What would the unused linedef in Doom II MAP30 could've been, had id Software actually completed the unclosed sector?

[Wadmodder Shalton]

In Doom II's MAP30, called Icon of Sin, there is an unused single inaccessible linedef outside the map on the eastern side, which is part of an unclosed sector.

It remains a mystery on what that unused linedef would've been had id Software actually finished that unclosed sector.

 

Perhaps the level designer Sandy Peterson has some answers on what that unused linedef for the unclosed sector that was never finished could've been.

[Individualised]

Icon of Sin (the level) was a late addition to the game; it's not present in the July 29th, 1994 prototype, and we know from Sandy Petersen that the Icon of Sin (the boss) itself was a late addition in order to get around them not being able to create a "proper" boss monster in time. It's possible that they were playing around with different final boss ideas before landing on the Icon of Sin boss. Maybe MAP30 was originally a normal level (in the prototype MAP30 is occupied by Bloodfalls, but that was likely not it's intended slot as the prototype has 34 maps and some of them are different versions of the same level, so the last few levels of the map order were probably a "scratchpad" of sorts). In one of the later WADless prototypes, the Icon of Sin monster spawner actor appears as a stationary Nazi SS that doesn't do anything.

 

We'll probably never know the answer unless we get another prototype WAD (or enough data to reconstruct one, as was the case with the July build) for one of the later prototypes we don't have a WAD for, or another prototype is found and dumped, and sadly I fear it's unlikely that any more prototypes of Doom 2 are still in existence. Which is sad; I do feel that the prototypes are a bit underappreciated in the Doom community, especially considering communities for some other older games go crazy for prototypes.

Edited March 15, 2023 by Individualised

[Edward850]

It's important to remember that DoomEd worked very differently from other editors, you only drew lines that themselves had sector properties, rather than drawing the complete sector which was itself a selectable thing.

 

As such, this line likely just exists as a mistake rather than an actual intended room.

[Scypek2]

Speaking of broken sectors, the outer edge of E3M9's arena is actually two unclosed sectors - most of it is sector #1, but two lines in the northeastern corner belong to sector #2, tagged 6. Also, the four doors in the center are all tagged 4. That certainly seems like something with a purpose. Maybe killing the boss would've lowered it to reveal the "hidden doorway" mentioned in the end text? I wonder if the courtyard floor was ever meant to have a red floor, too. That would've fit the surrounding wall texture well!

[Wadmodder Shalton]

Well, I asked John Romero regarding the MAP30 Linedef and it was indeed a mistake instead of an intended room.

I wouldn't be surprised if id Software would redevelop that unused linedef in MAP30 in a future update for the Unity Port to make it a room for monsters to respawn in Nightmare by moving the map to the X 0 Y 0 area of the map while maintaining the alignment of the floors and items.

[Individualised]

The Unity port isn't being updated anymore. New add-ons are added through a separate portal.

[dasho]

5 hours ago, Wadmodder Shalton said:

I wouldn't be surprised if id Software would redevelop that unused linedef in MAP30 in a future update for the Unity Port to make it a room for monsters to respawn in Nightmare by moving the map to the X 0 Y 0 area of the map while maintaining the alignment of the floors and items.

 

Seems a lot easier to just delete the offending linedef.

[Lucius Wooding]

They needed somewhere to put Romero's feet. However it seems that part of the map was snipped and stolen by him to put into Sigil 2.

[kwc]

6 hours ago, Wadmodder Shalton said:

I wouldn't be surprised if id Software would redevelop that unused linedef in MAP30 in a future update for the Unity Port to make it a room for monsters to respawn in Nightmare by moving the map to the X 0 Y 0 area of the map while maintaining the alignment of the floors and items.

I would, that's very specific.

[Maximum Matt]

It is the remnant of a gigantic intricate labyrinthine chef's kiss of an ultra-level that would've been hailed as the greatest of all time and put John Romero to shame; when Petersen heard that the rest of the team wanted to hail him and is epic mapping skills by putting his head on a pike he objected and drastically reduced and simplified the map, because he's lowkey like that