Rowdy Rudy II: POWERTRIP (Development Thread)

[RonnieJamesDiner]

Hi, I seem to be running into an issue. I'm trying to test my map in ChocoRenderLimits, but when I add " -deh rudy2v1.deh " as a command-line parameter, I just get "Error parsing dehacked file", "This is not a valid dehacked patch file!". I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong?

[riderr3]

9 hours ago, RonnieJamesDiner said:

Hi, I seem to be running into an issue. I'm trying to test my map in ChocoRenderLimits, but when I add " -deh rudy2v1.deh " as a command-line parameter, I just get "Error parsing dehacked file", "This is not a valid dehacked patch file!". I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong?

 

You need to specify the full path to the DEH file with quotation marks, e.g. -deh "C:\Program Files\Doom 2\rudy2v1.deh"

The same goes for the -file and -iwad options. Also run cmd line from Chocolate Doom folder, not the system32 folder or whatever.

Edited October 26, 2019 by riderr3

[RonnieJamesDiner]

@riderr3 Ahh thank you so much! Worked like a charm :D

[xdarkmasterx]

hey everypony felt like making something for a project maybe or not i will finish it but here is map so far

Spoiler

 

 

 

is any slot lefts?

Edited October 26, 2019 by xdarkmasterx

[Doomkid]

Sure, I like the look of those screenshots :)

 

Also thank you @riderr3 for figuring that out. I've never actually used ChocoRenderLimits (thanks to VPO explorer) so I was totally clueless.

[RonnieJamesDiner]

So, I've got a working submission ready here.

 

Download (v2.1)

 

Name: Rumble in the Canyon

 

Difficulty settings have been implemented, though not rigorously tested. I ran the map through ChocoRenderLimits several times and couldn't find any visplane errors or HOMs, but it's very possible that I missed something.

 

Overall, I was aiming for a little more on the challenging end of the scale (without going overboard). Feedback is definitely appreciated, especially on the vanilla compatibility end of things.

 

 

Edited December 30, 2019 by RonnieJamesDiner

[Doomkid]

This submission looks really nice! Downloading it now. I've been working on compiling the next beta, glad to have another gorgeous looking map to add in.

[NeedHealth]

@Doomkid

 

I´ll do a map if there is a spot open.

[Doomkid]

Sure, please do, there's not currently any limit to the number of maps.

[TravyB]

I love this. I'll be throwing something your way soon enough. 

[NeedHealth]

Its coming along. Like 3/4 done. Bit of a stop and go though, mappingwise, but I managed to do semi random archvile spawns. Not certain if I will keep them in the end.

 

[Doomkid]

Looks very interesting, curious to see how you implement those random Archie spawns if you decide to keep them around.

[NeedHealth]

 @Doomkid

 Probably not because they are a visible product and a reminder of my unability to not do an over complicated map. I was actually also planning to include 3d bridges... yeah.

 

The randomized effect is not really noticeable to the random one time play tester and, an annoyance to speed runners / maxers / what have you. In fact the whole map would have to be based around this gimmick to make it worthwhile.

 

I'll save it for a speedmap, though.

 

Thanks, for the kind words.

[Rince-wind]

How's the project going?

I can't wait to play it!

[Doomkid]

On 11/24/2019 at 3:34 AM, Rince-wind said:

How's the project going?

I can't wait to play it!

It's coming along well! Progress has been slow but steady.

 

1 hour ago, Voltcom said:

Hey Doomkid how many maps have been submitted to this so far? Also, have you set out a map order yet?

It's sitting at 10 maps submitted so far with a few more in the pipeline.  It's a little bit up in the air right now but things will fall into place once we're a bit further along - I'm awaiting at least 3 maps from other authors, so I've decided to hold off on map order til submissions stop coming in. I'm thinking of drawing the line for map submissions a bit later than it is currently, maybe January 1st. That way I (we) can spend January itself on playtesting and minor tweaks.

[NeedHealth]

Not much to say about my map. Its coming along. I'm working on the last area, I only decided to scale down the ambitions abit. I just hope that I managed to stay within the vanilla limits - going to give the map a pass when it it done. 

 

I even have my stupid usual wordplay map name figured out already. I think I managed to come up with a map name with three different meanings, so go me.

 

[Mr.Rocket]

Hi, still here..

I've been a bit out of the loop lately but at least I have some progress to my level, here's some screenies:

 

 

Will try to keep you more informed of my progress.

Cheers

[Austinado]

My oh my, what we've got here..😶

[Doomkid]

Looking great Mr. Rocket & NeedHealth!

Edited November 30, 2019 by Doomkid

[TravyB]

For you consideration, sir. I had a LOT of fun making this map, those Flamthrower Guys are great. The ending is unfinished, but functional, because I wasn't sure of what you'd want to do there. Hope yins like it. 

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/51s6s2al5fvr14c/AMBUSH.wad?dl=0

[Doomkid]

Awesome, thankyou! I really liked the early version you sent me, glad to have a more complete version.

[Moustachio]

I love what I'm seeing here. I'd really like to submit a map for this.

[Doomkid]

Please do, I welcome it!

 

[Moustachio]

Alright, here's my submission for the wad: https://www.dropbox.com/s/lwodp8m827l17qg/mutagenplant-r1.zip?dl=1

 

The tentative name for this map is Mutagen Plant. I did my best to follow a techbase theme that opens up into a jungle theme.

 

It's been tested on Chocolate Doom, Chocorenderlimits, and Crispy Doom. The max visplane number I got was 112. All skill levels are implemented and tested although most of the testing happened on UV (or Expert, as it's known here).

 

The main gist is that Rudy has to break on through to the other side of this facility where the soldier enhancement formula is being manufactured. With all the frenzy going on at the lab, some of the machinery has been damaged and is leaking mutagen into the lakes and rivers of the mountainside.

 

I'll let you guys decide what it needs (extra detail, gameplay adjustments, etc.). The exit can also change if the allotted space isn't big enough.

 

Screenshots

Spoiler

 

 

I'll make another post with feedback on the project as a whole, but, for now, I'll just say that I'm really enjoying the project so far, and I think it's shaping up to be a great successor to Rowdy Rudy's Revenge with some notable improvements.

 

EDIT: Thought I should mention that I just realized there are no DM starts! Whoops!

 

Also, I'm feeling an itch to hide some more secrets in the map.

Edited December 3, 2019 by Moustachio

[Doomkid]

Oh, this looks beautiful Moustachio! I'll play through it and give it proper feedback tomorrow, very glad to have you on board.

[ketmar]

shameless offtopic: besides being the wad i want to play, it also helps me to fix some dehacked bugs in k8vavoom. so, double win, and double thanks! ;-)

[RonnieJamesDiner]

I finally sat down and played through the (so far) submitted maps. As a general forward, I'll just say that I played each map on Expert, and everything so far has been incredibly fun. I think the end result of this project is going to kick some serious ass! I'm really excited to play the whole thing on a continuous run when it's complete. Also, as a side note, this was a real chance for me to experience the new arsenal with some decent length of time and breadth of combat, and I have to say I'm loving the setup here. The pistol replacement / chaingun replacement combo is just delightful, and I found myself using both almost equally in various situations. Really digging that. The new bestiary is also very fun to face down, with little to be desired on all fronts.

 

Anyways! On to the reviews. I just wrote a quick blurb of thoughts on each one as I played them, rather than diving into a massive commentary on them. If I missed a map/DL somewhere in the pages, I'm sorry. Please feel free to poke me with a stick and let me know!

 

=========================================

 

 

@Voltcom A solid little map that reminds you just how vicious a lot of these new enemies can be, even in small numbers of low-tier ones. A compact layout that does a nice circle, with some chaingunners seemingly perched in all the right places to be effective. I loved the flamethrower/caco trap at the end! An all around good looking map, as well, that gets the job done and gives a great taste of what’s on offer with this project. The Plasma Gun, while unexpected and possibly unnecessary, was still a welcomed little inclusion.

 

 

@DerFurer'sFace This map starts heavy and doesn’t let up! I enjoyed the action here, with some traps that really demanded quick thought and movement (the one after the blue door especially), and a few well placed Archviles. Found the new Pistol replacement incredibly useful here, and all around ammo supplies seemed balanced quite well – I had what I needed but not an ounce more. Really liked the juxtaposition between the indoors and outdoors of the environment as I progressed through it, and the MIDI choice was just about perfect. I only wish the Chainsaw secret had been something a little more worthwhile, like a Soulsphere or Plasma Rifle. The vending machine secret was a clever idea that made me smile, though.

 

It would also be nice to have that red door open again, at the end. I can understand wanting to trap the player inside for the final showdown (which is a great setup), but perhaps the final switch that reveals the exit could also open the path back up for the player to explore the rest of the map again, should they wish to.

 

 

@DavidN There is a lot of polish to this map, from the detail/texture work, to the layout and gameplay, and I just loved exploring and progressing through it. You used the space very well, and although the combat was fairly casual in nature, there was just a lot of fun to be had here. The general look and feel of the map is something I really wish I could’ve imitated in my own, and I especially admired how you hid secrets – there was always a different kind of clue for each one. I think this map will serve wonderfully as an early one in the set, and both the visuals as well as the flow seemed rather masterful in execution, given the simplistic limitations of vanilla.

 

 

@riderr3 Let me start by saying I love that you made your opening a perfect transition from David’s map, and the difficulty actually does seem to scale quite naturally and believably between the two. This is by far the most atmospheric level yet, accompanied by a very fitting MIDI. The progression here was really interesting (in a good way!), as you slowly explored and uncovered the route through this dimly lit and abandoned cavernous facility. I thought the use of monsters worked very well with some great set ups, and likewise with secrets. I absolutely loved your use of the custom texture set, as well. That truck with its headlights still burning away and a Revenant behind the wheel was beautiful! A really solid, moody level. If I could offer up my two cents on anything in particular, it would be the final fight outside. As is, the monsters are just so prone to infighting the way they’re unleashed opposite each other, that it’s hardly a fight at all (which just felt anti-climactic). See the image in the spoiler tag below:

Spoiler

 

 

That said, if infighting was the intention, then this sequence is perfect :D

 

 

 

@TravyB Another really cool level. I absolutely loved the opening segment, winding through the rocky passageways teaming with little hidden cubbyholes and vantage points nestled behind the vines. This was a very neat way of utilizing a lot of the new custom enemies effectively. I also appreciated the hell out of the fact that the first secret lets you get the drop on those Mancubi, which I then later realized was a massive blessing. The map as a whole was pretty memorable and stood out in the set with an interesting theme – as though I were discovering some demon-infested Amazonian temple, home to perhaps a very mysterious and clandestine facility. The gameplay was all around quite fun, with the opening section being a definite standout, followed by the centre chamber trap that lowers (though I almost wished there had been some nastier foes waiting down there). There were a few things I took note of, and I’ll just throw them in a spoiler tag below. The map could probably use a bit of a texture alignment sweep, as well, though this is far from being the end of the world. It was most noticeable on doors.

Spoiler

Monsters had a bad habit of getting trapped on these stairs. I’m not sure how much room there is for you to actually change these, or make them any wider, but I thought it was worth mentioning as it allowed me to cheese the final battle quite easily.

 

 

 

 

There are no textures on the base of this platform, resulting in an odd visual here. (Though, it's kind of hard to tell in this screenshot, it's very apparent in-game.)

 

 

 

 

 

@Moustachio This was another sincerely polished map, with great visuals and use of textures, and very satisfying combat. The opening “base” was really fun; it had a great layout and an aesthetic style that I honestly wished to see more of. Then we transition into a small valley of connected tunnels and passageways where, really for the first time in all of the submitted maps I played, I got to see a lot of the new, mini Spider-Mastermind, which was used very well here and – as it turns out – was quite a fun enemy to face. Not to mention a fantastically effective Archvile at the end. Much of the outdoor section was a tad darker than it would otherwise seem as though it ought to be, but beyond that tiny nitpick, this was just a great looking level with an equally commendable use of the new enemy roster. Really fun!

[TravyB]

@RonnieJamesDiner That whole final fight needs a bit of tweaking, as far as I'm concerned, but figured I'd leave that for whenever play-testing began. I liked that the predator imps (I forget their name) tend to, for whatever reason, convene down there and wait for you to kill everything else during the first fight there. I'm guessing their speed keeps 'em from navigating up and out of the stairs properly. 

[Moustachio]

@RonnieJamesDiner Thanks for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

 

I made that outdoor area real dark because I enjoyed the Predator vibes I was getting from penetrating a deep jungle. Lighting up the environment with the chaingun is especially fun in this wad thanks to the dehacked work.

 

I hesitated on adding details because I was afraid of breaking the vanilla limits, but now I think I'll revise the look of that area a little bit so that the theme is more apparent and the darkness is more appropriate.

 

I'll also raise the brightness by 8 or 16 just to improve visibility, so everything doesn't become a jumbled mess of vine midtextures and enemies.

[RonnieJamesDiner]

12 hours ago, TravyB said:

That whole final fight needs a bit of tweaking, as far as I'm concerned, but figured I'd leave that for whenever play-testing began. I liked that the predator imps (I forget their name) tend to, for whatever reason, convene down there and wait for you to kill everything else during the first fight there. I'm guessing their speed keeps 'em from navigating up and out of the stairs properly. 

 

Other than feeling a little light on rockets to deal with the Barons, I actually thought that fight was pretty cool, especially with the double Archviles thrown into the mix on opposite ends. Like I said, if it weren't for things getting gummed up on those steps like its quicksand, that whole setup would be quite awesome.

 

4 hours ago, Moustachio said:

I made that outdoor area real dark because I enjoyed the Predator vibes I was getting from penetrating a deep jungle. Lighting up the environment with the chaingun is especially fun in this wad thanks to the dehacked work.

 

I hesitated on adding details because I was afraid of breaking the vanilla limits, but now I think I'll revise the look of that area a little bit so that the theme is more apparent and the darkness is more appropriate.

 

Oooh, I honestly never thought about that / made that connection, but I love the idea! Rather than increasing the light level then, perhaps just raising the height of all the walls to really embrace that look and feeling (and make the darkness a little more believable). I think it was just the contrast of the super bright skybox right in your face the whole time that created the cognitive dissonance for me. Making the canyon just a little deeper might solve that completely, and still leave the Predator vibes of lighting it up with gunfire.