What has influenced your wads, excluding other wads?

[Soundblock]

In the spirit of threads like this, what (if any) are and/or have been your Doom wad authorship influences, OTHER than other wads? Games, films, books, real life locations, architecture styles, etc?

I'll have to chip in heavily with pen and paper D&D, as running several campaigns in the medieval fantasy d20 setting got me drawing up and imagining plenty of 3D spaces on grid paper long before I owned a computer capable of realizing them. Many of my Doom wads (bloodsea.wad, timegate.wad, plasmaplant.wad) were drawn up on grid paper in some form before I tried implementing them in DEU/DETH, though there are many exceptions (teeth.wad, watchtwr.wad) which were drawn directly into DEU...

[SuperCupcakeTactics]

A lot of colorful old gamessss

Edited May 22, 2018 by SuperCupcakeTactics

[Phobus]

I think like most people I've had a misguided attempt at mapping out my school (some 14 years ago now) - judging from the map, I very quickly decided it was a pointless effort and made something oversized and considerably less complex. I've had similar temporary ambitions when seeing various buildings or rooms - even simple things like

I've definitely taken concepts whole from Mario 64 in my ZDoom maps - the Christmas-themed "Twisted Joke" in particular has a ski-slope section entirely because of those races you do against the giant penguin. The first section of "For the Hell of it" in ZPack was basically me recreating StarWing (StarFox to most of the rest of the world) in Doom with a conveyor belt. Likewise "Virus" was heavily inspired by Forsaken and StarWing. As I mentioned in this post, I'm really only in mapping now thanks to Hank Leukart's Hacker's Guide to Doom and the discovery of a Doom community existing.

I'm also often inspired by community project concepts or random posts on these forums, although I don't always follow through on those ambitions. I think the most unexpected inspiration I've ever had was ages ago on the ZDoom forums when I joked about the impossibility of making a crater base on a gas giant and how, following the example of Neith that wouldn't stop the UAC doing it. I'd still like to make that GZDoom map one day, as I've carried the mental image of what I'd create around with me ever since.

[scifista42]

Phobus said:

random posts on these forums

This.

[Impie]

I get it from pretty much everywhere, often totally non-Doom-related stuff. My first map, Gwangi's Palace, was inspired by the Valley of Gwangi, a stopmotion monster flick. A couple others were based on Mighty Max scenarios that I thought would make good video game levels. Sometimes I just get to thinking a particular game would be a lot of fun as a 3d shooter.

I based Strange Aeons on two things: my first attempt at designing a Doom clone way back in elementary school, and H P Lovecraft's "The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath."

[Soundblock]

Just realised that John Romero also sketched out portions of some of his Doom maps. Check Brenda Romero's 1st of July Facebook update:

http://on.fb.me/1IF4MXu

[gaspe]

I was about to open a similar thread.
Mainly other games. In particular Unreal and the Tomb Raider serie. These games have a lot of atmosphere and exploration in their levels, which are aspects that I give a lot of emphasis in my maps. Or at least I try to do it.
For some levels I took inspiration from dreams I had.
I also look at real life locations, but I don't strive to much to replicate them perfectly. I change things to suit the Doom engine limitations and the things I want to do in the level. and I like more to make them differently and give to them a particular vibe.

[BaronOfStuff]

Various sources such as my old schools and workplaces, but most of my early layouts and approaches to map progression were heavily-inspired by locations in the first three Resident Evil games.

These days it's all a case of fuck-knows-what (Pac-Man maze for Christ's sake), although some of those RE locations do still make it easier to overcome any sudden blocks when mapping.

[Chezza]

Many sources if I dig deep enough.

Unreal, Alien Vs Predator (game), Quake, Doom 3 (if that counts) and to some extent old school horror movies like Hell Razor. But honestly its playing other Doom Wads that often inspire me to try a new aesthetic.

*EDIT* Crusader: No Remorse is actually a major influence.

[FireFish]

-> my own preferences, which one might call somebody his style .
-> The sense of being free enough in maps but while having a damn clear goal and path...
-> Quake with its rusting metal, old wood, rock faced fantasy caverns.

[Darch]

Shadow of The Colossus
Diablo II
Bully
Monkey Island
Ghosts and Goblins
Legend of Zelda
Super Mario World
Outlaws

[Impie]

BaronOfStuff said:

Various sources such as my old schools and workplaces, but most of my early layouts and approaches to map progression were heavily-inspired by locations in the first three Resident Evil games.

Were you the one who was making that accurate Doom rendition of the RE1 mansion, by chance? or was that someone else? I was looking forward to that one and it never came out that I'm aware of.

[BaronOfStuff]

Impie said:

Were you the one who was making that accurate Doom rendition of the RE1 mansion, by chance? or was that someone else? I was looking forward to that one and it never came out that I'm aware of.

That would have been someone else; I did make the RE1 mansion way back in 2004 though, as an excuse to experiment with Legacy's 3D floors.