[Ultimate Doom, complevel 3] Solar Struggle Community Project: Release thread. [Now on IDGAMES]

[ViolentBeetle]

>>>IDGAMES PAGE<<<

(Recommended port DSDA-Doom 0.24.3 or above or something else that supports UMAPINFO. UMAPINFO isn't strictly speaking required, but that's where all the text is)

Important: The IWAD is DOOM.WAD, not the usual DOOM2.WAD

 

Solar Struggle is an Ultimate Doom community project. The gimmick is that every map is given a descriptive title before mapping starts.

The story concerns an unnamed prisoner on Titan who escapes when demons attack and has to travel through Titan, Ceres, the Moon and finally Venus to fight them. It is split into 4 episodes accordingly.

The difficulty of the first 3 episodes is easy to medium, while the difficulty of the final episode ramps up significantly.

 

Also check out: alternate E4M6 by @SMG_Man

 

Map list:

Spoiler

Episode 1: Titan Terror

E1M1: Detention Facility by @myolden

E1M2: Admin Offices by @Peccatum Mihzamiz

E1M3: Barracks by @Doomlust

E1M4: Mineral Processing by @Death Bear

E1M5: Mining Complex by @RataUnderground

E1M6: Visitor Center by @Shawny

E1M7: Traffic Control by @LoreCaco37

E1M8: Huygens Spaceport by @ViolentBeetle

E1M9: Excavation Area by @LateNightPerson

 

Episode 2: Ceres Carnage

E2M1: Piazzi Spaceport by @Lorenz0

E2M2: Storage Complex by @Wavy

E2M3: Stock Exchange by @DFF

E2M4: Air Filtration Plant by @Weird Sandwich

E2M5: Abandoned Tunnels by @ViolentBeetle

E2M6: Transport Nexus by @Jark

E2M7: Research Complex by @cannonball

E2M8: Ceres Gateway by @Nefelibeta

E2M9: Artifact Storage by @Hitboi

 

Episode 3: Moon Madness:

E3M1: Lunar Gateway by @LordEntr0py

E3M2: Tranquility Terminal @RHhe82

E3M3: Deep Space Observatory by @dac

E3M4: Fusion Plant by @BluePineapple72

E3M5: Helium Refinery by @Captain Toenail

E3M6: Deep Crust Borehole by @myolden

E3M7: Freight Terminal by @MemeMind

E3M8: Space Elevator by @muumi

E3M9: The Dark Side by @Astro X and @ViolentBeetle

 

Episode 4: Venusian Violence

E4M1: Docking Station by @LordEntr0py

E4M2: Customs Office by @Anarkzie

E4M3: Commercial District by @RataUnderground

E4M4: Residential Areas by @DJVCardMaster

E4M5: Waste Recycling Facility by @MAN_WITH_GUN

E4M6: Mass Propulsion by @SMG_Man

E4M7: The Tether by @Engired

E4M8: Impact Site by @PinkFlamingo

E4M9: Cult Headquarters by @Mystic 256

 

Screenshots:

Spoiler

 

 

Development thread here

 

Edited June 22, 2023 by ViolentBeetle

[Firedust]

Will this work fine in ZDoom?

[ViolentBeetle]

Just now, Firedust said:

Will this work fine in ZDoom?

Yeah, it should.

[Peccatum Mihzamiz]

9 minutes ago, Firedust said:

Will this work fine in ZDoom?

Indeed it will. I believe it is recommended to use the Compatibility mode 'Doom (strict)' when playing this wad on a ZDoom source port.

[cannonball]

Nice to see this reaching the end of the development line. There is a nice variety of maps in this one. So there should be something for everyone, well except ssg lovers, you will just have to deal with that fact :p

[Shepardus]

A new Ultimate Doom wad, cool!

 

FYI, E4M2's title is missing on the automap (it says Perfect Hatred), and E4M3 is misspelled "Commerial District" (missing the second C). E2M9's title is spelled "Artefact Storage" on the automap, which isn't necessarily wrong, except it's spelled "Artifact Storage" on the intermission screen.

[Rudolph]

Another Ultimate Doom megawad? And with a custom soundtrack too? :o

 

I know what I am going to do in my spare time! :D

 

3 hours ago, cannonball said:

So there should be something for everyone, well except ssg lovers, you will just have to deal with that fact

Or mod it in! ;)

[RED77]

Hey. What kind of art do you need? let me know

[ViolentBeetle]

1 hour ago, RED77 said:

Hey. What kind of art do you need? let me know

For TITLEPIC, I want a picture of solar system with demonic pentagram spreading through it like a shockwave. Not sure how well it would fit in TITLEPIC dimension.

[ViolentBeetle]

@LoreCaco37

There's some graphical issues related to sky found in your map. I took liberty to restore a silver cylinder which was blocking perspective to the white building and caused to to disappear, I hope it's OK with you.

There's also a starting building that is too short and messes with perspective, if viewed from a secret area. I changed its height and a little bit of shape too.

Edited May 27, 2022 by ViolentBeetle

[SMG_Man]

Nice to see it's finally done; massive props to everyone who worked on this set!

I tried to do something a little different with my own level, so I hope you guys find it fun o7

[Wavy]

Thanks everyone for an awesome community project! The wait was certainly worth it. The mapsets theme was something that was really up my alley, hence why I joined it.

 

I've honestly never played any of the maps in the development thread as I wanted to play them all together in the full release. Happy to see that my time is now!

[Caleb13]

I've played only E1, and it's great work so far. The difficulty was quite low by today's standards, I had full shells and bullets by E1M3 end. So I played rest of E1 from pistol starts, but even then, my health only rarely dropped below 50%. I played on UV in Gzdoom 4.7.1 and I noticed some bugs along the way:

 

E1M3: the yellow key imp closet doesn't work reliably, one of the imps never saw me. Also, linedefs 590 and 923 appear as double-sided in automap which gives the traps away.

 

E1M5: imp 227 is stuck. Or maybe it became stuck after barrel explosions. Why is a switch texture on linedef 1678? Teleport linedef 3787 is facing the wrong way. Secret sector 668 is too narrow to be "found" reliably. Isn't sector 219 supposed to be secret? Pinkies in sector 657 never became active + lost soul 463 can't see the player, so 100% kills is impossible. Also, the EXIT sign should be brighter.

 

E1M7: sky around sector 137 cuts away view of some walls, see the screenshot.

 

 

[Nefelibeta]

If there isn’t any artist maybe we can just find a picture of galaxy or something. Just a suggestion :P

[LoreCaco37]

20 hours ago, ViolentBeetle said:

There's some graphical issues related to sky found in your map. I took liberty to restore a silver cylinder which was blocking perspective to the white building and caused to to disappear

I'm fine with that, It was originally that way because I wanted to create the illusion of an underground rocket silo.

 

20 hours ago, ViolentBeetle said:

There's also a starting building that is too short and messes with perspective, if viewed from a secret area. I changed its height and a little bit of shape too.

I kept that solely because I though it looked weird if the textures extended up to the sky. I created an alternative solution by adding a clif above the starting building

Traffic Control v_1_3_2.zip

[ViolentBeetle]

50 minutes ago, LoreCaco37 said:

I kept that solely because I though it looked weird if the textures extended up to the sky. I created an alternative solution by adding a clif above the starting building 

That'll work. I'll put your fix in the next version. We can probably block the access to the area with weird sky somehow so player couldn't see it from that angle.

 

3 hours ago, Nefelibeta said:

If there isn’t any artist maybe we can just find a picture of galaxy or something. Just a suggestion :P

Yeah, if there's no artist to help us, I'll cobble something myself.

 

4 hours ago, Caleb13 said:

I've played only E1, and it's great work so far. The difficulty was quite low by today's standards, I had full shells and bullets by E1M3 end. So I played rest of E1 from pistol starts, but even then, my health only rarely dropped below 50%. I played on UV in Gzdoom 4.7.1 and I noticed some bugs along the way:

I'll take a look at the bugs, will probably be easy to fix. Funky sky on E1M7 is being adressed already, as you can see.

[Pixel Fiend]

Do you want the 4 intermission screens too? If so then what should be in them?

[ViolentBeetle]

12 minutes ago, Pixel Fiend said:

Do you want the 4 intermission screens too? If so then what should be in them?

I actually want evolving intermission screen that shows your progress over celestial body in question. I think I can do what I want on my own, I'll try implementing it next week.

[ViolentBeetle]

Just found out there's a mistake in UMAPINFO that makes it skip levels in Episode 3. I'll update with the fix soon, after sorting a few other things out.

But by now you'll have to cheat.

[Xerenogan]

Damn! I've been following the development of this for this for months now. You folks completed it just in time for me to break my hand. I only hope I recover before you reach the actual release candidate, as I can't wait to play this.

[Pistoolkip]

These are fantastic. Great gameplay and coherency between the maps.

 

 

[Book Lord]

Hi, I played Episode 1 today and wanted to congratulate with all contributors, and leave some comments:

 

M1: Detention Facility - @myolden

Excellent prison facility, easy as any M1 but good action nonetheless. It looks great. The only comment I have is that the large secret door in the room before the exit is unmarked and invisible on the automap, there is no clue that a secret wall is there, so it is not easy to search in that room, especially since there's already the Soul Sphere nearby. Maybe mark that wall as a moving wall, so people will look for the trigger...

M2: Admin Offices - @Peccatum Mihzamiz

It took some time to have this map done, but the result is great. A lot of lovely Doomcute, amusing teleports and nice secrets. The hint that points at the chaingun secret... lol

M3: Barracks - @Doomlust

A rather simple layout, though by no means underwhelming. Combat was ok most of the time, I am only a bit unsure about the way the secret level is accessed. You are supposed to shoot a sign that is all but out of place, as it informs that the area around the YK is dangerous. Maybe place a shootable switch elsewhere in the room?

M4: Mineral Processing - @Death Bear

Another mapper that never misses, this one was delightful to play and I liked the caves surrounding the pit and leading to secret passages. There are lots of secrets to find, but nothing that's impossible (the lowering crate was the only unremarkable one).  Since the paths are quite long, you might add a teleport shortcut or some stairs to reach the machinery rooms from the exit. I was missing two secrets at that point and backtracking wasted about 30 seconds just to get to the Soul Sphere room.

M5: Mining Complex - @RataUnderground

This map was weird, it has a lot of chaotic action that I liked, though there were also confusing moments where I could not see where to go, so I just dropped into a pit I did not check and usually I made progress. The switch before the RK was in total darkness and I missed it on my first pass. The Imps behind the waterfall were annoying, the autoaim seemed unable to locate them, and being scratched through a texture is always irritating. There are lots of secrets and some of them I could not figure out. The lowering waterfalls were... weird, but I can reason like that sometimes. Lowering a misaligned ASHWALL, walk through a solid metal grid, follow an invisibly thin ledge and access the HUGE secret area, was above my sixth sense skills. That big cavern with Lost Souls and Spectres... cannot be good, it is ok only because it is optional. The lift at the end of it takes ages to lower and ages to raise. Not a bad piece of work, but the secret department needs some reworking, IMHO.

M6: Visitor Center - @Shawny

I have a bias for Shawny maps and I loved every second in this place. The texturing is very different from the standard Doom tech-base, using more Doom II textures actually, but the interconnected layout, the combat, and the secrets were masterfully done.

M7: Traffic control - @LoreCaco37

This one was a long series of big crowd battles, with Lost Souls and Cacodemons being part of the mix but not adding much to the situation. The graphic problems have already been mentioned (maybe fixed). I was baffled by the weird door leading to the eastern outdoor area, it does not look like a door and might be missed. Besides that, there was a bit too much grind for me to like the gameplay, and roaming in the open was risky with the hitscanners. there should be more strategically placed snipers outside, instead of big mobs of self-destructing shooters. The same for the crowds waiting behind the doors. Anyway, the level was playable and the visuals were good, it looked like a spaceship terminal with silos (I liked the secret one) with an attached train station.

M8: Huygens Spaceport - @ViolentBeetle

A great rendition of a spaceport wreckage, it has an excellent Doom 3 feeling until the final fight. This was no cakewalk by any means, considering that the episode was easy-going the last battle on UV killed me twice before sorting it out.

M9: Excavation Area - @LateNightPerson

Lots of teleport ambushes here. Lost Souls and Cacos were allowed but they do not add very much to the action in the way they are used, and do not feel that necessary, maybe as rocket launcher fodder in the star room. Small and nice secret level, though.

 

More on the following episodes in the next days!

Edited May 30, 2022 by Book Lord

[Terminus]

Hey, congrats on the release!

I'll be sure to get back to this as soon as possible. :)

[ViolentBeetle]

Weekend long of fixes, I think it's time to release the first batch. Episode 1 now has proof of concept for intermission art (Requires UMAPINFO support), it's a little rough around the edges and might be revised in the future.

SolarStruggleRC1.7z

[ViolentBeetle]

Just a heads up, we have TITLEPIC now. It's made by @muumi and it is great. It will be in the next update.

We also have M_DOOM.

[ViolentBeetle]

I have now completed 2 more intermissions sequences. All I need is to figure out the right way to do Episode 2.

 

Preview of episode 3 (In GIF form)

Spoiler

 

Preview of episode 4 (Also in gif form)

Spoiler

Update: Not so thrilled about Episode 2, but it gets the job done.

Spoiler

 

Edited June 1, 2022 by ViolentBeetle

[PinkFlamingo]

On 6/1/2022 at 2:46 PM, ViolentBeetle said:

I have now completed 2 more intermissions sequences. All I need is to figure out the right way to do Episode 2.

 

Preview of episode 3 (In GIF form)

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Preview of episode 4 (Also in gif form)

  Reveal hidden contents

Update: Not so thrilled about Episode 2, but it gets the job done.

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

I loved the intermissions for episode 1 and 3. They are clean and simple.

 

Episode 4 is great as well but maybe the screen gets a bit too noisy too quickly? Perhaps have less noise in the beginning, or have the noise appear a bit later, once you've reached map3 for example? You could also experiment with a few horizontal 'noise' lines to simulate a corrupted monitor.

 

Episode 2 I am not so convinced about. I was imagining something like a cross section where you would go underground and descend. Perhaps you could make something based on an image like this:

(this is a NASA graphic of the moon, maybe you can copy-paste the interior section on top of an image of Ceres? And make it brown/grey instead of red?)

 

 

 

[Firedust]

Really cool intermission screens. Will play once the wad is updated with those :3

[ViolentBeetle]

1 hour ago, PinkFlamingo said:

(this is a NASA graphic of the moon, maybe you can copy-paste the interior section on top of an image of Ceres? And make it brown/grey instead of red?)

 

That's what I wanted originally, but it didn't work too great. I will try it again.

For E4, you wouldn't really see the animation in real time, I used noise to hide some of the imperfections. Fuzz is more of "faulty sensor" than "faulty screen". I hope I still have the backup files without static to try different distribution.

[Book Lord]

Episode 2: Ceres Carnage

 

E2M1: Piazzi Spaceport by @Lorenz0
An introductory map with a few large but easy fights, it is the only one of this episode to have outdoor areas. I would expect Ceres to be a rocky dwarf planet instead of having muddy waters everywhere, but whatever. The level ends up in a burrow with a small hole in the floor. It is hard to believe that this is the entrance to such a big underground installation, as seen in the next maps. Maybe this first level is missing a large jammed main entrance to Ceres base, so Doomguy is forced to look for an alternate way in?

E2M2: Storage Complex by @Wavy
It's great that Wavy did not give up his slot when inspiration was lacking, as the resulting Containment Area homage is really good. The corrupted warehouse and the platforming on crates required for progression are ok, the idle conveyor belt found in several areas is interesting, and the lighting is very accurate everywhere. The only element I would give a second thought are the items in the large storage room; Berserk and Computer Area Map are easily spotted from below, but they can be accessed only from the top of the collapsed conveyor belt. If you jump down in the warehouse, getting back up requires a loop around the entire map. Maybe add a lift that becomes accessible after unlocking the warehouse door? Moreover, the backpack is revealed randomly and secretly when approaching that door switch, and this does not make much sense. I found it because I was missing some items and enemies and I checked that section by chance. An excellent map, nonetheless.

E2M3: Stock Exchange by @DFF
The author is a guarantee when it comes to great detail and sector magic. Under these aspects, this level was wonderful, full of wild teleport ambushes and fierce monster onslaughts. Unfortunately, I would say there are too many Barons. 0 on the previous map, 13 here, 4 in the next one, is too much of a gap. There is sufficient ammo to kill them and the plethora of other enemies, but it was grindy in some parts, especially in the red T-shaped room. I think you should remove Barons entirely from that room, and replace the turrets with just Imps (stationary Cacos suck). The first Baron appearing in the small computer room was a better idea. The dodecagonal room transformation was superb, but I must say the blue "door" holding the trigger was not so easy to spot. Okay, you confined me with blue bars in a limited section of the map, but still I do not understand why it had to be a COMPTILE texture. Please use a door so anybody will be heading there as soon as they grab the BK. I think this one is a bit too large and tough to be in this slot, it makes the next two maps feel like a breeze. I suggest toning down Baron numbers in any case, and consider swapping E2M4 with this one.

E2M4: Air Filtration Plant by @Weird Sandwich
A darker and smaller installation with working machinery and the classic ventilation tunnels with Lost Souls. I assume this plant obtains air from water and that the layout aims at replicating the industrial process, which is something I always appreciate. The BK claustrophobic ambush was the highlight and I was forced to dodge my way out of it and jump into the lower room, where the Cacodemons followed suit. Nice setup. The four Barons in the last room were a better introduction for the monster if compared to the spam of M3, and using rockets in that space was tricky. Linedef 1848 in the METAL air ducts is GRAY1, probably an oversight. The exit is totally unmarked and a well-lit sign shall be added, either above the switch or before the ICKDOOR.

E2M5: Abandoned Tunnels by @ViolentBeetle
A very small level, but surely a gem of classic Doom corridor and room crampedness. I liked everything here: the close-quarters action, the visuals, and the easy but very satisfying secrets. I always like to find the secret exit in a natural way as it happened here. Perfect map for the scope.

E2M6: Transport Nexus by @Jark
One of the most ambitious levels in the episode, this one is centered on an underground rail and channel system with realistic constructions. The first moments without monsters were a great build-up for the atmosphere, and finding enemies all of a sudden at the bottom of an elevator, in a basement engulfed by alien growth, had a strong "Aliens" feel. The boat dock was nice as well and I liked the use of darkness in the whole map, very atmospheric. The pitch-black WOODGARG room is something I have been imagining since I was a teenager. Once the RK is acquired and the stuck train is entered, there is a nice Baron ambush in a flesh cavern. Again, good alien movie vibes here. The Research Complex entrance with that wall of flesh downstairs was not great, just plasma rifle spam down a slope. My only criticism to the map is the secret YK. It is quite difficult to find without the Computer Area Map, which is given just before leaving the level if you try to get back to the previous areas. The way to access the yellow bars is easy to miss, and once you located both the bars and the hidden key, finding just a few bonuses and a shortcut to the Fuel Depot was underwhelming. Either place a good stash of goodies there, or give some additional hints to find the YK early on. For example, you may place the CAM where the Combat Armour is, and place the Armour elsewhere (e.g. in the optional red door storage). This will help those who found the first secret getting the YK early on.

E2M7: Research Complex by @cannonball
A good-looking and gameplay-intense open layout, it takes a while before the countless, irregular, and interconnected rooms are silent and secured from roaming hellspawn. I challenge you to do any research in such a labyrinthine and disorienting place, though it is perfect for prolonged shotgun and chaingun combat. The RK ambush might be triggered by pure chance: I was still exploring and I just pressed a half-hidden switch to avoid forgetting about it... and the halls were swarming again with monsters. Maybe the switch should be in plain sight, to connect it easily to the RK? The YK was actually more dangerous, especially if the Cacodemons catch the player off-guard, but the setup is clear and it is likely to be ready for the events. The final fight was glorious and a good jump-scare, but nothing over the top. I liked the secrets as well. The exit lift was... weird and a bit annoying, either for speedrunning or for maxers that have to wait a long time to exit the level. Maybe make it lower once and never get up again?

E2M8: Ceres Gateway by @Nefelibeta
A series of large-scale and entertaining fights, requiring either rocket or cell spam, it uses Doom monsters in a proficient way to create slaughter encounters in a lava-filled tech-base. Underground trees on Ceres? The Soul Sphere became accessible when picking up the RK; I found it by chance, since I refused to enter a probable (real) point of no return without scoring the secret. That's not the secret design I prefer. I liked the combat and the progression, except the Cyberdemon fight in the discotheque. I just sprayed plasma at the shadows, running around in circles and hoping not to bang my head on an invisible rocket.  

E2M9: Artifact Storage by @Hitboi
A small and unpretentious secret level, it features easy-going and generally fun combat, first in a corrupted tech-base and then in a cavern area. The worst aspect is that the artifacts are stored and they are unreachable for the most part, and in a secret level I expect to gain something special. There is a prize to be gained, actually: the RL and the BFG in the last room can be grabbed by bumping on their pedestals, but I think this is an oversight. The development thread guidelines did not allow the BFG in the second episode, so check it out.

Edited June 6, 2022 by Book Lord