Looks like an interesting project, and the blue really pops in that palette. A few questions:

1. Are you looking for potential mappers to official throw their hats in the ring, or are you okay with maps arriving unannounced?
2. Related: is there a map limit, or are we flexing the might of UMAPINFO?
3. Also related: are you accepting submissions from no-names like myself, or are you looking for established people?
4. May I ask why you don't want difficulty settings implemented until feedback arrives? I often like the idea of doing difficulty settings in tandem; otherwise you may end up with one "properly designed" setting (usually UV) and two "afterthought" settings.
5. Do you have difficulty or length preferences for these maps?
6. Are you looking for MIDI's / can we score our own maps?

Finally put together a map. A second, more incidental and less intense map is in the works; we'll see whether I can get it done in the next two weeks.

clover.wad

Title: Clover
Slot: MAP04
MIDI: whatever was in MAP04 in the resource
Difficulties: not implemented
Multiplayer stuff: none
Playtime: 10-15 minutes to 100%

The goal here was something shortish and explosive, and I feel like I succeeded, though feedback is always welcome (especially demos or playthrough vids). The difficulty level sits on the upper side of the target window, around Ancient Aliens on UV.

Be warned: the final wave has a tendency to devolve into insanity, so I am considering adding a BFG there to make it less dangerous. It's still beatable currently, but hard to be consistent. I didn't want to add a BFG because that really limits the slots a map can occupy in continuous play, but a BFG does feel like a natural final reward here. I could also thin the horde a bit, or add some delay so you don't get dogpiled.

Some screenies:

Here's a new version of the Lucky Clover.

lucky_clover.wad

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.

@TripleGenesis I tried to download your maps, but Google is saying I need to request access to view them. Could you make them available so I can do a recorded playthrough?

@MattFright I know you said MAP02 is "finished and tested" in the Trello, but I figured I'd provide a demo anyway, in case it sheds any insight; I'm playing through other submissions to get a feel for the resources. Recorded on UV in DSDA Doom (-complevel 21) using fe1_v3.2.wad.

fe1-02.lmp

I think there are three major things to note here:

1. It seems the cyber/AV fight can be cheesed to some degree: the lock-in bars don't raise very quickly, so it's pretty simple to run past them right after hitting the triple key button. Given that the player isn't locked in on the other side, this may not be a big deal.
2. The railings around the bottom of the south stairs up to the cyber/AV arena don't appear to block anything, so it's possible to go careening off into the OoB area, as I do in my demo.
3. The mancubi guarding the SSG don't seem to pop up. It looks like no lines have tag 143 to raise them.

Other than that, I had a good time with the map, and the combat pieces were enjoyable. If this is MAP02, the difficulty of the WAD seems like it will end up well above Doom 2, closer to Valiant level. I especially enjoyed the use of longer range monsters at several angles when entering into the yellow key area.

The map has a very consistent visual theme, which is a double-edged sword. On the plus side, it creates a unified experience. On the minus side, navigation was tricky for me at several points, exacerbated by two other factors: the crowded automap and the use of teleporters to link the key arenas to the hub. I don't have simple fixes for any of this, and it doesn't ruin the experience by any means. I will say the green key wing was the most visually/structurally striking and memorable outdoor area for me. The blue key was my favorite indoor arena.

On the whole, the map is on the longer side, taking 30-40 minutes on a blind playthrough, but it's likely someone with better foreknowledge could blast through it more quickly.

I'll start looking at putting together a submission of my own. I'll at least be starting with something short and snappy. After that, I may implement a more involved idea that I think will fit this theme nicely.

Here's an update to my map, which I would now like to title "Lucky Clover":

clover_v3.wad

There are quite a few changes, but I'll list some of the biggest ones:

• The starting pit now comes with a shotgun and green armor.
• Three of the "leaves" of the map now hold keycards which can be combined to access a BFG for the final onslaught.
• The rocket launcher arena now comes with an SSG to help pound the pinkies that rush you. Because the SSG so deeply outclasses the shotgun, I've throttled the shell supply to prevent the SSG from overshadowing the chaingun.
• The NE timed arena now has far more bullet ammo, essentially allowing the player to hold down the fire button.
• The plasma switchback has been jostled around to make it play more as intended, along with a new (unmarked) secret.

Thanks to @MattFright and BiZ for the demos and commentary! I don't think I addressed some of the suggestions in the lists you sent me, but I hope you'll trust me that any omissions have been made with some intention of vision, rather than out of negligence. Of course, if you really have strong feelings still, let me know; you are leading the project, after all.

Overall, I think postponing the deadline is a good call for me, at least. I'm working on a more exploratory/atmospheric second submission, which will naturally need some time to fill out and clean up, so I intend to put that extra time to good use!

I had a partially done map for this sitting around, and I decided to finish it up in the hopes it can get included.

crescent_cliffs.wad

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.

Here's a new version of the Lucky Clover.

lucky_clover.wad

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.

@Deathbear Played through your map (on UV this time) in DSDA Doom. Here are my "F"DA's:

vilegrow.lmp
vilegro2.lmp

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.

Played through some of the new map, though I got stuck due to some door linedefs pointing the wrong way.

honhor2.lmp

I like many of the alterations/additions you made here, though a few technical things need to be addressed for the map to work properly. The main issue: all of the doors out of each of the key fights have the linedefs facing the wrong direction, so the player cannot leave once the door closes behind them. I'm not sure which port you are testing with, but this seems like the sort of thing you'll want to note when you are doing a final playthrough before uploading. I'll attach some pics to show what I'm talking about.

Another technical issue: the fight for the yellow key doesn't seem to function as intended, as none of the monsters teleport in, so it's just you and two cyberdemons. When placing teleport lines, make sure the monsters have enough to room to mostly walk all the way across to the other side; right now, the lines are too close to the wall, so monsters can't cross them properly. You might also want to make sure the monsters in closets get woken up earlier, since I can easily run in and grab the yellow key without shooting.

Regarding the fights themselves, most of it crumbles without much trouble. As you can see in the demo, the first leg up through the red key can be handled taking essentially no damage. I liked your baron placement at the top of the steps after getting the red key. The V-shaped arena is a cool idea, though it's largely a roll of the dice whether you get zapped initially, and once the AV is dead, mopping up the revenants poses little threat (this reminds me of the end of Sunder MAP02). I don't know how the fight for the yellow key goes, since nothing teleported in.

Overall, I think you way overestimated the time needed to play the map, as I was done in less than 15 minutes. Your style of combat certainly caters to the slaughter crowd, though the difficulty is pretty far on the easy end right now. That's fine if you'd like to keep it that way, but if you wanted to explore more difficult fights, there is an audience for that.

A note on testing: which port are you using to test? It can be worth noting what you are testing with so that I can more easily navigate bugs that may arise from differences in behavior between, say, DSDA Doom and GZDoom. Also, be sure to do a full run of your map before uploading to make sure everything works correctly, as that will catch a lot of the sorts of bugs that can stop other people's playthroughs.

honeyhor.lmp

Glad to see you delving into the world of mapping! Here's a demo of your map, recorded in DSDA Doom (-complevel 9) on UV. My personal recommendation is to watch the demo before you even read my written comments, that way you can get an idea for whether a player is approaching your map in an "intended" way. Otherwise, you may risk me just trying to shove too much of my personal doom tastes onto your map. Remember, I'm sharing only my opinion and experience, nothing more.

I'm no expert on the subject, but I suspect you are a Sunder fan based on the combo of 1. the hex-based cave aesthetic like the beginning of Sunder MAP14, and 2. the large monster counts in small-ish rooms. Your slaughter efforts were valiant, though I fear they fell prey to some pitfalls (though maybe they player exactly as you hoped, who knows).

Quick note on the pre-yellow-door stretch before I talk about the "main event" fights for the other two keys. I think you successfully kept ammo balance very tight for the initial segment, though this does result in sluggish gameplay, as I need to completely line up every shell and rocket to get the most out of my supplies. Tight-fisted sections like this can keep a quicker pace with slightly larger monster counts and a little more leeway with either ammo or health, keeping the same vibe but encouraging the player to be more aggressive. Be aware that the first archvile seems to be stuck on the stairs.

Regarding the yellow key fight: my gameplay video sums up how that fight went. I can run circles around the revenant cloud all day long without ever being in danger. If you want to reduce the possibility of circle-strafing the encounter to death, I'd suggest changing the arena shape so that the player can't easily make a circuit around the horde. A classic way to do this in slaughter maps is go for a "horseshoe" shaped room, forcing the player to double back on their path while also culling the revenant pool to avoid getting smothered. You can also make the initial segment of the fight more dangerous by not starting the monsters already in the center, making the room immediately perfect for running in circles.

Regarding the blue key fight: I think you fixed the issue plaguing the first room, at least initially. There's a lot more chaos here, as there's always a chance of a cyberdemon not behaving the way you want, or you could misjudge a gap in the monster horde and get surrounded. However, I found overall that there was plenty of maneuvering room with little danger, though again, watch my demo to see if the room played out how you hoped. If you wanted to add some spice to this room, you could add a bend to it so that it's possible to break line of sight, rather than just using a big rectangle. You can also experiment with more height levels in an arena, forcing the player to exploit cliffs and drop-offs to manage the horde.

About map visuals: I like your commitment to the hex theme, though I fear your map geometry is too reliant on squares and rectangles to get a lot of zing out of just this one visual feature. Two things I think could help: 1. try more room shapes with some added height variation, and 2. try adding a few more visual motifs to your palette; hexes are good, but it's hard to keep them fresh the whole map.

If you love slaughter, I fully encourage you to hone your craft in this niche. When posting your WAD's in the future, it can be worth posting a few extra pieces of info, such as: gameplay type (probably slaughter in this case), expected playtime, and screenshots (people love these). I hope to see more mapping from you in the future!

Here's an update to my map, which I would now like to title "Lucky Clover":

clover_v3.wad

There are quite a few changes, but I'll list some of the biggest ones:

• The starting pit now comes with a shotgun and green armor.
• Three of the "leaves" of the map now hold keycards which can be combined to access a BFG for the final onslaught.
• The rocket launcher arena now comes with an SSG to help pound the pinkies that rush you. Because the SSG so deeply outclasses the shotgun, I've throttled the shell supply to prevent the SSG from overshadowing the chaingun.
• The NE timed arena now has far more bullet ammo, essentially allowing the player to hold down the fire button.
• The plasma switchback has been jostled around to make it play more as intended, along with a new (unmarked) secret.

Thanks to @MattFright and BiZ for the demos and commentary! I don't think I addressed some of the suggestions in the lists you sent me, but I hope you'll trust me that any omissions have been made with some intention of vision, rather than out of negligence. Of course, if you really have strong feelings still, let me know; you are leading the project, after all.

Overall, I think postponing the deadline is a good call for me, at least. I'm working on a more exploratory/atmospheric second submission, which will naturally need some time to fill out and clean up, so I intend to put that extra time to good use!

@hotdogkirby said in Frightening Experiments 1: Recluse Tech (complevel 21):

Here's a simple, early game map that focuses on introducing the new hazard monsters and giving the player a nice end-fight to flex their rocket launcher skills.

Played through your map, here's my FDA: resimps.lmp
Recorded using DSDA Doom (-complevel 21).

I think you hit one of your stated goals: the map offers very little resistance, and I am never in any real danger. If you're not paying attention, you could take some surprise fireballs or face-rocket yourself in the final throwdown, but if you're taking any care, it's no problem. I'll let you watch the demo to determine whether I am approaching your fights in ways you find agreeable. If you wanted to pump the difficulty, you could implement the current setting as HMP or HNTR and throw in some further curveballs on UV.

As for introducing the hazards, I think your rocket launcher shooting range does a nice job showing the player that the bulbs are shootable; I think you could even go further, adding more bulbs and imps to make it clearer that the bulbs are damaging imps. I think the sour blossoms could use more direct attention when "introduced," as both the blossoms here are a bit hidden and out of the way. Then again, we could have MAP02 or 03 provide a stronger introductory gimmick for the blossoms.

Visually, you have some nice elements, and the geometry of the start crossing through the final arena is very nice. It does seem like this outdoor area got the lion's share of your attention, so if you add more detailing, I think you would get better mileage out of details in the middle leg of the map, where some rooms seem a little more bare compared to the delights of the final zone.

Good stuff! This map could make a nice opener, being delightful and thematic on visuals and geometry, agreeable on difficulty, and making some introduction of the custom monsters. We'll see how things slot into place.

Finally put together a map. A second, more incidental and less intense map is in the works; we'll see whether I can get it done in the next two weeks.

clover.wad

Title: Clover
Slot: MAP04
MIDI: whatever was in MAP04 in the resource
Difficulties: not implemented
Multiplayer stuff: none
Playtime: 10-15 minutes to 100%

The goal here was something shortish and explosive, and I feel like I succeeded, though feedback is always welcome (especially demos or playthrough vids). The difficulty level sits on the upper side of the target window, around Ancient Aliens on UV.

Be warned: the final wave has a tendency to devolve into insanity, so I am considering adding a BFG there to make it less dangerous. It's still beatable currently, but hard to be consistent. I didn't want to add a BFG because that really limits the slots a map can occupy in continuous play, but a BFG does feel like a natural final reward here. I could also thin the horde a bit, or add some delay so you don't get dogpiled.

Some screenies:

Some nice-looking shots! I have minimal experience building techbases, so hopefully I'll learn how to make some good techy visuals over these two months. I've got my own map making good progress; we'll see whether that sceond map I mentioned materializes in the next few weeks.

@MattFright Quick note about the status bar: I recall you saying that this project was focusing on/tested with OpenGL. I normally play with software rendering, and I noticed a software-specific bug with the numbers on the status bar:

It's almost like there is a minor HOM-like effect that appears when the numbers change; you can still see the remnants of the leading 2 in the attached pic. This bug doesn't appear in OpenGL. Just wanted to make you aware in case you wanted to fix it for the software players out there.

@MattFright I know you said MAP02 is "finished and tested" in the Trello, but I figured I'd provide a demo anyway, in case it sheds any insight; I'm playing through other submissions to get a feel for the resources. Recorded on UV in DSDA Doom (-complevel 21) using fe1_v3.2.wad.

fe1-02.lmp

I think there are three major things to note here:

1. It seems the cyber/AV fight can be cheesed to some degree: the lock-in bars don't raise very quickly, so it's pretty simple to run past them right after hitting the triple key button. Given that the player isn't locked in on the other side, this may not be a big deal.
2. The railings around the bottom of the south stairs up to the cyber/AV arena don't appear to block anything, so it's possible to go careening off into the OoB area, as I do in my demo.
3. The mancubi guarding the SSG don't seem to pop up. It looks like no lines have tag 143 to raise them.

Other than that, I had a good time with the map, and the combat pieces were enjoyable. If this is MAP02, the difficulty of the WAD seems like it will end up well above Doom 2, closer to Valiant level. I especially enjoyed the use of longer range monsters at several angles when entering into the yellow key area.

The map has a very consistent visual theme, which is a double-edged sword. On the plus side, it creates a unified experience. On the minus side, navigation was tricky for me at several points, exacerbated by two other factors: the crowded automap and the use of teleporters to link the key arenas to the hub. I don't have simple fixes for any of this, and it doesn't ruin the experience by any means. I will say the green key wing was the most visually/structurally striking and memorable outdoor area for me. The blue key was my favorite indoor arena.

On the whole, the map is on the longer side, taking 30-40 minutes on a blind playthrough, but it's likely someone with better foreknowledge could blast through it more quickly.

I'll start looking at putting together a submission of my own. I'll at least be starting with something short and snappy. After that, I may implement a more involved idea that I think will fit this theme nicely.