[Final] 10 Minute Massacre - A Micro-Slaughter Mini-Wad

[SCF]

 

I was inspired by the excellent Micro-Slaughter Community Project to produce something along the same lines, and after a month of work, here it is. Seven short Boom-compatible slaughtermaps that can be beaten in under 10 minutes each.

 

Download v1

 

All maps are designed for pistol start, and won't work properly with continuous play. The maps are roughly in order of increasing difficulty. Backtracking for 100% kills should be possible on all of them (at least once you've reached the exit).

 

Maps: MAP01-MAP07

Difficulty Settings: Yes, but UV received the most testing. HNTR should be significantly easier. HMP may still be overtuned in places.

Tested with: GZDoom 4.5.0, PrBoom+ 2.5.1.4

Credits:

Textures from OTEX by Ukiro

Palette and tree sprites taken from Eviternity

 

Music list:

Title: "Black Omen" from Chrono Trigger
MAP01: "Alien Forest" by Stuart Rynn
MAP02: "All Systems Agogo" by Alfonzo
MAP03: "Shadow's End Forest" from Chrono Cross
MAP04: "depths.mid" by Ribbiks
MAP05: "Trapeze" by Stuart Rynn
MAP06: "Everything Explodes" by James Paddock
MAP07: "Petrichor" by James Paddock

 

More Screenshots

Spoiler

 

Edited July 31, 2021 by SCF

[Luleta]

hell yes! more compact slaugther! 

ill try it out!

Edited May 30, 2021 by Luleta

[i suck at nicknames]

for some reason im unable to download from the link you've provided

[SCF]

16 minutes ago, i suck at nicknames said:

for some reason im unable to download from the link you've provided

 

Might be because I'd never gotten around to enabling https on my file host. Please try the updated link and see if it works now.

[FEDEX]

I'll give it a try  for sure! :)

[i suck at nicknames]

4 hours ago, SCF said:

 

Might be because I'd never gotten around to enabling https on my file host. Please try the updated link and see if it works now.

got it :) 

thanks dude 

[El Inferno]

Hi, 

I played first 4 maps. Favoutite fight so far was the final of map 4 -- pretty tight rev maneuvering! The only thing I don't understand is why there are so many HKs there and what the final section is all about? I guess you are encouraged to rush bfg there, but I just slowly cleaned-up everything with rockets. And I really liked the berserk fight.

I have a couple of comments on map 4:

- in the berserk fight I think the exit opens too quickly: it would be more fun to punch out all remaining stuff without rockets

- in the first RL fight maybe add a crusher for barons after the fight is over

- the revenants after that fight can fall in the abyss, so you probably want to add monster blocklines there (same for the ending of map 1)

- you can basically skip those revs without any problems (I did that because I was kind of low on rockets after killing barons)

- in imp-caco fight I think you can add more imps. You can clear them off pretty quickly and after that the fight is basically over. 

 

- in map 3 I'm not sure that the baron at the switch is the best solution. I'd prefer a sequence of switches but that's not a big deal

[ScrappyMcDoogerton]

Hey thank you for this set I just played map 01 and it was a real good map 01 for sure. Since you are looking for feedback on the difficulty I'll just say I felt it was spot on right up until the room w/ the mancubi(you know the one:)). I went into that room with 50% health and with a wall of mancubi that close without any cover it's almost impossible not to get washed in fireballs while taking them out. I ended up backtracking to pick up a medikit and just brute forced my way through it. I'm not saying it was bad cause I like really hard maps just that it felt like a huge spike compared to the rest of the map. Gonna play map 2 now thanks again!

 

(also great midi love stewie + the CT menu theme)

 

Map 02 - Ok this one I feel was a bit too much. Barrels are a great gimmick but getting them to work the way you want them to is too unreliable for them to be my only option. I end up feeling that I got through the encounters more because I just happened to get lucky that time rather than because I overcame a challenge. An early-to-mid-level ssg would make this map way more playable.

Edited May 31, 2021 by ScrappyMcDoogerton

[ScrappyMcDoogerton]

wow. map 3. This map wants to know. Are you a hammer, or a nail? At this point I'm convinced that yes you do want these maps to push the limits. This map is a standout you've really got something special here friend.

[SCF]

Thank you for your comments!

 

10 hours ago, El Inferno said:

Hi, 

I played first 4 maps. Favoutite fight so far was the final of map 4 -- pretty tight rev maneuvering! The only thing I don't understand is why there are so many HKs there and what the final section is all about? I guess you are encouraged to rush bfg there, but I just slowly cleaned-up everything with rockets. And I really liked the berserk fight.

 

Yes, that was the intention, but I can see how clearing up the front side first would make the BFG area really easy. I'm not sure how I can force the player to move forward there, other than by reducing the number of rockets you get, but that might lead to a situation where you don't have the ammo to actually get to the BFG.

 

10 hours ago, El Inferno said:

- in the berserk fight I think the exit opens too quickly: it would be more fun to punch out all remaining stuff without rockets

 

Haha, I was actually worried the exit takes too long to open. I think it might feel tedious if you had to punch out everything (even if some may find it fun).

 

10 hours ago, El Inferno said:

- in the first RL fight maybe add a crusher for barons after the fight is over

 

Yeah, I should add those. It will look silly on HNTR when there's crushers for imps, but that's okay.

 

10 hours ago, El Inferno said:

- the revenants after that fight can fall in the abyss, so you probably want to add monster blocklines there (same for the ending of map 1)

- you can basically skip those revs without any problems (I did that because I was kind of low on rockets after killing barons)

- in imp-caco fight I think you can add more imps. You can clear them off pretty quickly and after that the fight is basically over.

 

Ah, oops. I added the blocklines for the archviles in map 1 after running into that during testing, but forgot the revenants. I'll take another look at the imp/caco fight some time as well.

 

6 hours ago, ScrappyMcDoogerton said:

Map 02 - Ok this one I feel was a bit too much. Barrels are a great gimmick but getting them to work the way you want them to is too unreliable for them to be my only option. I end up feeling that I got through the encounters more because I just happened to get lucky that time rather than because I overcame a challenge. An early-to-mid-level ssg would make this map way more playable.

 

Are you talking about a particular fight, or just the map in general? Barrel behavior should be pretty consistent, unless there are some port/compatibility differences that I'm not aware of. One of the main tricks is that destroying a barrel in a cluster will propel the other ones outwards.

 

 

 

[ScrappyMcDoogerton]

It's mostly the last room that was the issue. Often the autoaim will target the wrong barrel, or you'll hit the barrel in the front of the group instead of the one in the back propelling them the wrong way. Having an ssg would allow you to get out of a scrape if the barrel exploding doesn't quite go how you want. It's still doable it just took a few more attempts than I would have liked.

[SCF]

Ah, I see. Adding an SSG there as backup seems fine, since you'll still need to use the barrels to thin the herd.

[El Inferno]

omfg that map 6... recorded some fdas for that map. I enjoyed it for the first like 20 minutes, I love running around in a mess type of combat. But soon I discovered that there's like too little health for this shit, the amount of damage before you get plasma or rl is completely random and most of time I'm already dead by that point. There are lots of things which annoy me in this map, but I better keep it short and write critique after I calm down and actually finish the map. Demo should give some idea about my frustration.

 

Stuff.zip (mm6.lmp was recorded after the other one, I ragequit and started a new demo recording there, a couple of earlier attempts got lost because I accidentaly hit map restart)

 

Probably I'm doing this completely wrong but this is how I see such a map to be played (you can provide a demo or something to show a proper way). I made a savestate just before grabbing RK but I couldn't make much progress after that (in particular I don't know how to deal with manc ambush on the BK path) and gave up.  

 

I also included a couple of attempts at map 5 but I didn't continue that after I died in the last attempt (I wasn't really sure what I was supposed to do at that point).

[SCF]

2 hours ago, El Inferno said:

omfg that map 6... recorded some fdas for that map. I enjoyed it for the first like 20 minutes, I love running around in a mess type of combat. But soon I discovered that there's like too little health for this shit, the amount of damage before you get plasma or rl is completely random and most of time I'm already dead by that point. There are lots of things which annoy me in this map, but I better keep it short and write critique after I calm down and actually finish the map. Demo should give some idea about my frustration.

 

Stuff.zip (mm6.lmp was recorded after the other one, I ragequit and started a new demo recording there, a couple of earlier attempts got lost because I accidentaly hit map restart)

 

Probably I'm doing this completely wrong but this is how I see such a map to be played (you can provide a demo or something to show a proper way). I made a savestate just before grabbing RK but I couldn't make much progress after that (in particular I don't know how to deal with manc ambush on the BK path) and gave up.  

 

I also included a couple of attempts at map 5 but I didn't continue that after I died in the last attempt (I wasn't really sure what I was supposed to do at that point).

 

I haven't had the opportunity to watch your demos yet, but I felt like I had to try recording one myself.

 

10mm_b1_map06.zip

 

Unfortunately it's not a full clear, since I got too greedy after grabbing the BFG. But at least it gets through the hardest part of the level. There are probably other ways to do it (this isn't even what I did in testing), but this is the one that worked the best for me. Everything after the first minute or so is mostly improvisation. It took me a while to get to this point, and I definitely think the beginning needs to be toned down a little, and more health wouldn't be a luxury either. After trying multiple routes, I've discovered the plasma gun is a trap and trying to get it early usually resulted in death. I should try making that side slightly easier (like removing at least one of the imps blocking the stairs).

 

Missing the SSG at the start was not part of my strategy, by the way...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[El Inferno]

Map 7 fdas. Ends with a successful exit, so you can skipsec to ~8 minutes before the end of the demo if you wish. Really liked this one, very clean and balanced combat. 

10mm7.zip

[SCF]

I've created a second beta version with some changes based on feedback so far (top post updated as well).

 

Download Beta 2

 

Changes:

Spoiler

MAP01

- Added blocking linedefs to prevent revenants on pillars from falling into the pit

 

MAP02

- Added an SSG to the end of the second section (behind barrels blocking the teleporter), to clean up the remaining monsters and help with the final pinky encounter.

 

MAP04

- Added blocking linedefs to prevent revenants on pillars from falling into the pit

- Sniping barons now automatically get crushed once you get past the swarm of hell knight

- Added more imps to the imp/caco fight

- Added an extra tile to the platforming section before the final building so that you don't fall off if you run straight ahead

 

MAP05

- Added a chaingun at the start to avoid annoying weapon switching mid-fight

- Multiple small tweaks to the first room to make it slightly easier

- In the rocket launcher area, reduced the number of revenants a little

 

MAP06

- The east side now has an extra blue armor in addition to the supercharge

- The west side's supercharge (on the pillar) is now a megasphere

- Removed one of the arachnotrons at the plasma gun

 

 

[SCF]

I don't think I'll be making any more changes to this wad, so here is the final release (unless any bugs are found).

 

Download v1

 

Thanks everyone who provided feedback!

 

Changes:

Spoiler

MAP01

- Some tweaks to the final fight

 

MAP02

- Added guiding lights to the central room to make it more clear how to progress

 

MAP06

- Replaced the megasphere on the red key pillar with an invulnerability on UV (Was already that way on other difficulties)

- Added an extra supercharge at the red/blue keys

- Added an extra megasphere at the yellow key on lower difficulties

- Changed armor placement on lower difficulties

 

[Blip]

I finished all maps except for map06 (too hectic for my taste, might try it at another time).

 

The thing I liked most was figuring out strategies for fights which were roadblocks last time I played this wad, back when the first version was released.

 

Apart from a couple of fights I don't entirely like (Especially the end of map01), these maps were pretty fun to go through!

[Rook]

Congratulations on releasing an excellent set SCF - I very much enjoyed this. It's easy to see where the inspiration from MSCP comes from, but you put your own spin on things and while that (otherwise great) mapset had a few dips in quality this one is quite consistent throughout. Great visuals from a thoughtful use of OTEX, as well - and I really appreciate how each map has its own distinct look.

 

A strong recommendation from me, especially to anyone who enjoyed MSCP.

[TeK (⌐■_■)]

Just played through this on HMP with the latest version of the umapinfo fork of prboom+. I enjoyed most of the maps, with 1,3, and 7 being my favorites overall, and picking a favorite fight it'd have to be the finale of map 3. Loved having just enough space to be able weave in and around the rock columns and monsters, felt very natural and flow-y.

 

Map 6 has been a motherfucker so far, it's given me significantly more trouble than map 7 which was also pretty hard. In 50 attempts I've not come close to completing it or even been able to get any one of the keys. What seems best is to go for the plasma first... and then idk. Trying to go for either key first before clearing out the revs and imps and everything else on the ground doesn't work because you get wrecked by infinite height, but trying to clear out everything on the ground hasn't gotten me anywhere, there's precious little room to maneuver, I've never been able to make a circuit or clear out an area without becoming trapped/blocked/boxed in. Also like others have said (even if on different difficulty settings) the health distribution and/or balance seems off imo. A lot of the more useful health pickups seem placed in extremely inconvenient places for the amount of damage you take during the early fighting (the soulsphere in the damaging liquid behind the smm), and some like the stimpacks in the rooms along the way to the keys are utterly useless for how much damage you take in this level. I stubbornly haven't given a watch to the demo posted earlier in this thread, I want to give a few more goes before watching.

 

I also came across a few visual glitches in map 1 and 3.

Spoiler

 

Edited September 5, 2021 by TeK (⌐■_■)

[SCF]

7 hours ago, TeK (⌐■_■) said:

Just played through this on HMP with the latest version of the umapinfo fork of prboom+. I enjoyed most of the maps, with 1,3, and 7 being my favorites overall, and picking a favorite fight it'd have to be the finale of map 3. Loved having just enough space to be able weave in and around the rock columns and monsters, felt very natural and flow-y.

 

Map 6 has been a motherfucker so far, it's given me significantly more trouble than map 7 which was also pretty hard. In 50 attempts I've not come close to completing it or even been able to get any one of the keys. What seems best is to go for the plasma first... and then idk. Trying to go for either key first before clearing out the revs and imps and everything else on the ground doesn't work because you get wrecked by infinite height, but trying to clear out everything on the ground hasn't gotten me anywhere, there's precious little room to maneuver, I've never been able to make a circuit or clear out an area without becoming trapped/blocked/boxed in. Also like others have said (even if on different difficulty settings) the health distribution and/or balance seems off imo. A lot of the more useful health pickups seem placed in extremely inconvenient places for the amount of damage you take during the early fighting (the soulsphere in the damaging liquid behind the smm), and some like the stimpacks in the rooms along the way to the keys are utterly useless for how much damage you take in this level. I stubbornly haven't given a watch to the demo posted earlier in this thread, I want to give a few more goes before watching.

 

 

Thank you for your comments and for pointing out the glitches. Seems to be another node builder issue since the geometry looks normal.

 

FYI, the map06 demo I uploaded was recorded on a beta version (which had even less health), so it's not compatible with the final release. Because I died during that attempt, I always wanted to give it another go and record a proper UVMAX demo, so I gave it an hour, and well... I almost finished it, but then I died in an extremely stupid way at the end.

 

10mm_v1_map06_scf_attempt.zip

 

I tried to play it very safe so I cleared out all enemies before getting the blue key. But since I didn't practice that fight, my plan didn't end up working out. In any case, the first few minutes are probably the most relevant. Once there's enough space to circle around it's just a matter of dodging stray rockets, so as with the first demo I think it at least shows the map is beatable.

 

The first loop around is pretty consistent, but after that it becomes hard to plan a route due to how big a difference enemy infighting patterns make, and every attempt was mostly improvisation. I get blocked my monsters a few times in the demo, but that's usually just "I can probably make it through" stubbornness on my part. There's probably a more optimal way of doing it though.

 

 

 

 

[ScrappyMcDoogerton]

So after seeing all the discussion about map 6 I decided to give it a go. While I agree that the very high monster density paired with narrow walkways can be troublesome, after enough attempts I was able to successfully carve out a path. For me the keys to success were NEVER STOP MOVING and also use the plasma at key moments to stun revenants to keep them from blocking. This was a really fun map for demo recording.

 

UV max demo: 10mm06m1510.zip