Arriving Early - 15 MBF Compatible Levels (idgames)

[A2Rob]

 

Arriving Early is a sequel / spinoff of my Running Late series.

Includes 15 levels of high octane, heart pounding action.

 

<<RC1-2 Available Here>>

 

<<RC2 Available Now>>

 

<<RC3 HERE HERE HERE>>

 

<<<Now on idgames>>>

 

--Story--

Security Guy shows up to work early for once.

--        --

 

Complevel 11 is mandatory. All maps were tested in DSDA Doom and Nugget Doom. Two new enemies + one new weapon have been implemented via dehack patch. As always, use gameplay mods at your own risk.

 

All levels were designed for pistol start. Difficulties have been implemented. Coop starts NOT included.

 

--Special Thanks--

 

@lunchlunch for playtesting.

 

@Deadwing for providing three very catchy new tracks for this project.

 

Edited June 9 by A2Rob
idgames release

[Firedust]

Christmas came early today, new a2rob maps just dropped!

 

Cannot wait to blast my way through these!

[TheCyberDruid]

Just played the first two maps and they are excellent :)

[TheShep]

My goodness :)

Can't wait to dig into these !

[UUN4]

I've been playing and enjoying Machete lately, so seeing this drop has definitely piqued my interest (although I haven't played the Running Late WADs yet). I played through most of the first level yesterday and enjoyed it quite a bit (planning to play more later).

Spoiler

 

I think the only issue I noticed (and it's very much a nitpick) is that the bullet ammo count can dip to -1 if you shoot the chaingun with 1 bullet left (and also a minus sign appears on the right side of my HUD for the small bullet ammo count). This was taken on a fresh Nugget Doom 2.2.1 install (and I was able to replicate it on a fresh DSDA-Doom 0.27.3 install), launch parameters were "nugget/dsda-doom -iwad DOOM2.WAD -file ae.wad -complevel 11 -skill 4 -warp 01" if it is of any help.

 

[A2Rob]

Updated release candidate available. Had to fix a few minor issues here and there, as well as a map breaking issue with Map15.

 

@UUN4 Not sure there's much I can do to fix it without altering the chaingun altogether from it's intended rate of fire. As long as it's not soft-locking the player, it shouldn't be a problem imo.

[lunchlunch]

Great maps, I had fun playtesting

[EffinghamHuffnagel]

MAP01 still has a missing texture on line #252.

 

Just got to MAP08. Well done so far.

[TJG1289]

Played through it all and thoroughly enjoyed it! Nice dehack additions that spiced things up quite a bit. Maps got pretty intense by the end, which was fun. Idk if this was fixed on the new RC, but in MAP07 I had a manc stuck in the wall in the green Dead Simple-like area. 

[A2Rob]

6 minutes ago, TJG1289 said:

Idk if this was fixed on the new RC

 

Yeah that's been fixed lol.

[bioshockfan90]

Congrats A2Rob! Running Late I believe I've played a bit of but that was back when I wasn't so much into doom (the dark ages of my Dooming career, if you will). I need to catch up and not run too late on "Arriving Early"! I'm playin' through STRAIN right now but I'll dig into this series as soon as I get done with that as I am in dire need of modern PWADs to play after this dry dose of 90s dirt. 

[RonnieJamesDiner]

Up to map07 currently and having a blast! Everything about the layout / combat of each map so far seems energetic and fun, and god bless your barrel usage.

 

Spoiler

Loving the dehacked Chaingun, and the 2 new monsters feel like they slip into the bestiary with ease. Particularly that super chaingunner, between his high maneuverability and (projectile based) threat level I think he fills a noticeable hole in the roster. Awesome stuff! 

 

[nobleflame]

This looks great. Loved Running Late!

[galileo31dos01]

Hello! Few things:

 

Spoiler

In map 14

- There was a slime trail over here in the final ufo area (exact angle where it's noticeable, mind the arrow)

- This hell knight couldn't teleport out, the fog isn't on the corresponding sector 1045

- These two cacodemons overslept the whole time (no sound propagation)

 

Sick maps, sick gameplay... sick UFOs. Thanks for making more of your exquisite maps!

[RonnieJamesDiner]

Finished the set: what a gem! All-around fun and very well made, thanks for this. The last 2 maps were a hoot.

 

I loved this little nod:

 

Spoiler

Just missing "Goin' Down the Fast Way" and a choir of "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH"

 

 

[Spectre01]

On 11/9/2023 at 4:44 PM, A2Rob said:

Complevel 11 is mandatory.

 

Does the wad break in MBF21 complevel? I ask because I remember regular MBF having different infighting mechanics, which I never liked as they were far less predictable.

[galileo31dos01]

11 minutes ago, Spectre01 said:

 

Does the wad break in MBF21 complevel? I ask because I remember regular MBF having different infighting mechanics, which I never liked as they were far less predictable.

 

Attesting that it doesn't literally anywhere (played the whole thing in cl21 for, partially forgetting to change complevels and another partially the same reason as yours).

[loveless]

having fun, just wrapped up map 7!  noticed a thing 

 

Spoiler

the top of this box is a pain sector lol

[EffinghamHuffnagel]

MAP09 - Tags 3 and 11 Red/Blue Key switches have SW1SLAD on unseen upper texture and SW1DIRT on visible mid. ZDoom animates upper before mid, so the switches don't animate when used.

 

MAP10 - Missing texture line #950.

 

Still having fun.

[loveless]

just wrapped up.  nothing else to really point out, i had a good time

[A2Rob]

Glad to see people are having fun with the set. I'm keeping tabs on all the bug reports for RC2. Will probably add coop starts as well.

[A2Rob]

RC2 is now available.

 

Includes some bug fixes. Coop starts have been implemented. 

 

Edited November 22, 2023 by A2Rob

[Ar_e_en]

Damn, I can't believe I missed this one! Running Late 2 is one of my favorite wads, so I'll check this out!

[Ar_e_en]

I finished the wad!
While the first few maps were a bit underwhelming in my opinion, the later maps were really good! An interesting mix of Running Late and Ancient Aliens in terms of the wads theming.

I enjoyed it!

 

I did notice some possible texture and flats mistakes (as well as one minor design problem and one major design problem), but unfortunately - I wasn't taking notes while playing, which means that I forgot most of them. I did go back into the maps with noclip to try and find them again, but I'm pretty sure that I found only half of them on the noclip run.

Here are the texture and flats based faults that I can remember:

Spoiler

* Map 03 has a missing texture on Line #225.
* Map 06 - Sector #194 should be split into 2 separate sectors (I think there was an accident with the "merge sectors" command). The Sectors lower part should have its floor flat changed to the GROUND11 flat and it should be raised up a bit. As for the upper part - I think it can stay as it originally was.
* Map 08 has an incorrectly used texture on Line #2632 (it should be a crate texture, not a metal support texture).
* Map 11 has some faulty texture offsets on 2 Lines: #329 and #317.
* Map 13 has an incorrectly used texture on Line #1655 (it should be the same as the nearby walls). Also on Map 13 - Line #3412 has no texture.
* Map 15 has a possibly incorrect texture used on Lines #3660 and #11204 (either they should be the same as Lines #3655 and #11200, or Lines #3655 and #11200 should be the same as Lines #3660 and #11204).

Here are the 2 design problems:

Spoiler

1. On Map 07: once the Tag 30 Sector bridge raises - the gaps between it and the 2  walls are 32 units wide. This means that it is possible (tho unlikely) for the player to accidentally preform a glide and fall in the water bellow. It's fine on one side, because there is a lift that can help you get unstuck, but the other side has no lift, making it impossible to get unstuck (without noclip).

 

2. Map 14 has screwed up player spawns! You spawn in the last arena before the green UFO, and the fireblu teleporter actually telefrags a voodoo doll (The voodoo doll in question seems to be placed on the location where the actual map should start). You can beat the map, but you will miss out on like 80% of the map!

Side note:

Spoiler

When I was doing my first playthrough - I found 2 funny easter eggs! One on Map 11 (shot the tiny hole in the wall in the dark room) and one on Map 12 (pressed "use" on the computer screen in the Plasma Rifle secret area)! You can refrain from answering, but I gotta ask: Were these the only easter eggs in the wad or are there more? 

 

[Ar_e_en]

One thing that I forgot to mention:

Spoiler

 I actually made a small patch wad to fix Map 14, so that I could play through that map in the way that it was intended to be played (or at least what I think was the intention). And while playing through Map 14 - I had a sudden feeling of Deja Vu. I felt that I had seen Map 14 from somewhere else before. And by the time that I was halfway through the next map (Map 15), I finally realized it:

Spoiler

You submitted an older version of Map 14 to one of Joel "Vargskelethor's" Doom Mapping Competitions! 

 

 

 

This newer version is modified so that it would work on non-GZDoom ports, but it's the same map! That's actually kinda neat! The map has a new home now!

 

 

[A2Rob]

8 minutes ago, Ar_e_en said:

One thing that I forgot to mention:

  Reveal hidden contents

 I actually made a small patch wad to fix Map 14, so that I could play through that map in the way that it was intended to be played (or at least what I think was the intention). And while playing through Map 14 - I had a sudden feeling of Deja Vu. I felt that I had seen Map 14 from somewhere else before. And by the time that I was halfway through the next map (Map 15), I finally realized it:

  Reveal hidden contents

You submitted an older version of Map 14 to one of Joel "Vargskelethor's" Doom Mapping Competitions! 

 

 

 

This newer version is modified so that it would work on non-GZDoom ports, but it's the same map! That's actually kinda neat! The map has a new home now!

 

 

 

Good catch! I figured it would be a waste to not use that map outside of the contest.

 

Thanks for the bug reports as well. I always end up forgetting to delete those player test dummies. OP has been updated.

 

 

[General Rainbow Bacon]

Great maps as always!  The next iteration might be "Overtime"?

 

[EffinghamHuffnagel]

Finally finished this. This was great fun, start to finish. Those UFOs are outstanding!

 

On a random note, there are two duplicate flats in the wad, FLITELG and FLITEYB.

 

Not a note, but a question on MAP14.

Spoiler

Using ZDoom. Found this the second time through. If you know the W1 tag 72 lines are there, you can edge around them (32 units to the wall) and get to the tag 68 switch without releasing all the monsters. And because of the way the Cyber is positioned, you can get behind him to use the tag 64 switch without activating him. You can get to the Yellow Key and leave the area without any combat at all. Was this an intentional hidden path for speedrunners or just luck on my part?

 

And maybe it's just me, but I thought maybe the vending machine in MAP16 would do something when used.
 

 

[A2Rob]

35 minutes ago, EffinghamHuffnagel said:

You can get to the Yellow Key and leave the area without any combat at all. Was this an intentional hidden path for speedrunners or just luck on my part?

 

Lol no, you're supposed to trip those linedef actions as you enter that area. That's an easy fix though. Thanks for the heads up.

[DreadWanderer]

I first had contact with your work through various DBPs and always liked it. I began playing this last night, it's the first exposure to a unified, thematic set that you made. I'm currently on MAP14 and I can say it's excellent, really excellent. Beautiful and varied aesthetics, very creative and original combat scenarios, and so much detail. Most importantly, it reaches a balance between light-heartedness and some very relevant and poignant socio-political commentary, something I rarely see in a Doom wad. I missed one or two secrets in a couple of maps, but I'm sure that's just my fault. A very minor nitpick while scrolling through the maps in DSDA: 'We're Closed' is labelled as Level 15, when in fact it's Level 16. Would be nice if it directly followed 'Out for Lunch' instead of going to Doom II's original secret maps, but that's easy to do in UMAPINFO.

P.S. Is that a stab at Thunderf00t in MAP12's plasma gun secret? It's absolutely hilarious!