what makes a map comfy?

[little egg]

what are some examples of maps that have a comfy atmosphere and what makes them that way?

[Skullhacker]

8 minutes ago, little egg said:

what are some examples of maps that have a comfy atmosphere and what makes them that way?

I remember making Doom maps for the first time, when I only had Doom 1 and I'd try to churn out a level every day. But now we all have Doom 2, the best source ports, and better computers (hopefully). My advice would be to take your time and don't put in too many monsters. You can progressively put more monsters as the wad goes on, but always make sure something looks fun to play and don't rush yourself like I did starting out.

[Egg Boy]

Anything E1 themed is comfy. You can't get anymore comfy than Doom's shareware episode. E1 maps are usually less difficult since they are aiming to replicate Romero's designs. They are also the most familiar and recognizable as classic Doom, since most people have played the shareware. Things like DTWID or No End in Sight, are comfy because they fall into tropes of the original episodes. 

[Spectre01]

I assume by "comfy" you mean something relaxing and relatively easy to play through. In which case, NEIS E3 and E4 don't qualify as there are some real ball-busters in there that deviate dramatically from the TWID style. @Egg Boy

 

Comfy for me would be something like the first 20 maps of Scythe. They are short and generally easy to blast through without worrying about saving or dying. WADs with larger maps which focus more on sense of place and exploration, i.e. adventure maps, can also qualify. Something like Hellbound, where traps are rare and the focus is more on the journey and atmosphere, rather than tight combat encounters.

[Egg Boy]

Just now, Spectre01 said:

I assume by "comfy" you mean something relaxing and relatively easy to play through. In which case, NEIS E3 and E4 don't qualify as there are some real ball-busters in there that deviate dramatically from the TWID style. @Egg Boy

 

Comfy for me would be something like the first 20 maps of Scythe. They are short and generally easy to blast through without worrying about saving or dying. WADs with larger maps which focus more on sense of place and exploration, i.e. adventure maps, can also qualify. Something like Hellbound, where traps are rare and the focus is more on the journey and atmosphere, rather than tight combat encounters.

I was more referring to episode 1

[SuperCupcakeTactics]

• Maps in a more simplistic style that also don't make you worry about how many revenant turrets there are to avoid, which arena is designed around an archvile, and how many barons there are around each corner. Doom Zero and all that sort of original id style stuff.
• Chunky pixels and MIDIs you are well acquainted with. For example playing a (90s?) map in Crispy Doom with a MIDI you've heard a quite a bit from either a 90s map or the ROTT soundtrack. Heroes
• Maps that have nice MIDIs that bring abstract feelings of comfiness (maybe something complementary to an atmosphere). On my mind are maps set with a night sky and pleasing graphics that make you feel free to take a stroll and think about your wonderful Doom adventure. Doom Barracks Zone (MAP03 in particular)

 

It seems to me at least that it comes down to your familiarity with various elements of the map and the atmosphere/vibe you get when playing it.

Edited January 28, 2020 by SuperCupcakeTactics
a b s t r a c t f e e l i n g s

[Guest Unregistered account]

Blue carpet flats

[Rainne]

What immediately comes to mind is Darkmere in Hexen. It's a misty wetlands type area; it's rather noisy (ambient sounds like birds, crickets, water sloshing) and yet has a calm aura to it. Even better once you get the hang of dealing with the Stalkers that lurk in the water, invisible till they strike, so you don't have to worry about them anymore.

Spoiler

Fighter: use the Axe, which is quick and powerful, and only costs mana when it connects.

Mage: the Wand's rate of fire happens to be just right to stunlock them, and uses no mana, so basically just keep firing it.

Cleric: no real good options; but if you're quick on the draw with the Serpent Staff, you can make short work of them. Run around till you feel your movement blocked: a Stalker is there.

All it really needs is rain! 😊 And perhaps a tweaked FOGMAP that doesn't turn brown colors into sickly yellows.

 

And in general, I like small, confined areas in maps, like narrow corridors, or a small room away from the large map. Places that feel private and protected. For example, in Doom E1M5, the nukage room with two pillars that drop when you go for the switch, you can ride the pillars back up and let them close again, and now you have a tiny room all to yourself till you press the switch to go back down. Similarly with the large descending pillar in E1M7.

Edited January 28, 2020 by Rainne
And in general...

[BBQgiraffe]

some hot chocolate and a nice book on a rainy day.

 

 

 

[nname]

I can't provide any examples, but smaller and more detailed rooms do it for me. But I guess that's just because I'm kind of the opposite of a claustrophobic.

Edited January 28, 2020 by xzotikk

[xdarkmasterx]

A pleasant, warm climate, adherence to safety regulations beyond the UAC's capabilities and a conspicuous absence of mutilated corpses or flesh-eating horrors from the black abyss of hell.

[Rince-wind]

Most of Memfis' single maps

[Untamed64]

I've got no examples for Doom maps, but I love sector furniture, decorations and other small things, sofas, chairs, pepsi cans, that sort of thing.

I like urban maps that feature hotels and such, things like the DukeRoch series of maps on Duke Nukem 3D. That's my kind of aesthetic.

Edited January 28, 2020 by Untamed64

[666shooter]

Theming themselves a la DBP7 and 19, X-Mas. Pure holiday joy.

Edited January 28, 2020 by 666shooter

[Shawny]

I am really comfy near gray, comp/blue and stucco textures and associated flats like ceil5_1, flat 14, flat17/18/19 and flat5_5. Also nice moody lighting is most welcome.

[Asking4Id]

Just spacious enough (to a lesser extent, the shape of the map too). I've been testing very old maps and a couple are just long, long wide corridors.

[Job]

The right selection of lighting, textures, and geometry. 

[Stocki]

For me it's "comfy" if it is easy to navigate through the map. This does not necessarily mean it has to be a simple layout. It's comfy if I get a good understanding of what is located where (even if I'm puzzled with how to get there) For me this makes Episode 1 maps the most comfy. Could be related to a lack of teleporters.

[Untamed64]

I wonder how comfy a doom map one could make if it were set in a mall that's mostly dominated by sector furniture and decorations, or perhaps a multi-story 5 star hotel with each room that's suitably comfy enough for one to want to live in

Edited January 28, 2020 by Untamed64

[Fonze]

BROWNGRN is the ultimate in comfy textures. It really doesn't get more comfy than greenwar.

[xvertigox]

Blue carpet and silver textures.

[Muscle Witch]

When you ask for a comfy Doom map, I think of Going Down Map 02. Lots of seating, carpet, a fully-equipped restroom, and even a painting hanging in the boss’s office. An ergonomically-designed workspace.

[yakfak]

comfy tags: the donut linedef effect, slow music, being able to walk all the way around the outside of a building, areas which allow you to choose yr own route around a scenario especially if it has paired staircases or jumps, stimpacks being scattered instead of lined up, there being exactly one baron of hell on the map, being able to step on areas with grass textures, gore props replaced with natural decorations, sector art pizza boxes on the floor, there being enough of a "world" in the level where you can get lost if you want to get lost but you understand where you're meant to go ultimately, receiving the berserk pack and the mega-armour simultaneously

 

a map can be frustratingly difficult or almost totally unthreatening and be either comfy or oppressive imho

[SilverMiner]

First of all, properly chosen sky makes the map comfy.

[Kappes Buur]

Comfy = the map is a single sector with no monsters.

[stphrz]

Comfy DOOM the new megawad you can play while taking a nap!

 

 

 

[BigBoy91]

Familiarity. Most WADs designed with Doom 1 and/or 2 in mind feel pretty comfy to me.

Edited January 29, 2020 by lazy91geek

[GrogLoopy]

Just that old kinda rookie late 90's feel of megawads like Memento Mori 2, they always feel super nostalgic and fun to play.

[Doom_Dude]

1 hour ago, stphrz said:

Comfy DOOM the new megawad you can play while taking a nap!

 

 

 

 

Titlepic revealed!

 

[Maximum Matt]

Someone get on that.