Moustachio

There aren't any executables in either zip.

@DreadWanderer Current idgames version is 1.666.0.

It would work, but unless you would like to write & bug-test those cases yourself, I don't think there's any interest in the community right now to add more compatibility settings to GZDoom. I certainly would love for GZDoom to have 1:1 vanilla compatibility for the sake of playtesting, but I think that falls way out of the scope of GZDoom's development focus. Since the base code is already very different from vanilla Doom's, it would be more work to add compatibility back in than to add new features to GZDoom.

@Xymph v1.666.0

New version fixed the missing/stuck enemies from MAP17 and fixed a soft-lock in MAP03. I removed the changelogs because I thought they were clutter, but I didn’t realize that it was useful for the wiki.

This level is now up on the /idgames Archive. There’s sure to be more MBF21 content to come, so keep an eye out. Thanks to everyone who playtested.

Alright, I think the majority of mappers are cool with February. I’m setting a hard deadline on February 1st, 2024. I’ll cut it off at midnight -12:00 UTC. As long as it’s Feb. 1 anywhere on Earth feel free to hand it in.

Now that we have 11/30 main maps, and things are slowing down a bit, we can start talking about a potential deadline. I'm thinking that a few more months for mapping might be doable, but I want to make sure this will accommodate maps on the larger end as well. I know holidays are coming up for many of us as well, so I would like to accommodate for those. How would you all feel about sometime in February? I suppose since this wad is vaguely gestation-themed, we could shoot for a Valentine's Day release. Seems appropriate enough right? Jokes aside, I'm looking for opinions on this, so feel free to speak up. @TJG1289 @IvanDobsky @Arno @yourlocalchef @solidago @Philnemba @Makedounia @PRO-RC @spineapple tea @signaturereverie @russin @whybmonotacrab @macro @SharkyChip @Jakub Majewski @Alaxzandarz @ViolentBeetle @taufan99 @Large Cat @LoatharMDPhD How are the maps coming? If you'd like to weigh in on a potential deadline, please feel free. There is currently no deadline set.

@DynamiteKaitorn Just two demos for MAP08. I was able to find only 1 secret and kill all enemies. Funnily enough, the difficulty and overall pace feels really in line with MAP09. I wonder if the whole first episode will be fairly easy. I thought the encounters were engaging while still being an appropriate level of difficulty. Some of them caught me off guard, but I never felt like I was in any real danger. The aesthetics and midi are good, and a good use of the wide space was made here to create a claustrophobic environment. I think if I were to improve anything about the map as a whole, it would be that the traps can be easy to cheese sometimes. I often found myself running and hiding behind a door or corner and just doing cleanup. The fights I did enjoy were the ones with ample opportunity for infighting. The baron and mancubus fight was a great one too, since I couldn't just run away. There are a few things I'd change for quality of life: While this switch is indicated by the green wire on the ceiling, I don't really see a reason why the player should rely on a small detail like that just to open the exit. Personally, I like the use of computers as switches, but I can see a lot of people getting a little confused by this part. Maybe other playtesters will feel differently. These support textures seem a bit off.

@Windy Demo for MAP13. After finally completing this level, I can safely say that it was very satisfying to beat. I was able to complete it without finding any of the secrets. I think that all things considered, no one fight is particularly the hardest -- aside from those four AVs on the way to the yellow key. Really, what I struggled with the most was the endurance required to beat this map, about 10 minutes of white-knuckle action all single segment. With saves and secrets, I can see other players having a much easier time. Like I said before, I like the map quite a bit. I think I can't really complain about anything in particular. Every fight had some strategy that I could reliably use. The aesthetics are really gorgeous and have a classic megawad kind of feel. I like the midi as well. Pacing-wise, the map is solid, alternating between tough action and some room to breathe. Great stuff.

@macro People are not dumb. They will know to set complevel 9 because it will be in the text file. Don't worry about any problems that may arise with Boom compatibility, I've seen them all. Please, keep the thread focused on the map development and not on the details of the wad implementation. That is my job, not yours. And if you do have more questions/concerns about implementation, message me privately please.

@Windy Outstanding combat. I think I will leave it at about 40 attempts for the night though. I'll call it a DNF after 100 attempts. This level is no joke. A real endurance test. I think that everything about the level is outstanding. The aesthetics, music, and flow are all on point. It is just really, really hard. So far this has beaten me harder than MAP21 has, taking me around the same amount of attempts to only get to the last fight. I'll save a full write up for when I either win or get to 100 attempts. As a bonus, I did manage to snap a few action shots by fat-fingering my screenshot button:

I can confirm that the signal 11 crash does not occur when using the -complevel 9 command line parameter. This parameter is necessary for testing all the maps in the project, as it sets DSDA/PrB+ to the exact settings of Boom v2.02. That's why Tangra's level loaded in Boom v2.02 and not DSDA or PrBoom+. I believe the default parameter for PrBoom+ is actually -complevel 17, and DSDA's is -complevel 21. So before playtesting your map, make sure to load DSDA/Pr with -complevel 9 set.

DSDA Doom is our port of choice, but I also ask that we test GZDoom because it changes the way a few engine features work. It also has the biggest install base of any source port. GZDoom features that could potentially change your map: Freelook Finite height for things (don’t want the player climbing on a lamp and jumping out of your map) Voodoo doll thrust calculations work differently in ZDoom Some software effects don’t render the same in hardware (& vice-versa) Thank you for reading the rules carefully @macro, but my intent is for each map to be tested thoroughly in both DSDA & GZ. Because of the engine differences, and because so many people play in it, we want to make sure we support GZDoom as well. I have rewritten that part of the rules to summarize what I’ve written here. And we’ll just fix any compatibility issues as they come up.

I have an update for MAP01 (V5). Just makes the inescapable pits escapable. Shouldn’t affect the par time. While it was unannounced, V4 added the death exit. @macro Make sure to download embryo_res.wad again if you haven’t. I’ve updated the wad with Lina’s revised MAP21. I also stuck my toe in a little GZ territory and added a GLDEFS lump. The main purpose right now is to add a little glow from certain textures in GZDoom (like lights & nukage). Mappers, let me know how you feel about these effects.

Go ahead and use an animated sky. I will organize the textures in the compilation so that they don’t cause conflicts. You can include the frames in your wad. What did you think of MAP01 before you fell into the pit?

Feel free to record a par time, it's better than nothing. Either way, I was planning on doing them all near the end of the project. And if anyone beats my par time, I'll just use their time (with credit).

@macro I think anyone should be able to record par times as long as they provide a demo. I'll provide one for MAP01: 80 seconds par time (50 real time). The COMPLVL lump is already included in the resource file. For the animated sky you could add all the frames to TEXTUREx and use Boom's ANIMATED lump to create a custom animated texture.

It's really okay, I think random just needs a little time to figure it all out. I'll just wait until everything has settled so I know which slots are open for real.

@randomsounds01 I had already asked for Box 11 before OliveTree... I'll just sit this project out for right now and let you catch up on organizing things.

I always go by John Romero's method when defining par times: Rounding off just means round down to the nearest multiple of 5. Suppose you took 23 seconds to beat a level as fast as possible, to get the par time: Beat the level UV speed. This is just Ultra-Violence as fast as possible. I think Romero would have actually used HMP, but since the community at large plays on UV, I always do UV. Round your UV speed time down to the nearest multiple of 5. We took 23 seconds, so we round down to 20 seconds. Add 30 seconds: 20 + 30 = 50. The par time would be 50 seconds.

Yes, but I read through the thread and someone had claimed 30 already on page 4.

I guess 30 was already taken. @randomsounds01 I'd like Box 11 in that case.

I've updated the "resource pack." Download: embryo_res.zip It's become a convenience pack for playtesters. I've compiled all the levels we have so far into the wad along with CWILVs, UMAPINFO & Dehacked info, music, and skies for each level. I also designed new TITLEPIC, INTERPIC, and M_DOOM lumps. Each level flows to the next completed level via UMAPINFO, so no need to use IDCLEV. Mappers, please let me know if I missed the latest version of your map. Screenshots:

@EagerBeaver FDA of MAP15. I think it does have an okay amount of difficulty. I was still able to beat it my first try, but a few of the fights caught me off guard. I think removing a lot of the medikits on UV could help spice it up for players looking for more challenge. I did miss some monsters by the end, but there's a good chance it was an oversight since I rushed into the secret exit. As they are, the fights aren't bad. I took care of a lot of them by retreating into the main building. I enjoyed the action throughout, and the scenery was nice. Felt like you were downtown in the historic district of a city. I liked the secret exit as well, and I do intend to use it. The puzzle isn't too hard, and I like that one of the switches is blatantly at the end, with another one close by. It's a well-designed puzzle, and it didn't take me long to figure it out on a blind run. But I did have to become familiar with the whole level. On the whole, I think this level's a job well done.