Who feels a bit sick of constantly playing techbase levels?

[Gabenslair]

I've been playing like 100 wads i found around the place and as i gone through 100, i began to feel burnt out of techbase after techbase. Now don't get me wrong, techbases are a great theme to practice level design on, lots of opputunities to use layouts and gimmicks, but it becomes almost static in your head once you've played atleast 35 of them. Another thing would be when the lore is "Doomguy is either stuck in a base or doomguy is sent to clean out that place" and nothing much else. Then again vanilla textures can only bring so much.

 

I've seen a couple of wads make great use of the vanilla textures (Going Down and HellBound although the latter also uses doom1 textures) but if you go past the glimmering stuff at the top, you'll see only a dark ocean full of techbase after techbase. Sometimes it's prominently plated with silver and greys, others may dip in dark green walls and nukage, its still a techbase.

[Pure Hellspawn]

from what i understand, dark green walls can be very non-techbase.

 

[D4NUK1]

Same, just was on the idea of try to make a 9 episode map, that starts on hell, and ends on the techbase.

[Misty]

Nobody really forces you to play techbase stuff. There are so many maps, episodes and even megawads which uses different themes like gothic, snow, hell, temples and so on. Only thing is needed is more skill and time to beat them. 

[Marcaek]

who's sick of techbases? def not the btsx team

 

Luckily there's a fuckton of variety in Doom map themes now so you can take your pick. I'm pretty over E1 style maps myself.

[elend]

I will never get tired of tech bases. There's just something about them, which I really, really love. Especially when they are corrupted by hell, then you have best of both worlds.

[Bridgeburner56]

I agree! Down with the tech bases. Up with the gothic castles and abstract hell scapes. Technically Elementalism has some tech base stuff but it's unlike anything you've ever seen. Unfortunately none of these are out but Infinite Void will be out in 3 months. (I'm working on all of these)

 

[Chezza]

I live for techbase. No techbase is hexen with guns.

[lirui1001]

43 minutes ago, Misty said:

Nobody really forces you to play techbase stuff.

 

End of this thread after this.

[amackert]

I don't mind techbase themes, but consistency is a big thing for me. If I am playing a megawad and it goes into a hell, gothic, or some other-worldly theme, I expect it to stay there, not revert back to techbase stuff.

Edited November 8, 2018 by amackert

[Obsidian]

BE the change you want to see in the world!

 

[Steve D]

1 hour ago, Marcaek said:

who's sick of techbases? def not the btsx team

 

Luckily there's a fuckton of variety in Doom map themes now so you can take your pick. I'm pretty over E1 style maps myself.

 

So happy to hear the BTSX team is still into techbases. No one's done it better.

 

Personally, I will never be over E1 style maps, assuming we're talking KDiTD. In fact, I'll be releasing a full episode of same on Doom's 25th birthday. Natch, it will be far more violent than the original. ;)

[Bridgeburner56]

I will add that I actually have nothing against playing tech base levels but I definitely prefer the darker stuff. I always look forward to the point where a megawad inevitably goes hellish. I have a lot of trouble making tech base maps these days. The last time I tried to make a tech base level I ended up with a black marble blood temple.

 

My attempt at a tech base :P (seriously I tried)

[Steve D]

1 hour ago, Bridgeburner56 said:

I agree! Down with the tech bases. Up with the gothic castles and abstract hell scapes. 

 

"Down with the tech bases"? Blasphemy!!!!!!!

 

Oh, I love me some gothic castles and abstract hellscapes, and I certainly look forward to playing yours, but let's not forget that a high percentage of so-called "gothic castles" are really tech bases in disguise -- rectilinear rooms and straight corridors -- but instead of Startan and Brown1 they have Gstone and Marble. Whoopee!!!!! That's so different! ;D

 

I reckon some people need to work the plan a little better . . . 

[Steve D]

3 minutes ago, Bridgeburner56 said:

The last time I tried to make a tech base level I ended up with a black marble blood temple.

 

Well, Bridge, you gotta do what's in your heart to do and follow your bliss. No techbases from Bridge? Nothing but dark, abstract environments? Bring it on!!!!!

[Bridgeburner56]

@Steve D message received :P

[elend]

@Bridgeburner56 Christ, you are busy! Gorgeous "tech base", as well. Even though it looks more like a tech basey castle from hell. :p

[seed]

1 hour ago, Bridgeburner56 said:

My attempt at a tech base :P (seriously I tried)

 

Still awesome <3 .

[Merry Widow]

I like them all. :D

[Antnee]

I like anything that's well balanced, interesting, and not a gigantic maze with unclear direction.

 

I think what I'm most sick of is stock textures, but to be honest I'm not a huge fan of completely new texture packs either.   I'd love to see someone take stock assets and "remix" them to create variety, while still looking like they could have been in the original game.  Moreso than what's already out there.

[yakfak]

(i like anything that's got unclear direction, deeply suspicious balance and is covered from tip to toe in the stockest of original textures or, if new textures are included, they clash like hell with the old ones)

 

you can create new ideas in old archetypes or you can joyously create nostalgia Knee-deep in the Dead maps and that's cool by me

 

check this level https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/m-o/npowh

[kmxexii]

I Propose a new genre of mapping that starts with wild exotic themes and then turns into a tech base after the first 5-20% played

 

a shaggy dog map, if you will

Edited November 8, 2018 by kmxexii

[Firedust]

Agreed hard. Tech bases are overrated. Gimme hellish castles and demonic villages.

[Gideon020]

Once I upgrade this laptop, I was thinking of dipping my foot into Doom mapping in a non-techbase direction.

 

Probably by using Diabolus Ex's textures and skybox instead.

[Pegleg]

3 hours ago, Bridgeburner56 said:

 

 

The denizens of Hell observed Deimos floating above Hell and had a meeting where they decided, "We need a tech base." Being the denizens of Hell, though, this was the end result.

 

Seriously, though, it looks great, whether you want to call it Hell tech base or dark marble temple of blood.

 

3 hours ago, Steve D said:

let's not forget that a high percentage of so-called "gothic castles" are really tech bases in disguise -- rectilinear rooms and straight corridors -- but instead of Startan and Brown1 they have Gstone and Marble. Whoopee!!!!! That's so different! ;D

 

I reckon some people need to work the plan a little better . . . 

Truth. I was actually thinking the same thing.

 

You could make the argument that hell maps are just a lot of marble, redrock, demon and baron heads, and lava. A well-made level is a well-made level, regardless of whether it's a tech base or a hellscape or a gothic castle (or a gothic castle that had been co-opted by aliens for their technical work, but was then overrun by the forces of Hell).

 

 

At the end of the day, if you don't like techbases, don't play techbases. As Misty said, there's plenty of other types of levels out there. And really, I doubt there are many maps out there with names like "The Dark Castle of Ancient Evil" or "Bloody Darkness of the Demonic Hell Fortress," but are just a standard KDiTD techbase when you actually load the map.

 

Of course, I started writing this before @kmxexii posted, so you may need to beware.

[Deadwing]

Nah, I love good and short techbase levels

[DFF]

I often find that I like techbases that are mixed with those other hellish themes. Something about having a man-made structure be warped and disjointed by hell, giving it a surreal vibe, something that doesn't belong but is familiar, is just a cool experience for me.

[ETTiNGRiNDER]

There was a time when I'd have said Knee-Deep In The Dead tributes/remakes were overrepresented, but I haven't felt like that was the case for quite a while.  There are so many Doom/2 WADs nowadays that any sort of "typical" Doom theme has plenty of representation and even some of the more "atypical" ones (for example, Egyptian ruins which were only a stock thing in that one TNT secret level) have multiple examples.  I do tend to find the Phobos-style tech look kind of uninteresting compared to some of the other themes out there, but hardly enough to be annoyed by it.

[ketmar]

i absolutely love techbases, and absolutely HAET castles and "hell". let's be honest, DooM engine is good for creating base-like structures, and it sux when you want to create distorted hellish reality. and if i want castles, i know where to get heretic/hexen.

 

the second most boring stuff is "city maps": even with proper RoR they are boring... as hell, lol.

[Liberation]

What sort of heresy is this??

 

Each to their own I guess, but I love tech bases!!