Eclipse Revisited - 26 oldschool levels!

[Deadwing]

Eclipse was my first major mapset that I released on public. It hasn't got many great reviews (http://www.doomworld.com/idgames/levels ... f/eclpseii), but I still love it even today. I tried to play it these days, and while the square visuals still has some charm (at least for me lol), the gameplay aged quite badly: Most levels are overpopulated, dragging the experience with weak setpieces (where the player can overcome the threat staying behind cover) and progression was mostly too linear.

So I decided mess with some of these levels (the first six) and see what results I would get, which I named Eclipse Revisited.

Goals:

-> Boom compatible levels, instead of zdoom.
-> Classic gameplay, action focused mapset.
-> Focus on more interesting enemy placements, reducing the monster overpopulation from the original Eclipse while increasing the overall challenge.
-> Improve pacing: I've removed some doors, changed key/locked doors layouts and some sections were added/changed to make navigation more interesting.
-> Linearity reduced a bit (some levels won't be much possible, though).
-> Retained overall visual style.
-> Each episode should take around 1 hour or 1,5 hour. It will be 6 episodes completing 32 full levels.

I'd love some demos to see how people react to some sections

Download Link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/dr4x0 ... -ep5.1.rar
Screenshots:

[doony]

I love oldschool levels, great ! downloading :3

[StatisticalHourglass]

looks varied, i like old school mapsets, will try out later.

[Deadwing]

I hope you like it!

I've updated the wad to version 2.1, fixing some important bugs, especially on map 7 and 10

http://www.mediafire.com/download/wl1zk ... -ep2.1.zip

[TiberiumSoul]

i dont know what it is but that 4th screenie looks hauntingly similar to the entrance of the raven crypt by zalewa

[Turret49]

I'm getting an unknown texture error on some of the maps, a texture named 'INROCK02'. I don't think it's anything seeable, but might be worth cleaning up the few references to the texture.

[Deadwing]

i dont know what it is but that 4th screenie looks hauntingly similar to the entrance of the raven crypt by zalewa

I've never heard about it D:
Anyway, the place in that screenshot is identifical to the one in original eclipse (from 2008)

I'm getting an unknown texture error on some of the maps, a texture named 'INROCK02'. I don't think it's anything seeable, but might be worth cleaning up the few references to the texture.

Download this version and see if the errors persists
http://www.mediafire.com/download/qamgc ... -ep2.2.zip

[Turret49]

Download this version and see if the errors persists
http://www.mediafire.com/download/qamgc ... -ep2.2.zip

Alright, I did a proper playthrough this time, no texture bug to be found! I have my thoughts written as I was playing below, but I'll say here that MAP04 (Alpha Labs 3) and MAP07 (Beta Labs 1) stood out the most to me, the former having a good sense of location and theme and feels like you're in an actual facility with some purpose, the latter is just really fun to play with good monster placement and flow, it's my favourite map of the set.

---

(Played on UV difficulty)

map01 (UAC Starport), there's a lot of zombiemen and imps, and the entire map is pistol combat, ignoring the shotgun secret. A bit of a slow start. (I'd say lower the enemy count, but I checked lower difficulties and it's a nicer amount of monsters there)

map02 (Alpha Labs 1), there's a weird series of switches that doesn't make much sense. Besides that it's pretty forgettable? Like there's the base of something there that could be worked on more.

map03 (Alpha Labs 2), has a meh 64 unit wide vent/tunnel sequence, also it's a surprising difficulty jump from the previous map.

map04 (Alpha Labs 3), it has a nice sense of location/context with the middle courtyard and windows occasionally looking out into it, the map also has a consistent visual theme and feels more like a location than other maps. Reminded me of the buildings in Strife a bit.

map05 (Alpha Labs 4), not much to say here, sorry.. the area with the imps on pillars was a nice change of scenery, though.

map06 (Alpha Labs 5), a tough level with quite a few hitscanners. If I hadn't gone out of the way to get the soulsphere at the end of the previous map I'd be in real trouble, the health on this map is scarce and there's basically no medikits, only stimpacks. The rocket launcher is given almost straight off the bat, which I feel lessens the impact of getting the ssg. The secret chainsaw felt not worth all the monsters, I think it should have swapped places with the launcher, it even has rocket ammo sitting around it, huh. The extended ending was a surprise, I liked it.

(since it's a new "episode" I decided to pistol start map 07)

map07 (Beta Labs 1), now the monsters aren't messing around, ambushing arachnotrons and mancubi in rooms with little cover. I think the hell knight you see as you enter the building should be hidden, he kinda spoils the pacing of the first encounter. The chaingun room was strange, as walking near the switch lowers the platform into the slime, while pressing the switch itself raises a platform out of the slime. Were you trying to imitate the "Donut" linedef type without knowing how to use it, or something? At the exit you get to blast away a shotgun guy that thankfully the rest of the map was entirely devoid of. A really fun, memorable map, fast paced, tight ammo and didn't leave me wondering where to go like most of the previous. I dislike that the radsuit requires you to wade through slime to get to it, but oh well.

map08 (Beta Labs 2), back to the hitscan fest, sadly.. it took me a lot longer than I should have to find the blue door, I wasn't expecting it to be in a corner near the start of the level. There were a few switches around the place that I have no idea what they did, but they were there and must have done something.

map09 (Beta Labs 3), apparently I picked up a plasmagun near the end of the previous map and didn't notice, huh. There's a blursphere given right in the first room to ease things with all the chaingunners around, you'll wish it lasted longer though. Funnily the red key trap backfired for me, as the monsters infighted almost straight away. After frustration of secrets in previous maps (backtracking and switches you have no idea what they do) I haven't really been secret searching, so I don't know how much easier things would be if I found any. The Spectre in the trap before the blue key was nicely placed, he blocked me really well at least.

map10 (Beta Labs 4), the map's unique rad-suit start is utterly destroyed by chaingunners, what could have been a neat section with arachnotrons stalling you in the slime with various monsters shooting fireballs from the sides is just spoiled by dastardly chaingunner placement, especially that one guy that sneaks up on your while you're dealing with the first mancubus... there's an optional path with a blursphere, but it's just as dangerous with the variety of enemy types around. Once you get a solid footing in the map things ease up a bit, but the deaths beforehand were frustrating.

map11 (Beta Labs 5), Pressing the exit switch from the previous map again feels weird.. anyway, the yellow key trap is odd, it looks like a deathtrap but can be easily escaped from by just leaving the room, I don't know what to think of it. The final encounter fell a bit flat for me as well, seemed a bit random and the plasmagun made it really easy.

Interestingly throughout the entire wad I didn't see a single Baron, Revenant or Arch-Vile. Maybe they're meant for the next episode.

[Oberron]

Is that skybox from DSV3-War or from the Plutonia Experiment by the Cassali brothers for Final Doom?

[Deadwing]

Download this version and see if the errors persists
http://www.mediafire.com/download/qamgc ... -ep2.2.zip

Alright, I did a proper playthrough this time, no texture bug to be found! I have my thoughts written as I was playing below, but I'll say here that MAP04 (Alpha Labs 3) and MAP07 (Beta Labs 1) stood out the most to me, the former having a good sense of location and theme and feels like you're in an actual facility with some purpose, the latter is just really fun to play with good monster placement and flow, it's my favourite map of the set.

---

(Played on UV difficulty)

map01 (UAC Starport), there's a lot of zombiemen and imps, and the entire map is pistol combat, ignoring the shotgun secret. A bit of a slow start. (I'd say lower the enemy count, but I checked lower difficulties and it's a nicer amount of monsters there)

map02 (Alpha Labs 1), there's a weird series of switches that doesn't make much sense. Besides that it's pretty forgettable? Like there's the base of something there that could be worked on more.

map03 (Alpha Labs 2), has a meh 64 unit wide vent/tunnel sequence, also it's a surprising difficulty jump from the previous map.

map04 (Alpha Labs 3), it has a nice sense of location/context with the middle courtyard and windows occasionally looking out into it, the map also has a consistent visual theme and feels more like a location than other maps. Reminded me of the buildings in Strife a bit.

map05 (Alpha Labs 4), not much to say here, sorry.. the area with the imps on pillars was a nice change of scenery, though.

map06 (Alpha Labs 5), a tough level with quite a few hitscanners. If I hadn't gone out of the way to get the soulsphere at the end of the previous map I'd be in real trouble, the health on this map is scarce and there's basically no medikits, only stimpacks. The rocket launcher is given almost straight off the bat, which I feel lessens the impact of getting the ssg. The secret chainsaw felt not worth all the monsters, I think it should have swapped places with the launcher, it even has rocket ammo sitting around it, huh. The extended ending was a surprise, I liked it.

(since it's a new "episode" I decided to pistol start map 07)

map07 (Beta Labs 1), now the monsters aren't messing around, ambushing arachnotrons and mancubi in rooms with little cover. I think the hell knight you see as you enter the building should be hidden, he kinda spoils the pacing of the first encounter. The chaingun room was strange, as walking near the switch lowers the platform into the slime, while pressing the switch itself raises a platform out of the slime. Were you trying to imitate the "Donut" linedef type without knowing how to use it, or something? At the exit you get to blast away a shotgun guy that thankfully the rest of the map was entirely devoid of. A really fun, memorable map, fast paced, tight ammo and didn't leave me wondering where to go like most of the previous. I dislike that the radsuit requires you to wade through slime to get to it, but oh well.

map08 (Beta Labs 2), back to the hitscan fest, sadly.. it took me a lot longer than I should have to find the blue door, I wasn't expecting it to be in a corner near the start of the level. There were a few switches around the place that I have no idea what they did, but they were there and must have done something.

map09 (Beta Labs 3), apparently I picked up a plasmagun near the end of the previous map and didn't notice, huh. There's a blursphere given right in the first room to ease things with all the chaingunners around, you'll wish it lasted longer though. Funnily the red key trap backfired for me, as the monsters infighted almost straight away. After frustration of secrets in previous maps (backtracking and switches you have no idea what they do) I haven't really been secret searching, so I don't know how much easier things would be if I found any. The Spectre in the trap before the blue key was nicely placed, he blocked me really well at least.

map10 (Beta Labs 4), the map's unique rad-suit start is utterly destroyed by chaingunners, what could have been a neat section with arachnotrons stalling you in the slime with various monsters shooting fireballs from the sides is just spoiled by dastardly chaingunner placement, especially that one guy that sneaks up on your while you're dealing with the first mancubus... there's an optional path with a blursphere, but it's just as dangerous with the variety of enemy types around. Once you get a solid footing in the map things ease up a bit, but the deaths beforehand were frustrating.

map11 (Beta Labs 5), Pressing the exit switch from the previous map again feels weird.. anyway, the yellow key trap is odd, it looks like a deathtrap but can be easily escaped from by just leaving the room, I don't know what to think of it. The final encounter fell a bit flat for me as well, seemed a bit random and the plasmagun made it really easy.

Interestingly throughout the entire wad I didn't see a single Baron, Revenant or Arch-Vile. Maybe they're meant for the next episode.

Wow, thanks for the feedback, man!

You have some quite different POV compared with others feedbacks I've received. Also, I noticed you prefer more orchestrated/setpieces battles instead of quick action encounters (consisting of low hp monsters, such as hitscanners and weak demons), which was my focus on MAP07. I guess you would like more my other in-progress project, Nevasca, which is more like it and have considerable less monsters/hitscanners wandering around.

Still, many impressions are consistent and I'll probably change to provide a better experience.

6: Actually you can get the RL in level 5, in the very beginning I'll remove some monsters from the Chainsaw secret.

7: These switches probably are the one that raise floors to create passages. I guess they need to be clearer though, since you aren't the only one with the same problem.

11: That trap wasn't supposed to be easy to escape, nor a death trap haha I'm fine with players escaping traps, as long as they have to fight for it.

[enderkevin13]

This looks nice. Also, could you try making a map featuring my overlord I made? You don't have to, it's just a simple question.

http://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=49610

[Deadwing]

Episode 3 released!

It features 4 new brand levels (not on original Eclipse), being a transition between old episode 2 and 3. Screenshots:





The levels focus on more open space with mix of hellish + industrial/brick feeling. You should probably finish all of them in 40 minutes:

- 12: E3 - Mining Camp
- 13: E3 - Village
- 14: E3 - Hellish Shrine
- 15: E3 - Decaying Industries.

Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/93nsn ... ps-ep3.rar

Tell me if you find any bugs or gameplay inconsistency. I'd love also to see some FDA's haha (I've just tested all of them on prDoom, should work fine)

[Deadwing]

Version 3.1 released: http://www.mediafire.com/download/znq1h ... -ep3.1.rar

Changes:
- Levels has now custom names on auto-map.
- Level 1, 2 and 3 received very small visual upgrade, to look less dull lol
- Levels 1~11 received overall small balance changes: It's mostly nerf on health and ammo quantity.
- Levels 12~15 received the opposite, a bit more health and ammo. Difficult spike will be less noticiable now, but not that much difference.

[Deadwing]

Episode IV is released!

Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/download/fwnq2 ... se-ep4.rar

- It feature 5 levels: map 16 to 20.
- Map 16 to 19 are remastered ones from my old wads, but since some of these stuff were some of the most uninspired levels I've made, I've made really big changes to their layout.
- Map 20 is new one from scratch.
- Theme will be E2, tech base/hellish stuff.
- Enemy focus on Revs, Archies and Barons.
- You should take around one hour ~ one hour and half to finish all levels.
- Difficult level should be a bit higher than episode III.
- Boom compability.

Tell me what do you guys think!

Pics from previous page:

[enderkevin13]

Can you downscale the images?
Also nice maps.