[GZDoom] DOOM II - The Cage Under Site 19 - 4/17 Big Ass Revamp/Update

[Deleted]

 

Mini update 5/12/2021 - A bit more ammo placed around the early areas, remade a secret near the start, map had 4-5 stealth pinkies that are now spectres instead, other small tweaks

 

UPDATE 04/17/2021  - An overhauled version that I've been working on for a while is ready to play. There are a ton of changes, too many to list, but the entire map has gone through a huge upgrade with improved/new encounters, events, visuals, difficulty levels, and basically everything else that I wanted to refine. This is more or less a redux version of the WAD that I uploaded last October. If you've already played this before and enjoyed it, you may want to try another round as the old version is just obsolete in comparison.

 

If you do give this a go I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments! Many hours have been spent revising this WAD, as I wanted to put out one giant release with all the changes implemented instead of a bunch of smaller individual updates. Again, there are too many changes to individually state, but this update does include:      

 

• The final boss room has been completely remade/redesigned and is a much bigger finale. The original ending felt lacking, the new boss room is superior in every way. 
• Several secrets are more rewarding - they feel more unique and interesting to discover. A few have new challenges of their own if discovered. 
• New monster encounters, new events, and improvements to previous ones. Spawns have been changed around in many areas, especially in the 2nd half of the map.
• Loot placement is trimmed back in many areas. I've kept the more generous amounts in busier areas, but these have also been tweaked. Old version had too excess such as armor where it didn't need to be, backpacks (sorry Clippy), etc...
• Map is definitely harder. I've tried to strike that balance where ammo is plentiful enough to be enjoyable, but at the same time you'd still benefit from using the chainsaw when able. 
• New visuals across the map, including a 3D skybox to add a sense of place. Practically every room has been touched up on and expanded upon. A few new textures from the Realm667 resource website. While actual rooms in the old version were varied enough, some of the decorative stuff felt a bit samey, which I wanted to improve. There are tons of visual (large and small) changes all over the place.  
• New traps, including changes to previous traps so that they feel more thought-out and surprising.   

 

Map/Gameplay Summary:

 

This is a large and lengthy one map WAD with an average playtime of 50-60 minutes, and for the most part is medium-high difficulty. The gameplay involves progressing through a large complex with ever-changing environments around every corner, while still keeping everything cohesive and focused. While it is not exactly a slaughterhouse-type map (such as spawning 50 pinkies at once), there is still a high enemy count with periods of smaller fights and at other times large battles. You'll find many traps and secrets along the way. This map is LONG for a single WAD and does take some time to clear out. You will be shooting and fighting your way through tons of rooms to make it to the end! 

 

Requirements:

• Sourceport - GZDOOM 
• Installed copy of DOOM II
• Roughly one hour of your time

 

GZDoom Settings:

• Be sure that freelook, jumping, and crouching are enabled
• Hardware rendering and OpenGL
• Compatibility mode: Default (avoid any collision/infinite tall monster issues) 
• Ultra Violence is recommended. There are difficulty levels implemented, but UV would be the way to go. 

 

Download Links:

• 05/12/2021 - Latest Release: https://www.dropbox.com/s/j3daicwl1948mup/TheCageUnderSite19.wad?dl=0

 

 New Updated Screenshots:

 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2021 by hjordan159
Change a sentence

[RagingKrikkit]

Interesting choice of name, am I sensing some SCP influence?

 

I've also never given Project Brutality a spin, so I'll go ahead and grab that.

 

EDIT: Okay, so giving it up to the blue key, I'm observing that you have a serious thing for hitscanner firing lines, which leads to a very stop-and-go corner-fighting approach.  It's a legitimate approach, but it's one that's generally outside the territory that people enjoy.  You make rooms that I would enjoy fighting in, but then you put three chaingunners around every corner, so I never end up actually using the room beyond ducking in and out the door.  I'd recommend giving Congestion 1024 a spin for a quick study in how to keep Doom moving in close quarters.

Edited October 8, 2020 by RagingKrikkit

[Biodegradable]

4 hours ago, hjordan159 said:

I may eventually try to release a regular source port DOOM II version for the option of a more vanilla experience.

 

I'd highly recommend getting on that if you want a good number of members to give it a go. A map that's heavily reliant on mods like Brutal Doom or Project Brutality will largely get ignored here, unfortunately.

[Deleted]

10 hours ago, RagingKrikkit said:

Interesting choice of name, am I sensing some SCP influence?

 

I've also never given Project Brutality a spin, so I'll go ahead and grab that.

 

EDIT: Okay, so giving it up to the blue key, I'm observing that you have a serious thing for hitscanner firing lines, which leads to a very stop-and-go corner-fighting approach.  It's a legitimate approach, but it's one that's generally outside the territory that people enjoy.  You make rooms that I would enjoy fighting in, but then you put three chaingunners around every corner, so I never end up actually using the room beyond ducking in and out the door.  I'd recommend giving Congestion 1024 a spin for a quick study in how to keep Doom moving in close quarters. 

 

Hey there! It's a no on the SCP question, I just wanted a sinister sounding title.

 

Yeah, so I am a fan of the old PC game Blood where you dodge and corner combat hitscanners. And some of the DOOM Wads that increase DOOM II levels enemy count to where just getting into a room is a fight. I kind of wanted every corner to have a threat, and enjoy using Project Brutalities arsenal to mow down a firing line of enemies. Still, I will take your suggestion seriously and have another look at hitscanner placement.  

 

9 hours ago, Biodegradable said:

 

I'd highly recommend getting on that if you want a good number of members to give it a go. A map that's heavily reliant on mods like Brutal Doom or Project Brutality will largely get ignored here, unfortunately.

 

That is what I figured and definitely don't mind doing!

[RagingKrikkit]

1 hour ago, hjordan159 said:

 

Hey there! It's a no on the SCP question, I just wanted a sinister sounding title.

 

Yeah, so I am a fan of the old PC game Blood where you dodge and corner combat hitscanners. And some of the DOOM Wads that increase DOOM II levels enemy count to where just getting into a room is a fight. I kind of wanted every corner to have a threat, and enjoy using Project Brutalities arsenal to mow down a firing line of enemies. Still, I will take your suggestion seriously and have another look at hitscanner placement.  

 

 

Ah, you're a Blood man, now it makes sense.  My guess was that it was a side effect of designing the map for a Brutal Doom offshoot on high difficulty.  In that case, I'd point out that Blood (assuming that Civvie11 is any good, I've never played it myself) makes copious use of the dynamite on the higher skill levels to soften up rooms beforehand, and tends to break up its rooms with cover, which leads to a much more frantic and dynamic fight than just a back-and-forth at the door.  Assuming that Project Brutality has a grenade launcher somewhere in that arsenal, it might make a good early pickup, perhaps in the opening bunker.

 

As for the SCP connection, Site19 is one of the original fragments of SCP lore, first mentioned in the same post that started the whole train ride.  I'm not saying it's bad and you should change the name, but I get the feeling that I won't be the last person to make that connection.

[Deleted]

On 10/8/2020 at 3:20 AM, Biodegradable said:

 

I'd highly recommend getting on that if you want a good number of members to give it a go. A map that's heavily reliant on mods like Brutal Doom or Project Brutality will largely get ignored here, unfortunately.

 

On 10/8/2020 at 2:43 PM, RagingKrikkit said:

 

Ah, you're a Blood man, now it makes sense.  My guess was that it was a side effect of designing the map for a Brutal Doom offshoot on high difficulty.  In that case, I'd point out that Blood (assuming that Civvie11 is any good, I've never played it myself) makes copious use of the dynamite on the higher skill levels to soften up rooms beforehand, and tends to break up its rooms with cover, which leads to a much more frantic and dynamic fight than just a back-and-forth at the door.  Assuming that Project Brutality has a grenade launcher somewhere in that arsenal, it might make a good early pickup, perhaps in the opening bunker.

 

As for the SCP connection, Site19 is one of the original fragments of SCP lore, first mentioned in the same post that started the whole train ride.  I'm not saying it's bad and you should change the name, but I get the feeling that I won't be the last person to make that connection.

 

Hello again, just letting both of you know that I have uploaded a new version for playing without Brutal/Brutality. The original post has been updated if you are interested in checking this out again.

[Biodegradable]

This is an excellent map. It's long, but not exhausting. I loved the layout and progression. It got slightly predictable in the middle regarding the combat, but it was never boring because the map had so many different shaped rooms with different height variations that kept things spicy. I really enjoyed myself with this one, man. Adding it my "Keepers" folder hehe. ;^)

 

 

[Deleted]

Thanks for playing and I'm glad you enjoyed it!  

 

If you ever replay, there is an updated WAD that fixes a few bugs (you encountered a couple in your playthrough). It's odd that the hanging torsos are causing you collision issues, as this doesn't happen on my end. 

Edited October 11, 2020 by hjordan159

[RagingKrikkit]

On 10/11/2020 at 11:35 AM, hjordan159 said:

Thanks for playing and I'm glad you enjoyed it!  

 

If you ever replay, there is an updated WAD that fixes a few bugs (you encountered a couple in your playthrough). It's odd that the hanging torsos are causing you collision issues, as this doesn't happen on my end. 

That's probably a side effect of your GZDoom compatibility settings, and Bio is using a more strict setting than you are.  There are non-collision versions of the corpses in the editor, if you want to swap them out.

[Biodegradable]

5 hours ago, RagingKrikkit said:

That's probably a side effect of your GZDoom compatibility settings, and Bio is using a more strict setting than you are. 

 

Can confirm that. I had my compatibility setting on Doom (Strict) because of the map set we're currently playing for the DWmegaWAD Club and I keep forgetting to toggle it heh. :P

[Deleted]

20 hours ago, RagingKrikkit said:

That's probably a side effect of your GZDoom compatibility settings, and Bio is using a more strict setting than you are.  There are non-collision versions of the corpses in the editor, if you want to swap them out.

 

Thanks, I'm glad that I now understand why that was happening. I've also posted an update with new content, including corpses being changed to non-collision in many areas.

 

14 hours ago, Biodegradable said:

 

Can confirm that. I had my compatibility setting on Doom (Strict) because of the map set we're currently playing for the DWmegaWAD Club and I keep forgetting to toggle it heh. :P

 

Definitely good to know. I've added that to my recommended GZDoom settings. If you are interested in checking out the newest version, I have updated the original post:

• A new, different opening has been added to the starting zone.
• More secrets have been added. Secrets have been cleaned up and now show the correct amount (currently 15).
• An overall polish in several areas - tweaks to some monster spawns, a new trap, improved/cleaned up the ending fight, a bit tougher on higher difficulties, etc.

I clicked on your profile and see that you playtest a ton of WADs! If you know anyone on here who also likes to review WAD's and may be interested in mine, please let them know!

 

[Biodegradable]

15 minutes ago, hjordan159 said:

I clicked on your profile and see that you playtest a ton of WADs! If you know anyone on here who also likes to review WAD's and may be interested in mine, please let them know!

 

Say no more, fam. Lemme see if I can get some of the boys in on this: @Clippy @Zolgia108 @Suitepee @Horus @TheNoob_Gamer @Soulless @ElPadrecitoCholo I got another fun map you guys should take for a spin.

Edited October 15, 2020 by Biodegradable

[ElPadrecitoCholo]

First of all, I thank @Biodegradable for letting me know about this wad, really interesting to try, and boy, was it quite a gaming experience.

 

Second, now I will continue with what is my comment about everything I saw and experimented with this wad, also leaving a record of what was played on said map.
 

.

.

.

.

.

 

The Cage Under Site 19

 

Ultra-Violence || GZDoom || Final Doomer+

Status:
*Deaths: 0
*Saves: none





 

The map is really great, there are quite a variety of structures throughout the area, starting with the one at the beginning, which is set in the catacombs, or in a kind of cemetery that reminds me of the first level of the BLOOD game, and then go inside of a kind of huge base or laboratory with many corridors and a very extended drainage passage, there is so much to talk about these areas, but I will be direct and brief, there are areas where darkness abounds, others where you can see a lot of technology, and in others, it seems that you are entering a kind of machinery in which different switches are managed for each thing, I mean, getting the keys in each of these areas is not easy, some rooms lead you to very lethal traps, in the sense that they send you enough enemies to kill at each step, these structures are divided into several things, such as technology areas, areas where there seem to be demonic entrails and souls in full torture, there are also large patio areas, others that consist of structures that look like a kind of machine work, elevators almost everywhere, you go up and down, from left to right, from one side to the other. Another, it's not really a linear map, and you must explore a lot, both to find the keys and to find the secrets, but in general, the decoration, setting and architecture of the Wad in general I liked, there are parts of certain areas They remind me of other wads made by different users that I have been getting to know lately, and to finish, one of my favorite areas is the descent into the confrontation of the Cyberdemon and the Spider Mastermind.

 

Now touching the part of the difficulty, well... in this aspect the Wad stands out, since the vast majority of areas of this map are plagued by annoying enemies, I mean, on this map are all the enemies of Doom II, Without exception, from the Hitscanners, to the Arachnatrons, they were even added to the Nazi soldiers of map 32 of Doom II, there are parts in which there are too many encounters with strong enemies, and that is, apart from the hitscanners, Imps and Pinkys, the strong demons that will be seen the most in this Wad will be: Barons Of Hell, Hell Knohts, Revenants, Cacodemons and Mancubus, with those 5 the fights in different parts of the wad will be quite frequent, a little before the middle of the game to the end, there is one or another trap that will include an Archvile but it will be almost until the end, and with respect to the final fight of the Cyberdemon and the Spider mastermind, I will only say that the creator is very grateful for having made a room big enough to make the fight more than fair, with so much enemy that was getting in the way, concentration was quickly lost. In conclusion, I ended up having a really good time, very funny map / wad, well, entertaining would be a better word, besides, if I felt a little stress but only in places where there was less light, otherwise, a very excellent job in the creation of this wad, although a shame for me not to find all the secrets, but good work as well with everything else, partner.

Edited October 15, 2020 by ElPadrecitoCholo

[Soulless]

It looks reeeeeally good, Ill try to test this one for sure. Thanks @Biodegradable for the summoning!

[Clippy]

 

[Clippy]

Ignore this post

Edited October 16, 2020 by Clippy
Technical issues

[Clippy]

OK sorry about last link, this should work:

 

 

[Soulless]

This was a pleasure to play, from the crypt start, to the bloody end. I think progression was probably the best, it was clear were to go all the way through,  visuals are really well combined too.

Combats were good enough, not too difficult. Some battles were a matter of infight, so I ended with maybe too many cells and rockets, but at the end I went crazy with the cyberdemons and spent almost everything except for bullets and shells.

Excellent map!

Leaving here my final stats, I kinda rushed a bit so I didnt care too much for some of the secrets and kills, but this is one of those maps I will replay eventually.

 

 

Edited September 25, 2021 by Soulless

[Deleted]

On 10/15/2020 at 12:39 AM, ElPadrecitoCholo said:

....The map is really great, there are quite a variety of structures throughout the area, starting with the one at the beginning, which is set in the catacombs, or in a kind of cemetery that reminds me of the first level of the BLOOD game, and then go inside of a kind of huge base or laboratory with many corridors and a very extended drainage passage, there is so much to talk about these areas.......

 

Thanks for your review, and I'm glad to see that you found the secret with the Nazi Soldiers...

 

On 10/15/2020 at 6:25 PM, Clippy said:

OK sorry about last link, this should work:

 

 

 

It's kind of crazy to watch someone else play your work and see how they react. Happy to see that you enjoyed it, and congratulations on inheriting a mountain of backpacks during your playthrough. As to one of your ending comments - I would like to keep mapping and create more WADs (probably will at some point), as my head is full of ideas after putting this out. For the next several months I won't have as much spare time, but wouldn't be surprised if I started planning out more maps regardless... 

 

12 hours ago, Soulless said:

This was a pleasure to play, from the crypt start, to the bloody end. I think progression was probably the best, it was clear were to go all the way through,  visuals are really well combined too. Combats were good enough, not too difficult.... 

 

Hi there, thank you for the review! I wanted it to feel like a place you were actually progressing through, and had a lot of fun building all of those rooms and arenas. Thanks for playing and it's nice to see that you enjoyed yourself!

Edited October 17, 2020 by hjordan159

[ElPadrecitoCholo]

1 hour ago, hjordan159 said:

Thanks for your review, and I'm glad to see that you found the secret with the Nazi Soldiers...

@hjordan159  You're welcome, and being honest, the appearance of the Nazi soldiers in that secret really took me by surprise, I did not expect to find them in that area hahaha

[Clippy]

@hjordan159you might be interested to know your use of backpacks inspired me to make a backpack only map

 

I'm only on stage one: an idea 

 

I'll call you when it's done

 

 

 

 

[Suitepee]

https://www.twitch.tv/videos/814579191

 

My playthrough starts at around 2:26:05.

[Deleted]

Hello, I have been working on a rather large update with a bunch of changes for this WAD, which I feel is good enough to release now. The original post has been edited with changes and new screenshots, but here is a snippet:

 

• Spoiler

   

  • The final boss room has been completely remade/redesigned and is a much bigger finale. The original ending felt lacking, the new boss room is superior in every way. 
  • Several secrets are more rewarding - they feel more unique and interesting to discover. A few have new challenges of their own if discovered. 
  • New monster encounters, new events, and improvements to previous ones. Spawns have been changed around in many areas, especially in the 2nd half of the map.
  • Loot placement is trimmed back in many areas. I've kept the more generous amounts in busier areas, but these have also been tweaked. Old version had too excess such as armor where it didn't need to be, backpacks (sorry Clippy), etc...
  • Map is definitely harder. I've tried to strike that balance where ammo is plentiful enough to be enjoyable, but at the same time you'd still benefit from using the chainsaw when able. 
  • New visuals across the map, including a 3D skybox to add a sense of place. Practically every room has been touched up on and expanded upon. A few new textures from the Realm667 resource website. While actual rooms in the old version were varied enough, some of the decorative stuff felt a bit samey, which I wanted to improve. There are tons of visual (large and small) changes all over the place.  
  • New traps, including changes to previous traps so that they feel more thought-out and surprising.  

   

   

This update was a ton of time and work! I feel like I've practically made this map all over again, and have probably clicked on just about every pre-existing linedef while doing this overhaul. I started improving one area, and just kept going which lead to this big project of combing through the entire map and changing everything that I didn't like or saw ways to improve. Give it a try and let me know what you think!

[terminator]

hi. had a big blast wading this map in uv. so many deaths (not surprising being a newbie). some places in the wad were full of health and ammo, while others drove me to the point of questioning myself ,"does the author really want me to fight hordes of monsters with just a chainsaw?". though vanilla, the multiple art styles and mix of indoors and outdoors made the map far from being a long boring stretch of corridors. absolutely gorgeous. congrats and a huge thanks for the awesome work done. hope you could make more maps like this in the future.

 

Edited May 27, 2021 by terminator

[Deleted]

@saibog Thanks for your comments and glad that you enjoyed this! The high res textures from your screenshots look pretty nifty. I would definitely want to (and probably will) create more WADS, just a matter of how much time I have for gaming/computer. Thank you again for playing!

[DavidN]

Video playthrough for you :) This map looks great throughout and makes great use of some GZDoom tricks! The thing that really stood out to me about this map was its traps - you had me on edge the entire time, wondering what surprises were going to come next and being continuously unprepared for them...

 

 

[Deleted]

On 5/7/2021 at 4:58 PM, DavidN said:

Video playthrough for you :) This map looks great throughout and makes great use of some GZDoom tricks! The thing that really stood out to me about this map was its traps - you had me on edge the entire time, wondering what surprises were going to come next and being continuously unprepared for them...

 

Thanks for playing! Your doom videos are very entertaining, I'm glad that you enjoyed running about in this map. The next time I put out another doom level I'll definitely send you a message.

 

I put out a small update that adds more ammo in the early areas/changes stealth pinkies to spectres/other small things. The ammo seemed okay to me but probably as a result of knowing where all the secrets are. Anyways, thank you again for your channel and giving this map a playthrough!