*2020 HAKAWARDS* I'm Also Looking to Play and Record Your Maps 2 *CLOSED*

[HAK3180]

Table of Contents

 

@nicolas monti (I had already played the previous version)

 

I really like the appearance and layout, as I usually do. Monti always provides the cinematic feel of progress throughout a map. Stuff changes and you notice it. Access to a new area actually feels rewarding in itself. The combat is secondary, and in this particular map, clearly inferior in my opinion. Some of the traps were a bit cheap, and a lot of the turrets felt pesky. Some of that has to do with not freelooking, but some of it still feels like needlessly trimming my health. There’s often not even a ground level threat, yet I’m being sniped away. All in all, a pretty good time.

 

Bottom line: the usual sophistication with some minor annoyances

Edited November 14, 2020 by HAK3180

[AtticTelephone]

A vanilla/limit removing mapset in progress, not planning for it to have more than 11 or 15 maps.

[nicolas monti]

5 hours ago, HAK3180 said:

Table of Contents

 

@nicolas monti (I had already played the previous version)

 

I really like the appearance and layout, as I usually do. Monti always provides the cinematic feel of progress throughout a map. Stuff changes and you notice it. Access to a new area actually feels rewarding in itself. The combat is secondary, and in this particular map, clearly inferior in my opinion. Some of the traps were a bit cheap, and a lot of the turrets felt pesky. Some of that has to do with not freelooking, but some of it still feels like needlessly trimming my health. There’s often not even a ground level threat, yet I’m being sniped away. All in all, a pretty good time.

 

Bottom line: the usual sophistication with some minor annoyances

 

Great video, I took care of some of the annoyances in the new version, after seeing this I also consider to add a couple of stimpacks here and there and also a decoy (visible item) for one secret you missed. Now the monsters teleport to the "metro stations" from the turrets, not immediately but if you bypass them they will.

For the final fight I consider to make the barons facing away from the player so you can plan you first shot an the trap isn't that cheap.

[HAK3180]

@TravyB

 

Doomworld forum topic

 

It starts as a classic, but visually modernized tech base. The Doom 1 vibe continues for quite a while, as you face only those monsters and use only the shotgun for several minutes. You also get a vision as to how the map will unfold early. I think the chaingun comes either right on time or a touch too late, depending on the player’s love of single shotgun.

 

I really like the dark hell knight section. It makes a great use of lighting and roaming monsters. They don’t crowd your space, but they’re in all the right places.

 

I’m not a big fan of the deus ex machina effect with the sudden teleport to a completely different area that seemed entirely absolute of the rest of the map. However, I thought the section was well done. It was clear that you were not to try to kill the enemies with guns.

 

From there the map starts to go downhill for me. I like the frenzied combat with crates and stuff, but it grows wearisome with the available arsenal. I did not acquire the rocket launcher that appeared to be a secret, and there was a lot of meat from that point forward. In general, I don’t like custom monsters either, and my least favorite kind was on display here, that is, monsters that look and act like a Doom monster in every way except one subtle but game-changing way. When revenants punch, they stop and don’t move. These revenants continue moving through their punch animation. That may seem like a minor change, but it’s completely game-altering.

 

Bottom line: Overall the map is pretty enjoyable, and I would have enjoyed it a lot more with the rocket launcher.

Edited November 17, 2020 by HAK3180

[Clippy]

14 hours ago, HAK3180 said:

 

 

Yay I also didn't get the rocker launcher

Edited November 17, 2020 by Clippy

[HAK3180]

@Delisk

 

Doomworld forum topic

 

It’s pretty bland visually and architecturally, with mostly right angles and a prevailing marble theme. Some lighting variation is attempted, but it would be much more noticeable if more localized. Usually in this map it's one large area of one brightness and the adjacent area is entirely another brightness without subtle variations within those separate spaces. Some spaces are also too big, but there are much more generic first maps out there. This has some pretty unique encounters and even progression ideas. I like the rising and lowering of that one entire platform and the fact that care was taken to make sure there are no softlocks. I also thought the last section and to some extent the dark section with revenants showed the ability to create nuanced situations. It seems this Delisk may have the creativity to go far and clearly demonstrated a Doom Builder knowhow that will be beneficial to swift improvement. 

 

Bottom line: This early effort shows dedication and promise

Edited November 17, 2020 by HAK3180

[HAK3180]

Bad news: I recorded four videos without commentary. By "without" I mean I just didn't have the mic recording, so I stand and look at stuff as if I'm talking about it, but I'm just not...

 

This affects the last two and the next two upcoming. I will rework the commentary to be more extensive, but I will not be re-recording these, unfortunately.

[HAK3180]

@Rince-wind

 

Doomworld forum topic

 

Very interesting concept. I think there are ways to make something like this a more polished and cohesive map, but the parameters were simple: you draw it, I map it. So by the very nature of the concept, this thing was all over the place, but I thought the difficulty was well pitched and fairly consistent throughout. I thought a good job was done of making every area a legitimate part of the map, and none too dominating. As much as this was, for the most part, pretty obviously 25 rooms, it came together quite well and still managed to feel like one map, as much as it could. Honestly, I didn’t say too much in this video, but I did wonder about how much say the sketch artists had, whether they influenced just geometry or also even Thing placement and texturing.

 

Bottom line: This is a cool thing; check it out.

[HAK3180]

@Alfredo

 

Doomworld forum topic

 

These are both pretty solid maps with a few annoying points. The wad author seems unable to rein it in on occasion, and the result is a wild, disorganized scramble that feels like an arena after 5 minutes of an Icon of Sin. But for the most part, you get thoughtful layouts with challenging and interesting combat. I do think visuals are the least concern here, and it shows. These maps don’t feel vanilla; they feel crude and underdetailed. As much as I like the focus to be on the gameplay itself, it seems a lot of players aren’t touching a wad if it doesn’t impress them visually. I also don’t like to see so many monster death triggered events. It’s a paradigm shift from Doom, and what may seem like a subtle thing can seriously alter the experience. I think I said at one point, “Make your encounters interesting enough that players won’t want to skip them.” But very often here you are forced to kill certain monsters to progress. That can also have softlock implications if ammo balancing is off, but fortunately I have not yet run into that. For me the highlight of 4 was first coming into the hectic area toward the beginning. The lowlight was the big finale spamfest that just seemed like a total amateur throwing down monsters with the simple goal of difficulty without any regard for nuance or intrigue. The highlight of Map 05 was the double cyberdemon fight for the red (I think) key. You had to run back and forth and carefully place rockets and then use your cells wisely. The lowlight in 5 for me was where I used the invulnerability. Same thing as four, but slightly less extreme, it felt too random with little distinct about it. The architecture was actually potentially interesting there, so I think it had more to do with monster selection.

 

Bottom line: I’m very curious to see this wad at 10  maps

[Rince-wind]

1 hour ago, HAK3180 said:

 

I think there are ways to make something like this a more polished and cohesive map

 

I'm interested to hear them!

 

1 hour ago, HAK3180 said:

 

I did wonder about how much say the sketch artists had, whether they influenced just geometry or also even Thing placement and texturing.

 

I'm guessing you meant how much influence they had on the entirety of their section; each user had their own way of decribing their rooms, most of them rather short and some very specific. I tried to implement them as accurately as possible while taking some liberties if the description was vague enough. @Soulless seemed to be taking more artistic liberties than me, but that's on him to elaborate on if he wants to. Originally this was supposed to be a vanilla wad, but after Soulless rescued it from oblivion he converted it to GZDoom (Hexen format) because he was more familiar with that format

[Soulless]

As @Rince-wind said most of the rooms were pretty simple, so I had to improvise something without getting to much out of the original draw.

Some changes were done for better progression, like changing colour door-lock, some for better navigation like making secrets between rooms, and also added some combat if the draw was really empty, eg: theres was a room (d4) with 0 monsters and I just added 2 arachnatrons, same goes for d1, where I added a couple of traps and a teleport for progression. @HAK3180 already know my itch for secrets, so most liberties I took were those secret connections.

Edited November 17, 2020 by Soulless

[HAK3180]

23 minutes ago, Rince-wind said:

I'm interested to hear [ways to make something like this a more polished and cohesive map]!

It would have had to be from the beginning, I think, with more/different rules. If they were only allowed to draw and not explain, for example, then the mappers could have given more cohesion to the whole thing, especially visually. The feel is very much 25 small rooms combined into one map. I think something like this could have felt less...disjointed with a slightly different approach. I'm not saying you guys messed up; I'm just saying there are other ways this thing could have gone.

[Soulless]

Totally agree, but it was pretty much a draw for fun for most people, making the map work was another story. I would have changed key locations and added tons of stuff, but with no extra info and a chaotic layout all around we were kinda lucky everything worked together. Still I had fun mapping something done from others, and trying to decipher a decent route around those 25 cells was a challenge for me.

[Clippy]

1 minute ago, Soulless said:

Totally agree, but it was pretty much a draw for fun for most people, making the map work was another story. I would have changed key locations and added tons of stuff, but with no extra info and a chaotic layout all around we were kinda lucky everything worked together. Still I had fun mapping something done from others, and trying to decipher a decent route around those 25 cells was a challenge for me.

 

I found the disjointedness of the domains added to the appeal for me. I really like that there's so many different ways to approach this in combinations - very interesting to explore and try them out 

 

I'm very impressed that you guys were able to connect 25 random ideas and make it work. The map is appropriately challenging and well balanced too

 

Good times

 

 

[Alfredo]

6 hours ago, HAK3180 said:

 

Bottom line: I’m very curious to see this wad at 10  maps

There will be more. But progress is gonna be slow, started a new job and have little time to work on maps at the moment. 

 

I am curious what your thoughts were in each area. Shame your mic wasn't recording at the time, but its no biggy. Thanks for playing. I'm trying to get better at doing minor detail and lighting work. But I find myself getting really bored while doing detailing stuffs. Unless its something I'm doing for thematic purposes, such as filling the blood pentagram in map01, making blood flow through the channels in maps 02 and 04, the pump in Map03, Or making the arachnotron's blood in map05 fill the channels up to the blue key to lower it, i'm generally not going to spend too much time making a map pretty. They are a bit crude, and simplistic in their designs and appearance. And Map04's final fight has been nerfed several times up to this point, and its going to be in a later slot in the WAD. I ended up making that map before any of the others tbh, it was the inspiration for the theme of the wad really. I just hope I can come up with enough ideas to make a nice thematic wad out of blood flowing in different manners c:

 

Thanks again for playing. I'll be back with more maps sometime.

[HAK3180]

@AtticTelephone

 

Doomworld forum topic

 

These maps demonstrate an ability to compose Doom maps at an entry level. There’s clear progression, some attention to visual detail, and even some creative ideas here and there. Making the space fit the encounter is the name of the game, though, and that really only happens in the one room in Map 01 where the consoles are going up and down. If the goal is to do 11-15 maps, I would recommend trying a lot of new things and focusing on interesting and flowing gameplay

 

Bottom line: very basic, but competent stuff

[Clippy]

Hey there how ya doin, new map I made last afternoon would love to see you tackle it when you're free if you're up for it :)

 

 

 

[BluePineapple72]

Howdy! I just finished my submission for Boss Battle Bonanza. The map is an absolute butt kicker. I'd recommend playing on HMP, lest you reaaaally want to taste something spicy. UV is beatable though, but incredibly difficult. You'll need the Greenwar 2 resource pack, which is in the OP of the thread linked. The rest of the compatibility information is within that link as well.

 

Have fun, and good luck!

[HAK3180]

@Clippy

 

Doomworld forum topic

 

Well, well, it turns out monster placement is what makes a map. It you were to look only at the space here, you’d probably say, “Meh, doesn’t look like much. Probably a newcomer map.” But Clippy put together a cool showdown here with menacing cyberdemons against whom your tactic is flight, not fight. I like the ways you have to manipulate the enemies pretty much the entire map. Maybe it’s his wife Mary Jane, but Clippy has some pretty solid ideas. Now this thing ain’t much to look at, but it does have a nice alteration moment, where everything goes darker. Also, 10:40-10:45 is perhaps my greatest Doom accomplishment ever.

 

Bottom line: A map of enjoyable fleeing and infighting

[Clippy]

@HAK3180 thanks so much for playing and feedback. I also don't know what I'm talking about half of the time. Ok let's try to remember all the things you said / happened

 

I had an idea for a map like this for some time but lately can't be bothered to make long maps so I been keeping them short. This music was from rise of the triad, I like that music. MY goal was to make a map that you could win without firing a single shot, it's possible but tricky. That crusher in the middle can be your best friend. 

 

Good job dodging those rockets. I'm usually all about secrets but this time secrets were less thought out. I mean what could I give the player without ruining the concept? So the secrets, one in each quadrant are more to hinder and distract. When you go down the lift to get pointless bullets the monsters can box you in, but impressively you dodged that cyberdemon rocket attack! Nice your greatest accomplishment ever was in one of my maps haha. Also the backpack distraction secret worked like a charm tho :P

 

What else. I didn't do any fancy mapping here, everything I do is basic stuff, so there is no special sound proofing lines or anything around that second cyberdemon, he couldn't see you because you picked up the blur sphere haha

 

But yeah my favourite thing to do is release random maps and see how different people tackle it, you did awesome! That raising crusher is a slight bit buggy because the cybderdmon can walk off it, I decided to leave it like this for harder challenge. I suppose if I really wanted it to work properly I could raise the ceiling up to lift him higher so he can't do a walk off

 

And yes this map would not be good for beginners, it really does really heavily on being an obsessed Doomer who knows how the game engine works

 

PS if you are interested I just released a playthough with my intended map progression in the thread I made there. OR at least the progression I like to do since there's so many different ways to approach this

 

Good times

 

[HAK3180]

@BluePineapple72

 

Doomworld forum topic

 

 

I'm not sure this is as brutal as advertised, but I had a good time. There's enough nuance to make it more than a grind or feel cheap. There are lots of different goodies and viable approaches, but it's short and to the point.

 

[BluePineapple72]

@HAK3180 Thank you very much for the play-through! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 
 

My statements for the difficulty come from my playtesting without grabbing the secrets. Trying to pump action 4 archviles with chaingunners and other nasty demons running about is something pretty dang hard I must say. I do think that the secrets do make the map too easy; it’s a simple fix though, I’ll just have to reduce the amount of ammo you get on both difficulties. 
 

Thanks again!

[xdarkmasterx]

Hey, I just finished another map (vanilla as if there was much question at this point XD), it's a bit easier than usual so you can do it on UV if you're feeling brave >:)

 

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/118330-steel-sepulchre-vanilla/

 

[Alfredo]

Episode 1 of my wad is complete! Maps 06 and 07 are ready to play. There's even an intermission I made after beating Map07. Map07 is considered to be the "Boss" Map of the set. Hope you enjoy!

 

 

[ViolentBeetle]

My last minute entry to Boss Battle Bonanza (So uses texture pack from it as well) - "Come Out And Fight Me Like A Man!"

The idea seemed better in theory than in practice - the final result ended up pretty easy with no good way to make it more difficult. But I think it's still fairly entertaining.

The map was tested in zDoom, as per project's premise, but I think it will work in anything Boom-compatible. Not tested though.

ComOutAndFightMeLikeAMan.rar

Edited November 27, 2020 by ViolentBeetle

[HAK3180]

@ViolentBeetle, got a different link?

[ViolentBeetle]

7 minutes ago, HAK3180 said:

@ViolentBeetle, got a different link?

I deleted and re-uploaded the file because there was a missing tag, hopped you wouldn't notice (As you haven't yet reacted like you usually do). The current link in the post seems working.

[HAK3180]

@xdarkmasterx

 

Doomworld forum topic

 

Well, perhaps my distrust of the author’s difficulty ideas was unwarranted, as I thought this was more than manageable on medium. It’s a deviation from the bulk of what xdarkmaster has put out; usually you get a very intertwined layout, often with three keys obtainable in any order. This was still nonlinear with two separate keypaths, but both were straightforward and led to a final linear path. The action is solid, although a little spammy in places. Visually, it’s quite nice, with lighting doing some heavy lifting.

 

Bottom line: One of the more accessible ones from this mapper

[HAK3180]

@Alfredo

 

Doomworld forum topic

 

6 is very thematic and cohesive with good variety in the one space and a nice use of 3d flooring and the space in general. It’s still a bit basic in appearance, but lighting is noticeable.

 

7 is a pretty simple boss arena fight, but an effective one. It does feel a bit out of place though, by virtue of how many big fights, including cyberdemons, this wad has already seen.

[Stabbey]

Forget it.

Edited November 29, 2020 by Stabbey