zekhmet project - calling bugtesters and FDA folks! (NINE maps done)

[yakfak]

On 9/25/2018 at 12:31 AM, Benjogami said:

Alright, here's v2 of enabler of final darkness:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/xx2kt9jpbu0zp2p/zekjogami_v2.wad?dl=1

 

Misc tweaks including some realignment/retexturing, raising some walls, tightening up the exit.

 

great stuff :3 updating teh first post with this

[rehelekretep]

@Benjogami do you play doom with low res or just take your screenshots with it?

[Benjogami]

I usually play Doom as pictured (except with classic HUD), but it varies with my mood. Sometimes I like higher res software, sometimes 4:3 windowed (if doing speedrun attempts especially) or 16:9 fullscreen. I also usually check out my maps in a few different resolutions to see how it feels.

 

But yeah, 480x270 with 4x screen multiply in PrBoom+ has a nostalgic chunkiness that I like and it plays nicely with 1080p displays. :)

[Benjogami]

Alriiiight, after too much testing, here's another update to enabler of final darkness:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a3xbkglhvzvp9q9/zekjogami_v5.wad?dl=1

 

- There were some scrolling lines that needed "pass use"

- In GZDoom, the respawn thing's range isn't as strong, so there are 4x of them now

- Improved texturing on the second house

- Misc fine tunes

[yakfak]

hell yes, thanks for yr continued work

just wanted to link some shots of fun things the textures can do - if anyone else is interesting in mapping for this, we're still recruiting!

(i work on a map every now and again but my confidence in my own maps is shot)

 

 

 

[Catpho]

1 hour ago, yakfak said:

(i work on a map every now and again but my confidence in my own maps is shot)

 

Release it as half-finished or intentionally messy. I can already picture the description: "Yakfak gives the players pieces of his fragmented mind, and challenges them to fit them together!". Super artsy :))))

[obake]

On 10/29/2018 at 4:06 AM, yakfak said:

(i work on a map every now and again but my confidence in my own maps is shot)

I feel ya.

 

That said, I'd like to join this project.

Edited December 14, 2018 by obake

[NoReason]

On 10/29/2018 at 5:06 AM, yakfak said:

if anyone else is interesting in mapping for this, we're still recruiting!

I'll also state my interest in this project.

[yakfak]

then welcome to you both :3 check out the maps we have; you don't need to make maps like those, but you need to make maps as weird as those :)))) thanks for teh interest

[NoReason]

Spoiler

some wip i mapped out this morning. i must confess that watching @Bridgeburner56 stream has given me the urge to curve everything. also, this is aiming for the map11 slot.

Edited December 15, 2018 by NoReason

[Bridgeburner56]

@NoReason that looks really cool. I'm glad that I gave you insanity inspiration.

[NoReason]

Alright, so here it is - https://www.dropbox.com/s/015orcfp284cplu/ZekMAP11.wad?dl=1

goes in map11, obv. title is "Sacrificial Odyssey"

There are difficulty settings, dunno how great they are.

Screenshots:

Spoiler

 

These were taken in an older version of the map, a bit rushed atm but i can post more recent ones later if someone wants.

[yakfak]

noreason: this looks gorgeous :3 do you have experience in cake decoration?!?

adding this to the front page and requesting FDAs and testers. thanks for the map!

[NoWits]

I just discovered this project after seeing it mentioned in another thread. After downloading the resource pack and all the maps and playing through them, all I have to say is... wow!!! The music's pretty awe-inspiring by itself, I'll have to make sure to listen to all of the tracks all the way through, but the maps so far are like something from another dimension! The texturing and level design combination make for a glorious psychedelic nightmare which has left my mind pretty blown :D Not too much to say right now as I'm still playing through them, but I'm definitely keeping an eye on this project!

[yakfak]

nowits: thanks for teh kind words :3

 

sorry I haven't been a more attentive project manager, but I hate efficiency and professionalism and all that junk as you can see. meanwhile, dust collects. =P still, I thought I'd set a deadline - on Sep 1st I'll collect everything we've got into a new master pwad and create credits for everyone for release at the dawn of autumn. that probably sounds like it's a million miles away but that means you've got time to start and abandon several maps :)))) come to me creative mappers

[NoReason]

Currently working on something else for this, had some ideas for another map but couldn't create anything decent with those ideas until today.

[NoReason]

 

 

"One Moment, Please."

I wanted to make another map almost immediately after the other one, but I wasn't satisfied with the way those ideas were implemented when I did make it, so I pretty much scrapped it entirely in favor of this map.

Title is the link name, map is in MAP03, difficulty settings are implemented.

 

[Benjogami]

1 hour ago, NoReason said:

"One Moment, Please."

Here's an FDA: ZekMAP03_fda.zip

 

Good stuff, some really cool ideas in here. Some notes:

• I'd say my biggest complaint is that there are a lot of unaltered textures used; I would have liked to see some more crazy zekhmet texturing, with geometry to match. 
• In software, there were some sprites rendering through the floor in the first blood fight with the cybers and cacos/PEs.  
• The teleport sequence to the blue key fight might be cooler with silent TPs, so that the view is less obstructed.
• The green room looks really cool, love the scrolling textures.

[NoReason]

1 hour ago, Benjogami said:

demo + stuff

Thanks for the demo, some funny moments in there.

- Yeah, good point on the texture bit. I think I got a little too carried away with zimmer and bricks, so the rooms are a little more orthodox than I initially intended.

- Didn't catch this since I only tested in gl, so thanks for testing in software.

- I might try this, didn't even think about it originally tbh.

- that was actually a bit of an accident but it was a happy one so I just decided to keep it that way, I'm glad you like it.

Also there are a few other things I want to fix just from watching the demo.

[yakfak]

noreason: this map is really cool :3 once yer done revising bits I'll add it to the front page. thanks again hee you've been valuable to this project both in terms of levels and in terms of reminding me to do something about it

 

actually the exit room would be cool inspiration for a sort of final map, with the stark pillars descending into darkness and all that. just a thought giggle

 

im gonna start blogging my attempt to finish a level for this; my concept is to make a Level One with more traditional gameplay - shotgunning shotgunners and imps and sometimes fighting revenants, pain elementals and arachnotrons, maybe a single arch-vile in a dramatic encounter - but where the level is insanely interconnected with secrets, so you can play naively or try to range yr way through it using your own novel path. i adore weird slaughter maps and we've collected quite a few good examples already, but I know a lot of players will want a more merciful beginning :))) also I wanna introduce the red evil eye and the concept of floating power-ups as soon as possible to the player so that's another reason to go in slot one.

 

and then after that it's probably time to think about how to order the maps! :3

my thoughts are that we put adventure maps first and ramp up towards the slaughter maps at the end, placing dobu's monsterless puzzle map between those groups

 

still looking for outside players to pop in and try making demos and leave their feedback about everything! please don't be shy!

[yakfak]

rousing zekhmet news: there is now a thirteenth tune in the soundtrack

 

giggle

 

i'm working on an intro map which is mostly not a fighting thing at all but more of a narrative idea: you wake up on the shores of an island at dusk; the area seems like it was once inhabited in a kind of retirement resort way, but with no modern technology, and now it's abandoned - you can either go the scenic way and then leave bloodlessly or press some switches to shorten the journey in exchange for fights.

 

when that's done I'll post a combined pack which features all the music, all the textures including Dobu's extras for perplexed! and every map in a sort of cautious attempt at ordering them by narrative :3

 

feel like map 02 would be rrider's gentle level which is fairly sane and also features you tracking yr dirty feet all over a giant yin-yang symbol which I can portray as the reason that you then get plunged into an absurd geometric colour-spray hellworld

[Pegleg]

6 hours ago, yakfak said:

rousing zekhmet news: there is now a thirteenth tune in the soundtrack

 

Does this mean you're now shooting for 13 maps in the set?

 

6 hours ago, yakfak said:

i'm working on an intro map which is mostly not a fighting thing at all but more of a narrative idea: you wake up on the shores of an island at dusk; the area seems like it was once inhabited in a kind of retirement resort way, but with no modern technology, and now it's abandoned - you can either go the scenic way and then leave bloodlessly or press some switches to shorten the journey in exchange for fights.

 

Sounds like an interesting idea, definitely fitting with the non-standard vibe you're aiming for with this mapset.

[dobu gabu maru]

Just FYI yakfak, I'm intending to complete my zekhmet trilogy by adding one more map, though I'm not gonna work on it until my other commitments are finished. It's going to be more of an adventure map without the confusion of Perplexed! hopefully, and with a few encounters thrown in the mix. I'll wait for the compilation to get thrown together so I know what midis are still open for use before I start.

[yakfak]

On 3/20/2019 at 4:48 PM, Pegleg said:

Does this mean you're now shooting for 13 maps in the set?

 

nah, eleven is still the goal :3 the other tunes are the score tallying screen and the story screen (i think the opening music will simply be silent)

 

ps going back through teh thread I spotted an earlier post which I must have missed at teh time where you tried to summarize what had been done and who was active and I feel guilty about not noticing it :)))) sorry

 

On 3/20/2019 at 5:16 PM, dobu gabu maru said:

Just FYI yakfak, I'm intending to complete my zekhmet trilogy by adding one more map, though I'm not gonna work on it until my other commitments are finished. It's going to be more of an adventure map without the confusion of Perplexed! hopefully, and with a few encounters thrown in the mix. I'll wait for the compilation to get thrown together so I know what midis are still open for use before I start.

 

im drooling at the prospect of another dobu map :3 that's excellent news and it makes me wanna work harder on getting the compilation done for you

provisionally the free tunes are 02 which is slow and grungy or 10 which is madcap and funky

Edited March 21, 2019 by yakfak

[yakfak]

re-acquainting myself with all the maps and formulating a story around them

the fact that four of these maps are psychedelic islands more or less mandates me to make my first map a really ginormous, sensible island
and let the giant toadstools take over

[DukeOfDoom]

Can I join?

[yakfak]

1 hour ago, DukeOfDoom said:

Can I join?

 

sure :3 grab the pack on the first page and see what you can make with it - if it's novel enough for me to want it in the level set then you'll be in!

[Pegleg]

18 hours ago, yakfak said:

re-acquainting myself with all the maps and formulating a story around them

the fact that four of these maps are psychedelic islands more or less mandates me to make my first map a really ginormous, sensible island
and let the giant toadstools take over

 

Based on this list, you have 9 maps (including, I noticed, the map you're currently working on) With dobu's WIP map that would bring the total to 10. Your original target was 11 maps (so there would be no music tracks repeated). You may have relented on this point--I don't know. A little less than 6 weeks ago, you set a deadline of September 1. Do you plan to keep to that date, and compile however many maps you have (even if you end up repeating the music tracks) or just stop accepting new maps once you have 11?

[yakfak]

2 hours ago, Pegleg said:

 

Based on this list, you have 9 maps (including, I noticed, the map you're currently working on) With dobu's WIP map that would bring the total to 10. Your original target was 11 maps (so there would be no music tracks repeated). You may have relented on this point--I don't know. A little less than 6 weeks ago, you set a deadline of September 1. Do you plan to keep to that date, and compile however many maps you have (even if you end up repeating the music tracks) or just stop accepting new maps once you have 11?

 

september date is still on in my mind!
this is never gonna be a complete megawad; if we hit eleven maps I will probably try to get testers sooner. and if more maps I liked arrived before testing was over then they could reuse any track they like but go in the secret slots. I think this post makes sense now lol

Edited March 22, 2019 by yakfak

[Scorpinax]

Hmm, these maps look super interesting. I would offer to help, but i'm afraid i'm just not as good of a mapper as what i've seen on display here. I bring it up because zany maps are kind of my forte.

Might play through some of these interesting looking maps in the meantime though, i'll be keeping an eye on this project