Dominus Diabolicus - MBF21 33-map megawad [now on idgames]

[Nihlith]

10 hours ago, bofu said:

 

I like how you very quickly adapted to the huge arena fight in Precipice of Pain. You also did a really good job avoiding damage in the first big fight in that level.

 

I usually leave some of the enemies on the ledges alive (easier to do if you don't have BFG ammo or don't use it) to distract the cyberdemons that come in.

 

That's actually the recording of my second attempt at Precipice of Pain. The arena kicked my ass like a dozen times before that. I was really fixated on the idea that I could hold out by one of the skull switches until the onslaught was over but I just couldn't make it work. I did think to myself that keeping some hell knights and imps up on the ledges would have been a good idea once the cyberdemons started marching out, but there seems to be enough ammo to forgive that. This map is wild. Still haven't found the exit but I'm looking forward to the next 4 finished maps. At this rate of difficulty increase the path to level 30 is starting to look a little intimidating. Still, I'm invested now so we'll see.    

[Jiggahertz]

The WAD is really good, as far as the name of the WAD goes however, it doesn't make any sense lol

"Dominus Diabolus" is just 2 nominative nouns placed next to each other

I've also read earlier in this thread that apparently there's already a WAD of the same name and that you've been thinking about trying to differentiate the name, which in that case, you can maybe try changing the name to something like "Dominus Diabolicus"

Edited December 29, 2022 by Jiggahertz

[bofu]

5 hours ago, Jiggahertz said:

The WAD is really good, as far as the name of the WAD goes however, it doesn't make any sense lol

"Dominus Diabolus" is just 2 nominative nouns placed next to each other

I've also read earlier in this thread that apparently there's already a WAD of the same name and that you've been thinking about trying to differentiate the name, which in that case, you can maybe try changing the name to something like "Dominus Diabolicus"

 

Yeah, good idea. I know the name isn't quite proper Latin, but at the time I realized that, I kept it because I couldn't recreate the logo I used. Now that I have a proper working copy of it that I can make changes to, I may try doing that for the next release.

Edited December 29, 2022 by bofu

[Nihlith]

 

 

The Grotto of Gore was a bit more my speed, because of the central cavern it seems kind of like a roided out version of The Living End. It's vicious but a lot less overwhelming than the Precipice of Pain, which is nice as it gives the player a chance to catch his breath for the remainder of the upward climb to 30. I especially enjoyed the library but the whole thing works wonderfully.  

[sandwedge]

Fun couple maps, and the first city level was actually harder than expected!

 

 

[bofu]

1 hour ago, sandwedge said:

Fun couple maps, and the first city level was actually harder than expected!

Thanks for another high quality playthrough! MAP07 is where the difficulty starts to ramp up, especially on UV.

 

As for the HOM you found in MAP06: that's a nodebuilding issue because I went a little too "off the grid" with the vertices for the rocky area. The MAP18 release will have that fixed (along with some possible HOMs in MAP08 that have the same issue, just in case you run into them).

[bofu]

I know no news has come out for a while, but I have still been working on this wad. Unfortunately, my work from home has ended, so I no longer have the means to work on Doom levels during the boring meetings I don't even have anything relevant to add or need to hear or the inevitable downtime when I'm waiting on other people for the work I need to get done. As such, progress on MAP18 is slow, but it's got a neat gothic-tech-flesh-industrial fusion thing going.

 

I'm also putting the finishing touches on some new sounds (those of you who've played MAP17 already will know why). I'm also going to need to redo the WAD name and logo - Dominus Diabolus is incorrect grammatically, so I'll be changing it to Dominus Diabolicis. My OCD won't let it stand.

 

As such, the next release probably won't be until late February. I only have 11.5 more maps to go, so I intend to go all the way to a full 32. But if you were waiting to play this until it's done, I recommend you not do so — at least experience the first 15 maps and the secret levels, as they feel like a pretty complete experience on their own (not to spoil it, but MAP32 is a very good capstone to all the preceding maps).

[Jiggahertz]

On 1/22/2023 at 8:49 PM, bofu said:

I'm also going to need to redo the WAD name and logo - Dominus Diabolus is incorrect grammatically, so I'll be changing it to Dominus Diabolicis.

I'm assuming "Diabolicis" is a typo?

 

Also very excited for the remaining maps

Edited January 24, 2023 by Jiggahertz

[bofu]

4 hours ago, Jiggahertz said:

I'm assuming "Diabolicis" is a typo?

 

Also very excited for the remaining maps

Yep, it's a typo. Can't type gud on mobile.

 

Thank you for the excitement! I genuinely appreciate it.

[bofu]

MAP 18 is very close to completion. I've also finished the revised title graphics for inclusion (every translation service I've used is struggling; the current name, Dominus Diabolus, shows up a lot in Google search results for things not related to this thread, but Dominus Diabolicus only shows up once, but in an actual Latin source).

 

All that's left right now is to distribute to playtesters, wait for feedback, and finish the MIDI in the meantime. This level clocks in at significantly fewer enemies than MAP17, which was considered to be very punishing on UV; at the same time, there are some very challenging fights all the same, though nothing that I don't think anyone who's gotten this far can handle.

 

[bofu]

MAP18: Plague Factory is released! Go to the top post or download from here.

 

Changelog:

Spoiler

MAP18: Added map.

Monsters: Added new wake/death sounds for the miniboss in MAP17. Now plays fullvolume sounds in MBF21 as a bonus.

Misc: Adjusted title; updated TITLEPIC, M_DOOM, and ENDOOM to match.

 

[bofu]

MAP19: Fields of Anguish is released! Go to the top post or download from here.

 

Almost done with the second episode!

 

Here are some more screenshots:

 

Edited March 13, 2023 by bofu

[T-117]

👍 This one was really fun.  And a nice reprieve from the difficulty in previous maps.

[bofu]

1 hour ago, T-117 said:

👍 This one was really fun.  And a nice reprieve from the difficulty in previous maps.

Thank you very much. MAP20 (which already has some good progress made) is going to be relatively small in terms of monster count but still tough. I want to get back to some smaller but more tense combats.

[bofu]

EPISODE TWO IS DONE! Changes from the previous release are below.

 

With the release of MAP20: Forward Station Hades, I will no longer be updating this thread with the rest of the map releases until the entire wad is done. The thread goes all *crickets* every time I update it, which can be pretty disheartening, but once the WAD is completely done (as opposed to being over two thirds done) it might gather a little more steam.

 

Spoiler

MAPS:

• MAP20: Added.
• MAP01: Added a few additional cosmetic details.
• MAP02: Tweaked which linedefs show up on the automap.
• MAP04: Made some very slight geometry adjustments to eliminate slime trails.
• MAP08: Made some very slight geometry adjustments to eliminate slime trails.

SOUNDS:

• Increased the volume of the Summoner's custom sounds; made the Summoner full loudness (in MBF21-enabled ports only, no Crispy Doom support).

 

[Rudolph]

On 3/26/2023 at 3:07 PM, bofu said:

The thread goes all *crickets* every time I update it

Yeah, sorry about that. I am currently on a bit of a Doom hiatus, so I have not been playing any mapset in a while.

 

But I do plan on playing this one when it comes out! ;)

[Rudolph]

Okay, you have successfully guilt me into playing the latest release. Or at the very least MAP20, for now. ;)

 

I did a first playthrough with Buddha on just to see if all the secrets are working, and they do. I will do a normal second playthrough later.

 

Keep up the good work!

[bofu]

3 minutes ago, Rudolph said:

Okay, you have successfully guilt me into playing the latest release. Or at the very least MAP20, for now. ;)

 

I did a first playthrough with Buddha on just to see if all the secrets are working, and they do. I will do a normal second playthrough later.

 

Keep up the good work!

Haha, not my intention! But thank you regardless.

 

I recommend checking out MAP32 if you haven't already yet. That one's still my favorite. (Though it loses a little of its impact if you haven't played everything leading up to it yet...)

[Rudolph]

Currently replaying the mapset from start and I have to say, I feel like MAP07 happens a bit too soon in the map rotation: it looks huge and epic and it features quite a few slaughtermap-esque encounters that make it feel a lot more difficult than the next two maps.

 

Also, I was not able to get 100% kills on MAP04, as it looks like a dozen or so enemies were not able to teleport themselves out of their hiding spot.

[bofu]

1 hour ago, Rudolph said:

Currently replaying the mapset from start and I have to say, I feel like MAP07 happens a bit too soon in the map rotation: it looks huge and epic and it features quite a few slaughtermap-esque encounters that make it feel a lot more difficult than the next two maps.

 

Also, I was not able to get 100% kills on MAP04, as it looks like a dozen or so enemies were not able to teleport themselves out of their hiding spot.

I might be able to reupload tonight. What cl/sourceport are you using?

 

Spoiler

As for MAP07, the truly slaughtery parts of the map are optional. Only the blue key area, blue key door, and green warehouse are required. I could add a little more danger to MAP06 to ramp it up a bit more, however...

 

[Rudolph]

GZDoom.

[bofu]

Whoop, yep, I see who never comes in. Easy fix though! Thanks for letting me know.

[bofu]

Added a slight update to MAP04 - should be able to get 100% kills on GZDoom now.

[FEDEX]

Hi @bofu in the OP last update is march 26, the updates in your last post (march 30) are in the same link?

[TheCyberDruid]

Played through map 19 & 20 and wow, those are two intense maps :) The end of episode 2 is quite cool. Looking forward to episode 3.

[bofu]

7 hours ago, FEDEX said:

Hi @bofu in the OP last update is march 26, the updates in your last post (march 30) are in the same link?

Yes, I haven't updated the OP yet to change the date. The download link hasn't changed, I just re-uploaded the file. (Just had to drag one stupid revenant four map units in one direction, as he got stuck when using improved hit detection.)

[Rudolph]

Made it to MAP11. While I like the map itself, I do not know how to feel about the SSG Zombie.

 

I mean, they drop a Supershotgun, but as far as MAP11 is concerned, they do not serve much of a purpose that is not already filled by the Chaingunner.

 

Oh, and speaking of MAP11, how do I reach the secret Computer Map?

Edited April 1, 2023 by Rudolph

[bofu]

9 hours ago, Rudolph said:

Made it to MAP11. While I like the map itself, I do not know how to feel about the SSG Zombie.

 

I mean, they drop a Supershotgun, but as far as MAP11 is concerned, they do not serve much of a purpose that is not already filled by the Chaingunner.

 

Oh, and speaking of MAP11, how do I reach the secret Computer Map?

 

There are some key differences between the Vanguard and the Chaingunner in terms of the type of threat they pose that will become more clear as you face more of them in later maps:

• A large group of Chaingunners is more oppressive to deal with than a large group of Vanguards.
• Chaingunners are more prone to triggering infighting among groups of other enemies than Vanguards are.
• Vanguards don't pose much of a threat at long ranges besides just peppering you from a far, but Chaingunners can RNG into sniping you into death from afar. By contrast, a Chaingunner takes more time to do the same amount of damage in close range, making Vanguards more instantly lethal if you let them get the drop on you but less punishing if you manage to dodge their initial blast due to the lengthy reload.
• Vanguards don't drop Chaingun ammo in maps when I'm trying to keep the player from using the Chaingun. ;)

As for the Computer Area Map:

 

Spoiler

In the room where you find the plasma gun near the yellow keycard, look along the northern wall for a grey wall that's aligned differently from others.

 

[Captain Keen]

Really enjoying this so far, thanks for posting. Some great map layouts.

[Rudolph]

@bofu Thanks for the tip!

 

As for the Vanguard, I would highly recommend giving the enemy distinct active and idle sounds in order to make it easier for the player to locate it and dodge its potentially lethal shot. Realm667's Super Shotgun Zombie uses Quake 1's Grunt sounds, but since yours wears a helmet, maybe the Enforcer would be a more suitable candidate?

 

As for MAP12, that might prove to be an unpopular opinion, but I do think the coliseum-esque arena might be a bit too difficult: even with the BFG9000 from an early level, I struggled quite a lot to not get overwhelmed by the initial wave of Pinkies while having to worry about the Revenants' homing missiles and it took me many attempts, some save-scumming and a bit of luck to make it through.

Edited April 1, 2023 by Rudolph