[Limit Removing] "Le Gars Qui A Fait Doom" Level Collection - /idgames release

[WH-Wilou84]

Hello there,
 

Today marks the release of "Le Gars Qui A Fait Doom", the official French translation of John Romero's autobiography ("Doom Guy - Life in First Person"), courtesy of independent French editor Omaké Books.

Here's Romero himself saying a few words about the book and its imminent publication :

 

The book comes in a limited edition along with a digital card autographed by John, and will definitely please a lot of Doom enthusiasts here in France !

I've had the chance to discuss with the person in charge of translating the book, and he's truly passionate about Romero.
Get the book here : https://omakebooks.com/fr/livres-jeux-video/672-le-gars-qui-a-fait-doom-9782379892790.html

 

And... Obviously, there's more :)
The French Doom Community was secretly reached by Omaké Books to create new maps accompanying the book's official release. We just couldn't let this occasion pass us by !

 

"Le Gars Qui A Fait Doom" Level Collection is a series of 8 new Ultimate Doom maps for Limit Removing ports.
They come in all styles and colors, and all of them are more or less inspired by John Romero, whether it's his old IWad maps, his modern offerings (SIGIL and its sequel), his other games, or even his real life.

You can play each of these maps in any order you fancy, as there's no clear theme or difficulty order. Each wad can be played standalone, à la Master Levels, and some of them contain new textures and resources.

 

Maplist :
- [Wad name] - [Author] - [Map name] - [Map slot]
- LGQAFD_Alephany_E1M8 - Alephany - Undesired Reincarnation - E1M8
- LGQAFD_Datacore_E1M1 - Datacore - Nouveau Sang - E1M1
- LGQAFD_Duskolos_E3M1 - Duskolos - Lift & Traps - E3M1
- LGQAFD_franckFRAG_E3M1 - franckFRAG - Encounter of the third John - E3M1
- LGQAFD_Nixx_E1M5 - Nixx - Romerian Era - E1M5
- LGQAFD_Roofi_E1M1 - Roofi - Grand Canyon - E1M1
- LGQAFD_WH_E2M1 - [WH]-Wilou84 - Icons from the Deep - E2M1
- LGQAFD_Yugiboy_E4M1 - Yugiboy - Say Hello to Sunshine - E4M1

 

Screenshots :

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These maps were supposed to be included with the book itself, in the form of hidden QR Codes within its pages, but due to time constraints, this idea had to be scrapped. Nevertheless, the goal was to release the maps alongside the book's publication, so here we are :)
 

This project was quite the challenge, as we only had a month to compile resources, create maps, and test them. Still, I think the end result is well worth the pain.

Well, that's me done !
 

Links :
- Download on /idgames : https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom/Ports/j-l/lgqafd_lc

- Related topic on the French Doom Community forums : https://doomfrance.forumactif.com/t5361-limit-removing-le-gars-qui-a-fait-doom-level-collection

 

Feel free to share your thoughts and bug reports, as usual. :)

Edited May 14 by WH-Wilou84
Link update

[apichatpong]

Well, I’ll lose myself once again into lyricism (and some circonvolutions), sorry.

To say it quick, last week I was discussing with a friend about style and especially French style. I defended the point of view saying that French style is, to some level, anti-revolutionary while respectful (and sometimes admirative) of some revolutions done by others, leading to some very discrete, difficult to define, non ostentatious, personal modifications of classicism while looking towards the horizon of modernity (without fully embracing it).

This morning, discovering this new French project, before going to work, I knew I’ll be served regarrding this question (and, sorry for the personal part, being not directly but very closely related to some negative actuality in France, I was begging for it, feels good to see something still working in France).
It’s too early to be precise but did a quick tour inside the maps (already played the great ones by roofi and yugiboy85)(a bit longer tour in WH-Wilou84’s one to see the « big stuff ») and, to say the least, it’s very promissing !

Quite a pleasure to rediscover the style of every mappers with some variations (duskolos, seemingly a bit less into detailing but still good in variations of textures and atmospheres, Alephany and his oppressing versions of hell’s antechamber, Nixx and his compact madness… after all my gibberish about his mapping style on Flesharmonic, difficult to describe the joy I had to instantly feel inside a Datacore map, the adventurous and frantic style of FranckFrag and the unique mixing of grandiose and down to earth from WH).

In some sense, this wad confirms my feelings about style : a bit reactionary but still very open-minded, very creative but in a landscape strictly limited, the kind of stuff I really like !

 

Can’t wait to have more time to get more into it.

 

P.S. : my tour was quick so I might be wrong but got the feeling it missed some green.

[Roofi]

That was a pleasure to participate in this very special event ! :)

 

 

Edited March 28 by Roofi

[Alephany]

Too bad we couldn't make a hub for an easier accessibility for all maps in one wad. It was still a pleasure to make!

Edited March 28 by Alephany

[Bri0che]

Très content de savoir qu'une traduction en français sera disponible ! Je suis relativement à l'aise avec l'anglais mais quitte à choisir... :D

 

Otherwise, I'm going to try those maps, they look gorgeous by the screenshots :p

[LadyMistDragon]

I haven't played Flesharmonic but I recognize at least two of those names. It's always great to see new talent. What's more, this collection kicks some serious ass! All of them felt like they brought something. The little nod to Sigil with shootable eyes in at least one map was really nice to see!

 

 

[Datacore85]

Thanks for playing !

Edited March 29 by Datacore85

[Nixx]

15 hours ago, LadyMistDragon said:

I haven't played Flesharmonic but I recognize at least two of those names. It's always great to see new talent. What's more, this collection kicks some serious ass! All of them felt like they brought something. The little nod to Sigil with shootable eyes in at least one map was really nice to see!

 

 

 

Thank you =)

Looking forward to seeing the full gameplay, it's always interesting to see how players play our maps. Sometimes it pushes us to rethink certain designs because often, things happen that weren't designed like that.
For example, the eye in the wall "sigil style" seemed to me to be easy to find.

[apichatpong]

Voilà. Spent my whole day on it, needed some "help" during some fights, missed some secrets, will have to come back there. Since I'm starting to sound like an invasive fan I won't write three pages and just say : TOP FUCKING NOTCH.

[grunzap]

hmmm is good

[Master O]

*insert joke about Doom guy waving a white flag whenever French Doom 2 wads are released...*

[franckFRAG]

There are no other playtesting since ?

[Catpho]

I'll upload 2 videos over the weekend :)

[Insaneprophet]

I never posted but I have played through all the maps, some of them two or three times and cant recall finding any bugs worth posting about. Prolly shoulda dropped a note to say that they were all excellent and thank you all for posting them.

[Oxyde]

3 hours ago, franckFRAG said:

There are no other playtesting since ?

 

It's coming. ^TM

Youtube takes time though!

[s4f3s3x]

This was great! : )

I think it would be ideal to see it officially released for the Unity port.

[WH-Wilou84]

Here's version RC2 with only a couple changes related to texture alignments and typos in the text file : https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/t0skmpvci1owbvkjzz52d/LGQAFD_LC_RC2.zip?rlkey=d730e1qc6ahhcdvjjknz09jxd&dl=1

[Catpho]

Wanted to write some feedback for the two levels, but no time alas. Very enjoyed the levels so far! Maybe Wilou's level felt unusually short (no extended battles in the hell part!), but it's all good. Especially enjoyed fF's map with its multiple and abrupt climbs in intensity and gameplay style + the paradoxically painterly yet "90s classic" visuals. All RC1.

As a bonus, vids of Roofi and Yugi's map that I played in their solo release form (also RC1). Loved them as well.

Video links:

 

fF (part 1, part 2)

 

Wilou

 

Yugiboy
 

Roofi (part 1, part 2)

[Oxyde]

Video FDA finally uploaded and processed here;

 

@Alephany - Undesired Reincarnation - E1M8

 

I ran into an issue where the exit didn't trigger due to a lack of momentum from the barrels. I guessed this was an issue with DSDA Doom and the complevel as I mistakenly used -cl 21 instead of -cl 3, but after testing again, it appears that if you don't press Forward when you enter the final room, you will not be propelled forward sufficiently.

Spoiler

I also could find the blue armor secret on a second playthrough except I couldn't. I found the Evil Eye you're supposed to shoot, only I punched it instead, which effectively softlocked me from getting the secret.

I'd argue the first Rocket Launcher isn't a particularly rewarding secret since there is one after the hallway in the courtyard. Perhaps a Plasma Rifle would be a better reward?

 

Other than those small issues, I enjoyed this level and it's a solid introduction to the level pack. I've never played any of Alephany's work before and it delivers.

 

@Datacore85 - Nouveau Sang - E1M1

 

The Cyberdemon fight felt a bit too much for me since it's in such a cramped area. Sure, the Plasma Rifle makes the fight somewhat bearable, but it still feels off to me. I understand that part of the appeal is limited movement space but it just doesn't do it when the back wall is so close that even dodging the rocket hits you with residual damage.

 

It's still a decent map, though I'd love to see what Datacore can do on much more opened layouts because his approach to combat is great!

 

@Duskolos - Lift & Traps - E3M1

 

Not much to say in this one, I really liked the central part of the map with the elevator gimmick. I have rarely seen this done in other wads so it's a much welcome mechanic.

Spoiler

The Wolfenstein Easter egg is really cool also!

Again, a brand new discovery as I've never played anything from Duskolos before. I'm really looking forward to what they can bring to the table in future French projects!

 

@franckFRAG - Encounter of the third John - E3M1

 

This one was quite an adventure! The video will show a roughly 20 minute-long gameplay, but the actual demo lasted for over an hour because of how challenging this level. Though it's challenging yet absolutely fair, minus that first Cyberdemon fight. If you, like me, by any chance wake him up before you enter his room, you're in for a lot of trouble. I'd suggest have the Cyberdemon trapped in a below floor cage that raises when you grab the BFG 9000.

I also forgot to edit this in the video but I was able to find the Berzerk secret which helps with the cannon fodder enemy types!

 

The final Cyberdemon was one too many for my taste, but so far this turns out to be my favorite level from this pack!

Well done!

 

@Nixx - Romerian Era - E1M5

 

Again, a wad of firsts for me since this was my first contact with a level by a new author.

This level catches vibes from many levels of the original Ultimate Doom, but I'll give that the final Cyberdemon felt like a bit too much and wasn't needed at all. The cramped area and metric ton of Barons to dodge makes a cocktail that's not gonna be everyone's taste.

I noticed a very small window with Romero's portrait in it, but it rendered quite bizarre so this might be because of DSDA Doom's Open GL Render.

 

Interesting level, again a great surprise!

 

@Roofi - Grand Canyon - E1M1

 

I gave this map a go when Roofi initially released it but I died 5 minutes in. Back then, I decided that I would not keep videos of deaths but this turned out extremely counter-productive because I found myself dying frequently. Since I changed my approach to deaths in FDAs, I went back in eager to see what I initially didn't.

Fuck death pits. There, I said it. I found myself dying in those death pits several times (again with an actual demo of over one hour) and I really would have appreciated a teleporter or an elevator here and there.

It sure is hard to account for verticality in this game, yet this level shows what wonders you can make with a creative mind. Also the Doomcute is really great!

 

Not much to say in this one except that I really liked the exploration similar to what Franck offered in his previous level!

 

@WH-Wilou84 - Icons from the Deep - E2M1

 

In 100% pure honest fashion, I was kinda scared I would not be able to beat this level given how heavy handed Wilou tends to be in monster quantity. I couldn't believe that I beat this one first try, and I still can't honestly.

Great aesthetics and very open design allows for a great combat flow without constantly getting swarmed. There's plenty of ressources and room to manoeuver, a nice change from his usual slaughter stuff. I really dig this and I would love more in this style.

Slight bug;

Spoiler

You can grab the Soulsphere in the starting area with a very precise strafe as you will see in this video.

 

I also already played/FDA'd @Yugiboy85's level, but I included it again in this video (same demo, nothing new except the midi Soundfont).

 

All in all, a great little pack! Well done team!

(In addition, all individual levels have been uploaded on Youtube, which I'll render public along with the compilation video a couple of weeks)

Edited April 8 by Oxyde

[TMMMS]

quel occasion manquee de faire jeu mots

 

doom quand notre coeur fait doom

[apichatpong]

Sorry to bother you with some compatibility stuff but I have an issue while playing this wad on prboom+.

 

I have a copy of ultimate doom that run well with the four episodes in Zdoom or Gzdoom but when launched in prboom + --- and while I put this copy in the prboom+ application support library --- on the rolling menu I can only choose doom and doom II as iwad base so maps that used either textures from thy flesh consumed or are placed on fourth episode slot can't be played... I end being only able to play Alephany's and roofi's ones on this port.

 

Does anyone have an idea how to solve this problem ?

[WH-Wilou84]

7 hours ago, apichatpong said:

I have a copy of ultimate doom that run well with the four episodes in Zdoom or Gzdoom but when launched in prboom + --- and while I put this copy in the prboom+ application support library --- on the rolling menu I can only choose doom and doom II as iwad base so maps that used either textures from thy flesh consumed or are placed on fourth episode slot can't be played... I end being only able to play Alephany's and roofi's ones on this port.

Yugiboy's map is the only one set in an episode 4 slot - all the other maps should be playable :)
Don't worry about textures, all the extra resources are already included into each wad.

I recommend using batch files, like this :

 

"D:\Program_Files\DSDA Doom\dsda-doom.exe" -iwad "D:\Program_Files\DSDA Doom\doom.wad" -file LGQAFD_Roofi_E1M1.wad -skill 4 -warp 1 1 -complevel 3 -shorttics

 

[Nixx]

10 hours ago, Oxyde said:

@Nixx - Romerian Era - E1M5

 

Again, a wad of firsts for me since this was my first contact with a level by a new author.

This level catches vibes from many levels of the original Ultimate Doom, but I'll give that the final Cyberdemon felt like a bit too much and wasn't needed at all. The cramped area and metric ton of Barons to dodge makes a cocktail that's not gonna be everyone's taste.

I noticed a very small window with Romero's portrait in it, but it rendered quite bizarre so this might be because of DSDA Doom's Open GL Render.

 

Interesting level, again a great surprise!

Thank you for your feedback 👍

 

I had the same thought about the cyberdemon at the end. I wanted to create an end of map with a bit of challenge.

Maybe I didn't do it the right way

[VoanHead]

was it pretty surreal to have the book company/publisher reach out to you guys? How did you all initially react? Also neat, more maps to play from french doomers, once I get around to also actually beating Flesharmonic 1st.

[WH-Wilou84]

Our Romero-inspired map collection is now on /idgames !
https://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels/doom/Ports/j-l/lgqafd_lc

 

On 4/9/2024 at 4:21 AM, VoanHead said:

was it pretty surreal to have the book company/publisher reach out to you guys? How did you all initially react?

I'll keep it short for now but it's definitely been thrilling. :)
Having our work featured alongside an official John Romero-related collectible can only happen once in a lifetime, if it happens at all.

 

 

[DreadWanderer]

Congrats on the idgames release! Any chance these maps could be compiled into a single wad? I'm finding it a bit awkward to load every map separately.

[Alephany]

6 minutes ago, DreadWanderer said:

Congrats on the idgames release! Any chance these maps could be compiled into a single wad? I'm finding it a bit awkward to load every map separately.

 

Well I had the idea but several problems appeared :
1. Some maps use special code within those map slots.
2. I have no clue on how to do it.

3. We had too little time to even try it.

[DreadWanderer]

Alright, thank you for the answer. I would try to do it myself but it's a lot of work in SLADE, especially because each wad has duplicates of some of the assets, its own dehacked file, and so on. It's easy to lose track of things and get hit with errors or things not working properly. It also doesn't help that some of the maps are labelled the same (e.g. two E1M1s). Major cleanups needed here and the episodic structure of Ultimate Doom adds another layer. Welp, maybe at some point in the future.