Help a noob on regards of maping and adding custom stuff.

Hello, fellow kids! So I decided to start experimenting with Ultimate Doom Builder and I need help with adding custom monsters and music. Do I need another editor like Slade 3 or Xde for these stuff? And if so, would you please direct me to a guide understandable for a begginer like me?  Regarding mapping, I have ideas, though the execution of them is quite hard. What the overall layout will be? What textures should I use? How much detail so that I don't exagerate? How do I make the map not only eye candy on the detail, but also be good on the gameplay side? I know I should start with the default resources first and make a couple of maps, but I feel limited by the choice and want eventually to use custom stuff.

5 minutes ago, Meddy said:

Hello, fellow kids! So I decided to start experimenting with Ultimate Doom Builder and I need help with adding custom monsters and music. Do I need another editor like Slade 3 or Xde for these stuff? And if so, would you please direct me to a guide understandable for a begginer like me?  Regarding mapping, I have ideas, though the execution of them is quite hard. What the overall layout will be? What textures should I use? How much detail so that I don't exagerate? How do I make the map not only eye candy on the detail, but also be good on the gameplay side? I know I should start with the default resources first and make a couple of maps, but I feel limited by the choice and want eventually to use custom stuff.

Adding music is easy, open your map in slade3, after that add a music track, mus, midi, ogg, or mp3 then rename the track to the name of the map's track, for an example, map01 is D_RUNNIN.

Thank you very much, @DRMman!

1 minute ago, Meddy said:

Thank you very much, @DRMman!

 

Your welcome, happy mapping. I also recommend opening doom2.wad in slade for the music names.

I really wish it was as simple as just having texture packs and inserting them in the start up menu. That'd be amazing. I also want this with like decorations and stuff.

On 1/26/2021 at 5:29 PM, Meddy said:

Regarding mapping, I have ideas, though the execution of them is quite hard. What the overall layout will be? What textures should I use? How much detail so that I don't exagerate? How do I make the map not only eye candy on the detail, but also be good on the gameplay side? I know I should start with the default resources first and make a couple of maps, but I feel limited by the choice and want eventually to use custom stuff.

Q1: "What the overall layout will be?"

A1. I don't think you'll find a guide that tells you what your layout should be. You will need to start by identifying a theme for your map. In DooM/2, the common themes available would be base, tech, gothic/medieval, hellish, urban or a combination of these. Once you've picked a theme, you'll need to figure out objectives. Does the player need to find one or more keys to progress? Does the player need to enter an area from a different location because the most obvious entrance is locked? Does the player need to return to areas already visited? These will determine map progression, which in turn will determine map layout.

Also, refer to this discussion thread on map layouts.

Q2: "What textures should I use?"

A2: Use textures consistent with your theme. If your map is urban-themed, use a lot of brick and metal. If your map is tech- or base-themed use walls such as GRAYx, CEMENTx, or STARx, and then add in computers, pipes, etc. If your map is gothic/medieval use walls such as STONEx, with WOODx interiors. Hellish-themed maps could use ASHWALLx or SP_HOT, with SKINx interiors.

Also, refer to this discussion thread on textures and structures.

Q3: "How much detail so that I don't exagerate?"

A2: This is often a matter of taste. You will need to discover for yourself the level of detail that pleases you.

Q4: "How do I make the map not only eye candy on the detail, but also be good on the gameplay side?"

A4: Again, what constitutes "good" gameplay is a matter of taste. Some people prefer slaughter maps while others like slower pacing. Some people prefer atmosphere and mood to balls-to-the-wall action. Some people want a twitch-style of gameplay with constant surprises and traps, while this gets tiring for others. However, some general considerations to follow are:

a. Do your best to create a proper balance of opposition (enemies), weaponry, ammunition, health, armor, and power-ups. To achieve this balance you should play maps by other authors to see which you really enjoyed. Then, figure out what the authors did to ensure the game was not too difficult and not too easy. Two good wad recommendations are DooM and DooM2. These maps really provide a good understanding of the strengths and weakness of each enemy and weapon, as well as the situations where enemies and map configurations provide just the right amount of challenge.

b. To ensure your map is playable by a wider audience, implement skill levels.

c. Make a conscious effort to avoid frustrating the player. Obscure switch-hunts comes to mind. If you're using a switch to remotely open a door in a different part of the map, give the player a clue as to which door is being opened. Another example is pitting the player against a vastly superior opponent (e.g., Cyberdemon) with insufficient weaponry or ammo, or in a cramped area with little room to maneuver.

d. Games, by definition, involve chance. Create situations where the player has a chance to succeed, and (the corollary) has a chance to fail. The narrower the chance (up to a certain point; see above on avoiding frustrating situations), the more the excitement.

e. Create a satisfying risk-reward mechanism. Provide rewards commensurate with risk. Fighting three barons of hell only to find that they were guarding a couple of clips and a health bonus can be a big let-down.

Finally, this is one of several discussion threads intended for those new to creating maps for DooM.

Thanks a lot  @ReX!

On 1/26/2021 at 8:23 PM, Retro Dino said:

I really wish it was as simple as just having texture packs and inserting them in the start up menu. That'd be amazing. I also want this with like decorations and stuff.

So this is the thing that has been confusing me the most. For Ultimate Doom Builder, I have the OTEX texture pack as a resource for GZDOOM: Doom 2 (both Doom and UDMF formats) along with the Doom 2 IWAD, and I can use those textures in the editor. But it seems like everything I've read online says I'll need to actually use something like SLADE3 to put those in. Before I actually make a real level using a texture pack like that, I want to make sure I'm doing this right.

So basically, can I just add a texture pack as a resource in Ultimate Doom Builder, or do I need to open my PWAD in SLADE3 and add the texture pack that way?

10 hours ago, TJG1289 said:

So basically, can I just add a texture pack as a resource in Ultimate Doom Builder, or do I need to open my PWAD in SLADE3 and add the texture pack that way?

The thing is, if you use the OTEX texture pack as a resource in UDB, you can use the textures to populate the linedefs in your map. But then, those textures will not be seen if you play your map with GZDoom (or any port). You will have to add both files, your map and OTEX, to play your map.

To play your map without also having to load OTEX you have to add whichever OTEX texture you chose, or all of them, using Slade3. The textures have to be present in your map.

If you copy/paste everything from OTEX into your map you should be okay.

If you copy/paste only a few patches (P_ markers) then you either have to generate new TEXTURE1 or TEXTURE2 and PNAMES lumps or for GZDoom simply plave them between TX_ markers.

11 hours ago, Kappes Buur said:

 

The thing is, if you use the OTEX texture pack as a resource in UDB, you can use the textures to populate the linedefs in your map. But then, those textures will not be seen if you play your map with GZDoom (or any port). You will have to add both files, your map and OTEX, to play your map.

 

To play your map without also having to load OTEX you have to add whichever OTEX texture you chose, or all of them, using Slade3. The textures have to be present in your map.

 

Ah, gotcha. That makes sense. Thanks for the explanation and the link!