NILUM wad - Doom Challenge - 100% my map for $100

[Pan]

NILUM

 

As promised, I'm back with another doom challenge! This map is extremely difficult, scary and it will drive you insane. 

 

The first person to 100% this map (items and kills) and post a verifiable recording will win 100 dollars AUD.

 

RULES OF THE CHALLENGE;

 

- No jumping

- No cheating 

- Mouse look is allowed

- Must be completed on UV with a standard pistol start without custom weapons or monsters mods

- Deadline for challenge completion is the first day of 2019.

- Must complete the level with 100% kills and 100% items

- Must be completed in one continuous sitting with no saves or deaths

- Challenger must complete the level within 150 minutes.

Update;
 

As a token of goodwill to the community for the bugs on initial release, I am going to offer a tiered prize system.

1st prize (1st person to post 100% playthrough)- $150 AUD 

2nd prize (2nd person to post 100% playthrough) - $100 AUD

3rd prize (3rd person to post 100% playthrough) - $50 AUD

 

COMPATIBILITY;

 

Map has been tested with the latest version of GZ Doom. Drag wad into GZ Doom and use with Doom 2 source wad. This map is in UDMF.

 

MAP;

 

Map made with Slade and GZ Doom Builder using doom 2 wad file. Custom stuff from realm667/custom testures from xaser and bloody steele and custom music

 

The Story;

 

In the future, fresh water is a precious commodity. Humanity has built huge desalination treatment plants at sea to process salt water. These desalination plants are high tech and rely heavily on Artificial Intelligence and automation.

 

You have arrived at a large desalination treatment plant for your security shift. You have received a report that the AI that runs this treatment plant may have gone rogue and is warping the reality of the crew. You have been tasked to investigate.

 

 

 

 

 

Your Mission;

 

Kill the AI

 

 

 

TIPS:

 

There are multiple avenues and pathways inside the water treatment plant. Some avenues will lead to almost certain death. Be careful!

DOWNLOAD: http://www.mediafire.com/file/egdsy7t3hc19ux9/Nilum.wad

Good luck!

 

 

Edited October 24, 2018 by Pan

[DynamiteKaitorn]

No.

[Pan]

Oh Yes

[Pan]

Judging by the lack of complaints, I assume this map is running much better for people than Blighted Moonbase. I'm very pleased :-)

[Memfis]

Umm, so why is there an unreachable monster behind a solid waterfall? (https://i.imgur.com/S5KbSiZ.png)

Have you actually finished this with 100% kills and items?

[Dragonfly]

inb4 some bullshit like 'u r suppozed to roket the watr so it dyes'

[Pan]

 

24 minutes ago, Memfis said:

Umm, so why is there an unreachable monster behind a solid waterfall? (https://i.imgur.com/S5KbSiZ.png)

Have you actually finished this with 100% kills and items?

Thanks for pointing that out! I will fix it and post a new link. Hopefully you didn't play to the end before encountering this issue.

Yes i have 100%'d this map. That Imp must have somehow gotten accidentally added when I was doing the final texturing. Really sorry. The new link will be up shortly

Edited October 24, 2018 by Pan

[Pan]

Ok, the original link has been replaced. There shouldn't be any further issues

http://www.mediafire.com/file/egdsy7t3hc19ux9/Nilum.wad/file

I assume the frame rate is smooth for you?

[Phade102]

....No. Just no. you have no concept of balancing maps, artificially making them hard is no way to run a contest.

[Memfis]

I'm just doing a test run with saves so thankfully it didn't cause any frustration.

 

Some thoughts so far:

- runs smoothly even on a crappy PC

- more cohesive texturing and better sense of narrative than in the previous map

- the ammo balance is a bit harsh

- getting to the SSG probably takes too long, shotgunning everything gets very old

- RIDICULOUS health balance: only rare bottles here and there

 

And the main issue: unfortunately the gameplay just feels slow. The best thing about Blighted Moonbase was that both the player and the monsters had a lot of freedom in movement, so the encounters were dynamic and unpredictable, with demons suddenly attacking from behind, etc. It was possible to play it in a dangerous aggressive style, provoking infightings and gathering monsters in huge crowds, which was very enjoyable. But here you're just going through corridors and small rooms packed with enemies, and there is really not much you can do other than camp from a safe distance while the clumsy hordes slowly approach you. It takes too long, it gets tedious quickly, and I'm afraid it will result in a boring demo (just shooting from behind corners for 2 hours). With much more health it would at least be possible to take some risks, but you're basically forcing people to fight extremely carefully, which is the opposite of fun in my opinion. I'm a little disappointed...

[Pan]

Thanks for the review Memphis. 

 

The ammo balance is very generous if you know where to find it. Especially at the beginning. The balance becomes harder in the final areas of the map.

 

The health balance is meant to be a bit stressful, but it can be done if you are careful.

 

The monster traps are designed to encourage infighting. The first large neon green room area with the tech pillars can be beaten without using much ammo at all by getting the baron to kill all the imps.

 

I’m glad the frame rate works well!

 

if you find any monsters or items stuck in walls again please let me know immediately.

 

I’m disappointed that you find this map so hard. I was worried when I had seen your response that you had already finished the map and you were posting a winning video! 😅

 

 

 

 

[Memfis]

Another unreachable spot with monsters and items in it...: https://i.imgur.com/yjoMVFL.png

[Pan]

9 minutes ago, Memfis said:

Another unreachable spot with monsters and items in it...: https://i.imgur.com/yjoMVFL.png

 

Thanks. Hopefully that’s the last one. Something must have gotten messed up between my own 100% playthrough and my final texturing marathon. 

 

I appreciate your help. I’ll replace the link shortly.

Edited October 24, 2018 by Pan

[Dragonfly]

You can continue to make excuses but really you would do best to test it in full if you're expecting people to struggle their way through this.

[Pan]

 

10 minutes ago, Dragonfly said:

You can continue to make excuses but really you would do best to test it in full if you're expecting people to struggle their way through this.

I doubt there are any more flaws because that latest flaw was deep into the map already. Seems Memphis is making good progress! He will be ready for a proper play through soon I guess. The map is huge so bugs like this are inevitable. Most importantly, it runs smoothly and this map is much bigger than Blighted Moonbase (which ran like crap for most people).

[Pan]

The download link has been replaced. There shouldn't be anymore problems. Thanks for your efforts Memphis.
 

http://www.mediafire.com/file/egdsy7t3hc19ux9/Nilum.wad/file

 

Ancalagon confirmed via message that he won't be playing this time, so that leaves the title open for a new victor!

Edited October 24, 2018 by Pan

[Nine Inch Heels]

4 minutes ago, Pan said:

The map is huge so bugs like this are inevitable.

I'm sorry what? Not being able to max a map because monsters are stuck in unreachable areas are the absolute easiest bugs to avoid if you just sit down IDDQD + IDKFA and kill every monster you come across. Testing your WAD after making the last small edits to it, no matter how small goes without saying.

[Pan]

even IDDQD+IDKFA testing this map takes ages because of its enormous size. No joke. You thought Blighted Moonbase was big....you ain't seen nuffin.' I've played a lot of Doom maps and I reckon this map sets a record in single map complexity and length.

Edited October 24, 2018 by Pan

[Loud Silence]

Pan was hoping you will not spot bugs :) i would try to save 100 dollars too, but in fair way. I never made any map and i don't know how to do it, but i know that every mapper must fully test his maps. Especially if he wants to make contest like this.

[Memfis]

I really don't understand the health balance. According to the editor, there is 881 bonus health in total. And you're facing 2500 monsters, many with powerful/fast/homing projectiles or deadly hitscan attacks you have almost no time to hide from.

 

In comparison, on Map15 of Doom 2 you can collect 1385 health and there are 168 monsters, the majority being zombies and imps.

 

?????????

[Pan]

3 minutes ago, Rimantas said:

Pan was hoping you will not spot bugs :) i would try to save 100 dollars too, but in fair way. I never made any map and i don't know how to do it, but i know that every mapper must fully test his maps. Especially if he wants to make contest like this.

Considering that this is possibly one of the most complex doom maps out there......I think you can forgive a few bugs. Especially as I've immediately fixed them and replaced the link. We are talking, so far, 2 bugs in the most complex doom map available. Not bad at all.

Edited October 24, 2018 by Pan

[Pan]

1 minute ago, Memfis said:

I really don't understand the health balance. According to the editor, there is 881 bonus health in total. And you're facing 2500 monsters, many with powerful/fast/homing projectiles or deadly hitscan attacks you have almost no time to hide from.

 

In comparison, on Map15 of Doom 2 you can collect 1385 health and there are 168 monsters, the majority being zombies and imps.

 

?????????

So you have a total of 981 health to beat this map. That's pretty kind considering there's plenty of ammo and cover. I can play through 20-30 minutes without taking a single hit because most early monsters are slow-projectile imps and cacos. There are a few chaingunners and shotgunners (usually in turrets) but if you know where they are you can avoid getting hit by them too.

Here's a bonus tip. If you get the flamethrower to infight then he can massacre 20+ imps. That will save you some shells.

[DynamiteKaitorn]

Can I just ask, why do you want to pay people who complete your map? Just curious...

[Pan]

2 minutes ago, DynamiteKaitorn said:

Can I just ask, why do you want to pay people who complete your map? Just curious...

I regularly play chess with my friends for cash prizes. It's far more enjoyable when there are stakes..
 

[Nine Inch Heels]

30 minutes ago, Pan said:

even IDDQD+IDKFA testing this map takes ages because of its enormous size. No joke.

Yeah, well, whose problem is that? Do you think you can just not do the bare minimum which basically every other mapper does just because you're throwing around money?

 

30 minutes ago, Pan said:

I've played a lot of Doom maps and I reckon this map sets a record in single map complexity and length.

No, it does not. Recently JaceHall put up a challenge that took a team of the most experienced speedrunners of this community a total time of about 8 hours to complete, which included killing everything, finding all secrets etc... Oh wait, how much time did you give? 2.5 hours? That's cute. You can stop acting like that map of yours is the greatest thing since sliced bread now, because it just ain't, okay? Speaking of it, guess what I just found, and it literally took me less than a minute:

I guess the saving grace here is that these things aren't monsters that need to be killed, but it's quite a tell regardless.

Edited October 24, 2018 by Nine Inch Heels

[Pan]

3 minutes ago, Nine Inch Heels said:

Yeah, well, whose problem is that? Do you think you can just not do the bare minimum which basically every other mapper does just because you're throwing around money?

 

No, it does not. Recently JaceHall put up a challenge that took a team of the most experienced speedrunners of this community a total time of about 8 hours to complete, which included killing everything, finding all secrets etc... Oh wait, how much time did you give? 2.5 hours? That's cute. You can stop acting like that map of yours is the greatest thing since sliced bread now, because it just ain't, okay? Speaking of it, guess what I just found, and it literally took me less than a minute:

I guess the saving grace here is that these things aren't monsters that need to be killed, but it quite a tell regardless.

Geez. Well spotted. I guess that's the downside of working with scale...there's just so much ground for one lowly doom mapper to cover. I'll remove those and replace the link again. 

....On the bright side, at least that reduces the monster count for Memphis :)

[Phade102]

43 minutes ago, Pan said:

even IDDQD+IDKFA testing this map takes ages because of its enormous size. No joke. You thought Blighted Moonbase was big....you ain't seen nuffin.' I've played a lot of Doom maps and I reckon this map sets a record in single map complexity and length.

 

Except its obvious you make things buggy because you dont want to give people money.

Edited October 24, 2018 by Phade102

[Memfis]

Well, I can at least confirm that all other items and monsters are reachable, so the map is "theoretically" beatable now. But you would have to be an inhumanly boring player to beat this I think, camping at every corner and refusing to do anything even remotely fun.

[Phade102]

9 minutes ago, Pan said:

Geez. Well spotted. I guess that's the downside of working with scale...there's just so much ground for one lowly doom mapper to cover. I'll remove those and replace the link again. 

....On the bright side, at least that reduces the monster count for Memphis :)

 

Stop acting like you are making the best map in the world, then put yourself down by calling yourself a 'lowly doom mapper' heres a tip Pan.

 

Until you learn how to map properly

 

STOP OFFERING CASH PRIZES.

 

People do not appreciate you or your maps because of that crap. it feels like you're trying to pay people to play your map, and its not nessecary! Get your maps on a level where you can call them challenging by skill, not because you find it easy to intentionally make bugs in your map to make it unwinnable in the first 20 days. Its like you fill it with bugs so people will find them, so they cant finish it in the first release, until they just give up.

 

Pan, its time to take a step back, and take a look at how you can improve your mapping. i'd suggest you start looking up tutorials and start designing things small, theres no need to make massive maps. I feel you could be a fantastic mapper, but....this isnt the way.

[Pan]

Okay so I've worked out how these bugs have appeared. After I played through and 100%'d my map, I did a final texturing marathon to add detail to the map, and a lot of copy-pasting of textures was occurring when detailing the rooms. A few bugs must have occurred during that process, but they all appeared ironed out now. 

http://www.mediafire.com/file/egdsy7t3hc19ux9/Nilum.wad/file

Happy hunting!
 

Edited October 24, 2018 by Pan