What are some odd mapping quirks you love to see?

[I_Punch_Demons]

Not sure if this belongs in general, but, I feel everyone can relate to this. But what are odd mapping quirks you love to see in levels? For me, it has to be forced death exits. I like how it makes you have to rethink your strategies on continuous play and helps other doomers try different things, like pistol starting. 

[spineapple tea]

Voodoo dolls used in any way makes me smile.

[elend]

Doom cute things.

[Archanhell]

Lovecraftian stuff.

Even better if it makes the player/in-game main character descend into madness slowly~

[Horus]

When one key is reserved as a secret key

 

[TheNoob_Gamer]

Being forced to shotgunning a Revenant; chaingunning an Archvile or SSG duel with the Cyberdemon

[DRM-MAN]

Really thick doors.

[RonnieJamesDiner]

Going through a level where every lift is a walkable trigger, then coming across that one lift where the mapper decided to give it a switch, and running around for 5 minutes lost because I didn't notice the switch. 

[BluePineapple72]

Multiple aesthetics used for one map. Like a techbase with a portal to hell.

[Xaser]

Skies on floors, and liquids on ceilings.

[Doomkid]

Texturing that is imperfect, for example, stairs where the floor flat is brown, but the actual linedef is a different color. A lot of people call this "mismatched" texturing, but in the real world you can find countless examples of similar things - stairs with a different colored tread on the top to prevent you from slipping, for example - so in a way I think it leads to a more organic (for lack of a better word) feel overall for the map.

Edited May 29, 2020 by Doomkid

[antares031]

1-pixel-scroller animation in vanilla doom.

[Fonze]

To add to the already good list others have started above:

interesting/semi-unique mechanics

texture stitching/frankensteining

fun barrel use

Heretic maps

... and copious of rockets

Edited May 29, 2020 by Fonze

[Roofi]

3D  steptop bridges !

[Hisymak]

Placing many weapons in a map, even multiple weapons of same type at one place, practically using them as fancy ammo.

[galileo31dos01]

- Malfunctioning doors or weird behavior, e.g. MM2 map07

- Enormous optional areas, sidequests or the like, e.g. Armadosia map21, BTSX:E2 map19 iirc, Avactor mapX

- Secret encounters, e.g. Sunlust map... green

- Void-esque maps or areas

- Pistol start variants where SG>CG>SSG>rest doesn't usually predominate, e.g. Abyssion, NEIS e4m1

- Different skies within the same episode, e.g. Jenesis

- Chainsaw-centric stuff or noteworthy use of it

- Creative "minigames", or puzzles, although the more complex the less patient I may be :x

- Doomcutery in KSutra fashion yup

- Invisible sector fuckery both in vanilla and boom

- Light tricks, shadowcasting, anything not necessarily so fancy but showing the beauty of textures 

- Multiple ways of staging secrets, e.g. via tiny switch, hidden key, parkour, detour from progress, back around the start of the map, etc

[Pechudin]

- Doors that lead to nowhere (a la A.L.T. map 13 IIRC, where the Red Key doors open up to a brick wall)

- Fuck-you secrets that in no way reward the player

- Maps that do not center on the player, as if the map 'does not care' the player exists (meaning no coreographed fights etc.)

- Huge maps with no enemies (Sacrament MAP02, Doxylamine Moon)

[Uni]

Environmental storytelling.

[Walter confetti]

Interesting thread! It could be useful for taking new ideas!

[Redneckerz]

6 hours ago, N1ck said:

Voodoo dolls used in any way makes me smile.

The Last Sanctuary uses Voodoo Dolls in a WadC script to generate a day/night cycle in Boom in the canyon. Since its a clever usage of a stock function that is present in Boom, i'd say that is very neat. It does need a lot of linedefs though.

Here it is in action.
Day:



Night:

 

In general TLS is quite the tour de force in scripting.

To compute such a day/night cycle you will need the programs made for it.

47 minutes ago, Walter confetti said:

Interesting thread! It could be useful for taking new ideas!

Mikoportals and Linguortals.

Also, custom COLORMAPS introducing faux colored lighting, similar to here:

Linguica and others have has shown some examples of these in a recent thread, but i'd love to see the effect be presented more. I feel that in Vanilla, like the black/grey sector lighting to fake shadows, these things add a lot to the ambiance. Sadly an effect like this is quite volatile to breaking and according to Ling:

On 1/30/2020 at 11:15 PM, Linguica said:

Vanilla "colored lighting" would be a very advanced trick and not one to attempt lightly. No WADs have ever used it seriously to my knowledge and it probably would not work very well. COLORMAP editing in general is not used very often outside of special circumstances. For instance Doom 4 Vanilla has a special colormap where certain "special" colors used for lights and so forth are forcibly kept fullbright no matter the light level. Keep in mind that any custom colormaps will almost certainly not work in GZDoom or other hardware accelerated ports. 

Due to its nature this kind of thing would be strictly Vanilla (Or Limit Raising hacks) but i'd love to see this trick be explored more.

Edited May 29, 2020 by Redneckerz
Better showcase for Day/Night cycle in screenshots.

[Szuran]

I like windows that show me locations that I will visit later down my journey. I use them all the time, they're like foreshadowing: oooh, what a cool location, but don't worry, you'll get there.

It's what makes me want to keep playing.

[Maximum Matt]

When you start a level facing diagonally to the map grid.

[yakfak]

- locked doors which you'll never find the key for but can eventually visit both sides of
- huge drops into the unknown

- a one-shot BFG you'll never find any more ammo for

- inexplicable decorative geometry, not borders and colonnades so much as insane macrosculptures

- siege combat; big defensive edifices with lots of projectile snipers in battle positions, so that superhot players can dive in and look heroic while more modest players can hide behind crates and shotgun one imp at a time
- anything else that makes Doom feel more like Dark Souls lol

 

these are a few of my favourite things. but mostly i like to be surprised by the author's whimsy!
 

[Test Tickle]

I love the use of invisible teleports to make a geometrically impossible area

Edited May 29, 2020 by pc234

[Hisymak]

When someone creates something that looks like a true 3D (i.e. a platform, bridge, decoration) and when I even say "Wow, I cannot believe this could be even made in vanilla Doom engine!". The best example is BTSX E1 MAP01, the bridge over nukage pool.

Those fake 3D bridges made up from instant raise/lower actions do not count here.

[BluePineapple72]

Secrets that you can see that are juuust out of reach, prompting you to think: how do I get that?

[Lila Feuer]

Damaging floors for non-liquids, like being in space or traveling through an area that is too hot or cold. Silent teleporters to simulate 3D environments. 3D bridges. Sector colored lighting ala BUILD engine. Deep water. Seamless progression. Monsters that seem to have a teleporting ability due to monster-specific linedefs.

[BigBoy91]

Intentional HOM.

[Jayextee]

Creative use of upper/lower pegging to move a texture with a floor/ceiling and give the impression of actual machinery moving it around.

[666shooter]

I'm going to mention this one because I just don't see it too often: Medkits by the exit. It's a Skillsaw trademark and makes a big difference if you're playing continuous. No matter how bs that final fight was, how much I hated that last level, the fact that there's two medkits to make sure I'm not going to start the next map with 5% health makes everything just a little better.

[Yes, I know it has been used in one or two other Wads such as Interception Map 15, but it's still fairly uncommon.]

Edited May 30, 2020 by 666shooter
Shoutout to Phobos' "25 Years on Earth" for this!