[WIP] ColdWire

[MFG38]

 

I was going to refrain from making a proper announcement of this project until a more substantial portion of it was done, but I'm so excited about it that I'll give myself permission to get ahead of myself this once.

 

ColdWire is a WIP limit-removing mapset that aims to combine modern visuals with classically inspired gameplay. Boasting a bespoke custom palette and a tailor-made texture set, the maps in ColdWire aim to create a strong and inviting atmosphere while keeping the player on their toes with thrilling combat. The player is going to traverse through roughly an episode's worth of techbases and urban environments in search for answers to a traffic accident of historical magnitude.

 

This time around, I'm not completely alone either; joining me in achieving the aforementioned goal are guest mappers @Salmon and @Death Bear. The project is also going to feature a full original soundtrack by none other than Yours Truly.

 

SCREENSHOTS

Spoiler

 

PROBABLE QUESTIONS & POTENTIAL ANSWERS

 

How's progress?

Mapping-wise, the project is roughly 70% done at the moment, with 8 maps out of a planned 12 being more or less complete.

 

ETA on the release date?

Still too early to give an accurate estimate, but hopefully sometime in the summer of 2024.

 

Can I lend a hand? And if so, how?

Yes, you can! What I'm specifically in want of is a graphic artist who could conjure up some nice-looking graphics - namely the TITLEPIC and INTERPIC graphics, as well as possibly a slightly prettier M_DOOM and ENDOOM screen. Some playtesters also wouldn't go amiss. If you're interested and think you have what it takes, don't hesitate to shoot me a PM!

Edited April 4 by MFG38

[Not Jabba]

Looks fantastic!

[MFG38]

10 minutes ago, Not Jabba said:

Looks fantastic!

 

Thanks! c:

[bioshockfan90]

Great palette, really makes the blues shine (which is probably fitting given the title). Screenshots look marvelous as to be expected from a veteran mapper - consider me excited. 

[MFG38]

12 minutes ago, bioshockfan90 said:

Great palette, really makes the blues shine (which is probably fitting given the title). Screenshots look marvelous as to be expected from a veteran mapper - consider me excited. 

 

I don't know if I'd consider myself a veteran even if I've been mapping for about 15 years, but the compliments are nonetheless appreciated. :)

[Deadwing]

Looks fantastic indeed! Subscribed to the thread!

[Rudolph]

Is it going to feature custom monsters?

[MFG38]

Just now, Rudolph said:

Is it going to feature custom monsters?

 

A couple, yeah. Won't spoil them, though.

[Pomps]

This looks amazing!

[nobleflame]

This looks beautiful. Really looking forward to this :D

[Chris Hansen]

Marvellous!

[Redneckerz]

That looks insanely good. I love mapsets that partake into custom palette madness.

 

I also highly approve of the word Bespoke as that's what Digital Foundry's Richard Leadbetter also does - and it works so well.

 

Smelling a little Cacoward contender entry here.

[MFG38]

2 minutes ago, Redneckerz said:

Smelling a little Cacoward contender entry here.

 

Don't jinx it, man!

 

In all seriousness, I've never expected to win a Cacoward with any of my work, but I'd be lying if I said winning one wouldn't make me happy. Especially if this happened to be the project. I'm so proud of everything the team has put together so far that I already consider this project my best work even in this heavily-WIP state. But then again, 15 years worth of failures and improvement also plays a part in that. Either way, I won't be sad even if a Cacoward never flies my way. The creative process alone is enough satisfaction for me. That said, the fact that you already see this project as a potential Cacoward recipient is a heartwarming thought and I wish I had the words for how much I appreciate it.

[Redneckerz]

14 hours ago, MFG38 said:

 

Don't jinx it, man!

 

In all seriousness, I've never expected to win a Cacoward with any of my work, but I'd be lying if I said winning one wouldn't make me happy. Especially if this happened to be the project. I'm so proud of everything the team has put together so far that I already consider this project my best work even in this heavily-WIP state. But then again, 15 years worth of failures and improvement also plays a part in that. Either way, I won't be sad even if a Cacoward never flies my way. The creative process alone is enough satisfaction for me. That said, the fact that you already see this project as a potential Cacoward recipient is a heartwarming thought and I wish I had the words for how much I appreciate it.

Well now you made me feel happy too, making my opinion more grand than it actually is (Seriously, that is very generous of you, thank you)

 

But yes it looks fantastic. I have seen those shades of blue before, but it meshes very well on the screenshots shown. I know the Caco's get more crowded by the year, so at the very least it should be mentioned on next's years iteration if the level design holds up aswell as the palette and the screenshots do.

 

Also - i am a sucker for any map project that utilizes custom palettes, colormaps or interesting sector lighting. A well crafted colormap or palette showcases consideration in your own work and although an amazing level is still an amazing level with stock assets, it just adds a little more to the scene.

[MFG38]

1 minute ago, Redneckerz said:

i am a sucker for any map project that utilizes custom palettes, colormaps or interesting sector lighting.

 

So am I! Funnily enough, the palette for this one was initially just a random experiment but I ended up being so pleased with the end result that it inspired me to start this whole project. Funny how that works sometimes, the whole inspiration thing.

[DreadWanderer]

Those are some amazing screens and the premise is intriguing!

[MFG38]

As I mentioned in the OP, ColdWire is going to feature a completely original MIDI soundtrack composed by myself. I've always believed that music is an integral part of any video game experience, especially Doom wads, and I've been hard at work with crafting a unique soundtrack that conveys the atmosphere of each map flawlessly. More than half of the soundtrack has already been composed, in fact!

 

With Christmas approaching and the festive mood slowly beginning to take over, I decided to publish two tracks from the project's soundtrack as little teasers of what you can expect ColdWire's musical side to sound like. On that note (heh, get it?), please enjoy these soundtrack previews.

 

 

 

Also, merry early Christmas!

[DreadWanderer]

Great stuff, has dark vibes while still being melodic and engaging!

[BeachThunder]

It's been a bit since I've really done any pixelling, so I thought I'd have a go at making the M_DOOM for this. I eyedropped colours from your screenshots, so I assume it'll fit within your palette. Anyway, not even sure that this is the style of thing you want. Feel free to use it (or not)...

 

 

 

 

Edited December 22, 2023 by BeachThunder
Updated image to change lower border colour

[MFG38]

5 hours ago, BeachThunder said:

It's been a bit since I've really done any pixelling, so I thought I'd have a go at making the M_DOOM for this. I eyedropped colours from your screenshots, so I assume it'll fit within your palette. Anyway, not even sure that this is the style of thing you want. Feel free to use it (or not)...

 

 

 

 

 

Yeah, feels a little too comic-like for what I'm going for atmosphere-wise. I appreciate the effort, though.

[dybbuk81]

Awwwww shit!!!

[kvothesixstring]

This looks great! Looking forward to seeing more.

[MFG38]

With two months having passed and a new year having turned since I last posted here, I figured it's about time I do a ColdWire progress update.

 

I took a small break from working on ColdWire in order to focus on some community project commitments, but I'm slowly but surely returning to this project. In a way, I was inspired to return to this among announcing my latest community project, McDoomguy's Slaughterific Sample Platter, the other day. (To anyone who's intending to contribute to said community project, you needn't worry - I won't neglect it just because I'm also back to working on this all of a sudden!)

 

Anyway, I'm happy to report that ColdWire has more or less reached the halfway point progress-wise! MAP12, which is intended to be the final map of the set, is currently in internal playtesting, and it's the 6th map out of a planned 12 to be completed. You'll find a few screenshots of the map in the spoiler below. Alongside MAP12, the majority of ColdWire's first half is mostly done at this point, minus difficulty setting implementation. I also composed a new MIDI for the soundtrack the other day - I already know which map said MIDI is going to be in, and I'm excited to start working on the map that it's going to accompany! I've got a concept in mind for it that I can't wait to put into practice.

 

Spoiler

 

I suppose it wouldn't be the worst idea at this point to also introduce ColdWire's additions to the beastiary. Now, ColdWire doesn't add upon the resistance on offer extensively - the wad only introduces two new monsters, but one still shouldn't undermine what they bring to the table in terms of threat level and combat dynamics. At any rate, the first of the new enemies is the rocket zombie, which does exactly what it says on the tin. The rocket zombie is essentially a glass cannon type of enemy that doesn't take many more bullets than a chaingunner to put down but can turn a good day bad if you happen to catch a faceful of his projectiles.

 

The second new enemy is the winged imp, another fairly self-explanatory variation of an old acquaintance. Next to being able to fly, the winged imp moves 50% faster than a regular imp and throws not one but two fireballs when it attacks. And he has twice the health.

 

That concludes today's status update. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more!