Cammy

My compliments to the chef. Incredible map! @Doomkid, I'd strongly recommend saving this one for a blind playthrough when 'judgment day' comes.

I'll take "late spring" as a cue to be done with my map May 12th at the latest!

The neighborhood dogs thing isn't a reference to anything, it's a joke about dog-whistles, which hit notes so high-pitched that they leave the audible range for human ears but can still be heard by dogs. Icarus MAP25's MIDI is full of such migraine-inducingly high-pitched noises that it sounds more or less like an orchestra of dog whistles. And "skull children", I'm pretty sure, is just a fun way of saying Lost Souls (insofar as they are the spawn, or "children", of Pain Elementals). More on topic, the turnout of this project has been great so far, especially after only a week! You guys are putting out some pretty killer maps. I've played them all so far and had myself a great time, and it's always awesome to have another Doomkid-led CP to play. It's especially great to see so many newer creators stepping up to cut their teeth on this project - you could almost convince me this thing was secretly NOVA 4!

Vanilla mapping is hard, but working on the Realm of Chaos remaster has me prepared to deal with its limitations while still satisfying my need for pretty lighting. Pretty sure this mean mothersucker isn't going to end up hitting the aesthetic notes of more traditionally vanilla-flavored maps, but I hope you'll enjoy playing it all the same, Doomkid!

Noted.

This is a question I've been pondering myself in the last couple weeks. For the record, I don't have any more MIDI Packs planned for the immediate future - starting a new one won't make my plate any clearer, and no wads immediately leap out to me as candidates I would love to arrange a team to score for like TNT and AV did. To be frank, I don't believe the future is going to be quite as rich in MIDI-Packery as the past year has been, mostly thanks to all the IWADs/official releases being taken care of now. As for the criteria to be MIDI pack-able, it's sort of a complicated issue if you ask me; it's not just a matter of "were MIDIs written specifically for this wad Y/N". It would be criminal, for instance, to do MIDI packs for wads like Valiant, Sunlust, or Scythe 2, which mostly pull their soundtracks from a huge variety of unique sources and fit their maps superbly. I would be much more inclined to see MIDI packs for wads that either have no custom music at all, or near-exclusively pull from exhausted resources like the IWADs, Hexen, Duke 3D, etc. - that's all good music of course, but nothing we haven't heard before at this point, and I think we can agree that most levels which reuse those tracks would be made more interesting by having something new. TNT and AV were very much in that camp in my opinion, and both had such strong legacies that in a way it felt wrong to me that they didn't have more original music under their names. Now that they're both done, I'm not so sure where to go next! I know this runs counter to what I've done so far, but for future MIDI packs, I'd like to encourage people to start looking a bit deeper and choosing wads from off the beaten path. Music is a very powerful tool for establishing the mood and personality of the level in which it plays. If you produce a good MIDI pack for a wad most people haven't played, you're not just giving people the opportunity to experience something new, but to have them experience a more distinct and memorable version of it. Look for neat wads with no music that flew under the radar, and start composing - you'll give it an opportunity to shine again! I've actually thought about this, too! I've noticed a startling lack of multiplayer wads that have their own tracks, probably just because it's inherently more niche than singleplayer - but maybe that's just more reason to write some new tracks for these wads so more folks will check them out.

I can't tell you how grateful I am to have been trusted with the task. Hearing you enjoyed the pack makes it all the more worth it - thank you, Anders, for the opportunity and your words of kindness! One of the highest compliments that an artist of any vocation can hear is that their work inspired someone else to start projects of their own. I'm so glad you enjoyed the pack - good luck making those MIDIs!

Whoops - the OP is right, but they're switched around in the MIDI folder included in the download! Should be fixed now.

It's all good, man! I would have loved to hear what you could have cooked up for the slot, but I wouldn't have wanted it to come at the cost of your own well-being. I just hope that you're doing better, and that we'll get the chance to work together again in the future!

Sorry to keep you guys waiting - it's released! It probably goes without saying, but this really came down to the wire. This was WAY more difficult to manage and produce than the TNT MIDI Pack was, but I think the end result is an even better soundtrack. Take a peep of that monster of a track list! Although this is technically going in the books as release candidate 1, all the tracks are finished and balanced around the same volume levels, unlike the first release of the TNT pack. I'll give it a couple days to make sure no errors crop up, and hopefully within the week it'll be both uploaded to idgames and posted to my YouTube channel for easy listening! As if I haven't said it enough already, a huge THANK YOU to everyone who worked so hard collaborating with me on this beast, and to everyone here who's been looking forward to its release. An extra special thank you to OG Alien Vendetta devs Anders Johnsen, Brad Spencer, and Lee Szymanski for giving some advice and guidance for how to score their own maps, and to Chris Laverdure for letting me rope him into this for both a new track AND a remaster of the legendary Fight The Logic If You Can! I can't tell you what an honor it is to have worked alongside you all. As for the rest of you, I hope you all enjoy the Alien Vendetta MIDI Pack, and I wish you all a very happy new year!

I unfortunately don't think AV in its current form is a viable candidate for Bethesda's unity port due to its huge number of contributing authors, many of whom are now inactive online or sadly departed; contacting everyone involved for the permission / proof of creation Bethesda would need to host it on their port would be an utterly grueling task. But if that dream ever does come true, it would be an honor to see these tracks paired with it, and I'd be happily willing to help make it happen! "All the original MIDIS were picked by me, with several selection supplements and suggestions made by Juho "Ocelot" Ruohonen and Kim Malde, so the original team wouldn't have any issues with [a MIDI pack] either." - @Andy Johnsen when I DM'd him about this very question I just got back from an impromptu trip across the country to visit some family for the holidays. That deadline is awfully close, so it's off to work for me! The pack may come out late in the day, but I'm gonna do everything I can to have it ready before January 1st ends (at least in my timezone, heh). See you all on the other side!

It's generally accepted that it's a joke wad, but I'd still be remiss not to mention how thoroughly this record is shattered by Experiencing Nirvana MAP17...

Thank you, Chris, for having faith enough in me to put in all the effort you have! I can't tell you what a privilege it's been to work alongside you and Anders for this project. I sincerely hope we'll be hearing more from you going forward! (and Ripper slaps, btw!)

I hope you'll enjoy the pack when it's out - I can confirm there's something very cool planned for Misri Halek!

Happy new year, Doomworld! May have cut it pretty close, but we made it! With 30 musicians involved and 36 tracks included, this could be the community's biggest musical collaboration to date. Everyone involved came in swinging and delivered the very best they had, and the final product has come together like a dream. It wasn't easy to make, but I'm very, very happy with the work we've put into this soundtrack. I hope you all enjoy it too! CLICK HERE to download the Alien Vendetta MIDI Pack from the idgames archive! Too busy to play? Give it a listen on my YouTube channel! As usual, the download zip includes: AVmidi.wad, a full custom soundtrack for Alien Vendetta AVmidi-np.wad, a bonus wad for ZDoom-based ports that displays the name of each track and its author on map start A file folder containing every raw midi file, for free reuse in your own projects TRACK LIST: Title: Whispers of War - @leejacksonaudio Intermission: Xenotime - @Dragonfly & @Cammy Text: Ad Vitam - @Bucket MAP01: Sun Rider - @SynDoom MAP02: Journey Through the Unknown - Edwin van Veldhoven MAP03: The Berggren-Malde Complex - @northivanastan & @DCG Retrowave MAP04: Shotgun Shawarma - @RogueAkai & @Sumo MAP05: And Into the Forest I Go, To Lose My Mind and Find My Soul - @Dragonfly MAP06: Shoot the Pianist - @stewboy MAP07: Dustbowl - @SynDoom MAP08: Hail the Severed Head - @Lippeth MAP09: Treachery of the Fallen - @Chris Laverdure MAP10: Guardian Angel Loses Their Will - @msx2plus MAP11: Adversary - @Bucket MAP12: Third Edge - @JDoyle MAP13: Tireless - @Glowylikesdoom MAP14: Slim Chances - @Sego MAP15: Pinkies on Parade - @JD Herrera MAP31: Kaleidoscopic Array - @Mr. Freeze & @Cammy MAP32: Eternal Damnation - Knightrider of Doom MAP16: Speed of Tech - @TheUltimateDoomer666 MAP17: The Anthrax Solution - @Varis Alpha MAP18: Prelude to Misri in B Minor - @Jimmy MAP19: Lunar Outbreak - @Deadwing MAP20: Fight The Logic If You Can - remaster by @Chris Laverdure MAP21: The Caco’s Best - @Peter MAP22: Short Notice (Red Niflheim Mix) - @TrialD & @Cammy MAP23: Guess We Are Fighting Cyberdemons - @Peter MAP24: Arcadia - @Velvetic MAP25: You Really Suck - @leejacksonaudio Bonus: Chicago Typography - @Cammy (for use with the original MAP25: Valley of Echoes) MAP26: Bipolar Boogie - @Xulgonoth & @Cammy MAP27: Of Serpents Nailed to Fate - @Cammy MAP28: Shhh, the Shadows are Near - decino MAP29: We Are All Waiting - @PsychEyeball MAP30: Ave Atque Vale - @Bucket ================= ~Original OP below~ ================= Twenty years ago today, the first version of Alien Vendetta was released. I have to wonder if Anders Johnsen and his team knew that the megawad they were giving us would go on to define a generation of map packs - that it would be widely considered one of the best and most influential PWADs of all time. It’s tough to name one which has aged quite as gracefully as this all-time classic - it could have been released today, and by all accounts it’d still be a knockout success. But a beastly megawad always needs a beastly soundtrack to back it up, and for all this time, Alien Vendetta has been sitting pretty with only one bespoke track to its name. Some may say that’s all it needed, but I knew we could do better. How about thirty-four more? A full soundtrack, made from the ground up, to honor twenty years of this epochal masterwork? I secured permission from AV's original project lead, @Andy Johnsen, and got to work recruiting! It's turned out to be a pretty hefty project, with a huge number of exciting and talented guests among its ranks. And you don't have long to wait before experiencing it, either - the Alien Vendetta MIDI Pack will release on January 1st, 2022! In true MIDI Pack fashion, all tracks included in this soundtrack will be free to reuse in your own projects with credit. If you won't be able to experience the MIDI Pack in-game but still want to give it a listen, I'll have a playlist of it uploaded to my YouTube channel for easy listening not long after the project's release. I'm keeping the full tracklist a secret for now... But just like before, I'd like to invite my wonderful co-contributors to share the tracks you can hear them composing for! You'll be hearing my own work in a solo piece for MAP27: Stench of Evil, and I've collaborated with others for the intermission screen, MAP22: Rubicon, MAP26: Dark Dome, and MAP31: Killer Colours. Happy holidays, Doomworld. We hope you're excited for this gift!

Holy shit did he die???

I've had plans for a 9-map Boom miniwad (and a custom soundtrack for it) knocking around in my head since before I even knew what the hell was going on with Doom mapping. Now that I (somewhat) know my way around it, I'd love to make the thing a reality.

Go right ahead, no need to even ask! I'm just honored that you enjoy the track enough to consider scoring one of your maps with it. :)

I understand and share in your disappointment, @Peter - though I feel it's misdirected by portraying it in a way so angry and so invitational to pushback. (Although calling anybody a "basement sidekick" is a bit much, @dew. Cool it.) This was a thrilling, stressful rollercoaster of a year to be a composer in the Doom community, especially a new and untested one - I have both worked myself to the bone leading and contributing to a variety of projects, and seen firsthand several others do the same. Up until this year high-profile MIDI Pack projects were generally finished at a rate of one per year, and it was a lot of hard work and talent which shot that number up to at least five this year, and that's just the ones that have so far been released. To see that unprecedented explosion of content - hours of music, across over a hundred tracks, written by dozens of authors - only get mentioned in a very brief sidebar is genuinely disheartening. I'm really not trying to sound ungrateful; I'm happy and honored to have received that shout-out at all, of course! No reward ceremony ever owed anybody anything. But it does still elicit the defeating feeling that the work from this side of the community registered as a blip on the radar of the greater scene. @Shepardus, I have to disagree with your comment for that reason. The publishing of the Cacowards is an eagerly-awaited ceremony with a whole year of buildup which is expressly geared to celebrate the accomplishments of the community - that is a prestige not shared by just anybody posting just any opinion piece. Very few of us are doing the work we do only for the sake of doing it; it's in hopes that we will achieve recognition for what we've done, and see others enjoy our creations. That's true of everything created, from maps to music to textures to sounds to code and beyond. That the Cacowards are principally focused on celebrating the maps is not a bad thing of course - Doom is a game and the maps are what you play - but there's a lot more that goes into a fully-realized experience which gets a lot less love. MIDI packs unfortunately have no maps - where does that leave them? A ceremony that focuses in so heavily on mapping accomplishments will essentially need to treat them with little fanfare, but these creations are still made to be appreciated by the community and to inspire future works of all varieties. They live and die by recognition. It's better than it has been in the past, with the recent renaming from "mapper of the year" to "creator of the year", for instance, and the presence of the Dootaward at all. But I do hope the table is being set for the Cacowards to both engage in and invite much deeper discussion and appreciation of the work put in by Doomers of all vocations, not just mapping. All that set aside, I did enjoy reading the Cacowards this year. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees, and thanks to the staff for organizing the whole thing and smartly introducing the Silver Cacos. Each award was richly deserved, and to divvy them up must have been a grueling task. I'll continue working hard to give back to the community and I hope to see you all here again next year!

Hey, sorry for getting to this so slowly! I'm still interested in mapping for the 21 slot. Working on both of the RoC projects has greatly increased my confidence in mapping. I think I'm in the same boat as Corf - got some big projects I'm hoping to finish up by the end of the month, which will free me up to knock my map out when the new year rolls around.

w h a t

I have to say I've never seen this "featured" star before either, but if it's a new feature being rolled out to highlight releases threads for high-quality wads, then Struggle is one of the most deserving of the honor. Played this bad boy a few months back and absolutely loved every second of it!

Nope, all the custom sprites are being baked into the wad this time - both for convenience's sake, and because RoC's sprites are really fun and unique, so it'd be a shame not to show them off front-and-center! If you'd like to play without them, it's a simple matter of opening Slade and deleting everything from S_START to S_END.

Just checked the thread for the first time in a while and it looks like some MIDI slots opened back up? Nice! I was having trouble falling asleep so I remade Countdown To Death in like 20 minutes. Go nuts. Who Hacked Into My Gantlet?!.mid Also, I'm noticing just now that @Korp also made a D_RUNNIN cover. Feel free to drop my cover and use Korp's, theirs is a bit closer (and therefore more cursed).