NaNoWADMo 2021 - The month-long mapping challenge (see you next year!)

[scwiba]

 

Hard to believe it's been a year already, but here we are. How's everyone been? Ready for another NaNoWADMo?

 

It's the NaNoWriMo of Doom mapping. For one month, dozens of mappers come together to do that thing we do: make maps. Maybe you've been itching to get your first finished map under your belt? Want to break through a creative block that's held you back for months? Thinking about laying the groundwork for that megaWAD you always wanted to make? Give NaNoWADMo a shot and see where it takes you!

 

The premise is simple: you start mapping on October 1st and challenge yourself to complete a project by the last day of the month. "Completed" doesn't mean released, polished, or even playtested necessarily. Nobody expects a masterpiece; the point of NaNoWADMo is to buckle down and make maps without overthinking them or second-guessing yourself. At the end of NaNoWADMo, if all you've got are some unfinished concepts to build off of later, consider that a victory!

 

You're also encouraged to share your work as you go! NaNoWADMo-ers and spectators will be giving feedback and cheering you on both in this thread and on the Discord. We're in this together!

 

The challenge runs from October 1 to 31, and at the end I hope everyone who participated will share what they made. That's it! Any additional rules are ones you set yourself. You could make it a goal to create a certain number of maps, or set a specific length those maps need to be. You could say you've got to have a playable map at the end of every week, or make it a rule that you'll set aside 30 minutes each day for mapping. But if rules don't work well for you, don't use them! It's all up to you.

 

For me it helps a lot to have concrete goals and deadlines, so I've included a spoiler below with the rules I used in previous years. Keep in mind that this is just one example of a goalset, and a pretty extreme one. NaNoWADMo is about what you want to get out of the challenge.
 

Spoiler

1) At midnight (your time) on the 1st, you're free to start work on your brand new WAD. It's okay to have ideas, a written outline, even a resource pack compiled before then, but no work can be done on the actual maps (including sketching them out) until the 1st. For the next 31 days, you map at whatever pace makes sense for you. Know your limits and don't compromise your mental or physical health to get a few more maps done.

 

2) A complete project is 27 maps, regardless of IWAD you're working with. Maps can be any length, for any port, and any gameplay style.

 

3) Post a download link for your WAD in this thread on the final day or the day after, whatever state it's in. Don't worry if the maps are buggy and unpolished! You can playtest, expand, and polish to your heart's content after the fact. They're your maps to do with as you please!

 

Okay, so you set out to make a 32-map epic and you didn't quite make it. You've only got 25 maps, or 10, or 3. Did you "fail?"

 

Heck no! You've got 25 or 10 or 3 maps you didn't have a month ago! You've got something to build off of at your leisure, or some cool concepts you can turn into even cooler concepts later. The idea of the challenge is to get your mapping juices flowing, so if you get anything done, pat yourself on the back! You did it!

 

Remember: this is a challenge, not a contest. Above all, it should be fun. Happy NaNoWADMo!

 

Here are all the awesome projects that came from previous years' NaNos (note that some of these are still works-in-progress:

 

NaNoWADMo 2020

Spoiler

Ascent of Titan by @DavidN

Blast Processing by @Darox

The Descent of Evil by @TOVA

E.M.'s Turbo Turds by @E.M.

Emblem by @Athel

First Time for Everything by @Yoshiatom

Fragor Portum by @RiviTheWarlock

Hasty Evil by @Worm

Heelbain, select maps by @Major Arlene

Trick&Tear Map08 and Hellevator Map31 by @BluePineapple72

In Loving Memory by @MidnightMage

Lost Luxury by @Alper002

Mercuria by @Walter confetti

Mictlan Calling by @TheOrganGrinder

The mystery of Red(c) island by @Redead-ITA

NANO2020 by @HUNdebLeonidasX

NaNoWeNMo by @ThatWeNGuy

nice-31 by @deathz0r

NoSp2 by @NoReason

Premonition by @DukeOfDoom

Some Shenanigans by @finnks13

Space Travel is Boring by @joe-ilya

Temporal Tantrum by @WashingMachineEnthusiasts

Terrible 3s by @croc_rock

Thy Flesh Removed by @Omniarch

TNT Goes Boom! by @The_SloVinator

The UnMaking by @Ryath (aka scwiba)

 

[If I missed your project or there's a newer version than what's linked here, please let me know so I can update the list!]

 

NaNoWADMo 2019

Spoiler

Booze and Bullets by @HUNdebLeonidasX

Dysnomia by @Chainie

Extra Spicy by @E.M.

Four Weeks of Pain by @Gothic

Friday Night Unidoom by @Tango

Genocite by @Solmyr

Hasty Evil by @Worm318

Heresy by @wolfmcbeard

Keeper of the Seven Keys 3: Disk One by @DavidN

nanoDMwad by @Greentiger1

NaNoHexen 2019 by @Alper002

Redundancy by @Forli

Some Speedmaps for Nanowadmo by @NoReason

summaps by @DragoKnot4200

Technicolor Antichrist Box by @Major Arlene

Three Is A Crowd by @Scypek2

Tivauri by @yakfak

When the Stars Are Right by @JudgeDeadd

Withered Dimension by @Voltcom

 

[If I missed your project or there's a newer version than what's linked here, please let me know so I can update the list!]

 

NaNoWADMo 2018

Spoiler

Beautiful Nightmares by @elmle

Beyond the End by @Scypek2

Chicxulub Impact by @TheOrganGrinder

Deathless by @Jimmy

Doom Doom by @Walter confetti

Fun N' Gun* (direct download) by @joe-ilya

Halfdeath by @Worm318

Hell on Phil by @Philnemba

Nanocore by @franckFRAG

NaNoDanMo by @Danlex

Nanopineapple by @meapineapple

NoisyDiarrhea by @NoisyVelvet

Scattered Ashes by @Lorenz0

Sinergy by @Crunchynut44

Wolfenstein 3D, Part 2: ROTT by @Voltcom

UnBeliever by @Ryath

 

[If I missed your project or there's a newer version than what's linked here, please let me know so I can update the list!]

 

Edited June 14, 2022 by scwiba

[scwiba]

This year's NaNoers and their projects are:

 

@A Handsome Fridge - Down In It

@Alaxzandarz

@aletheos eberlain

@Alper002 - Micromaps

@Athel

@Arcturus

@BetelgeuseSupergiant - Martian Mineral Refinery

@Biff Dunderbuff - Toxic Processing

@Bobby “lolmcswagger”

@Bridgeburner56

@C3ntralPr0cessing

@ChestedArmor - Satanic Synthesis

@DavidN

@Death Bear

@Dieting Hippo - Doom Hockey

@DukeOfDoom - Moon Madness

@Dusty_Rhodes

@E.M. - Linux Jank

@Fiendish

@finnks13 - Lunar Laceration

@Gothic Box

@HyperRealisticBlood

@joe-ilya

@lokbustam257 - Flooded with Demons

@Matacrat - Asphalt

@meapineapple

@MFG38 - Charcoal

@mxbobbie49

@NoReason - NoSp3
@Omniarch

@Origamyde - Black n' Blanco II

@Paf

@Pechudin

@Philnemba

@Phobus

@reverie
@RHhe82

@RiviTheWarlock

@Ryath (aka scwiba) - The UnMaking and Every Part of the Buffalo

@Scorpius - Nostradamus

@Scypek2 - Dawn of the Arrow

@SilentD00mer - One Way To Hell

@StarSpun5000 - Getting Started

@Swalzi

@SynDoom

@T.Will

@ThatWeNGuy

@The_SloVinator

@TheNoob_Gamer

@TheOrganGrinder

Thingie!

@TOVA

@VisionThing

@Walter confetti - Seeds

@wolfmcbeard

@Worm318

@Worriedidiot

@Yoshiatom

Edited September 2, 2022 by scwiba

[The_SloVinator]

Holy crap! October is almost here already?! Well, I (think I) have a much better idea this year than last one.

Last year, although, I made some maps, the project never went anywhere but this time, I might see.

[Dusty_Rhodes]

Well my birthday month is the same time as a mapping challenge? Count me in!

[Omniarch]

Huh, I joined DW last year in order to participate in this event. Time flies when you're having fun, it would seem! I'll definitely be participating this year. Just need to finish up my outstanding CP obligations...

[Dusty_Rhodes]

7 minutes ago, Omniarch said:

 Just need to finish up my outstanding CP obligations...

Lol same, probably shouldn't have signed up for four maps along three projects. 

[RHhe82]

6 minutes ago, Dusty_Rhodes said:

Lol same, probably shouldn't have signed up for four maps along three projects. 

Me too. I guess I’ll try and finish as much as possible for my CP obligation in September in order to participate in this.

[Jimmy]

Oh FUCK YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME do stuff

[scwiba]

42 minutes ago, Dusty_Rhodes said:

Well my birthday month is the same time as a mapping challenge? Count me in!

Happy birthday!

 

38 minutes ago, Omniarch said:

Huh, I joined DW last year in order to participate in this event. Time flies when you're having fun, it would seem! I'll definitely be participating this year. Just need to finish up my outstanding CP obligations...

I didn't realize you joined for NaNo originally. Honored to have you back!

[Arcturus]

Hi! I'm in! I don't know what I want to do yet but hopefully I'll decide on something.

[T.Will]

Still green to mapping, but screw it. I’ll participate and see what happens.

[DavidN]

Of course I’m doing this :)

[StarSpun5000]

Okay I'm interested. I think I'd like to participate in this. I feel that for a beginner like me a one month challenge would be a good excuse for me to get of my bum and get some mapping done. I'll join in! 

[Somniac]

I'm in, hit a bit of a slow-down in mapping recently and this sounds like a good exercise to get things rolling again

[Obsidian]

I'M STILL WORKING ON MY ONE FROM LAST YEAR

[Obsidian]

IT WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO BE NINE MAPS

[Death Bear]

I’ll be there, for sure! Coming in with a different project this time. Something I should manage to finish.

[DMPhobos]

9 minutes ago, Obsidian said:

I'M STILL WORKING ON MY ONE FROM LAST YEAR

 

Im still working on the one i started on 2019.... where i was supposed to complete only 5 maps in total

 

heh 

[msx2plus]

next year for sure!! so many other projects on the go right now, sadly. will be watching from the sidelines feverishly, though!

[RHhe82]

I was thinking what sort of challenge I should impose on myself… I have competing aspirations, so nothing too daunting lest I burn myself.

 

After my 20 years hiatus, I find myself liking UDMF for the sake of convenience (especially regarding texture and flat alignments), but I wonder if a batch of small vanilla levels would be a great way of accomplishing something. Like one level for each week of October, and nothing big. Each week in a style of Ultimate Doom episode, for example. (So nothing innovative, just something to get creative juices flowing).

[Phobus]

This year, I complete the challenge. Or I don’t. Either way, I won’t be signing up again. So for this final, successful, attempt… Prepare for Phobus’ Imitation Speedy Shit (PISS).

[Pechudin]

I'd like to make something, not sure what yet though ... put me down, and by start of October I could figure that out.

[MFG38]

It just so happens that I've been formulating an idea that's a perfect fit for this concept.

 

Sign me up!

[TheNoob_Gamer]

I actually felt kinda guilty of not able to make anything last year, but welp. I'm down for another route. Have some ideas I've been gravitating towards to. The chances are rather slim, but I'd take what I can get, after all, this is all fun and games :)

At the very least, if I were to be unable to release anything, I'd be glad to try out other projects created during the event!

[Kam Tovalski]

Hell yeah! Still wondering between Heretic+UDB or Doom+WinDEU haha

[Worriedidiot]

Sign me up (even though I haven't thought of anything to make yet)

[Yumheart]

I'll try to make one big map. I dunno if I'll suceed, cause I work pretty slowly, but hey.

[lokbustam257]

still don't get it about the rules, is the rules are: Make maps and that's it?

[Alper002]

Yeah it's just "make maps", and the other rules (as far as I know) are allowed to be bent, so long as you're making stuff during the month!

If you feel like there's too few rules, then you can impose some of your own rules on yourself to make it more fun :P

 

Also, just wanna say I'm participating. This time, my project is a single map!

Hopefully it'll be an interesting one, too.

Just like all of the other times I've participated in nanowadmo, the thing I'm making will be for Hexen.

[JustAthel]

I mean you already wrote this out, but yeah -- can't wait to finally finish Emblem up and get it out there! It's long overdue, haha. Have fun, everyone else participating, I can't wait to see what you guys come up with!