The Vile Keep v1.93 (latest update 2/16/2024)

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Chaosvolt
Posts: 73
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2021 12:58 pm

The Vile Keep v1.93 (latest update 2/16/2024)

Post by Chaosvolt »

This is a map I'd made and uploaded to Doomworld back in the day, as far back as 2016, but it wasn't until this year or so I finally started to go back to working on and improving it a bit.
Crossing the sea of flames, you have arrived at the outskirts of a demonic fortress. Along the only approach to the main gate, a small number of peculiar watchtowers stand, and more such structures ward the fortress walls.
A map for Doom 2, initially designed in rather old ZDoom builds (and most recently tested in GZDoom g4.6.0), in which you fight your way into a fortified demonic structure, harried by watchtowers every step of the way. Each one fires on the player as an arch-vile would, and requires hitting an associated switch (general marble green, fitting the motif most of the fortifications use) to disable it, as they can't be killed normally. Aside from getting three keys to break into the heart of the fortress, two switches also control important parts of the defenses guarding the keep's throne room.

One final fight follows once you've completed your objective, with an added bit of catharsis once you step back out into the courtyard. Aside from all that, there's a couple extra easter eggs that don't count as secrets, that unlock a few additional challenges to the map if you trigger them. You'll know it when you see it.

One of these days I need to convert the old Decorate hackery at the heart of this to use ZScript and add a bit of proper ACS scripting too, but for now it still all functions as intended.

Google Drive link

Doomworld link (out of date)

Latest update 1.93, February 16 2024:
1. Per feedback, set par time to 25 minutes.
2. Added a proper ending text and cut to the cast sequence instead of going to Underhalls.
3. Added a couple medikits before the bridge.
4. Added additional enemies to the library room.
5. Added additional enemies to the blood room, set a couple of the hell knights there to spawn as barons on UV, rigged the ambush to open up at turbo speed.
6. Adjusted the placement of stuff in the library to not be as prone to getting the player caught on things.
7. Set the pillars next to the bridge switch to properly block some tiny gaps that perimeter towers can easily cheese the player through.
8. Added a lil bit more cover in the main gate area of the perimeter.
9. Made it so the doors leading to the inner sanctum stay open, and made it a bit more complex a fight.

Screenshots:
Spoiler:
With thanks to Kallin Argentclaw, Saltmummy, and Paul Smart, all of whom have helped with feedback on this map.

Paul in particular has a couple videos showcasing this map, albeit an older version which at the time had a bug that locked you out of the armory (and trying something that nowadays might spoil the location of an easter egg, and where you'll know find something useful in deathmatch):
Part one
Part two
Last edited by Chaosvolt on Fri Feb 16, 2024 7:43 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Chaosvolt
Posts: 73
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2021 12:58 pm

Re: The Vile Keep (latest update 2/15/2024)

Post by Chaosvolt »

And now...well, it's been a while, but I've updated the map a bit. Cleaned some things up here and there.
1. Fixed the inner sanctum secret being split up two secrets by a linedef.
2. Some lil tweaks to make a couple of the secrets more obvious.
3. Some misc texture and lighting tweaks in a few spots.
4. Some more ammo spawns (in particular where difficulty-dependent weapon spawns tend to be), and moved some co-op spawns out of the lava.
5. Set it so some of the bookshelves in the library along the edges don't lower, so that the switch for the secret isn't hidden.
6. Added some extra ways to get out of the lava safely if you fall in.
7. Tweaked the design of the blood room to work a bit better in co-op in case one forgets to disable the watchtower switch there.
8. Made the Hard Mode exit for the megasphere secret just a bit more spicy.
9. Added some extra challenge to the hedge maze.

EDIT: And more :D
1. Added some cover to the approach to the trench area and near the main gate, for co-op and Hard Mode shenanigans.
2. Removed a now-redundant part of the Hard Mode exit to the megasphere secret I forgot existed.
3. Added some additional multiplayer-focused ammo and health spawns for co-op.
4. Fixed some more issues with the brick barricades in the mail loop.

And version 1.93:
1. Per feedback, set par time to 25 minutes.
2. Added a proper ending text and cut to the cast sequence instead of going to Underhalls.
3. Added a couple medikits before the bridge.
4. Added additional enemies to the library room.
5. Added additional enemies to the blood room, set a couple of the hell knights there to spawn as barons on UV, rigged the ambush to open up at turbo speed.
6. Adjusted the placement of stuff in the library to not be as prone to getting the player caught on things.
7. Set the pillars next to the bridge switch to properly block some tiny gaps that perimeter towers can easily cheese the player through.
8. Added a lil bit more cover in the main gate area of the perimeter.
9. Made it so the doors leading to the inner sanctum stay open, and made it a bit more complex a fight.

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