New bigass Map01 "WELCOME BACK" is Finished! (Now available on /IDGAMES)

[Cheesebone]

Hey everyone - my new map is finished! I have uploaded it to /idgames through the gamers.org door, but I don't know when it will show up there. I've included a link to a doomshack download though, if that isn't an issue for anyone. Some spoiler screenshots are included here in the post. It's called "Welcome Back", because somehow you ended up in hell again.

 

Info:

 

This is a pretty big map. Not like problematically enormous, but big enough to get me in trouble. This is really only the 2nd map I've ever released and the one before this was 23 years ago, lol, and that one got me in trouble (but also still got ok reviews). This map is somewhat is relatively detailed, but not to some crazy degree. Over 3,200 sectors and likely over 2,000 monsters on UV skill by the time the map is finished. Ammo is plentiful, but infighting is definitely still your friend. Only 3 secrets, and all they really do is make the map easier. UV without the secrets is far more challenging to me than with the secrets, but in either case the map is fun for me to play. Archies stay pretty contained for the most part. UV Really is the suggested experience, it's a challenge for me, but I'm also not an amazing Doomer. either. HMP is also still really fun for me. Also, there are a two spots with pretty obvious inescapable death pits - they aren't an ovesight, but you're in hell. So there. Tip - don't fall in. It isn't *that* hard, lol :)

 

This map is in UDMF, and it was *only* tested on GZDoom with hardware rendering and software rendering, and there are no issues that I know of based on those tests. Freelook is encouraged, but not necessary. Crouching and Jumping should be disabled. It also runs well with the SmoothDoom mod, although the enormous outdoor death bonanza has a tendency to bog the framerate down at 4k and 1440p if I have all the fancy lighting turned on. I'm running an R5 3600/16GB3200mhz with an older GTX 970 as a video card too. But I see no slowdowns with standard GZDoom settings and hardware rendering.

 

The music is, well - it's original. Lol. I'm not bashing it, but it isn't so much a "song" as it is a collection of random riffs and guitar noise that I sort of sandwiched together into an 8+ minute soundtrack. It isn't nearly as "catchy" as something I'd usually write, but I kind of wanted random shifts in the music because I felt it would make for a more fun map overall. After playing the map with it in the background, I can say I think it works out well. Anyone is free to use the music (or any section of it) for anything they'd like, just give me a shout out for it if you do :) It's definitely still metal, without much question.

 

Either way - thank you, everyone! Giant thanks again to @ScrappyMcDoogerton and @Murdoch for playtesting this map last week and making a few suggestions that really helped improve the overall experience of the map. I think their input was very precise and accurate and it helped turn a map that I thought was fun into a map that I *really* actually enjoy playing through. 

 

I hope you all do too. Share it anywhere, and thanks so much for following!

 

-Dave 

 

https://doomshack.org/uploads/WelcBack.zip

 

https://www.gamers.org/pub/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/v-z/welcback.zip

 

 

Edited April 7, 2022 by Cheesebone

[ScrappyMcDoogerton]

Grats on the release, this map is really a great combo of beautiful architecture and edgy combat, a must play for those who like to go on a big adventure. Welcome back indeed!

[Thelokk]

Not a huge fan of djent (more of a NWOBHM guy) and non-MIDI music in Doom in general, so the music side of the project kinda fell flat on me, but we can chalk that to preferences. 

I have to say that the map, for the monster count it has, goes by surprisingly fast and effortlessly - I really appreciate the linearity of the layout and its no-frills attitude. The 'big piece' is of course, the final arena, which is executed flawlessly, had lots of fun with it. I can't help but feel that what came before - the cave area and such - could have used some more 'spice' so to speak, both visually and gameplay wise. Didn't notice any outstanding issue or bug.

Great job, looking forward to more!

Edited April 5, 2022 by Thelokk

[Pixel Fiend]

I hate to be that guy but please, always indicate the map format. Not everyone uses Gzdoom.

Edited April 5, 2022 by game

[CoolerDoomeR]

Good, Congrats on the release!

[Cheesebone]

1 hour ago, game said:

I hate to be that guy but please, always indicate the map format. Not everyone uses Gzdoom.

LOL I knew I forgot something. UDMF, added it to the OP as well.

 

[Cheesebone]

3 hours ago, Thelokk said:

Not a huge fan of djent (more of a NWOBHM guy) and non-MIDI music in Doom in general, so the music side of the project kinda fell flat on me, but we can chalk that to preferences. 

I have to say that the map, for the monster count it has, goes by surprisingly fast and effortlessly - I really appreciate the linearity of the layout and its no-frills attitude. The 'big piece' is of course, the final arena, which is executed flawlessly, had lots of fun with it. I can't help but feel that what came before - the cave area and such - could have used some more 'spice' so to speak, both visually and gameplay wise. Didn't notice any outstanding issue or bug.

Great job, looking forward to more!

Thanks! Glad you had fun with it, and I appreciate the feedback. If anyone has recordings of their playthrough, feel free to share them here, I'd love to gather some more reactions and input.

 

I wasn't really going for the "djent" crowd but that first riff definitely has some of that flavor. Plus I was playing in a lower tuning so that has a tendency to just sound djenty even when it isn't meant to, lol. Part of me wanted to spend more time going over the map and adding more visuals and "spice" but I just kind of lost interest in it after focusing on it so heavily for two months, and if I didn't release it soon then it would probably have just sat here. I'm not sure when I'll have the time to make another map anytime soon so I wanted to get this out there before it durned into vaporware, lol.

[azerty]

The screenshots look lovely

[Cheesebone]

12 hours ago, azerty said:

The screenshots look lovely

Thanks! I hope you have fun playing it :)

[Shepardus]

Impressive not-quite-first map! I've gotten up to the part where it opens up into the big outdoor area. That surprised me and was very cool to see. It also tanked my framerate, but turning off dynamic lights made it playable (in case you want to know, my GPU's newer than yours, but my CPU's like a decade older so framerate drops in GZDoom is nothing new to me, and I also have Smooth Doom and Nash Gore loaded). The detailing looks nice without getting in the way of the gameplay, and I like that the combat leans in favor of the rocket launcher, which I think gives the map a good pace (less tedious than shotgunning everything). Maybe the combat scenarios could be varied to encourage using other weapons more, but on the other hand I won't say no to a good rocket-fest. All in all good work, hope to see more from you in the future.

[Murdoch]

Congratulations on the release. Sorry i didn't get to that technical pass. Life crap happened.

 

Heartily recommend this map. I am ordinarily not a fan of this style but Dave found a superb balance between presenting overwhelming odds but never short changing the player on resources and room to move. If you find yourself low run around a bit - there's a good chance you missed a handy cache. And the fights never felt unfair and requiring existing knowledge to reasonably react to. I died many times but always felt it was caused by my skills rather than bad design which made me want to reload and pushing through. Really well done.

Edited April 6, 2022 by Murdoch

[TheCyberDruid]

I love how the map changes pace. The arena feels very fair, but it is also very intense. The music fits perfectly. Well done!

[Cheesebone]

Thanks for the feedback! I'm glad everyone seems to like it so far. I may have another map in me for later on in 2022 so I'll be taking notes on everything you all say :)

[Cheesebone]

12 hours ago, Shepardus said:

...and I also have Smooth Doom and Nash Gore loaded..

 

I love those two mods and use them like crazy. But yeah I have to kill the dynamic lighting to prevent any slowdown in the "arena" too.

[LadyMistDragon]

I can remember taking some glances through the development thread and remembering that few Arch-viles were initially planned, but after having played about 20 minutes or so, I admit being quite surprised to see just how fucking dense they are. I won't call it overwhelming but it makes this map more difficult than I was thinking.

[Cheesebone]

1 hour ago, LadyMistDragon said:

I can remember taking some glances through the development thread and remembering that few Arch-viles were initially planned, but after having played about 20 minutes or so, I admit being quite surprised to see just how fucking dense they are. I won't call it overwhelming but it makes this map more difficult than I was thinking.

I did turn up the AV knob a little bit, as some fights just didn't need more enemies but still needed an extra little difficulty. There are a LOT more AVs on UV skill than on HMP and they are really few and far between on the ITYTD and HNTR. Really though there aren't *a lot* of them, just more than I had planned. Most of them are relatively contained.

[Cheesebone]

In my defense, there are like maybe 25 or 30 AV's in the whole map on UV, a third are all in one area, and none of those guys can target you from like 99% of the places you can stand, lol. Also there are nearly 2,000 enemies at the start so I'm like at 1 or 2% AV usage. Most of them don't have a lot of opportunity to resurrect that many demons though. Honestly the very first one you encounter is one of the meaner AV's in the whole wad.

 

I honestly think the AV is the coolest FPS enemy in the history of the genre, I love them. It's easy to break a map with them though and so I really tried to find a good balance without making it too hard or easy for "decent" players. I'm not a killer player, but I did get through the map 100% once on UV with no deaths and it was a lot easier to do on HMP. 

 

Thanks for the feedback though! Maybe try HMP and see if that's a little less frustrating for you? I tried my best to do a good job differentiating the UV from HMP and there are definitely fewer AV's in HMP, probably close to 10 less of them.

[LadyMistDragon]

Oh no, it's fine. It's not really the overall challenge I've got a problem with as much of the fact as it sort of felt like they were pretty much everywhere in a map that isn't really a slaughter map.

[Cheesebone]

/IDGAMES link now available :)

 

https://www.gamers.org/pub/idgames/levels/doom2/Ports/v-z/welcback.zip

Edited April 7, 2022 by Cheesebone