDI Used: "I'm the Doomguy with the Gun" by James "Jimmy" Paddock Map Author: Djoga Difficulties Implemented: All Tested With: PrBoom+ 2.6.2, DSDA-Doom v0.26.2, Eternity Engine v4.03.00 "Glitnir", GZDoom g4.7.1 Screenshots (choose the last one as favorite): Reveal hidden contents Just found out the lift was broken DJOGA-30SEC-MAP11.zip Edited April 24 by Djoga 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
AnArchaicApparatus Posted May 13 (edited) Spoiler On 4/13/2024 at 7:24 AM, Djoga said: At last, it's made. DJOGA-30SEC-MAP11.zip This map makes heavy use of middle textures and voodoo scripts. You can also get up to 300% secrets when playing on non-ZDoom-based ports (total percentage depends on chosen difficulty). Also, do NOT waste your ammo on the monsters that are hard to reach, the map will take care of them itself. I have playtested it a lot so everything should be working fine but please report any bugs you encounter. MAPINFO is there so GZDoom doesn't break anything in the map. Submission Details Map Title: Antisanguinitaria Map Slot: Map 11 MIDI Used: "I'm the Doomguy with the Gun" by James "Jimmy" Paddock Map Author: Djoga Difficulties Implemented: All Tested With: PrBoom+ 2.6.2, DSDA-Doom v0.26.2, Eternity Engine v4.03.00 "Glitnir", GZDoom g4.7.1 Screenshots (choose the last one as favorite): Reveal hidden contents On 4/22/2024 at 3:21 AM, Djoga said: Just found out the lift was broken DJOGA-30SEC-MAP11.zip @Djoga I just played through your map (as much I could,) and it's got a lot of really cool stuff in it, though it def has a handful of things that could be tweaked - be it to be more fun/approachable but still challenging or... well, actually playable on lower-end computers. TLDR: The biggest, most glaring issue is that on my older computer, it literally went from a good framerate at the start, to a teeth-pulling 4-5 FPS right before I could go to the end after finishing both areas. I think it likely has something to do with how you dispose of the hard-to-reach monsters. Here's my unfiltered stream-of-consciousness that I wrote while playing (though the start was written on paper, so I had to re-write it w' a few iterations in a .txt file): Spoiler I played on UV. - Nice MIDI and aesthetic right off the bat - Cool sky transfer use - Having the shotgun behind the player (instead of in-front) is a bit annoying, but not too big of an issue. - The yellow skullkey being used to prevent running and cheesing the first fight is a lil neat - Cool decor inside! > As a note from later, your sector/linedef/otherwise detailing is overall really good, huge props! - The spread-out placement of hitscanners inside is very effective usage - Oof, an archie! - Secret eye is a lil hard to hit, given how tiny the hole is, but it's really cool. - Baron in the secret could maybe be a hell knight even on higher skills given it not really serving any more of a purpose other than being a more beefy wall with hitpoints, still not a huge issue though. - The thick bars are really cool. - Cool scrolling portals + teleport effect thing - The overall setup & choose-your-path thing for this level is really cool. 'Always a wonderful thing to see. - Fighting mid-tiers w' only a SSG in the red portal is kinda abnoxious right-off-the-bat. > Coming back to pre-iterate a note from later, I think it'd be cool to have the plasma and rocket launcher be provided at the same time as the SSG, but have more ammo given later. SSG'ing mid-tiers is kinda abnoxious, especially given all the stuff that I go into more detail later. BLUE PATH: - The teleporters in this area are both a really good way to save on sectors, and both those and a lot of the elements of this area (like the flying cacos + platforming, etc) remind me of a later level in Sigil II. If so, it's def a cool interpretation. - [Nevermind this note] Just as a note for the blue path, rocket-dueling cybies kinda sucks since they absorb splash damage, Sandy wasn't informed of this for the IWAD, but that doesn't make it fun! Maybe a plasma would be nice to try? - I let the cybie infight the cacos, noice. - The semi-intensive fighting w' platform is a bit tricky, but not inherently bad. - It's dawning on me now that - where's ma' chaingun? Would be nice, even if it's not the most ultra-useful for here - Trying to platform w' the invuln is a nightmare - WHY IS THERE STALAGMITES ON THE PLATFORMS!? I can barely see them, and they - in practice - make the platforms much smaller, and fuck with the physics a lot. This mostly applies to one right by the cybie w' rockets on it, which has one right on the landing spot, so I run towards the rockets (since the cybie is gonna kill me instantly if I don't take care, and throw me if I have invulnerability) to get them but bounce off of it! I took a screenshot in godmode, so I don't die trying to show which one it is. - Okay, why the fuck is there a teleporter right back to the beginning on the platform right before the blue key? I just jumped onto it because I couldn't focus on anything other than running from platform to platform and not getting shot by the instagib-knockback-bull-giant-bastard. If anything, the teleporter should be after the blue key! - If there wasn't the 30 sector limit, I'd advise also making it so that ya telefrag or slowly crush the cybie, especially since the only option for 100%-kills otherwise is precarious SSG/rocket-spamming > As a note from going back to check during the red path for armor/health, I see the cybie taken care of, but it'd be nice if the mancubi were also taken care of, since they're also lil asshole turret bois. - I used infighting to kill the mancs and cacos. The two-groups of big guys makes that pretty nice, no problem with that, and I like doing it. More options is more fun, as stated below. - [OLDER NOTE] I had full rockets by the end of the blue section, which is another reason to give the player a plasma rifle or otherwise imo. More options is often more fun, especially since you're doing the mini-slaughter fight stuff like this; that's one of the things that makes InsaneGazibos combat work so well, for sake of example. > After going into the red section, I see the plasma, I gots it. It might be cool to get both when ya get the SSG to give more options and be more fun, but keep the larger ammo caches unique to each side. I took a break after taking care of that fight, since I had stuff to do After returning, I put on Mother Sky by Can, then a buncha stuff until I hit Half Machine Lip Moves by Chrome instead of Jimmys midi, since semi-short MIDIs get on me a bit for semi-long plays - just a personal preference. If you'd like me to make a MIDI for ya level, lemme know btw, it's pretty cool and could def use a lil touch. :U RED PATH: - I just wanna reiterate how fuckin cool this lower-down lift and your conveyor teleport effect majig is - This could definitely use more health. - I went back for more health in the blue path since my health was low af, but I didn't use the invuln for the final play back in that section, so I snagged it and brought it with me. This is kinda cool imo, I suggest ya keep it, it's kinda a plan-ahead type of deal, and it's kinda fun. - That stairs + gate detail thing absolutely rocks! It's so cool. - These archviles are fucking cruel, especially with all the gate-walls that they can attack through, and the long trenches ya can run for health to but get imediately blasted when running back > Please, for fucks sake, this is a pain in the ass. Literally every time going anywhere, they're instakills when unarmored, and when one doesn't instakill another immediately lands it, so it'd be a pain even with armor. - All these turrets (especially the archviles and the spider mama) are really a pain in the ass ngl, mainly since a lot of the geometry doesn't work as cover - AAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHH - The geometry of the poles jutting out makes it easy to get caught when trying to dodge the countless archvile barrages. - Maybe this section can stay almost how it is? It's just very frustrating on multiple counts, and not in a, "it's my fault, isn't it?" way - which isn't good. That's why I made my later-level submissions challenging, but combat-puzzle oriented, since having less cluttered setups [like having to deal with meat-wads below, plus the mouse-throw archviles, plus a spider-mama for some reason] can definitely be overbaring in a jerkish way. - I do like the walk-behind-junk thing to get the red skull, it's kinda a neat maze/directional puzzle element. The thing I don't like about it though that's kinda a pain is that with all the shit going on clusterfucked around mentioned before, I just hit the switch for the lift and left, only to realize I had to go back. A better setup imo would be to have both the key and the switch together, maybe being shoved behind stuff like the skull already is, though I'd suggest keeping that in mind for a later thing instead, and have it be more obvious like w' the switch. - Please don't expect people to have to deal with all this shit with no armor after having their health drained by the archviles and spider-mama hitscanning. > My suggestion is to force the player to pickup a berserk pack on the conveyor going back from each path. that way, even if it doesn't solve the armor issue, the player doesn't have to fight a whole micro-slaughter fight with 22% health like I did! > The thing with having all the health in the monster closets is that you have to fight through the monsters. Keep that stuff, but you need to solve the lack-of-health-when-entering-the-fight issue. > Remember, after pretty much every fight in most maps of Sunder, ya get a chance to resupply, get health back (there's plenty of soulspheres,) etc. This is Map11 of a community project. > Another issue here is that the archvile resurrects the shotgunners. Since they're hitscanners, they can be resurrected and shoot you before you even realize they were resurrected. - My decade-old laptop was also lagging like hell during this fight, even though it's not too much geometry or a cartoonish (though it is still a bit much in a way) amount of stuff going on. Idk if that's more my computer or something in the level but this was especially happening after everyone was dead but the cybie and another guy or two! Again, going back to Sunder though for reference, this shit only really started on Hags Finger, so honestly something might be up with the map that I can't diagnose myself. > If you used crushers to kill the excess monsters, that's probably contributing to it massively. > Oh god, it's seconds-per-frame now, something is terribly wrong here. > I legit had to use godmode in order to kill the cybie, even though this'd be a really easy strafe fight with the plasma if my computer wasn't shitting itself in awe of whatever's going on. - The lag is still going on after I've killed the cyberdemon. Something IS terribly, horribly wrong. Something is taking up so much, and this level is barely even that big. As of writing, I don't think I can finish this without jabbing my eyeball with a pencil. Just to double-check, I quit my Zandronum EXE, and reloaded the WAD. For sake of reference for how stuff runs on my hardware, going back into the full-detail version of The Given by Dobu, my framerate is just over 1FPS when a lot of the sectors are on-screen, and I beat that a few months ago, and had a very good time with in spite of the technical difficulties. I also often looked at walls to reduce how many sectors/walls had to be rendered, though that workaround didn't work to any degree here, with that maybe being amplified by shared sectors and stuff. I loaded MAP01 and it worked like normal. Then, I loaded the level again, and the exact same performance issue ground everything to multiple-seconds-per-frame. Then I just played MAP01 for a little break, then returned to the level, and counted an average of 4-5 seconds per every frame. Anyways, I was quite close to finishing the level, but it's not worth trying to finish it with this framerate Again, I assume this is related to the, "...do NOT waste your ammo on the monsters that are hard to reach, the map will take care of them itself. " thing. I'm not gonna be able to really check it since I'm just looking in Doombuilder, and I don't know where to start. Before tweaking anything else, you're gonna need to take a whack at this immediately. Last-minute note: Looking in Doombuilder, I'm assuming the monsters get thrown in that lil lava area, so no crushers? I can only theorize since I can't actually get in the level to see what happens. My only guess would be too many moving parts in terms of maybe monsters teleporting around and clustering on each other, and rendering too many teleport fog things, and all of it getting rendered due to connected sectors? Idk, you/anyone who might help gonna have to find that out tbh. EDIT: Screenshots! Spoiler These cropped up below, outside of the box, so I'ma just shove em here. Again, this is def another really cool entry, and with a few tweaks this could be a perfect map w' cool challenges, a lot of polish, and so on. The highest priority though is definitely making sure that it doesn't make semi-lower-end computers shit themselves like in my case. Good luck on that, this one's really cool, just needs a good bit of tweaking and that big fix. Edited May 13 by AnArchaicApparatus screenshots were added (i forgot em lol) 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
AnArchaicApparatus Posted May 13 (edited) On 1/17/2024 at 5:34 AM, RED77 said: updated version. it changes mostly aesthetics, but some of the fights as well MEAGRE MEAL BY RED77 v2.zip updated screenshot Reveal hidden contents @RED77 Not much to say here, but it's def a nice lil romp. It's much more primitive and minimal in result compared to a lot of entries (in your case likely due not being used to the limitations,) but it's a nice, charming lil romp that feels like a lower-end CC entry that isn't the most famous, but is very charming, thankfully not infamous, and does its job w'out much fuss. It made me quite happy. Play-by-play notes from while I was going through it: Spoiler I played UV. I've wanted to try this one for a while, but only now am getting around to it. - Right off the bat, cool music. - The aesthetics here are def more TNT-ey/leaning into the flat-geometry bit that limited-sectors kinda lends to, but it's clean and well aligned w' nice corners to add flavor to the otherwise wolfenstein-ey aspect - Nice low enemy count - Died a few times because I'm dumb (and the SSG was out-of-reach for a moment,) then 'Got the hell knights and revs to infight - So far this has a really comfy oldschool Community Chest vibe way more than the other maps in the set, it's refreshing - This level is a breeze so far (other than me brain-sharting earlier,) especially w' projectile guys in open areas and so on - The stuff w' the teleporters being just a floor texture raised is def efficient, but looks a lil weird compared to other entries, like the use of glowing Things in the last map I tested by Djoga. > Just as a note though for the overall aesthetics of the map, the simplicity is really comfy, actually. Again w' the Community Chest note, it feels very primitive, but has enough variation and is very unpretentious, I actually really like how this turned out, even if aiming for the few-sectors bit definitely made ya aim a lil low (which I'm especially noting, since ya headed 666CRETS and so on, and your contributions there are much more cool when ya don't have to deal w' the limits.) - The double-archvile trap was surprisingly nasty for this map, but the metal bit of geometry jutting out is a simple but cool bit of cover - The map opening up a bit w' the archvile trap is nice - Nice, subtle plasma secret - After getting the blue key, I went, "where tha fuq do I go now?" until I noticed the SUPPORT3 lift > This might just be a me issue, but that really blends into the environment a lot imo, and I've seen that a lot in other WADs. Personally I'd either use PLAT1 and kinda smush it by shoving a vertex down the middle & shifting the one side into place, or make a cluster of silvery or otherwise textures and signify it w' some light, support, or doortrak/stop textures on the sides. - Not many issues that could even be here, just a straightforward little fun romp, didn't really challenge much put a smile on my face & has a lot of charm. Not much to say, is nice. Screenies (contains spoilers for secrets): Spoiler AGH bwah Edited May 13 by AnArchaicApparatus agh bwah 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
RED77 Posted May 13 11 hours ago, AnArchaicApparatus said: @RED77 Not much to say here, but it's def a nice lil romp. It's much more primitive and minimal in result compared to a lot of entries (in your case likely due not being used to the limitations,) but it's a nice, charming lil romp that feels like a lower-end CC entry that isn't the most famous, but is very charming, thankfully not infamous, and does its job w'out much fuss. It made me quite happy. Play-by-play notes from while I was going through it: Hide contents I played UV. I've wanted to try this one for a while, but only now am getting around to it. - Right off the bat, cool music. - The aesthetics here are def more TNT-ey/leaning into the flat-geometry bit that limited-sectors kinda lends to, but it's clean and well aligned w' nice corners to add flavor to the otherwise wolfenstein-ey aspect - Nice low enemy count - Died a few times because I'm dumb (and the SSG was out-of-reach for a moment,) then 'Got the hell knights and revs to infight - So far this has a really comfy oldschool Community Chest vibe way more than the other maps in the set, it's refreshing - This level is a breeze so far (other than me brain-sharting earlier,) especially w' projectile guys in open areas and so on - The stuff w' the teleporters being just a floor texture raised is def efficient, but looks a lil weird compared to other entries, like the use of glowing Things in the last map I tested by Djoga. > Just as a note though for the overall aesthetics of the map, the simplicity is really comfy, actually. Again w' the Community Chest note, it feels very primitive, but has enough variation and is very unpretentious, I actually really like how this turned out, even if aiming for the few-sectors bit definitely made ya aim a lil low (which I'm especially noting, since ya headed 666CRETS and so on, and your contributions there are much more cool when ya don't have to deal w' the limits.) - The double-archvile trap was surprisingly nasty for this map, but the metal bit of geometry jutting out is a simple but cool bit of cover - The map opening up a bit w' the archvile trap is nice - Nice, subtle plasma secret - After getting the blue key, I went, "where tha fuq do I go now?" until I noticed the SUPPORT3 lift > This might just be a me issue, but that really blends into the environment a lot imo, and I've seen that a lot in other WADs. Personally I'd either use PLAT1 and kinda smush it by shoving a vertex down the middle & shifting the one side into place, or make a cluster of silvery or otherwise textures and signify it w' some light, support, or doortrak/stop textures on the sides. - Not many issues that could even be here, just a straightforward little fun romp, didn't really challenge much put a smile on my face & has a lot of charm. Not much to say, is nice. Screenies (contains spoilers for secrets): Hide contents AGH bwah Thank you so much for playing. I did have problems with the limitations. but at the same time learned a lot. So glad you have fun, and thanks of the detailed review. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
AnArchaicApparatus Posted May 14 On 1/16/2024 at 2:01 AM, stochastic said: Alright, I finally finished up @Matt Eldrydge's map. Really happy with how it turned out! It's an interconnected series of slime-ridden libraries and abstract structures with nonlinear progression, hence we landed on the name "Slimewood Municipal Library". Matt of course built most of the map, while I added several sections (noted in blue in the screenshot) - I tried my best to keep my sections aesthetically consistent with his beautiful and unique architecture. I also handled the combat/enemy placement. While it's challenging at times with a few surprises, it's a pretty forgiving map overall, allowing you lots of room and freedom to work out each encounter. Despite its size, I've been able to UV-max it in around 15 minutes. That all being said, I know the original slot for this was Map09 - IMO I think this would work best in the second half of the wad. Matt and company, please let me know if y'all have any feedback - I'll be happy to fix/tweak anything, especially the combat - this is my first time designing combat for such a nonlinear map, so I want it to be fun! Thanks again for letting me finish this up, Matt. :) Learned a lot by working on this. Uses exactly 30 sectors, btw. 30Sectors-SML.zip Submission Details Map Title: Slimewood Municipal Library Map Slot: Previously Map09 (may need to be adjusted) MIDI Used: "Greenhouse" by Stewboy Map Authors: Matt Eldrydge and stochastic Difficulties Implemented: All Tested With: PrBoom-Plus 2.5.1.4, dsda-doom 0.26.2, GZDoom 4.6.1 Screenshots @Matt Eldrydge @stochasticAite, went through this one. 'Still pretty as ever from Matt, and plenty a Stochas'm. Regrettably though in this case, this one ended up being kinda tiring to play/100%, which was likely from starting w' the details, and building the encounters afterwards, with said type of fight design largely being scattered big guys, though. Anyways, stream-of-conscious gameplay notes and critiques, etc: Spoiler I played on UV - Still looks very cool, and has a neat MIDI - 408 enemies lessgooooo - I kill one revenant & run around a bunch to bait a buncha other guys, and take it to 36 killed - Maps w' a buncha often bigger guys thrown around to deal with in this sorta way is not really the kinda combat I enjoy, so I'm prolly gonna be biased here a lil negatively - I didn't know the nukage didn't hurt, so I was kinda playing a game of the floor is lava. Maybe it'd be neat to communicate that by adding a mini section before where the player walks through some no-hurt nukage, before going into the combat. - Yeah, that's a good bitta monster window-dressing - It's pretty easy to incur infighting a lot of the time. Again, I like doing it, prolly good to keep it for more options, etc. - Midi is a bit short imo, so I just put on Sister Ray again lol - Releasing an imp hoard after getting the rocket launcher, very nice, much taste! > Ngl the hoard is kinda too thin to actually get the desired hoard-gibbage effect, and having more of em might actually make it a bit more fun, if ya can get the AI to move in a big dumb blob. > Also, the mancs coulda been a cool infighting tool if I noticed, that's a good setup - Tbh one of the things that makes this map kinda easy is how big it is, which makes the projectiles pretty easy to dodge a lot of the time. - I got down to 104 kills at 11 minutes. Def a methodical map in effect - Aite, the opening has been taken care of - Backpacks! Joy! Time to go around and pick up more stuff lol > Might be good to give em earlier, so it's not as much backtracking - All the architecture is really, really cool and well done. The one gripe I got with that though is that it makes a lot of sections almost blend together, which is an easy trap to fall into - and which I'd say a lotta modern detailed WADs fall into. Very good, not really much about that which can be fixed here, just something I thought I'd note. I didn't have much issue here getting around in effect, but I can see how it'd be easy for that to happen. > Another thing w' the architecture is that the gravitas of it kinda tends to imply a lot of difficulty, which the fact that it's not actually that difficult here is kinda nice. - Stickerbrush Symphony also goes really good with this. Tbh w' this not being too hard, something more chill like that could work really good as the soundtrack - though prolly good not to use Nintendo musics lol > Again, if ya want me to poot out a MIDI, I could try, though obviously it'd be a bit naff compared to Stickerbrush lol - Again, another note with the fights being kinda easy, with all the snipers it's pretty easy to take them out, since they can't move worth a shit lmao. - I think I died for the first time in the teleport fight, by killing myself with a rocket... now I actually start dying a lot at this soulsphere majig lol - [OLD NOTE] Where's mah plasma w' all this ammo being given? - I'm around 206 kills now btw - 20 minutes ingame - Tbh the combat in this one is a little tedious, which is likely a biproduct of details-first, enemies thrown in afterwards. - [OLD NOTE] Yeah, with the cybie, you def gotta make there be a plasma somewhere, or at least more obvious. Cybies are immune to rocket splash damage and so on. - Again, Stickerbrush Symphony fits really well with this. I can imagine the more in-your-face midi getting pretty grating in-practice. > I would joke, "lmao, use the Mucus Flow music," but this map really could use a more mellow MIDI, given the pace. - Bless ya for having that buncha guys come out w' the blue door, it makes the cybie quite useful > Again as a note though, having a bunch of different types of jerkholes in a closet pretty much just makes them take care of themselves, even w'out interference. Having closets of just one type of jerkhole makes it require more maneuvering, and turns it into a bit of a puzzle instead of, "Oops, the Manc' grazed that Arachnotron, watch the fireworks." 'Just something to keep in mind. - That one monster closet w' the eyes is so cool looking - There's mah plasma! - 'Kinda bumbled into the exit area at around 328 kills, and proceeded to get wrecked > All I had to do to make it more approachable is walk out of the room though, let some infighting happen, and take care of the rest. - Cool exit w' an anti-cheese switch - Plasma duel w' cybie, took care of window dressing, went to the offshoot optional spot w' hell knights and a soulsphere, 100%'ed except for one item. > Lil bit I noticed w' a Hell Knight: Kinda cool that having torches/other decorative Things can prevent effective rocket sniping. 'Could be useful for making kinda cruel hitscan turrets. - Very well crafted map, but honestly tiring as hell, mainly with all the scattered enemies and so on, and the dense architecture and so on going on, it really drags on. Incidental combat w' this many guys & as heavy as most of them are is definitely a delicate balance, and this was def feeling a bit of a chore. Standard-issue screenshot barrage. DW suddenly gave me a limit that I somehow didn't hit w' the last two posts, and it's mildly infuriating. Spoiler Also, as a final note, since this was initially gonna be an, "adventure," kinda map, that definitely makes sense w' the architecture and so on. Honestly, the encounters would make a lot more sense if it was much more focal on having smaller fights and much less and/or less hefty windowdressing, then hitting the player with the cybie and the larger hoards later, maybe even having it be bigger hoards that are harder to just go past given all the space, which could definitely have more jerks in it - though in a more formal fight. Again, larger guys in incidental combat is a delicate balance. Beefcakes have a role, but just throw em around and they become moving fences w' hitpoints to either jump around, or laboriously dissassemble with wirecutters like I did. Personally, I think it'd be cool to have it even be no monsters initially, all buildup, then as soon as the blue door is activated, all hell breaks loose into a fight that's more considered but extreme, much harder to just cheese and just run through, and so on. Here's a few ideas off the top of my head that ya might be able to iterate on if ya wanna try to rework junk from the ground up, though removing a lot of the incidental guys would make it much more well paced imo: - Maybe have the soulsphere fight be mostly low-tiers, so it's a sudden challenge, but still saving all the big boys for the big blast - Remove almost all turrets/snipers, they barely do anything and can be cheesed effortlessly - Have the blue door be guarded by thick groups of Mancubi/Barons right at the doors, so they serve as walls with health points that keep the player from going in to run to the exit immediately, so they'd need to retreat and actually face what was going on - Some of the hoards like the imps and so on that were released really early on w' the rocket launcher, the cyberdemon, etc could be released now intead of earlier, so the foot'age to move w'out fighting through it would be greatly reduced The overall desired result would be to have a much more mellow beginning to soak in the surroundings, let stuff kinda slow-cook, and break that tension with a more focused fight, so it's a dynamic adventure w' a blast at the end instead of lots of noise that's harder to account for. Just throwing ideas around, brain melty, bleh. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post
AnArchaicApparatus Posted May 14 On 12/31/2023 at 9:20 AM, Moustachio said: Was able to get my map done for New Years. Download Title: Plumbing & Power Co. Slot: MAP02 MIDI used: "Umbra" by Psyrus Author: Moustachio It's a short MAP02 with some light Doom II style combat. Didn't want to go overboard for MAP02, but I think it's an action-packed little techbase romp. Took me about 5 minutes to UV Max. I didn't use too many Boom effects in this one. But I did use exactly 30 sectors: @Moustachio This kicks major ass. Nothing needs changed I don't think, everything just works, no bugs that I see at all, etc. Brief notes taken while playing: Spoiler I played on UV - Brooding music, atmospheric lights, oooh! - Nice lil blue armor secret - This level looks really nice, and the MIDI legit feels like it was made for this map, this is fuckin cool - Nice hard-to-cheese monster closet to the red key - If I didn't know this was 30 sectors or less, I'd have no clue. - Fight design is very tight, and ya know how to make monsters dangerous while also being fair. Casalis would be proud. - Returning to the monster-closet hitscan area and going right across to the lift, this is really cool and efficient - OH FUCK, that monster closet up the lift is really cruel while the player is distracted with the meatball and the arachno. - Nice anti-cheese switch for the exit Not much to say, this level speaks for itself, this rocks. Screen Shot by Swans: Spoiler Not much to say, bigly good, perfect post-opener to keep a player digging a bit deeper. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
Djoga Posted May 14 (edited) Okay I am gonna give my reasoning for some mapping choices On 5/13/2024 at 7:53 AM, AnArchaicApparatus said: Okay, why the fuck is there a teleporter right back to the beginning on the platform right before the blue key? This was made to mess with the player when they are trying to escape from the cyberdemon, but now that I think about it is kinda an asshole move. I am gonna move it somewhere else. By the way the cyberdemon that appears in the hub after you beat both paths is the one that gets teleported away in the blue path, and since you get the bfg you don't have to kill said cyber before reaching that point. (also there is a secret in the blue path that will have the cyber and the archviles killed off screen to make the final hub fight slightly easier). On 5/13/2024 at 7:53 AM, AnArchaicApparatus said: it'd be nice if the mancubi were also taken care of, since they're also lil asshole turret bois. Got you. On 5/13/2024 at 7:53 AM, AnArchaicApparatus said: I think it'd be cool to have the plasma and rocket launcher be provided at the same time as the SSG My intentions were that once you get a weapon designated to one path you will have easier time beating another before grabbing its corresponding weapon, and you ssg mid-tiers to stun them and make your way to the weapons. But I guess the plasma rifle is not as accessible as the rocket launcher, so I'm gonna change that. On 5/13/2024 at 7:53 AM, AnArchaicApparatus said: These archviles are fucking cruel, especially with all the gate-walls that they can attack through I will rebuild the labyrinth thing and reposition them so they are less as deadly but still pose a challenge. On 5/13/2024 at 7:53 AM, AnArchaicApparatus said: I had full rockets by the end of the blue section, which is another reason to give the player a plasma rifle or otherwise imo. The points is that since you have full rockets you can shoot the revenant/archvile turrets so going for the red key/switch is less troublesome. Same about using plasma in the blue path. On 5/13/2024 at 7:53 AM, AnArchaicApparatus said: you need to solve the lack-of-health-when-entering-the-fight issue The player will be given soulspheres every time they teleport back into the hub after cleaning up a path. On 5/13/2024 at 7:53 AM, AnArchaicApparatus said: The lag is still going on after I've killed the cyberdemon. Something IS terribly, horribly wrong. I think I know what's the issue. The revealed red rock monster closets all have a lot of pool of blood things inside. Maybe your PC keeps dying because there are WAY too many things on the screen (pools of blood and corpses) being rendered simultaneously. I will remove them. I believe it's an issue with Zandronum, so maybe try running it on different ports (boom-derived ones for example), if that makes any difference of course. But anyway thank you again for the commentary, it will help a lot with the future fixes. Edited May 14 by Djoga 2 Quote Share this post Link to post
AnArchaicApparatus Posted May 15 On 12/19/2023 at 3:53 PM, stochastic said: Here is my final submission for Map 21. I made several quality of life changes from my last submission - major changes include: removing damaging blood floors, removing bottomless pits, and adding an additional tech/flesh area in the flesh tunnels. Additional playtesting would be much-appreciated! STO_30Sec_MAP21.zip Map Title: The Shrine of Mad Laughter Map Slot: Map 21 (previously Map 27) MIDI Used: "Baron's Province" by James "Jimmy" Paddock Map Author: stochastic Difficulties Implemented: All Tested With: PrBoom-Plus 2.5.1.4, dsda-doom 0.26.2, GZDoom 4.6.1 Screenshots: Here's that newly-added room: @stochastic 'Played the iterated version of this level, and the handful of changes you made definitely were for the better. Full notes taken while playing: Spoiler UV as usual This is a replay after stuff was tweaked. Prolly not too necessary, but def not a bad idea. - Still cool looking as ever > A more subtle lil detail, but the metal + wood bits at the beginning w' the pitch black bits looks really cool when blending into the black background - Also, nice that ya give some stimpacks at the start for continuous players but doesn't affect pistol starters, def a gesture that'd be neat to see more often. - I ran around and baited infighting, killed the lone archie, pick off everyone one-by-one, kill the archies in the cage w' the SSG, etc, just as last time > It'd be nice if there were a shellbox or two in this part of the fight ngl - I just noticed the writhing flesh on the wall. Idk if that was there last time, but it's cool. - I left the cybie alive this time - Oh god, da spida mama > I left her for later this time - The area w' the blue armor looks a lot cooler this time, and is less of a pain w' the removed pits - Ooh, this is the expanded area! Nice bit of variation - I love how this feels for a moment like more traditional incidental stuff breaking up the more heavy hoards and so on - The crusher didn't get me initially this time, and it looks much, much cooler with the layers of textures on it. Again, much better. > I did get hit a few times, then killed myself cos lmao > Yeah, this feels much better, and more like a functional hazard puzzle kinda thing - I just noticed the invisible floor effect. Party hard, excellent - Fuck Pain Elementals and Archviles fr - My computer randomly just shut off in the middle of the fight, and my game saves were good, but I didn't save my notepad after two bullets to that last point. > TLDR: The Archviles respawning the hitscanners and having the supah-dead fire majig kinda sucks obviously, but the Pain Elementals just kept popping up after I thought I killed em, and the Lost Souls took way too long to take care of, and monopolized pretty much all my time here. The Delinquents family needs to keep their rapscalious ruff'ians on a leash. Woof! > Also, a Lost Soul rammed into an Archvile that was in a distracted loop trying to go at the Cyberdemon I left alive earlier, making it actually attack me while I was still taking stragglers out, another reason that these fuckers are evil lmao - I look up once to see a caco, and the illusion of void kinda sharts itself > [NOTE: I just realized the lowering of the ceiling would block out the bloodfalls, so nvm on that for here, but still a good thing to note for future maps. Without a sector limit, ya can also have the ceiling be pretty nice and low, but make dummy sectors to do a fake-floor/ceiling transfer with, so the ceiling is invisible and allows ya to do a skybox thing.] Since that's a blue carpet texture and not meant to be seen anyways (and is kinda hard to avoid w' stock textures ofc,) if ya got the time I suggest ya lower that ceiling (which would make the flying monsters MUCH more under control,) and use a ceiling light transfer effect from one of the pitch black sectors (using BOOM action 261) - Ngl, having archviles each wave does make it a lil obnoxious lol - 'Took everything out except one straggler, which was probably a lost soul somewhere hiding 'Pleasure playing this again. Not really anything that needs changed or fixed (unless ya want to remove Pain Elements or tweak a few Archies lol.) Screenies: Spoiler Yerp, is big good. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post
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