1994 tune-up challenge (*updated /idgames link*)

[maggot202]

Snarboo said:

I'm extending the deadline to next Saturday. This should give you guys enough time to complete your maps. Please turn them in ASAP! :)

I'll try to finish it, boss. If i cannot, i trust it would be acceptable to turn in a half baked map (like malinku did) but with all the monsters and thing in their final places? (obviously, to try and cheat myself some more time to complete the map)

[Dragonsbrethren]

Snarboo said:

Sorry about that, I'll update the first post.

Mine needs to be added too.

MajorRawne said:

I really want to be part of this project but I think improving on someone else's map when I haven't actually released one of my own was aiming too high... I'm tearing my hair out over what other members might think are simple things... anyone available to help me?

What do you need help with? I've been mapping for years, but haven't actually finished anything outside of a few DM maps to play with friends. That's mainly the reason I signed up for this project, I had been wanting to release something for a long time now, but could never finish my maps to a level I was happy with. This project let me take a layout that was already strong and apply everything I knew to it.

[Super Jamie]

MajorRawne said:

I really want to be part of this project but I think improving on someone else's map when I haven't actually released one of my own was aiming too high... I'm tearing my hair out over what other members might think are simple things... anyone available to help me?

If you look a few pages back, I did testing with screenshots for the first half of the maps that were untested, and ranted about how great some efforts were. Some people have totally transformed levels into epic adventures, some people have just tidied up the rubbish old-school texturing and added more modern limit-removing detailing. People have posted alot of before/after shots of their maps too. All the submitted maps and their originals are in the first post if you want to play for yourself.

[40oz]

I'm not gonna lie MajorRawne, making a good map out of a 1994 map was no easy task. In fact, I find it much easier to make a new map entirely from scratch.

[Snarboo]

It can be difficult to take an existing map and make it better without compromising the map, but it can be done. I've been blown away by all the submissions this project has gotten. Don't worry if this is your first map, my map was the second released map I've worked on. :)

[traversd]

Some testing of Rf_wet.

Not a full test yet. Need to give it a few more play-throughs and look over.

Holy hell Rf you have gone nuts on this :o) Awesome effort. I played through the original first then yours and it was really cool to see how you re-invented and some of the areas. I particularly liked the re-invent of the area leading to the blue key and the hellish areas on the far east, far west and south areas of the map.

The map plays a lot longer now with the additional monsters, even with the additional firepower.

Some things I noted were:

The ceil5_2 bordering on the stairs at the start. Perhaps shrink it down to 8 or 4 units. Because of it's width when you look down it the stairs seem brown but really they are orange --> http://t.underworldgamers.com/wp-content/uploads/rf_wet2.jpg

When I collected the chainsaw not far from the start I could hear the monster closet that is used much later in the map (mainly the arachnotron). Perhaps move it further away? --> http://t.underworldgamers.com/wp-content/uploads/rf_wet3.jpg

This section here (between the two areas that reveal) feels like it needs to be scaled up a bit. and some of the columns need impass or block monster flags --> http://t.underworldgamers.com/wp-content/uploads/rf_wet5.jpg

Because of the previous section having lots of ammo pickups and guys that drop ammo here I could retreat and "fish in a barrel" the ambush. Maybe duplicate the hallway with columns in the middle and have the ambush appear at each end of the "L" shape once the player reaches the corner/elbow? -->http://t.underworldgamers.com/wp-content/uploads/rf_wet7.jpg

This baron is in plain sight when the player gets to this point so can retreat and pick him off. perhaps create a floor recess to the left of the door (raise it in the same manner as when you raise the floor in the previous room - so it activates once the player is in the room. Also if the AV can hear once the floor drops it would makes things interesting as I could see it and bfg it easily after I had dealt with the LS and PE's. --> http://t.underworldgamers.com/wp-content/uploads/rf_wet1.jpg

I'm not sure if I'm sold on the cyber being were it is. In the end it's movement is pretty limited and at that point I found myself just looking to gtfo as I had the last key for the exit. Perhaps if the area in pic5 was enlarged there would be enough columns for cover to replace the manc with the CD... it's a bit earlier in the piece but maybe an option. or perhaps if the "L" hall was duplicated you could remove the ambush and simply put a CD at the elbow for the player to get past.

Sweet effort Rf lots of really nice detailing and architecture. I found myself taking note of a lot of your style for my own future reference :o)

All the best
Travers

[traversd]

MajorRawne said:

I really want to be part of this project but I think improving on someone else's map when I haven't actually released one of my own was aiming too high... I'm tearing my hair out over what other members might think are simple things... anyone available to help me?

It's all in good fun MR so if you're going to get some enjoyment out of hacking away at a pre-made map for the next few days, go for it. What the others have said is very true. I'd recommend looking for a smaller map so you don't feel overwhelmed in having to fill up lots of space with stuff. I'm amazed at some of the efforts the other guys have done with big maps as a base. I picked the smallest maps I could find on purpose! *L*

If anything have a go, if it doesn't get done in time, no biggie. You'll probably learn quicker off a pre-made map. plus definitely check out some of the tune-ups for inspiration as SJ said. I certainly have.

Travers

[Walter confetti]

yo crew. sorry for long missing here, but i've got few connection problems.... btw map is uhhh... still on work

[GreyGhost]

I'm having one of my infamous last-minute bursts of activity and (barring distractions) should have most of the structural changes in place by Saturday.

[MajorRawne]

Thank you for the reassurances everyone. I have played a few of the revised maps and have been impressed by all of them (even though I couldn't find the blue key in Undersea lol).

I think that my map does stand up ok but still needs a lot of work. I'm going to submit the unfinished version tomorrow just so I don't get kicked out of the project then spend a couple of days seriously working on it.

There are tons of things I need help with when mapping in general -- I have no knowledge of scripts, MAPINFO lumps etc, I can import new skies but the image repeats with thick black gaps between each image... basically I've got to learn an entire new set of skills :D

[MajorRawne]

Latest updates for my wad, Woodhalls 2010:

BEFORE



AFTER





Map is still work in progress. Added new monsters, a redecorated main hall, more secrets, more traps, doors that won't close meaning there are no barriers if you choose to flee rather than fight. Still more to be done. Got rid of the dead players encountered in the map - uugh, they look so cheesy. Replaced em with ripped up corpses.

Bet the original author never dreamed someone would still be playing and enjoying his map 16 years later!

[chexwarrior]

I'd say your screens look pretty damn good, maybe you could add something to those blank wooden walls though.

[Snarboo]

I'm going to have to remove my entry for Brain & Craig Spark's map 5. I haven't bothered to work on it and I don't think I have the time to, but we'll see.

[ArmouredBlood]

@ majorrawne; looks good. I was gonna say the ceiling over the carpet looks weird so bright but just barely noticed that it was sky. Makes more sense now.

And uhh ... I'll see what I can do about my maps, as I've let em sit for a while ...

[ArmouredBlood]

Some minor changes to Elements. Don't think I'll do more on this one.
http://wadhost.fathax.com/files/ElementsR1.zip

[GreyGhost]

MajorRawne said:

There are tons of things I need help with when mapping in general -- I have no knowledge of scripts, MAPINFO lumps etc, I can import new skies but the image repeats with thick black gaps between each image... basically I've got to learn an entire new set of skills :D

Scripting isn't required for this project but worth learning. Sounds like your sky texture has odd dimensions, can you upload a copy of it somewhere?

[MajorRawne]

Hi everyone, thanks for the feedback. This will be my first released map :)

I have had some ideas to change the way the map looks, and I'm going to get a few hours in tonight. You should see the maze area, it's a real horror of wood and rectangles lol, but not for long!

This is the original size sky texture which I got from a free texture/picture website. I have tried resizing to 128x256, 256x256 and also adding it into XWE at its full size. I get the same problem each time. Ironically the first time I ever tried to insert a sky texture it worked perfectly but the texture itself wasn't suitable.



EDIT: If people like this texture they are free to use it themselves, the website I got it from places no restrictions on their use.

[GreyGhost]

Looks nice BUT the texture dimensions are all wrong. Here's a nice starry sky you might like.

[MajorRawne]

Thanks, just tried it and it looks really good. As you enter the main hall, you can see an evil-looking red star glaring down at you. It couldn't have been a more perfect coincidence :D

How do I "embed" the new music and the new sky into RAWNWOOD.WAD, so that it all works together without me having to run it through Doom Builder?

EDIT: Right here is my map submission WITHOUT its new sky and new music.

Note that in this version, only the start area and main hall have been modified. Basically I need someone to clip to the outside area at the beginning and tell me how the hell I can make it look like this area is built onto the outside of a very tall building, cos I am getting myself confused!

Sorry to spam the forum with all these questions and requests for help -- I have basically had to learn how to do all this stuff in less than a week!!

http://files.drdteam.org/index.php/files/get/ZsWXZwLyin/rawnwood.zip

[Snarboo]

Quick question MajorRawne: how did you add the sky? Are you replacing the default skies or using the special Boom transfer special? If you're replaced one of the default skies, don't worry, that can be fixed when we start bug testing, I'm just curious.

[MajorRawne]

Well it was a week ago when I last did it. I quickly tried cropping and resizing the textures using the MSOffice Picture Viewer. Then I saved it into my Doom2 folder as "RSKY1.jpg".

After that, IIRC, I used XWE to save RSKY1.jpg into a backup copy of DOOM2.wad which I called DOOM2BKP.wad.

In Doom Builder, whenever I tested my map, I used DOOM2BKP.WAD as a resource wad.

I think that's what I did.

EDIT: More shots:

BEFORE


AFTER

[Snarboo]

Alright guys, today is the last day to turn in your maps as they are now. Don't worry if they are not finished, I just want them submitted for testing.

After all maps are submitted, I will try and compile all the maps into one wad for testing. From there, we have until August 1st to finish bug squashing and enhancements. I hope we can finish the maps before then, but that should account for absences and people being busy.

[GreyGhost]

Me worry? Never! ;-)

Here's my very incomplete map, still fussing over the lighting and how to make parts of the building look like they've been bombed. It contains some Doom 1 textures and currently replaces Map01.

MajorRawne said:

How do I "embed" the new music and the new sky into RAWNWOOD.WAD, so that it all works together without me having to run it through Doom Builder?

The sky's easy - open your map in DB2 and (using Save Map Into) save it into a copy of NITESKY2.WAD, which you can then rename. The music's best inserted using SLumpEd or XWE then renamed to match the map slot - for Map01 it's d_runnin.

[MajorRawne]

Snarboo - The link to my (highly unfinished) map is in my earlier post.

GreyGhost - Thanks, I'll get onto that now.

[maggot202]

Snarboo said:

Alright guys, today is the last day to turn in your maps as they are now. Don't worry if they are not finished, I just want them submitted for testing.

After all maps are submitted, I will try and compile all the maps into one wad for testing. From there, we have until August 1st to finish bug squashing and enhancements. I hope we can finish the maps before then, but that should account for absences and people being busy.

In a few more hours, i'll turn the beta version of comcon. I hope this is acceptable?

[Solarn]

Haven't I turned in my incomplete version of Brian and Craig Sparks Map 3 already?

[Snarboo]

maggot202 said:

In a few more hours, i'll turn the beta version of comcon. I hope this is acceptable?

That's fine.

@Solarn: If you did I don't have a link to it. If you can, would you mind reuploading it?

[Solarn]

Here it is: http://www.sendspace.com/file/vhj2fv

[maggot202]

Finally!
I've finished the first version of COMCON, I hope you like it:
http://www.cec.uchile.cl/~nilopez/comcon/comcon.zip

I've tested it with prboom-plus 2.5.0.6 and everything seems to be working fine. Now, i'll go for some well earned shut-eye.

[Snarboo]

Alright, I'm glad to see most of the maps have been submitted. I'm going to leave a 24 hour window open for stragglers, so don't be afraid to submit! On Monday, I'm going to delete the unsubmitted maps from the roster and begin compiling the wad together. From there, testing should begin.