Pocket Slaughter (32-map MBF21 megawad)

[SCF]

 

Download (v2)

 

idgames page

Are you looking for bite-size combat puzzles? Did you enjoy Micro-Slaughter Community Project, but wished the maps weren't so long? Then look no further! Pocket Slaughter is a full 32 map megawad where most maps can be beaten in 1-2 minutes, with a few outliers that might take as much as 4 minutes.

 

The wad is divided into 5-map episodes, each with a different visual theme. There is some semblance of a difficulty curve, both within each episode and for the megawad in general. Certainly map 30 is a bit harder than map 1.

 

All difficuly settings are supported. UV is the primary difficulty for those who want a challenge, and HNTR was designed to be a more casual experience. HMP is somewhere in between and may not be as well balanced as the other two.

 

Pistol starts are enforced through MBF21 death exits. There are no secrets besides the exits on maps 15/31.

 

Tested with dsda-doom 0.22.4 (Complevel 21) and GZDoom 4.7.1 (MBF Strict).

 

Thanks to @Pixel Fiend for the INTERPIC.

Screenshots:

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

Finally I can rest. As the last bit of testing, I spent over 4 hours today recording UV-MAX demos for the whole set, half of which on just three of the maps (I'll leave it as an exercise to the player to find out which ones). I can post the demos if someone wants to see the 'intended' solution for a map, but they're not pretty and I'm sure others can do much better. By the way, the total playtime for all 32 maps was just 50 minutes.

 

Version 2 changes:

Spoiler

- Updated the TITLEPIC to look better with the doom palette

- New INTERPIC courtesy of @Pixel Fiend

- MAP02: Toned down the difficulty on UV

- MAP17: It should no longer be possible to hit the switch before the arachnotron is dead

- MAP25: Changed the voodoo doll conveyor so it should work on older dsda-doom versions that don't have the MBF21 speed fix.

- MAP26: Fixed HoM

 

Edited December 25, 2022 by SCF

[Hitman]

Doom II _"Pocket Slaughter v1" - MAP01 : "Welcoming Committee"_ UVMax-Fast 100% Blind Speedrun Smooth Mod Pistol Start.

 

 

[Hitman]

Doom II _"Pocket Slaughter v1" - MAP02 : "Shooting Gallery"_ UVMax 100% Blind Speedrun Smooth Mod Pistol Start.

 

 

[SCF]

@Hitman I'm not sure which source port you're using, but the wad requires --complevel 21 / MBF21 compatibility in order for the exit sectors to work properly. I see that otherwise it's treated as a regular damaging floor.

[Hitman]

Yeah I find that pretty odd, I'm using gzdoom btw so maybe I should change the compatibility options to MBF to work correctly.

Overall, the first maps are pretty good start for a slaughter megawad and I liked it.

Edited May 29, 2022 by Hitman

[Maribo]

Hi, this is a fun set of micro-maps. :)
Here's a pack of FDAs for every map, categorized by whether I exit the map or die first: pocket_slaughter_fdas.zip
There's a couple of HOMs in Map26, I believe, visible at the end of the demo.

Edited May 29, 2022 by Maribo

[NiGHTMARE]

6 hours ago, Hitman said:

Yeah I find that pretty odd, I'm using gzdoom btw so maybe I should change the compatibility options to MBF to work correctly.

Overall, the first maps are pretty good start for a slaughter megawad and I liked it.

 

MBF compatibility and MBF21 compatibility are two different things :) I don't think GZDoom has full MBF21 support yet - the most similar port with full support is Odamex.

[Hitman]

18 minutes ago, NiGHTMARE said:

 

MBF compatibility and MBF21 compatibility are two different things :) I don't think GZDoom has full MBF21 support yet - the most similar port with full support is Odamex.

I see. Thanks for the info.

[SCF]

8 hours ago, Maribo said:

Hi, this is a fun set of micro-maps. :)
Here's a pack of FDAs for every map, categorized by whether I exit the map or die first: pocket_slaughter_fdas.zip
There's a couple of HOMs in Map26, I believe, visible at the end of the demo.

 

Thanks, I will check them out later.

 

1 hour ago, NiGHTMARE said:

 

MBF compatibility and MBF21 compatibility are two different things :) I don't think GZDoom has full MBF21 support yet - the most similar port with full support is Odamex.

 

I don't think it has full compatibility, but version 4.7.1 at least supports the new sector types. I just tested it and they work regardless of compatibility settings too. @Hitman are you maybe using an older version that didn't have the MBF21 support yet?

 

 

[Hitman]

Actually yes, it was an old version of gzdoom. Perhaps I should use the latest version to find out the difference. 

[Hitman]

Doom II _"Pocket Slaughter v1" - MAP03 : "Containment Chamber"_ UVMax 100% Blind Speedrun Smooth Mod Pistol Start.

 

Finally i'm satisfied with this level using MBF Strict in GZDoom.

 

 

  

[tonytheparrot]

I played through the first 6 maps and the wad was really fun. So far, I didn't see any bugs or mapping errors and I think that you give enough supplies to survive.

However, I didn't like one map (spoilers):

Spoiler

Map 2 was not very good in my opinion, making chaingunners appear one after the other while there's basically no cover is not fun to deal with. It was the only map so far that I found frustrating and beating felt more because I got lucky.

 

I also have a question, are you gonna leave the stock midis or change them in a later release ?

[Pixel Fiend]

Fairly nice at first glance, even though it's made from standard textures. Will gladly play it tomorrow.

[SCF]

20 hours ago, Maribo said:

Hi, this is a fun set of micro-maps. :)
Here's a pack of FDAs for every map, categorized by whether I exit the map or die first: pocket_slaughter_fdas.zip
There's a couple of HOMs in Map26, I believe, visible at the end of the demo.

 

Thanks, I found the HOMs. I missed them because they don't show up in OpenGL rendering. Not sure what the problem was, but rebuilding the map with glbsp resolved it. I'll probably release a v2 with these fixes at some point.

 

Also, nice demos. I'm impressed on how far you got in many of them on a first try. For map 18 I had to do some last minute rebalancing because I simply could not figure out how I originally beat it, so the fact that you cleared it right away makes me wonder if I went too far. :)

 

1 hour ago, tonytheparrot said:

I played through the first 6 maps and the wad was really fun. So far, I didn't see any bugs or mapping errors and I think that you give enough supplies to survive.

However, I didn't like one map (spoilers):

  Reveal hidden contents

Map 2 was not very good in my opinion, making chaingunners appear one after the other while there's basically no cover is not fun to deal with. It was the only map so far that I found frustrating and beating felt more because I got lucky.

 

I also have a question, are you gonna leave the stock midis or change them in a later release ?

 

Understandable, it's one of the maps I'm least satisfied with. Since it's only map 2 I may tone down UV a bit in an updated version.

 

I don't have plans to change the music since the maps are short and it would be a lot of midis to pick. They were already designed to sort-of fit with the original music (except for map15 where I really had to replace d_runnin). Originally I envisioned this project more as a speedmapping exercise so the choice to stick with stock resources made sense, but it quickly grew beyond that scope.

 

[Blip]

Just finished playing the whole wad. Played on UV with dsda doom, didn't seem to find any game-breaking or visual issues. The only map I ended up using saves was on the last one, but mostly because I got impatient with the whole "dance" you have to do to get a gun. That doesn't mean the maps were easy though, but being so short means it takes mere seconds to get back where you were.

 

 

Amazing mapset, I really enjoyed the combat puzzles on these maps!

[Vile]

Played through this earlier and had quite a bit of fun!  There's plenty of cool ideas in this and I always dig the bite-sized map format.  I would have suggested picking out some new midis for the maps but I understand if that wasn't a consideration for this set.  The originals do fit the maps for the most part at least.

[Biodegradable]

Always impressive to see someone forge a full megaWAD completely solo. Congratulations on the release, @SCF!

[Pixel Fiend]

Due to the great idea behind this wad with those compact but challenging maps (I'm making a similar wad, although not actively), I felt compelled to try most maps and I liked them a lot, I must say. Stylish and ingenious designs. It's basically instantly become a favourite mapset that uses default Doom 2 textures and classic music so I'd encourage you to not add custom music - keep it pure. The maps are extremely challenging and one will need some time and patience to find the slaughter solutions but those maps are not long slaughter journeys so I think the experience can easily bring joy.

Edited May 31, 2022 by Pixel Fiend

[tonytheparrot]

I have played up to map 24 and really enjoyed the wad, the maps look good, play well and are well-balanced.

About the midis, I understand why you wouldn't change them, and I don't mind as they fit and the maps are very short.
 

Here's my new observations:

Spoiler

Map 2: Some changes that I think could make the map more fun, you don't need to do everything, I think that one of them should be enough :

1- remove some enemies

2- replace some chaingunners with weaker foes like shotgunners 

3- make the alcoves open at a slower rate 

 

Map 17: I am not sure if this one can be fixed, but it is possible to shoot the switch while the arachnotron is still alive, giving a really big advantage.

 

Map 20: You don't really have to fight to beat this one, you can just grab the blue armor, make some space for yourself, press the switch that lowers the plasma, go to the rocket launcher, press the switch and run immediately to the exit, beating the map in around 30 seconds (and also 18% kills in my case). I am just mentioning this in case it is unintended.

 

Map 21: This one is relatively uninteresting, I think that even having a second fight could make it more worthwhile, unless you want to make it some kind of intermission, in that case, I would leave it as it is.

 

Map 22: This map can be relatively frustrating, I like the gimmick, but you always get hit by mancubus fireballs not directed at you, and the revenants are extremely annoying. Maybe replace some of them with some more basic fireballers?

 

Map 25: Maybe I am dumb, but I don't understand how it works, I grabbed the shotgun, pressed the satyr face, waited 20 seconds, killed the imps and shotgunners that opened behind me, and then waited almost 2 minutes while pressing and shooting on the walls with nothing happening.

 

[SCF]

28 minutes ago, tonytheparrot said:

Here's my new observations:

 

Firstly, about map 25: what port/complevel are you using? The map uses a slow voodoo doll to control the doors, and if I'm not mistaken those are broken in 'regular' Boom and don't move at the correct speed, and I believe this was fixed in MBF21. What you're describing sounds like the old behavior.

 

Regarding your other comments, the maps were primarily designed for 100% kills. There are some barriers in place to prevent you from leaving too easily, but some maps do allow you to rush through if you really want to. In the case of map20, you still have to make your way through/around the enemies so it's not completely effortless.

[tonytheparrot]

@SCF DSDA Doom 0.21.3 with complevel MBF21

 

I looked more closely at the voodoo doll, the second door opened around 2 minutes and 15 seconds after I pressed the satyr face and since the gap between the different linedefs seems to be the same, the map would just become unnecessairly long if I had to play it normally (around 30 minutes if I wait for all the linedefs to open). Really weird.

 

Edited May 31, 2022 by tonytheparrot
added everything about the voodoo doll

[SCF]

28 minutes ago, tonytheparrot said:

@SCF DSDA Doom 0.21.3 with complevel MBF21

 

In the patch notes for dsda-doom I see that in the 0.22 release they updated to version 1.4 of the MBF21 spec. I don't know in which spec version the voodoo doll fix was added, but I'm guessing it wasn't supported yet in dsda-doom 0.21.x and that's why it doesn't work. So updating dsda-doom should fix it.

 

Just to be safe I'll probably change the map to use faster conveyors so that it works in older versions as well. During development I needed the abiltity to tweak the speed without having to move all the triggers, but now that it's finished I'd only have to set it up once.

[tonytheparrot]

@SCF it works now, thank you!

I will play 25 and the rest tomorrow.

[Anarkzie]

This definitely should get a caco award. Pure fun.

[Pixel Fiend]

Spoiler

 

 

I made a quick composition for the INTERPIC in case you'd like to use it. The monsters are placed between the text that appears on the screen. Might look well as titlepic too.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 1, 2022 by Pixel Fiend

[tonytheparrot]

Just finished the wad, it really is awesome work. I will definitely look out for the next release candidates.

Edited June 1, 2022 by tonytheparrot
Typo

[Daytime Waitress]

My inexperience with slaughter almost kept me away from this one, but I'm glad I'm giving it a run on HNTR: Shooting Gallery was adorable, but CPU sold me. You communicate every gimmick and setup so well to the player, yet nothing so far has been too easy nor too difficult, and the format precludes anything overstaying its welcome. Good slaughter training for us whelps, and delicious, bite-sized individual maps that stand on their own - it really is a majestic little beastie.

[baja blast rd.]

Very good wad. I'm surprised this was speedmapped because there are so many different creative ideas. Well done.

[Dubbag]

My fingers a BROKEN lol

 

[lunchlunch]

In the Super Mario World kaizo community, there's a beginner hack called Learn 2 Kaizo. Pocket Slaughter fills exactly that same role for DOOM, bitesized maps that teach concepts one will need to tackle harder mapsets. Fantastic stuff.

Edited February 12, 2023 by lunchlunch