BOOMER: Beyond Vanilla (v0.08.03) - Doomworld /idgames database frontend

Title:	BOOMER: Beyond Vanilla (v0.08.03)
Filename:	levels/doom2/Ports/a-c/boomer.zip
Size:	8.59 MB
Date:	04/02/23
Author:	Fernito
Description:	Limit-removing Doom 2 WAD, focused on action, adventure and exploration, featuring a brand new MIDI soundtrack inspired by classic shooters' music.
Credits:	Betatesters (single player): V-Mon, Kyka, Joe Lennox, Biodegradable, Vile, mancubian_candidate, the_lamp, LordEntr0py, rita remton. Betatesters (coop): Van Daemon, Ozymandias81. Music: Lee Jackson, Enzo Cabrera, Tomás Rojas. Artwork: Bo Hernö. Logo: Rocc-O.
Base:	New from scratch
Build time:	Around 2 years
Editor(s) used:	DBX
Bugs:	Several slimetrails and other small harmless visual bugs. (Please report in Doomworld's thread if any found!)
Rating:

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View boomer.txt

===========================================================================
Archive Maintainer      : 
Update to               : boomer.wad (v0.08.02)
Advanced engine needed  : Any limit removing port should do
Primary purpose         : Single + Coop play 
===========================================================================
Title                   : BOOMER: Beyond Vanilla (v0.08.03)
Filename                : boomer.wad
Release date            : 02-April-2023 (Last updated: 21-January-2024)
Author                  : Fernito
Email Address           : [redacted]
Other Files By Author   : A couple of contributions for community projects and a 
			  Doom Ep1 replacement I'd rather forget that exists :)

Misc. Author Info       : Fan of Doom for almost 30 years, former Duke Nukem 3D 
			  mapper, amateur composer.

Description             : Limit-removing Doom 2 WAD, focused on action, adventure 
			  and exploration, featuring a brand new MIDI soundtrack 
			  inspired by classic shooters' music.

Additional Credits to   : Betatesters (single player): V-Mon, Kyka, Joe Lennox, 
			  Biodegradable, Vile, mancubian_candidate, the_lamp, 
			  LordEntr0py, rita remton. 
			  Betatesters (coop): Van Daemon, Ozymandias81.
			  Music: Lee Jackson, Enzo Cabrera, Tomás Rojas.
			  Artwork: Bo Hernö.
			  Logo: Rocc-O.

===========================================================================
* What is included *

New levels              : 9
Sounds                  : No
Music                   : Yes 
Graphics                : Artwork and menu stuff (no new monsters, textures 
			  or flats)
Dehacked/BEX Patch      : Yes (only level names and texts)
Demos                   : Yes
Other                   : No
Other files required    : No

* Play Information *

Game                    : DOOM2
Map #                   : MAP01-MAP08 & MAP32
Single Player           : Designed for
Cooperative 2-4 Player  : Designed for
Deathmatch 2-4 Player   : No
Other game styles       : No
Difficulty Settings     : Yes

* Construction *

Base                    : New from scratch 
Build Time              : Around 2 years
Editor(s) used          : DBX
Known Bugs              : Several slimetrails and other small harmless visual bugs. 
			  (Please report in Doomworld's thread if any found!)
May Not Run With        : Anything that has issues with voodoo dolls and/or some 
			  gameplay altering mods, I guess?
Tested With             : Crispy Doom, GZDoom, PRBoom+, DSDA-Doom, So Doom

* Copyright / Permissions *

Authors may NOT use the contents of this file as a base for
modification or reuse.  Permissions have been obtained from original
authors for any of their resources modified or included in this file.

You MAY distribute this file, provided you include this text
file, with no modifications.  You may distribute this file in any
electronic format (BBS, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include
this file intact.  I have received permission from the original
authors of any modified or included content in this file to allow
further distribution.

* Where to get the file that this text file describes *

The Usual: ftp://archives.gamers.org/pub/idgames/ and mirrors
Doomworld thread: https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/133495

[ABOUT THE WAD]
"Boomer: Beyond Vanilla" is a limit-removing Doom 2 WAD, focused on action and adventure/exploration. I set myself the challenge of creating a fun and visually pleasing mapset using only original Doom 2 textures/flats and vanilla gameplay mechanics, with the idea in mind of offering a unique experience each time it is played, rather than being a one-time consumption WAD. Most of the maps are mid to big-sized with non-linear progression, a lot of interconnection and several optional areas.

Music has always been a crucial aspect of videogames for me, and this time is no exception. The WAD features a 100% original MIDI soundtrack that tries to capture the vibe of 90's shooters' music. I'd like to mention that the work of Lee Jackson has been especially influential for my musical development, and this project also features an amazing original MIDI from him. Needless to say, a lot of love has been put into the soundtrack, so I really hope you enjoy it! :)

As a side note, this is the first part of what I'd like to become one day a fully fledged megaWAD. Maybe in the (far) future I'll continue with it (when I retire, heh), but for now I'll take a break as I'm quite burnt out from this project after spending the last two years juggling between this and my already highly energy-consuming job with virtually no free time for anything else x_x... As suggested by Captain Keen, I'm releasing this first episode as a standalone WAD and I'll call it the "shareware" version.

[RECOMMENDED SETTINGS]
The WAD was designed to be played with vanilla style lighting. IMHO, the best playing experience is given by DSDA-Doom with hardware renderer + indexed lighting, followed by Crispy Doom. GZDoom has some performance issues in some maps when using the software renderer, and IMO none of its hardware renderer lightmodes is close enough to vanilla (not even the "vanilla" one, heh), which kinda screws up the atmosphere, so I can't really recommend it much.

It should be played with vanilla settings: no mouselook, no jumping, infinitely tall objects, decorations should not block projectiles, etc. All maps are optimized for pistol start, though continuous play is also fine. Difficulty settings are fully implemented, and there's no shame in selecting a lower skill level if you're looking for a more laid-back, exploration-focused experience.

The soundtrack was composed using the Microsoft GS Wavetable synth as target, so bear in mind that the track volume balance might be off with other soundfonts. It is worth mentioning that it sounds exceptionally bad with the OPL synth, as it doesn't handle pitch bendings properly.

[CREDITS]
A big shout out to the playtesters Biodegradable, LordEntr0py, mancubian_candidate, the_lamp, rita remton, Vile, and especially Veemon, Kyka and fizzbin, whose thorough playtesting and encouragement have been vital for the development of the WAD. And of course, thanks in general to anyone that contributed with bug reports on Doomworld's thread.

I'd also like to thank Ozymandias81 and Van Daemon for their invaluable help testing the WAD in coop!

Thanks again to Veemon for his conceptual contributions to MAP07!

The artwork was made by the amazing Bo Hernö: https://www.instagram.com/bosdoodles/
The logo was made by my good old friend Rocc-O: https://www.instagram.com/rocc.tattoo/

And of course, thanks to the one and only Lee Jackson and to my good friend Enzo Cabrera for their exceptional contributions to the soundtrack!

And also thanks to my amazing musician friend Tomás Rojas for his incredible rework of MAP07's track, rebaptized as "Obliterating Rendezvous" (formerly "UkT"): https://www.instagram.com/tr.mus/

[TRACK LIST]
Map01: "Energía" - Fernito
Map02: "Fernando's dream" - Lee Jackson
Map03: "Goin' down the hard way" - Fernito (solo by Enzo Cabrera/Fernito)
Map04: "Monster Condo style" - Fernito
Map05: "Misleading demeanor" - Fernito
Map06: "A day at the beach" - Fernito
Map07: "Obliterating Rendezvous" - Synth solos by Enzo Cabrera; bass and drums by Fernito; guitars, arrangements and mixing (and new name!) by Tomás Rojas
Map08/Text screen: "Rite of passage" - Fernito
Title screen: "Slam" - Fernito
Intermission: "Victory toll" - Fernito

[CHANGELOG]
v0.08.03 (2024-02-21)
  - Maps
    - MAP04: Update existing secret 
v0.08.02 (2023-12-18)
  - Music 
    - Small changes to MAP04 track
  - Maps
    - MAP06: fixed potential sequence break via archvile jump
    - MAP08/32: removed the BFG super-secret, which made the map potentially cheesable, plus other small balance and aesthetic fixes
v0.08.01 (2023-10-04)
  - Added 3 demos (they should run well at least on DSDA-Doom and Crispy Doom)
  - Added meaningful par times to every level  
  - Music: 
    - Totally reworked track for MAP07, "Obliterating Rendezvous" (Credit: Tomás Rojas)
    - Extended intermission screen track, "Victory toll"
    - Put some more work on end map/text screen track, "Rite of passage"
    - Several small changes in most of the other tracks.
  - Maps
    - All maps were updated for easier navigation: a lot of useless linedefs where hidden, so now the automap views should be a lot less confusing (thanks to all those that brought this to my attention)
    - MAP07: got buffed a little bit
    - MAP08: previously just an exit-less short end map, now a 100% playable "challenge" map
    - MAP32: same as MAP08, just with the bony red sky :) (this is the intended sky for MAP08, but you know, vanilla limitations... :/)
    - Several other small aesthetic and QoL improvements in most levels (e.g.: making those multi-sector lifts not ear rape you anymore)
v0.07.04 (2023-06-24)
  - Several texture and QoL improvements in most levels.
  - Updated ENDOOM screen
v0.07.03 (2023-04-09)
  - Several small fixes in most of the levels.
  - Updated MIDI for Map07 and title screen.
v0.07.02 (2023-04-02) 
  - First official release of "shareware" episode

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