Ambitious mapset idea

[xdude_gamer]

CIVIL WAR

A mid-1990s style mapset in the vein of Memento Mori that chronicles UAC's satirical war against humanity, in Doom 2 format.

 

Compatibility: Vanilla or limit-removing DOOM II, unless monsters are too difficult, in which case BOOM
Maps: 9 + MAP31 and MAP32
Music: Unsure, maybe some ROTT tracks and other custom stuff
Textures: More than likely just vanilla DOOM II
Progression: Demented techbase (MAP01-MAP05), Hell (MAP06-MAP09), whatever you want (MAP31-MAP32)

 

The story:
 

It's 2034. The Union Aerospace Corportation, overrun by corrupt officials from Mars, has decided to make people evacuate Earth, calling it unsafe and contaminated by a mysterious virus that no one knows the name of. However, what the UAC plans to do is unleash Hell's demons on Earth to run tests, and they don't want to kill anyone. Doomguy knows better however. Ever since 2029, the UAC has had plans to kill humanity. He is the only one who knows what's going on over there. The UAC are the real demons. They are upgrades of the hellspawn, directly from Deimos and Phobos, back when Doomguy made his mark many decades earlier. They survived and evolved. Now Doomguy will make them pay.

 

Rip and tear. Until it is done.

 

 

Shown above is an example map that could be used in the final game.

New enemies!

 

EVOLVED MONSTERS

 

Evolved monsters include:

 

Evolved Former Humans (deal double damage on pistol and have bloodier textures and death/gibbing animations)
Evolved Former Sergeant (deal double damage and wield super shotguns; bloodier textures and death/gibbing animations)
Evolved Former Commando (doubled fire rate; bloodier textures and death/gibbing animations)

 

THE BOSS

 

Similar to a cyberdemon, but it shoots rockets at a faster rate, moves faster, and has a powerful melee attack similar to a Quake ogre.
 

Edited January 18, 2022 by xdude_gamer

[gwain]

evolved demons sound cool

just sprite upgrades or new attacks too?

 

[Morpheus666]

I have a quick 5 question for you:

 

1. What resources will you use for this project?

2. do you have experience in Doom Mapping/modding?

3. Who will be working with you on this project?

4. Is this project attainable (as in could you make a demo for it within 3 years?)

5. Is the project from the heart, or a means to seek a notable feat in the community?

 

If you answered "No" or "idk" to any of these questions, it's time to put the brakes on before heading head-first into this project, A big mistake alot of new Modders make is overscoping there first projects. I did it, and so did alot of other new mappers, you imo must start small, Make a few single maps and work on understanding what is considered good "Doom level design". You can do this by playing other famous Wads and seeing what they did and try to figure out why they work so well, or by learning the basics by reading through what John Romero said himself:

 

links:

https://www.helldoradoteam.com/2018/12/19/john-romeros-level-design-tips/

 

Edited January 17, 2022 by Morpheus666

[xdude_gamer]

15 hours ago, gwain said:

evolved demons sound cool

just sprite upgrades or new attacks too?

 

Basically

[xdude_gamer]

15 hours ago, Morpheus666 said:

I have a quick 5 question for you:

 

1. What resources will you use for this project?

2. do you have experience in Doom Mapping/modding?

3. Who will be working with you on this project?

4. Is this project attainable (as in could you make a demo for it within 3 years?)

5. Is the project from the heart, or a means to seek a notable feat in the community?

 

If you answered "No" or "idk" to any of these questions, it's time to put the brakes on before heading head-first into this project, A big mistake alot of new Modders make is overscoping there first projects. I did it, and so did alot of other new mappers, you imo must start small, Make a few single maps and work on understanding what is considered good "Doom level design". You can do this by playing other famous Wads and seeing what they did and try to figure out why they work so well, or by learning the basics by reading through what John Romero said himself:

 

links:

https://www.helldoradoteam.com/2018/12/19/john-romeros-level-design-tips/

 

I'm sure that I could find resources, people, and other things to make this project work, but I feel this is mostly just a little idea that I had that could be cool to try out.

[Pegleg]

5 hours ago, xdude_gamer said:

I'm sure that I could find resources, people, and other things to make this project work, but I feel this is mostly just a little idea that I had that could be cool to try out.

 

Having an idea is perfectly fine--in fact, it's one of the key components in a project. Without an idea to focus mappers' energies, all you have is a jumble of maps with no coherent theme. That's fine for a particular type of project, but not for something like this.

 

However, what Morpheus is getting at is that if you want to move on from having an idea to having a project with participants, then you need to have things more defined. People don't want to contribute to a project that will never see the light of day, and having just an idea with few supporting details makes your potential contributors more worried that will be the result. This isn't meant as slight against you, specifically. The majority of us would be met with the same response. If Ribbiks, Xaser, Doomkid, Jimmy, or someone else in that stratosphere were to make this same post, within the first hour, there would probably have been a dozen people saying, "Sounds like a great idea! Sign me up." Alas, we are not them, and so we must deal with the sort of expectations that come with not being them.

 

Additionally, I wouldn't be overly concerned with your level of expertise in mapping, but if you are new, you'll need to recognize that people will look at your idea with a jaundiced idea, particularly if you describe it as "ambitious." Ambitious projects tend to complex, and the larger the project, the more balls you have to keep in the air. It can be difficult for someone new, especially if that person doesn't have a good idea of what is technically possible or technically difficult. It's not impossible that someone new can lead an ambitious project, but you'll definitely find yourself having to prove yourself more than if you were more experienced.

 

Here are some additional thoughts I have regarding your project:

 

1. You've already defined a format, which is better than someone potential project leaders. Vanilla or limit-removing at least gives potential mappers some idea about what you're looking for, but it would be a good idea to pick one of them. Honestly, if you're not committed to going whole hog behind working within the static limits, then it's probably best to choose limit-removing. But it's up to you. Great results are possible with either vanilla or limit-removing.

 

2. You've defined an iwad (regular Doom 2), which is important information for potential mappers.

 

3. You should have at least one map in progress to show potential mappers a sample of what you're after. Having a sample map immediately gives potential contributors the understanding that you are invested in your own project. You've spent your own time and effort to create a map, so you're not just the guy throwing out a big idea and waiting for people to fall into line. You're actively working to make your idea become a reality. Having a sample map also gives potential mappers an idea of the sort of map that you expect from the project. Yes, you've said "mid-90's style," but a sample will give people an idea of what you mean when you say that.

 

4. You don't need to have anyone else signed on at the time you make your initial post, but having at least one other person creating a map for the project adds to the air of legitimacy of the project. If potential mappers see that someone else is already contributing their time and effort to the project, then it will help them to feel comfortable in participating. It also provides more examples of the type of map for them to target.

 

5. You should more fully define your target scope in terms of number or maps you want. How many maps do you want? 6 or 11 or 17 or 24 or will you be happy with however many you have by a particular date?

 

6. You should also define what is the size and complexity of maps you're looking for? You've stated that this you want this to be a "mid-90's style" mapset, but what does that mean? The Momento Moris, Requiem, The Talosian Incident, Hell Revealed, Icarus, and Eternal Doom were all released in 1996-1997, and they are all very different types of mapsets. Are you looking for maps that have mid-90's mapping tropes? Are you looking for maps with modern sensibilities, but that have mid-90's levels of detailing? Do you mean you're looking for short to medium-length maps? Lots of corridors? Odd progression? Switches that trigger things on the other side of the map?

 

7. If you're going to have new monsters (or evolved monsters), you should describe them. Are these just monsters that you're getting off Realm667? Or are they new Dehacked creations that you're making? What do they look like? Which existing monsters (or other things) are they replacing? What are their characteristics (attacks, hit points, speed, etc.)? Having the new monsters defined will also help you make sure that they will work correctly within the chosen format.

 

8. What sort of textures are you planning to use? That will help define your expectations for mappers. Are you planning to only use stock textures? There's nothing wrong with that. There's been a number of good maps and mapsets made with only stock textures. Or are you looking to use something like Patchtex, or CC4-tex, or 32-in-24-15-tex, or Votex? Or will you assemble a custom texture pack? If you say you want Techbase and City maps, but your texture pack is all Hell, flesh, and gothic textures, that may cause confusion.

 

9. Do you have some sort of idea of the thematic progression you want your mapset to follow? Are you planning on an episodic approach (like the original Doom 2)? Will the maps progress from a city to a techbase to Hell? Or some other progression? Or will you just have a mapset of urban maps?

 

10. Are there additional rules that you will want to follow? Will new monster usage follow a schedule (new monster 1 introduced in Map 3, new monster 2 introduced in Map 5, etc.)? Will certain weapons only be allowed after certain maps (no rocket launcher before Map 4, no plasma gun before Map 10, etc.)? Will there be monster limits (200 monsters minimum, only monsters with legs, etc.)? Are there rules about themes (Hell must have lava and no wood or tech, Techbase must have no gothic elements, no green marble in urban environments, etc.)?

 

The bottom line is that the more detail you can provide, the more prepared you look, and the more confidence you will inspire in potential contributors. You will need to be prepared to have some measure of quality control, and as long as you are consistent, and have provided these details, there will be less confusion and you will be more trusted as a project lead.

 

Good luck with your efforts. I hope they go well for you.

Edited January 18, 2022 by Pegleg