ZDoom

Hello ZDoom Forums! I've just gotten into mapping, and thought I would show off my first work. I worked hard on it for 5 hours and it seems alright to me. It's only a small map, but it uses a skybox, MAPINFO and some ACS, so it should be interesting. I thought it would be better to start small, so that I can learn more, and if my maps do end up rubbish, at least it won't take up lots of your hard drive space!

It's called Tiny0 - Ledge-end, and it was inspired by a very old Deathmatch 2.0 WAD called LEDGESI.WAD. My map is a single player map though - and the story is as follows:

"Beaten and bloody, you are thrown unarmed into an arena to fight for your life. You will have to scrounge as much health, armour and ammo as you can in order to survive. If you win, they will let you out"

There's a screenshot in the spoiler below, and the WAD file is in a zip with a text file, attached to this post. I hope it's some good! I intend to make more of these if I can, though obviously not all little arenas! Hopefully you have a couple of minutes to spare, and can play it and tell me what you think

Spoiler: Screenshot of tiny0

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I've made another WAD! It took me 5 and a half hours this time because its an original layout. It carries on from tiny0.wad, so if you want to play this one the intended way, you have to load tiny0.wad and tiny1.wad together, then play through tiny0 and then tiny1 will be MAP02. It uses the same difficulty modes as before. I worked out portals this time and used one of those in part of the level to make it look 3D! That part is shown in the screenshot below. Tiny1.wad is in a second attachment below, with a text file again in the zip. If you have another couple of minutes or so, please play the map and tell me how it is!

Spoiler: Screenshot of tiny1

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Here's tiny2.wad at last! I've been busy as of late, so I've only really found the time recently to make it. It took me 5 and a half hours again, and this time it has some uses of ACS to make interesting effects. It carries on with your escape from the arena, starting you on the lift from the end of MAP02. Again its best to play this carrying on from tiny0.wad and tiny1.wad in order to get the best out of it. The download is below, and there's a screenshot here too. Hopefully you enjoy it

Spoiler: Screenshot of tiny2

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Here is tiny3.wad. Read the latest post in this thread to find out what the revelation is! The door opened to a dark tower, which you must now climb. Uses a large skybox to create a landscape, but is otherwise just a tower with a exit. Quite short, but quite tough I think! Carries on from MAP03, best played with the other wads loaded for the sky and previous maps (ammo will be too tight without them). The download is below. Have fun

Spoiler: Screenshot of tiny3

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I've removed tiny0.zip in order to have space to upload tiny3.zip, but don't worry! I'll package them all together when tiny4 is done.

Not bad, keep the good job

Wow. Pretty darn good map. It's very interesting, and excellent as a first map. It's always nice to see a new good mapper around here.

The map is absolutely nice, i really liked it ^^

also welcome to the ZDoom forums, have a nice day

Not bad.
Took 3 minutes for me. (Yeah,I really suck)

Pretty cool and kind of original; I certainly enjoyed it.

for starters, these are cool maps you made, i can play this with thiny's weapons mod.good job, dude, and welcome!

I believe it is my duty to play the skeptic and say there is no possible way this is your first map... because it's very good. :o

Not only does the map look decent (simple and satisfying), but you've managed to capture a "survival horror"-ish feeling of desperation here. Plus there's plenty of height variation, which is simply something you can never get too much of these days. Going vertical almost always makes any map more interesting, and there's plenty here.

Kudos! If this is, indeed, your first map, then I must admit I'm quite impressed. But even if it's not, I sense the start of a great mapping career. Keep it up!

Thank you all I have practiced a bit before now to learn things, but this is my first proper map

I will probably start on a second one sooner or later, and put that in here when I'm done with it!

Xaser wrote:I believe it is my duty to play the skeptic and say there is no possible way this is your first map... because it's very good.

Not only does the map look decent (simple and satisfying), but you've managed to capture a "survival horror"-ish feeling of desperation here. Plus there's plenty of height variation, which is simply something you can never get too much of these days. Going vertical almost always makes any map more interesting, and there's plenty here.

Kudos! If this is, indeed, your first map, then I must admit I'm quite impressed. But even if it's not, I sense the start of a great mapping career. Keep it up!

Wonoview wrote:It's called Tiny0 - Ledge-end, and it was inspired by a very old Deathmatch 2.0 WAD called LEDGESI.WAD. My map is a single player map though

The key to understanding why some people perceive this map as something superior compared to the mess most genuine first maps end up being, is playing LEDGESI.WAD; there's more to it than just "inspiration"...

So? It's the same layout, but obviously not a direct copy+paste. Wono's version has lighting, looks, and much more than just a couple of stretched vertices or changed textures. Clearly he's put a lot of work into his version of the map, which is a feat for any new mapper, regardless.

For a first time mapper, I see nothing wrong with working with an existing layout -- In fact, it's better he's done it this way. He saw something he liked and worked with it, which is a good way to get the hang of mapping in general. Art classes often teach style by having students attempt to recreate a famous work of art, and he's done no worse here. Hell, he even mentioned the wad as his inspiration. If he had passed it off as his work, 100%, then there would have been something wrong. But he didn't, so there's not. End of story.

If you're too pompous to have understood that in the first place, I think it's about time you pack up your attitude and get off the forums.

That was actually a good, simple level. Again I echo Xaser here, the little survivial horror thing it had going for it really made it. The next thing I caught, after I offed the opposition, was a great use of the skybox. Brilliant design. I await more from you.

Xaser wrote:If he had passed it off as his work, 100%, then there would have been something wrong. But he didn't, so there's not. End of story

It's not the end of the story because nobody accused him of taking credit for someone else's work in the first place. As a matter of fact, he cited the original work and I quoted it.

The point here is that Ledge isn't a much of a "first wad" in my opinion, It's essentially a not-particularly-impressive retexturing of someone else concept and architecture, 2 elements you made relevant in your previous appreciation.

Coon wrote:It's not the end of the story because nobody accused him of taking credit for someone else's work in the first place.

Hmm. Nobody?

Coon wrote:there's more to it than just "inspiration"...

Sounds like you did.

"Oh, but wait! You misquoted me! My words don't say that and you are wrong!"

Bologna. We all know what you mean.

"No, you are putting words in my mouth and making stuff up. I said that he stole the idea, not that he took the credit."

Blaming someone for taking credit for a wad and blaming them for ripping off the wad are so close to the same thing that you are being stupidly hypocritical in an attempt to cover your own arse -- not that it matters since you're clearly trying to kick a newcomer's rep in the rear without even providing any cause for doing so.

"Your logic makes no sense. You are a wrong-assed pile of monkey nuts."

Ask anyone else and see what they think. I am a rather nonsensical guy most of the time, but even a grade-schooler could see where you're coming from.

"You are wrong because you are [censored word]."

I suppose I could argue further, but there's no point since I'd be stating the obvious.

"You're no fun. I'm going to continue being miserable now."

Don't let the door hit you on the way out.

Xaser wrote:

Coon wrote:It's not the end of the story because nobody accused him of taking credit for someone else's work in the first place.

Hmm. Nobody?

Coon wrote:there's more to it than just "inspiration"...

Sounds like you did

Not really. Pay a little more attention to the part of my post you didn't quote: "As a matter of fact, he cited the original work and I quoted it"

There's quite a big difference between claiming theft and suggesting remake.