[CHALLENGE] Mapping By Music

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Zero X. Diamond
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[CHALLENGE] Mapping By Music

Post by Zero X. Diamond »

You've made your way through empty techbases, wading knee-deep through the dead on your way to unravel just what's happened on Phobos. This is the end: the Phobos Anomaly. As you step off of the lift leading down, a feeling of dread washes over you. Something is terribly, terribly wrong here. Piercing through the darkness comes an aria of evil, sending cold shivers down your spine. What horrors await you beyond? You grit your teeth, tighten your grip on your shotgun, and step inside.

This is the scene set by the classic E1M8, which I firmly believe is one of the best in gaming history. The major contributor to the overall feeling of the level, however, is definitely the music track. Since music is so important to establishing the feel of a level, I began to wonder: what if the feel dictated the form? Thus the idea occurred to me: make a map based off of a specific piece of music.

So here's what I came up with. I'll start us off with a piece of music to be used in the level, and then anybody who wants to participate has a week to come up with something based off of it. The music will either be a MIDI or a MOD/XM/IT/etc. file, so as to stay somewhat small in size but allow for variety. At the end of the week, everyone posts their maps for us to play and critique, and some time shortly thereafter, a new song will be put up for anyone who wants to try their hand at the next round Anyone is welcome to participate, no matter the skill level; I feel like this is a good exercise for anyone at any level of talent to practice their hand.

RULES:
  • Custom content is allowed, but please don't add new monsters, weapons, or powerups. I'd like maps for this contest to be compatible with anything people want to load alongside them.
  • The deadline is set for Sundays. If your map isn't posted on the day of the deadline (any time on Sunday qualifies) then you miss out. You can post an incomplete map if you're slow as molasses (e.g. your gracious host).
  • Kind of obvious, but you have to include the song of the week in your level as the BGM.
SONG OF THE WEEK:
The theme from The Neverending Story; a very upbeat piece.
Limahl - Neverending Story

PREVIOUS SONGS:
Duke Nukem 2 - Radar Smasher
Angel Witch - Angel Witch
Alien Incident - Alienship
Last edited by Zero X. Diamond on Wed Oct 12, 2016 2:40 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Sgt. Shivers
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Re: [CONTEST] Mapping By Music

Post by Sgt. Shivers »

This sounds like a pretty interesting idea. I'll see if I can give it a shot. Are there any rules?
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Zero X. Diamond
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Re: [CONTEST] Mapping By Music

Post by Zero X. Diamond »

Not so far as I'm concerned. Just make a map that you feel matches the piece. As long as it runs in (G)ZDoom, it's welcome here.
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Sgt. Shivers
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Re: [CONTEST] Mapping By Music

Post by Sgt. Shivers »

http://www.mediafire.com/?f6ikuna6usv3asm
Alright, gave it a shot.
Enjoy!
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Zero X. Diamond
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Re: [CONTEST] Mapping By Music

Post by Zero X. Diamond »

Tried it out. Not too shabby, although health and weapons were a bit sparse. Played through to the end without much incident, though. The best thing is that it's pretty different stylistically from what I'm working on, which really says something about the concept here. Too bad it's looking like we'll be the only two competing...
HexaDoken
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Re: [CHALLENGE] Mapping By Music

Post by HexaDoken »

A bit late, but I'm into this. My map is probably going to suck badly but oh well.

EDIT: What is the exact deadline to this, if any?
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FDARI
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Re: [CHALLENGE] Mapping By Music

Post by FDARI »

Heh. I tried it. I never ever completed a half-decent map. One attempt older and yet to make it happen. Being slow, incompetent, impatient and ambitious is sort of a killer combo, but no the good sort. I consider myself mapping-challenged. (Visiospatially impaired, even.)

Still. With enough failures, perhaps I'll find my current level of competence and complete something.
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Zero X. Diamond
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Re: [CHALLENGE] Mapping By Music

Post by Zero X. Diamond »

I was thinking the deadline would be this Friday to complete the one week thing, but I'm willing to extend it a bit if people are showing up a bit late to the game. Lord knows my own map is progressing slow as molasses, so it might even help out the guy who issued the challenge...
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Zero X. Diamond
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Re: [CHALLENGE] Mapping By Music

Post by Zero X. Diamond »

Just a bump to say I will be pushing the deadline back to Sunday. Should be more manageable for everybody that way.
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FDARI
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Re: [CHALLENGE] Mapping By Music

Post by FDARI »

It turns out I simply don't have time for this / I don't know enough about my map at the beginning to work efficiently. Issue compounded by "inspirational" approach to mapping, as proposed by this contest.

However... I did a lot of stuff. Maybe in a month or so I'll have taken my too ambitious, poorly planned and implemented trainwreck and recreated it in accordance with my vision? I'll make sure to mention this contest somewhere in the credits if that happens.
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.+:icytux:+.
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Re: [CHALLENGE] Mapping By Music

Post by .+:icytux:+. »

This is the way I always work when I make maps, I choose a song that I think will fit what I want to make before I make the map. And listen to it while I map.
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Guardsoul
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Re: [CHALLENGE] Mapping By Music

Post by Guardsoul »

.+:icytux:+. wrote:This is the way I always work when I make maps, I choose a song that I think will fit what I want to make before I make the map. And listen to it while I map.
In most of maps that I have created I used that method :D
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Zero X. Diamond
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Re: [CHALLENGE] Mapping By Music

Post by Zero X. Diamond »

.+:icytux:+. wrote:This is the way I always work when I make maps, I choose a song that I think will fit what I want to make before I make the map. And listen to it while I map.
Ah, but in this case you choose the song and then figure out what you think will fit with it! Close, but not quite the same.

At any rate, it turns out I am still woefully slow at mapping and my map probably won't be finished today. If nothing else, I'll post whatever I have done of it for the sake of the contest and then probably sit the next round out and try to finish it.
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Zero X. Diamond
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Re: [CHALLENGE] Mapping By Music

Post by Zero X. Diamond »

Welp, here's my contribution. Note that it is WOEFULLY incomplete and that I've submitted it mostly so there's more than one entry.

Download: Radar Station Alpha (WIP)
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0bsidian
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Re: [CHALLENGE] Mapping By Music

Post by 0bsidian »

I'd give this a go. I was thinking of an idea similar to this anyway. :D
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