Outpost Theta

[Artinum]

Fun standalone map I created some months back; this was my first foray into using UDMF instead of vanilla formats, though it was before I started messing around with scripting. Requires GZDoom, but uses vanilla textures/etc so no further resource packs are needed beyond the basic Doom II iWAD.

 

Difficulty levels are set up, so feel free to tone it down if you find UV gets a little too hectic (though it should be fine for most veterans here). Freelook is permitted but not required; jumping and crouching are disabled.

 

Don't be put off by the STARTAN textures. They deserve more love, and they may surprise you.

 

Outpost_Theta.zip

 

Screenshots:

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

 

Spoiler

 

Edited March 24, 2024 by Artinum
Missed spoiler tag.

[Zesiir]

At Outpost Theta, not all is as it seems...

 

What a fantastic map. Good use of Doombuilder trickery, clever placement of enemies, items, triggers... Gameplay flowed well throughout and the difficulty curve on UV felt well-implemented. I really enjoyed seeing the base change, as if it sank deeper into Hell. Reminded me of the Delta Labs levels from Doom 3: RoE. It made me paranoid too, the changes made to the layout are very well executed. And it pays off to remember the details.

 

There were some insidious ambushes that got me, but that's fine. I appreciate a good, evil trap.

Finally, great use of STARTAN textures, really nailed the Techbase feel. Everyone should try this, it's a blast all the way from start to finish.

 

I found some misaligned/misplaced textures:
 

Spoiler

 

 

 

[Delisk]

 

[Artinum]

2 hours ago, Zesiir said:

What a fantastic map. Good use of Doombuilder trickery, clever placement of enemies, items, triggers... Gameplay flowed well throughout and the difficulty curve on UV felt well-implemented. I really enjoyed seeing the base change, as if it sank deeper into Hell. Reminded me of the Delta Labs levels from Doom 3: RoE. It made me paranoid too, the changes made to the layout are very well executed. And it pays off to remember the details.

 

I found some misaligned/misplaced textures:

 

I'm glad you liked it! And I'm glad you noticed the subtle changing.

 

Bah, those misaligned textures! There's always one or two hiding somewhere.

[IamtheLaw]

Great map!  Confusing but not confusing if that makes sense.   

 

Music fit the level very well.

Edited March 24, 2024 by IamtheLaw

[Artinum]

11 hours ago, IamtheLaw said:

Great map!  Confusing but not confusing if that makes sense.   

 

Music fit the level very well.

 

Confusing in the way it's meant to be, but it's usually pretty clear which way you need to go. :)

Knowing what I do now, I'd probably take steps to disable the automap if I did this one again.

 

That's one of my favourite tracks from the original game, perhaps because it's so different to most of the others - quiet, mysterious, spooky.

[Artinum]

Here's a video of DavidXNewton playing through the level:

 

David's videos (and RAMP back in 2023) got me into mapping. My RAMP entries were... reasonable, given how new I was to everything. Outpost Theta fixed a lot of the mistakes I made in my earlier efforts.

[TheCyberDruid]

Really fun to play map :) As others have said very good use of silent teleporters.

[Merginator]

This map is superb!

 

 

[Artinum]

16 hours ago, Merginator said:

This map is superb!

 

Thank you for your kind words at the end of the video! You're probably right about the last monster - it's also possible that one failed to spawn in the final room.

You missed one particularly sneaky secret - it's in the red room (the first one, with the Cacodemons). I'll say no more. :)

 

The teleport to the Spiderdemon room was supposed to trigger when you collected the plasma rifle, but it worked well this way as well!

 

It's fascinating to see how people approach this one. Most people in that last room choose to stand and fight in there; retreating to the corridor was a smart approach. Of course, it's also possible to run for the exit door - which would make that double take all the funnier...!

[Aeddes666]

Very good use of line portals.

 

Edited March 27, 2024 by Aeddes666

[netcurse2000]

Great map!