GermanPeter

So... I couldn't bear seeing this wonderful idea for a project get so few submissions after such a long time, so I decided to make another map. This one's based on "In The Dark", and would fit perfectly in the Map 24 slot. It is a bit tougher than my other map, but that was on purpose. https://mega.nz/file/FCBnQCpC#nGNDd4A6VQs-OrO7TSG_2sImjMFK6PiXKfGKMPly5H8 Honestly, I didn't even really plan on making it, but the gimmick was something I had wanted to give a go for quite some time, and since this project was the best possible time to try it out, I'd have been an idiot not to do just that! I've playtested the map myself and everything works as it should but it'd be neat to get some feedback on difficulty and such. And yes, I know the last quarter of the map is confusing, that's the point :P You're quite literally left in the dark. Also, is it possible to give the maps custom names, so we don't just have stuff like "At Doom's Gate (1)" and "At Doom's Gate (2)"? Because if yes, then I'd love to title this map "Silhouette Trivia", and my other submission would be titled "Stalking Through the Ages". Thanks again for the lovely idea of this project and for letting me be a part of it!

I hope the 2024 line was a joke... I don't think people need four more months of time :D

I'm curious, what's happening to this project now? You said the deadline was August 1st, which was two days ago. I can see that more than half the maps are finished, but that's about it, no word on the others. Could we get a quick update on what the new deadline is or what you want to do next, because I'm assuming you want to finish this project? I'm really excited to see what everyone's contributions are and I'm sure people have a lot of interesting ideas. Maybe try pinging the ones that aren't done to check how far they are?

Being the perfectionist that I am, I noticed a couple really minor texture oddities I wanted to fix. https://mega.nz/file/IbYgTAQD#463QOWQ9_vVj0Hf3mAEHVJXELZbPa_6qSjJ9Xe-r3js Now it's perfect :) (I hope)

If I had had more freedom with how the "the Arch-Vile can hit you but you can't hit it"-mechanic worked, I'd have made it so you actually teleport to the Rooms that the Arch-Vile was in previously. So now YOU are the one teleporting all over the place. But that was a bit too difficult to implement for too little payoff, so I axed the idea.

Yes, it's a single Arch-Vile, the same one you meet at the start! In fact, if you kill it right there, you'd be safe from the rest of the level (but you have to crouch to be able to do it, because it's able to attack through a 1-pixel tall gap in the wall). The puzzle at the end where you get teleported around actually serves a different purpose, it makes it so the Arch-Vile walks through the entire main hall and resurrects all the enemies you've killed up until that point :P I exploited the enemy AI a bit to lure it to different corners of the room by teleporting you across the map repeatedly! Also good to see there's no bugs.

Excellent! What slot exactly?

Alright, here's the link, I think all the bugs should be fixed. I didn't test it using the Doom (Strict) compatibility option, but I think it should work. Lemme know if there's any problems, bugs or misaligned textures. Also I didn't know how to change the music for the level specifically, but that shouldn't matter right now anyway, because we haven't even decided on the slot yet. https://mega.nz/file/UfBwTBCI#_0MhpaddX9j9FiBVhUl-Qi8tqVctulwUdkkOX85e1eY

That's cool, I can wait. My map is fully complete, there's just a few kinks to iron out and I'll do that tomorrow. Nothing major at all however.

Alright, my map is done-ish! I just need to add a few last touches and then I'll let it get playtested and all that jazz. Question about the deadline, do the maps have to be 100% completed on August 1st, or do we just have to hand it in then, i.e. they can still be tweaked here and there?

Played it, this is really exceptionally well done. The detail is out of this world, and you got really creative using colored lights instead of custom textures. How long did this take to make in total? You said you started some time last year, but can you give an estimate? I have to be pedantic though, this isn't a walking simulator. Walking Sims are characterized by many different things. Part of them is a very detailed or at the very least interesting to look at world, which you do have, but also good music, sounds, ambience, and most importantly - a story. Walking Sims are inherently story-driven, most of the time even having voice acting that serves as narration, as well as a mystery that the player is meant to figure out. The games then use the world that the player can look at as a way to give them enough time to digest everything that had happened until this point. So they find out something important in the story, and then wander through this beautiful world, looking at everything while going "Hmm... so what DOES all of this mean?" Your WAD is more of a map demonstration than a Walking Sim. A very beautiful one, but it doesn't meet the criteria. By the way, if I can give an important tip, I'd recommend making it very clear which types of doors can't be opened and which ones can. I clicked on every single one and it was a bit disappointing to find out you can't enter through some of them, even though they share the same textures as ones that can be opened. Also, love the Men in Black reference, that was really cute. Great work overall, you're really skilled when it comes to level detail!

What? A trend of walking sims in Doom? I legitimately can't think of more than 2, this one included.

You could also add it as a secret map. I mean, it can work in any sort of context, so I'm fine with anything really!

Hey, just an update, I did end up working on a map after all, about "The Healer Stalks". It's longish, not sure how long yet because I haven't fully playtested it and it's not done yet. Maybe about as long as The Citadel or The Living End, depends on how you approach it I guess. I designed it as a gimmick map, which is to be expected from the project's theme, but I think it'd fit well as a secret map (if you don't want to replace one of the remaining songs with it). It's kind of similar to Tricks and Traps. I'll probably finish it in the next week or so, I just wanted to give you a heads-up in case I needed to be aware of anything, and to give you time to prepare. That's all, cheers!

Yeah, and I'd say that's something from older games that shouldn't be emulated. A lot of NES and SNES games also intentionally placed enemies out of view or just spammed them so they'd get the jump on the player and steal their lives, but that's not something to copy either. Replaying the game should be encouraged, not enforced. Getting a bad ending by only playing on Easy? That's fair. Missing out on a weapon or enemy or two, that's also okay. But not being able to even finish the game is pretty unfair. The player literally doesn't even get a chance of seeing the ending if they're not playing on the setting the game wants them to. And I'd say dying in just a single shot is rather difficult. I remember not even being able to beat the WAD on the Contra-setting when I was younger. You can cheese it by save-scumming, but that's not fun, and neither is having to cheat to reach the rest of the game. So again, what's the point of even having difficulty settings then if you can't even complete the game by playing on the easier ones? You're legitimately missing out on so much content, and that just sucks (even from a designer's perspective, because a lot of players might not even bother playing further and will quit before seeing all the hard work you put in). Especially if there's not even a disclaimer or anything of the sort at the start that says: "Hey, this difficulty is just for beginners, you won't be able to see all of the game this way", so the player gets told they messed up well past the point of no return, at no fault of their own. So I'd really recommend adding that and instead giving the player some sort of other "punishment" for playing it safe if you really think it's necessary (which I really don't), or just reward players for playing on the hardest setting by giving them a different ending.

Question: can I still beat the game normally even on the lower difficulty settings? Because going through more than half the game in the original, only to be met with a "Haha you need to play on Hard to continue"-message was a massive slap in the face. Why even bother with other difficulties then if they won't let you beat the game?

I'm not at all surprised but still disappointed people demanded to see literal snuff in a freaking Doom WAD. That's just embarrassing and pathetic. There's intrusive censorship and then there's not wanting to traumatize people with needless gore. Jesus.

Thank goodness, that was something I genuinely despised about the original. I legit had to close my eyes each time it happened, and the first time I was genuinely distraught. How could someone think of even putting that in a funny Doom WAD? Really glad to see you addressed it, that was my first and most important question when it came to this WAD.

Ah, a classic level design theme. I really should do something like this eventually :p I love the twist that happens half-way through, and the abstract section. Really awesome trip. Even after reaching the airport section I'm not sure I've seen everything, heh. Okay, jokes aside, this is pretty cute. Gives me a lot of Doom 1 vibes, even a bit of Refueling Plant from Doom 2, which is good. You're a bit very stingy when it comes to health, armor and ammo though. Granted, it's a teensy weensy map, but I feel it could use a bit more. I'd recommend adding a few more optional rooms, just for those types of items. And play around with height variations too perhaps! Imps are really effective when they throw fireballs at you from above while Pinkies harass you from below. Oh, and Pinkies also can't travel through those narrow hallways, by the way. Looked a bit wonky.

Hey, that'd be really great, but I actually can't promise anything. Steam summer sale just dropped and so there's a lot of games I wanna play :P Maybe proceed as intended for now, and if I get around to making a map about either of those, I'll send it to you, is that okay? You could just add it as a secret map or something if the slots are already taken, that's what they did with my map for "Doom 2 The Way We Remember It". Just lemme know! Also thanks for being a fan, appreciate it :)

Aww, I had two really good ideas for The Healer Stalks and Countdown to Death. Maybe next time. Though please let me know if these slots open, I'd love to whip something up!

Yeah, after giving it some time to think, I feel like I don't want to work on that WAD anymore mostly because I just lost interest. Parts of it did make it into this one (such as the setting of an apartment building, the whole movement engine, lack of weapons and the more realistic "puzzles"), so it's not like it went to waste. I said on Youtube, in a couple years, not many people will remember MyHouse anymore, but these WADs will still exist, so the comparisons will go away. Also, big fan of your work, never though Scuba freaking Steve of all people would ever comment on my stuff!

Well, I've recently been getting more into Walking Sims, and right before working on it I had finished Gone Home and previously What Remains of Edith Finch, so those became my obsessions at the time. So after I came up with the concept, I thought how I was going to make a game out of that, and I decided on GZDoom Builder because it needed to be first person and making my own engine in Game Maker Studio or something would have taken far too long. And the problem with these ideas of mine is that if I don't IMMEDIATELY capitalize on it, I'll never finish it. So I sat down for a month and actually worked rather hard on it, praying the whole time that I wasn't going to lose interest like I had before. But I didn't! I do have ideas for future WADs, especially a certain one, but because that one is so much bigger, I think I'm holding off on it for now. Maybe it'll never come out like all the other game ideas I had, who knows. There's one idea I had for a horror-type game, but the problem is that it's too similar to MyHouse, and although I came up with it and started working on it about 3-4 years ago, I don't think it'll ever see the light of day. I also don't want people going "OMG MYHOUSE INSPIRED YOU TO DO THIS" or even "YOU RIPPED OFF MYHOUSE" or something, even though I came up with the idea first and just never finished it.

I wish you two all the best. I'm glad you enjoyed my map :)

That's wonderful, I'm really glad you've enjoyed it :)