[UDMF][GZDoom] Floodhouse

[IcarusOfDaggers]

After messing around with this level a while, i finally finished it. Was quite a learning experience, considering god knows what was found during testing. What was supposed to be a 4 hour speedmap turned into 7 day project. learned a lot, bugged a lot, and hopefully, fixed them all. 

 

Downloads:

 

Doomworld: Floodhouse_V1_91.zip
Doomshack: https://doomshack.org/uploads/Floodhouse_V1_91.pk3

 

 

 

Target Sourceport: GZDoom v4.8.2.

Will not work in Zandronum or other ports that don't fully support 3dfloors and slopes.

IWad: Doom 2

Prefered Rendering API: OpenGL or OpenGL ES

 

v1.01/1_91 update

• Introduced a typo to wad name: v1_91 is v1_01
• Fixed a few misaligned textures I didn't notice somehow.

 

Edit: Playtime between 10 and 30 minutes, depending on deaths.

 

Tested with these settings in GZDoom v4.8.2

Renderer: Hardware accelerated

Sector Light Mode: Software

Brightmaps and Dynamic Lights enabled.

 

Mod that works (Axxording to one Sleepy Cat: 

On 11/13/2022 at 12:36 AM, SleepyCat said:

Can report it ran fine under Gzdoom using dxnmarine.pk3 {~]

 

 

===MAPINFO===
Crouch/Jump: Disabled

Freelook: Allowed

Music: Changed.

====Breaks with=======

Breaks with Vulkan/Softpoly renderers, the skybox will not work most of the time.

This map may break with mods that replace items and/or powerups. One of the bugs was found by harper and fixed, but there may be more out there. use Mods at your own risk.

===========

Credits:

 

Textures Used: 
+32in24 
+DRDOCTOR'S TEXTURE PACK 
+Nightmares Recolored Doom Textures
+OTEX
+TNT tex, Doom1 tex.
Recolors: Slade

 

Testing: @Killerratte @thiccyosh @eharper256

 

Screenshots: (Taken with Nomonsters)

 

Spoiler

 

Edited December 1, 2022 by IcarusOfDaggers

[SleepyCat]

Can report it ran fine under Gzdoom using dxnmarine.pk3 and a lovely and very pretty map it was too

 

Spoiler

The only thing I'll say for pacing was I was geared up for expecting one more fight after the last one however, I hopped on the last 4 block of teleporters and was a little surprised the level ended - playing on the default HMP you only had one Archvile earlier, I was expecting a second at the end or maybe something else suitably crunchy.

 

[Nightmare2989]

I will just leave this here

[fai1025]

dunno why youtube can't render it to 720p

 

anyway review: 

 

GOOD: very good looking maps, explosive combat, fast monster? yes

BAD: inconsistant damaging floor

UGLY: none here

 

Grade: B+

[Biodegradable]

Another fun and visually-stunning map, Icarus. You're quickly proving yourself to be a new mapper more people should be paying attention to. Really lovely work, fam.

 

 

[IcarusOfDaggers]

2 hours ago, fai1025 said:

dunno why youtube can't render it to 720p

 

anyway review: 

 

GOOD: very good looking maps, explosive combat, fast monster? yes

BAD: inconsistant damaging floor

UGLY: none here

 

Grade: B+

It rendered it just fine, it just takes time. 

The damaging floor is consistent, it's just easier to skip in the first time you encounter it. Harder on the second time, easier  third time. 
Also, how the hell you found a misaligned texture there. Fixed.

 

 

10 hours ago, Nightmare2989 said:

I will just leave this here

I guess you could say you gave high amount of fucks :D

Bad jokes aside,  I was surprised to see you missed the strairs for a while. I can also  see the secrets are all working as intended now for first time playthrough. 

49 minutes ago, Biodegradable said:

Another fun and visually-stunning map, Icarus. You're quickly proving yourself to be a new mapper more people should be paying attention to. Really lovely work, fam.

Thanks for the high praise!

 

It seems you used one of the software renderer API's. That explains the ugly skybox.

 

yhea, on  this one and last one, projectiles were faster.

yhea the secrets are working as intended. 2 of the secrets are not marble faces. They are more... hidden in plain sight, so to speak

Edited November 13, 2022 by IcarusOfDaggers

[General Rainbow Bacon]

Looks good man.  I'll check it out later tonight and give you a full report.  

 

FYI: In your OP you say a "softlock was reported, but you didn't find it and assume it's fixed."  Don't do that.  if you didn't find it ask the person who reported it for more details so you CAN find it.  If you didn't do something, it's not fixed.  

[Clippy]

 

 

[IcarusOfDaggers]

1 hour ago, General Rainbow Bacon said:

Looks good man.  I'll check it out later tonight and give you a full report.  

 

FYI: In your OP you say a "softlock was reported, but you didn't find it and assume it's fixed."  Don't do that.  if you didn't find it ask the person who reported it for more details so you CAN find it.  If you didn't do something, it's not fixed.  

 

From what I could get, it was the case of missing a switch. And since I added clarity to that switch, I can assume it is fixed unless it repeats. 

 

 

@Clippy

Actually, all the monsters in the wad have been slightly altered one way or another.  All of them more punishing in different ways. 

 

Yhea it's designed to have a rocket as the main weapon for the last 2 fights. But, you can get a secret plasma gun, if you spend more time in megasphere room.

 

Yhea, don't trust me, makes me want to design a map that punishes hesitation.... hmmm.... maybe one day. Anyway, fun video to watch. 

Edited November 13, 2022 by IcarusOfDaggers

[spaztacus]

I enjoyed this Wad.   I liked the use of floors and water and multi level rooms you built.  I will say it was a little bit cramped at times.  Died probably 4 times (but 1 time was me shooting a rocket into the wall lol)

 

nice work 

[Stabbey]

I gave this a try. I could not get very far on UV, the combination of hitscanners, tight quarters, and the particularly nasty surprise of faster monster projectiles AND the meager amount of health provided was too difficult without save-scumming a lot. I switched to HMP and it was more tolerable, but I forgot to save, which was entirely my fault and I died in the BFG room. Two videos, my first and fourth attempts.

 

 

- Obviously it looks very nice. It's very abstract.
- The secrets are nicely hidden, with enough tells to be found.
- You mentioned changing all the enemies in some way. I didn't notice most changes, except to the Cacodemon, and I didn't like that one. They have too fast of a reaction time and the shot moves too fast and it also does notably more damage. It's supposed to have a damage range of 5-40, but I had one hit take off 33 HP and 16 armor (49). There's pretty much no chance to dodge when close up.
- I did my first attempts on UV, and I found the health provided early on too stingy. This is especially notable because you've changed how the monsters act. Players have muscle memory for the existing monsters, they have no experience or muscle memory for handling the changed ones, so they'll lose more health.

 

 

 

- I eventually gave up on UV and dropped it down to Hurt Me Plenty. That I found much better, although I'm sure part of that was experience.
- I found a "safe spot" near the switch in the first notable area where I could shoot enemies, but they couldn't really hit me back.
- I did find the trigger for the plasma rifle secret, but I missed what opened it at first.
- Everything after 11:30  in the second video is secret hunting. I didn't find the last secret.

 

 

[IcarusOfDaggers]

On 11/22/2022 at 12:28 AM, Stabbey said:

I gave this a try. I could not get very far on UV, the combination of hitscanners, tight quarters, and the particularly nasty surprise of faster monster projectiles AND the meager amount of health provided was too difficult without save-scumming a lot. I switched to HMP and it was more tolerable, but I forgot to save, which was entirely my fault and I died in the BFG room. Two videos, my first and fourth attempts.

 

 

- Obviously it looks very nice. It's very abstract.
- The secrets are nicely hidden, with enough tells to be found.
- You mentioned changing all the enemies in some way. I didn't notice most changes, except to the Cacodemon, and I didn't like that one. They have too fast of a reaction time and the shot moves too fast and it also does notably more damage. It's supposed to have a damage range of 5-40, but I had one hit take off 33 HP and 16 armor (49). There's pretty much no chance to dodge when close up.
- I did my first attempts on UV, and I found the health provided early on too stingy. This is especially notable because you've changed how the monsters act. Players have muscle memory for the existing monsters, they have no experience or muscle memory for handling the changed ones, so they'll lose more health.

 

 

 

- I eventually gave up on UV and dropped it down to Hurt Me Plenty. That I found much better, although I'm sure part of that was experience.
- I found a "safe spot" near the switch in the first notable area where I could shoot enemies, but they couldn't really hit me back.
- I did find the trigger for the plasma rifle secret, but I missed what opened it at first.
- Everything after 11:30  in the second video is secret hunting. I didn't find the last secret.

 

 

 

Tip: in GZDoom, Doom wads look better with texture filtering turned off. You can find it in the display settings. 

 

Now to address your points and concerns:

 

-Cacodemon is the most noticeable besides the Baron Of Hell for a good reason. They are these aggressive moving heavy firepower battleships. Very aggressive, but dealable. The whole idea between incosistent monsters is to throw the player off the game. It was, indeed, part of a design. Main idea is to throw the player off the game. The second reason, is to make the player utilize the chaingun against cacodemons, as their pain chance is not modified, and thus, stunlocking them works the best.

 

I may have overshot the damage and aggression, but I will probably use it again, somewhere, some day. Cacodemon is also there for a big red flag saying "Don't trust me"

 

-HMP is my casual play level, UV is when I want to challenge myself. Hence, I always implement difficulties. 

- The health is only a problem, if you trigger two traps at once. You managed to do that, by waking up the lost souls and not entering far enough for the door to close, but going far enough to trigger the hell knight - chaingunner ambush. It is there to punish people who are a bit too careful, you got hit with it. So it works as intended.

- Health and armor are always my weakside, however, I do like to keep them as part of a difficulty curve, if and where neccessery.

- Switch is only safe spot in the room, but on UV it can become a trap real fast. So far from all the videos, has worked as intended. Maybe my design choices should be questioned, lol. (I always try to question myself, thankfully)

- Plasma rifle is one of those things, that you can only get as a secret. It changes the dynamic of the final matches a lot.

-Health and armor balance is geared towards "survive and take it patiently" rather than my usual "run n gun". First attempt, so I can see why it felt too stingy.

Comments:
 

- You did fall for almost every trap in the first attempt. The fights are designed to reward moderation and quick thinking. You can't just run through the map, but you also can't be too careful. 

- The secrets you get early, help with the mid and even later sections of the game. The Cell Charge secret is a gamechanger.

- If You'd have found plasma before entering the BFG fight, you would have had it even easier. Plasma allows you to retreat to the red corner of the room and just plasma or rocket everything.  You opened the lights by clicking on switch hidden behind one set of pipewall. For a secret well hidden you found it almost by accident. Can't call it an accident, since you were wallhumping a lot on 4th attempt. 

- The last secret, ironicly, was a ledge that let's you shoot the switch to plasma gun, if you have freelook off. The secret is marked in a box of shells, so I'm surprised you didn't get it.

 

 

I can definetly see ways to improve on...well...pretty much everything. It is one of my weaker maps, my current pride being Porting Station. That one also uses faster projectiles. And Cyberparty, which is more infighting reliant. 

 

Thank you for the detailed feedback.

 

Edit: it's also one of the first maps I developed on UV first. And it shows.

 

Edit 2: when you launch the map in GZDoom, you need to enable Brightmaps and Lights in the launcher. otherwise the menu won't do anything. Settings I usually use in GZDoom

Spoiler

 

Edited December 1, 2022 by IcarusOfDaggers