[DONE!] Doom: The Lost Episode

[Xaser]

@Skunk: Thanks! I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do! And the Arch-viles sound just about right. What say you?

@Soda: Done. I'm adding quite a bit more to this map as it is (though structure is the same despite a few new rooms). It'll be a sharp, stylish intro map when it's all said and done. And in case anyone hasn't noticed, those are new textures in those screenshots. Need I repeat "stylish"?

Also, will it throw people off to much to have a NUKAGE1 flat deal ~ 20% damage (instead of the usual 5)? I need to have blinking lights in the sector as well but if I were to change the nuke texture I'd have to make a lava equivalent of NUKE24... not hard, but I'm lazy at the moment.

Woo, progress, then!

[Skunk]

Yeah, an archvile or two would made a great final boss in my eyes. If it were me I'd keep the level the way it currently is in terms of design and just use two archvilles. Honestly though along with that I'd make it so the two archie doors open when all the enemies are dead and then have a NUTS amount of enemies down there. Once they're all dead, then you open the doors and the archville's come out for the final battle and low and behold they have tons of dead bodies to reanimate. Adding the archie fixes the ending screen as well. That also needs a graphic, may I suggest an edited version of the cover of the third or fourth Doom novel? There's also PSX Doom's cover and the comic cover as well, or someone could create something completely original, but the third novel cover reminds me of the setting in E5 and the fourth cover... I just like it. Anyway once the archies are dead the level should automatically end rather than having to go down a path to the exit.

Another thing you could do is have that path to the exit... teleport them into the next area, and be faced with a cyberdemon and end the level before it can even attack, then use the Doom 2 title screen in transition to HOE...
Or don't even use Doom 2's ending style. No one I know of has used the Heretic bottom to top scrolling ending. That'd be cool too, and different as well.

BTW I played through your wad, Caroll St. Station is one of my favorite maps from the alpha, I always was upset it never got in because I thought with a little editing it'd make an incredible deathmatch map. I can't wait to see what you do with it!

I'll get started on the interpic now. I'm inspired.

[XutaWoo]

Hey, Xaser, if you have already decided, where does this episode take place? I'd be happy to write a simple (think of the official ones, they're just "blarg demons have invaded your cereal box now go kill them") backstory for it.

[Xaser]

Oops bump.

So, E5M1 and E5M8 are essentially done for now. The Archies are present, but somehow I don't find it very original to just be all "OMG ARCHVILE" or even "OMG ARCHVILE RECOLOR" at the end. I'm working on something a little more special, then the next beta will rise.

@Xuta: Timeframe-wise, it's between E4 and Doom2. I always figured E4 was some type of outpost before (or maybe on) Earth itself. E5 is essentially an "alternate reality" Doomguy accidentally walks into... a "detour" of sorts, set up by hell as a trap for its most dangerous adversaries. It's ruled by the six "Void Lords" (archvile edits), beings which have the capability to warp time and space. Kinda simple and silly, but no more than Doom itself, hehe. Fits, I think.

Stay tuned, all.

[Unknown_Assassin]

So, E5M1 and E5M8 are essentially done for now. The Archies are present, but somehow I don't find it very original to just be all "OMG ARCHVILE" or even "OMG ARCHVILE RECOLOR" at the end. I'm working on something a little more special, then the next beta will rise.

@Xuta: Timeframe-wise, it's between E4 and Doom2. I always figured E4 was some type of outpost before (or maybe on) Earth itself. E5 is essentially an "alternate reality" Doomguy accidentally walks into... a "detour" of sorts, set up by hell as a trap for its most dangerous adversaries. It's ruled by the six "Void Lords" (archvile edits), beings which have the capability to warp time and space. Kinda simple and silly, but no more than Doom itself, hehe. Fits, I think.

no new enemies.

Broken your promise already? XD

[Skunk]

Dude, archies are the way to go, you're not introducing any new monsters and it'll feel like a real Doom episode.

EDIT: except Doom 2 ones but id MADE those...

[Onslaught Six]

Midis: I'll pm you.

A while back, John Romero also posted some "rejected" Doom MIDIs that Bobby Prince did up. A lot of them are even more ripoffy than some of the existing songs--one of them is a copy of Alice In Chains' Man In The Box verbatim--while some of them are just crappy, but if I remember right, a few were actually decent, so you might want to look into using them (or at least listening through.)

[Xaser]

@Assassin: Uh, I was angry at me for imposing limits on myself, so I broke them on purpose just to show me who's boss. Woo, go me!

In all seriosity, I was kinda misleading. The "Void Lords" are indeed archviles as we know and love them, just re-skinned. No more, no less. The new sprites look pretty spiffy so far (you can think Eriance for that... his Diabloist is a good base), but there's still a lot more to do with 'em. Once these guys are done I think it's time for a new release. I'm pretty sure that (since only M4 is left to do) the release after will be the bug/play-testing release cantidate. I'm not going to pull a Zen and release fifty million revisions with unnecessary features out the wazoo.

@Onslaught: Thanks for the tip, but I'm a little ahead of you. E5M5 and E5M8 both use songs from said zip, although I just realized recently that one (the Map07-music variant on M5) actually *is* a direct ripoff of a song by Black Sabbath, I think? Hmm... can't remember, need to find that page again that explains the "rips". Ah, well, his best work is original anyhow.

Speaking of music, I've done a bit of searching and it seems that Xenophage: Alien Bloodsport is freeware now, making E5M2's music in the clear, and for the life of me I can't find the game that M1's music came from ("Black Knight", a 1995 PC re-make of the C64 game) so I'm pretty sure it's safe to use too. The only questionable piece is E5M7's music... it fits perfectly but it's from Demonstar, which I think is still being "sold" (or at least it isn't free despite being not on shelves... 3DRealms Syndrome, I call it). Even if said song comes from the demo release, do you think the copyright kings would still try and rip me a new one?

Anyhow, progress still continues. Onward, we march.

[Hellish Godzilla]

@Onslaught: Thanks for the tip, but I'm a little ahead of you. E5M5 and E5M8 both use songs from said zip, although I just realized recently that one (the Map07-music variant on M5) actually *is* a direct ripoff of a song by Black Sabbath, I think? Hmm... can't remember, need to find that page again that explains the "rips". Ah, well, his best work is original anyhow.

M5's music is actually a ripoff of "South of Heaven" by Slayer.

Anyway, this project is looking to be really cool. Can't wait for the next release.

[Unknown_Assassin]

Dude, archies are the way to go, you're not introducing any new monsters and it'll feel like a real Doom episode.

I consider original monsters that are recolored, new monsters, even if the behavior is the same.

[.+:icytux:+.]

lol if you are intrested in Archviles

i just made a Vileking, its like 1 monster with the behaviour of 4 or 5 diffrent archviles iv played against
and i must say i liked the results, no new sprites whatsoever!

http://www.freewebs.com/icystorage1/VileKing.wad

[Xaser]

New release is up. E5M1, E5M3, and E5M8 are "finished" though the balance may not be perfect yet. Also, there's par times, Skunk's amazing intermap, and a barely-started E5M4 upgrade. Check it out already!

I'll update the first post as soon as I can, but I figure I'd post this while I'm thinking about it.

Hmm... also, I think I'll get a thread started on Doomworld now that this project is looking somewhat coherent. More testers and feedback, we need. How will the more "classic" doomers like it?

[Gez]

Hmm... also, I think I'll get a thread started on Doomworld now that this project is looking somewhat coherent. More testers and feedback, we need. How will the more "classic" doomers like it?

If you want more feedback, you'll need to place the file on other hosting servers as well (Rapidshare, Badongo, etc.) because esnips require people to create an account to download things from them.

[Skippy]

@Gez: I just did it with no registration whatsoever.

[Gez]

@Gez: I just did it with no registration whatsoever.

Well, you're a better ninja than me. No matter where I click, no matter what I type in the URL bar, I get sent to the "log in" page. So...