My first map! Please test!

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Blitzky
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Joined: Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:02 pm
Location: Chicagoland, Illinois

Re: My first map! Please test!

Post by Blitzky »

I'm glad that, even 25 years into its lifetime, people are still joining the Doom community and taking the plunge into mapping.

The two biggest 'issues' I have with your map are how linear it is, and some of the texture choices.

It's natural that a first map will be very linear. I remember figuring out Doom Builder for the first time and just stringing rooms together one after another to try to make the map as big as I could.
This lends itself well to creating what amounts to a very long hallway filled with monsters. The problem is that linear experiences tend not to be very exciting if they aren't implemented effectively.

Let's look at the paths the player can take in your map, I've drawn a black line indicating the path the player "should" take, and a different colored line for alternate paths:
Spoiler:
Compare that to the paths available to the player in Doom's E1M1, and Doom 2's Map01:
Spoiler:
Just for fun, here's Plutonia's Map01:
Spoiler:
Notice that your intended path is very similar to both E1M1 and Map01; they go from start to finish without crossing over themselves.
Where they differ is that E1M1 and Map01 have other areas the player can access, adding some depth to the maps.
E1M1 rewards the player with both green and blue armor for exploring, and Doom 2 gives the player some armor, a shotgun, and a rocket launcher.
Exploring these areas is not necessary to complete the level, they just add a bit of detail, and make it seem like you're in a run-down base rather than just a hallway.

I would experiment with making a map that forces the player to backtrack in order to progress.
For example, show the player a locked door early in the level that they must return to when they have the proper key.
Just don't get carried away; you can make a map that requires the player to run back and forth between two rooms pressing switches, but that wouldn't be fun either.

As for texture choice, it seems like you picked a few textures at random instead of coming up with a theme for the level.
That's not to say that changing theme partway through a level is bad, but it has to be done in a way that makes sense, otherwise it becomes jarring and ugly.
I also suggest using height changes when you change floor or ceiling textures:
Spoiler:
Also, while some textures may look fine being repeated infinitely, this doesn't hold true for doors. When they say 128x128, they mean 128x128:
Spoiler:
Overall, it's solid for a first map. The doors function properly, which is far more than I can say about my first maps.

As for your tightrope idea: Try playing around with 3D floors and sector action things.
You can implement your idea with a super simple script that gets activated when the player hits the floor.
Check the Wiki for info on ACS scripting.
I'll leave the rest up to you, and I hope you stick around and continue creating.
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Doom Maxx
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Location: In The Depths Of Hell. A.k.a my bedroom.
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Re: My first map! Please test!

Post by Doom Maxx »

ok, thank you for the advice! i'll add a few backtracking areas, maybe a few keys, and i'll look into acs scripting.

as for the textures, ill see what i can do. ill try stone for the walls, and wood for the floor/trim.

i scrapped the original s1m2 for a diffrent one. i will still implement the tightrope idea, but the main level, the door to the tightrope will require a red and a blue key.

there are two hallways, one is the red side, the other is the blue side. the red side is filled with demons, and is pretty straight forward. kill the demons and get the key.

the blue side is a maze. not too many demons, but many secret weapons are hidden. find the blue key and get back to the door, and you will find the tightrope.

at the end, there is the level switch.

of course, this is all an idea in progress. i am still working on the hallways. hopefully this follows the backtracking idea.

again, thank you for the tips!
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Zen3001
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Location: some northern german shithole

Re: My first map! Please test!

Post by Zen3001 »

looks good for a first map(and definitely much better than a bunch of my first maps), I personally like the big size of the rooms.
put a little more time in detail and texture allignment.also, it's a very linear level not sure if this really is bad thing tho I enjoyed it after all.
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Doom Maxx
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Re: My first map! Please test!

Post by Doom Maxx »

thank you! ill keep that in mind! bigger rooms, better texture alignments.
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Doom Maxx
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Re: My first map! Please test!

Post by Doom Maxx »

Ok, so progress is at a halt. i have school, and the last three weeks are here. i need to study for my exams. so in short, the doom renegade maps will not be done until about four weeks from now. im sorry about the inconvienice.
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