"OCTATE" - My first map, dedicated to my father John W. Anderson (aka "Dr. Sleep")

[Mr. Hypnos]

@Roebloz That was funny man, I really enjoyed it. The interview segment was pretty cool also. Thanks for all of the nice things you had to say about my level in the video and for involving me in the making of it. Really awesome. 

Edited July 25, 2023 by Mr. Hypnos

[Herr Dethnout]

On 7/24/2023 at 12:29 PM, Mr. Hypnos said:

Was it the Doom Builder Guide by chance?

Yes, but Also wrote guides for older Doom mapping programs iirc.

[YoshiTheMage]

This is a remarkably solid first map though of course its not without some of the trappings typical of first maps. Besides the mandatory secret the need place every weapon and an overabundance of ammo for them comes to mind most. This map isn't hard enough to warrant such an easily accessible BFG and I think the map is a bit overstuffed with cells in particular. I like the attention paid to smaller details in the map's aesthetics and this music is something I find oh so captivating, my favourite thing about Octate without a doubt. Rare to hear a non-MIDI original piece in a first map.

 

Should you continue to make maps I'm sure we'll all be watching your next projects with great interest.

Edited July 27, 2023 by YoshiTheMage

[fishboy29]

great wad, i loved the theming, and the little things like the chainsaw closet that also spawns 2 imps is something i hope i see more often

it's like you're getting to test it out, or at least getting challenged for it. crazy good for a first wad, i hope you keep mapping because clearly his expertise rubbed off on you.

edit: did anyone else think they heard part of mary's little lamb in the midi?

Edited July 27, 2023 by fishboy29

[Mr. Hypnos]

2 hours ago, YoshiTheMage said:

Besides the mandatory secret the need place every weapon and an overabundance of ammo for them comes to mind most. This map isn't hard enough to warrant such an easily accessible BFG and I think the map is a bit overstuffed with cells in particular

This is a fair critique, though I think it’s safe to say there won’t be any mandatory secrets in any of my future maps. This was just a very special circumstance because of the “real-life secret” that was revealed to me about my father. There was no way for me to omit it from the level because of the personal importance it has, though I knew it wouldn’t come without criticism. 
 

Thank you for your comments about my music and detail in aesthetics, that means a lot to me. Creating an atmosphere was definitely the focal point of this map.  

[Mr. Hypnos]

57 minutes ago, fishboy29 said:

great wad, i loved the theming, and the little things like the chainsaw closet that also spawns 2 imps is something i hope i see more often

it's like you're getting to test it out, or at least getting challenged for it. crazy good for a first wad, i hope you keep mapping because clearly his expertise rubbed off on you.

Thank you for your kind words and for playing my level, I’m glad you enjoyed it. I definitely plan to continue mapping. I’ve started working on my second level “Providence” (a puzzle-style map), though it may not be released for quite a while. 

[Blacklight]

I have just passed your First Job and I will say that I am satisfied! For the First Time, your Map came out quite interesting. Of course, it seemed a little simple to me on UV, but this is because of my skill in the game.

 

You have to keep creating New Levels for "DOOM". You Have A Good Level Design! I even decided to recommend others to play HERE (In Russian). I'm waiting for the release of "Providence"!

Edited October 29, 2023 by Blacklight

[Mr. Hypnos]

3 hours ago, Blacklight said:

I have just passed your First Job and I will say that I am satisfied! For the First Time, your Map came out quite interesting. Of course, it seemed a little simple to me on UV, but this is because of my skill in the game.

 

You have to keep creating New Levels for "DOOM". You Have A Good Level Design! I even decided to recommend others to play HERE (In Russian). I'm waiting for the release of "Providence"!

Thank you for the incredibly kind words. I’m honored that you chose to pass Octate along to others as well. That really means a lot to me. And I agree with you, one of my biggest regrets is making it a bit too easy on UV. That will be one of the first things I adjust in the next update.
 

I’m glad to hear that you’re looking forward to Providence. It’s around 70% complete at the moment and still on schedule for a release this Spring. I’ll be looking forward to hearing your thoughts!  
 

Thanks again,

Mr. H 

[princetontiger]

I really hope this wins a caco. I just played thru some of the maps I really enjoyed this year...

[Mr. Hypnos]

6 hours ago, princetontiger said:

I really hope this wins a caco. I just played thru some of the maps I really enjoyed this year...

I really appreciate this. It’d be pretty spectacular to win one, although I’m not sure how realistic it would be since I’m not too familiar with the process. When does the voting typically take place? 

[Midway64]

2 hours ago, Mr. Hypnos said:

I really appreciate this. It’d be pretty spectacular to win one, although I’m not sure how realistic it would be since I’m not too familiar with the process. When does the voting typically take place? 

 

If the DoomWiki is right by this, there's no way to vote, instead you nominate a candidate by a thread, with the writers/OPs choosing which nominations are fit for the Annual Cacowards.

Anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

[princetontiger]

I nominated the map in the cacowards thread.. others are welcome too as well.

[Mr. Hypnos]

20 minutes ago, princetontiger said:

I nominated the map in the cacowards thread.. others are welcome too as well.

That truly means a lot to me, thank you. Regardless of whether “Octate” actually wins an award or not, I’ll always be extremely grateful for those like you who still remember it. 

[princetontiger]

DUDE!! Really happy to see you in the Promising Newcomers section! What a treat for the 30th anniversary of Doom!

Edited December 10, 2023 by princetontiger

[Mr. Hypnos]

4 hours ago, princetontiger said:

DUDE!! Really happy to see you in the Promising Newcomers section! What a treat for the 30th anniversary of Doom!

Thank you again for the nomination man. It’s definitely awesome to be mentioned. 

[Rudolph]

Whew, that is an interesting backstory you have here, my friend.

 

I admit I find Octate to be a bit bland and overly flat, but for a first map coming from a relative newcomer, it is a commendable effort and certainly better than many official maps. Also, its more leisurely pace is a nice break from the often-infuriating challenge of the recently-released SIGIL II. So congrats!

 

[Mr. Hypnos]

1 hour ago, Rudolph said:

Whew, that is an interesting backstory you have here, my friend.

 

I admit I find Octate to be a bit bland and overly flat, but for a first map coming from a relative newcomer, it is a commendable effort and certainly better than many official maps. Also, its more leisurely pace is a nice break from the often-infuriating challenge of the recently-released SIGIL II. So congrats!

 

Thank you very much for the kind words. I’m glad you enjoyed at least some of the aspects of it. There’s still quite a lot that I need to learn about Doom mapping, so hopefully Octate will have been a good stepping stone. 

[Rudolph]

Your map reminds me a lot of TNT Evilution - which is odd, as I am fairly certain that your father was not involved with.

 

EDIT: I see that I am hardly the first one to point this out. I guess it is not just me, then! :P

Edited December 10, 2023 by Rudolph

[Mr. Hypnos]

11 hours ago, Rudolph said:

Your map reminds me a lot of TNT Evilution - which is odd, as I am fairly certain that your father was not involved with.

 

EDIT: I see that I am hardly the first one to point this out. I guess it is not just me, then! :P

I still haven’t played TNT Evilution yet, I definitely need to check it out and see if I notice any similarities.