The Terraces [major update Feb '19] - classic Doom 2 city-style map (Limit Removing)

[Bauul]

The Terraces - visually overhauled February 2019

 

Download here from idgames or here from ModDB

 

The original release of The Terraces back in 2017 was designed for a community project that purposefully targeted a low level of detail.  As such, in order to fit within the guidelines of the CP, I always felt like I hadn't given the map the level of detailing it could have deserved, especially given the CP was subsequently cancelled.  So, taking a bit of a breather from Elementalism, I decided to revisit it in order to tidy up a few gameplay niggles and give it a fresh lick of paint.

 

What to expect

• A nice little Doom 2 city-style map originally designed as a Map 20 replacement
• A layout based on Central Yharnham from Bloodborne, and a visual theme that is a homage to Viggles' legendary Brigandine
• 20-30 minutes of not too stressful gameplay
• 20,000 additional linedefs of detailing
• A slightly shorter playtime than the original release (some superfluous rooms removed and only two keys needed to exit rather than three)
• Now featuring a big snake!

 

Readme

Spoiler

 

===========================================================================
Advanced engine needed  : Any limit removing port (Crispy, PRBoom, Eternity, Edge, GZDoom etc.)
Primary purpose         : Single+Coop play
===========================================================================
Title                   : The Terraces
Filename                : Terraces.wad
Release date            : 18/10/2017
Author                  : Bauul
Email Address           : [redacted]
Other Files By Author   : Foursite, Spiralunky, Confinement 256, Mournful Dawn
Misc. Author Info       : 

Description             : Visually overhauled in February 2019.  A classic Doom 2 city-style 
                          map originally made for the cancelled community project "Plain 
                          Ol' Doom 2". Originally designed as a Map 20 replacement. 
                          Level layout is a based on "Central Yharnam" level from 
                          From Software's Bloodborne, and the visual theme is a 
                          homage to Viggles' Brigandine.

Additional Credits to   : cc4-tex for addititional textures
===========================================================================
* What is included *

New levels              : 1
Sounds                  : No
Music                   : No
Graphics                : Yes
Dehacked/BEX Patch      : Yes
Demos                   : No
Other                   : No
Other files required    : None


* Play Information *

Game                    : DOOM2
Map #                   : Map01
Single Player           : Designed for
Cooperative 2-4 Player  : Player starts only
Deathmatch 2-4 Player   : Player starts only
Other game styles       : None
Difficulty Settings     : Yes


* Construction *

Base                    : New from scratch
Build Time              : About 6 weeks in 2017, and a futher 4 in 2019, probably 100-150 hours in total
Editor(s) used          : GZDoom Builder, Slade 3.0
Known Bugs              : None
May Not Run With        : Chocolate Doom
Tested With             : Crispy, PRBoom+ Complevel 2, GZDoom, QZDoom, Risen3D



* Copyright / Permissions *

Authors MAY NOT use the contents of this file as a base for
modification or reuse.  Permissions have been obtained from original 
authors for any of their resources modified or included in this file.

You MAY distribute this file, provided you include this text file, with
no modifications.  You may distribute this file in any electronic
format (BBS, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include this file 
intact.  I have received permission from the original authors of any
modified or included content in this file to allow further distribution.


* Where to get the file that this text file describes *

The Usual: ftp://archives.3dgamers.com/pub/idgames/ and mirrors
Web sites: 
FTP sites:

 

 

 

 

 

Screenshots

 

 

 

 

Edited February 22, 2019 by Bauul

[SleepyVelvet]

FDA died at very very end :( so close.

 

The opposition felt lukewarm, except for the key fact that I was limping around on low health the whole time, so I was still on edge throughout the whole map.

[StormCatcher.77]

Map is very positive in terms of experience. Another example of skillful design on the standard textures. I notice that the visual map is somewhat monotonous. The atmosphere of the original Doom 2 here really done perfectly. I, as always, at one point decided to go "on the breakthrough." As a result, I forgot to take a super shotun (later I found it already at the end), and also lost a lot of health. It's good that I was able to find a secret berserk-pack. He was very useful. The map is replete with open spaces with great opportunities for maneuver, which has a positive effect on the gameplay. Difficulty, in my opinion, is above average and is designed for a very neat and consistent player. It is felt by a moderate number of first aid kits, which do not allow to fully compensate for large losses. On the other hand, it encourages you to explore the map. For the passage, I was killed several times. The most difficult place was the final battle. Really made me nervous!

 

  First Demo Attempt GZDoom 3.2.0, 26 mins

 

In my collection:

- Visuals (3 / 5)
- Detailing (4 / 5)
- Gameplay (4 / 5)
- Atmosphere (4 / 5)
- Difficulty (4 / 5)

 

- Overall Rating (4 / 5)

 

Edited October 19, 2017 by StormCatcher.77

[TheOrganGrinder]

Overall I enjoyed myself with this one.

 

I'd agree with @NoisyVelvet that the difficulty, especially early on, stems from limited opportunities to replenish health rather than strong opposition; it's unforgiving of mistakes, and given the number of hitscanners present at significant range during those same early portions, it's also rather unforgiving of bad luck.

 

More specific notes:

• There are pillars with sector tag 7, separating the southern terrace near the start from what I'm going to call 'South Main Street,' but no corresponding switch or other line with the same tag that I could find; impact on gameplay is minimal as there's little reason to want to fall back to that terrace, but this looks like an obstacle that's supposed to remove itself at some point during play that instead has been left unfinished.
• There's a similar set of pillars with sector tag 4 that are likewise missing a correspondingly tagged linedef; this has even less impact on gameplay as they're actually in an inaccessible area, but I'm left with an impression that the ledge there was supposed to be accessible, that the nearby sector 135 might have been originally designed or intended as a secret door of some kind.
• Speaking of secret doors, I'm left with the feeling that in the sequence leading up to the blue armour, the second switch/third door part of the sequence (sector tag 27, in which linedef 3080 is a switch that opens sector 713) could do with a bit more in the way of signposting; I'm not sure linedef 3087's texturing is sufficiently different from the way you've varied brick textures for the sake of visual interest elsewhere in the map to clue players in to the fact that it's actually a secret panel.  I'd suggest either giving it a more noticeably different lower texture, or moving the panel within line of sight of the player rather than tucking it away out of sight along a somewhat narrow terrace.
• As a matter of personal taste, I found myself really wanting a way to lower sector 232 from the top rather than having to go back through the nearby building if I happened to be standing on it when it raised; maybe a switch positioned behind a panel that doesn't open up until the player has approached the bridge/lift from the southern canal as in normal progression?

That's about all that jumped out at me just now.

[Bauul]

@TheOrganGrinder Thanks for the detailed feedback!

 

You're absolutely right that the difficulty comes from a lack of health.  I had a version that had more health and more enemies, and it just didn't feel right.  To actually make it challenging I needed to spam loads of extra enemies, and it just felt silly.  Fewer enemies and less health was the only solution that seemed to work, although I agree it's not very Doomish. 

 

Good observations on the tagged sectors!  Although in fact it's the opposite to your hypothesis: they used to move, and I took the functionality out.  In the first release, the map featured a lot more back-tracking, and those were shortcuts that made it easier to move back through the level (exactly as the source level in Bloodborne does).  However, in testing players didn't realize they were shortcuts, and thought they were the way forwards.  It led to lots of people getting very lost.  The simple solution was to strip them all out and make the level much more linear, and I just never removed the tags.  

 

For example, the Red Key room (the garden with the Baron) was originally just to the left of the barriers at sector 7.  You picked the Blue Key up from the end of the map, and then hoofed it back to the beginning to open the door.  But the map just didn't lend itself to such back-tracking, and people got completely turned around.  So the whole thing was simplified, and for the better I think.  Even now, if people skip the Yellow Key room, they can have a hard time remembering to go back for it later.  Imagine if the map was even more open!

 

Good suggestions on the platform and blue armor secret though.  If I do another version I'll look at tweaking those.

 

Edited October 19, 2017 by Bauul

[Mayomancer]

I tend not to enjoy city levels very much as of a matter of personal taste, but there are always exceptions right? The map looks great, and has very nice gameplay. The start was really well done and the final room proved to be too difficult for me, though the concept is clever and wicked (had to force my way to the exit with the SSG). One particular note i have is that i expected more opposition in the room with the red key, so it was very anti-climatic when nothing teleported in when i picked it up. It was very nice in it's own way, a moment of relief for a change.

[Reisal]

Gonna take a look at this one.

 

Edit: Got through it but not without dying multiple times. Took me about 40 minutes (5 minutes which were me redoing spots where I died)

Edited November 20, 2017 by Glaice

[grrfield]

nice city map (i like city maps). The final room was a bummer though, since survival depends on luck there, not skills... (oh, played that with complex doom...)

Edited October 21, 2017 by grrfield

[Reisal]

Have a video playthrough.

 

 

Edited November 24, 2017 by Glaice

[General Rainbow Bacon]

Yeah, this map was a lot of fun.  The final battle was a good challenge, I disagree that it is a luck based fight.  You have to know how the monsters move to win.  Really nice green/sewer area too.

 

[Bauul]

We have a version 2.0!  I've given this old map a new lick of paint, because why not?  Thanks to everyone on Dragonfly's Discord server for testing the new version.   

[HAK3180]

I thought I'd give this a go - didn't know how long it would be, so I didn't finish yet, but what a fun little ride. Very Doom 2. Great use of mostly stock textures. I thought it looked rather brown in screenshots, but I didn't feel that way when I played it.

[nrofl]

I'm a little late to the party but this map is very good. But once I completed it I wasnt satisfied.

 

So I ran it with Project MSX...

 

And Terraces with Project MSX flows like butter. Every situation is hectic, very hectic, but its not overly difficult or unfair. I feel like this map can prove that textures can do most of the detail in a map. Overall this map was one of my favorites of 2019 so far. Very nice job Bauul!