[Community Project] Thirty Monsters Challenge [See you in the other thread!]

[NeedHealth]

Early screenshot.

[BiZ]

Map Name: Infernal Engine

Author: BIZ

Theme: Tech/Sludge

Music: Base Attack from Front Mission 3

Difficulty Settings: Implemented

Ports Tested: DSDA-Doom v0.21.3

Description: Somethings wrong with the power in this base, and I mean REALLY wrong. Get inside and shut it down...for good.

 

Notes:

- This is my first map (that wasn't 5 mins).

- I designed the first two rooms when it was the other thread about making the map HARD. Oh well, play at your own risk.

- Platforming and timed arena warning.

- I violated the 5 archvile rule, but the player only encounters 1 in the map.

 

30mon_biz.zip

 

Screens:

Spoiler

 

 

 

Edited January 7, 2022 by BiZ

[ryiron]

Thanks for the kind words and playtesting @dac, @Biodegradable, @SCF and @Clippy. I got inspired to make a second map (if there is still room). Something a bit more tricky this time. I've also added music for Vile Keep:

 

Map Name: Vile Keep

Author: ryiron

Theme: Castle

Music: Golden Axe - Path of the Fiend

Difficulty Settings: Implemented

Ports Tested: DSDA-Doom

Description: Small, claustrophobic encounters in a castle on the water

Notes: My first public map

Download: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1glenOSEEL3Z0lY5vsvFtGoqZJrFdJM1V/view?usp=sharing

 

Map Name: Lapis Lazuli

Author: ryiron

Theme: Castle/Dungeon

Music: Jill of the Jungle - Ominous (remix)

Difficulty Settings: Implemented

Ports Tested: DSDA-Doom

Description: Castle/dungeons packed with tricky traps and fights. 

Notes: Intention is to have some replayability with different approaches to the combat. UV should hopefully be challenging, the lower difficulties tone it down a bit.

Download: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zYR8_USNzaBnR15a1DeIXkonoiZeoCB-/view?usp=sharing

Edited January 7, 2022 by ryiron
Fixed a minor trigger bug in Lapis Lazuli. Fixed download links.

[Biodegradable]

48 minutes ago, ryiron said:

I got inspired to make a second map

 

You'll need to adjust your link permissions, mate. It's currently unavailable.

[ryiron]

@Biodegradable, Oops. Fixed.

[Biodegradable]

@ryiron

 

 

[ryiron]

@Biodegradable I honestly can't tell if this is a good or a bad review :-)

 

I play without mouselook, so I didn't notice the tactic of fighting the archviles from the top of the staircase in the cyberdemon room. I think given how evil the first room is it's probably fine. Running for the red key with the cyberdemon roaming is a bold strategy, but it paid off.

 

I noticed an incorrect texture in the final room, I'll fix that up.

[NeedHealth]

@dac

 

Map Name: Dismal Twilight

Author: NeedHealth

Theme: Marble with subtle uac base aesthetics

Music: 02 Breathe My Child.mid by Immorpher

Difficulty Settings: Yes, fully implemented but subject to change.

Ports Tested: prboom-plus, dsda-doom

Description: You have arrived in a marble compound, the sun is setting. The atmosphere is serene yet you can smell something in the air. Is it carrion?

Notes: the difficulty settings makes the enemies vary between 24 and 30, I hope I understood the rules correctly. No multiplayer or additional player starts added, save for player 1.

 

https://easyupload.io/2kv0mr

 

-e2 version 2

 

e1 please record an .lmp if you play this map

Edited January 8, 2022 by NeedHealth

[Biodegradable]

@NeedHealth

 

 

[NeedHealth]

@Biodegradable Thanks for playing my map. I am a little miffed you didnt react to the door splitting in two, I was looking forward to that. :-p

I will do an update to fix some discrepancies I noticed and, remove the blue armor... that you didnt find, and sprinkle armor bonuses instead.

Edited January 8, 2022 by NeedHealth

[NeedHealth]

@dac  I updated my map, the new link is in the original post two steps above this one. Sorry for the double post.

[Breezeep]

I'm gonna have to drop out, unfortunately. I just can't seem to muster up the motivation to make something for this.

[alexsa2015sa]

30mcalexsa2015sa_v3.zip

I was um... distracted, but here is an overdue update to my submission

•     Fixed lift to red key niche
•     Defaced the level with marble faces
•     Added two more secrets. There are five total now
•     Added some more clips across the level and repalced two stimpacks with 20 potions
•     Finally picked a sky... the default one, naturally
•     Added a MIDI, just because I can. Feel free to comment on its awfulness

I probably also should comment on other peoples' maps I most of which I actually played. Eventually.

[Astro X]

Here's my small contribution to the project (beta version, only UV implemented):

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TD2Au3QiFM3r9_8J7P0OKc6aDPRuwQUl/view?usp=sharing

[Scorpius]

Making slow but steady progress.

[ViolentBeetle]

Just wanted to post a pre-emptive update. I finished a map for my own wad and plan to take on 30 monsters next. I have a pretty solid plan for it, I just hope it'll fit in 30 monsters.

 

Are barons and arch-viles go into separate limit? Not sure I need to, but can I have 5 of both or 5 total?

[Clippy]

No doubt this is an @Astro X map 

 

I can't believe the fortunate run I had lol 

 

Good times 

 

 

 

[dac]

On 1/14/2022 at 12:06 PM, ViolentBeetle said:

Just wanted to post a pre-emptive update. I finished a map for my own wad and plan to take on 30 monsters next. I have a pretty solid plan for it, I just hope it'll fit in 30 monsters.

 

Are barons and arch-viles go into separate limit? Not sure I need to, but can I have 5 of both or 5 total?

 

You can have five of both.

 

Expect updates on my end soon-ish.

[SCF]

Played through some of the new submissions. Should get to the remaining ones tomorrow.

 

Blu-Ray Pain (v2) by @cannonball

Spoiler

Nice. I like the blue theme and the overall combat design, with the spider demon at the center. Definitely doesn't feel like a speed map.

 

Infernal Engine by @BiZ

Spoiler

This one was rough. Overall I wouldn't say I had a great time playing it, but it wasn't because the map was poorly made, but just because it's pretty harsh on the player.

 

I'm not a fan of platforming so I was never going to like the first room, but even then it seemed very fickle. Didn't help that every missed jump puts you in the damaging slime. I had to save and load my way through that part because it was getting frustrating.

 

In the timed arena, the second cyber seemed a bit overkill, since it's basically the same fight as the first one. I guess it punishes you if you took too long on the first one, but it becomes a real test of endurance when you're in a dark tight corridor with rockets flying at you while you also have to keep an eye on the chaingunner walls.

 

The last fight was pretty good, lots of pressure from just a few enemies. I dunno about the lifts though. Was the idea that you can use them for cover unless you get too close? I didn't make much use of that and just used the central obstacle. Liked the look of that area too, really reminded me of Sunder's map18.

 

Hide and Sick (v2) by @Shawn

Spoiler

First of all, the zip file has "v2" in the name but the actual wad doesn't, so when I checked afterwards I initially thought I played the wrong version.

 

The archvile gimmick was fine on its own, but it was a bit hard to figure out where to go in that room. The base of the pyramid structure (where the exit is) looks like you should be able to walk up there, so that's where I went first, but it's impassible. Maybe it could be more obvious that you can't go there. Also, the lava instantly killing you if you don't have the rad suit is pretty annoying when it extends so far into the main chamber. During the last fight I blindly ran into it twice.

 

Difficulty-wise I think the final fight isn't that hard, but it's in line with the rest of the map so I also don't think it should be much harder. You can get pretty lucky or unlucky though, depending on what the archvile does. If he targets you as soon as you teleport in, you'll probably get hit before you even realize where you are.

 

Man the Boat by @Astro X

Spoiler

Nice map, good challenge.

 

It took me an embarassingly long time to figure out how to get the plasma gun. Turns out that when you have to dodge two cyberdemons and random other projectiles you can't really stop and check, and it doesn't look like a platform you can just lower.

 

Also, the exit/secret switches on the mancubus platform are at gun height when you're on the ground, making me think they were shootable at first (again because there were so many other things to pay attention to). Raising them a little would remove any confusion.

 

[LPad]

Map Name: Caeco Regno

Author: LPad

Theme: Metal

Music: F(L)ail - Zone 4 

Difficulty Settings: Implemented

Ports Tested: Last version of DSDA-Doom and GZDoom 4.7.1.0

Description: Just a small rusty level with a high difficulty. 

Notes: In DSDA It runs smoothly. Decoration makes GZDoom slightly slower, but not enough to be considered problematic at all. At least, in my computer. It's intended to be advanced in level progression as the enemy placement makes it feel like an arena. One of the secrets is easier to get in DSDA because GZDoom fixes movement and speed things, yet it's still achieveable.

 

Sorry for hopping in so suddenly. This is my first ever submitted map to something. I just saw this project and took inmediate action, finishing this within a day and submitting it the moment I finished testing and fixing stuff. 

 

30mc_LPad.rar

[Biodegradable]

@LPad

 

Definitely one of the meanest entries I've playtested, good grief. Had to brute-force my way through the progression because fuck trying to kill most of the riff-raff with such limited resources. 

 

 

[SCF]

Lapis Lazuli by @ryiron

Spoiler

Well, you succeeded in making UV challenging, although mainly because of the first archvile fight. I can definitely see multiple ways of approaching it, and none of them are easy. I ended up killing the two spectres and luring the archvile to the other side so I could kill him without other enemies getting in the way. That worked, but only after several attempts since it's easy to get blocked or accidentally free one of the revenants.

 

The other fights felt like a breeze in comparison. In the cyberdemon room it's easy to distract him with the barons and take out the archviles safely. In fact, you can just ignore the first archie, run to the second switch, and then wait on top of the stairs. You can wait until the pain elementals are close to take them out, and meanwhile the cyberdemon will kill everything for you. It might need something to force you out of that area after hitting the second switch.

 

The pain elementals in the final room seemed kind of pointless, unless you ran out of BFG ammo I guess. Otherwise they just die instantly.

 

Dismal Twilight (v2) by @NeedHealth

Spoiler

Liked it. The creepy music adds a lot to the atmosphere. Since the first fight threw two archviles at me I was expecting a rough time, but it doesn't really escalate from there. The encounters all feel like they're on a similar difficulty level.

 

I was missing one hell knight at the end. Is he triggered by one of the secrets? I couldn't find any of them.

 

This is unlikely to bother anyone, but the grate midtexture at the yellow key looks different from each side.

 

Caeco Regno by @LPad

Spoiler

Very mean map, with all the distant sniper enemies. Focus too long on one thing and you get slammed by plasma bolts fired 10 seconds ago. It's not unfair, but it's definitely mean.

 

If you aim to get 100% kills, the end of the map can get pretty tedious, having to kill all those cacos, arachnotrons, revenants, and the archvile at the start, all with just a shotgun and chaingun.

 

But on the other hand, if you just want to finish the level, there's no reason to engage the cacos at all. You can just leave immediately. In fact, I restarted the map and tried to speed through it, and finished in under a minute with little trouble. Getting the blue key is trivial, and the only tricky part is making sure the archvile gets distracted by one of the spiders. Then you can ignore all other enemies, get the red key, and exit.

 

With Time Comes an End by @Engired

Spoiler

GZDoom reports a bunch of map errors (some unconnected edges, and a missing texture 'BLUMAP')

 

The textures on the round pillars in the room with the blue key card don't line up, producing a very visible seam. Since this seam is on the front side, it's also the first thing you notice when you enter the room. The fight there gave me some difficulty until I realized you can just leave the room and go back to the beginning area. The revenants followed and were easy kills, and the other enemies just got stuck.

 

Then the pit room... oh boy. You can't exactly fight the enemies there with the weapons you have, so it felt like I was just brute forcing it until the cyberdemon cooperated. So many times what ended up happening was: sit behind the archvile hoping the cyberdemon shoots him, he doesn't, try to hide behind the pillar, fall off the edge. And once I cleaned up the enemies, I found that I had to navigate a precarious ledge right between an angry cyberdemon and a death pit. I ended up just using god mode to hit that switch. Also, when part of the platform lowered, the archvile got stuck inside the pit.

 

It was only after I finished it that I went back to see what I missed, and found that there was a whole optional area behind semi-secret doors (where the blue skull key is), that gives you the ssg, rocket launcher, and plasma gun. Those would have helped in the pit room, but I think it would've still been somewhat frustrating. I don't know if you intended for this area to be hidden, but if not I would make it more clear. Doing the end with just shotgun and chaingun was miserable.

 

[LPad]

 

 

Fixed:

Chaingun is now next to the archvile to make it less frustrating yet still difficult.

The archvile at the start is now killed by a crusher when entering to the red key arena.

The red key fight now has a timer for you to be able to leave.

30mc_LPadv2.rar

 

Edit: Updated it again because it had a bug with the timer. Now it's solved

Edited January 18, 2022 by LPad

[ryiron]

@SCF Thanks for the feedback. I agree that the map lacks a bit of balance in that the first fight is much harder than the later fights. I wasn't sure if the first fight was overly unfair or not. I figured having it at the start meant failure was less impactful (and it also easily allows me to limit the player to the shotgun/chaingun on UV). I could remove the shotgunner/chaingunner at the start and just give the player the weapons to make restarting less tedious?

 

The intent with the pain elemental room was to have limited plasma ammo so that getting there with a BFG shot or two left would require some ammo management. But as you point out, it's a bit too easy to distract the cyberdemon and just camp at the top of the stair case. 

[Engired]

Version 2: 30mc_Engired_v2.zip

 

I was originally going to block off all exits on that old blue key fight, and the rocket launcher fight also used to have the blue key instead.

I've reversed it back, added an exit sign so people explore the rest of the map, and made the rocket launcher fight harder. Hopefully it's not too annoying. I've also added ammo in the pillars just in case.

 

The map errors are just my control lines, and blumap refers to the colmap.

Edited January 17, 2022 by Engired

[Salmon]

Apologies for yet another blue map but I had to use that palette.

 

 

Download - Windswept v2

Download - Windswept v1

 

Map Name: Windswept

Author: Salmon

Theme: Temple

Music: Power Plant by Deadwing

Difficulty Settings: Implemented

Ports Tested: DSDA-Doom, Eternity, GZDoom

Description: A compact run and gun map.

Notes: UV and HMP have the same monster placement but HMP has more health and armor.  HNTR has extra health and armor with easier monsters.  Coop starts are placed.  There shouldn't be any multiplayer softlocks.  No extra monsters though, obviously.

 

Comments, demos, and videos are all welcome from anyone.  I don't usually make maps like this so let me know about balance.  Definitely looking for softlocks and texture issues as well.  Any sort of feedback is appreciated, really.  Thanks!

 

Monster Count:

Spoiler

UV and HMP
3 Barons
2 Archviles
1 Spiderdemon
7 Arachnotrons
6 Mancubi
4 Chaingunners
4 Revenants
2 Cacodemons
1 Pain Elemental

 

HNTR
1 Baron
6 Hell Knights
4 Shotgunners
4 Arachnotrons
4 Mancubi
4 Revenants
3 Cacodemons
2 Demons
2 Imps

 

Edited March 4, 2022 by Salmon
Updated file version

[Scorpius]

Map Name: Dystrophia

Author: Scorpius

Theme: Snow/Base

Music: Tributary - AD_79

Difficulty Settings: Implemented

Ports Tested: gzdoom-v3.7.2 and prboom-plus-2.5.1.4

Description: I thought about trying something new and a map covered with snow works really well. Dystrophia takes place outside and inside a small storage base within a cold wasteland. Arch-Vile fight in the storage boxes was reworked from a lost and broken Plutonia map while the cyberdemon fight outside the base was inspired by the last level in No Rest for the Living.

Notes: This map might be on the large side but I think it's still a pretty decent map. Definitely the most fun mapping session in a long time :)

30mc_scorpius.zip

Edited January 18, 2022 by Scorpius

[Shawn]

Thank you @SCF for the feedback. I've uploaded a third version of my map (I've also edited my initial post with the updated map).

30mc_Shawn_V4.zip

 

Spoiler

 

---------------------------

• + Added some more indications on what not to do at the start (yellow pillars blocking the exit).
• - Reduced the size of the lava pit in the main room.
• - Fixed the annoying sound loop in GZDoom, you have to use compat_sectorsounds = 1, I added it to the mapinfo.
• + Added some eye candies here and there to make the map a bit less ugly to look at. The map is still not the prettiest, I'll try to work a bit more on making it less brown ugly.
• - All the firesticks' colors now depend on your difficulty level (red=easy, green=normal, blue=hard).
• - Adjusted the overall difficulty of the map. After playing the other maps in the thread, mine is by far the easiest once you master the gimmick. I made the rocket launcher fight and the final fight a bit tougher to be more in line with the rest of the contributions. (I've hidden a really powerful weapon in the second secret to help).
• - Fully implemented all difficulties, Deathmatch and Co-op modes.

 

Changelog V4 :
--------------

o Changed the way to escape to Yellow skull key room to force the player to collect the rocket launcher.
o Moved the Berserk pack into the Yellow skull room as a reward after the fight and to prevent the player from killing the Archvile too early.
o Moved where the player is teleported in the final fight, now the player is in a much safer place.
+ Added some impassable barriers around the Archvile to force the player to run away and not fight with fists/chainsaw.
+ Added some health bonus to help the player navigate the map.
+ Added a death exit.

Edited February 15, 2022 by Shawn
Updated map

[Astro X]

Another map of mine for the project, if that's okay!

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oqCI9hFMTSrRGNqr8pVqtJm6By1TsFLN/view?usp=sharing

[dac]

2 hours ago, Astro X said:

Another map of mine for the project, if that's okay!

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oqCI9hFMTSrRGNqr8pVqtJm6By1TsFLN/view?usp=sharing

 

It's perfectly fine to make multiple maps! Just as a reminder, you still have to follow the submission format.

 

From what I've played, the map is fine, if a bit simple and boxy. The arch-viles are a bit of a bother since it's random whether they stay on the upper ground or not, and also they can activate the cyberdemons if they get too close to the BFG lol

 

 

e: Also also time to un-neglect this thread, all I'll say now is god I wish DoomMake had a GUI

Edited January 21, 2022 by dac