[Final release] “Hell's Bane” - an Ult Doom megawad

[Insaneprophet]

Just finished this up and loved it. Classic Doom! I played on lzdoom and dont know what wasnt supposed to work on older ports because everything seemed fine to me, oh well. The ending was great and the ship was the cutest damn thing 😃 One more thing, all of the artwork is AMAZING! Thank you for all your years and creations.

[Chris Hansen]

You're very welcome, @Insaneprophet! I'm glad you enjoyed playing it and that it all seemed to work fine on LZDoom.

 

And yes, @NotMuchNormal really did an outstanding job with the artwork! Can't recommend him enough.

 

Don't forget to praise the midi composers. They need to feel some love too. It being Christmas soon and all :)

[boris]

Added the rest of episode 3 (E3M6, E3M9, E3M7, E3M8) to the playlist. In E3 it's really interesting to see the clash of old and new mapping style, with E3M4 and especially E3M5 as the oldest maps being rather contorted, while the other maps feel much more spacious and have a better flow (for me).

Edited December 12, 2023 by boris

[Chris Hansen]

2 hours ago, boris said:

while the other maps feel much more spacious and have a better flow

I guess an old dog really can learn new tricks, ehh? :) While I do like doing what it is I've always been doing I also try and improve a bit. And exactly what you are mentioning is something I've strived for. Opening up the levels and cranking up the scale a bit. So thank you for noticing ;) And thank you for the videos!

[boris]

Added E4M1 through E4M5 (including E4M9) to the playlist.

 

E4M1

• you do not need to raise the pillar to get to the automap secret
• I didn't manage to open the plasma gun secret, but I see that it was already reported

E4M2

• textures on lines 2634 and 2636 are misaligned in DSDA-Doom (and probably in other non-GZDoom ports, too)
• secret exit sign is hard to see

E4M9

• sector 427 (with the green armor) turns into lava, which doesn't seem to be intentional

E4M3

• exit sign is hard to see

E4M4

• that sector 236 is an elevator had me stumped for a bit
• exit sign is relatively hard to see

[boris]

Added the last three maps, E4M6, E4M7, and E4M8 to the playlist.

 

E4M6

• was running low on ammo aroudn the berserk area
• linedef 1167 has a wrong texture

E4M7

• I played it back when it was released 3 years ago, and I even recorded a video of it, even though I could not remember that
• the sound tunnel near the beginning (sector 30) is quite obvious and at first I thought it was a secret
• the lava sectors in the map are pretty dark, which looks a bit weird, as I'd expect lava to be bright. But transfering brightness would probably also look weird, with the lava being bright, but walls staying dark

E4M8

• with the highish amount of monsters I didn't expect the map to be so short, but seeing that most monsters were in one room it made sense. I prefer the last map in an episode to be snappy
• I didn't realize that the RL/PG became available only after pressing the first switch, I genuinely though I had missed them
• what's the idea with the Soulsphere secret? I found that after I beat the fight, and getting it while the fight is raging seems like a rather suicidal endeavor
• the green armor secret feels a bit redundant since you'll (most likely) get a green armor shortly after the secret one (which you could of course safe for later, if necessary)
• the end is pretty cool and (Doom-)cute

 

Overall a really cool map set with quite some variety. Maps are not overly long, which I prefer, and not filled to the brim with monsters. The path of progression is usually clear and except for a few exceptions straightforward. Anyone remotely interested in a Doom 1 map set should definitely play it.

[Chris Hansen]

Thank you once again boris. I will have a look at the things you have mentioned and prepare a RC3 soon. I have not had the time to watch all your videos yet but I will chew through them at some point.

[Chris Hansen]

>>>> Download RC3 here <<<<

 

Lots of small changes, mostly in episode 3 and 4. Changelog here - also included in the zip.

 

Note: Ingame demos will probably desync badly in RC2 and RC3. They will be re-recorded for the final release.

[Bertt91]

Well, as I promised, I have played the entire wad and it has been an incredible experience.
Episode 2 was the hardest for me, perhaps more because I got lost on the map, not because of the extreme difficulty. The spectacular maps force you to pay attention. In addition, you have to look for switches at almost all levels so that it is not all shots and shots. Thank you very much Chris for your contribution and congratulations on such a great wad. Recommended 100%.

[Chris Hansen]

I am humbled by your support @Bertt91. Thank you for playing and taking the time to share your thoughts.

[Enclave]

This truly is my favourite ever megawad... it MUST get a Cacoward. 

 

The music is also perfect. I love how they actually match the mood of Doom. A lot of newer wads all tend to use music I feel doesn't fit with the tone and aesthetic of Doom so I was very impressed by the choices. 

 

Great work.

 

[wallabra]

Is this meant to be pistol started?

 

I'm gonna play through it. It'll be a bit interesting to play with many of my own tunes playing in the background, starting E2!

[wallabra]

I've played E1M1 through E1M4 (including the secret level). Here's some notes I have:

 

general
- i like how maps tend to have berserk packs and backpacks
- i don't like how they tend to have chainsaws, but that's just me
  (i guess people like using it even if they take damage!)
- i like how interconnected maps usually are, often opening up even more as the player progresses

e1m2
- green armor secret behind barrels hard to see without computer area map; consider a very subtle hint
  (texture is slightly misaligned, but i personally don't think players should be conditioned into looking for those)

e1m3
- secret red switch's effect is not very well telegraphe
  (consider using a diorama of, or a trail of "pillars" that change in path to, opened secret exit)

e1m9
- could use more secrets (it's a secret level!)

e1m4
- leap of faith in way to red key can be blocked by demons
- music loops poorly
- could have a few more opportunities to use rocket launcher on big meaty groups of fodder enemies
- i like how many optional areas and paths there are

 

[Chris Hansen]

Thank you for you feedback, wallabra. Much appreciated! Thoigh,  I am a bit wary going back and changing too much, as I seem to always introduce new bugs when I change things. But I will think about it.

[wallabra]

Heh, no problem! I suppose the 'introducing bugs' part is just part of the iterative process, honestly. You can always use some rudimentary version control, make working copies - if a bug you introduce can't be fixed without compromising on something else, just revert to the last working copy. That's how I manage it! A technique I borrow from software development.

[DRK]

I'm really enjoying this, it's exactly what I hope for in a megawad. I've been really taking my time with it, but I'm up to E4M7 now and this is definitely going in my Replay folder. Also I think just playing through it has taught me some about mapping. Great work!

 

I did notice one minor issue that I haven't seen anyone mention yet: in E3M8 the cacodemon in the first large area can clip with the skybox if it goes in part of sector 106. Not a huge deal, but figured I'd mention it.

 

Spoiler

 

[Chris Hansen]

I'm glad you're enjoying Hell's Bane, @DRK and thank you taking your time to write. I am aware of that Cacodemon, but it's a tricky fix and I figured only a handful of people would ever notice, so I left it as is. But thanks for telling me, always appreciated!

[Firedust]

Heya, just wrapped up my playthrough of Hell's Bane.

Overall, this was pretty fun - keep in mind that I have played your ADO maps before as well as Wailing Horde and your E1 episode.

The only thing I didn't enjoy at all was episode 2 - I wasn't a fan of how WH was broken up into several maps and combat there felt in no way more challenging than e1. I would even go as far as say that the OG Doom e2 is much harder in difficulty - which is fine, different strokes and all. I think my biggest problem with Monument was how corridory and homogeneous it was - there were no memorable landmarks and the entire experience was one big blur, save e2m5 (the chasm something, that level was great). It simply felt like e1 but reskinned with e2 textures minus all the cool parts. 

Thankfully, e3 and especially e4 were great. Your ADO remasters were stellar, and I'm a big fan of the originals as well. My favourite maps from the whole set were those plus your new contributions - although e3m6 felt really underpopulated, considering how big it is. Going forward, I think it'd be awesome if you focused more on opening up the playspace, because that's where your main strength seems to lie (in my opinion anyway) - making the player take on monsters coming in from all directions, be it by teleporting in or closets opening up or a combination of both.

That's all I got, chief. Looking forward to your next project!

[NightFright]

Le wild ultrawide statusbar appears!

 

hb_uwide.zip

Edited January 6 by NightFright

[Chris Hansen]

Great feedback, @Firedust! Much appreciated. I tend to agree with you on most of your criticism and I will take it into account for future releases. I am glad you liked the updated episode 4 maps; I really tried my best to keep their spirit and not change too much.

 

Thank you for that STBAR, @NightFright. Do I replace the one I already have with it or how do I go about it using it in the wad? I am not too familiar with how various the sourceports deal with these kind of files.

[NightFright]

Common practice is to keep it in a separate wad. However, your maps are only for Boom compatible ports, so it doesn't need to run with Chocolate Doom. Not sure if there's any Boom comp. port out there which still doesn't support widescreen assets. If you want to play it safe, keep it separate.

Edited January 6 by NightFright

[plums]

I would think anything that can handle UMAPINFO, which Hell's Bane requires, should be able to handle a wide statusbar, though I'm not 100% certain of this.

[Chris Hansen]

Thanks guys. I think I am going to add it to a separate wad included in the zip file file just to be safe. Tried including it in the main wad, but wasn't too sure of the results. It works fine in GZDoom, couldn't get it to work in PrBoom+ and it looked wrong in Eternity.

[Chris Hansen]

I feel that I am ready to release the final version, so now is a good time to tell me in case you've noticed any fatal flaws or bugs :)

[wallabra]

Yeah, actually I generally agree. Most issues now can be reduced to nitpicks. You saw the notes I took during playtesting - not big deals, certainly. I'd say it's definitely in a releasable state.

[Devalaous]

On 6/24/2023 at 8:48 PM, Chris Hansen said:

Important sourceport info

 

In order for the boss levels to function correctly you will need one of these sourceports or newer. The wad is Boom comp and requires a sourceport that supports UMAPINFO if you want the intended experience:

 

 

• DSDA-Doom 0.26.2
• PrBoom+ 2.5.17um
• PrBoom+ 2.6.66-ucrt64
• PrBoom+ 2.61um-w32
• Woof 11.2.0-win64
• GZDoom dev builds from 16th July 2023 onwards (boss levels wont work in GZDoom 4.10)

 

Since the release is near and its the best time to take a looksie at things, heres some really minor feedback

You can supply a ZMAPINFO alongside the UMAPINFO to increase the compatibility with GZDoom. Not entirely needed, but ive noticed GZDoom's UMAPINFO support can sometimes be finicky, despite Graf being the founder of UMAPINFO. Also, because GZDoom's menus do annoyingly pick up on lowercase stuff, heres a minor nitpick in the internal Dehacked I fixed:

 

[STRINGS]
HUSTR_E1M1 = E1M1: The Frontier
HUSTR_E1M2 = E1M2: Meek
HUSTR_E1M3 = E1M3: Main-Frame
HUSTR_E1M4 = E1M4: Command Center
HUSTR_E1M5 = E1M5: Chemical Processing Plant
HUSTR_E1M6 = E1M6: Primary Base
HUSTR_E1M7 = E1M7: Laboratories
HUSTR_E1M8 = E1M8: The Grinder
HUSTR_E1M9 = E1M9: Strategical Offensive Array
HUSTR_E2M1 = E2M1: Rip and Tear
HUSTR_E2M2 = E2M2: Beta Station
HUSTR_E2M3 = E2M3: The Wailing Halls
HUSTR_E2M4 = E2M4: Hive of the Horde
HUSTR_E2M5 = E2M5: Chasm Control
HUSTR_E2M6 = E2M6: Smash It!
HUSTR_E2M7 = E2M7: Hunt'em High'n'Low
HUSTR_E2M8 = E2M8: Domain of Evil
HUSTR_E2M9 = E2M9: The End?
HUSTR_E3M1 = E3M1: The Trickster's Behest
HUSTR_E3M2 = E3M2: Chart the Course for Carnage
HUSTR_E3M3 = E3M3: The Bloody Realms
HUSTR_E3M4 = E3M4: Obituary Written
HUSTR_E3M5 = E3M5: Twisted High
HUSTR_E3M6 = E3M6: The Remedy
HUSTR_E3M7 = E3M7: No Way Back
HUSTR_E3M8 = E3M8: Death Will Be No Respite
HUSTR_E3M9 = E3M9: Flay the Obscene
HUSTR_E4M1 = E4M1: The Blessed Hex
HUSTR_E4M2 = E4M2: Hell Unleashed
HUSTR_E4M3 = E4M3: Disreputable Stronghold
HUSTR_E4M4 = E4M4: High'n'Low
HUSTR_E4M5 = E4M5: Indominatable Haunt
HUSTR_E4M6 = E4M6: Odious Grounds
HUSTR_E4M7 = E4M7: Bond of Hatred
HUSTR_E4M8 = E4M8: Deus in Absentia
HUSTR_E4M9 = E4M9: Good Vibrations

The UMAPINFO has the lowercase names too. This is just minor polish stuff, feel free to disregard, its one of the silly things I do in my QoL patches to smoothen up presentation of old works

[Chris Hansen]

It's cool, @Devalaous, thank you! Never thought about that, so naturally I've gone and implemented it right away. Thanks for taking your time to correct the "mistake"!

[NightFright]

Another thing to consider for DSDA/Nugget/Woof/etc users: Add a COMPLVL lump to set the compatibility mode. It's basically a small textfile with the single word boom in it. Not really necessary, but "nice to have".

[Chris Hansen]

You are correct @NightFright and I have already implemented it. I was advised earlier to do it by @plums in a private message. Regardless I thank you for informing me of it!

[Chris Hansen]

>>> Download final release <<<

 

I think it's time to wrap this up and release the final version. I feel confident that all serious bugs and oddities have been found and fixed. A big thanks to all of you who sent me feedback and commented in the last month! Without you it wouldn't have been possible to present a final release this polished. Thank you!

 

An /idgames link isn't ready yet, so I hope the above link works for all. If not, then please let me know and I will find a mirror for it until the /idgames link is available.

 

On to the next adventure!

 

EDIT: /idgames link available now

Edited January 21 by Chris Hansen
added link to /idgames