Frightening Experiments 1: Recluse Tech (complevel 21)
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Behold, an update to my map!
reservoir imps.wadRealistically this didn't actually take too long to actually do, I've just been very caught up with college work. In any case, don't expect a super revamped brand new experience, it's just an update to the same map as before
Here's a "changelog" (if you can call it that), just some short notes on what I worked on.
changelog.txtMostly focused on addressing complaints people had with the previous build, so I hope everything is nicer now! Have fun!
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Really love how this is coming along. Looks like a fantastic project, all the maps are amazing.
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Here we go!
Map Name: Vile Growth
Author Credit: Death Bear
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17T5ByxqSW4ItnVyQt2dyxQkl1nSfI7pV/view?usp=sharing
(Should probably mention its on slot 22 for the midi.) -
@Deathbear Great submission!! here's two demos i recorded for it:
mfdeathbearvilegrowthdemo1.lmp
mfdeathbearvilegrowthdemo2.lmp"Why two?" you may ask, well... The first one i got softlocked in after climbing a little ramp of crates. Demo's pretty short so you should definitely watch it just to see how it happened exactly.
For the second one, everything went well!! Your map was very pretty (especially the techbase interiors), and i thought the sky also went really well with it. The combat was also pretty tight, no fights that felt like they dragged on, didn't belong or felt off. Though two pieces of criticism i have about visibility:
One, the opening that led to the rocket launcher being obstructed by a big pile of vegetation probably isn't the best idea, as it led me to think there were only fences and that it was just a way to look at an area i'd get to later, leading me to backtrack and looking for anything i've missed or any newly opened areas.
Two, the rocket launcher being a dark weapon already can make it pretty hard to spot, but in general in that area it wasn't so well presented, leading me to panic over the swarm of enemies and jump off without grabbing it. Thankfully you were very generous with the level design and ammo balancing that i was still well able to take out the archies and revenants
As a whole package i think this is already pretty perfect! Maybe you could very slightly spruce up things for co-op placements and also very slightly tweak things for lower difficulties (maybe only one archie for the final fight for hntr/itytd?), otherwise this might really be all good to go!
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@hotdogkirby Just played through the update of your submission, here's a demo for it:
mfscorchreservoirdemo2.lmpIn visuals there definitely were visual improvements that i really appreciate! Though, i feel like the update in difficulty really made the map overtuned. There was an extreme excess in enemy quantities (especially annoying being the revenant acting as a door with health combined with the horde of imps that don't really pose much of a treat if any, but instead just add +15-20 seconds of holding left click to get on to the next fight, and i didn't survive long enough in the last fight to tell much but it did feel the most overtuned. I feel like the enemy placements in the shooting range are fine, but definitely reduce the raw amount of enemies there, there's just a tad too much now. I do need to place extra emphasis on the lack of health in this version though, i can barely remember where there were any health pickups because i was always low on health with no way to heal, even through backtracking (one time i even tried skipping as many enemies as possible to save on health and get to health pickups sooner, but only got greeted by an unexpected archvile in an open space).
I'd really advise to keeping balancing a loot more similar to the previous version, that one felt a lot more fun, short and sweet, and allowed to take in the detailing in the map a lot more without the extreme anxiety of being annihilated by a tsunami of projectiles from all directions.
Though to finish in a more positive note, i did really like the secret behind the red panel that i had complained about before, and the green armor at the start. Though, that armor could be a little easier to see. It's in the corner of the room, camouflaged in a dense pack of grass.
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@Deathbear Played through your map (on UV this time) in DSDA Doom. Here are my "F"DA's:
There are two for, I believe, the same reason as MattFright, getting stuck behind those pesky crates.
Not a ton of feedback needed here, I'd say. The fights generally seem to unfold as intended, the scenery and techbase look nice, and the secrets were a joy to stumble upon. The combat mostly fell over without fuss and I was generally able to take fights "straightforward" in the sense of keeping all monsters in front of me, thanks to some helpful chokepoints. Health and ammo were plentiful enough without being excessive. Watch the demo to see if things are working as intended to your standards.
I agree with MattFright about the rocket launcher being easy to overlook. I think it might be worth switching it with the blue key and putting the BK on a pedestal so it's visible from ground level. I think the fight here is easily neutered by simply not dropping down, but perhaps you intend that as possible strategy. Having the revs spawn behind you could prompt the player toward the AV's instead of running away.
In the hallway with the switch at the end which opens up four doors with hell knights on one side: are those guys supposed to be deaf? This results in them coming at me piecemeal, which may not be what you're hoping for. Also, the blinking lights in this hallway seem to be damaging, which I found strange and unintuitive.
Overall, a nice short snack with a good zinger at the end.
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@MattFright
Thank you for the feedback! difficulty balancing can be a struggle for me and I'm not exactly a good tester lol.very few visual updates this time, mostly just tweaking of "things" (and getting the cacodemon teleporter to work because it bugged out on me). turns out part of the reason health was so scarce is because a bunch of them were set to multiplayer only! woops!
I think the map is in a place I'm happy with now, so unless any major flaws crop up I think this may be the final build.
reservoir imps.wadhappy imp hunting!
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Here's a new version of the Lucky Clover.
The primary changes should hopefully address the punishing/grindy nature of the original incarnation:
- The starting pit has been changed significantly, altering the flow at the start of the map.
- Some high-tier demons have been removed from the chaingun arena, and more ammo has been added to allow practically continuous firing.
- A portion of the monsters in the plasma switchback have been removed, as well as one of the hairpin turns, to hopefully focus the fight more on the archviles while still maintaining some of the crowd control elements.
- The rocket launcher zone has been at least doubled in size to reduce pressure for players who jump straight in. I think space availability was the crux of the issues some people felt in this area.
Other changes have been made as well, such as alteration of some secrets and visual tweaks. Difficulty settings are now implemented, coop spawns are place, and co-op-exclusive monsters and ammo are available.
I think this version fits much better with the project's intended gameplay style and difficulty level. Still, I will hear suggestions for changes to maximize the map's potential within the set.
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These look great. Since DBP50, I don't wanna stare at the color green for another few months, but I still gotta cheer this on. Good luck on the release.
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finally got a version that i think is complete. lmk if there are any problems. my submission for FE1, Plant-Based.
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@MattFright Can I make a credits map? I want to make a peaceful walk.
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Sorry for the lack of updates, everyone.
I've kinda been in a really rough spot IRL: widespread censorship in my country, declining physical health, difficulties getting a job, mental health issues among other things. This all came in pretty awful timing right before the deadline and i'm sorry for that, but i think i'll have to get everything sorted for release at a later date.
By the way, yes you can @joe-ilya ! Whenever i'm back in active i'll include that for the release if you get around to making it.
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I'm dropping my credits map slot.
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Hi, a bit late, but here's my submission Caustic Finale. A bit slaughter-ish and a bit hard. The difficulty settings are implemented, but remain untested. I will do it soon
.Midi: All Systems Agogo - Alfonzo
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Oopsie, fixed a couple of issues.
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I had a partially done map for this sitting around, and I decided to finish it up in the hopes it can get included.
Map Name: Crescent Cliffs
Map Slot: MAP23 (for the MIDI)
Music: whatever was in MAP23 of the resource
Tested with: DSDA Doom 0.25
Difficulties: implemented
Multiplayer: coop starts placed, additional multiplayer monsters and ammo, DM starts placed
Play time: likely 30-45 minutes
Notes: This map leans more on exploration and incidental combat; it's the TNT to Lucky Clover's Plutonia. It still has a few combat setpieces, but everything is more free-flowing and less tightly choreographed.
