Wad Wader

Whimsical Doom Builder Idea

2007-02-07T15:55:00.000Z

I used to draw level ideas on scraps of paper before plunging into actual editing. Heck, my school notebooks are full of linedefs penned during the most boring lectures. Wouldn't it be cool if Doom Builder could show scanned doodles in the background so one could easily trace them? Of course many proportions would end up looking wrong so there would have to be an easy way to scale, rotate and move the background image. I even produced an example showing what it would look like, as a proof of feasibility. The map in the picture was drawn in Paint as I don't have a scanner at hand.

Featured Comment by Bill:

CodeImp has already said he couldn't do this because of the way the map view is rendered. Link

Review: Monolith 4

2007-02-06T16:24:00.000Z

Monolith 4 is a large and wonderfully looking map by Richard Wiles. It is a departure from his small-and-furious maps of late like Monolith 3. Everything is more roomy and bigger than in the other Monolith maps. Richard pulls it off and shows a fine sense of space and proportions. What prevents the map from reaching perfection is its linearity and that some of the fights are fairly uninteresting. They are a bit too predictable, which makes them easy if you play safe and watch your health. I think the map would benefit from more sneaky surprises. ]:) There are many good moments and fun times to be had though. I played the map for hours, I should now. :)

Get Monolith 4 from /idgames.

Monolith Series

2007-02-03T14:01:00.000Z

For the few who did not notice, Rich Wiles has come back to level making with a new series called Monolith (monlthXY.wad). So far he has released four levels and I am eagerly looking forward to more. The first two maps are pretty good, the third and fourth map are excellent. While they IMHO do not beat the best maps from Crusades and Slayer episodes, they still make an obligatory download.

Monolith 3 has the tightest, most intense gameplay from the series so far.

Obey the monolith! Download:

Monolith 1 from /idgames.
Monolith 2 from /idgames.
Monolith 3 from /idgames.
Monolith 4 from /idgames. (New!)

Review: Gyrotechnics

2007-02-02T17:22:00.000Z

Gyrotechnics (by Tango) is a single-player wad for limit removing ports. The map is all about tough fights with mobs of baddies. Revenants especially are in abundance. Often I found myself fighting the monsters while several guided fireballs circled around my ears. The difficulty level of Gyrotechnics is just right: challenging on the middle skill, hard but doable without saving on UV skill (if you are good at evading those missiles). The map has a neat tech theme with open spaces. Apparently, lots of work went to balancing and detailing; older, speedmapping version is included for comparison as map02.

My only gripe with Gyrotechnics is that it is basically made of two main separate areas, connected only with a door. Each area is a fighting ground on its own. The player progresses into the next area and leaves the previous behind; there is a vague feeling of disconnection. However, the map is balanced, challenging and most importantly fun to play.

Get Gyrotechnics (t-gyro.wad) from /idgames, or from Tango's web page.

Review: Beluga

2007-02-01T17:50:00.000Z

Beluga (by Didy) takes a "realistic" approach to a tech base theme. It is not my favorite style -- designers of such maps tend to focus on little fiddly buttons, computers and ventilation shafts and forget the bigger picture. Yet the design of this map managed to bring me to like it through the sheer power of its quality. It is darn good at all scales -- the little details, the rooms and corridors as well as the overall layout.

Beluga is also refreshingly varied with tight dark places as well as more open hallways. There are no frantic open-space battles though. Still, the map plays surprisingly well and does not get frustrating. Some people complain about the health balance, I did not find it an issue. On the other hand, you probably will not remember Beluga for the fights, but rather for its atmosphere. Contrary to its name (beluga = white whale?), this map comes in dark tones. The later areas are darker yet, which sets a nice, increasingly denser mood. Just do yourself a favor and turn off the music.

The wad runs with selected Boom ports (see the text file). Get Beluga from /idgames.

A Quick Peek at Onslaught 3 DM

2007-01-31T16:07:00.000Z

Onslaught 3 (by Hobomaster22 and Ak-01) is a set of deathmatch maps at least partly inspired by GothicDM. Visually, the design of the maps is a mixture of very good ideas and ok ideas. At its best, the architecture is excellent; at its worst just adequate and solid. The authors invent and clutter detail in a true GDM fashion, but were careful not to obstruct the movement (at least most of the time). The layout of the levels is quite open, no claustrophobic feelings here. I have not tested the maps in deathmatch though so this is not a proper review. :)

A neat piece of architecture in Onslaught DM 3.

Onslaught 3 requires a limit removing port. Get it from /idgames or from Hobomaster22's homepage.

Welcome to Wad Wader

2007-01-30T10:18:00.000Z

This blog is dedicated to add-on levels for Doom, the classic game from id software. I will comment on others' wads, plug my own work and occasionally ramble about level design in general. Current .plan is to run this blog for a couple of weeks and see how it goes.