(Private alphas in progress) Infernew, a Community Project

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

Post to let you know that I am currently working on my map.

I'm calling it Malebolge, and right now I'm sticking with the vanilla texture set (Doom II, of course).

I'm going to restrict myself to the base!Doom beastiary and no SSG in this map.

I'd also like to use Mist Ache from Rise of the Triad as this map's music.

[SOSU]

Looks cool,good look with this project everyone!

[DynamiteKaitorn]

A redo of what is already my favourite chapter. You KNOW I'm going to play this once it's released! :D

 

[Garbage]

I'm interested, I love making vanilla maps!

[Garbage]

One question, are we allowed to submit more than one map?

[bonnie]

Just now, Garbage said:

One question, are we allowed to submit more than one map?

yes sir!!! in fact I encourage it!!!!!!

(if the maps are good, that is)

Edited July 3, 2018 by bonnie

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

Depending on when I get my map finished (shouldn't be long, I work rather quickly), I might like to reserve one of the secret slots to try my hand at a puzzle map.

 

Edit: I overlooked a minor portion of a very important post regarding the secret maps, so you would be fine to strike the above.

Though I would still like to try a puzzle map after Malebolge is complete.

Edited July 3, 2018 by Aquila Chrysaetos

["JL" was too short]

I can't promise anything, but as there seems to be no shortage of open slots, I'd like to try and make something for this project.  Put me down.

[Walter confetti]

Ok, get it!

[xvertigox]

I started mapping tonight and have got a bit done. It's gonna be a tight and tough.

 

 

[xdarkmasterx]

hello is there still any free slot? i started creation of a level for this project (if iu think ts good enough)

Edited July 3, 2018 by xdarkmasterx

[bonnie]

Just now, xdarkmasterx said:

hello is there still any free slot? i started creation of a level for this project (if its good enough)

many free slots friend! those look wonderful :D

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

Couple more Builder shots of Malebolge.

It started off almost a Pandemonium copy, but now it's developing it's own personality.

And a visplane view in the spoiler.

Spoiler

In the top right and lower right corners are where the visplanes peak, running an average about about 55+ and reaching up to 68.

Obviously, I'm trying for a "the way id did" method, since that works really well.

Also, all three skulls are in this map, and needed to progress. They and the doors are all visible right at the start (well, the doors are behind the marble column the yellow skull sets on, but they're in the first room).

Having a good time mapping with these restrictions, even the incredibly stringent visplane restriction.

[sarge945]

Is this a good project for someone relatively new to mapping to join?

[bonnie]

8 minutes ago, sarge945 said:

Is this a good project for someone relatively new to mapping to join?

I hope to implement at least some quality control, so if you're new to mapping you need to be prepared to put in more effort to improve your map before the deadline. Thankfully however, Inferno maps are fairly simple, so just play through it a bit, study the maps, then pick a map you really want to emulate before extensively studying it. If you're willing to put in the extra effort, then yes, this would actually be a great project for you friend.

[sarge945]

4 minutes ago, bonnie said:

I hope to implement at least some quality control, so if you're new to mapping you need to be prepared to put in more effort to improve your map before the deadline. Thankfully however, Inferno maps are fairly simple, so just play through it a bit, study the maps, then pick a map you really want to emulate before extensively studying it. If you're willing to put in the extra effort, then yes, this would actually be a great project for you friend.

 

Thanks, I will try out something. If it doesn't get accepted, it's still good practice.

[Urthar]

Making a start.

[MFG38]

Okay, so I took it upon myself to start working on a map for this. No screenshots as of yet since I literally just started on it, but for the time being, I can disclose that my map is inspired by Slough of Despair.

[NaZa]

Starting mapping. Main inspiration - Mt. Erebus...

 

Expect a fun map.

[HAK3180]

I started a map I'm calling "Reprobate Cloister." It will start outside, kinda Sloughy and then move inside and be more House of Pain/Unholy Cathedral. I'm planning on a two-key, somewhat nonlinear but fairly short flow.

 

Here's a beautiful picture of the pending awesomeness small piece of evidence that I actually did something:

["JL" was too short]

As proof that I'm working on something (which I make no hard promises about finishing), here is an extremely WIP editor shot:

 

 

Inspiration is probably closest to E3M4 (one of my favorite Inferno levels) but I didn't set out with any plans in that regard, it's just sort of happened. 

[Garbage]

proof of purchase mapping

 

 

I'm calling it Parabola, because of its horseshoe halls. Loosely based off Pandemonium and Hell Keep.

 

 

[Pegleg]

22 hours ago, bonnie said:

yes sir!!! in fact I encourage it!!!!!!

(if the maps are good, that is)

Interesting prospect, I have an idea for a second map. Since I'm a ridiculously slow mapper, though, I'm going to see how the first map goes. I don't want to rush one just to get out two subpar maps.

 

By the way, the title of the map I'm working on will be "Pathways of the Tortured Dead" and will be inspired by Pandemonium and House of Pain.

[Darox]

I ran into a minor issue where ASHWALL2 doesn't show up in pr+ when I load my map alongside d1gfxd2.wad. I'm assuming it's because ASHWALL2 is the first entry in TEXTURE1 instead of AASHITTY or whatever.

 

Should be easy to fix, but just a heads up.

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

An update before I retire for the evening.

The northeast section is pushing the limits of what the vanilla engine can do. With everything open up there, there are sections that push 90-100 visplanes at once.

But, it is now possible to obtain the blue skull, and the method to get the yellow has been decided.

The only real problem I'm having here is that the map is expanding as I build it, but that's a long-standing issue with my maps.

[xdarkmasterx]

more creation has been obtained and also updated the outside area

 

[sarge945]

This is far from finished, but since it's my first "real" map, I was wondering if I am on the right track? Obviously there is too much red, but any other constructive or destructive criticism would be welcome. This is based on E3M1 as my design inspiration

 

early_test.7z

Edited July 4, 2018 by sarge945

[Aquila Chrysaetos]

Please read this, everyone!

I downloaded the Doom 1 Textures for Doom 2 wad from Realm667, opened it in SLumpEd, and changed the TEXTURE1 lump. The first texture is now PLACHOLD and I've added a "new" texture in the form of the actual ASHWALL2, so it will render properly now.

 

Fixed D1TD2.

@bonnie, I suggest we use this one across the board, that way we're all using the same resources that will render all the textures properly.

 

Realm667 has a distressing tendency to have things that do that, unfortunately.

Edited July 4, 2018 by Aquila Chrysaetos

["JL" was too short]

Another progress shot:

 

 

It's ended up sprawling a bit, but the good news is that I've pretty much blocked out all the main areas I want, so for all practical purposes there shouldn't be any more sprawl.  Now it's just a matter of building some more rooms inside the existing areas, making everything look pretty, and then I'll start to place monsters (I'm the sort of guy who does that last).

 

What sort of difficulty is everyone going for?  I'm pretty sure I'm going to go for something close to Ultimate Doom IWAD difficulty, maybe closer to Episode 4 on UV in terms of what I throw at the player, but still pretty easy by modern standards.

 

Edit: The gameplay flow is also going to be something similar to House of Pain, in that you'll go on a twisting, turning, but mostly linear adventure around the map before finally getting access to the exit.  There will be a little bit more backtracking through existing areas than in E3M4, and I'm going to open some shortcuts, but conceptually it's nothing like the open interconnectedness of some E3 maps.

Edited July 4, 2018 by jerrysheppy

["JL" was too short]

9 hours ago, sarge945 said:

This is far from finished, but since it's my first "real" map, I was wondering if I am on the right track? Obviously there is too much red, but any other constructive or destructive criticism would be welcome. This is based on E3M1 as my design inspiration

 

early_test.7z

 

-I don't think there's too much red, though of course you have plenty of options to break it up if you think there's too much.

 

-The soul sphere secret was dead easy to find but would probably have been just right for 1993, so don't feel you have to change it.

 

-For the most part, the architecture is very nice; visually interesting in a quality 1993-4 sort of way, which is exactly what we should be going for here.  I will say though that the hallway after the yellow key door, up until we open the area to the red key, is pretty visually plain and flat even by such standards.  There are a lot of things you could add to make this hallway and the switch rooms a bit more interesting-- alcoves with hanging bodies, fire or tortured faces behind grates, etc.

 

-Since you're making use of Doom 2 things anyway, I'd give the player an SSG somewhere around the yellow door.  The cacodemons in particular are tedious to fight with a single shotgun and too dangerous to fight with the rocket launcher (and I was out of bullets).  In general, if Doom 2 resources are being used and the player is fighting any significant numbers of "2+ rocket" (Revenant/cacodemon) and up enemies, the player should have an SSG.  IMO anyway.

 

-Gameplay was fun and balanced for me.  That Arch-Vile was a shock, but not an unfair one.  The one thing I would say is that if this is actually meant to be a very  early map (as the Hell Keep reference indicates, and as you seem to be going for with the short length) the difficulty would probably be a bit too much of a spike.  Even in 2018, I'm happy not to encounter Arch-Viles or Baron ambushes before MAP05-06 or so.  Of course, nothing stopping you from taking the Hell Keep inspiration and making it into a more medium-length map. 

 

All in all, good