Amalgoom: Mixing Doom and Doom 2 [Special announcement on page 8!]

[DoomGappy]

 

[[[DOWNLOAD EPISODE 1 HERE!]]]

 

Original Idea
Amalgoom is a project that combines Doom and Doom 2. The idea is to mix maps from both games according to the predefined maplist. The project was started by Johnny Cruelty and passed onto me due to personal problems with handling the project and real life issues. The name was inspired by Amalgam Comics, when both DC and Marvel came together to make a universe of DC and marvel characters combined.

 

Description
Amalgoom is a 32-level megawad project which aims to combine Doom and Doom2 maps into one. Each map also has its own remixed song based on the original MIDIs of each map. The maps are Limit removing/Boom format.

 

Staff

Here are the people responsible for the project and their respective roles. If you need anything, you can reach out to these people.

 

@DoomGappy: Playtesting, mapping feedback, build compiling, intermission texts, Doomworld announcements.

@The Royal We: Co-lead, playtaster, organizer, titlepic artist for PrBoom based source ports.

@SpaceCat_2001: Playtester, skyboxes.

@tamara mochaccina: Build compiling, intermission texts, level graphics, major composer.

@Astro X: Playtester.
@HEXWALKER: Playester and CREDIT image.

Johnny Cruelty: Initial concept.

 

Guidelines

Amalgoom started in a very vague manner, and with very nebulous terms and goals. The guideline was just to mix both maps assigned per slot and then have them work together in some way or another. Thanks to the amazing skill of the mappers involved, we’ve received awesome maps that reached that goal, even with those not so well defined rules. Now that the project has changed hands, we’ve defined some guidelines to make things easier to understand.

- Mix the maps specified in your map slot.

- Maps should be designed with all three difficulties balanced and co-op in mind, but not necessarily deathmatch.

- Study the original maps, and the original mappers’ styles. If the maps were made by different mappers, try to unite their aesthetics and quirks.

- You are only allowed to use weapons and items that appear in at least one of the maps. For example, If there is a BFG in one map but not in the other, you can still use it, but If none of the maps have a BFG, you can't include it in your map.

- The same applies for enemy placement, but not to their numbers. For example, if there is one revenant in one of the original maps, you can place as many revenants you want in it. Still, try to use your judgment to do it well and don't go overboard with the enemy placements. This is not a slaughter map megawad.

- These rules don’t apply to textures, but try to keep your map aesthetically similar to both maps that inspired it. Waterfall textures are allowed and are in the texture pack because they were cut from the final version of the game. Don’t use the Icon of Sin textures outside of its level.

- It is recommended that maps can be completed in 10 minutes while playing casually. Maps shouldn’t be longer than 30 minutes to play. Remember, this megawad is meant for continuous play and is based in Doom and Doom 2.

- Try not to just copy and paste areas, but remix, resize, redo and rebrand our classic and beloved places from Doom and Doom 2.

- Explore the feeling of familiarity in players. We’re paying homage to the levels we’ve played for the last 30 years. Make the player think “I’ve been here before…”, but still mix things up a bit.

- If an area in the original maps was bad or not very well developed, you can change it. You don’t need to repeat the mistakes of the past, but you can play with them.

- Just like John Romero in Sigil, there is no need to limit yourself to the blocky aesthetic of the original maps. But again, study the maps and the people who made them. Let their peculiarities shine but add your touch to it too.

- If anyone wants to suggest new rules, send @DoomGappy or @The Royal We a Direct Message.

- And most important of all, have fun.

 

Social Guidelines

- Respect everyone in the thread as a person and as a mapper. Be kind.

- Test other people’s maps and give constructive feedback. We need as much information from as many people as possible to have a good mappack. Opinions from people who are part of the project or outside players are very welcome. Show it to your brother, your girlfriend or your boss!

- Don’t just criticize a map without giving useful suggestions. It’s important to help mappers understand the problems in their maps and how to fix them.

- Don’t spam with short comments, try to make your posts more well developed and meaningful.

We are on the process of reviewing the maps, and we’ll talk to the mappers whose maps don’t attend these guidelines, though there seem to be very few of those. This curating process is being made by a team of mappers based on these guidelines. We also have a discord server where we discuss the maps and give quicker feedback, but we prefer to keep it closed for now. If you are interested in joining us, send @DoomGappy or @The Royal We a Direct Message. Cheers!

 

Google drive folder

Our project is hosted in a Google Drive folder.  You can find the files and upload or update your maps here. 

 

Texture Pack
Our texture pack is simply adding the Ultimate Doom textures to Doom 2, plus the cut water textures. You can find the texture pack here. Thanks to @SpaceCat_2001 for the help.

 

OST

Amalgoom's OST is a mix of the original maps' songs. For example, E1M3 uses the track Dark Halls, and Map03 uses Countdown to death. Together, they become the song Darkest Hour. If you are interested, please contact @DankMetal to learn more about the OST. 

 

Discord server (WIP)

Our discord server is where development is taking place, but it's closed. If you want to participate, send me or @The Royal We a DM. 

 

Deadline

The last deadline for map submission is March 28th. After that we'll start building the WAD.

 

Mapslots

Spoiler

Completed maps already submitted and playtested (26). If your name is here, you probably got a video of me playing your map pointing out things like texture choice or alignment in your DMs. Report if needed.
Map01 (e1m1 and map01) - @SpaceCat_2001 and @DankMetal
Map02 (e1m2 and map02) - @The Royal We
Map03 (e1m3 and map03) - @SpaceCat_2001
Map04 (e1m4 and map04) - @EagerBeaver
Map05 (e1m5 and map05) - @The Royal We and @tamara mochaccina
Map06 (e1m6 and map06) - @SpaceCat_2001
Map07 (e1m7 and map07) - @Kasgen
Map08 (e1m8 and map08) - @DankMetal and @Cutman
Map09 (e1m9 and map09) - @Rorix
Map10 (e1m10 (sewers) and map10) - @SpaceCat_2001
Map11 (e2m1 and Map11) - @DoomGappy and @The Royal We 
Map13 (e2m3 and Map13)- @DankMetal
Map16 (e2m6 and map16) - @GermanPeter
Map17 (e2m7 and map17) - @Max-ko-khan
Map18 (e2m8 and map18) - @DankMetal

Map19 (e2m9 and Map19) - @Kasgen
Map20 (e4m9 and map20) - @Cutman
Map21 (e3m1 and Map21) - @mr-around
Map22 (e3m2 and map22) - @Logamuffin
Map23 (e3m3 and map23) - @DynamiteKaitorn
Map24 (e3m4 and map24) - @PinkKittyRose

Map25 (e3m5 and map25) - @Heretic
Map26 (e3m6 and map26) - @Mystic 256
Map30 (e3m8 and map30) - @Walter confetti
Map31 (Map32 with Plutonia Map31) - @ViolentBeetle
Map32 (Map31 with Plutonia Map32) - @PinkKittyRose

Completed maps not yet playtested (0). If you map is here, it will be playtested soon.

Completed maps not submitted to drive folder yet (0). If your name is here and you can't access google drive for some reason, send the map in my DMs and I'll upload it there.

Maps with status pending (0). Maps that mappers still haven't reported on.

 

Work in progress maps (6). If your name is here, please report the status of your map quoting this post. I'll add three categories next to the level according to the response I get, "Starts mapping soon", "In progress" and "Finishing touches".
Map12 (e2m2 and map12) - @Track Federal - Finishing touches
Map14 (e2m4 and map14) - @HEXWALKER - In progress
Map15 (e2m5 and map15) - @EagerBeaver - In progress
Map27 (e3m7 and map27) - @mr-around - Finishing touches
Map28 (e3m9 and map28) - @SpaceCat_2001 and @DankMetal - In progress
Map29 (e4m2 and map29) - @HEXWALKER - In progress

Warp only maps (2). Bonus maps accessible only through IDCLEV console command.
Map71 - Johnny cruelty's e1m1
Map72 - Johnny cruelty's e1m2

 

Screenshots of maps

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 31 by DoomGappy

[DoomGappy]

[IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS AND GENERAL UPDATES]

 

December is finally upon us. Hope everyone is having a very snowy or hot season, depending on which part of the hemisphere you are (it's hell on earth down here). Episode 1 maps are mostly finished and we're working hard to reach our celebratory December 10th deadline with a lot of bugtesting and rechecking. It will be a pleasure to celebrate Doom's 30th birthday of mapping alongside such talented people. The shareware version is being recompiled from scratch with the maps made by the team and we'll update a new version here as soon as it's done. 

 

OST - B Sides

@DankMetal announcement:
We are planning on making a separate midi pack for this project as an optional "addon" to use on this megawad, somethinng similar to a "B sides” compilation of sorts. You can make your own interpretation with the corresponding combination detailed on the spreadsheet we have on the google drive, or take 2 (or more) songs of your choice and make something completely new!

 

This idea came to life when some musicians decided to make their own interpretations of already taken slots, and also because there was an error with some slots having the wrong mashups. We didn't want to waste the talent of this guys, so we decided to include them as bonus songs for the future release of the whole soundtrack on youtube. Finally, the idea evolved into a community MIDI pack for this project.

 

When submitting a song, please detail which songs you mixed up and which map would you like to have your song play, and upload it on the “Epic B sides made by Epic people” folder inside the google drive, so you don't have to waste your precious attachment limit (Waste @DoomGappy's cloud storage instead). Hope to see those slots full very soon!

Diorama announcement

The idea for the diorama as an intermission screen has been put on hold for thetime being, but we'll come back to it eventually with a calmer and more structured approach. The original diorama is almost complete and is still stored in my computer, and will be uploaded on the drive folder to avoid losing it. It's not been scrapped, we'll return to it, but our focus is on finishing and polishing the first 10 maps.

That's all for now, thanks for participating!

Edited December 8, 2023 by DoomGappy

[Rus]

Just finished the song for map 20/"Hiding the Archvile" (titled D_HIDIN). I let the solos from Message for the Archvile drive the rest of the song because those are just way cool, especially the build up to the final guitar bend fest at the end of the song. Amusingly, changing the tuning to match the two songs wound being drop G^{<<chuggachuggaintensifies>>} for the distorted guitars. Took a lot of love to recreate the guitar solo bends my software didn't import. The end result is that it gets progressively more intense and layered as the song progresses, with some dramatic flair peppered throughout, and each movement receiving a much needed taiko drum break. @Johnny Cruelty @DankMetal @DoomGappy @Cutman

Edited December 5, 2023 by Rus
New link

[DoomGappy]

4 hours ago, Rus said:

Just finished the song for map 20/"Hiding the Archvile" (titled D_HIDIN). I let the solos from Message for the Archvile drive the rest of the song because those are just way cool, especially the build up to the final guitar bend fest at the end of the song. Amusingly, changing the tuning to match the two songs wound being drop G^{<<chuggachuggaintensifies>>} for the distorted guitars. Took a lot of love to recreate the guitar solo bends my software didn't import. The end result is that it gets progressively more intense and layered as the song progresses, with some dramatic flair peppered throughout, and each movement receiving a much needed taiko drum break. @Johnny Cruelty @DankMetal @DoomGappy @Cutman

I actually loved this, but I don't have the technical language to explain why. I left it on loop for a solid 20 minutes before closing it. Loops really well!

[Cutman]

Amazing! My map is long enough to properly appreciate it too. Can't wait to try them both together.

 

I'm actually shocked how many complete midis we have now, I thought having a full 32+ set was a pipe dream honestly. It just goes to show how strong of a concept this megawad is. Either that or DW is just foaming with midi artists ready to go :)

Edited December 4, 2023 by Cutman

[Proxy-MIDI]

(I really hope someone will name his map "Anal Doom". If it's in the contrary, this will be a wasted potential. :ahem: )

[DoomGappy]

[IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT]

 

We've decided to make a concession on using the waterfall textures. They were cut in the original game due to constraints, but we don't need to do that anymore. You can use them by downloading the updated texture pack here or in the OP. It's been fixed thanks to @SpaceCat_2001's help and it works fine now. 

 

Edited December 4, 2023 by DoomGappy

[Rudolph]

I would have rather expected MAP31 and MAP32 to be fusions of E1M9/E2M9 and E3M9/E4M9 respectively, and I would have saved Plutonia maps for the inevitable Final Amalgoom project that mixes TNT Evilution and Plutonia.

 

Oh well, I am still curious to see what Wolfenstein 3D maps look like when given the Plutonia treatment.

Edited December 4, 2023 by Rudolph

[SpaceCat_2001]

1 hour ago, Rudolph said:

I would have rather expected MAP31 and MAP32 to be fusions of E1M9/E2M9 and E3M9/E4M9 respectively, and I would have saved Plutonia maps for the inevitable Final Amalgoom project that mixes TNT Evilution and Plutonia.

 

Oh well, I am still curious to see what Wolfenstein 3D maps look like when given the Plutonia treatment.

Too late to change the thing, now we gonna roll with what we already did

 

[DoomGappy]

2 hours ago, Rudolph said:

I would have rather expected MAP31 and MAP32 to be fusions of E1M9/E2M9 and E3M9/E4M9 respectively, and I would have saved Plutonia maps for the inevitable Final Amalgoom project that mixes TNT Evilution and Plutonia.

 

Oh well, I am still curious to see what Wolfenstein 3D maps look like when given the Plutonia treatment.

We'll think about what to do from here on out. The primary focus is to finish the project the way it was started, and have a good final result. This entails a lot of things that still need to be done. We'll keep everyone posted on this thread.

[minimedals]

Hey, is it fine if I submit D_DEAD? I noticed it wasn't in the drive yet, and I'm not sure if someone's working on it right now. My version's done, but I'll change anything that sounds overall awful (you could technically consider the whole midi bad, but it's a matter of perspective :P) I'll send a snippet if needed to make sure it's not some off-key abomination. Cheers!

[DankMetal]

8 minutes ago, minimedals said:

Hey, is it fine if I submit D_DEAD? I noticed it wasn't in the drive yet, and I'm not sure if someone's working on it right now. My version's done, but I'll change anything that sounds overall awful (you could technically consider the whole midi bad, but it's a matter of perspective :P) I'll send a snippet if needed to make sure it's not some off-key abomination. Cheers!

I'm actually working on D_DEAD, but you can also make your own interpretation because:

21 hours ago, DoomGappy said:

We are planning on making a separate midi pack for this project as an optional "addon" to use on this megawad, somethinng similar to a "B sides” compilation of sorts. You can make your own interpretation with the corresponding combination detailed on the spreadsheet we have on the google drive, or take 2 (or more) songs of your choice and make something completely new!

 

[minimedals]

Alright, submitted it to the Google Drive. Wasn't sure if I was supposed to give it the in-game name or the actual song name, so I just submitted it as D_DEAD.
Here's the info :

Song Name : Hit the Gas (didn't wanna just name it "fuel - mini's version")
Song Slot : Map10 - Waste Recycling
Song Sources : The Demon's Dead + I Sawed The Demons

[GermanPeter]

6 hours ago, DoomGappy said:

[IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT]

 

We've decided to make a concession on using the waterfall textures. They were cut in the original game due to constraints, but we don't need to do that anymore. You can use them by downloading the updated texture pack here or in the OP. It's been fixed thanks to @SpaceCat_2001's help and it works fine now. 

 

That's cool, but why?

[DoomGappy]

26 minutes ago, GermanPeter said:

That's cool, but why?

More creative freedom, basically. Map02 and map03 use a lot of water areas, and maybe others will want to use them as well. Seeing as it was cut it felt right to restore it for this. 

[Rudolph]

4 hours ago, DoomGappy said:

We'll think about what to do from here on out. The primary focus is to finish the project the way it was started, and have a good final result. This entails a lot of things that still need to be done. We'll keep everyone posted on this thread.

Oh no, I did not mean to imply that you would have to be the ones to make it, just that Amalgoom is bound to inspire similar projects.

Edited December 4, 2023 by Rudolph

[GermanPeter]

24 minutes ago, DoomGappy said:

More creative freedom, basically. Map02 and map03 use a lot of water areas, and maybe others will want to use them as well. Seeing as it was cut it felt right to restore it for this. 

It's a neat addition, just felt it was a bit out of place for the project's theme (as it's not about beta restoration). But it's just one texture and this is also not my project, so it doesn't matter.

[DankMetal]

2 hours ago, minimedals said:

Alright, submitted it to the Google Drive. Wasn't sure if I was supposed to give it the in-game name or the actual song name, so I just submitted it as D_DEAD.
Here's the info :

Song Name : Hit the Gas (didn't wanna just name it "fuel - mini's version")
Song Slot : Map10 - Waste Recycling
Song Sources : The Demon's Dead + I Sawed The Demons

Really cool song! That harp/ synth calliope solo sounds like something made by pilotredsun.

I'm happy to see another interpretation of D_DEAD because my version deviates a lot from the original themes, going for something more inspired by Aubrey Hodges

[Cutman]

22 minutes ago, GermanPeter said:

It's a neat addition, just felt it was a bit out of place for the project's theme (as it's not about beta restoration). But it's just one texture and this is also not my project, so it doesn't matter.

 

I think the project has been pretty loose with the rules the longer it has gone on. Some of us maybe would have preferred stricter limitations given the concept, but we're too far in now. Plus we've had some pretty neat maps come out of it so far with those limitations being shed. I was totally down for non-boom, limited textures etc and made my map with that template, but I ended up using some Boom specials anyway as they made things easier. I see the waterfall texture as just another fine tuning addition. If we started adding textures from Quake or something, then I'd be up in arms.

[DankMetal]

1 hour ago, GermanPeter said:

It's a neat addition, just felt it was a bit out of place for the project's theme (as it's not about beta restoration). But it's just one texture and this is also not my project, so it doesn't matter.

Yeah, what happens is thay we decided to add the plutonia textures EXCLUSIVELY for the secret levels, but people decided to make the WFALL texture as an exception, just because there was one map that "needed" it, because it was using the good ol' COMPBLUE as a replacement. I would've preferred to get rid of those waterfalls, they didn't serve any purpose anyways, but i guess it's too late.

But we can assure you, there wouldn't be any other exception like this.

[GermanPeter]

10 hours ago, DankMetal said:

Yeah, what happens is thay we decided to add the plutonia textures EXCLUSIVELY for the secret levels, but people decided to make the WFALL texture as an exception, just because there was one map that "needed" it, because it was using the good ol' COMPBLUE as a replacement. I would've preferred to get rid of those waterfalls, they didn't serve any purpose anyways, but i guess it's too late.

But we can assure you, there wouldn't be any other exception like this.

I don't really have strong feelings towards the texture (I mean why would I), but I think for the future, it'd be better to decide from the start whether or not custom textures like that are allowed. Feels weird doing it so late, because someone MIGHT have made a map differently if they had known they could have used it. I doubt it, but that's what rules are for. I don't think we need more discussions on the direction this project has taken :P

[Rus]

23 hours ago, Cutman said:

Amazing! My map is long enough to properly appreciate it too. Can't wait to try them both together.

 

I'm actually shocked how many complete midis we have now, I thought having a full 32+ set was a pipe dream honestly. It just goes to show how strong of a concept this megawad is. Either that or DW is just foaming with midi artists ready to go :)

Oh man, I'm happy to hear that, thank you - I was also just thinking about how long of a map 'Gotcha!' was with a track length to match, so that's a good match up. I'm also surprised how many folks still dabble in the MIDI arts in current year, not to mention how many really well composed tracks there have been submitted to this project. Heads up - I just made a slight tweak to it - I was really fond of the sawtooth chords for the final solo, so I bumped the volume up a bit. Reuploaded here.

[The Royal We]

11 hours ago, GermanPeter said:

I don't really have strong feelings towards the texture (I mean why would I), but I think for the future, it'd be better to decide from the start whether or not custom textures like that are allowed. Feels weird doing it so late, because someone MIGHT have made a map differently if they had known they could have used it. I doubt it, but that's what rules are for. I don't think we need more discussions on the direction this project has taken :P

We are working on and writing new rules for this new stage of the project. It's a shame that the beginning has been so disjointed and that so many people (myself included) have been directly offended by the former leader.
 

As you said, we don't need any more discussions about what directions the project has taken — however, it is important to give the direction in which the project will go from now on. We're talking and striving to reach a consensus on rules that ties the wad together without having to ask absurd things for the mappers who have come this far.

 

Everyone involved in the project is tired of hearing absurd requests. And we know why.

 

But it's best to avoid ambiguity: all your observations were extremely valid, @GermanPeter. Both in this thread and in the previous one.

Edited December 5, 2023 by The Royal We

[DoomGappy]

[OPEN LETTER TO DOOMWORLD]

 

As the public may have already noticed, the Amalgoom project has undergone significant changes in recent days. 

 

Amalgoom began as a project conceived by DoomWorld member @Johnny Cruelty, on October 2nd, 2023, with the excellent proposal of making a megawad that united maps from Doom 1 and Doom 2. This desire was eventually embraced by a team of users, and Amalgoom went from being a project headed by one person to a team effort - A Community Project. Since then we've not only received excellent maps from amazing people, but also great ideas and an excellent soundtrack composed by members who have embarked on the project, like @DankMetal and @tamara mochaccina. Some others also have offered a helping hand, like @Cutman, @SpaceCat_2001, @The Royal We, and @Astro X. These members have been helping us organize, catalog and properly credit mappers, musicians, artists and their creations. 

 

This change of direction, however, even though it was intended to help Johnny himself - whose experience with megawads is still minimal - ended up displeasing him. As he became increasingly annoyed and closed to changes in the project (whether changes to his own maps or those of others, or other details of the project itself). The atmosphere, which was supposed to be one of exchanging experiences and learning, gradually deteriorated as Johnny Cruelty gratuitously disrespected even the members of his own team. With no one left to defend him, Johnny passed the baton to me, DoomGappy. I am now organizing the project, not alone, but with a united team, willing to correct the mistakes of the past (even those that were not caused by us).

 

That being said, we would like to state that Johnny's attitudes are not in line with Amalgoom's guidelines, and any disrespectfu or childish comments will no longer be tolerated from now on. Here are some of the DoomWorld members that deserve a public apology: 

 

@Clippy

@Dubbag

@The Royal We

@Ludi

@GermanPeter

And any other members who were disrespected by childish and rude attitudes. We know the list is long. 

This is not a message that I would like to be writing, but it is very important. I hope we can turn the page and soon launch this megawad, which is already proving to be full of great work and contributions from various members of the community.

Edited December 6, 2023 by DoomGappy

[Clippy]

what took you guys so long

[DankMetal]

1 minute ago, Clippy said:

what took you guys so long

We were kind of dumb ngl

[DoomGappy]

Just now, Clippy said:

what took you guys so long

In my infinite teacher-ly patience, I had faith things would change. I still think they can, but not now and not for this project. It demands mature people to take mature decisions, and that's what we hope to gather here. 

[The Royal We]

4 minutes ago, DankMetal said:

We were kind of dumb ngl

and also numb

Edited December 6, 2023 by The Royal We

[-EpicDoomGuy-]

this looks epic

[Ludi]

I really hate corny-ass community drama but I'll just say this.

 

If you guys are really passionate about this project, I'd learn from this and do exactly the opposite of what happened here. I accept your apology and hope to see this project come to fruition :)

Edited December 6, 2023 by Ludi