Nu-Arsenal and more : Reimaginings of old late 90s WADs

[Origamyde]

Hello there, fellow DOOMers !

 

A few days ago, while I had decided to lay back and try some random WADs at the IDGames database, I stumbled upon some below average maps made from 1995 to 2003-ish. One of them, created by a certain Ryan Evans, was not that great (though it was to be expected, given the date of creation) : super confusing walkable textures, ammo scarcity (but not cleverly done), two random boss fights (and no health to counter that !), and a god-awful texture choice and placement (I cried in aesthetics), all leading to an overall below average experience :(

 

You can play it here :

 

ARSENAL.zip

 

I thought it would be fun to re-imagine this WAD into a much cooler, action-focused level, with most of its flaws nuked, some design choices re-interpretated into actually playable sections, more ennemies, and a much more pertinent texture usage. All WADs, even those rough on the edges, have the potential to become decent with some tinkering :D

 

/!\ A reminder, though : I'm not trying to throw some shade at Ryan here (whether he is still active on this website or not) for being a bad designer. I actually emphatize a bit, because this really reeks a "Baby's-first-WAD" vibe that I kinda dig :O /!\

 

Now, onto the specs :

 

- Engine recommended : anything modern (but most preferably GZDoom);

- Mouselook / Crouching allowed and recommended (watery sections);

- Jumping allowed (but useless here. I like to give freedom when I deem it not game-breaking at all);

- Uses vanilla textures (apart from the Skybox, which I picked from Mek's Box-O'-Skies package);

- Two versions available : the standard one, and another version which is compatible with Brutal Doom (the difference will be noticeable, I tell you);

 

You can find those two versions here :

 

NU-ARSENAL.zip

 

As always, thanks in advance for playing through this WAD. Suggestions and feedback are always appreciated ;)

 

Screenshots (side-by-side comparison) :

 

Spoiler

 

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Edited October 11, 2021 by Origamyde
Redundant file deleted

[baja blast rd.]

4 hours ago, Origamyde said:

/!\ A reminder, though : I'm not trying to throw some shade at Ryan here (whether he is still active on this website or not) for being a bad designer. I actually emphatize a bit, because this really reeks a "Baby's-first-WAD" vibe that I kinda dig :O /!\

 

it sounded kinda rough :P. from what I know, the tools then weren't all that advanced, and the theory and tradition of mapping wasn't as formed, and mapping was seemingly more a novelty and "just for the fun of making something" thing for a lot of people done very unselfconsciously and with less of a burden of standards. so for that reason I'd try to avoid laying it on thick when talking about those wads' negatives. (unless it's Habitat) a cool thing to focus on with remakes is what you felt was promising (good) or lent the map to transformation or remaking (good or bad), even if those are in limited supply. 

 

an FDA. favorite stretch was the part around the blue key, with the cyb fight and assorted groups in the library area. the hedge maze section was also unexpectedly fun (I like how short it was -- those often drag). favorite parts of the map aesthetically were the blue key area's architecture and the view outside near the early green armor. at the start, the chainsaw/backpack giving two secrets felt like it should be one.

 

 

[Origamyde]

1 hour ago, rd. said:

from what I know, the tools then weren't all that advanced, and the theory and tradition of mapping wasn't as formed, and mapping was seemingly more a novelty and "just for the fun of making something" thing for a lot of people done very unselfconsciously and with less of a burden of standards.

 

That WAD was straight from May 1995, so it makes total sense that there wasn't as much theory on how to make good levels back then (though, you can't do anything wrong by doing the opposite of Habitat 😏).

Again, I know I sounded rash in my initial post, but I still enjoyed this tiny WAD despite its obvious flaws 😶

 

Glad you liked this remake, anyway. Maybe I should seek out more WADs like that and work around 'em into much nicer ones :) 

 

 

[Biodegradable]

I think Evans would be chuffed that you took his old, crusty map and gave it a stellar paintjob while being respectful to the foundations he originally set out, fam. You did an excellent job giving it a face-lift. Nicely done!

 

 

[Origamyde]

1 hour ago, Biodegradable said:

I think Evans would be chuffed that you took his old, crusty map and gave it a stellar paintjob while being respectful to the foundations he originally set out, fam. You did an excellent job giving it a face-lift. Nicely done!

 

 

Glad you liked my rework of Evans' WAD, Bio 😊

 

Out of curiosity, did you check his map prior to / after mine, or only Nu-Arsenal ? I'd be interested to know :0

[Biodegradable]

1 hour ago, Origamyde said:

Out of curiosity, did you check his map prior to / after mine, or only Nu-Arsenal ? I'd be interested to know :0

 

Just your re-design.

[EmoLevelDesigner]

Reimagining of old level. Interesting attempt to turn bland design, cramped spaces and confusing fake walls into something actually playable.

 

Mess of random fires that can't hurt the player is turned into a hellish green castle with cylindrical pillars, white rectangular platforms that move down and reveal enemies and rock texture from wolf3d outdoors giving coherence to the design style as they can be found in different areas.

 

Slight changes of elevation with nicely placed trim texture of green skull rows makes the place feel more cramped than it actually is, and this "cramped" feel is a skillful way to keep the feel of "someone's first map" even after the remastering, because making a space too small or too big is a common beginner's mistake.

 

Next area is even smaller, but its underwater part gives the additional space that prevents it from being too small to move around properly. Excellent way to retain the "cramped" feel and also add some variety.

 

A little attention brings you to hidden secrets with supplies that make life a lot easier.

 

Locations only look cramped, but in fact they give you just enough space. Fights are comforting and relaxing, but often look a lot more dangerous than they actually are. Especially the cyberdemon boss fight that gives the impression of fighting a clever creature that constantly tries to flank and outmaneuver you. Well done!

 

 

[Origamyde]

I'm back, and this time with yet another WAD remake : Gereon P.J. Meuser's Painful Castle of Horror Reimagined, or NU-PACAOFHO !

 

Some additional information regarding this rework :

 

* Uses a mix of both vanilla textures and assets from the Gothic Texture Pack;

* Still compatible with modern Doom engines (GZDoom);

* Crouching / Jumping / Mouselook allowed;

* Unlike Nu-Arsenal, this WAD was made without any groundbreaking techniques allowed by UDB (such as 3D sectors and many more);

* PACAOFHO's soundtrack (which I felt was unfortunately out of place in such an ambitious rework) is now replaced by DeXiaZ's creepy renderings of Doom's original soundtrack, for a much more spoopy ambient !

 

Here's a link for both the original WAD and its remake :

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/brjtb9tjyebdsmm/AAA503bus8yCU5vuyW-tOnnPa?dl=0

 

Have fun !

 

Screeshots (side-by-side comparison) :

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Edited August 29, 2021 by Origamyde

[Origamyde]

Spoiler

I've now made slight modifications to both Nu-Arsenal and Nu-PACAOFHO.

 

Nothing ground-breaking, to be honest : I simply fixed a texture misalignment in N-A, and made some fluff changes for N-P (changed a berserk pack's position, added a TeleportFog effect to the Revenants in the graveyard and made the window in the BFG secret room properly impassable).

 

Edited August 30, 2021 by Origamyde

[Origamyde]

Hey there !

 

Back again with another WAD remake, this time straight from 1997 with Daggis' CYBER1 (revamped into [GE]NU-CYBER) !

 

I think this WAD's initial concept is kinda neat, having to fight two bosses and a high-tier enemy in a cramped space. I made a short and action-packed reinterpretation of this map, switched one Cyberdemon to a Spider Mastermind, added mobs in order to hinder you, and tried to emulate a sort of mini-boss rush feel to the map. Oh, and I added a proper exit, since there wasn't one in the original for some reason.

 

* Strictly uses vanilla textures;

* Compatible with modern Doom engines (GZDoom);

* Crouching / Jumping / Mouselook allowed;

* No groundbreaking techniques allowed by UDB used (such as 3D sectors and many more);

* [GE]NU-CYBER uses music from the standard Doom & Doom II soundtrack, as well as a MIDI rendition of Quake II's Descent to Cerberon track (by Jay Reichard) in replacement of D_RUNNIN;

 

As always, have fun !

 

CYBER1.zip

[GE]NU-CYBER.zip

 

* Screenshots (side-by-side comparison) :

Spoiler

 

[eharper256]

Just played the Painful Castle of Horror; and I liked it alot (the earliest part is a little ammo starved as I didn't spot the area behind the barrels immediately nor did I find any secrets). Spent awhile just watching the carnage in the courtyard play out among the immortal tree cover lol.

[Origamyde]

@eharper256 Thanks for enjoying that little WAD remake of mine :)

 

I'm currently focused on yet another community project, so I don't know yet if I'll make another addition to the mix. You could always suggest me a bland WAD to re-imagine, though, because I really enjoy doing that :D

[eharper256]

I personally enjoy the simplicity in style of old wads updated to a modern era's looks, so kudos to you for that. Short and snappy and NOT balls to the wall difficult is really my bag.

 

Sadly, I don't have any big recommendations for you; I'm usually busy modding to play too many new (or old) maps, haha. XD

Edited September 20, 2021 by eharper256

[TheNoob_Gamer]

On 8/23/2021 at 11:04 PM, Origamyde said:

NU-ARSENAL.zip

For some reason, this version also contains the BD-friendly variation. Which, I think, means the link for another separate build of that map redundant.

[Origamyde]

On 10/11/2021 at 2:03 AM, TheNoob_Gamer said:

For some reason, this version also contains the BD-friendly variation. Which, I think, means the link for another separate build of that map redundant.

Weird, I thought I had made two distinct files so as to not clog them. 

 

I'll check in quickly, and see if I can take down one file to centralize both. 

 

In the meantime, let's hope you have fun with this one 😉

Edited December 14, 2021 by Origamyde

[TheNoob_Gamer]

2 hours ago, Origamyde said:

let's hope you have fun with this one 😉

I am having fun indeed!

[Tetzlaff]

I tried the original Arsenal before playing your re-imagination and quit at that dark Cyberdemon blue key room. It's really cool how you took a noob level and turned it into somthing interesting and enjoyable.

 

Reminds me to the 1994 tune-up project. Maybe you can create a mini episode with your re-imaginations. I am gong t check out the other remakes as well.

[Origamyde]

9 hours ago, Tetzlaff said:

I tried the original Arsenal before playing your re-imagination and quit at that dark Cyberdemon blue key room. It's really cool how you took a noob level and turned it into somthing interesting and enjoyable.

 

Thanks :D

 

Quote

Reminds me to the 1994 tune-up project. Maybe you can create a mini episode with your re-imaginations. I am gong t check out the other remakes as well.

I wasn't aware of such a thing existing. If I have time, I'll check that after NaNoWADMo 2021 ;)