Level flow idea - You'll like this!

[deadnail]

I'll try to stay focused on one topic here. I know I have a bad habit of spewing all of my thoughts into one post.

Okay, anyone here ever get sick of having to take exactly the same course through all of the Doom and Quake games? Doesn't make much sense, does it? How there's only one door in and one door out really?

Here's my thought, and I lift it directly from the shooter game G Darius for Playstation.

You start at level A. When you finish it, you have a choice between B or C. Pick one. From B you have a choice between D or E. From C you have a choice between E or F. See? It's like a triangle and you start at one point, and you must pick a path through to the broad end.

I would love the hell out of this. I would greatly increase replay value because you could make up several different paths. Plus, different areas could have different motifs as well. You start in a city, then choose industrial area or residential. Taking the example right from G Darius you end up with 5 possible final areas, each with a separate theme, boss, and ending.

Every letter could just be three or four levels. Level naming would be easy too.

eCm3 or e3m3
eZm2 or e26m2

Perhaps this would just be too many damn levels, but I realize the game won't be out for at least another two years so maybe level editing will make some advances too, heheh. :)

BTW, if you reply to this, PLEASE use an original message title and no more of the RE: bullshit!

[DiSTuRBeD]

Hmm, good idea, but i'd like it better if you had a really big area where you could travel around with different means (teleporters, trains.....) and have to go to that and that place to get things etc, like in diablo2.

[Guest Street]

Well I like the Idea.
Doom did sometimes have more then one way out..
and I guess I am sick of the fact in every game since you only have one way out.

anyhow I think its a decent Idea.. but lets not make it in to an RPG now.

I love RPG's but not sure I'd want doom to become one.

[sirgalahadwizar]

...or possibly hubs?, Multiple exits are a really good idea but I don't think the game should be designed around going back and forth like quake 2 or hexen did. Maybe only one or two parts of the game should have a back-forth pace, the rest would just have multiple choices, and when you beat one episode (if they even have that distigushment) you should carry all your crap to the next episode. Like the semi-hub system quake 1 had.
I can envision a circular room with 5 red wormhole gate type things that choose the episode and another complex after that that chooses difficulty.

*A command & conquer style game I came up with (on paper and ideas, no TC or mod for those games) had a multiple level type system... If you didn't beat the map with reasonable success you still go on, but your future will be a little dimmer. Maybe you destroyed the missile carrier but most of your base was destroyed too so now you must make another mission to aqquire some supplies to replace the ones you lost - or do without some heavy firepower you would have gotten otherwise if it was a complete success.

[Guest Kaopectate]

I believe I did mention something about Hexen like levels a few posts down...Anyway, hubs would be good...But I don't really believe that DooM 3 should be in episodes, it leads you to expect that the basic theme will be different and that's hard to do. I think that it should stick to the MAPXX theme of Doom2...I liked that...

[deadnail]

DiSTuRBeD said:

Hmm, good idea, but i'd like it better if you had a really big area where you could travel around with different means (teleporters, trains.....) and have to go to that and that place to get things etc, like in diablo2.

Funny joke.


Anyways, apparantly what I envisioned wasn't totally explained. Lemme try again.

------------G
--------D--|
----B--|----H
A--|----E--|
----C--|----I
--------F--|
------------J

I doubt that showed up right, but anyways, let's say that level 'A' is a two or three level episode that basically plays like an episode of Doom. However, there are several paths you can take through it and two exits, both pretty far away from each other. One exit would take you to B, the other would take you to C. You can see how this progresses.

It would take several replays to get completely through the game and make sure you've seen every level. This isn't even counting the secret levels!

Did that help? I never meant that you had to go back and forth like in Hexen (waaay too much shit to go through to just flip a damn switch!). I just meant that there are several paths through the game you can take, and each one will lead you on a different course than another.


Another thing that Doom 3 needs that's been too lacking as of late, an AUTOMAP. Don't give me the bullshit line that 3D games can't have one either, Carmack, what about Descent?

[Linguica]

Kaopectate said:

I believe I did mention something about Hexen like levels a few posts down...Anyway, hubs would be good...But I don't really believe that DooM 3 should be in episodes, it leads you to expect that the basic theme will be different and that's hard to do. I think that it should stick to the MAPXX theme of Doom2...I liked that...

Doom 3 won't have hubs. Carmack hates hubs. He said that they did hubs for Quake 2 and he wasn't sure it was even worth the effort.

[Guest Street]

deadnail said:

I like hidden levels.
but not like your saying.

I like it to be at special levels. there is another way out etc.

but I wouldn't like it to be till at least the 3rd level.

I think DOOM had good levels the way it was..

I don't think we need to change a whole lot of DOOM.
Add some jumping, new graphics, new engin, 3d, ducking, swiming etc.
and it would be nice to have cinema in it but.... ahhh we got to realise this is DOOM. Its got to be able to keep the orignal fans happy as well as they keep everyone else happy.

hell I still declair DOOM one of my favoirt games no matter what games come out.

I love the monsters, I love the level designs. I never liked Duke 3d more.. DOOM just has better and cooler bad guys.

either way don't like hubbs inless its at a special time.

[deadnail]

I hate hubs.

All I want is the game to feel linear while at the same time giving me around four or five different paths through to the end.

It just shouldn't be the damn same every time you play. Same level flow, just more than one exit each leading to a different level; no returning like always.

I liked Duke3D more because it had much higher playability. I really liked the quick kick, weapon functionality, and I also really liked the level design.

Oops, I said I liked Duke3D.

Guess now half of you guys in green jumpsuits with the belly cut open are going to come to my house tonight and sacrifice me to a chant that says, "I would blow Carmack for Doom 3 free" backwards. 8)

Oh well.

[Jeremy]

Well, it should stay the same. But I really like DooM{1} where you select the episode. That makes it easier because you can beat the level in sections. But everyone has there own opinions, but remember, we cant stop id from doing it however they want it!