Are custom monsters okay?

[Za Warudo]

I was thinking of making a little 4 map wad with a lovecraftian influence and i wanted to use some realm 667 monsters(i want to modify their decorate file to change their attacks and other thing) but i want to know if using realm 667 resources is something looked down upon and just makes my wad look bad.Is it?If yes please tell me why.

[grommile]

If you use those resources intelligently in a way that makes your wad interesting to play, people will not complain. (Except people who specifically hate custom monsters or the kind of maps you've written, but haters gonna hate.)

[Fuzzball]

Use them for effect and to the benefit of the map- don't just throw in shitloads of EVERYTHING just because you can! :D

[DMPhobos]

they should do fine, as long as you just don't throw everything just for the sake of having more monsters

[HavoX]

Balance is key here... don't overdo it just because you like that monster so much! Also, some custom monsters blend in well with a certain theme, while others do not, so plan carefully.

[Memfis]

Just don't use monsters with shields.

[Voros]

Realm667 is a resource site, isn't it? That's the point of all those sprites up there: resources. There's nothing wrong with adding a little variety to a Doom map. Use whatever you wish, as long as there is a balance with the rest of the roster and guns.

And please don't do a Realm667 randomiser mashup wad. Please.

[printz]

If I'd add realm667 monsters, I'd take care to make them similar to the stock Doom 2 monsters, such as having simple attack patterns and not being too powerful, unless meant as bosses.

[Pencil of Doom]

As long said custom monster doesn't have a shield or is overpowered, it's fine, just don't go overboard with them.

[40oz]

Nothing objectively wrong with new monsters/weapons but in my personal experience I often find new monsters to be really off-putting. I don't want to argue with people about it, because I'm sure many people find new stuff to be cool and its not my place to shit on anyone's fun, but a part of my attraction to doom is that I've already established a deeply rooted understanding for the mechanics of the game and adjusting to new rules is not very appealing for me. Porsches and Corvettes are undeniably cool but I'm driving to a town I've never been in before, id rather just be in my jeep.

[Grain of Salt]

Memfis said:

Just don't use monsters with shields.

Use monsters with shields, though.

[baja blast rd.]

I like custom monsters, but slight changes to the existing stock monsters and projectiles without a sprite change are a dealbreaker for me.

[Deleted_Account]

Of course it's okay! It's your map do whatever you like.

[Maes]

Some of my best friends are custom monsters.

[Deleted_Account]

If you want to pit the player against 700 Segway Zombies from Realm667 then all the more power to you. Heck I would love to play a map like that, imagine being mowed down by zombies on Segways? IMO that's a very refreshing Doom experience.

[Fonze]

Piper Maru said:

If you want to pit the player against 700 Segway Zombies from Realm667 then all the more power to you. Heck I would love to play a map like that, imagine being mowed down by zombies on Segways? IMO that's a very refreshing Doom experience.

700 zombie segues, all transitioning between braains and motorsports? Sounds like a work of art.

[Chezza]

I generally love custom monsters as they add a new flavour to Doom. My only issue can be their difficulty and unpredictability which can be a turn off. And like a couple others said, it's how you use them. Chances are the Doom 2 monster arsenal is sufficient enough to fill all the roles a mapper needs but more mini and major Bosses are fun.

[baja blast rd.]

Add these fuckers for good measure.



A static picture probably won't allow you to predict how hilarious they are in-game.

Also this:

[roadworx]

hell yeah, of course they're okay! as a matter of fact, custom monsters can even improve your maps in many ways. do whatever you like - it is YOUR map, after all

[Spectre01]

rdwpa said:

Add these fuckers for good measure.
http://i.imgur.com/By5K12E.png

But how does a Zombieman hijack a Pig Cop's tank?

[Suitepee]

grommile said:

If you use those resources intelligently in a way that makes your wad interesting to play, people will not complain. (Except people who specifically hate custom monsters or the kind of maps you've written, but haters gonna hate.)

Pretty much this. I love seeing custom enemies in Doom wads, but only if they're used correctly.

[Yuki Senmatsu]

Of course it's ok to use :)

I've also edited some of the DECORATE scripts on some of them on my wads

[Combinebobnt]

yes

please use decorate, it's there for a reason. Even the boom mappacks can't help themselves from making new monsters with dehacked now. The traditional bestiary is getting a little stale...

Custom weapon mods still work with new monsters too, ++

[Arctangent]

Combinebobnt said:

Custom weapon mods still work with new monsters too, ++

This depends, actually. It's not actually uncommon for weapons to rely on custom pain and death states for the sake of some of their effects, and that requires replacing the monsters, meaning that custom monsters won't have those effects unless a compatibility patch is made.

[joe-ilya]

Yeah, sure, use Hdoom monsters.

[Voros]

joe-ilya said:

Yeah, sure, use Hdoom monsters.

I'm all up for this.

[floatRand]

Well, personally I like custom monsters in mods, but generally they clash with some gameplay mods.
If you do so, I'd like the mapper also to distribute a version without custom monsters. While this might break some encounter design, it probably makes it more replayable.

[kb1]

The types of monsters, their placement, and the shape of the battlefield are what makes fights interesting. Use whatever monsters and weapons you want, of course. Just remember the first sentence above, and make each battle interesting. Use a monster because of his abilities to enhance the battle in a way where they work with the other monsters in a balanced way. All of the above things should work together to create a cohesive whole, if you know what I mean.

Consider player's ammo, player cover if necessary, player escape routes, etc. Also consider that the monsters might infight, which may or may not be desired.

Doom is like a movie, and each battle is a scene in the movie. So, make the interactions interesting battle-wise, and visually, and you can't go wrong.

I think there's a tendency to make custom monsters too powerful, so take health and attack strength into account. Personally, my favorite custom monsters are the weaker ones - 500 hit points or less, cause it's fun to just mow through the weaker monsters.

Good luck - I want to see and play your map!

[Arctangent]

kb1 said:

500 hit points or less, cause it's fun to just mow through the weaker monsters.

I can't help but feel that this sort of contradicts the rest of your post. We already have the cacodemon for a monster that's not made of paper but still mostly exists for the satisfaction of killing it - the only real reason to really find another monster for that purpose is to make sure it can't just fly off somewhere, but the revenant can be used like that, anyway.

[DoctorGenesis]

As long as you do not use one of those really crappy ones that are recolored versions of the monsters BUT WITH DUAL ROCKET LAUNCHERS AND HIGH SPEED.