Parallel Doomensions - Quake 1 Styled Community Megawad

[Agentbromsnor]

I've had this idea for a Quake 1 styled MegaWAD on my mind for a few years now, but the thing that's weighing on me is just how much of an undertaking it would be to do all the work myself. However, since I've made a bit of a return to mapping myself, I've come to think about if this might be a cool idea for a community project.

Rules:

Spoiler

 

- Boom compatibility (test with PrBoom+ to be sure)
- Make sure your level theme is consistent and in adherence to those found in Quake 1's singleplayer campaign.
If you're confused, check out this link: https://quake.fandom.com/wiki/Level_Theme

- No slaughter maps (it wouldn't feel right in a Quake setting!)

- Make sure you incorporate the different custom actors provided in the resource WAD in an interesting way.

- Make sure your map somewhat adheres to the length of an average Quake level.
While there's no "hard" rule for map size, I think it's fair to say that a single map shouldn't take an hour to beat.

- Please incorporate a Quake-style teleporter or portal at the start and exit of your map, to make the transition between maps more seamless and Quake-like.

- Try and provide a name for your level that fits the Lovecraftian atmosphere of Quake 1

- Please keep everybody up to date in this topic! That includes posting your map when you think it's complete;
You can use MediaFire to upload your WAD so that we can play-test it and help fix any bugs or design flaws we come across.

- We're not in a rush, but please try to finish your map(s) within the next 6 months as of the creation of this topic.

 

 

Resources:

@plums has been kind enough to provide us with an updated version of the BOOMQTEX resource WAD which features all of the skies.
He's also working on a few other minor additions, so keep checking back!
https://www.doomworld.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=79303

 

Here's a Google Drive mirror to it:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1eaO4-qkzeFWIgMS4PimO5uDCCFZJRSH9

 

More info on the resource pack here:

 

 

Urthar has also provided a helpful reference for mappers, so please keep the following in mind:

Spoiler

 

Texture Naming Convention:

QM   - Medieval Textures
QR   - Runic Textures
QT   - TechBase Textures
QF   - Flats
QA   - Animated 

 

 

A quick tutorial on how to implement Quake style skies in PrBoom+ maps:

Spoiler

 

- Make a tagged sector with sky texture as the ceiling (duh)

- Make a (recommended rectangle) dummy sector (this sector must be completely unreachable and out of view - for novice mappers out there). 

Linedef length matters. The longer the line, the faster the sky moves, and vice versa. 1024x64 is recommended for a dummy sector.

 

We will be focusing on the 2 longer linedefs of our dummy sector, which must have the same tag number as the sky sector. The action order matters AFAIK.

- Put action 254 in the upper linedef and action 272 in the lower.

- In the action 272 linedef, put whatever sky texture you want as the upper texture (front side).

- Save the map.

Voila!

Additionally, you can also change the angle of the dummy sector to change the direction the sky moves. So for example, if I make the sector look like this:

Then the sky will move upward in-game.

Mapping tip from Urthar for creating fake 3D bridges:

Spoiler

 

Map slots:
Episode 1 (Base theme)
01: "The Smelting Plant" - Agentbromsnor
02: (Name TBA) - DJVCardMaster
Download: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/694174202932101232/695989293004619836/QDMAP02.wad
03: (Name TBA) - damned
Download: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/694174202932101232/701179999264440410/MAP03.wad
04: "Yog Overwhelming" - noisebloom

05: (Name TBA) - Walter confetti

06: (Name TBA) - IvanDobrovski
Download: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/694174202932101232/700118847549866025/boomquakemap06.wad

07: -

08: -

09: (Name TBA) - DSC

10: (Name TBA) - Velcrosasquatch

11: The Rotunda - dt_
Download: https://www.dropbox.com/s/aa8hna0jbq0ioyc/pardoomdtv2.wad?dl=1

Episode 2 (Medieval theme)
12: "Outer Planes of Perversion" - Agentbromsnor
Download: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/694174202932101232/694964072252178432/map12.wad

13: "Fortress of Armok" - TheNoob_Gamer
Download: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/694174202932101232/701963714039119902/MAP13_-_doomensions.wad

14: (Name TBA) - Matthias

15: (Name TBA) - dt_

16: Grungy Grotto - Egg Boy
Download: https://drive.google.com/open?id=13GCVMJmnx0JogKtKyBeP5idpEjGuZguK

17: -

18: -

19: (Name TBA) - Doomlust

Download: https://www.doomworld.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=85435

20: (Name TBA) - 4MaTC

 

Episode 3 (Runic theme)

21: (Name TBA) - Crunchynut44
22: (Name TBA) - Archvile Hunter

23: (Name TBA) - Aurelius

24: (Name TBA) - Forli
Download: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/694174202932101232/707427255147560970/QForli.zip

25: (Name TBA) - MrBin

26: -

27: (Name TBA) - nxgangrel

28: (Name TBA) - DJVCardMaster

29: -

30: (Name TBA) - IvanDobrovski
Download: https://www.dropbox.com/s/9u6zmnng8q7brw4/boomquakemap.wad?dl=0

 

Secret levels:

31: "Shoggoth's crypt" - Morpheus666

32: (Name TBA) - Primeval

 

 

Edited November 17, 2020 by Agentbromsnor

[Dexiaz]

Sourceport?

[TheNoob_Gamer]

1 minute ago, Deⓧiaz said:

Sourceport?

3 minutes ago, Agentbromsnor said:

I'm currently working in Boom format

 

 

[Agentbromsnor]

1 minute ago, Deⓧiaz said:

Sourceport?

Like I said, I think it makes sense to aim for Boom compatibility for optimal playability (so probably PrBoom+). That being said, it should also be fully compatible with GZDoom for those who enjoy that since that's the most popular port right now.

[TheNoob_Gamer]

3 minutes ago, Agentbromsnor said:

Like I said, I think it makes sense to aim for Boom compatibility for optimal playability (so probably PrBoom+). That being said, it should also be fully compatible with GZDoom for those who enjoy that since that's the most popular port right now.

Very cool concept. I've been a fan of Quake 1's chaotic Lovecraftian theme.

I've got something to ask though.

 

• What are the map/mapper limits?
• Are there any mapping gimmicks involved (e.g X sectors, X textures, X linedefs per map?
• Deadline?
• Where do we discuss the progress of our map(s)?

 

Edited March 16, 2020 by TheNoob_Gamer

[ReaperAA]

I recommend to check out "The Dimension of The Boomed" by Urthar. It is a Quake 1 inspired boom-format wad. Probably you are already aware, but I mentioned just in case. 

[Juza]

Needs more info and organization, such as, will there be episodic themes, who will take each map slot, how will the progression turn out, and such.

[Egg Boy]

As stated above, this is a fun idea, I'd even be interested in mapping, but there just isn't enough information. Specifically episode themes.

[Agentbromsnor]

20 minutes ago, TheNoob_Gamer said:

Very cool concept. I've been a fan of Quake 1's chaotic Lovecraftian theme.

I've got something to ask though.

 

• What are the map/mapper limits?
• Are there any mapping gimmicks involved (e.g X sectors, X textures, X linedefs per map?
• Deadline?
• Where do we discuss the progress of our map(s)?

 

I think our limits should probably be within the scope of Quake 1's singleplayer campaign. So no huge slaughter-maps (no offense to slaughter fans, but it just wouldn't fit I think). I would also encourage mappers to look at typical Quake level design quirks for inspiration on how to structure your levels, since just like with Doom, the design of the maps largely share a similar theme (at least in terms of design)

I'm not sure if there should be any "hard" limits to the amount of sectors or lines somebody should use... I think the most important thing is to keep it Quake styled.

Honestly; what would be a realistic deadline, you think? Six months? Maybe a year if we want to get really carried away? :p

Is this thread not good enough for discussing our progress? I'm also on Telegram and Discord if anyone prefers.
 

 

11 minutes ago, ReaperAA said:

I recommend to check out "The Dimension of The Boomed" by Urthar. It is a Quake 1 inspired boom-format wad. Probably you are already aware, but I mentioned just in case. 

Yep! Hard not to mention that WAD, haha. That WAD is "just" 9 levels though. It also has custom monsters, which... Is that something anybody would prefer over just regular Doom monsters? I'm legit asking.

[Agentbromsnor]

6 minutes ago, Egg Boy said:

As stated above, this is a fun idea, I'd even be interested in mapping, but there just isn't enough information. Specifically episode themes.

Since this would be a mod for Doom 2, it would have three "episodes". I'd say we should go for the three well-known Quake 1 themes, which are:
- Base (futuristic tech bases)
- Castle / medieval (speaks for itself)
- Runic (dark dungeon aesthetic with lots of metal textures)

[plums]

Here is an interesting idea: if you're going to make a whole quake-themed wad, use the original quake textures and palette, and convert the doom enemies and other resources to that palette. I can help with this. The q1tex resources aren't that far off from the originals, but some of the blues don't translate that well.

[Agentbromsnor]

2 minutes ago, plums said:

Here is an interesting idea: if you're going to make a whole quake-themed wad, use the original quake textures and palette, and convert the doom enemies and other resources to that palette. I can help with this. The q1tex resources aren't that far off from the originals, but some of the blues don't translate that well.

I agree that some of the colours kind of got lost in translation. If you could help out with that, I would greatly appreciate it!

[TheNoob_Gamer]

23 minutes ago, Agentbromsnor said:

 Is that something anybody would prefer over just regular Doom monsters? I'm legit asking.

Yes, if done right. See Valiant's Map15's starting area, where Kamikazes are ultilized.

[Crunchynut44]

Put me down as a mapper, I love quake themed Doom maps.

[plums]

21 minutes ago, Agentbromsnor said:

I agree that some of the colours kind of got lost in translation. If you could help out with that, I would greatly appreciate it!

 

Cool, I'll get started.

 

Are you interested in adding the mission pack textures? There's a preview of MP2 at https://www.quaddicted.com/files/wads/rogue.zip_rogue.wad.jpg, I can't find a preview for MP1 easily. No bloodfalls in any of them unfortunately :p

Edited March 16, 2020 by plums

[Agentbromsnor]

7 minutes ago, plums said:

 

Cool, I'll get started.

 

Are you interested in adding the mission pack textures? There's a preview of MP2 at https://www.quaddicted.com/files/wads/rogue.zip_rogue.wad.jpg, I can't find a preview for MP1 easily. No bloodfalls in any of them unfortunately :p

Awesome!

I would say go for it! I think the mission packs still abide by the same theme as the vanilla campaign, so it would only provide more assets for mappers to work with.

Edit: Does that also mean you can convert the liquid textures to a proper Doom format? If so we can use those instead of Doom liquid textures instead.

Edited March 16, 2020 by Agentbromsnor

[plums]

18 minutes ago, Agentbromsnor said:

Does that also mean you can convert the liquid textures to a proper Doom format? If so we can use those instead of Doom liquid textures instead.

 

If you mean the animated flats, probably. IIRC in doom the animation is just a texture offset, so I can recreate that effect manually. (But actually most of them are in fact the same textures as in Doom, just with a different palette! It's not completely obvious because of the way they're animated in Quake. Quake II uses many of them as well!)

Edited March 16, 2020 by plums

[Agentbromsnor]

27 minutes ago, Crunchynut44 said:

Put me down as a mapper, I love quake themed Doom maps.

Alright, I'll add everybody to the roster in the opening post. Just let me know which map slot you want to take.

Just to reiterate for everybody: are we okay with the episodes as suggested? So that means:

Episode 1 (maps 01 to 11): Base theme
Episode 2 (maps 12 to 20): Medieval theme
Episode 3 (maps 21 to 30): Runic theme
And two secret levels.

[Agentbromsnor]

1 minute ago, plums said:

 

If you mean the animated flats, probably. IIRC in doom the animation is just a texture offset, so I can recreate that effect manually. (But actually most of them are in fact the same textures as in Doom, just with a different palette! It's not completely obvious because of the way they're animated in Quake.)

Yes, I meant those. Really? I wasn't aware. I did always recognize the "rock" texture which was featured in Doom before, but I guess I didn't notice any others during my playthroughs.

[plums]

Look closely :)

 

Spoiler

 

 

[Agentbromsnor]

4 minutes ago, plums said:

Look closely :)

Interesting! I guess it's hard to notice because of the texture filtering as well.

Also! We should probably come up with a catchy name for the project. :)

Edited March 16, 2020 by Agentbromsnor

[plums]

OK I've got the Quake textures all downloaded and the Doom graphics quickly batch converted. I'll have an initial version of a proper texture pack release in a few days, maybe tomorrow, depends how much doomsday shopping I need to do lol. In the meantime anyone who is excited to get started can use q1tex for now, I'll make sure to preserve texture/flat names so that this pack can be used as a drop-in replacement.

[Agentbromsnor]

That's great news! I was already getting started with Q1TEX so the name preservation is very helpful.

Good luck with your daily activities! We shouldn't be in a hurry, so all is well. Also feel free to take on a map slot if you like!

[Egg Boy]

Alrighty! If you could slide me into slot 16 that would be excellent!

 

10 minutes ago, plums said:

OK I've got the Quake textures all downloaded and the Doom graphics quickly batch converted. I'll have an initial version of a proper texture pack release in a few days, maybe tomorrow, depends how much doomsday shopping I need to do lol. In the meantime anyone who is excited to get started can use q1tex for now, I'll make sure to preserve texture/flat names so that this pack can be used as a drop-in replacement.

Can you also include an All black texture and flat, if possible? They're very useful!

[Agentbromsnor]

8 minutes ago, Egg Boy said:

Alrighty! If you could slide me into slot 16 that would be excellent!

 

Can you also include an All black texture and flat, if possible? They're very useful!

Welcome on board!

We should probably also think of Lovecraftian names for our maps, I reckon.

[Egg Boy]

1 minute ago, Agentbromsnor said:

Welcome on board!

We should probably also think of Lovecraftian names for our maps, I reckon.

Its probably smart to save that for after the map is completed. I'm planning on making my map a tribute to Sandy Peterson in some way. Not sure yet, but I really want to emulate some of Peterson's design tropes. Gonna have to study Doom 2 and DTWID2.

[TheNoob_Gamer]

Hey, project is up. That's nice.

I see that the actual texture pack is still not ready.

In the meantime, please give me map13. I may need a helping hand later on, though.

 

And since you are looking for name... how does "Qoom" sound?

Some additional suggestions:

 

Quote

• Custom weapons/enemies, or basically just sprite reskins to better match the overall theme.
• A rad final boss. All of you clearly know that all Quake bosses are downright too gimmicky to fight.
• A not-so out-of-place status bar.

 

Edited March 16, 2020 by TheNoob_Gamer

[plums]

17 minutes ago, Egg Boy said:

Can you also include an All black texture and flat, if possible? They're very useful!

 

Good idea, I'll use the names as they are in cc4-tex, ALLBLACK and ALLBLAKF for the texture and flat respectively, should someone need to use them right away.

[Agentbromsnor]

2 minutes ago, TheNoob_Gamer said:

Hey, project is up. That's nice.

I see that the actual texture pack is still not ready, though.

In the meantime, please give me map13.

 

And since you are looking for name... how does "Qoom" sound?

Some additional suggestions:

  Hide contents

Custom weapons/enemies, or basically just sprite reskins to better match the overall theme.

A rad final boss. All of you clearly know that all Quake bosses are downright too gimmicky to fight.

A not-so out-of-place status bar.

 

If you look at the opening post, I was also thinking of "QOOM" but I'm hesitant because it sounds a little bit silly. :p

Custom weapons and enemies would be cool, but it would take some work. The weapons should be pretty easy to replace since most of them, aside from the lightning gun and the grenade launcher, have some kind of Doom counterpart. However, I'm afraid that if this isn't implemented really well, it would come off as janky and gimmicky.

I agree with the final boss; it would have to be something special. I'm still not sure if we should go for a Quake-style version of the Icon of Sin, or if we should use DeHacked to make something special.

The statusbar should be fairly easy to replace I think. Actually, I'm fairly certain I've seen this done in the past in another WAD.

[DJVCardMaster]

I'd like to make a base map, but where is the resource pack?