[WIP] Bloodshot [New! Screenshots 3/7] [Please look?]

[Onslaught Six]

I hadn't actually noticed that one copy was in the TX name space. That does decomplicate things a bit. Personally I don't like using lumps of the same name even in different name spaces - possibly mainly because DeePsea complains about it and it can complicate the editing process.

To pic an example, TSCRN2 is in your WAD as entry number 638, used as a patch, and 711 as a TX. It's not a big deal, but you don't need that. Remember, if you want to use the graphics individually on a wall (or floor) Zdoom can use textures, patches or TXs (or pretty much anything else too IIRC - including sprites) so the second copy isn't needed at all. If you delete the TX copy, the main texture that uses tscrn2 as a patch (planet1) still works. If you put tscrn2 directly on a wall, that also works because Zdoom will happily use the patch directly.

You can't do it the other way though. If you delete the patch, Zdoom will not use tscrn2 on the planet1 texture (even if, maybe, your editor will still show it there) because it won't use a TX as a patch. So, to keep things neat inside the WAD, you could delete all the duplicates from the TX name space and things will still work as you want. Or you could just leave it.

Of course. I know it's not technically needed, but the real pain in the ass is that Doom Builder won't display them as wall textures if I just use the patches. And that bothers me, because I like to look at my levels and see how they'll look in-game. If DB would display the patches as wall textures, then I'd be fine with removing them (except for TSCRN1, but IIRC that's not even an in-game patch and it's just TSCRN2, but I use TSCRN1 for the animated screen with static.)

Anyway. I'm wondering about the actual designs of my rooms--are they interesting and varied enough? Whenever I work on this map, I wonder if I'm abusing the STARTAN and STARGREY textures, or that TILEFLOOR flat I created, or if there's enough variety in the ceiling heights, or if there's enough random interesting architecture to keep looking back at. Probably the biggest thing is actually the design of the rooms themselves--I personally fear that I've just got too many "plain" rectangular-feeling rooms. What do you think?

Fourteen new screenshots, all taken from a -nomonsters run, are on their way, as well as a decentish small page to detail the story I've currently got for this. (It's nothing big. Alien cyborg race summons the Demons again, you need to kill them. But it's well written!)

[Enjay]

Ah, I didn't realise that DB didn't show patches as an option. I think I'd still be naming the TX versions differently just so I was clear in my own mind what I was doing. Anyway, enough discussion over a minor point.

As for startan/grey/etc I don't think you are using them too much. I think you are being consistent. I'd much rather have that than a bunch of textures thrown in just for the hell of it and ending up looking a right mess. As it is, you've got quite a few variations of the textures and that, IMO, is quite a good approach.

The only rooms I thought were excessively plain are the ones that I've pointed out to you already. I think you've actually got some quite interestingly shaped rooms and linking corridors.

Some of your floor detailing does look like detailing for the hell of it. Ceiling variation can be useful. Remember though that ceiling detailing is almost totally cosmetic in as much as it rarely changes how a player passes through a room. That's both good and bad. Good because it shouldn't get in the way but bad because it doesn't lead to the player going up and down different heights to provide varied gameplay as much as steps etc do.

[Onslaught Six]

Well, I feel that there's enough floor variance between the various rooms for the player to feel like they're moving through an interesting environment. I'm vaguely considering changing the hallway to the generator room to have steps going down, though. Argh--every time I think I'm done with this map, I get a new idea. >.>

Anyway, I put the webpage up. Particularly of interest is the screenshots page.

EDIT: Wow, I'm stupid. I totally forgot to mention I also redid the Pistol entirely. I used someone else's sprites as a base (I want to say it's Enriance...) but made a few of my own to go with it. Also added some stuff so that it reloads in a similar fashion to the pistol from Duke3D--that is, seemingly random.