JAMAL JONES - Episode 1: In Judgment of Evil - PRE-FINAL RELEASE

 Open below for the changelog! It's also included in the download above, if you want to read it in plain text. 

I'm about to Jamal all over this Jonesin place.

In all seriousness I played a lot of episode 1 of the earlier pre-release and really enjoyed it. Can't wait to see all the updates y'all made. Congrats!!

So... you just went into everybody's maps and changed stuff around without so much as a notification that you were gonna do that? That doesn't feel really nice. Last time someone did that in my map for this project I had to fix everything again.

And we're not even talking about just stuff that is broken but you're also making artistic decisions. Quoting from the description of what you did to my map: 'Changed the mega armor secret sector's floor to a flat that doesn't suck '. Wow. Not even asking me but just doing it. Changing something that is clearly subjective. Not cool. Not cool. Now I have to go in and check everything you've done to see whether I'm okay with it. I am open to feedback but here there was no feedback given: just things changed without warning.

Just now, Peccatum Mihzamiz said:

So... you just went into everybody's maps and changed stuff around without so much as a notification that you were gonna do that? That doesn't feel really nice. Last time someone did that in my map for this project I had to fix everything again.

Ah, apologies - my understanding was that permission had already been given by all mappers to Doomkid in order to make necessary changes to get stuff prepared for release, and that Doomkid's passing of the torch to Mark and I was sufficient cause for us to make changes. The flat change wasn't intended as a knock against you, but against the flat itself - but I'm really sorry for having worded that so poorly.

12 hours ago, Peccatum Mihzamiz said:

So... you just went into everybody's maps and changed stuff around without so much as a notification that you were gonna do that?

You're joking, right? The original project deadline was March 2022. There were multiple rounds of bug reports. If maps still aren't sorted out this many months later, mappers have no right to complain about somebody finally finishing them. I think we should be thankful to Cammy, Mark, and in your case Arsinikk as well for their efforts to conclude the project.

47 minutes ago, Sneezy McGlassFace said:

You're joking, right? The original project deadline was March 2022. There were multiple rounds of bug reports. If maps still aren't sorted out this many months later, mappers have no right to complain about somebody finally finishing them. I think we should be thankful to Cammy, Mark, and in your case Arsinikk as well for their efforts to conclude the project.

Nope, not joking at all. I really appreciate these new project leads taking over and doing hard work, but I don't like people changing my stuff without asking or even telling me. I know the deadline was March 2022, I do not need to be told that. I adjusted my map based on all the feedback I got and sent in an updated version, and would have sent in another update if I had gotten more feedback. I also did a lot of playtesting myself for other mappers. There have been months and months and no more feedback was given on my map, no requests were made by anybody, even though quite a few people played through the map.

We actually had an instance before in this project of somebody taking my map, adjusting something in it, and then adding it to the compilation, and then breaking ALL of the 3D bridges in it. Then I had to go in myself and fix all of that again. I even got a lot of criticism for that broken stuff that I didn't do myself.

All my bridges were fixed in the last update, so there was no fixing needed by Arsinikk. Except for visual stuff on one of the bridges perhaps? I don't know what they supposedly fixed, because the changelog doesn't specify. Also: cammy let me know not all bridges are actually fixed in this compilation but will be at a later point. And like I wrote in my message: we're not just talking about 'maps that aren't sorted out': there was at least one instance of changing a flat 'because it sucked'.

Cammy knows I appreciate them, and I also really like the hard work by Arsinikk, and I don't think know Mark Bloom but I sure as hell appreciate that people are putting a lot of energy and time in this great project. But come on man, just ask or at least notify me. I would probably have said 'yes thank you' or 'let me know what needs to be changed and I'll do so immediately'. No need to tell me 'we should be thankful': I already was and in DMs with cammy have said stuff to that effect.

Getting ahead of any future discourse, I had a chat with Pecca in private and we're on amicable terms, so there's no need to stick up for me. I apologize to the E1 mappers for having put out versions of your levels that you didn't necessarily approve of expressly - the wad hasn't been submitted to idgames, so I feel the need to stress that you are all very much encouraged to request alterations or reversions to anything Mark or I have done with your levels! We'll make it so.

With this in mind, I intend to contact the E2 and E3 mappers ahead of those wads' releases, and let them test out their maps first. (The ones who are still active on Doomworld, anyway, which is a lot less of them than you'd think.)

Nice, have been looking forward to this!

Hot damn! At last, I can properly say that I've been a part in a Community Project! Can't wait to see the final two episodes finalized... I approve of the changes of my map, by the way! Great additions.

1 hour ago, Cammy said:

With this in mind, I intend to contact the E2 and E3 mappers ahead of those wads' releases, and let them test out their maps first. (The ones who are still active on Doomworld, anyway, which is a lot less of them than you'd think.)

I would appreciate this if you end up making any changes to my E2 map, thanks.

17 hours ago, Cammy said:

 

  Hide contents

- Made the back of the secret health bonus crate tan like the rest of it instead of gray, because I thought the different color meant it was another secret, and I got sad when it wasn't (C)
- Added a switch to the lift in the room with the berserk secret so it's more obvious the lift can be lowered (C)

 

Lol I meant to go back and make these exact changes so many times, good work folks! Cheers on the release :)

5 hours ago, Sneezy McGlassFace said:

You're joking, right? The original project deadline was March 2022. There were multiple rounds of bug reports. If maps still aren't sorted out this many months later, mappers have no right to complain about somebody finally finishing them. I think we should be thankful to Cammy, Mark, and in your case Arsinikk as well for their efforts to conclude the project.

To be clear, I think it's only fine to make changes if the mapper gives them the ok to.

I would not like geometry altered in one of my maps, nor would I want it touched at all because I tend to use very specific nodebuilder settings for my maps, and any change could potentially break my maps. I would say that it is less common for mappers to use particular nodebuilder settings, but in my opinion, mappers should have been reached out first before their maps were altered.

Plus we are talking about a vanilla wad, which means things like visplane and drawseg oveflows are a thing. Resaving a map with geometry changes and/or different nodebuilder can literally be the difference between the map crashing in Vanilla or not.

6 hours ago, Rymante said:

I would appreciate this if you end up making any changes to my E2 map, thanks.

You'll be the first to know!

4 hours ago, Arsinikk said:

I would not like geometry altered in one of my maps, nor would I want it touched at all because I tend to use very specific nodebuilder settings for my maps, and any change could potentially break my maps.

I don't recall having encountered or been told of any bugs in your map, but again, if I find anything that needs fixing, I'll contact you about it.

On 12/25/2023 at 11:24 AM, Cammy said:

 

It lives!

 

JAMAL JONES is an action-packin', body-stackin', demon-smackin' pack of three 22-map megawads, developed by a grand roster of Doom-loving contestants in honor of the 20 years we've spent with our resident deathmatch aficionado, blue sky lover, community project factory, and Zappa disciple, @Doomkid! After the contest wrapped up and everyone went home, the megawads spent a long while languishing in a semi-finished state. Some people wondered if Jamal would ever see an updated, closer-to-final release - if he would ever take that crucial next step on the path to the idgames promised land.

 

But that was then. And this is now! 

 

With express permission from the 'Kid, I've teamed up with a fellow JJ trilogy alum - the testing powerhouse and mapping up-and-comer @Mark Bloom - to clean these megawads up and get them released for real! After just a couple short and wild months, the first episode of the trilogy is just about complete. Mark and I have gathered up all the bug reports we could find, and we went through the episode three whole times with a fine-toothed comb, catching and curing any snags we found along the way. We would have liked to have the whole trilogy ready to post all at once, but it's Christmas, and you guys deserve a gift for your patience. So for now, enjoy Episode 1: In Judgment of Evil, with a mile-long list of adjustments and fixes that make the wad 100% vanilla compatible or your money back!

 

 DOWNLOAD PRE-FINAL RELEASE 1 of EPISODE 1: IN JUDGMENT OF EVIL 

 

Featuring the following maps:

 

e1m1 - To The Site - by @Rykz

e1m2 - Running Down - by @Vladguy

e1m3 - Dark Secrets - by @Earnesttrout

e1m4 - Initialisation - by @Astronomical

e1m5 - Shopping Spree - by @Majipantsu

e1m6 - Pollution Plant - by @Glikkzy

e1m7 - Packin' Heat - by @evil_scientist

e1m8 - Wheel of Misfortune - by @Origamyde

e1m9 - Smells Like Cordite - by @Sneezy McGlassFace

e1m10 - Base of Consequences - by @Doomkid

 

e1m11 - The Escapist - by @valkiriforce

e1m12 - Toxic Factory - by @big smoke

e1m13 - Damned Dam - by @Jacek Nowak (jacnowak)

e1m14 - Derelict Row - by @Origamyde

e1m15 - Sinister Sludge - by @Weird Sandwich

e1m16 - Corporate Secret - by @Sectorslayer

e1m17 - Sewage City - by @Blue Phoenix

e1m18 - Vile Streets - @Anonymous Space Marine

e1m19 - Inner City Evil - @Peccatum Mihzamiz

e1m20 - Warhevil - @Michael Jensen

 

e1m31 - Forlorn Fantasy - @Goat-Avenger

e1m32 - UAC Muffin Research Kitchen - @Big Ol Billy

 

As for episodes 2 and 3, don't fret - they're well on their way! They have already undergone one thorough pass of testing each, and episode 2 is over 75% of the way through its second pass. When they're done, this thread will be updated with downloads for them!

 

If you encounter any issues while playing this wad, please post about them in the thread so we can get them fixed up. In the meantime, Merry Christmas and happy hunting!

 

"It's about damn time!"

 

FUCKIN A!!!! 

Thank you so much, Cammy.  This was my favorite new project I've played in recent years, and it's so wonderful to have the first episode officially released.  You're efforts are truly appreciated.  Time to replay it! :D

Heck yeah. At this point, I had pretty much made peace with the idea that these wads weren't going to see a full release, so this is a pleasant surprise. Looking forward to Part 2 (and not just because it has my map in it)!

Map 03- Chaingun, mega armor, yellow key secret. well seems there's a rift in the space time continuum here. 

Hello everyone!

Adding my 5 cents to the conversation, we tried to make changes as subtle as possible so it won’t affect gameplay in any meaningful capacity. Most geometry changes were details cut and just enough to get under the limits. From all the episodes there are around ten maps that I can say went through drastic changes. But either way we didn’t plan to present current release as final and intended to get feedback especially from authors. Even more - I highly discourage making demos since this version will be obsolete in a couple of months.

We wanted to make a surprise for the community, but keeping it completely in the dark even from authors wasn’t the brightest idea. Sorry for that again.

We will contact E2 authors in a week or two, and E3 later, to go through changes before dropping episodes for everyone. Stay tuned. And again, we’re waiting for E1 authors feedback.

I'm back. Finally I can use my computer again.

First of all, I'm sorry for everyone who had troubled and got problem by my map, especially on that one 3D bridge.

Anyways, about my map. I think I still have backup for all my map making progress. I will post it if @Doomkid allowed it.

I did quick check to my map that has been cleanup by Mark Bloom and Cammy (and maybe others too before this topic post existed)

First of all, I used GZDoom_Builder_Bugfix-r3107 with DeepBSP (normal) as node builder. The level editor will rewrite their nodes when you "save as" it to another file name or you changed the geometry. That would fix the 3D bridge problem if you just resaving the map with wrong node builder.

I made this level with immersion in mind, and a story "Jamal Jones is mad when he learned about their project and that they gonna open the spiritual portal on his and his brother hometown. He quickly infiltrate a train that happens passing by the way to the portal site, waiting while seeing his family photo inside a necklace, remembering the good memories and a mind of "I must stop them, no matter what", and as the train is about to passing the site, he quickly hijack the train, stopping the train right before it passing the site. Then he brutally killed all people that tries to stop him to save his hometown and the world, including the ones who tried to use hellforce to take over the world". I also didn't make this level as deathmatch level in mind, as I prioritized about storytelling.
 

I actually liked that someone remake my monster teleport closet, as I actually have no idea how to make a good one. The dead marine in vent is also maybe a good idea, as to show that "There is also someone else who opposed the UAC and The Protectors and recently ^{(because the body is still there, and actually there's some chaos remains like destroyed elevator sign and leaked dispenser that haven't been cleaned up)} tried to stop them but failed and killed". For adding new weapons (or monsters), I might check the next map first for gameplay balancing, and also theme. To be honest, the exit teleport is there because I wanted to make the exit map geometry coherent with the next map geometry but I'm clueless.

But, I don't like whole thing that changes the geometry so the player can't see the sky from inside the facility. That's for immersion and storytelling. I wanna the map screams for "You are infiltrating and trying to sabotage their evil plan, you arrived at this huge, high-budgeted and fancy facility just for them to open portal and let them take over the world by hellforce". By closing it off, it destroys the immersion, and gives the "cramped" vibe. Also, the 3D bridge relies on the fact that player had seen it before, know what is look like (a 3D bridge), and then walking on it, gives the immersion that the map is 3D (doom is 2.5D, so no floor on floor), and not flat like Wolfenstein 3D. The megaarmor secret also reinforcing this idea, to make you think "I just passing the bridge that passing on top on this area, and now I'm standing on this area!" and "Ooh, look how 3D the bridge is!". While the player admiring the bridge, they'll see the inaccessible door afar and thinking "What's next? More wow? More surprises? More engine pushing?" etc etc. Also the secret health bonuses are there so the player didn't look elsewhere.
 

For secrets, first of all, I sunked the secret health bonuses so the player didn't got spoiler that the fact you can go outside of it, until you see that there's megaarmor (blue armor) outside and tries to find a way to get it. Same reason for megasphere, I wanna the player wondering "How I can get there?" and then they'll see and realized that the vent gate has been gone. The reward is megasphere because its less obvious than to find the way to the megaarmor.
 

For drawsegs problems, I think when I making this map, I only ever encountered it on inaccessible areas on outside and that dark room in the facility (that's why its dark, to make it less obvious). Can someone pointed me where is if there is on accessible area? Also, if I can add more textures, first I want to change that 3D vent near toilet (the middle texture is meh).
 

To be honest, personally I also wanted to "fix" the ladder in the vent, as I mapping for my own project, I've found a way to make very good- looking ladder, because the current ladder is ugly. I also had a idea to make player drop-off from a vent from ceiling, but the idea scrapped because it would be jarring to see floating middle textures not blending well with nearby ceiling textures.

Well, I hope my computer doesn't get any problems again so I can fix my map and continue my own project, I also already feel enough about the fact I can't make map or continue my project on my phone and the boredom that infuriating off.

Here's the latest map edit in 25 February ‎2022. Posted here incase my computer get trouble again somehow before the map can be fixed.

MAP01_V05b.7z

1 hour ago, Rykz said:

Here's the latest map edit in 25 February ‎2022. Posted here incase my computer get trouble again somehow before the map can be fixed.

MAP01_V05b.7z

Hello! Thanks for the feedback. I'll DM you the details about your map.

Uh sorry I think I'm attached the wrong version of the map. Here is the one with the dark presentation room (the room with big monitor and 4 chairs with 4 computer on the a table).

MAP01_V0666c.7z

change log:

Fixed a VISPLANE overflow int the castle area (open the secrete, then got to the step at the other end)

various seglimit overflows

some texture changes, added armor/health bonuses, minor enemy changes

made the starting house taller so the the sky doesn't cut of the castle from a certain angle.

one of the crates in front of north building was changed to the mini crate texture for some reason, I changes the structure to some thing slightly more interesting.

JJ map17 final.zip

nodebulder: https://github.com/VigilantDoomer/vigilantbsp -vanilla optimized

Sorry for the slow reply on my end! I admit I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed, lots of stuff going on this week.

@Rykz It's great to see you back! I was worried you had no intentions of returning, which would be a shame after your awesome map. Again, I'm really sorry to you and all the other E1 mappers for this incident. You're more than free to make (or undo) whatever changes you'd like. Thank you for offering your own fixes to the map - same to you, @Blue Phoenix! We'll implement them ASAP.

I also plan to make a more detailed version of the changelog, because I realize stuff like "aligned some textures" only works for some people, and have had a few mappers request in private that I make more clear exactly what Mark and I changed, which I'm happy to oblige.

Reporting to keep this thread alive: We've still working on E2 and E3, but slowly, there wasn't much free time lately.

Woah, this is awesome! I had no idea Jamal Jones was semi-finished... I thought it was as good as gold.

Is there new material in this project, or is it more like polishing a gem?

16 hours ago, princetontiger said:

Is there new material in this project, or is it more like polishing a gem?

Just polishing and preparing for idgames release. There won’t be any new substantial content

As Jamal would have put it: "I've had it with this motherfraggin' 4:3 statusbar in this motherfraggin' megawad!"
 

jjep1_uwide.zip

@Cammy Just noticed this thread and the download link doesn't seem to work for me (Tried both Firefox and Chrome, etc..). 

On 3/17/2024 at 6:48 AM, Goat-Avenger said:

@Cammy Just noticed this thread and the download link doesn't seem to work for me (Tried both Firefox and Chrome, etc..). 

Here's a mirror:
https://mega.nz/file/Yv4zib6a#xn4-tCEuDP1FSdJ5L0FEzHwg52AaTR9iJnUdl0ld2UM