who're your favorite mappers

[pcorf]

Too many to list. But here are some.

 

Dr. Sleep

Jimmy

Ribbiks

Bridgeburner

Anthony Soto

Mechadon

Lee Szymanski

Insane Gazebo

AD_79

Dutch Doomer

Eric Alm

Christian Hansen

Nebula

Jan Van der Veken

Chris Lutz

Dragonfly

Esselfortium

Espi

Jaska

Steve D

 

And many, many more ......

 

Edited March 8, 2021 by pcorf

[omx32x]

sandy petersen

jimmy romeu

erik alm

dragonfly

[MattFright]

Here's my personal list, in no particular order:

 

• Skillsaw - As much as all of his mapsets are great, Lunatic is by far the best of his work IMO.
• Walkerrr - Has only made one mapset that i'm aware of, but it's the best i've ever played and has had a huge influence in all of my maps.
• Ribbiks - As much as his maps aren't exactly my favorites gameplaywise, they're some of the most visually unique and pretty.
• InsaneGazebo - Sunder.
• Jimmy - Super diverse library of maps, he's made so much fun stuff and i don't think i've ever felt burnt out playing his mapsets.
• Floatrand - Created Disjunction, which feels a lot like Sunder Lite to me, it was one of the first mapsets i've played and to this day still one of the most fun and memorable i've played.
• Forli - Pretty big and vast maps that don't feel empty or too slaughtery either, great choice for songs and the maps he makes are all gorgeous.
• Jaska - Lost civilization has been incredibly inspirational to me with the way it does natural looking environments, buildings and all of that while integrating them seemlessly into gameplay, unlike several huge maps that feel a bit too large and open for their own good.
• Tango - His maps to me are like if Valiant and Plutonia had a baby, and only took the best parts of both. Great stuff.
• Sgt_Mark_IV - To everyone who dislikes Brutal Doom and hasn't played his maps because of it: download Hell on Earth Starter Pack and play it "vanilla" and you won't regret it. His maps have a constant rotation of action, atmosphere and exploration, with lots of Build Engine style interactivity and setpieces. His maps are what really introduced me into Doom, and what got me excited about Doom.
• Egg Boy - I usually hate maps that are a lot about managing available space to dodge and distributing damage between several approaching deaths but these (and a few others) are concepts he executes so well in his maps that i can't help but love them, tight combat and balancing all around.

Edited March 8, 2021 by MattFright
funny typos

[MattFright]

By the way, that's quite an unfortunate URL for this thread

[AD_79]

I'm genuinely surprised at the sight of only a single mention of Tarnsman thus far. His instantly recognizable brand of clean, efficient design paired with fast and often rude, belligerent gameplay is one of my primary inspirations. "Bingo Pool Hall of Blood" and "Egyptian Metaphysics" from Get Out Of My Stations and Ancient Aliens respectively are maps I look to time and time again, and are always fun to revisit. In general, the BTSX team is and will continue to be a massive influence on my work for the foreseeable future, but if I were to name specific creators:

 

- Anyone who knows me in the Doomsphere is likely aware that I am a rampant, unapologetic Skillsaw fan. The argument can be made that he is unmatched in the realm of blindingly fast, fluid "run and gun" gameplay that propels the player forward and makes them feel borderline unstoppable. That is, until he smacks you down and reminds you not to get too carried away. Partner that gameplay style with strong layouts with plenty of breathing room and flow, pepper in some creative fights, and you've got a recipe for my favourite mapper. It's worth mentioning that Ancient Aliens is one of my favourite mapsets of all time, primarily for his work there.

 

- Pavera takes a similar approach to Skillsaw in creating frenetic, speedy gameplay, albeit in a slightly rougher, less refined manner. That doesn't make his work any less enjoyable though, as Pavera takes great joy in bestowing ample resources upon the player and letting them run wild with plenty of breathing room in his environments. "Total Exposure" is a prime example of this racetrack-esque style he has developed, a deceptively simple loop that will eventually trip you up if approached in an overly carefree manner.

 

- The oeuvre of Mechadon is unique: I generally prefer smaller, punchier outings in contrast to massive, sprawling adventures, yet I adore Mechadon's work in spite of that sort of adventure being his bread and butter. Or, more accurately, it is because he has figured out the way to make them work, and that is by crafting powerful, awe-inspiring layouts that twist around and contort back upon themselves while constantly rewarding the player with feelings of clear progress. Special mention to "Unstable Journey" from Tower in the Fountain of Sparks, a map I adore getting lost in, in more than one meaning of the word. A gargantuan, varied adventure, massively replayable due to its nonlinearity and sheer density.

 

- It goes without saying, but Xaser is an unstoppable creative hurricane in the community, possessing the Doom equivalent of the Midas touch in that everything he gets his hands on is given a heaping dose of ingenuity and imagination. One could say that yes, it all turns to gold. He has the power to transform relatively humdrum works into massively engaging and creative endeavours, and is no slouch when it comes to his solo maps, currently best exemplified in Tower's finale. "Beneath a Festering Moon" serves both as a fantastic narrative climax to the project as a whole and a tense, atmospheric adventure in isolation. Crawling through the tower's innards and uncovering the secrets nearby and deep within, to end up staring down a colossal gateway to realms unknown makes me feel... something I cannot quite describe, yet I know is a sensation that has not yet been matched anywhere else.

 

- I mentioned Stations' standout "Bingo Pool Hall of Blood" early on in this post. While Tarnsman shaped it into what we know it as now, if I remember things correctly it was originally an Esselfortium speedmap. Essel is easily one of the strongest vanilla mappers out there, possessing both a keen eye for tasteful detail and atmosphere, and for smart layouts that loop around in interesting ways. "Navigating Flood Regions" is one of her strongest for the way it marries those two core concepts, its expected loop taking a surprising turn into a painstakingly crafted, ruined rendition of the opening section, now crawling with opposition and making the player feel like a cornered animal scrambling for safety. "Eureka Signs" deserves a mention as well, a lengthy yet consistently engaging adventure dripping with a plaintive, lonely atmosphere.

 

There are surely many more creators I could mention (on the music side, Jimmy, Stewboy, and the aforementioned Essel are unrivaled), but I believe the above to be the most inspiring of the bunch, at least for me, and I respect the hell out of them all.

Edited March 8, 2021 by AD_79

[Egg Boy]

• Erik Alm - Usually small, sometimes ferocious, always fun
• Skillsaw - Very well thought out encounters, great map flow, chunky visuals (the good stuff)
• Tourniquet - Incredible verticality in most of his maps as well as often being very non linear
• Ribbiks - Another master of Doom combat, I love the milage he gets out of seemingly low monster counts (Crumpets, Sunlust)
• Joshy - Stuff that's usually too hard for me so I have to turn down the difficulty but generally high quality, big fan of Resurgence and specifically Twi-Lite Massacre
• Sandy Petersen - This man created so many tropes and gimmicks and I am tired of the slander put on his name

[⇛Marnetmar⇛]

romero

skillsaw

doomkid

rex claussen

doom marine

mouldy/cyriak

 

[Misty]

All shouts those unknown mappers who just silently push their maps in idgames or elsewhere and never create their threads, because they want be stealth and anonymous. 

[Doomkid]

The community is just so full of amazing mappers.. I don't need to tell you who the most influential mappers are or who makes awesome stuff for the 278th time so I'll just name some who I have taken the most direct inspiration from:

 

Adrian Smart

Gregory Dick

Shamus Young

Keith Hickman

TiC

Adelusion

Usurper

Talon

UniDoom as a whole

Tango

Xaser

Scypek

Decay

 

This list kinda-sorta chronologically shows the order in which I took influence as well, with the guys on the top half mostly being ghosts from the 90s and the bottom half being people I've seen/met/known who have had a notable impact on how I approach Doom mapping and modding as a whole.

 

It could go on a whole lot longer if I start listing creators who I like that I haven't necessarily been "directly inspired" by but I still just loved the hell outta their work. Almost all of them have been named at least a few times throughout this thread though so their work is not going unappreciated!

Edited March 8, 2021 by Doomkid

[Mr.Rocket]

Thanks for that @Misty. :P

[GarrettChan]

For the maps before 2000, I like Casali brothers' and Cranium's maps.

 

Modern era, there are too many :p

[Tristan]

me

i'm my favourite mapper

[Grain of Salt]

Rib

Didy

Danne

Tod

Gusta

Erik

Darkwave

Me :l

 

Future mappers:

Clib

Zengo

Lord Crumb

East

[Remilia Scarlet]

If I'm honest, I actually don't play many Doom maps.  Not out of dislike or anything, I just never really have played many user-made levels except for what came on some CDs back in the 90s.  I usually just play the official IWADs over and over lol.

 

That said... @Aquila Chrysaetos and @Misty for sure are two mappers where I constantly look forward to playing their next levels.  @FishyClockwork also has made some awesome maps, and I hope to see more from them.  Lee Szymanski is someone who makes some awesome maps as well.

 

As far as the original Id people go, American McGee is by far my favorite mapper there.

 

[ENEMY!!!]

The ones that spring to my mind are:

Dragonfly (Eviternity, GZDoom tutorials)

skillsaw (Valiant, Ancient Aliens, Heartland)

Bridgeburner56 (Mapwich, Mapwich 2, Bastion of Chaos, the upcoming The Age of Hell)

Tango (mainly for Supercharge mod)

Amuscaria (Demon Eclipse/Hell-Forged mod, asset artwork)

Xaser (mainly for weapons mods such as Eriguns)

Remilia Scarlet (Umbra of Fate, Shadows of the Nightmare Realm, moody ambient music and lighting)

Jimmy (various musical outputs, "Astral Dreadnaught" is a favourite of mine, also Faithless mod for Heretic)

Esselfortium (mainly Vaporware, BTSX and musical contributions, e.g. "Mystproj" for BTSX 1)

Stewboy (Cubic Worlds, also for use of unconventional harmonies in his music which often works well) 

Espi (Suspended in Dusk, Eternal Doom IV map 27)

Nash Muhandes (Nashgore, PDA Starter Kit)

ukiro (OTEX, Eviternity map 32)

 

I have probably missed a few other favourites as well.

Edited March 8, 2021 by ENEMY!!!

[P41R47]

I like some seriously influential mappers that for some reason has low profile to the point of not being even known.

@lupinx-Kassman is, without doubt, one of the best mappers out there.

Same with @SuperCupcakeTactics, @Roofi, @WH-Wilou84, @Eris, @StupidBunny.
They are just awesome mappers that didn't receive the attention they deserve just because they tend to work on cummunity projects.

[Loud Silence]

I can't remember all of my favorite mappers and there are still so many maps i haven't played yet, so i will name a very few...

Misty

Doomkid

Skillsaw

Mechadon

Erik Alm

Jimmy

Esselfortium

Dragonfly

rd.

ukiro

mouldy

Steve D

Xaser

[HQDefault]

I really wish I could keep track of all the mappers out there. I need to be paying more attention to the authors behind the WADs that I playthrough, and just in general I haven't played enough of the big stuff to be familiar with the works of the more well-known mappers.

 

But I do want to give special shoutout to @DavidN for one: His amazing map playthroughs, and two: Having a mapping style that I gel with like Strawberry Jam.

 

And also props to @Bridgeburner56, I'm not really big on his particular style, but his immense support of the community is pure chad energy.

[rehelekretep]

there are so many that i didnt want to look at the thread because then i would see other people's ideas and the list would become huge so going off memory alone:

 

skillsaw - for insane but accessible action and beautiful maps

ribbiks - for insane and inaccessible action and beautiful maps

dannebubinga - for insane and inaccessible action and beautiful and goofy maps

ToD - for insane and wildly inaccessible action and beautiful goofy maps

 

i think you can see my preferences pretty clearly lol. i think i even put them on the easy-hard / conventional-insane axes too

Edited March 8, 2021 by rehelekretep

[franckFRAG]

Like Eris...

 

But I’ll add more mappers :

 

Roofi

Tourniquet

Chainie / ChaingunnerX

Memfis

Paul Corfiatis

AD_79

 

My list is very influenced by my appetite in vanilla mapping.

[Zulk RS]

I haven't really played that much in terms of high-profile Doom wads and don't have any favorite mappers. Even when I play well regarded maps, I have a very bad habit of blanking out on the mapper's name. So I'll just shout out some mapper's who's maps I've enjoyed.

 

• American McGee: How can I not mention him? He made Doom 2 MAP14. I still love that map to bits
• Empyre: He made my favorite pwad. Sadly I don't think he made maps other than the ones in Empyrion
• Deathmatcher: DTS-T might be jank in places but I still love that wad, all things considered. I want to try more Single Player wads of his but I can't find any :P
• Skillsaw: Loved playing every bit of Ancient Aliens. Valiant... I didn't like it very much. Then again, maybe I was just too shit at Doom to really appreciate it. I should try playing Valiant some time again in the future.
• Ribbiks: I'm too shit at Doom to play his maps properly. I'm mentioning him because I've been playing Stardate casually (Heavy Save Scumming on UV. I like high monster counts so I'm not lowering difficulty for that reason. Even though UV is too tough for me) and looking at the architecture design inspired me to get back to work on my own wads.

 

[Omniarch]

Such a tough question! There have been so many superb mappers over the years, and so much fresh talent has appeared in the last year alone that I am spoiled for choice! I'll be old and grey before the supply of excellent Doom content runs dry at this rate.

 

I suppose I'll have to narrow it down from mappers I respect and who's content I greatly enjoy, and focus on the ones that inspire me personally. Here's my top ten, in alphabetical order:

 

@antares031: pretty sure I've raved about him before in a similar thread, but there are few creators out there with such a clear, cohesive and grandiose sense of vision. Everything from his combat to his detailing to his choice of music is just pitch perfect. I can only aspire to that level of full-stack competence and ambition.

 

@cannonball: this madlad managed to make Doom 1 combat more engaging and frenetic than 99% of that found in D2 wads. His encounter design is simply unmatched by any mapper this side of skillsaw. When I design encounters, the lessons I learned from Return to Hadron are always with me.

 

@Jimmy: I replay Deathless a lot. Way too much actually. Jimmy has refined the art of mapping into a craft, to such an extent in fact that he was able to whip up 27 maps' worth of the most enjoyable short-form Doom content I've played in just 9 days. I envy the man's work ethic and craft.

 

@Lutz: an artist as much as a mapper, Lutz's work is among the most immersive and atmospheric in existence. Phobos: Anomaly Reborn is one of the best showcases of immersive pseudo-realism in Doom-dom, and a high watermark for all such maps that follow. His lighting in particular is of great inspiration to me.

 

@NaturalTvventy: easily one of the most original mappers out there, with a strong grasp of high concept mapping. Of all those listed, NT is probably the one who has had the biggest impact on me, as anyone who has seen me singing No End In Sight's praises at every opportunity (I need to get a life) can attest.

 

@Scypek2: few mappers can immerse me so thoroughly in an experience, nor subvert my expectations so completely. His magnum opus, Three is a Crowd, is the only wad to date that actually made me care about the story being told, and that is quite inspirational to me.

 

@skillsaw: what can I say that hasn't already been said? If Doomworld were to one day decide to elect a 'King of Doom', his would be the only name on the ballot and no one would care, myself included. Above all else, I admire the sheer quality of the man's output, and his ability to bring together the entire community release after release. If there is such a thing as 'best Doom mapper', then skillsaw is your man.

 

@Viggles: as I said over in the DWMiniwad  Club the other day: Brigandine is art. Viggles seems as a much a painter as a mapper, such is the visual perfection of his magnum opus. Every aspect of the map from the smallest detail to the macro-architecture to the combat comes together to create a cohesive, enjoyable, immersive experience. My admiration for his work is limitless.

 

@years: every now and again, an outsider artist appears, bringing with them a vision so perfect and so distinctive that it immediately catches the eye of all that see it, and then vanishes without a trace. That vision is Nihility, and the artist, years. I'm not sure such a degree of lateral thinking is something one can aspire towards, but the cohesive sense of vision and attention to detail visible in her one work sure are.

 

@Xaser: the Doom community's greatest polymath, Xaser seems to have a finger in every pie, from mapping to modding to music to the very source ports we all use to play Doom. From The Lost Episode, to DTWID, to NEIS, to Syringe, this one man has played a defining role in all of these personal favourites. What is not to admire about The Conqueror?

 

Now, some special mentions:

 

Espi: a master of intimate detail and atmosphere, with an incredible talent for vanilla mapping. May he rest in peace.

 

Kim Andre Malde: Misri Halek is rightfully revered as one of, if not the most memorable maps in Doom history, a testament to the man's unique vision. R.I.P

 

@Miss Bubbles & @Count651: Lunar Catastrophe is one of the most enjoyable and uplifting wads I've played, a fantastic love letter to everything that makes Ultimate Doom great. There is something truly special about these two's creations, something infectiously enthusiastic. Now, all we need is Lunar Catastrophe 2: Earthside Boogaloo...

 

@Zylinderkatze: an outsider artist with an incredibly unique vision, and very talkative about it! His maps have a strange mixture of 90's experimentalism and a level of intimate detail only attainable with modern tools, all within the vanilla limits. Each of his maps feels like both a puzzle box and an adventure.

 

And of course, Sandy Petersen, John Romero, and American McGee, each responsible for some of my favourite IWAD levels, each with something to teach to an aspiring mapper.

[TheGreenZap]

For me it would be:

 

• Remilla Scarlet
• Capellan
• Eradrop
• Lord Z
• CrunchyNut44
• Ribbiks
• NaturalTvventy
• Doomkid

 

Edited June 15, 2021 by TheGreenZap

[Tanksy]

Ribbiks makes absolutely phenomenal maps.

[Bridgeburner56]

This is by no means an exhaustive list but I want to list a few mappers that I love that might fly below the radar a bit (I don't think these people have been mentioned yet?):

@DMPhobos Creates some of the most distinctive layouts out there and his maps are unfailingly gorgeous. Paired with a free flowing run and gun style of combat that is punctuated by spicy set pieces, I've yet to play a DMP map that I didn't enjoy.

 

@Misty A master of colour palettes, Misty's maps always stand out with an ethereal beauty that never fails to leave me wanting more. What I love about Misty's maps is that this beauty almost always masks brutal combat that punishes in oh so enjoyable ways. A velvet glove over an iron fist.

 

@Nirvana Another mapper who hides difficult technical combat behind a delightful facade, Nirvana's style is more towards the Ribbiks end of things but without getting too esoteric with encounter design. Difficult leaning towards ridiculous, but never quite crosses over to that point, Nirvana's maps are beautiful places to die.

 

@Guardsoul The perfect blend of classic mapping layout concepts and new school high fidelity visuals, Guardsoul's creations always lodge in the mind. There's always a memorable presentation or encounter that leaves me licking my lips for days after, even if he keeps stealing my pillars.
 

@Scotty Easily one of my favourites mappers (and a bit more well known). Probably more known for gratuitous slaughter ala Abandon but is also does excellent tighter combat set ups reminiscent of Plutonia style set ups. He's able to blend a variety of styles around a backbone of intensity that makes things feel consistently fresh and exciting. Also makes visually stunning maps that leave you wandering around in awe while you're getting your teeth pleasantly kicked in.

 

@CyanoBlugron Meticulously crafted and magnificent, Cyano's maps never have a thing out of place. Every element is considered both as an absolute concept, and in relation to the wider map. Cyano is also capable of a huge range of styles and is always pushing to add more arrows to his quiver.

Edited March 9, 2021 by Bridgeburner56

[dmslr]

4 hours ago, Eris said:

me

i'm my favourite mapper

[Linuxmaster1992]

I haven't played many maps, but I really like the work of @skillsaw

His work on heartland is amazing.

[Doomkid]

5 hours ago, rehelekretep said:

ToD - for insane and wildly inaccessible action and beautiful goofy maps

The fact that I forgot to mention ToD in my original post is making me question my life. My mapping is nothing like his, but playing his wads is literally always an inspiration to get back to the editor just because it reminds me of how amazing mapping as a concept is.

[LadyMistDragon]

Skillsaw - The way he's able to marry gameplay with killer visuals is just amazing.

 

Jaws in Space - I'm not sure he's ever made any map less than very fun

 

The Casali Brothers - I'm not really the hugest fan of Plutonia's visual style, but then, I played their non-Plutonia maps. The only one I disliked out of those was Caribbean, and that was a serious 'why' map.

 

Tom Mustaine - Very solid, very enjoyable maps that were arguably among the best of the mid 90s

 

Moeller Bros- Memento Mori and Memento Mori II are fantastic largely because of their efforts

 

Jens Nielsen - See Moeller Bros, only with less content.

 

Sverre Kvernmo - He was the first mapper arguably to really push the difficulty limits in his levels. Single exceptions (Mephisto) don't take away from it at all.

 

Jim Flynn - He doesn't have the most striking visual style, but what's there shows a style filled with much focus and determination. Figuring out the puzzles in his maps can be an interesting challenge if you've got the time.

 

Ty Halderman - His many contributions to other folks maps are really quite impressive

 

Bridgeburner56 - If I don't list this, the rest of the Wadazine cre will crucify me! Bastion of Chaos is on my to-play list though.

 

Insane_Gazebo - Sunder, especially, once you hit Map 11 or so.

 

BPRD - For someone who often gets bored in the middle like he claims, his artistic vision in anything that's not Nuts shines through like the brightest ray. Even if Equinox gets far too stingy with ammo in the second to last map. I dunno, maybe he just looked at ammo as an afterthought. Grove and the Mucus Flow will always be remembered.

 

Memfis- Not super-popular, but I like his situations. Voyage to Deimos is the only I've played through though.

 

Eternal - Large and detailed maps that at one point were quite singular. XXXI Cybersky, not to mention Epic and Epic 2, are amazing!

 

Xaser - His strong and competent mapping skills

 

Pavera - um, see above

 

Chris Hansen - For putting out solid, quality maps for 20+ years. His latest work, Bond of Hatred is very good and a strong E4 like

 

Chris Lutz-For creating incredibly challenging maps that also contain visually striking details that never interfere in gameplay. That mob of Wizards that attack you near the end of Icebound is still stupid RNG bullshit though.

 

Chris Klie.....ok, kidding. XD

 

Chris Buteau - For what he could have been. Map 22 from TNT is one of the worst abominations ever to grace the mapping community, but Map 01 from Icarus is considerably higher quality, despite having some of the same traits. Just tone down the rising/falling platforms. Catwalk is garbage that no one should emulate ever.

 

Mistress Remelia - Her maps kind of tell a story.

 

Tormentor667- I absolutely adore all the little details and things he puts into his maps, also how he makes incredibly challenging maps you never worry will descend into full-on slaughter.

 

iori-I like the combat he sets up.

 

 

Edited March 9, 2021 by LadyMistDragon

[Nirvana]

-rd

-ToD

-danne

-ribbiks

-Benjo

-tourni

-dd

-gazebo

-paulo

-gggmork

-skillsaw

-anyone making their first map

Edited November 21, 2023 by Nirvana