NOVA: The Birth - v1.1 release now on idGames!

[glenzinho]

This looks like fun! Since I haven't been around for a good 16 years or so I think I qualify as a newbie mapper... can I join in?

Just played Paul D's wad, lot of fun! Seriously your first level?? Hazard Facility s good too... gonna try Extorta Nova now.

[kildeth]

@Paul D - The new MIDI is a different, longer mix of 'She Is My Sin' by Nightwish which is the soundtrack both versions of the map use. I went for the longer version as the level itself seems longer to me now and I didn't want the soundtrack to loop over itself too many times.

@Glenzinho - Welcome. I'll put you on the signup list! =)

[cannonball]

This looks good, and I am definitely a newbie, I am currently doing a couple of maps which are almost finished, but I can definitely try and make a map for this.

[kildeth]

I'll sign you up too. Welcome aboard! :)

[Phobus]

I've got a major map to make for a big project by May 1st, so as I've been out of mapping for a few months I figured I'd make myself a warm-up map for this megaWAD first. Here's three images from my WIP:

http://i.imgur.com/7ATp2.png
http://i.imgur.com/HyX1G.png
http://i.imgur.com/WaEHQ.png

Nothing special and the first draft should be done by the end of tomorrow evening. I'll be able to act on feedback whilst working on said major map. I was going to go with something like "Phobus Anomaly" for the title, as this map doesn't feel like one of my own, to me.

[Phobus]

Double post, but it's kind of worth it:

Here's a monster-less alpha of "Phobus Anomaly" - it runs on MAP01, has no new music and barely any things, but is intended to be architecturally and visually complete. I intend to get the gameplay in after a couple of days, so any critique and testing of what I have so far would be helpful in the meantime. I'm planning for this to be a middling map for this project: short, but violent.

[kildeth]

Ok, since we're well overdue for this... here is the second Nova alpha, this time featuring SIX near-complete levels!!!

http://www.mediafire.com/?tspptoah4h415vo

MAP01 Hazard Facility
MAP02 Sewage Processing (unchanged from previous version)
MAP03 Paul D's Map (maybe call it 'Fortress'?)
MAP04 Suspend (unchanged from previous version)
MAP05 Warehouse District
MAP06 Extorta Nova

[glenzinho]

Just played, very impressed, MAP04 & MAP05 in particular are excellent! Just to be picky, DOORTRAK textures in MAP04 and in a few places in the earlier maps need to be upper & lower unpegged, and there's one lift in MAP04 that is unpegged that shouldn't be (looks very strange).

Don't know what to think about MAP06, doesn't feel like it belongs in this particular set....

My map will be about a month or two away after I've finished off some other stuff both Doom and real life related.

[Paul D]

Map 06 would logically be within another set of levels, given it is a hell level. I'd say it would make, within the logic of a doom wad, it would make a good first map to our "episode 3" type area.

It kinda doesn't fit in another way because of how detailed and fancy it is, whereas the rest of us were going for about equivalent to vanilla in terms of detail and design.

[kildeth]

Map 06 could potentially be a Map 30 as it is a big battle with a Romero head at the end and a death exit. I'm in the stages of making a potential Episode 3 opener (Sensorium) that will be large and elaborate by my standard (hence it is taking so long to build).

[PRIMEVAL]

I just finished a map. Originally started out for a megawad project, but I scrapped that. This was the starting map for it...very easy, especially compared to the current starting map X)

http://www.mediafire.com/?s241bzwleqe2tpk

Think this could be used? Called it "Outpost 3J" for now.

[Paul D]

kildeth said:

Map 06 could potentially be a Map 30 as it is a big battle with a Romero head at the end and a death exit.

Wow, maybe i had a problem then... I didn't ever encounter the romero head...

[fiend-o-hell]

Paul D said:

Map 06 would logically be within another set of levels, given it is a hell level. I'd say it would make, within the logic of a doom wad, it would make a good first map to our "episode 3" type area.

It kinda doesn't fit in another way because of how detailed and fancy it is, whereas the rest of us were going for about equivalent to vanilla in terms of detail and design.

Its just my style of mapping. I can't help being so detailed. On a side note, I made this map relatively quickly...I'd say around 12 hours. Like I mentioned before, the more detailed structures you see in map are prefabs borrowed from another project (which took a long ass time to make btw). Probably once the hell themed levels start dropping in, it'll start to look more appropriate.

If anything, I like kildeth's suggestion about making it map30. I did not put a Romero head in there, but I could alter the ending somehow to fit it in?

[kildeth]

@fiend-o-hell - Wait? You didn't put a Romero head in? I swear I saw one when I opened it up in the editor... it was at the end with the end level damaging floor.

I don't think converting it into a more archetypal Map 30 ending will be necessary. I've heard many Doomers say that they are sick of those and thus it's better if we do try something a little different. If we do come up with another good Map30 idea with a typical 'Icon of Sin' motif and a Romero head we can always make Extorta Nova Map 29 instead as a leadup.

Oh, and in the 6 level alpha I released I actually slightly edited Extorta Nova, as two deep slime pits weren't behaving as instant-death teleports like they should due to linedef errors so I fixed them all up. Just thought I would tell you.

@PRIMEVAL - Yep, this can be used. It's very easy so it'll probably replace Hazard Facility as the first map of the wad.

@Phobus - Sorry, I don't think anyone has yet commented on your alpha. I think it's very good. The timed exit door is particularly cunning. Well done!

[glenzinho]

I hate those instant death teleporters...

They're too close, you go to grab some health and if you're even just a millimetre close to the edge linedef you get teleported to death! Very frustrating and not good for gameplay... you need to create the lines around the outside of the ledge and set the teleport there. It's just too close!!!!!

Also, what's the go with the wall behind the first switch where there's nothing there and you can just see blood? Needs to be fixed as well.

[kildeth]

Hmm... Once we get ten near-complete maps I'm planning on releasing a third alpha. Before I do though I really feel tempted to perform some tweaks to some of the current maps based on constructive criticism and my own ideas in order to make everything look a little more polished. I'm not planning on going all-out like I am on Alwaysdoomed's map but I'm just wondering if this would be an alright thing to do. Some of the mappers have gone awol for the moment so it'll be hard to ask for permission from everyone, so should I just go ahead and do it and see what everyone thinks? Or is that poor conduct? If I do it'll be minor things like texture adjustment and maybe a few alterations where I think something doesn't look right, as well as a little item balancing and lighting adjustment, nothing overly major.

[Acid]

Don't know whether or not it was intentional, but in MAP02, it's possible to strafe run to the blue card, skipping the doors of monsters.

Edit: Run, not jump.

[Macro11_1]

Oh im still here >_>, I've just been concentrating on school... guess it does not help that I'm a lurker. I should have that map still around, hopefully finish it up during exam week, if not then the month after...

Do you even have a copy, I forget. Q_Q

[kildeth]

@Macro11_1 - Yes you have given us that level and it would be great if you could complete it for this project! No rush though, we're only about seven levels in so it's still early days in terms of getting everything together. What you've made so far looks pretty epic though.

[pcorf]

I downloaded the demo and thought all the maps were really good and nostalgic in many ways. And the music from MAP01-05 was great!

[kildeth]

@pcorf - Thanks! All the musical scores except for the MAP06 one were a group of Nightwish MIDIs I found via musicrobot.

[Paul D]

I think if we are keeping the same level order you have loosely outlined, then I need to either make my level harder and have it appear later on, or take away the plasma rifle and/or super shotgun. I'll use the opportunity to maybe add some more decorative details, maybe expand the exit room and add another area at the end, and tweak the difficulty.

I think that having well-paced weapon introduction is very important in a megawad and my map currently does kind of a bad thing by giving the player pretty much everything except the BFG.

By the way, I liked the music you put for my map kildeth.

[kildeth]

@Paul D - Sounds like a good idea. The music I chose for your track is a midi version of 'Dead Boy's Poem' by Nightwish if you're curious. I thought it fit quite well.

[Phobus]

Phobus Anomaly Release Candidate 1 - same link as last time. It has difficulty modes, co-op and a MIDI version of Soul Calibur II's "Hellfire" track. I've included a text file for full credits information (I used my template text file for /idgames uploads, so there's a ton of unnecessary stuff in there I'd imagine). I've tested it myself - I can beat it on UV taking a few random routes and avoiding the secrets.

Feedback would be appreciated, else we'll call it a final version :P

When I'm next taking a break from Back to Saturn X mapping I'll test out the 6 map alpha you've got up and give you some (hopefully) constructive criticism

[kildeth]

@Phobus - I gave your map a quick playthrough and everything seems to be in working order. I have no problem with Candidate 1 being a final release unless someone else has issues with it.

[Phobus]

Glad to hear it :)

EDIT: Just did a test on lower difficulties and noticed that I'd flagged the exit room decorations to only appear on multiplayer :( I've fixed this and updated the .zip file - same link again.

[DELETE-THIS-ACCOUNT]

I'm still around btw, just concentrating on other things at the moment. I may or may not add more maps to this project.

[pcorf]

kildeth said:

@pcorf - Thanks! All the musical scores except for the MAP06 one were a group of Nightwish MIDIs I found via musicrobot.

Yeah the music from MAP01-05 was original and very good. The MAP06 song is good but I've heard it in other releases in the past.

Had fun playing these 6 levels as I said before.

[fiend-o-hell]

kildeth said:

@fiend-o-hell - Wait? You didn't put a Romero head in? I swear I saw one when I opened it up in the editor... it was at the end with the end level damaging floor.

I don't think converting it into a more archetypal Map 30 ending will be necessary. I've heard many Doomers say that they are sick of those and thus it's better if we do try something a little different. If we do come up with another good Map30 idea with a typical 'Icon of Sin' motif and a Romero head we can always make Extorta Nova Map 29 instead as a leadup.

Oh, and in the 6 level alpha I released I actually slightly edited Extorta Nova, as two deep slime pits weren't behaving as instant-death teleports like they should due to linedef errors so I fixed them all up. Just thought I would tell you.

Your totally right on that kildeth, there IS a Romero head in there. I forgot about how I ended the map **. I think the ending is broken though, since the exploding barrels at the end block the player from teleporting and thus prevents the level from ending. I'll get around to fixing that among other things by the end of this week hopefully. I'll work from your version.

Anyways, I see more maps have been included and/or updated, so I'll check those out too very soon!

@pcorf: I havn't heard the tracks the other maps are using in this project, but kildeth is certainly welcome to change it out if it helps unite the maps a little better. I was just using it as a memfis scrap carryover.

[Arjak]

I'm back! And I present to all of you a new version of Sewage Processing; sorry it took so long...

http://www.mediafire.com/?1lkb41y4ivxc97i