Down Under - A 500-Line Limit, Speedmapped Mapset with Breezy, Quick Combat

[EduardoAndFriends]

32 minutes ago, DreadWanderer said:

 

Wonderful, time to do some playtesting. Thank you!

Sweet, thanks dude. Hope you enjoy! 

[DreadWanderer]

First impressions upon finishing it (about 50 mins for the new maps):

Damn fine work, mate. Damn fine work. First of all, I love how you OTEX-ed it up, it reminds me a bit of Velvetic's visuals, and it's really really nice. I'm into fire and lava and all that stuff, and the sand textures and trees on top make it very wholesome. Chef's kiss here. Now onto the gameplay. Again, I'm very chuffed. What I appreciate most is the variety in the fights, from the creative crossfire pressure and the instructive caco cloud fight of 'Fire Hive', to the hitscanner naughtiness of 'Black Bugs', to that nasty triple archie trap of 'White Noise', to the slaughtery madness of 'Red Right Hand'. It really tests the player in distinct scenarios. You're also generous with resources and I like that a lot, but without sacrificing the need to play well.

The only part which I was not very happy with as a UV max player is the quite tight timer on 'Stayin' Alive' - another 15-30 seconds or so would have been great. 5:00 is definitely doable but a bit frustrating because it's easy to miss killing baddies in that lava pit right before the final teleporter to the BFG. In my case, some giddy imp vis-a-vis the invul secret remained shy, so I was 3 kills short. With saves it's less of a chore. Saveless though? Yeesh. I don't know. Pretty sure I just need to practice the map more, so take everything I say here with a grain of salt.

 

Everything can be maxed, I didn't encounter any softlocks or anything of the sort, but then again I was a good boy with the pathing. The only very minor bug I found was that one of the revenants at the end of 'White Noise' seems to be stuck. Probably too close to the wall. I've attached a screenie of the offender. This only happened on one playthrough though, I quickly went through that section again with god mode on and he seems to behave now.

Final thoughts: yummy, very yummy. It's alert, exciting, and very pretty. I think 'Deep Breath' now has a contender for the top spot in your oeuvre!

[EduardoAndFriends]

11 hours ago, DreadWanderer said:

First impressions upon finishing it (about 50 mins for the new maps):

Damn fine work, mate. Damn fine work. First of all, I love how you OTEX-ed it up, it reminds me a bit of Velvetic's visuals, and it's really really nice. I'm into fire and lava and all that stuff, and the sand textures and trees on top make it very wholesome. Chef's kiss here. Now onto the gameplay. Again, I'm very chuffed. What I appreciate most is the variety in the fights, from the creative crossfire pressure and the instructive caco cloud fight of 'Fire Hive', to the hitscanner naughtiness of 'Black Bugs', to that nasty triple archie trap of 'White Noise', to the slaughtery madness of 'Red Right Hand'. It really tests the player in distinct scenarios. You're also generous with resources and I like that a lot, but without sacrificing the need to play well.

The only part which I was not very happy with as a UV max player is the quite tight timer on 'Stayin' Alive' - another 15-30 seconds or so would have been great. 5:00 is definitely doable but a bit frustrating because it's easy to miss killing baddies in that lava pit right before the final teleporter to the BFG. In my case, some giddy imp vis-a-vis the invul secret remained shy, so I was 3 kills short. With saves it's less of a chore. Saveless though? Yeesh. I don't know. Pretty sure I just need to practice the map more, so take everything I say here with a grain of salt.

 

Everything can be maxed, I didn't encounter any softlocks or anything of the sort, but then again I was a good boy with the pathing. The only very minor bug I found was that one of the revenants at the end of 'White Noise' seems to be stuck. Probably too close to the wall. I've attached a screenie of the offender. This only happened on one playthrough though, I quickly went through that section again with god mode on and he seems to behave now.

Final thoughts: yummy, very yummy. It's alert, exciting, and very pretty. I think 'Deep Breath' now has a contender for the top spot in your oeuvre!

Oh man I’m so glad it went well! Totally understand the tightness of map 12, I think I’ll make it about 5:30 or even 6:00 because there are possible snags here and there too, and it’s not supposed to be a chore mapset, so I don’t want undue frustration. :p I’ll jiggle that rev in map10 and see how he behaves. Thanks a bunch!

[DreadWanderer]

1 hour ago, EduardoAndFriends said:

Oh man I’m so glad it went well! Totally understand the tightness of map 12, I think I’ll make it about 5:30 or even 6:00 because there are possible snags here and there too, and it’s not supposed to be a chore mapset, so I don’t want undue frustration. :p I’ll jiggle that rev in map10 and see how he behaves. Thanks a bunch!

 

You're very welcome. Thanks for considering an extension on the timer in MAP12, I'm sure others will appreciate it too. Great fun to be had here - it's a jolly set, you should be proud of it!

Edited November 23, 2023 by DreadWanderer

[EduardoAndFriends]

4 hours ago, DreadWanderer said:

 

You're very welcome. Thanks for considering an extension on the timer in MAP12, I'm sure others will appreciate it too. Great fun to be had here - it's a jolly set, you should be proud of it!

Thanks for the kind words, mate, it’s been really fun to make. :) now for difficulty settings!

[EduardoAndFriends]

UPDATE: Beta v1.2 Available For Download - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/h3z0w4ac9xcv7dou3iybn/D-UNDER-1-12-23-11-23_Beta.zip?rlkey=e8pgbawwfdocchkrsckrhdfs5&dl=0

 

Changes:

• Time extended for map12 from 5 minutes to 5 minutes 30 seconds. This will be even longer on easier difficulties, using different voodoo dolls.
• Revenant given a shake up on map10 so he hopefully doesn't get stuck.
• Download link changed in original post

More changes no doubt to follow. Thanks, y'all!

 

-Edz xo

[DreadWanderer]

3 hours ago, EduardoAndFriends said:

UPDATE: Beta v1.2 Available For Download - https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/h3z0w4ac9xcv7dou3iybn/D-UNDER-1-12-23-11-23_Beta.zip?rlkey=e8pgbawwfdocchkrsckrhdfs5&dl=0

 

Changes:

• Time extended for map12 from 5 minutes to 5 minutes 30 seconds. This will be even longer on easier difficulties, using different voodoo dolls.
• Revenant given a shake up on map10 so he hopefully doesn't get stuck.
• Download link changed in original post

More changes no doubt to follow. Thanks, y'all!

 

-Edz xo

 

Nice. I have a question here - since you mention the timer in the intermission screen, does that mean you need different text for each difficulty level? Is it even possible to display them? 

[EduardoAndFriends]

12 hours ago, DreadWanderer said:

 

Nice. I have a question here - since you mention the timer in the intermission screen, does that mean you need different text for each difficulty level? Is it even possible to display them? 

Aha! Thank you! I totally missed that… I’ll have to either choose between different crushers with a non time specific text screen, or keep the five minutes and add more power ups and change some monsters. You’re a life saver, dude :)

[EduardoAndFriends]

I also think that rev needs to be put on a lower floor as he still gets stuck sometimes on the upper floor at the end. Little bugger!!

[DreadWanderer]

37 minutes ago, EduardoAndFriends said:

Aha! Thank you! I totally missed that… I’ll have to either choose between different crushers with a non time specific text screen, or keep the five minutes and add more power ups and change some monsters. You’re a life saver, dude :)

 

No problem. Hmm yeah I had the feeling this isn't possible in UMAPINFO, maybe with ZMAPINFO or even EMAPINFO syntax, not sure.

 

My 2 cents is keeping the extra time for all difficulty levels and adjusting from there, but you know better. I haven't yet playtested with the new 5:30 timer, will do so tomorrow and let you know how comfortable that is. There should be a way to clearly notify the player what is going on, I think the text screen is really useful in this regard.

[EduardoAndFriends]

Yee, I’m thinking of keeping the time the same now and softening other aspects with other difficulties. Could still use other voodoo dolls for other effects maybe. Will tinker around! :)

[DreadWanderer]

Back with a few more impressions after playing MAP12 again. Yeah, 5:30 feels much nicer, thanks for that. I think part of my success is owed to the fact that I'm familiar with the map now, but those extra 30 seconds have a huge influence.

Good on me! ^__^

[EduardoAndFriends]

3 hours ago, DreadWanderer said:

Back with a few more impressions after playing MAP12 again. Yeah, 5:30 feels much nicer, thanks for that. I think part of my success is owed to the fact that I'm familiar with the map now, but those extra 30 seconds have a huge influence.

Good on me! ^__^

Nicely done! Yeah I think 5:30 is the optimal time without being too much of a squeeze. :)

[EduardoAndFriends]

Did a playthrough of Episode Two. Was fun to zip through everything in one go. :) if anyone plays and isn't sure of progression, feel free to use this as a guide. I'll eventually do some videos of discarded maps that didn't make the cut ... might be interesting to see what could have been.

 

 

[EduardoAndFriends]

UPDATE: Have updated all download links again as I think I've now fixed the problem at the end of map10 with a couple of monsters getting stuck.

 

Just made two lines monster blocking and they seem all good now. For now anyway.

 

Please let me know if anyone still experiences problems with this!

 

DOWNLOAD (Beta v1.3 25-11-2023): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/xxjspasjzpket164h5izo/D-UNDER-Beta-v1.3_25-11-2023.zip?rlkey=e5remjbxrpgg7i6dws4y6iiox&dl=0

 

-Edz xo

[DreadWanderer]

1 hour ago, EduardoAndFriends said:

UPDATE: Have updated all download links again as I think I've now fixed the problem at the end of map10 with a couple of monsters getting stuck.

 

Just made two lines monster blocking and they seem all good now. For now anyway.

 

Please let me know if anyone still experiences problems with this!

 

DOWNLOAD (Beta v1.3 25-11-2023): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/xxjspasjzpket164h5izo/D-UNDER-Beta-v1.3_25-11-2023.zip?rlkey=e5remjbxrpgg7i6dws4y6iiox&dl=0

 

-Edz xo

Ran some tests in all the source ports that I use (DSDA, GZ, Eternity). About 2-3 times for each, trying different paths and stuff like Boom and Boom (strict) complevels in GZ just to be sure. Old Bones behaves well in every case. I would confidently declare the issue to be fixed. 

Edited November 25, 2023 by DreadWanderer

[EduardoAndFriends]

14 hours ago, DreadWanderer said:

Ran some tests in all the source ports that I use (DSDA, GZ, Eternity). About 2-3 times for each, trying different paths and stuff like Boom and Boom (strict) complevels in GZ just to be sure. Old Bones behaves well in every case. I would confidently declare the issue to be fixed. 

Thanks mate, you’re a gem. Now to get to work on difficulties! 😎

[DreadWanderer]

9 hours ago, EduardoAndFriends said:

Thanks mate, you’re a gem. Now to get to work on difficulties! 😎

 

No prob, good luck!

[Shaqodemon]

Just finished the second episode. Wow, this one really stepped up the challenge. Some crazy fights. The one (can't remember the exact map) where you fight a bunch of imps, pinkies and a couple archviles in a cramped, tunnel-like section really had my heart going. The slaughterfest at the end was very notable. Had a blast with that one. I absolutely loved the Men at Work song for the thank you map. Perfect song to end things with since it's the name of the WAD. I always thought that song was a little goofy but catchy. Fits your channel's persona very well. All in all, fantastic mapset. Can't wait to see what you have in store for the future.

[EduardoAndFriends]

13 hours ago, Shaqodemon said:

Just finished the second episode. Wow, this one really stepped up the challenge. Some crazy fights. The one (can't remember the exact map) where you fight a bunch of imps, pinkies and a couple archviles in a cramped, tunnel-like section really had my heart going. The slaughterfest at the end was very notable. Had a blast with that one. I absolutely loved the Men at Work song for the thank you map. Perfect song to end things with since it's the name of the WAD. I always thought that song was a little goofy but catchy. Fits your channel's persona very well. All in all, fantastic mapset. Can't wait to see what you have in store for the future.

Thanks for the kind words. :) glad you had a good time! Goofy but catchy is good, I’ll take it haha!

[LightningBoltForever]

Just a few maps left to play. Man, this is fantastic! I'm digging the indoor-facility-set-in-the-desert look of the first episode and the underground caverns of the second a lot, and the fights are definitely keeping me looking over my shoulder. Quite a few of the traps with foes teleporting out of their cubbies to behind the player here remind me a bit of the same kind of sneaky fights in Speed of Doom. The amount of resources combined with the number and types of enemies in each map is nice and balanced I thought, too. Mowing down a big group of hitscanners with the chaingun is always good fun, and I always think I can run away from a big group of baddies until a pinky or two pins me against a wall. Really excited to see the rest!

[JXC]

Is the splash pic AI-generated?

[DreadWanderer]

38 minutes ago, JXC said:

Is the splash pic AI-generated?

 

Doesn't seem like it to me but I'm kinda crap at telling, plus the fact that AI stuff is always advancing. From what I remember, AI was used for a pic in 'Deep Breath'. Pretty cool result.

Edited December 1, 2023 by DreadWanderer

[Razza]

This can't be set in Australia, I wasn't being burned alive by the sun every time I was outside :P

 

Nah but seriously, this was great. After having played Grime, Relic, Deep Breath, and now this, I can safely say that you create some of my favourite mapsets. You consistently pack so much fun into each of these wads, and they make time go by in a flash. Definitely keeping an eye out for any future projects you have, you've got me hooked :)

[EduardoAndFriends]

1 hour ago, Razza said:

This can't be set in Australia, I wasn't being burned alive by the sun every time I was outside :P

 

Nah but seriously, this was great. After having played Grime, Relic, Deep Breath, and now this, I can safely say that you create some of my favourite mapsets. You consistently pack so much fun into each of these wads, and they make time go by in a flash. Definitely keeping an eye out for any future projects you have, you've got me hooked :)

Thanks man! Really appreciate that and I’m so glad you had fun, that’s my main goal every time. Already making a proof of concept map for my next venture, it’s shaping up to be quite cool (I think). :D

[EduardoAndFriends]

On 12/1/2023 at 2:06 PM, LightningBoltForever said:

Just a few maps left to play. Man, this is fantastic! I'm digging the indoor-facility-set-in-the-desert look of the first episode and the underground caverns of the second a lot, and the fights are definitely keeping me looking over my shoulder. Quite a few of the traps with foes teleporting out of their cubbies to behind the player here remind me a bit of the same kind of sneaky fights in Speed of Doom. The amount of resources combined with the number and types of enemies in each map is nice and balanced I thought, too. Mowing down a big group of hitscanners with the chaingun is always good fun, and I always think I can run away from a big group of baddies until a pinky or two pins me against a wall. Really excited to see the rest!

Cheers dude! I’ve been trying to bring to the fore things I enjoy most in maps, namely dealing out damage to large groups of weaklings, such a great feeling. :p

[EduardoAndFriends]

On 12/2/2023 at 2:16 AM, JXC said:

Is the splash pic AI-generated?

Yes it is, as was the splash for Deep Breath. I understand many folks are hugely turned off anything AI related but I myself marvel at the weird stuff that can be created. As I make my projects entirely by myself and wish to rely entirely on myself, AI generation for things like the splash are hugely helpful. I would like to work with others for those aspects in the future but I’ve been burned by waiting for people on projects before so I dunno

[Sikreci]

Had a lot of fun with maps 1-10. Got stuck after that. MAP11 I couldn't get past the first area after about 10 attempts, I'm not even sure what I was supposed to do there. My best attempt at MAP12 I managed to get as far as the BFG before hitting the time limit. Slaughtermaps and speed runs aren't really my style though, I'm sure they'll be better received by the people who like that sort of thing. Nice job!

[EduardoAndFriends]

21 hours ago, Sikreci said:

Had a lot of fun with maps 1-10. Got stuck after that. MAP11 I couldn't get past the first area after about 10 attempts, I'm not even sure what I was supposed to do there. My best attempt at MAP12 I managed to get as far as the BFG before hitting the time limit. Slaughtermaps and speed runs aren't really my style though, I'm sure they'll be better received by the people who like that sort of thing. Nice job!

Sorry to hear you had a rough time but thanks so much for playing! Yeah, map11 being the penultimate map requires a bit of puzzling to get a foothold at the start (blasting your way through the hitscanners to a button that lowers a safety cupboard and health and ammo). Thanks for the kind words! :)

[Sikreci]

15 hours ago, EduardoAndFriends said:

Sorry to hear you had a rough time but thanks so much for playing! Yeah, map11 being the penultimate map requires a bit of puzzling to get a foothold at the start (blasting your way through the hitscanners to a button that lowers a safety cupboard and health and ammo). Thanks for the kind words! :)

I went back to it to just now with this knowledge and managed to find the safety corner. Maybe a little more hinting somehow that that switch lowers that specific wall before the fight starts would be helpful, since it's really hard to see anything at all once the screen is full of pinkies. Could also just be that I'm very dense, like I said slaughter isn't generally my bag. After that the rest was (relatively) smooth sailing. Did a few more tries of MAP12 after letting my brain chew on it for a bit and managed to get out in time too, so now I can rest comfortably on a full clear of the WAD. Didn't notice any bugs, seems solid enough for release to me.