THEME-GAWAD PROJECT #1

[Rymante]

@xScavengerWolfx  I'm glad you enjoyed the playthrough, good luck fixing those issues you spotted!

 

I was able to record another test playthrough today, this time it's Map 10 by @A.H. Sankhatayan

 

Same as before, this was run was played in PrBoom Plus v2.6.2 with -complevel set to 2.  Unlike before tho, I've played a previous version of this map so it didn't take me as long to run through it.  In the end I did miss 1 enemy & 2 secrets.

 

 

Again, I enjoyed the map, the non-linear progression is neat, even if it can sometimes result in the player feeling a bit lost as to where to go.  But this time, I did run into something I think is a bug.  That and more is discussed in the spoiler section below :

 

Spoiler

OK, first order of business, acquiring the blue key.  The issue is demonstrated at 9 minutes 31 seconds in the video.  Basically, when playing under a strict -complevel like this, platforms will not move when an enemy on top of it is stuck inside a ceiling, meaning you have to use rockets to kill the chaingunner, allowing the pillar with the blue key to come down.  Also, you can see in the video that I struggle to activate the pillar, as I am being VERY forcefully pushed away from it.  After recording this run, I did quickly boot up the map in GZDoom and as I suspected, the problem does not occur there, just another one of those mapping errors that ZDoom based ports automatically fix.  Crispy Doom would also likely run into the same problem shown in the video as well.

 

I believe others have mentioned this too, for a Map 10 there are rather a lot of Chaingunners, especially for a map that has no armor pickups outside of secrets.  Sure I did fine in the video, but I also knew where 3-4 soulspheres were & I found the secret megarmour.  If this was later on in the wad the amount of damage I took probably wouldn't stick out so much.  I don't think you need to go too crazy, I'd suggest removing 2-4 chaingunners from encounters where a lot of them teleport in.  But in the end it's up to you, as the video hopefully demonstrates, it is managable in it's current state.

 

Now the good stuff!  I don't think I emphasised this enough in the video, I ADORE all the doomcute design in this map, it's brilliant!

 

I'm also surprised you managed to cram so many secrets into such a small map, the ones I found were all very fun to uncover & very useful!

 

I was also surprised at your ability to refill previously explored areas with new enemies, I think it shows in the video sometimes that I was taken a bit off guard despite my prior experience with the map.

 

I hope the video playthrough is helpful & that I was clearly able to show the thing I think is a bug.  I'll be doing a run of your Map 29 next.

[Michael Jensen]

@Rymante I fixed the blue stuff and added a green armor at the start. I'll upload it later, if more suggestions come up, along with 29 if changes to it are needed.

[ViolentBeetle]

Played some more

@Nimiauredhel

Red key markers on this door are pretty much invisible. Probably marking what is currently doorstops would help

 

@forgettable pyromaniac

A rocky formation on your map won't lower because some items on top are stuck in the walls

[forgettable pyromaniac]

6 hours ago, ViolentBeetle said:

@forgettable pyromaniac

A rocky formation on your map won't lower because some items on top are stuck in the walls

I completely forgot I did something for this.

need more info if I was to fix it.

[xScavengerWolfx]

Alright i fixed the issues on both map03: Cavern of Sorrow and map31: Sanity Breaker. 

 

Map03: Cavern of Sorrow

 

I do want to thank Beetle for pointing out the issues with the items clipping into each other and other things. While i fixing stuff i notice things that needed to be either fixed or reworked, that's taking care of and hopefully that will be the final time i need to rework that map. Oh and it's in slot map01 for some reason but i think Ofisil can fix that as well when he get's a chance. 

 

Map31: Sanity Breaker

 

Oh man i did some rework on this and i removed the crushers from the portal room (not the cyber demon room, i'm nice but i'm not that nice), fixed the enemy placement/added more enemies. The bfg is still in the area before exiting the level. I fixed the problem of the in between area portal, now regardless which way you move you still lower the wall into the room with the switch. I also made an arrow pointing to the switch that lowers to the room that has the crushers in it. Oh and i fixed the issue where in the half flesh room (i'll drop a screen shot of it) you we're meant to walk into the teleporter and get a backpack from a small room while the "door" was opening.  

 

Alright hope this is the last time i need to fix issues in both maps. Starting to kinda get burnt out again, but i'm actually taking all the comments and improving as a mapper and an DM......oh wait that's on the personal project i'm doing lol. Anyways here's the fixed final versions of both maps. 

Sainty Breaker (Final Version).zip

Cavern of Sorrow.zip

This is the teleporter that leads to the small room with the back pack

This is the one that lowers the wall and shows the enemies 

Edited March 21, 2022 by xScavengerWolfx
Forgot to add details

[ViolentBeetle]

7 hours ago, forgettable pyromaniac said:

I completely forgot I did something for this.

need more info if I was to fix it.

Tag 16 on MAP12. A bunch of rocks are supposed to go down, but items on top of them are stuck in a wall - this causes game to think the movement of the platform is blocked. Just move them out of the wall to fix.

Also, since player wouldn't know how many keens there are left, you could, perhaps, add some kind of door near each of them that would open to indicate that this is the last one.

[Ofisil]

@A.H. Sankhatayan 

Hey there man.

Names for Map10 and 29?

[Spectre01]

Hey, I'll be uploading the final version of map28 in the next few days. Just got a few minor changes I've been working on.

[Nimiauredhel]

On 3/20/2022 at 7:46 PM, ViolentBeetle said:

Played some more

@Nimiauredhel

Red key markers on this door are pretty much invisible. Probably marking what is currently doorstops would help

 

Alright, turns out it's been almost a full year since the last time I touched this map 😁 but I marked the doorstops as you suggested (and fixed the unfortunately cut off texture on the "light fixture" in the same room, while at it).

 

@Ofisil

themegawad_1_map11_20220322.zip

[Rymante]

Finally got some time to record another playtest, here's a run of the current version of Map 29 by @A.H. Sankhatayan

 

 

As you'll see in the video, this map thoroughly kicked my arse, but I beat it, I think it's a pretty good map & I encountered no obvious bugs or glitches!  Even managed to find the secret!

 

More thoughts, as per usual, in the spoiler section below :

 

Spoiler

As you no doubt saw in the video, I was a little confused after dealing with the big fight in the Plasma Gun room, I'm not sure how exactly you make it more obvious to the player you're supposed to walk through that bloodfall, but that's the only real sore spot in the map in my opinion.

 

I am compelled to stress again how much I liked the more hellish elements creeping into the map as you progress, extremely well done!

 

I was not prepared for that ending as I had forgotten you were allowed to use the Icon of Sin in Map 29, definitely the hardest part of the map, with the Cyberdemon path being far harder than the Spider Mastermind path IMO.

 

Map 29 seems to be in a pretty good spot, provided people are prepared for the challenge!  Although obviously it won't be quite this tough when played continously from the previous maps as intended.

[Michael Jensen]

15 hours ago, Ofisil said:

@A.H. Sankhatayan 

Hey there man.

Names for Map10 and 29?

10 - Bullet Frenzy

29 - One of Our Techbases 

 

@Rymante My thought process behind that one area was that it is possible to notice cacodemons coming through that bloodfall and there is nothing else to do in there after the fight.

Thanks for the feedback! Glad you liked my maps :) 

[Rymante]

8 hours ago, A.H. Sankhatayan said:

My thought process behind that one area was that it is possible to notice cacodemons coming through that bloodfall and there is nothing else to do in there after the fight.

Thanks for the feedback! Glad you liked my maps :) 

 

The Cacos come out of the bloodfall?  I honestly had no idea, I assumed they teleported in like all the other enemies, kinda hard to notice that detail considering how chaotic that room gets & you have Revenants, chaingunners & the Arch-Vile demanding more of your attention in that room.

 

An idea finally struck me as to how to make it more obvious to the player they can walk through the bloodfall, leave a gap somewhere near the middle where there's no midtexture, doesn't have to be massive, just big enough that the player can see through to the area behind it (maybe around 16 to 32 map units long).  I wouldn't harp on about this so much if it weren't required to the beat the level, if it were a secret this wouldn't be an issue.  I'm just imagining a scenario where someone who doesn't play as much Doom as we all do doesn't think to try walking through the bloodfall & just drops the map right there.

 

I'm glad you found my video feedback useful, keep up the good work!  ^_^

[Spectre01]

On 1/8/2022 at 10:40 AM, Ofisil said:

Anyways, whenever you feel like it, you can send me the final version, along with its title.

I'll have to use a different MIDI. Your pick is FANTASTIC, but for this project we use either music of our own or volunteers.

 

Here's the final version of map28! Download

 

Title: The Drowning Labyrinth

 

I added coop starts, difficulty settings, as well as various adjustments. Should be good to go.

 

Will be interesting to see what kind of midi it gets. Cheers!

[Ofisil]

Okay people, sorry for taking me so long to offer an update.

 

First things first: I've added all completed/updated maps, along with the MIDIs - I hope @Spectre01 and @xScavengerWolfx will like my two new additions.

We are down to 4 maps left! Yeah!!!

 

Now, it's only fair to extend the deadline by one month, since we are so close to completion.

 

The only thing I need before the end of the month is an update from the following mappers:

 

@eLeR Creative (Your map was almost complete - I just need your fixed wad)

@DFF

 

@NeedHealth

@Skronkidonk

 

Thanx!

Edited March 25, 2022 by Ofisil

[eLeR Creative]

@Ofisil I'll get to work and finish my map.

 

[xScavengerWolfx]

@ofisil Sweet i'll check it out when i can 

 

Edit: I checked it out and i really love the midi for the map it fits very well for the theme of it. 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2022 by xScavengerWolfx

[Spectre01]

Thanks for the new midi @Ofisil! Very ominous and atmospheric.

[Titanoxus]

Allright I did another round of testing for maps that were added since last time. Most of the maps have no game breaking bugs anymore so close to release, so most I will only give some feedback, because I didn't find any problems. 

 

Map 4:

Spoiler

Nice map. The rock climbing is used for very creative secrets and non-linear progression. Despite the small texture variety the map never feels bland. Well done

Map 9:

Spoiler

At this map the wad gets quite a bit harder compared to earlier maps, which is fine since its getting close to the end of chapter 2. The theme is hit well and the map feels huge. What i don't like is how the player has to shotgun a lot of pinkies in the beginning. Its not really engaging and just slows down the pace of the map. Also the last secrets reward feels a little underwhelming.

Map 10:

Spoiler

Map 10 is even harder and full of hitscan. I know many people advised to cut down on chaingunenrs, but i think it might allready help to just add some green amor early on. Otherwise the blue amor secret becomes pretty much mandatory to survive. Besides that, the maps looks great, the imp hanging a marine is awesomely done. I also like the rocket launcher secret a lot.

Map 13:

Spoiler

The midi here is a bit annyoing, which bothered me at first, but it fits so well with those damn annyoing respawning spiders that I like it more and more. The map is very vertikal and has lots of cool fights. The secrets are really hard to find, that works well, since they are not needed to finish the map, but reward the player with making it easier.

Map 31:

Spoiler

I tested this map a lot in earlier versions , it's come a long way and I think it works very well now, especially paired with the new midi. The beginning in particular is awesome actionwise and of course the whole map looks great. You also will run out of ammo if you do not start out punching some demons, which really sells the theme.

Map 16:

Spoiler

Not much to say here, its a very short map. Its fun and i like having shorter maps in between the difficult or long ones. I still think the lift in the yellow key room could be marked a little better since it's mandatory for progression.

Map 20:

Spoiler

There is a zombie stuck in a wall here, that might be intentional, since it's a corrupted tech base map:

I really like the cyber fight, but two of the slime puddles with mancs on them are marked as secrets. Is that intendet?

The dark room fight is cheesable if you know its coming. You can simply run in and out before the door closes and kill enemies from outside. Maybe putting the trigger line further into the room might help.

I also like how missable the bfg secret is if the palyer its impatient and takes the shortcut. The newly spawned monsters give a little though.

Lastly the midi feels a bit out of place here. It´s very upbeat and fast paced, but the map is rather sinister and dark, especially at the beginning and has only one really big fight. Just my opinion of course.

 

Map 24:

Spoiler

This map is awesome and hits the intended difficulty. The resurrecting Hellknights idea is greatly utilised, without overdoing it, but still making the player think about it. I really enjoy that. 

Map 27:

Spoiler

I don't like the dark map gimmick at all. But it is used in very creative ways. Especially the spider fight is awesome. Id change the room with the backlight window that the player has to open repeatedly a bit: First, I'd add a bit of height to the switches, so revenant missiles can be dropped here. Also the archviles in the final part of that room seem a bit too crazy, since cover is hard to see, maybe remove one of themo r dont let them get to the other monsters so they can't resurrect.

One last thing: The exit doesn't seem to be marked in any way and I believe the project rules explicitly ask for an exit mark somewhere.

Map 28:

Spoiler

I still believe this is the one the, if not the best map in the pack. It very much deserves the last spot before the icon stages.

The new midi fits fine I think, but i feel like nothing can beat that first version. The old music sold the map so much more.  I know it's against the rules, but I keep thinking that it might be worth it to make an exception here and keep the original midi. That's just a suggestion and others mgiht think differently.

Also I found a revenant stuck in the floor in one of my playthroughs, this one:

no idea how I did that though.

Map 29:

Spoiler

Some monsters don't seem to get released in this map:

This whole closet:

These two archviles:

and this one:

Also monsters don't telefrag each other in map 29, so the boss room escapes really fill up with stacked monsters.

 

Gameplaywise I enjoy this map a lot. It changes so much during one playthrough you never seem to fight in the same room twice. It's really well done and feels so seamless. I also love the callback to level one with the office room.

The cyber room though seems a bit over the top. I would add a bit of cover, remove one or both archviles or at least let the door to the last room close so the player can snipe some of the monsters of the stairs. Otherwise this room seems to be way harder than the rest of the map and the wad. Or maybe there is a good strat that I just didn't find.   

Also, I might have missed it, but if not: This map really needs a backpack. You fight tons of mosnters, we are deep into the wad, so players are constantly topped off with ammo. A backpack is necessary here I think.Quite annoying without it.

 

 

[Michael Jensen]

Latest versions of 10 and 29.

10 - green armor at the start and fixed the blue key oversight

29 - one less archvile in the cyberroom, removed unused monster closets and added couple monsters, small fixes to various things, added backpack and 2 subtle hints at the bloodfall being passable 

 

@Ofisil Could the name of Map01 be changed to Zero Hour?

 

edit: Oh damn, forgot to upload 

10 29 latest.zip

Edited March 28, 2022 by A.H. Sankhatayan

[Ofisil]

43 minutes ago, A.H. Sankhatayan said:

Latest versions of 10 and 29.

10 - green armor at the start and fixed the blue key oversight

29 - one less archvile in the cyberroom, removed unused monster closets and added couple monsters, small fixes to various things, added backpack and 2 subtle hints at the bloodfall being passable 

 

@Ofisil Could the name of Map01 be changed to Zero Hour?

 

Sure

[Spectre01]

4 hours ago, Titanoxus said:

Also I found a revenant stuck in the floor in one of my playthroughs

Oh no... which port were you playing with? I've encountered that issue before in the same spot, and it's something to do with the NodeBuilder. I was hoping it wouldn't happen again, and I didn't see it while testing after rebuilding the nodes several times.

[xScavengerWolfx]

12 hours ago, Titanoxus said:

I tested this map a lot in earlier versions , it's come a long way and I think it works very well now, especially paired with the new midi. The beginning in particular is awesome actionwise and of course the whole map looks great. You also will run out of ammo if you do not start out punching some demons, which really sells the theme.

Awe thank you titan, i mean i wanted it to be like a DnD dungeon master thing where "you find thy self in a place of rock, flesh and monsters. Little to no ammo/health around and the only thing you have is your fists to survive the unsought of the damned". But i'm glade it worked out in the end. I put a lot of time into making it right and fit the theme.  

[Titanoxus]

12 hours ago, Spectre01 said:

Oh no... which port were you playing with? I've encountered that issue before in the same spot, and it's something to do with the NodeBuilder. I was hoping it wouldn't happen again, and I didn't see it while testing after rebuilding the nodes several times.

I tested on glboom-plus

[ViolentBeetle]

A small revision to my map, due to my slightly changes sensibilities towards the lumpy floors. I lovered vats of lava in the starting room to floor level. Also replaced out of bounds candelabra with out of bounds barrel, I think barrel is better at blocking teleportation.

LostAndFoundry_v3_2.zip

[xScavengerWolfx]

So it's been a while since i've any activity in this community project. Hope it all going well and i can't believe we only have four maps left before it's done. 

 

I'm stopping by to see how everything is going and seeing if i need to cut open my maps and do more fixing but i don't think so at this point. 

 

Anyways hope to see all the maps done and watch people record the playthrough of it all when finished. 

[DFF]

Apologize for the little updates, been off and on mapping and often switching between maps. Map17 is likely 60% complete and should be ready soon if i stick to mapping a bit when i can.

[Ofisil]

@Skronkidonk @NeedHealth still with us folks?

[Skronkidonk]

2 hours ago, Ofisil said:

@Skronkidonk @NeedHealth still with us folks?

Nearly finished.
Hopefully I can finish it and send it over tonight.

[RaRu Des2122]

@xScavengerWolfx, @Ofisil

Ahhh, there is the "Awaken" MIDI on the Map31: Sanity Breaker! It plays on the map E3M9: Pit of Nightmares of Damnation - my favourite secret map in this megawad!

[xScavengerWolfx]

21 minutes ago, RaRu Des2122 said:

@xScavengerWolfx, @Ofisil

Ahhh, there is the "Awaken" MIDI on the Map31: Sanity Breaker! It plays on the map E3M9: Pit of Nightmares of Damnation - my favourite secret map in this megawad!

@RaRu Des2122 Awe, thanks. I wanted to make it fun, enjoyable and hard as hell. Still new to mapping well it has been a year since i started mapping but still. 

 

Pit of Nightmares of Damnation? You peek my interest.