Rowdy Rudy II: POWERTRIP (Development Thread)

[Doom_Dude]

Got back to working on my map for this Rowdy thing.

 

 

 

[Marcaek]

This is pretty amusing, definitely like the contra\duke 2 esque action hero vibe combined with the wonky ass strain style monster edits. Noticed some stuck minispiders in map04 which I'm sure has been mentioned already and is probably a holdover from placing ordinary chaingunners or forgetting to account for doom builder having internal width values for actors instead of checking dehacked or whatever. Maybe that *should* be checked by DBX?

Edited December 5, 2019 by Marcaek

[Moustachio]

@RonnieJamesDiner I'll give that a shot! That may also help reduce visplanes, so that's a great idea!

 

@Marcaek I agree. I wish there was a version of doom builder that would parse the dehacked file. I'm not sure how complicated it would be to do though.

[Dubbag]

just got done playing it. Great fun. I love the new weapons and monsters. And the gameplay is fast and fun! Can't wait till this is finished!

[Doomkid]

8 hours ago, Marcaek said:

This is pretty amusing, definitely like the contra\duke 2 esque action hero vibe combined with the wonky ass strain style monster edits. Noticed some stuck minispiders in map04 which I'm sure has been mentioned already and is probably a holdover from placing ordinary chaingunners or forgetting to account for doom builder having internal width values for actors instead of checking dehacked or whatever. Maybe that *should* be checked by DBX?

Wonky? How so? All the enemies and weapons seem to function well, right? I deliberately tried to make sure that each enemy had a clear purpose and is actually different from the standard roster, so if something about it is shitty please do tell me, I want it to look and feel reasonably polished despite the obvious 90’s mod inspiration. I love STRAIN though so if it’s evocative of that I’m all for it, but I would definitely prefer to be just a notch “cleaner” than STRAIN, if you know what I mean.

 

You guessed right on Map04 too, when I released the first alpha I derpily forgot to thing swap the chaingunners and arachnotrons around (d’oh). When the next (much more fleshed out) beta comes along all of those little uglies will be fixed up.

 

EDIT: Also I totally agree that this mod desperately needs a DB config, but I don’t know how to make them. I considered making a “for modding only” version of the wad that at least displays the correct sprites, but that seemed like such an ugly solution that I didn’t bother - plus important stuff like hitbox size would still be ignored using that method.

 

EDIT 2: Since yesterday I’ve been on the road evacuating from bushfires that are currently covering NSW, it’s insane. I won’t be able to work on this more til I’m at my PC in about a weeks time, but I’m glad I have my phone to at least keep up with things. I meant to thank you earlier RJD for those detailed reviews!

Edited December 5, 2019 by Doomkid

[NeedHealth]

Not really happy with the direction of my map. Going to rebuilt small parts of it. I have the start, the first area and the ending where the exit trigger is and those parts I am happy with.

Edited December 5, 2019 by NeedHealth

[Marcaek]

Quote

 I love STRAIN though so if it’s evocative of that I’m all for it, but I would definitely prefer to be just a notch “cleaner” than STRAIN, if you know what I mean.

 

That's basically what I mean, so you're fine.

[RonnieJamesDiner]

9 hours ago, Doomkid said:

EDIT 2: Since yesterday I’ve been on the road evacuating from bushfires that are currently covering NSW, it’s insane. I won’t be able to work on this more til I’m at my PC in about a weeks time, but I’m glad I have my phone to at least keep up with things. I meant to thank you earlier RJD for those detailed reviews!

 

No worries, I hope everyone is okay, take whatever time you need. That can be pretty devastating depending on the severity of things. Thoughts are with you!

[Moustachio]

@Doomkid @RonnieJamesDiner

 

I've got a new version of Mutagen Plant ready for playtesting: https://www.dropbox.com/s/x8uefhvdnflh241/mutagenplant-r2.zip?dl=1

 

I made sure to take care of the aesthetic problems with the jungle/valley area. The darkness should seem more believable now.

 

I also played around with the sky height in the opening area, and I ended up on a really tall base that I actually enjoy the feel of a little more. It makes more sense with the geometry of the computer base and jungle, and gives the map a more unique feel IMO. With the raised sky came more room for detail, so I went ahead and added some more detail.

 

The area around the blue key door now operates differently as well, and the map has been beefed up on HMP and UV (especially UV).

 

 

EDIT: The nukage on the floor of the base near the start can be removed too, that area is a bit rough to move around in.

Edited December 6, 2019 by Moustachio

[RonnieJamesDiner]

@Moustachio I just checked out the edited version, loved it! UV is definitely more challenging now, which was awesome. Opening up that blue door was like opening a floodgate to a bloodbath, with things just pouring out of that jungle canyon at every turn. Really digging the look and feel of the whole thing, I think you did a fantastic job with this map. :D

[Aurelius]

Noticing this community project pop up on the front page, I got intrigued into making a vanilla map with the custom assets @Doomkid had gathered. So here it is, my contribution to the Rowdy Rudy Returns in: POWERTRIP! community project:

Map name: Jungle Hijinx
Current slot: MAP01
Difficulty settings: Implemented from HNTR to UV and designed for Pistol start

Build time: 6 days

Play time: 20-25 minutes

Tested ports: Choco, Crispy, PrBoom+, Eternity and GZDoom.

 

IMPORTANT: If playing with Choco, have the vanilla save game compatibility off if you want to save.

 

Download link (includes the WAD and .deh files, no additional files are needed):

 

 

junglehijinx1.7.zip

 

Screenshots:

Spoiler

 

This map is designed for single player. I didn't add any multiplayer starting points, but they can be added later if need be. I couldn't find any reference to who made the MIDI used in this map, but is a version of the Brinstar theme music from Super Metroid. Extensive testing has been done in Chocorenderlimits by yours truly and @Liberation (big thanks!), and there should not be any visplane or seg issues. If you happen to find any, however, do let me know so I can take care of them! Same goes for slime trails.

Give it a run and tell me what you think; very much hoping it'll be a fun trip!

 

Warning: Contains bad attempts at humor.

 

EDIT: Made some small changes to the map. Now you are able to explore all areas before exiting the map for secret hunting (fixed a bug related to that). Also edited the blue key encounter to be less cheap.

Edited December 15, 2019 by Aurelius
Made some small edits to the map.

[RonnieJamesDiner]

That looks gorgeous @Aurelius, can't wait to try it out!

[Doomkid]

Hey everyone, I've decided to compile a new beta so we can check out all of the maps in their current form more easily:

 

The current map rotation - which is not at all final, by the way - is as follows:

 

map01 - Doomkid
map02 - Doomkid
map03 - Voltcom
map04 - DavidN
map05 - riderr3
map06 - DerFurhersFace
map07 - Doomkid
map08 - Doomkid
map09 - RonnieJamesDiner
map10 - Aurelius
map11 - Moustachio
map12 - TravyB

 

Not only is this order not final, it's flat out incorrect, but I just wanted to get all of the latest versions wrangled together & compiled.

 

Edit:Removed

 

More updates on the way of course!

Edited July 23, 2020 by Doomkid

[Philnemba]

@Doomkid So I was using your resource wad on a mostly finish unreleased map that I'm considering submitting and I came across this error when trying to test under Chocolate Doom:

 

Quote

R_InitSprites: Sprite CPOS frame is missing

 

 

[Doomkid]

Sorry, I should have clarified - When you're running it, use rudy2v6.wad, but when you're mapping, use rudyres.wad. I should have made that more obvious!

[Philnemba]

41 minutes ago, Doomkid said:

Sorry, I should have clarified - When you're running it, use rudy2v6.wad, but when you're mapping, use rudyres.wad. I should have made that more obvious!

 

Doesn't seem to work ether as I get the same error. I even tried to load all Rudy2V6 maps and test them on Chocolate Doom from DB2 and I still get Sprite errors :(

 

Now I tried testing with prboom-plus to see if anything happens and it works fine so maybe there's something wrong with the resource file or the rudy2v6 wad when trying to load it with Chocolate Doom?

 

 

[Doomkid]

That's really strange, rudy2v6.wad and rudy2v6.deh both load perfectly in Dosbox and Chocolate Doom on my end. Are you sure you aren't accidentally adding rudyres.wad somewhere along the way? That file exists only for use in Doom Builder, it isn't meant to be loaded into the actual game.

 

I just now booted Chocolate Doom with the commands -file rudy2v6.wad -deh rudy2v6.deh. Is anyone else having this problem?

Edited December 14, 2019 by Doomkid

[Philnemba]

7 hours ago, Doomkid said:

I just now booted Chocolate Doom with the commands -file rudy2v6.wad -deh rudy2v6.deh. Is anyone else having this problem?

 

Got it working this way but it only loads the default monster & weapons and not the DeHackEd stuff from the deh file :(

[Aurelius]

@Philnemba It works for me just fine. Have you made sure you load the .deh file as a .deh file? Try to make a shortcut from the choco.exe with the following parameters. 

Quote

-iwad doom2.wad -file rudy2v6.wad -deh rudy2v6.deh

That should do it.

[CarboxylicAcids]

I am kind of bored today, and it looks like I will be free for, possibly the next 2-3 weeks or so, and so I am also gonna be joining in on this.

That sounds good? Cool then, :D

[TravyB]

14 hours ago, Doomkid said:

Hey everyone, I've decided to compile a new beta so we can check out all of the maps in their current form more easily:

 

https://doomshack.org/uploads/rudy2v6.zip

 

The current map rotation - which is not at all final, by the way - is as follows:

 

map01 - Doomkid
map02 - Doomkid
map03 - Voltcom
map04 - DavidN
map05 - riderr3
map06 - DerFurhersFace
map07 - Doomkid
map08 - Doomkid
map09 - RonnieJamesDiner
map10 - Aurelius
map11 - Moustachio
map12 - TravyB

 

Not only is this order not final, it's flat out incorrect, but I just wanted to get all of the latest versions wrangled together & compiled.

 

Since I don't know how to make Doom Builder configs, I decided to make a resource called "rudyres.wad". If you load this as a resource in Doom Builder (any variant), it will display the correct graphics for custom enemies! The hitbox size is still wrong, but I figured this would make things far easier for editors. Please note, this is ONLY for use while editing your map. When playtesting, use rudy2v6.wad

 

More updates on the way of course!

The first 6 maps of this are great, and actually fit together pretty well. I'm looking forward to trying the next 6 when I get a chance! 

 

Edited December 14, 2019 by TravyB

[Philnemba]

3 hours ago, Aurelius said:

@Philnemba It works for me just fine. Have you made sure you load the .deh file as a .deh file? Try to make a shortcut from the choco.exe with the following parameters. 

That should do it.

 

Thanks that did the trick after all that trouble -_-;

 

[RonnieJamesDiner]

@Philnemba Glad to hear you got things working. Loving that screenshot!

 

@Aurelius Played through your map on Expert, you absolutely killed it. This feels like a lesson on how to use that texture set / theme to its absolute potential in vanilla, with such a great attention to detail and architecture, a well thought-out layout, and a really creative use of such a wide range of textures. I loved the bits of humour -- the secret cola vending machine being a favorite. You found a wonderful balance between a light-hearted vibe and challenging gameplay that really hit the sweet spot, I think. The combat itself was very satisfying, with some genuinely tough surprises that demand quick reaction, but nothing that ever seemed too aggressive which just made for a fun experience overall. This is a high-quality addition to the mapset, and I can't overstate that! 

 

One thing I wanted to make a note of was...

Spoiler

The first Cyberdemon that teleports in when you grab the blue key. So, it spit the Cybie out on the stairwell leading up to the blue door, totally blocking the players' path -- however, I just immediately went back to that teleport near the start of this area, that initially takes you to the Plasma Gun, and I was able to skip the Cyberdemon without a care in the world. I wasn't sure if this was the intention? It seemed, initially, like the Cybie was meant to be a mandatory fight given its placement on those steps. Was the skippable path meant to be a reward for knowing the layout, or was this an oversight?

 

Edited December 14, 2019 by RonnieJamesDiner

[Aurelius]

@RonnieJamesDiner Thanks for the review, I'm glad you found the light-heartedness a good addition. When I read the intro to the project, I immediately got this vibe about a tongue-in-cheek action hero in the jungle, so I thought that these kinds of things might be perfect there - a bit Duke3Desque stuff, with simple humor here and there. 

Responding to your comment:
 

Spoiler

Oversight, plain and simple. The original situation was that the Cybie was roaming free, with the three AVs hanging out with him and reigniting the battleground. However, after nabbing the blue key, the player can just dart past all the monsters and go to the teleporter. I felt this was too easy, so I had the Cybie block the stairs to do that. It felt cheap in a way, because most players will probably just fight the archies first anyway. I left it there anyway, and thought I'd wait for comments on it. But the teleporter was definitely not something I had thought about there. It could be an interesting shortcut, but then again it might be too easy to figure out. I'll probably block the teleporter once the AVs & Cyb arrive, because currently I do want the player to be trapped in there, requiring them to clean out the field before taking on the Cybie.

Thanks for pointing it out, I'll make the edit as soon as possible!

EDIT: Updated my submission to 1.6, fixing an important shortcut issue raised in the previous post. 

Edited December 15, 2019 by Aurelius

[RonnieJamesDiner]

@Aurelius Here's my first thought. Just throwing it out as a random idea, there's definitely a lot of ways you could go about this fight, and different things to consider, but here's a possibility:

 

Spoiler

If you're really wanting to force this fight (as sort of the blue key crescendo, which I love), I was wondering what it might be like if the Cyberdemon stayed on that pillar he rises from, and you actually put the blue key up there, with a little ledge/walkway along the left side cliff to reach it from where it currently is. You could still have the Cyb/AV trigger in the same spot, but with the Cyb emerging and effectively blocking off/guarding the blue key with his body, it would force the player to jump down and deal with the AV's (with the Cyb acting as a turret during the battle), until you were then able to kill him, and go back up and grab the key. Random thought, and would need some testing, but just figured I'd throw it out there.

 

 

 

 

[Aurelius]

@RonnieJamesDiner Very good idea!

Spoiler

The issue is that that very spot is extremely volatile in terms of segs, and adding the walkway caused it to pass the 256 barrier. I'm experimenting if I could reduce it back to the limit with some clever linework.

I'll update the file once I'm satisfied with the result, otherwise the 1.6 version updated for my original submission is the go-to version for now.

Edited December 15, 2019 by Aurelius

[RonnieJamesDiner]

20 minutes ago, Aurelius said:

The issue is that that very spot is extremely volatile in terms of segs, and adding the walkway caused it to pass the 256 barrier. I'm experimenting if I could reduce it back to the limit with some clever linework.

 

Ooooh I never considered this... hmm. Well, if it doesn't work, I think your initial thought would do the trick. Also, for what it's worth, it never even crossed my mind to just try and run past the AV's. But, if the intent is to lock the player into that fight, I totally understand.

[Aurelius]

Updated my submission to version 1.7, with a very good suggestion from @RonnieJamesDiner on how to edit a particular encounter (huge thanks!). Maybe I can finally let it rest easy.

[DFF]

TBH, I was rather inspired by Aurelius' map, and since my map had a rushed ending I have made some changes to gameplay, mostly detailing, and a much cleaner ending area I feel. Sometimes I struggle with visualizing vanilla limits and feel like my vanilla maps end up under detailed. Anyways here's V2 of Security Station. Always appreciate feedback.

 

Also @Doomkid, is there any room for user-added textures or requests for such? I was thinking of making another map (a jungle oil rig) now that I have some time, and wanted to use the black liquid and fall textures from doom recolor pack. is this possible?

 

SecurityStationV2

[RonnieJamesDiner]

@Aurelius I'm glad that worked out! To be honest, I really didn't think about how much that Cyb would draw the attention of the AV's. It's still a pretty intense skirmish though, and I love the way you added the stair-build so players can just hop up there for the key at the end of the fight. 

 

I'm sort of in the same boat as DeFurer right now. Seeing where so many people have raised the bar to with this project, I'm really considering going over my map again.