DavidN

Congratulations on your first map! It's great to see that people who are... twenty years younger than me D:... are still discovering Doom and creating things for it :) I think you did really well, I didn't discover any bugs or problems like missing textures in my playthrough - the progression of enemy difficulty and weapons is good, you have some nice details in the lighting of sectors and the rooms are distinct and visually interesting. It feels like a solid classic-style level :) Some points to give you inspiration, some of which might just be my own opinions on map aesthetics: - The route through the level is a fairly straight shot from west to east, particularly noticeable at the start before you have to branch off to the keyed doors - making the player twist and turn a little between rooms can make even linear paths feel more interesting (see E1M1). - Most of the rooms are very square, don't be afraid to vary things a bit with some diagonals or alcoves :) The nukage room is more interesting for this. - I also noticed the not-quite-wide-enough gaps between pillars and the wall, which felt awkward when I tried to squeeze through - maybe close gaps like that up entirely or move the pillars or wall further away so the player can get through. If you want to block the player but allow shots through, maybe put a 32-unit-high sector in between them to physically block the space. - Notes on doors: I think they usually look better if they're indented slightly and not flush with the walls (this also lets you set a lower ceiling height for the doorframe so they don't look like they're disappearing into the room's ceiling). I would also keep the doors further away from the stairs, because if they're right next to the stairs on one side they look like they're disappearing into the ground. At 32 units, the doors look a bit too thick to me but that's a minor thing. - The first secret can accidentally be opened by monsters (one of them did it when I was walking behind the pillar). - The second secret contained no reward! (Apart from slight perforations from the chaingunner) - The large room on the east side was a nice surprise after being in smaller rooms for a long time! That felt like something different and new :) - You could make something interesting happen when the player is backtracking after picking up the keys - some panels on the walls open and some enemies flood out, for example :) (Though having said that, don't overuse surprises.) Or lead the player around a route that brings them back out near the start of a loop so they don't have to go back, like you did for the yellow key. - The teleporter in the outdoor area just leads to itself - you could just remove the teleporting linedefs around it. Even better, though, I would avoid points of no return like this unless they're very well telegraphed. Perhaps there could be a way back into the building through those windows somehow!