[Boom, FINAL] Violetshift - 13 purple/green levels of challenge and puzzlery

[nobleflame]

9 hours ago, Vytaan said:

I also noticed you can grab the BFG without triggering the fight - that way you can prefire and kill the cyber in front of the entrance relatively quickly and consistently!

Going to try this!

[nobleflame]

Also, on map 7*, the berserk secret is mean and made me laugh.

 

One tip though,

Spoiler

perhaps set the chainsaw back a bit. The first time I got to this part, the conveyor belt threw me over the chainsaw and I avoided it. If you set the cs back a bit, it might mean the conveyor throws you onto it more consistently?

 

Edit: got the wrong map* - originally stated 6, when I meant 7. Doh!

Edited June 18, 2023 by nobleflame

[Electro Rage]

33 minutes ago, nobleflame said:

Also, on map 6, the berserk secret is mean and made me laugh.

 

One tip though,

  Hide contents

perhaps set the chainsaw back a bit. The first time I got to this part, the conveyor belt threw me over the chainsaw and I avoided it. If you set the cs back a bit, it might mean the conveyor throws you onto it more consistently?

 

That's map 07, but I agree

[nobleflame]

3 hours ago, Electro Rage said:

That's map 07, but I agree

Sorry, yes you're right. Map 7 - I'll update in my original post.

 

Just completed map 8 - it was very tough, but as long as you get the secret BFG first, the rest of the map isn't so bad. 
 

A couple of arachnotrons failed to teleport in (they're housed in a box off to the right of the map). Other than that, favourite map so far I think.

 

[nobleflame]

Just finished map 9. Think it’s my new favourite.
 

Spoiler

I really loved the lava fall circle strafe fight - very original and well executed. It really turns this type of fight on its head, because you have to watch your back too. 

 

The final fight was epic too. Plus the midi with the bait and switch at the beginning was nice. 

[KeaganDunn]

v3 of Violetshift has been released!

 

- A number of small visual fixes and balancing (mostly for HMP) across the entire set

- Visual fixes in MAP06

- Nerfed secret fight in MAP08

- Fixed potential softlock in MAP10

- Added something new...
 

The Simon Says games in MAP11 and MAP13 might still break somehow. Keeping a close eye on any playthroughs that encounter the games (despite destroying my brain putting them together).

 

@Vytaan Be sure to grab this - important changes to the remainder of the set :)

[KeaganDunn]

v4 of Violetshift released! Minor changes worth noting.

 

- Fixed a softlock here and there

- Difficulty balancing in MAP06 and MAP09

- Other stuff I can't remember

 

If nothing major comes up, I'll see about releasing this to idgames.

[knifeworld]

I've had my eye on this lately as a Stardate enjoyer, good stuff!

This switch can be hit very early through the bars, bypassing most of the map:


Minor texturing/visual thing, but this window has the shawn-style-support tex on it and looks out of place once you notice it.


 

Spoiler

Enemies can get too close to the switch that lets you out of the secret fight and tp out as well, if one or more is a rev u can get punched to death during the temporary immobility, plus it feels a little awkward in general.

 

[xAn]

Made it to the end of map13 on UV so far but can't get the last two secrets (the ones which are combined). Maps 12 and 13 are the toughest so far for me. But very entertaining and challenging. (...and motivating to try it again, and again, and again...).

[nobleflame]

Just completed map 11 UVMAX single segment. Goddamn, you guys are sadistic. That last fight was brutal. I could work out clear, mostly fool-proof strats for all other fights, but the final fight was definitely spray and pray for me. 

 

Spoiler

The intended way appears to be getting rid of as many revenants on the outer perimeter ASAP as they can snipe you with 80 damage missiles when ever they like (apparently). At least, I had to make sure all sniper revs were gone before the archies and purple twats turned up or else I'd get nailed by a rev missile ball when trying to take cover from the archies. 

 

Overall, excellent map. Definitely the most challenging so far. 

[nobleflame]

Any tips for the platforming secret in map 12?

 

I feel like the whole map is doable, but the fact that there’s no return teleporters if you miss the very precise jump, and the fact that this secret takes place several minutes into the map, makes this very frustrating.   

[Arwel]

Great set, had a lot of fun with it. Seems like there are some progression blocking issues though. First time I stuck was in the interlude map with archviles, not sure what to do there even with iddqd, no order of buttons makes any difference. The second time I stuck in map13 after getting two keys (yellow skull and black card), is this switch on screenshot supposed to open yellow keycard area? Because if it is , it doesn't seem to work. Not really sure about all this, maybe I'm just failing to find a wayto progress. Anyway, there was one definite bug in map13 as well: in cyberdemon puzzle sometimes my weapons disappeared randomly and after exiting the room it wasn't possible to progress further because you need weapons to shoot some switches. I just replayed that few times until it didn't happen.

 

Playing in dsda-doom-0.25.2

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

[KeaganDunn]

19 hours ago, xAn said:

Made it to the end of map13 on UV so far but can't get the last two secrets (the ones which are combined). Maps 12 and 13 are the toughest so far for me. But very entertaining and challenging. (...and motivating to try it again, and again, and again...).

I'm assuming the last two secrets you have are at the north part of the map - those require an archvile jump.

 

5 hours ago, nobleflame said:

Any tips for the platforming secret in map 12?

 

I feel like the whole map is doable, but the fact that there’s no return teleporters if you miss the very precise jump, and the fact that this secret takes place several minutes into the map, makes this very frustrating.   

There's a consistent lineup for it, done with strafing or SR50 to be safe. Standing on the very opposite edge of a platform and straferunning to the next one, stopping just before you fall off. It is a bit bollocks, but not quite unfair :P

 

5 hours ago, Arwel said:

Great set, had a lot of fun with it. Seems like there are some progression blocking issues though. First time I stuck was in the interlude map with archviles, not sure what to do there even with iddqd, no order of buttons makes any difference. The second time I stuck in map13 after getting two keys (yellow skull and black card), is this switch on screenshot supposed to open yellow keycard area? Because if it is , it doesn't seem to work. Not really sure about all this, maybe I'm just failing to find a wayto progress. Anyway, there was one definite bug in map13 as well: in cyberdemon puzzle sometimes my weapons disappeared randomly and after exiting the room it wasn't possible to progress further because you need weapons to shoot some switches. I just replayed that few times until it didn't happen.

 

Playing in dsda-doom-0.25.2

Intermission II's color puzzle resides in the torches.

This is also making me believe I should replace the cyber/voodoo-doll puzzle since that can happen, despite the voodoo dolls being elevated.

That window you're facing in the screenshot is the next place to go to access the yellow card. Follow any markings or clues... ;)

[nobleflame]

1 hour ago, KeaganDunn said:

There's a consistent lineup for it, done with strafing or SR50 to be safe. Standing on the very opposite edge of a platform and straferunning to the next one, stopping just before you fall off. It is a bit bollocks, but not quite unfair :P

 

Lol I may or may not place a teleporter at the end in the purple slime in DOOM Builder. :P

[nobleflame]

So I've just finished map 12. 

I really like the aesthetic - especially the purple pyramid with the fast scrolling textures: very otherworldly.

 

While I've found all maps so far to be fair, I do have a couple of complaints about map 12. Listed below with spoliers.

 

Spoiler

1) I felt that the final fight was missing something - it was incredibly difficult and I think this is due to balancing. The first phase wasn't really an issue - get rid of the stationary archviles, take out the flying enemies, let everything else infight; however, the problems start when the second wave (pinkies, revenants and purple flying barons) start flooding the arena, shortly followed by the third wave of pinkies and archviles. You have very little space to run around, ammo is limited, there is no cover near the east side of the arena, and falling into the purple slime is death. 

 

The main issues for me were ammo, spacing and the gap between the second and third waves - the introduction of a backpack or an invulnerability would make it feel fairer, as then I would have ammo to prevent getting swarmed or an invuln would allow me to push into the archviles more. 

 

To test this, I put an invuln in via DOOM Builder, which made the second half of the fight a lot more bearable. Tough and still a challenge, but not so difficult that I was relying on the archviles infighting.

 

2) the platforming secret - I think placing a secret which requires multiple precise jumps with no second chances about 15 minutes into the map feels cheap. I get that this is supposed to be a difficult map, but putting a teleporter a ways into the purple slime means that a failed jump will still cost you health in the 20 damaging floor, but it will also allow multiple tries. 

Incidentally, I actually found a way to sprint across the jumps in one motion, which made this slightly less annoying and would be a good trick for speedrunners. The coordinates are: X = 5001 ; Y = 910 ; Z = 888. You line up the screen using the stars and SR50 across the gap in one motion. Stopping is the hardest bit. 

 

3) no teleporters around the final fight area - placing 6 archviles behind a wall of pinkies often meant my runs ended by being blasted into the purple slime. This is pretty annoying. 

 

I hope you don't mind, but I tested all of the solutions to the issues outlined above in DOOM Builder and was able to UVMAX single seg the map. 

  

Edited July 9, 2023 by nobleflame

[Fatalis]

Dope. I will never turn down more Stardate, even in homage.

[KeaganDunn]

v5 of Violetshift released! Mostly changes to the last few. Big thanks to @Vytaan, decino, and others for this - and a big congrats to Vytaan for completing (the original version of) MAP12 saveless!

 

- Major changes to MAP12! Added a secret fight, removed a cheese strat in the rev hallway, and nerfed the finale - with a one-time teleporter, monster-blocking lines, and a softlock fix. Still tough as nails, but hopefully no more bullshit and can be completed more reliably with enough practice.

- Fixed the Simon Says in MAP11 breaking if you step on a pad before pressing the switch. Also some visual fixes.

- Minor fixes to MAP13. Will probably be doing one more update provided more feedback on this behemoth comes.

 

Spoiler

iforgotaboutknifeworldsfindingsonmap01FUCK

 

Another thanks to everyone who has sang their praise and criticism and/or given this an honest shot. 💜

[nobleflame]

14 hours ago, KeaganDunn said:

Spoiler

 

v5 of Violetshift released! Mostly changes to the last few. Big thanks to @Vytaan, decino, and others for this - and a big congrats to Vytaan for completing (the original version of) MAP12 saveless!

 

- Major changes to MAP12! Added a secret fight, removed a cheese strat in the rev hallway, and nerfed the finale - with a one-time teleporter, monster-blocking lines, and a softlock fix. Still tough as nails, but hopefully no more bullshit and can be completed more reliably with enough practice.

- Fixed the Simon Says in MAP11 breaking if you step on a pad before pressing the switch. Also some visual fixes.

- Minor fixes to MAP13. Will probably be doing one more update provided more feedback on this behemoth comes.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

iforgotaboutknifeworldsfindingsonmap01FUCK

 

Another thanks to everyone who has sang their praise and criticism and/or given this an honest shot. 💜

 

 

 

 

Looking forward to giving map 12 a proper go. Apologies for changing the original design so that I could get through it. 

 

Map 13 is epic. I really love some of the creative puzzle fights you've implemented. The Simon says games are great.

 

I definitely won't be able to single seg it because it's too far above my skill (currently). It's a gem to playthrough though.

[KeaganDunn]

v6 of Violetshift released! 

 

I may have finally fixed the Simon Says minigame in MAP13, which was prone to breaking instantly on the second pattern without any player input. stxvile and Vytaan encountered it breaking but I never did. But I think I've figured it out, and @Vytaan can finally attempt to single-segment the beast that is MAP13. Wish good luck to him!

 

Other than that, fixed some texture issues on MAP12. Next update should be the idgames release, with the file size brought down.

 

 

[Electro Rage]

In map 32, a caco and a pain elemental from what I assume to be the time fight (as that is the only place those two enemy types appear) will not teleport in to the arena. They are in the caco pain elemental closet. I believe this is because there are not enough teleports for all of the enemies in there (the teleporters can only be used once. There are 24 enemies, but only 22 lines)

[knifeworld]

Hopefully it's not too rude of an ask, but it would be cool to be included in the playtesting credits since I did give some feedback regarding the switch that opens the exit on MAP01 https://www.doomworld.com/forum/post/2665560. I'm really not trying to complain at all, maybe you're only noting down people who did more extensive testing, (Edit: maybe you already had your eye on fixing the switch being pressable thru the bars anyway), or only players who said what difficulty they tested in (I tested/play on UV). Sorry if this is rude or annoying.

Edited July 16, 2023 by knifeworld
clarification

[KeaganDunn]

9 minutes ago, knifeworld said:

Hopefully it's not too rude of an ask, but it would be cool to be included in the playtesting credits since I did give some feedback regarding the switch that opens the exit on MAP01 https://www.doomworld.com/forum/post/2665560. I'm really not trying to complain at all, maybe you're only noting down people who did more extensive testing, (Edit: maybe you already had your eye on fixing the switch being pressable thru the bars anyway), or only players who said what difficulty they tested in (I tested/play on UV). Sorry if this is rude or annoying.

 

Hey, no problem! I forgot, and I'm editing the text file for you right now. I released v6 in haste because Vytaan was doing some single-segment attempts of MAP13 and the Simon Says was still broken.

[nobleflame]

[removed]

Edited July 16, 2023 by nobleflame
Found the solution.

[nobleflame]

Just seen the credits list in the latest release. Thank you for adding me. I think this is the first time I've been on a credits list. 

 

Just completed the new version of map 12 UVMAX single segment. It's much better and far fairer now. Particularly the expanded gap between the second and third wave of the final fight. This allows for the monsters to move around and space out a bit more before the archviles show up to ruin your day. 

 

Also, the new secret fight is awesome. 

 

Thanks again for a beautiful map set. This is my new favourite for this year. 

[Bozzy]

Im doing my HNTR playthrough like the coward i am, loving it so far but not sure if im being dumb or if this is already reported but in map 6 i dropped down to this row of chaingunners to get their ammo and this switch cant be pressed again so i cant get through the door in the 2nd picture to carry on progressing. am i missing something or is this an issue that needs fixing? or maybe even im on an older version where this is already fixed in a newer version?

Edited July 19, 2023 by Bozzy

[philcul]

1 hour ago, Bozzy said:

Im doing my HNTR playthrough like the coward i am, loving it so far but not sure if im being dumb or if this is already reported but in map 6 i dropped down to this row of chaingunners to get their ammo and this switch cant be pressed again so i cant get through the door in the 2nd picture to carry on progressing. am i missing something or is this an issue that needs fixing? or maybe even im on an older version where this is already fixed in a newer version?

 

 

I can confirm that: I had the same problem and had to use 'idclip' because it lead to a softlock.

[Bozzy]

5 hours ago, AdNauseam said:

 

I can confirm that: I had the same problem and had to use 'idclip' because it lead to a softlock.

Glad its not just me missing something obvious as i often do.

[Bozzy]

Found what i assume is a bug, watched someone do this puzzle so i know how it works but i press the switch but before the pattern even finishes showing some of the tiles turn purple and the archviles release. Though i suspect it might be cause i went on them previously before even pressing the switch maybe its registering them later on after i press the switch, maybe make an invisible wall for this area so you cant enter it before pressing the switch? if this is an/the issue.

[KeaganDunn]

3 hours ago, Bozzy said:

Found what i assume is a bug, watched someone do this puzzle so i know how it works but i press the switch but before the pattern even finishes showing some of the tiles turn purple and the archviles release. Though i suspect it might be cause i went on them previously before even pressing the switch maybe its registering them later on after i press the switch, maybe make an invisible wall for this area so you cant enter it before pressing the switch? if this is an/the issue.

 

Ahh, this has already been fixed. Be sure to update to the newest version on the OP.

[Bozzy]

16 hours ago, KeaganDunn said:

 

Ahh, this has already been fixed. Be sure to update to the newest version on the OP.

Oh Okay good to know thanks :) cheated past it anyway but for future playthroughs its good to know