Jimbo's Doom

[JimboAnimations]

Heya! I'm Jimbo Animations (or just Jimbo for short). I started playing classic Doom at the beginning of this year after being introduced to it by my brother, and have since grown to enjoy the game quite a bit! I started learning how to make my own maps a bit over a month ago, and thought I would make an account here to interact with the Doom community and hopefully take notes from the talented folks on the forums. For my first post, I thought I would share what I have made so far!

 

Spoiler

Map 1: UAC Outpost

 

 

 

Map 2: Sludgefalls

 

I only have two maps complete, along with a third being built slowly. The screenshots above are all taken from maps 1 and 2, with map 1 being my very first Doom level ever. All levels have been developed on Ultimate Doom Builder on the Doom 2 UDMF configuration. All testing has been done on the GZDoom engine, and will likely be incompatible with other engines. Maps 1 and 7 are considered complete, while map 2 is a heavy WIP and does not include a method of completing the level. All maps have been balanced and primarily tested on Hurt Me Plenty, so expect a couple difficulty spikes/gaps if you play on Not Too Rough or Ultra-Violence.

 

With that out of the way: Feel free to try out what I have made and have fun! I would love to receive feedback on maps 1 and 7 especially.

 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SurhAcafCuH35rn58EkG6QVHEGpFHOeu/view?usp=drive_link

 

Major Update 1: Sludgefalls is now finished, and the other two levels have received significant improvements! I tried to take the criticism about low space and lack of SSGs to heart, adding in an SSG to UAC Outpost and making the later arenas of Sludgefalls more open. There was only so much I could do without absolutely tearing my old work apart, but I think I made some improvements!

Edited April 20, 2024 by JimboAnimations

[LadyMistDragon]

I....forgot about Map 07. It's fine however. Sludge Flow has pretty neat vistas.

 

There was one pretty annoying thing here though: your reluctance to hand out a Super Shotgun in both maps. I can guarantee that the 10 or so Mancubi on Map 01 would be far less tedious if one was actually given shortly before the first fatso is encountered. 

 

Another thing that might be slightly less of a criticism but probably something one should keep in mind if not making an all-out slaughter is how packed rooms should be. See, things were quite claustrophobic, but at the same time (in Map 01 at least) did not feel threatening.

 

Actually, no I just looked at Map 07 and it's an ok twist on an arena fight I guess and it sure looks nice!

 

 

 

[JimboAnimations]

I was hesitant to put a Super Shotgun in map01 due to the majority of enemies being on the weaker side of things, and because Super Shotguns are by far at their strongest when in the tight corridors that primarily make up both UAC Outpost and Sludgefalls. While I wouldn't say the first map was meant to be a serious challenge, it felt almost *insultingly* easy to blast through encounters with the SSG, hence why it is not available. I do see how Mancubi could be tedious to kill when being restricted to only a Shotgun and Chaingun however. Sludgeflow offers the player a SSG within the red key route near the end to help with the hazardous fight with Revenants, Cacos and Pinkies on the tight bridge.

Your point about the Mancubi makes sense. My reason for choosing the Fatsos in the first place was to provide an enemy that poses more of a threat than the typical light enemies of early game, given how deadly their volleys can be in the more cramped arenas. I didn't consider that their health would be an issue, but I am not too sure what else might be a better option. Maybe I could replace some of the not-so important Mancubi with a different enemy? 

 

 

Also: I am watching the video and realized I didn't add a way to exit the last room after all monsters are killed. I will make sure to fix that!

 

Also also: I should probably make the cliffside you gotta move against a bit more obvious in that large canyon. 

Edited April 6, 2024 by JimboAnimations

[Riclo500]

These were nice! I couldn't figure out how to get past map02 though.
 

 

[JimboAnimations]

27 minutes ago, Riclo500 said:

These were nice! I couldn't figure out how to get past map02 though.
 

 

 

The original post states that MAP02 is not done yet, and that it lacks an exit. I included it exclusively just so people could see what I had so far and give suggestions as I work towards completing it.

[reefer]

very nice maps! especially love the vibes in map02. 

the only things I really have to say are that dealing with mancubi with only the shotgun isn't that big of a deal when given enough space like in that outside area, but a ssg would've been great to have at least by the last room in map01. It wouldn't have really tanked the difficulty at that point, and man those mancubi are deadly in that small space, especially when it takes like 10 shells to kill em haha. 

something else you could do is put the rocket launcher right before that final room. rockets deal comparable damage to the ssg, but because of the splash damage and close corders, trying not to face rocket would add a different level of difficulty which was cut when not making the player only use the shotgun or chaingun. just something to think about.

I think the main reason there might be an issue with having to shotgun/chaingun down those two mancs in the end, at least to me, would be because it just seems somewhat unfair. Its definitely tough to balance difficulty and fairness, but thats something you kinda learn with time as a mapper. same can be said for a lot of things around mapping :)

anyway, these are actually really solid for your first couple doom maps. keep at it :)

[JimboAnimations]

56 minutes ago, reefer said:

very nice maps! especially love the vibes in map02. 

the only things I really have to say are that dealing with mancubi with only the shotgun isn't that big of a deal when given enough space like in that outside area, but a ssg would've been great to have at least by the last room in map01. It wouldn't have really tanked the difficulty at that point, and man those mancubi are deadly in that small space, especially when it takes like 10 shells to kill em haha. 

something else you could do is put the rocket launcher right before that final room. rockets deal comparable damage to the ssg, but because of the splash damage and close corders, trying not to face rocket would add a different level of difficulty which was cut when not making the player only use the shotgun or chaingun. just something to think about.

I think the main reason there might be an issue with having to shotgun/chaingun down those two mancs in the end, at least to me, would be because it just seems somewhat unfair. Its definitely tough to balance difficulty and fairness, but thats something you kinda learn with time as a mapper. same can be said for a lot of things around mapping :)

anyway, these are actually really solid for your first couple doom maps. keep at it :)

 

Thanks! I might consider adding something there to help out with the final room. One thing I've done recently (but have not publicized yet) is do some balance changes to MAP01. I halved the amount of Mancubi in the level and have instead replaced them with Hell Knights, given they are a bit less tanky and don't take up nearly as much space. The final arena hasn't received any changes, though I do see why it might be quite difficult for many. My recommendation for that fight is to stay at the door for a moment and try to shotgun down as many enemies as you can before triggering the wall at the back to open. You can get all the Imps, trigger the first Mancubus and even kill one of the Sergeants! If all else fails; grabbing the secret Soul Sphere that can be accessed in the final arena can be a life saver too (just be mindful of the Pain Elemental that drops in afterwards.)

Map02 is a WiP, but I did put some of what I have learned from my first map to use with it! I like the toxin factory trope in Doom levels, but wanted to do it in a way that made it stand out, hence why I added the outdoors and cavern-esc sections. I will be updating the public WAD file once the map is complete, including some improvements to the other maps to go alongside it. 

[JimboAnimations]

Progress Update:

 

"Sludge Flow" is nearing completion, and I have used the feedback acquired to polish the other two levels! I don't have much to show off at this time, though I would like feedback on one thing:

 

The final arena of Sludge Flow has been constructed, but I am not fully sure on what to put inside of it in terms of monsters. It is big enough to fit practically anything, but the lack of cover makes usage of hitscanners not an option (unless I make some big changes of course). Any ideas on what might work here? The player would be able to get every weapon other than the BFG at this point, so they should have enough DPS for most monsters.

[JimboAnimations]

I found out what to do. I hope you guys enjoy it :)