Maps by Jacek Bourne

[Jacek Bourne]

This thread consists of all maps I've released:

 

 

In order of release:

Map03 (120kb)

Map01

Map02

Map03 (421kb)

Tyrannical Fortress

Environmental Storytelling

City Level Concept

Indoor Tech Based Level

Indoor Tech Based Level  2

Imperium

Combat Puzzle Test

A Beginner's Nightmare

Berserk Practice Map

Incidental Combat Test 1

ManRev Practice Map

Aesthetics Testing

Incidental Combat Test 2

Enigmatic

Of Blood And Stone

Curvular

Cybershot

Walking The Abyss

 

This contains most of them:

https://www.mediafire.com/file/lbgydd0v51fkbtb/Maps_by_Jacek_Bourne.zip/file

 

Edited February 10 by Jacek Bourne

[Jacek Bourne]

July 5 2020

 

This Map is the first of two maps that will share the some scenery between them. Example: You can see parts of the second part from the first map through windows. Play through zdoom compatible ports.

 

Map02.wad

 

The theme of this map is to only use 10 enemies as to force better placement. Give an HONEST review.

 

Map01.wad

Edited February 10 by Jacek Bourne

[DannT]

My main concern is with the ammo placement, rather than the monsters. I was able to take care of the Specter with the pistol, but would have preferred the shotgun. You provided that right after, but then I had to take down an Archvile and Rev with just the base weapon and two ammo drops. The map gave me cover, and they seemed to get stuck on the stairs, so I could pick them off, but I ran out of everything. Moving to the easiest difficulty cut the damage in half, so I was able to proceed. Then I had another Rev and two Hell knights to take down with just a few more shells. I got the Rev to infight, which helped, but then once they were gone, there was the much needed ammo right before the level ended. 

 

I'm basically suggest moving all the current ammo drops to before the current monster placement. 

[Mordeth]

@Jacek Bourne, I've merged your two threads. Don't create new topics for every new map, but put them together in the same thread please.

[DannT]

Regarding Map02, it was an improvement. The level design sort of brought me back to Wolfenstein 3-D, so I may play with some more geometry and something other than a plain grey wall. I like some of the details like the illumination of the ceiling lights. 

 

Enemy placement was doable, but Chaingunners and Revs are a hard combo to deal with. After a few resaves, I was able to get through. The Hell Knights at the end weren't too bad, but they seldom are. I thought the three health packs were excessive until I had 4 more chaingunners show up behind me. Here's a playthrough in any case. 

 

 

[magicsofa]

lol @ saving right before the exit

Jacek, I'd strongly encourage putting an exit sign in there, it's a good habit to get into so that people don't exit your maps before they've explored as much as they want to. In this case it's a small and linear enough map that it doesn't matter much, but most players will expect some indication that they are about to cross the finish line.

[DannT]

Truth be told, I had no idea that was the exit. Every door was the starting door texture, usually reserved for the one you can't use. 

[Jacek Bourne]

Thank you for your helpful feedback. I will adjust my ammo placement and add exit signs in future maps. The reason I did put a door after the exit is because the next map MAP03 is going to continue using MAP02 from an outdoor view. I understand why you would like me to put exit signs.

[Sir Hattington]

I thought the encounters in these maps were pretty interesting. But I would recommend using more than one texture for your maps.

[Jacek Bourne]

This Map MAP03 is a continuation of MAP02 and you can revisit MAP02 from it if you are a bit clever. It is a learning experience for outside areas. Give an HONEST review. I suggest playing my MAP02 before playing this one. Play through any zdoom compatible port. This is a much more difficult map than the previous 2 and is a longer map.

 

Map03.wad

Edited January 30 by Jacek Bourne

[Jacek Bourne]

Edit to MAP03: Fixed some monsters stuck in walls or above ledges. Re-balanced health pickups.

 

 

Map03.wad

Edited January 30 by Jacek Bourne

[Jacek Bourne]

This is a the map I've been working on for the last few days. It has 255 enemies. I made it a bit harder than the last few maps I've released. Play through any zdoom compatible port that supports conveyor belt sectors. It uses those for some switch mechanics. Give an HONEST review. If you could post gameplay footage that would also be helpful. Play through Plutonia settings.

 

Tyrranical_Fortress.wad

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 30 by Jacek Bourne

[Jacek Bourne]

This is a map I made to see how I could use environmental storytelling. I personally enjoy the gameplay in this map. However I would like HONEST reviews. Don't go easy on me. Please be specific in your critique of my map. Tell me what it does well and what it does terribly. Play using any zdoom compatible port. Use DOOM II or PLUTONIA iwad.

 

Environmental_Storytelling.wad

Edited January 30 by Jacek Bourne

[DannT]

Here's a playthrough of Tyrannical Fortress. Much improved over your first few maps, so great job. Was pretty tough, but I was able to exploit some infighting to help with the ammo balancing. There were a few waves I bypassed in order to progress too. With some more ammo, I would have fought through them, but at least I made it to the end. There's a few textures not showing up on my end, so see the video. 

 

 

[DannT]

Here's the other map. Challenging, as I'm not the best in confined rooms, but I was able to make it out. If I had any suggestions, it would be to shorten the time before the first door opens with the soldiers (I was confused being in a locked room) and maybe also open the escape door a little sooner after the final wave, so you have a place to go. (Rev's and Hell Knights are a messy combo)

 

 

[Jacek Bourne]

 

 

This is a semi open world "city" level. It is set place in a city however doesn't follow the traditional format used in city levels. It has both outside and inside areas. You could call this a tech themed level. This is why I've been essentially inactive over the last month or so. Give an honest review. I want to know what this map does right and does wrong. I'd like to know if this map is fun and enjoyable. Be especially critical.

Map Size: Medium Large

Difficulty: Medium

Pwad: Doom II

Source Port: Must allow conveyor belts

Testing Port: GZDoom

 

City_Level_Concept.wad

 

 

 

Edited January 30 by Jacek Bourne

[Jacek Bourne]

A new map I made in about a day. Not much else to say about it except I like the way it looks. 3 rooms with varied fights between them. Give an HONEST review. I'd like to know what this map does right and wrong so be especially critical.

Indoor Tech Based Level.wad

Map Size: Small

Difficulty: Medium

Pwad: Doom II

Source Port Requirements: Must Allow Conveyors

Testing Port: GzDoom

 

 

 

Edited January 30 by Jacek Bourne

[Jacek Bourne]

I created this to see if I could get some traditional-ish doom gameplay down. The sort you'd see in between large fights in a map. Give an HONEST review. I'd like to know what this map does right and wrong so be especially critical.

Map Size: Very Small

Difficulty: Medium Easy

Pwad: Doom 2

Source Port Requirements: Must Allow Conveyors

Testing Port: GZDoom

Indoor Tech Based Level 2.wad

 

 

 

Edited January 30 by Jacek Bourne
Added Screenshots

[Biodegradable]

I like how the maps look, but the choice of demons and their placements is a bit off. While the beginning is intense and cool with the Imps and Revenants, the placement of the Mastermind and the abundence of Archviles make the challenge tedious rather than fun, especially with the lack of resources and space to move around and deal with them. I pretty much had to plink at enemies from a distance a lot rather than really getting to engage with them. Personally, I've can't get behind the idea of using an Archvile as a turret. I feel it doesn't really utilise his strength as an enemy, cheapens his effectiveness, makes him less threatening and just a chore to deal with rather than a high-stakes duck and weave combat scenario as you're sweating bullets trying to deal as much damage to him as possible, getting out of the range of his attack and trying to prevent him from resurrecting as many dead enemies as possible. That's what makes the Archvile terrifying and fun. Sticking him in a little cage or on a platform can work if you put him in the middle of a large area filled with other demons around, but isolating him from pretty much everything else misses the point of what makes him one of the most threatening Doom demon. While the Mastermind isn't nearly as versatile, the same logic applies: She works best when both you and her have room to move around and has other demons backing her up. More experienced mappers would be able to explain which demons work as turrets and which don't better than I could so I'd ask around. The common thread though is spacing and understanding each demon's abilities and strengths. Doom's combat works best when there's enough space for both parties to move around and which demons are placed in specific circumstances according to the shape of a sector in a map. How you mix and match the demons, team-ups and where you put them in a map really makes the difference between making your combat feel stilted and boring to fluid and dynamic.

 

 

The map looks cool; the design and texture work is solid, but the combat is what falls flat in my opinion. Regardless, it's one of the better maps of yours I've played. Keep studying and keep mapping, dude. :^)

[Jacek Bourne]

This map is a collection of 12 slaughter based fights using otex. Be HONEST in your review. I'd like to know exactly what this map does right and wrong so be especially critical. You may want to judge it on a fight by fight basis. If so label the fight by either describing it in detail or by number so I know which you are criticising.

Map Size: Large

Difficulty: Hard

Pwad: Doom 2

Source Port Requirements: Must allow conveyors.

Testing Port: GzDoom

 

Imperium.wad

Edited January 30 by Jacek Bourne

[Jacek Bourne]

Screenshots:

 

 

 

Edited January 30 by Jacek Bourne

[Arbys550]

Here's my playthrough of Imperium:

 

I liked it for the most part, but I thought the fights were a little too symmetrical. There's more thoughts in the video.

[Jacek Bourne]

A Simple Test of a few combat puzzle based fights.

Map Size: Small

Difficulty: Hard

Iwad: Doom 2

Format: Boom

Testing Port: GZDoom

 

 

Combat_Puzzle_Test_1.zip

Edited January 30 by Jacek Bourne

[Arbys550]

Just gave it a run through and recorded it, no commentary. The fights were a lot of fun. I thought they were vastly improved from the last map, if that's a metric that you care about. With some more focus on visuals and maybe some more length I could see this becoming a fun little slaughtermap.

 

My only criticism is it seems odd that you can just camp on the upper area in the final fight and choose to pretty much ignore everything on the lower level.

 

 

[Jacek Bourne]

Thank you! Thank you for your helpful criticism.

[El Inferno]

Decided to try your Imperium map because I liked the visuals in the screenshots (yes, this is important). Here are my notes I've taken during the fights:

1. (Imps) A classic imp ssg thing, nothing much to say.

2. (SMM + HKs) Way too much ammo in this one. Pretty straightforward circlestrafing fairly soon. 

3. (Cyber+HKs) No health before fight which is not very good in general but in this case there were no reason to take damage. Good Cyber-Hk - balance. The arena geometry is a bit too simple to my taste.

4. (Rev-Cb-Pinky) Nice monster variation after 2 fights with Hks. Nearly died here

5. (Bfg-Rev-AV) Died twice. Like this one actually. Good ammo balance.

6. (Hk+Rev ambush) A nice break in the "press switch to initiate fight" recipe. Revs are a bit tedious to kill, maybe group them in pairs or triples on ledges to make them faster to clear off with RL. 

At this point something weird happended to my save file and I had to idclip to the fight again. This time a rev actually fell off the map and I was softlocked.

7. (2 cybs in the middle) Pretty good. I think there's just too many Hks and imps. After I killed cybers it took a while for them to spawn. Either more cybers or less imps and hks, I think. Or faster teleporters maybe

8. (...) Woah, this was something. I like the idea. My strategy was to camp the spawn trying not to let too many in simultaneously. Maybe a bit too rng but I haven't played this fight a lot to say.

9. (arena with flowers on the floor) your tipical circumstrafe to win arena. And the essentially infinite bfg makes it even worse. This is a common problem in the latter fights: you bassically use only bfg in them and don't need to switch to RL at any point. This can be fixed by restricting the cell ammo count, I think (but, personally, I mostly avoid giving bfg in my own maps since it's hard to balance it to other weapons). But otherwise the fight is pretty fun yet straightforward.

10. AVs can shoot you out the arena, add blocklines to avoid that. This was the first really tricky arena for me. I really like the first part with cacos, AVs and cyber in the centre. The strategy is kind of circumstrafe while hiding from AV zaps and trying to kill them quickly. I would've removed invul and the latter rev spam from this fight though. The invul was a bit deceptive: I initially thought that I need to grab it straight away and kill everything. But I actually have to save it for the later rev swarm and also keep a cyber in the centre (otherwise it seems like not enough ammo and space to kill them). The fight with cacos, Avs and cybers alone would've been better, imo.

11. (SMM-revs-pinkies-AVs) Like this one. Got it second try. Strategy was to quickly kill AVs then push pinkies and spam bfg to kill revs afterwards. Good fight.

12. A difficult AV fight. I like it. The last wave felt a bit unfair, needed some practice to time it well.

 

I hope this was helpful. In general I recommend doing more complicated shaped than squares for your arenas) Really, draw some interesting geometry and then try to place an interesting fight in it. More verticality in fights also helps 

 

 

[Jacek Bourne]

Here is an updated version of my previous map. I've rebalanced the 3rd fight and added a 5th one. No updates to the visuals for now.

Combat_Puzzle_Test_1.zip

Edited January 30 by Jacek Bourne

[Jacek Bourne]

Another update: Rebalanced the 5th area and added a 6th one. No visual updates.

Combat_Puzzle_Test_1.zip

Edited January 30 by Jacek Bourne

[Jacek Bourne]

Yet another update: Final area added. No visual updates. If you have time @Arbys550, test and critique this map.

Combat_Puzzle_Test_1.zip

Edited January 30 by Jacek Bourne

[Arbys550]

Just finished it, I'll post the video when it's done uploading. I liked the changes to the weird fight with the cyber up top, it makes more sense. I have an issue with the fight directly after the big hell knight swarm in that it seems arbitrary when the archviles and mancubi appear. I've had attempts where the archviles came out right away and some where they take forever to appear. Even with these, I'm not a fan of fights where you have to sit there waiting for enemies to infight, but that's just me.

 

Also with the final fight I wasn't really sure what the strategy was, I think I got lucky.

 

 

Edited March 21, 2021 by Arbys550