1995 called. They want their Doom levels back.

[Zylinderkatze]

So far, so vanilla :)

The image I posted 2 days ago, this time in-engine (and slightly updated)

 

And the view when you leave the Lighthouse.

 

There is currently one spot from which you get a visplane overflow (to the right of the second screenshot) ..but that's mainly because you can see too far from there.  I can easily fix that / reduce the lines visible from there, because they are just scenery anyways. Other than that, the map looks good in vanilla, which makes me happy.

 

With this, the starting area is "done enough" to carry on and build the transition into the parts of the 1997 map that I'm keeping. Spoiler: it's not much xD

 

All things considered, I will be on this another 2 weeks, I think. Which means it'll be 4. xD

 

I'll keep updating this until someone forces me to stop ^^;

 

Oh yeah and as you can see, you get the shotgun in this level, finally! Pew pew!

 

EDIT: Every time I used the term "visplane overflow" I believe instead I meant the 256 Segs limit resulting in a HOM effect. Just for clarification.. since I think the actual visplane overflow would cause vanilla to crash unceremoniously.

Edited April 11, 2020 by Zylinderkatze

[Zylinderkatze]

And here's the visplane overflow that I mentioned

(the blue on the left)

 

It only shows when you stand in the very corner of the reachable harbor area.. and it seems to only show near the mock miniature oil rig (which is a nod to E1M1, for continuity ..and was already part of the 1997 version ^^).

 

I'm reluctant to remove that little thing but I might move it so it's outside of the field of view. Or I might make it impossible to walk quite this far into that corner (cue shrug).

 

So much for yet another angle of something you've already seen xD

 

Here's something you haven't seen yet!

 

Even I am reluctant to pick up that key and I know what will happen when I do.

 

Why does it have to be so dark in there ._.

[Zylinderkatze]

Started dabbling in a map for this challenge (for about an hour and a half). So no update here today.

 

Aside from this update I mean.

 

Now I'm confused.

[Zylinderkatze]

Go check out my submission to The ISOLATION Speedmapping Challenge! xD

If you want, that is. No pressure ^^;

 

Starting tomorrow, I'm back on this project :3

[Zylinderkatze]

Update (in airquotes): I'm still alive but overworked (just got off the laptop for work and it's 10:30pm) so.. maybe on the weekend!

Edited April 2, 2020 by Zylinderkatze

[Senor500]

Make sure you sleep enough!

[Horus]

44 minutes ago, Senor500 said:

Make sure you sleep enough!

This, taking good care of yourself is especially important right now

[Zylinderkatze]

@Senor500, @Horus.. thank you :) I'll be alright! It just so happened that I was on an.. intricate bug hunt (in my own code, no less) and forgot the time / didn't want to stop until I was done with it. It didn't feel like I was working late, really.. even though I did end up working for roughly 13 hours ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Sadly, it left me with little to no time to spend on stuff I actually enjoy doing "recreationally". Like.. more sitting in front of the computer. 

 

I don't feel pressured (not even by myself) to continue this project at all cost ^^; But I do want to continue it. So I will xD

 

Maybe on the weekend.

[Zylinderkatze]

Yes! Breakthrough! Literally!

 

Remember this post? It was 7 posts ago so.. you don't even have to scroll that far. Make some efforts. Tsk tsk.

 

Well what used to be a dead end with a yellow skullkey now has the option to open up. No, not emotionally. But instead quite literally:

..aaand what you're seeing there behind the lights.. is actually the "ASHWALL" textures of the old, 1997 level architecture.

I think that- just for fun- I'll leave some of it there, as a tip of the hat to the old level. 

 

There were also a lot of other tweaks, changes.. and SEGS-related reasons to simplify some sectors in the starting area.. but that's not really worth mentioning or at least not worth showing. Suffice to say the starting area (meaning the whole structure, lighthouse and all) is.. "done" now. And without any outright vanilla engine meltdowns.

 

Also, as a little treat, here's a look at a secret room that may or may not be somewhere in this map:

I'm not really sure whether I want to know what happens here >_>

 

Anyways, I'm off to bed- have a great day / night, everyone!

[Zylinderkatze]

And then when I walked out of the door..

Fresh off the press! This is on the other side of the door (first image in the previous post), when you turn around. The road / tracks on the right side are what will kind of run throughout the rest of level (and through the canyon that lends this level its name) until the exit.. to tie everything together ^^

 

That said, I somehow doubt that much of the things that make me go "oh this will provide a connected theme" will actually be apparent. But it works for me xD

 

I hope it'll work for you when you see the finished product.. some day ^^;

Edited April 6, 2020 by Zylinderkatze

[Zylinderkatze]

Just a short way over to the right, you then see this. Wait.. isn't that..

That's right. the building barely visible in the background, is the same one as in this post from page one! (You can maybe tell by the lamps)

 

It's all coming together.

 

Also, I am very much contemplating raising the light level a bit in this part of the map. It's currently at 140.

I think 160 wouldn't hurt and it'd still look like night, especially with the sky(box).

 

Working my way through the level, step by bloody step xD

Edited April 7, 2020 by Zylinderkatze
LAMPS!

[tamara mochaccina]

He's still working on this, the madman, I respect you

[Zylinderkatze]

Oh, also, while I have your attention- even though this is "WADs & Mods" and not "rookie questions".. 

 

What is (presumably) the cause of this "bleeding" in Vanilla / Chocolate?

It's not the "too many FLATS" problem, is it?

Maybe too many lines / vertexes in a line?

 

It's a slime trail, isn't it :( 

I guess I should try a different node builder? Currently my UDB is set to "ZenNode (normal)".

Or maybe try to move the vertexes around a bit? 

 

It's the scene from the previous post, seen from this angle:

I'm stumped.

 

..get it? because of the stalagmite thingy? ..yeah, I'll see myself out.

[Zylinderkatze]

On 4/7/2020 at 10:26 PM, tam said:

He's still working on this, the madman, I respect you

Thank you! x3

 

It's a bit slower than it was for E1M1.. mainly because this time I am "marrying" a fully revamped starting area to an existing downstream level structure.. which I am then mainly only adjusting to the different textures I'm using.. so it's a more "nuanced" approach. Nuanced-ish.

 

 

But as a total bonus, I realized that (with the road / tracks I am introducing to the scenery) it actually lends itself to implement some ideas that I had (ages ago) and which never made sense to put into any other level.. yet make a lot of sense in this one.

 

Still a lot to do.. but for the "Canyon" I am actually leaving many of the outlines and just adding some details for a more "rocky" look. 

 

It's still going. I'm still going.

 

Whoop!

Edited October 10, 2020 by Zylinderkatze
Replaced the image

[ketmar]

5 hours ago, Zylinderkatze said:

It's a slime trail, isn't it :( 

yeah. there's not much you can do with that. alas. fixed point precision is limited. don't mind it, even E1M1 has slime trails! ;-)

[Zylinderkatze]

On 4/8/2020 at 4:02 AM, ketmar said:

even E1M1 has slime trails!

 

You mean mine? Yeah, I noticed that, actually, which is why this is becoming kind of an issue for me xD

 

Or do you mean the one by id? If so then I was totally not aware of that.

 

Edit: Wait, you mean this is an actual "original version of the level" screenshot?

 

 

Either way, I would prefer to have my levels as bug free as possible..

 

..or maybe I should just switch over to something beyond vanilla.

 

Maybe some kick-ass engine port. Like.. say.. k8vavoom!

 

Speaking of shameless plugs, brace yourself for an in-editor screenshot!

 

Edited April 9, 2020 by Zylinderkatze

[Zylinderkatze]

The old and the new version of a building that made it into 2020!

 

I hope it's kind of apparent which one is the new version ^^;;

 

Speaking of which.. where would you rather go? into the door or further down the path to the right?

(also, please try to disregard the currently still horizontally unaligned texture on the building)

Edited October 10, 2020 by Zylinderkatze
Replaced the images

[Senor500]

I go into the door because if I don't I will turn back and get in anyway.

[ketmar]

3 hours ago, Zylinderkatze said:

Edit: Wait, you mean this is an actual "original version of the level" screenshot?

yeah. if id can do it, you can do it too! ;-)

 

3 hours ago, Zylinderkatze said:

Maybe some kick-ass engine port. Like.. say.. k8vavoom!

then it would be a shame to not use all k8vavoom features, including VavoomC. so, make a TC!

 

3 hours ago, Zylinderkatze said:

Speaking of which.. where would you rather go? into the door or further down the path to the right?

left door. i am always taking left turns. no, really, if i have to decide, i'm going to the left first.

Edited April 10, 2020 by ketmar

[Andromeda]

17 hours ago, Zylinderkatze said:

Speaking of which.. where would you rather go? into the door or further down the path to the right?

Door means trap, I'll take the path to the right thanks :P

[Zylinderkatze]

1 hour ago, Andromeda said:

Door means trap, I'll take the path to the right thanks :P

 

But it's so nicely lit and all! <3

 

}:D

[Snikle]

Wonder if we got a Mordeth Award on our hands here...

[Senor500]

If anything I already want to give out an award just for Zylinderkatze's big enthusiasm on this, that makes me want to play it!

[Zylinderkatze]

5 hours ago, Snikle said:

Mordeth Award

hehe. If it counts that the original episode was started in 1995/1996, closed-beta'd in 1997.. but won't be published until the complete revamp in 2020^[1] is done.. then I might set a new record xD ..but I didn't really work on it at all between 1998 and 2020 (with a brief "upwelling" of unguided creative energy in 2010).. so it might be a stretch ^^;

 

Either way, I am a little surprised that I'm still this excited about it.. and I am almost sorry for starting this post at the beginning of the renewal because.. it'll be a while. At least E1M3 will need little to no work, that's something to look forward to xD

 

^{[1] Here's hoping that it'll actually be done in 2020.. I mean it's already April.. >_>}

[Zylinderkatze]

5 hours ago, Senor500 said:

that makes me want to play it!

Thank you! Too much praise :D

 

I believe that the renewed levels will end up being "the best I can do" with my level of knowledge and skills, while adhering to the goal of making the episode run on a "non-limit-removing" client (like Chocolate).

 

That said, this will still pale in comparison to what the true greats have created. I've seen some of what people can do and have done.. and compared to that, my sense of level composition, pacing, lighting, texturing, etc is.. well.. let's call it average? xD

 

Also I am sure I'll go "aw man, this or that part could've been so much better" in retrospect, once I publish it.

 

But that's the thing: I'll publish it.

 

In no small way thanks to this kind of encouragement :)

 

So again, thank you!

[Zylinderkatze]

"Blend, then blend some more"

A small thing I noticed while toying around with transitions between default floor patterns (MFLR8_4 and FLAT5_7).

Probably won't be in the final version of E1M2 but I thought it looked neat and wanted to share :)

 

Also, knowing that what I don't know about the last 20+ years of Doom mapping vastly outshines what I do know, this has very likely been done countless times.. but.. not by me! xD

[Senor500]

The patience for doing that must be really high.

53 minutes ago, Zylinderkatze said:

Also, knowing that what I don't know about the last 20+ years of Doom mapping vastly outshines what I do know,

That's perfect though, keeping it 1995.

[ketmar]

3 hours ago, Zylinderkatze said:

and I am almost sorry for starting this post at the beginning of the renewal because.. it'll be a while.

so be it. tbh, i will miss this "dev diary thread" when you'll finish it. i hope that you will immideately start another wad, with new diary thread. ;-) (whispering) k8vavoom TC.

 

but i still hope that i'll be able to play this before my children will have their children. no longer than 10 years, if you please. ;-)

[Lila Feuer]

That door has an invitingly warm glow to it, makes me want to see what's inside!

[Zylinderkatze]

13 hours ago, ketmar said:

no longer than 10 years, if you please.

 

I will do my very best.

 

 

 

 

No promises. xD