DTWID: Project is done, check the release thread

[Devalaous]

Romero said:

We just picked texture sets that we liked for our own levels. There wasn't an overriding art direction for them.

I always see Episode 4 as a castle episode, with an abundance of green marble, with the occasional caves and canyons. The most obvious cave being your own E4M2, leading up to a castleish area :p

(Side note: I can hardly believe who I just replied to. I have an old Doom 2 Prima guide with an interview with you in it, with the very same speech style, and a Gameinfomer with a mini-article on you...although it focuses on Daikatana and not Doom sadly. Anyway, thanks for your posts, my day has been made)

[Marnetmar]

I got a question for ya, John. How did you go about designing levels exactly? Did you plan them out on paper and move them to the editor, get a picture in your head and develop a map on that, or something else? Also, thanks for being a part of my favorite FPS series!

[hervoheebo]

If I recall correctly, the id guys just made up stuff as they went along. There was no clear plan of a level made beforehand.

[Romero]

In the game industry, a post-mortem is a talk given after the shipping of a game that talks about the development of the game.

[ellmo]

Romero said:

In the game industry, a post-mortem is a talk given after the shipping of a game that talks about the development of the game.

So you're not cutting dead bodies open? Somehow I'm disappointed.

Now I wonder how this term came to be.

[ArchitectofHell]

Romero said:

We just picked texture sets that we liked for our own levels. There wasn't an overriding art direction for them.

That's interesting. No rules underpinning the texture choice, other than a basic overall concept for the episode?

[ellmo]

ArchitectofHell said:

That's interesting. No rules underpinning the texture choice, other than a basic overall concept for the episode?

How's that surprising? I find it perfectly normal - you have an idea, you make it so with the resources at hand. The only thing that limits the number of textures used - is your own taste... unless you're Sandy Petersen and you're doing a map for "the shores of hell" ;D

[ArchitectofHell]

I second Marnetmars's question about your mapping process. What was your approach: did you sketch it out, then open the editor? Did you just start with a general concept in mind?

Did you finish the layout first and then fill it in with monsters and items, or...?

[Reisal]

hervoheebo said:

If I recall correctly, the id guys just made up stuff as they went along. There was no clear plan of a level made beforehand.

That's exactly how I map..I make shit up on the go as I create Doom levels.

[Hellbent]

[NaturalTvventy]

I'd rather hear Romero's opinion on completed or in-progress levels, as screenshots can be very deceiving, either good or bad.

NT

[Marnetmar]

NaturalTvventy said:

I'd rather hear Romero's opinion on completed or in-progress levels, as screenshots can be very deceiving, either good or bad.

NT

Screenshots can be extremely deceiving. The average instinct is to go to the most appealing area possible and take a screenie and then leave the player thinking "WTF is this shit?" When he/she actually plays it.

[Phobus]

ellmo said:

Now I wonder how this term came to be.

From the guest lectures I've had, it's because once a game is on the shelf, its usually dead as far as the developers are concerned. Maybe there'll be a bugfix patch or two, and perhaps an expansion pack (which tend to be considered different objects anyway) but that's it. Time to (maybe) have a break, see how the sales go, see what lessons were learnt, then move on to the next project.

[ellmo]

Phobus said:

From the guest lectures I've had, it's because once a game is on the shelf, its usually dead as far as the developers are concerned. Maybe there'll be a bugfix patch or two, and perhaps an expansion pack (which tend to be considered different objects anyway) but that's it. Time to (maybe) have a break, see how the sales go, see what lessons were learnt, then move on to the next project.

That's exactly the reference I was thinking about. I'm a web developer myself, and web applications are so much different - basically they're never finished nor dead.

[Antroid]

I've got nothing really constructive to say here, other than i'm liking this project and the screenshots. I was just reading the "original thread" linked in the first post (and was going to read this one more thoroughly, not just look at the pictures), and i saw this:

Hellbent said:

In light of Antroid's rant on doom projects straying too far from original Doom style maps, I felt inspired to give this project another try! Rereading my original post I still think it's a good idea.

Whoa! 8-0
Of course there are my own posts there after that, showing that i just forgot and that i had read the thread before, but still.
Did the project die and resurrect again after that, or can i consider myself to be the vital force that rejuvenated it? Not for bragging rights or anything, it'd just be neat! It's a very interesting project and the threads are interesting too, seeing as all i've ever been mapping for Doom is a reimagining of the originals that was originally aiming to convey the experience i had with doom as a kid.

[Hellbent]

The project did have a couple of false starts. I think I first tried to get it going in 2008. I'm not sure if after I posted that if the project went forward without any further setbacks or not; but clearly your rant was a major impetus for me to feel that the project was a worthwhile concept and worth the effort to get it going again. ;)

[General Rainbow Bacon]

Sheol's Spiraling Descent almost final layout:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

The giant staircase is going to go all the way down to that big pentagram.

[Hellbent]

Very cool layout. maybe a bit vertex heavy. The bottom passageway is VERY long--that's more an observation than a judgment. I'd have to play it to know if it works or not. But generally long-linear passageways (ones without anything connecting off of them) are a no no.

Mr. Chris: I'll put the version of your map with my exit in the alpha i am resolved to have done today.

[General Rainbow Bacon]

There is a reason for the long staircase. And I made it get progressively darker to add tension. It hopefully won't be tedious when you play it.

[hervoheebo]

Since nobody answered my question, I took the liberty of making the map anyways. It's kind of a House of Pain/Unholy Cathedral style mix, screens http://i56.tinypic.com/10h0q5t.png + link to early pre-release demo alpha v 0.1 (no enemies): http://www.mediafire.com/?hch1fb9ggghh6c9

Tell if you like it or don't, and how much to scrap and rebuild.

[Marcaek]

I'll give it a run. BTW, DDVU was excellent <3

I'm going to start an E3 map, screw the new comp.

EDIT:Played it, it's excellent. The corner crusher seems a little extraneous though, like it's scenery rather than a hazard. A bit short too considering the slot, although that might be because of the lack of enemies :P

[Mr. Freeze]

John, do you know the exact song you mentioned before? I'm doing the music, and I'd love to find the original E3M6 song, fix it, and put it in the map.

So far, I've remixed the "Big Gun" song, the "We Die Young" song, and the "Sex Type Thing" song if that helps.

[Hellbent]

hervoheebo said:

What map slots are available. I might have some time and will for this after all..

Sorry I missed your post! You picked a good map slot. E2 has the most representation so far. Late E1 maps are needed as well. I don't think we need anymore E2 maps at the moment.

[Dragonsbrethren]

Mr. Freeze said:

John, do you know the exact song you mentioned before? I'm doing the music, and I'd love to find the original E3M6 song, fix it, and put it in the map.

un36

[C30N9]

hervoohepo: Nice map!, the looks was hellish. Although because it's small, I think it fits E3M2, the yellow key room was cool but, i think it looked PWADy a little, however don't change it yet, you should hear others because i'm not wise! The marks near the 2 exit doors was OK, but i think it's better to mark the first one with red on both sides, behind it another two lines textured with yellow skull. And the exit shouldn't be 128 square size, just one vis-plane.

[ellmo]

I think I'm finished with my map. Since it's a complete (or almost complete) product, with gameplay and everything, I want to link it only to people contributing for this project rather than release it publicly.

Do you guys have access to Hellbent's account (like he wrote he'd give you in the original post)? I'm thinking about PMing the link to the wad to him, and you can just download it from there - or if it is invading Hellbent's privacy - is there a way to PM a group of people?

[Hellbent]

I never went through with the edit my account thing because I didn't want to PM each individual in this project my account info. (there isn't a group PM option). I am putting together the alpha right now. If you PM me the level, I'll put it into the alpha which I would post a link to in the thread to be publicly downloadable. Maybe the alpha shouldn't be publicly available, tho, in which case we could set up group email so that we can email the members in the thread only since DW forum code won't let us do group PMs. If everyone on the list of mappers wants to PM me their email address, I can then send wads to everyone on the list of mappers that people don't want accessible to the general public. Sound good?

[Reisal]

Consider my slots for E2M4 and possibly E2M1 occupied.

[C30N9]

Hellbent said:

I never went through with the edit my account thing because I didn't want to PM each individual in this project my account info. (there isn't a group PM option). I am putting together the alpha right now. If you PM me the level, I'll put it into the alpha which I would post a link to in the thread to be publicly downloadable. Maybe the alpha shouldn't be publicly available, tho, in which case we could set up group email so that we can email the members in the thread only since DW forum code won't let us do group PMs. If everyone on the list of mappers wants to PM me their email address, I can then send wads to everyone on the list of mappers that people don't want accessible to the general public. Sound good?

Does my E2 map has a time or chance, I completed Layout. It may occupies E2M2 or E2M3.

[C30N9]

There is something funny about my map, I tried to put monsters, the total was only 46 on UV! Is it OK or no?

EDIT: I increased it to 63