Knee Deep in the Dictionary - DOOM 2 Community Project [2 Slots Open]

[Gianluco]

23 hours ago, Yop said:

Entirely optional, same for Multiplayer.

Thank god, I didn't really know how to implement them in the map lol

[Yop]

Here's a look at a small portion my map so far.
Nowhere near complete at this point in time maybe another week or so is my best estimate.

 

 

Edited April 24 by Yop

[97th Century Fox]

Loving that library, I like the detailing on the floor!

 

Might as well post my own progress too. Decided to take care of the raw geometry and enemy placement first, leaving detailing and visuals for later. This means that my map looks like this:

 

https://imgur.com/bCYXcC2

https://imgur.com/01dPZkG

https://imgur.com/dyuOOwa

Edited April 24 by 97th Century Fox

[Gianluco]

Since we're posting WIPs, here's some screenshots from my map, I'm trying to make a maze that is not too dispersive, but still allows for plenty of exploration.

Btw, it also has a secret exit, just in case.

[Gianluco]

So, I've almost completed my level submission, but I think it still needs some tuning. Can someone play it and see if they have any suggestion or find any errors?

Labyrinth.zip

[97th Century Fox]

49 minutes ago, Gianluco said:

So, I've almost completed my level submission, but I think it still needs some tuning. Can someone play it and see if they have any suggestion or find any errors?

Labyrinth.zip

 

I've tried to play it and I've noticed some serious technical issues. First off, the UMAPINFO lump didn't let me run the map at all, with the culprit being the sky definition. Idk why it was making trouble, possibly because the sky texture wasn't included in the map's wad file. I've never used UMAPINFO, so I stick to the MBF sky transfer. Also, it's a good idea to switch your map's complevel to MBF21 since that's what the main wad will be using anyways and it really isn't that different from Boom, simply has more features.

 

Anyways, I got it running but another technical issue kept me from being able to play it further. Your doors aren't working - you shoudl have used the DR and D1 line actions. Those let you do what you tried to do with the SR and S1 lines. The problem lies in the fact that when using switch type actions, it is CRITICAL that you assign a tag to the switch and the thing that it affects. What you did is you made a switch that has nothing to activate instead of a door.

 

Make sure you fix the doors, feel free to remove the sky line from the UMAPINFO lump too. Maybe try to find a custom midi you like too, or I could look around for some later on too. Play it yourself a few times to see that everything else is in working order and then you we can look into it further, good luck!

[Gianluco]

32 minutes ago, 97th Century Fox said:

 

I've tried to play it and I've noticed some serious technical issues. First off, the UMAPINFO lump didn't let me run the map at all, with the culprit being the sky definition. Idk why it was making trouble, possibly because the sky texture wasn't included in the map's wad file. I've never used UMAPINFO, so I stick to the MBF sky transfer. Also, it's a good idea to switch your map's complevel to MBF21 since that's what the main wad will be using anyways and it really isn't that different from Boom, simply has more features.

 

Anyways, I got it running but another technical issue kept me from being able to play it further. Your doors aren't working - you shoudl have used the DR and D1 line actions. Those let you do what you tried to do with the SR and S1 lines. The problem lies in the fact that when using switch type actions, it is CRITICAL that you assign a tag to the switch and the thing that it affects. What you did is you made a switch that has nothing to activate instead of a door.

 

Make sure you fix the doors, feel free to remove the sky line from the UMAPINFO lump too. Maybe try to find a custom midi you like too, or I could look around for some later on too. Play it yourself a few times to see that everything else is in working order and then you we can look into it further, good luck!

Thank god you noticed the technical issues because I didn't find them. I've set the map format to MBF21 in UDB and tested the map on GZDoom on complevel 5, so maybe that's why a lot of stuff works for me and not for you. So, what exactly do I have to use to test this map correctly? Like, should I use Boom or PRBoom+? Are there any specific settings I should use?

Btw, aren't the textures supposed to be loaded in the final mega WAD? I think it would be a waste of space to include them in my own as well.

And, about the midis, I don't know where to find some, could you tell me a site or something like that?

[97th Century Fox]

4 minutes ago, Gianluco said:

Thank god you noticed the technical issues because I didn't find them. I've set the map format to MBF21 in UDB and tested the map on GZDoom on complevel 5, so maybe that's why a lot of stuff works for me and not for you. So, what exactly do I have to use to test this map correctly? Like, should I use Boom or PRBoom+? Are there any specific settings I should use?

Btw, aren't the textures supposed to be loaded in the final mega WAD? I think it would be a waste of space to include them in my own as well.

And, about the midis, I don't know where to find some, could you tell me a site or something like that?

DSDA-Doom is the way to go for MBF21 wads, it's what I use. Complevel21 since it's mbf21. The textures will be included in the final wad yes, but the way it works now the umapinfo is acting weird, I assume cause in order to actually play it I have to load the texture pack alongside the wad. As it stands, I suggest either including the sky texture in your wad (Yop will obviously include it with the rest of the textures, but b4 the map is integrated into the main wad it can serve as a placeholder) or using the mbf sky transfer (action 271 I think).

As for the midis, usually individual authors will host threads with their midis, or post them on YT, it depends. Here's some good stuff you could listen to:

If you do decide on a custom midi, obviously remember the title and who made it so we can credit it

[Gianluco]

Alright, thanks for the advice! I've already fixed the doors, now I'll download DSDA-Doom

[Gianluco]

uh, it says the texture pack is not compatible with DOOM 2, what do I do?

 

edit: I've tried opening the wad with DSDA directly, but it says that doom2.wad is not compatible with Doom 2, wtf?

Edited April 29 by Gianluco

[97th Century Fox]

46 minutes ago, Gianluco said:

uh, it says the texture pack is not compatible with DOOM 2, what do I do?

 

edit: I've tried opening the wad with DSDA directly, but it says that doom2.wad is not compatible with Doom 2, wtf?

That's the UMAPINFO problem I told you about, deleting the sky related line from it fixed the issue for me

[DrPyspy]

I'm interested in claiming the word Serendipity!

Edited April 30 by DrPyspy

[TF_Doomer]

1 hour ago, DrPyspy said:

I'm interested in claiming the word Serendipity!

Bro didn’t realize the [All Slots Taken] in the header

[DrPyspy]

9 minutes ago, TF_Doomer said:

Bro didn’t realize the [All Slots Taken] in the header

 

FUCK

 

Edited April 30 by DrPyspy

[97th Century Fox]

2 hours ago, DrPyspy said:

 

FUCK

 

I got two claimed spots, I could give you one. Exam period is approaching and freeing up my schedule seems like a good idea rn

[97th Century Fox]

I think I'll keep my slot for Aloy, since I got a pretty fleshed out idea for it, but I'll be giving up my slot for Mess, so if DrPyspy doesn't decide to take it it'll be available for the taking by someone else. Finals are a bit more than a month away and having two maps to make isn't smart at this time lol

[Gianluco]

Alright, I've fixed the major issues, can someone see if there's any issue with it?

Labyrinth.zip

Edited April 30 by Gianluco

[97th Century Fox]

26 minutes ago, Gianluco said:

Alright, I've fixed the major issues, can someone see if there's any issue with it?

Labyrinth.zip

Gave it a quick playtrhough, no technical issues so far. I'll gather my thoughts and comment in more detail when I can, tomorrow probably

 

[97th Century Fox]

12 hours ago, Gianluco said:

Alright, I've fixed the major issues, can someone see if there's any issue with it?

Labyrinth.zip

Okay, played it for the second time. The only technical problem I noticed is that there are some monster that are stuck in map geometry. Main example is that imp on the flesh mound in the arena with the exit hole. Basically, if you put a monster on a platform that is too small it will be stuck and won't attack.

With the technical stuff out of the way, I'd like to make some suggestions for the level design itself. The most glaring issue in my book is that the map feels monotonous. When every hallway and room have the same textures and overall look any excitement or desire for exploration go away quickly. I'd suggest that you take your time and make the whole map look more interesting. Mix it up with tighter and more open areas, make the rooms look like something else other than a square. Add height variations to the ceiling and floors. Make the place more connected to itself - add windows, balconies, that sort of thing. Detailing is also needed, but I suggest leaving that for when you finish the core design and enemy encounters.

Another thing I noticed is that the map has two exits. I completely missed the exit at the hole in the arena on my first playtrough, and it's honestly a weird spot to just put a random exit at. I'd place the exit in a spot that feels more climactic, and also I'd make it more clear that it's the exit. The exit signs at the hallway leading to it just felt confusing rather than giving any clear idea about what kind of exit I was approaching.

In regards to the combat, my main suggestion would be to take it easy on all the megaspheres and powerups, there's way too many. I would also suggest adding more teleporter/monster closet traps for sections that require backtracking, or adding more teleporters to make backtracking less of a necessity. One encounter I'd suggest redesigning is the cyberdemon room. I had plenty of supplies to take him out, so the crusher was an unnecessary addition.

Another thing is that I kept finding secrets without even meaning to, so putting some thought into those might be a good idea.

Overall, my main suggestion is to put your map back in the oven. It hasn't even been a month since this project was started and we got until September. Take your time, play some wads you like and see how they're built. Take some time to think about the kinds of encounters you could make in its setting and make it more interesting to traverse and play through. There's plenty of resources going over how you can make a good map so delving into those would be a good idea if you haven't already.

I really hope you give this map some more attention and turn it into something great! Good luck!

[Gianluco]

1 hour ago, 97th Century Fox said:

Okay, played it for the second time. The only technical problem I noticed is that there are some monster that are stuck in map geometry. Main example is that imp on the flesh mound in the arena with the exit hole. Basically, if you put a monster on a platform that is too small it will be stuck and won't attack.

With the technical stuff out of the way, I'd like to make some suggestions for the level design itself. The most glaring issue in my book is that the map feels monotonous. When every hallway and room have the same textures and overall look any excitement or desire for exploration go away quickly. I'd suggest that you take your time and make the whole map look more interesting. Mix it up with tighter and more open areas, make the rooms look like something else other than a square. Add height variations to the ceiling and floors. Make the place more connected to itself - add windows, balconies, that sort of thing. Detailing is also needed, but I suggest leaving that for when you finish the core design and enemy encounters.

Another thing I noticed is that the map has two exits. I completely missed the exit at the hole in the arena on my first playtrough, and it's honestly a weird spot to just put a random exit at. I'd place the exit in a spot that feels more climactic, and also I'd make it more clear that it's the exit. The exit signs at the hallway leading to it just felt confusing rather than giving any clear idea about what kind of exit I was approaching.

In regards to the combat, my main suggestion would be to take it easy on all the megaspheres and powerups, there's way too many. I would also suggest adding more teleporter/monster closet traps for sections that require backtracking, or adding more teleporters to make backtracking less of a necessity. One encounter I'd suggest redesigning is the cyberdemon room. I had plenty of supplies to take him out, so the crusher was an unnecessary addition.

Another thing is that I kept finding secrets without even meaning to, so putting some thought into those might be a good idea.

Overall, my main suggestion is to put your map back in the oven. It hasn't even been a month since this project was started and we got until September. Take your time, play some wads you like and see how they're built. Take some time to think about the kinds of encounters you could make in its setting and make it more interesting to traverse and play through. There's plenty of resources going over how you can make a good map so delving into those would be a good idea if you haven't already.

I really hope you give this map some more attention and turn it into something great! Good luck!

Thanks for the feedback! I'll try making the main exit more clear and maybe make some secrets harder to find (while also removing the more obvious ones). And, in my defense, the door with a thousand exit sign is supposed to be a fake exit. 

[97th Century Fox]

23 minutes ago, Gianluco said:

Thanks for the feedback! I'll try making the main exit more clear and maybe make some secrets harder to find (while also removing the more obvious ones). And, in my defense, the door with a thousand exit sign is supposed to be a fake exit. 

Oh right, I did like the fake exit

[97th Century Fox]

I've thought things through and I've decided that I'll be retracting my slots and leaving the project. Mapping while also being busy with college has been causing stress for me, and I've also run out of inspiration for the ideas I was gonna try out. So instead I'd rather focus on college and my own pursuits in mapping and art and leave my two slots open for someone else.

[Gianluco]

On 5/1/2024 at 7:10 PM, 97th Century Fox said:

I've thought things through and I've decided that I'll be retracting my slots and leaving the project. Mapping while also being busy with college has been causing stress for me, and I've also run out of inspiration for the ideas I was gonna try out. So instead I'd rather focus on college and my own pursuits in mapping and art and leave my two slots open for someone else.

Good luck and thanks for the help!

[Djoga]

I would like to take a slot for stingy if they are still free

Edited May 2 by Djoga

[NeedHealth]

@Yop

 

I'll take Glacial.

[Yop]

Just kind of checking in here to see if anyone has started their maps yet and who hasn't.
Been just over a month since project start, which is pretty cool, and please don't forget the deadline is on September 1st.

Edited May 15 by Yop

[JustAthel]

I have the start of an aesthetic for the map, just trying to piece together a layout for the map itself!

[DankMetal]

8 hours ago, Yop said:

Just kind of checking in here to see if anyone has started their maps yet and who hasn't.
Been just over a month since project start, which is pretty cool, and please don't forget the deadline is on September 1st.

I've been thinking on what to do and how to make my map feel "twisted" in one way or another.

That said, i have something to show. This is the midi i made for my map.

GRANDPIANO'S FUNERAL

Hope y'all like it.

[SirPootis]

9 hours ago, Yop said:

Just kind of checking in here to see if anyone has started their maps yet and who hasn't.
Been just over a month since project start, which is pretty cool, and please don't forget the deadline is on September 1st.

Currently in a bit of a creative block of sorts, mainly dealing with life stuff and whatnot. I am in the planning stages and generally drawing out what I want to do, and coming up with some encounter ideas and fun landmarks. What I do have is a tentative starting view of the map:

Spoiler

[VICE]

Btw, since it isn't taken yet, I'd like my map to be in slot 20.
The Atomic Number of Calcium :)