DavidN

Thank you so much :) The two projects emerged in perfect relationship to each other - to compile a community project of that size, you really need some automated help, and to make a compiler for community projects, you really need as large a variety of maps to throw at it as possible. RAMPART was extended a massive amount during the second round of RAMP, and I'll have to write a second volume (and new tutorial videos) describing what it can do now! Does any of Ty/Jim's code survive? I'd love to see how it was put together :)

With RAMP 2022 now complete, here's a look back at the details behind the first RAMP project in 2021! I put this little book together as I was assembling the project, taking notes as it evolved from a small idea to the 200-map behemoth it turned into, as a journal of creating a Doom community project. Included are: How the idea for RAMP came into being - inspired by a history of game editing, the Doom community and a regrettable furniture shipment The development of RAMPART, the frontend that made it possible to automatically compile the project from individual maps The scripting behind the hub map and how progress is tracked as a player explores My first steps in ZScript and using data beyond what ACS and DECORATE allow you to access How and why RAMP contains a gardening minigame Thoughts on the experience of moderating an online community I wouldn't exactly recommend people use this as a guide to scripting in ZDoom or anything, as I only started exploring ZScript during the project and a lot of it uses a ton of clunky ACS and DECORATE workarounds - but I hope you enjoy reading about the process! Download THE MAKING OF RAMP

After an intense last round of testing and fixing it up, RAMP 2022 is now complete enough to be called a public beta! Thank you once again to everyone who participated :) The main post now contains a link to the download.

That's a really interesting thought! I've never seen it as particularly gory compared to a lot of other stuff in the game (my colourblindness might help here? He just looks a bit beaten up) but seeing the main character die messily is very unusual for her. I remember being similarly scared of the little death animations from Dangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion!

This is a great map and I’m scared

Thanks Mr Killer! I removed it because I thought it was incomplete, I definitely didn't mean to ignore the work you had put in! I see the problem - the scripts are set to run on map 1, and the level is not map 1 when included in the project! I'll fix that up by setting the map parameter to 0, which means to use the current map.

There are still a few maps that seem to be unfinished. @dregs, @RandomNPC, @erkyp3rky, @noob_killer012345678 , @russin22 - your maps still have WIP status or can't be completed, can you let me know if you still want to keep the slots?

What an amazing set of maps this year :) I'm tearing my way through fixing any conflicts that arose from everything being compiled together - Rampart has really been extended by miles this year to allow all sorts of custom stuff and the detection of clashes, and I'll have to make a separate post about it. Pretty soon, I think it'll be in a place where it can at least be called a public beta. In the meantime, the snapshot is always available on the RAMP site linked in the first post!

My daughter was watching me playing Doom and she wasn’t scared of any of it except Doomguy’s dead face! It’s odd because I hadn’t ever considered that disturbing. The Ouchface, though, still unsettles me to this day - it’s a shock when it appears, because of its unpredictable nature in the games and my just having a reaction to shocked faces in general (I really didn’t like the same thing happening in other DOS games like Lands of Lore or The Legacy).

I played Doom on a 386 - I can’t remember if low detail noticeably helped with the speed, but I don’t recall using it very often. Shrinking the screen until it ran smoothly was common, though - I loved the note it gives you in Rise of the Triad where it tells you to “Buy a 486!” if you ever shrink the screen to its lowest possible size :)

Whenever I remember to close submissions, basically :) I'll close it for new submissions at some point this weekend (editing existing maps will remain open), but let me know if you miss the deadline by seconds or something! After that I'll concentrate on quieting the warnings on compile and startup...

Looks great! And your avatar is awakening a disturbing memory - was that from a Flash animation called "What's wrong with this picture?"

That’s how I started - I transcribed some of the songs by my favourite bands which helped me understand how they fit together, and used that to write my own stuff

You can submit it through the uploader on https://ramp2022.teamouse.net and it’ll prompt you for a name on upload!

Thanks to everyone who's said they'll be joining! It's fantastic to see so many people have a try at this, and I'm proud that the RAMP Discord is an extremely helpful and supportive place :) With a couple of weeks to go, the project is really taking shape now and we have 49 maps of varying sizes and approaches - hulking bases and hell caves, libraries and ice stations, action and puzzles. A minigame has also sprung up where you can buy artwork from the friendly dealer and decorate your hub map with it - so if you've made Doom fanart and want it included in the game, feel free to get my attention as well!

That's right - all formats of maps are welcome but the project will run in GZDoom in the end, so you don't have to limit yourself to strictly vanilla properties! That said, putting an RSKY1 lump into Slade should be all that's needed... is it perhaps in PNG format instead of Doom graphics?

Yes - avoid WAV because of their size, but MP3s should be picked up and included automatically. Looking forward to seeing what you have :)

Wonderful - I'm amazed to see how many people are declaring interest! I'm really looking forward to seeing what you can put in here :)

After exactly seven hundred revisions, we did it again! 88 mappers old and new came together during June 2022, helped each other along the way as levels were built and tested, and together they submitted 117 maps into this year's mysterious hub building. It's a collection that's more manageable than last year, but that I think you'll agree is no less ridiculous. DOWNLOAD FROM THE RAMP 2022 SITE Once again, take the chance to dip into one of the widest variety packs in the Doom community - explore icy castles, wade through flooded techbases, visit hellish caves, and take part in several strange demonic games. Also collect paintings and hang them up around the hub to spruce it up a bit - a massive thanks to the various artists around the Doom fandom that generously provided their artwork for use in the game! @ActualArborix @ApexPirin @Chaotic_FrizYT @decepticoin @Hypo_Thermick @mysticalpp @pondis_dant @Ukimori @Xous54 Eden Sanders Harry Osborn Knezha @oliacym Thanks to everyone who participated for submitting their maps, helping others along the way, and doing their part in keeping Doom editing alive :)

That’s incredible :) It never occurred to me that you could assign and place actors from a game other than the one you were playing… it must not have crossed my mind because there isn’t a need to any more

Wow, your map work has really evolved fast - this looks more like a set of UT99 levels :D Great to see it complete

These look great! Thanks, you’ve filled a gap that had been nagging me since 1994 :)

I thought it was quite good

This is great :) Like I attempt to say in the video, it's slaughter but it never quite tips into overwhelming. The blues and marble whites make a great style, although sometimes it's easy to get lost in - particularly the way back up to the starting area that you described above. The way that map folds round itself is amazing, it's one of those maps where you're convinced it has to be using teleportation trickery until you see how it's laid out :)

The widescreen graphics are added on to the game with recent versions of GZDoom - are you playing in other ports?