UAC Underworld: A single level for Doom II (Updated on Dec. 23rd, 2022) - Previously named Soldiers of Chaos

[Sesamia]

 

Download Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qLh9jPzHjPAbaUUQQ3yEKtCXLrU-1AXs/view?usp=share_link

 

A tech base map with some hell influence mixed in, and a red key that just doesn't want to cooperate.
Players seeking a more casual experience should play on "Hey Not Too Rough."
The Easy & Medium difficulty settings should mostly retain the feel of playing on Ultra-Violence while being easier to play.

Made for DMP 2022

 

I'm not planning to make additional changes beyond bug fixes & major balancing issues, so consider this a final release.

 

I'd also like to thank everyone that checked out the initial releases.  Feedback and recorded playthroughs are invaluable. @eharper256 @thelamp @ARMCoder @Ravendesk @Nefelibeta @Suitepee @ryiron

 

Screenshots:

Spoiler

 

Play Information:

Title:  UAC Underworld
Filename: uac-underworld-v1.wad
Map Format:  Doom (limit removing), with an optional sky transfer that will work in many ports
IWAD:  DOOM2.WAD
Compatibility:  -complevel 2 (Doom Strict for GZDoom)
Single player only
Jumping & Crouching are not recommended and may break parts of the map
Difficulty settings have been implemented

 

These ports should run fine:
 -GZDoom (version 4.9.0)
 -Crispy Doom (version 5.12.0)
 -DSDA Doom (version 0.24.3)
 -Woof (version 10.4.0)
 -PrBoom+ (version 2.6.2)
 -Doom Retro (version 4.6.2) - Untested for this map version.  Previous map versions had VERY minor visual bugs.

 

These ports have bugs:
 -Helion (version 0.9.1) - There are major bugs, but it should be playable.  I haven't messed around to see if the existing bugs can be fixed by a menu setting.

 

Probably wont run on:
 -DOS Doom - Untested
 -Chocolate Doom - Untested

 

Known Bugs:
 -Some fire barrels can clip through map geometry in ways that are unintended.

 

Additional Credits:

James Paddock for his wonderful music track "Cataclysmic Impact" | Made for Plutonia 2 MAP30

Eradrop at doomworld for his sky texture - https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/93446

 

Original post:

Spoiler

Download Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z0kAzIDbCOG5u9G6yEcv4l9Ar_uo03CG/view?usp=share_link

 

"Soldiers of Chaos" is a single level that I started working on in October.  I'm making it for the Doomworld Maximum Project of 2022 as part of the Vanilla/Limit Removing section.

 

It hasn't been playtested yet by anybody except for myself, but I feel like it's in a good enough state to start garnering public criticism.

Screenshots are posted below and are enclosed in a spoiler.

I've also included a video that shows myself trying to play it on UV (I don't play much Doom II and consider myself a casual player, so be nice).

Feel free to tell me what you think of it.

 

Play Information:

Title:  Soldiers of Chaos
Map Format:  Doom (limit removing)
IWAD:  DOOM2.WAD
-complevel 2
Single player only
May not run on DOS Doom & Chocolate Doom
Primarily tested with GZDoom with some light testing in Crispy Doom
Jumping & Crouching are not recommended and may break parts of the map
Difficulty settings have been hastily implemented (Hurt Me Plenty is recommended for anybody looking for a more casual experience)

Easy & Medium should mostly retain the feel of playing it on Ultra-Violence while being easier to play

 

Included Maps:

MAP01 - "Soldiers of Chaos"

 

Additional Credits:

James Paddock for his wonderful music track "Cataclysmic Impact" | Originally made for Plutonia 2, MAP30

 

Screenshots:

Spoiler

 

My playthrough on UV:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v3dhCzq2nc

Edited December 23, 2022 by Sesamia

[eharper256]

I played it; its a thing.

 

Architecture wise its very solid; it's clear you've spent a long time making sure every section looks decent. On HMP, I got the feeling that HMP was UV; it's pretty tough for HMP. Though enemy placement is itself fine enough.

 

However; it's lacking flow- I often got the impression that it feels like lots and lots of fights strung together haphazardly; when I wasn't embroiled in more archies and doots trying to spoil my day, I often spent ages wondering around lost, looking for the next switch to open up the level; often to randomly stumble upon another ambush which was indeed the "intended" progression but wasn't clear that it was supposed to be so. Most of this down to the rather circular, arena-ish nature of many of the areas; and the fact that switches don't signal what they do in most cases- you need more like that one key pickup that instantly opens a door behind the bars in front of you, that was pretty good.

 

Also, I would change out all the nukage for water or that brown sludge; Doom players are typically trained to assume green will be damaging. I spent a while looking for a suit before I dipped my toe in to test it out to find it wasn't damaging. I also see you've done something odd with the keys that means they don't get picked up and instead trigger parts of the level, which will definately weird some people out.

 

Still, with a few tweaks to progression, I can see this being a solid level.

[Sesamia]

@eharper256  Thanks for checking it out.  I'm sorry that my reply is so late.  I'm attempting to make certain switches (the blue key and the final four switches in particular) more obvious as to what they're for.  Were any of the switches hard to find, or was it strictly a case of their purpose being uncertain?

 

I've also changed and simplified the overall map progression, though it's unclear whether or not those changes will be final.  At the moment I'm waiting to see if anybody wants to contribute more feedback to the map before I publish updates to it.  I have one month left to work on this, so I don't want to rush anything.

 

19 hours ago, eharper256 said:

I also see you've done something odd with the keys that means they don't get picked up and instead trigger parts of the level, which will definately weird some people out.

 

Yeah I'm not too sure about that one myself.  There's no reason that I couldn't just let the player keep them, but they'd be useless and you could finish the level anyway without picking up all/any of them.  It's a byproduct of some initial development where the red key would "move" around the map as you tried to pick it up.

 

19 hours ago, eharper256 said:

Also, I would change out all the nukage for water or that brown sludge; Doom players are typically trained to assume green will be damaging.

 

Perhaps a compromise of starting the player in nukage would suffice?  It was an aesthetic choice that I'm not ready to give up yet, but I could be convinced if keeping it is a really bad idea.  I've put a new screenshot below in the spoiler.

 

Spoiler

 

[eharper256]

I would say both to an extent. Flow is always a super-tricky thing to get right in level design but its what makes a decent level great; that constant feeling of progression. If you just press a switch and nothing appears to happen, that is usually discouraging for a player and often involves a wander around or a minimap moment; always have things open up which you can see or have monsters appear from a direction you previously came from or at least have the sound of a platform moving close-by that the player can follow.

 

Holding Keys ties into that feeling of progression ("Now I have a Red Key, I can progress more"). Even if all you do is make the section where it normally auto-raises have a bank of key switches for the player to press to raise the stairs, that will help. People like collecting and pressing things; heck its the whole premise behind arcade gambling machines (and looter shooters, and gacha games which descend from that same father).

 

If you really want the green goop as a stylistic choice, then yes, that's a good idea to start the player in it. If you're going to challenge well known staples, announce it up front.

 

 

[thelamp]

Action packed map from start to finish! Throws a tonne at the player all at once, but there's enough to space to move (if you make some) and plenty of ammo as long as you're looking for it.

 

 

[ARMCoder]

I liked the map, although it's quite long for my taste. I played it on HMP, and found it a tad too hard (I died a lot, and scum-saved a lot too). Compared to the rest, the last arena with the Mama Spider and the Cyber looked easy. Not that the last arena is very easy, it's the preceding rest that is disproportionally hard.

 

The design is great, very detailed and creative. The nukage floors that don't damage the player feel quite strange, but this is not fatal.

 

The map is very generous when it comes to ammo, especially rockets. This is good, because time and again you have to face large gangs homing towards you.

 

Given what I'v seen, I imagine that UV is just too hard to me, but I have not tried. I'd just tone down the enemy count on HMP.

[Nefelibeta]

Hello, just played this on UV.

Very very fun stuff, solid gameplay, a bit similar to Cyriak but without the claustrophobia, which I really enjoyed. Frantic pacing with a high body-count. The turret usages(especially arch-viles) are on point as well.

The layout is impressive, fun to explore and nicely cooperated with the different set-pieces. Especially with the "lowering floor revealing new areas" thingy, great fucking job.

The visuals are very solid, good-looking with only IWAD textures(I think) This sort of abstract style isn't something you will usually see but it worked well here.

I missed the blue armor and supercharge after the hot start, which made the next part (with 2 PEs, a wave of cacos behind and a bunch of other crap) very awkward. Perhaps it's possible to place them in a more obvious spot? or perhaps place the switch that opens the next area next to the items? idk

[Ravendesk]

Played on UV, awesome map, the fact that you give the player rocket launcher as the first weapon made me instantly like it, really appreciate when the map does that :)

Fights are fun and interesting, visuals are good.

 

There are few minor things that I would like to note:

1. I think ammo balance is a bit strange, shells are pretty much infinite, just loads of shell boxes everywhere, but rockets not so much. Since this kind of gameplay really benefits from RL action, I kinda wished I got more rockets in my playthrough.

2. Final wave of enemies (when the cyber appears) is a bit underwhelming. You get so much stuff and barely any enemies to kill :) I was expecting at least a huge horde of revenants in addition to avs and cyber.

3. With the amount of hitscan in the map I think it would benefit from an additional green armor somewhere, but idk.

 

Regarding the nukage - I was also confused at first, but once you first notice that it is not damaging, you assume the same for the rest of the map and it's whatever. So I don't think there is really any problem here, if it benefits the visuals (and I think it does), then may as well be green.

 

Anyway, great map, really enjoyed!

 

[Suitepee]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=745hztDhp1Y

 

My playthrough starts at around 1:27:05.

[Sesamia]

Updated for a final release (hopefully)