The Dean of Doom series (companion thread)

5 hours ago, Maribo said:

Just now getting around to viewing this - had a thought while watching the intro that it'd be pretty cool if MtPain compiled a release of the various iterations of the in-game sets used for the introduction and intermission bits, assuming they haven't been deleted after use, at some point in the future. Stuff like the different versions of the Sawed-Off WADs room (the one in this episode is gnarly and awesome) would be cute to walk around in, like some of the maps in old gggmork WADs.

Why stop at exploring? Someone would definitely make those terminals actually load up those levels :D

I did a D2ALL UV Max of this WAD shortly after it was released, so you can imagine how ecstatic I was to see this pop up.

I didn't the megawad KindA was there first, never finished it myself.

But after watching this i want to go back and finish KindA before playing this one. I have to give mad respect to those who (whom) can do an entire megawad solo and not get burned out or struggle finishing it.

Over all after watching this i hope Mt. Pain27 covers either Theme GAWAD: A Doom II Megawad or another saw off wad episode.

That map 25 looked beautiful. Sometimes all a doom map needs is to have great combat and an amazing midi to make you feel like you're living the moment.

Pretty cool megawad to play along with this newest video. MAP10 had me reach for the level skip cheat by the time of the yellow key fight at the end. There wasn't even anything glaringly wrong with it(somewhat unclear signposting of the blue key doors and yellow key teleporter aside) but maps that take this long on first try really wear out my patience when they feature as many big fights as this has back-to-back. Disagreeing is part of the fun, indeed. I'm thankful that the start of Episode 2 scales things back down again for now.

I liked the NOVA 3 video quite a bit, he comes off as being very passionate about the megawad and I feel like that's when he's at his best - on top of, of course, the writing being amazing as we've come to expect. I would frankly not have expected such an emotional reaction to map32 but of course every one of us has their own personal connection to the game and its many wonderful maps.

Nova 3 map29 is a map I love. I would guess the author "amok" had experience designing for some other game, because their Joy of Mapping 4 map was precocious too. It's one of those "newbie maps" where the author is clearly pretty talented at many aspects of design but only reveals their inexperience through making some 'less experienced mapper' decisions once in a while. 

They have a lot of skill with concrete aspects of design like architecture and detailing, but also more abstract ones like storytelling -- not just in the Doomcute, but all the little cutscene-like events. My favorite is that UFO-riding arachnotron duo that shows up in the network of gold liquid channels. amok has a good handle on non-combat parts of gameplay (sometimes overlooked as an important part of gameplay). One example is how in that liquid section, the idea that you have to press both switches to open the doors is introduced first, before you have to fight any monsters, so you clearly understand what's happening. Then this is built into a little 'objective' that involves filling one container with liquid so that you can traverse the section. Loved how after the blue key, the mastermind appears on the lift somehow and then the lift crumbles under its weight or something. Deep Space 9mm is weirdly over-the-top with its scripted events in certain ways that suggest the author isn't thinking "in the Doom engine" but rather imagining things and figuring out how to make them with the tools available. 

The BFG fight is weirdly overtuned compared to the rest of the map, which seems like a lack of testing feedback. The RL's absence is unusual, and I wouldn't have thought to do that myself. But I think it works here. Rather than taking everything out with heavy weapons as I see it, the lack of rockets encourages me towards evasion and infighting -- and even as a fan of rocket spam, it feels off the beaten path. 

The make-up of the map's architecture is very Doom-literate but it doesn't resemble Valiant or Lunatic, instead feeling more "hand-drawn" with its odd angles and finer details. amok would be high on the list of authors I'd want to make a lunar-set episode (or any kind of episode).

has ever been elaborated on why @MtPain27 keep using zdoom 2.8.1 ?

Probably familiarity at this point. At some point he'll have to upgrade, as things that dont get updates eventually start breaking. ZDoom will never support UMAPINFO and MBF21 too, so its kind of a relic now. I had to make a patch for Solar Struggle because ZDoom couldnt display the custom intermission stuff or the level names, as all Solar Struggle had was UMAPINFO.

I feel like hes going to full-on move to DSDA Doom in time though, as it pops up more and more often as his secondary port :p

Sigil II's here!

I just finished watching this and i find it funny that when he went to the post about Sigil 2 and scrolled through the comments i spotted mine and i said "OMG! I finally made it into a Dean of Doom video" lmao.

But for me personally, i did like the levels but i felt like they we're a bit meh for me. I guess i was expecting more of like Sigil 1 style but harder. Still have to respect Romero for being an ass for slapping Cyber Demons in on UV and making the Spider Mastermind more thick (i.e More health).

I can't wait for what is in store next and i think Season 3 is coming to an end soon, maybe i don't know.

Not Sunlust? Dean, you're spoiling us. See you everyone on the graduation!

I remember playing Sigil 2 with a friend and we were stuck on m6 for so long because of the Cyberdemons and extremely limited resources. Really didn't like that map tbh. Felt like Romero was just being a little too mean there.

4 hours ago, MoiraHeart said:

Not Sunlust? Dean, you're spoiling us. See you everyone on the graduation!

This ain't the final ep of the season this time. We have 1 more.

13 hours ago, TJG1289 said:

This ain't the final ep of the season this time. We have 1 more.

Wonder if its the Eternal Doom episode people spotted forever ago in the 'trailer'

29 minutes ago, Devalaous said:

 

Wonder if its the Eternal Doom episode people spotted forever ago in the 'trailer'

It's not. He said so in a message on Patreon. He hasn't said what the final ep is tho.

4 hours ago, TJG1289 said:

It's not. He said so in a message on Patreon. He hasn't said what the final ep is tho.

I'm willing to bet it's Eviternity II if it isn't Eternal Doom.

38 minutes ago, RichardDS90 said:

I'm willing to bet it's Eviternity II if it isn't Eternal Doom.

Combat Shock 2 is the only wad shown in the S3 trailer that's yet to appear aside from Eternal Doom which he dropped, so unless he's saving that for a Sawed off Wads episode that's probably the final episode. Guessing he will do Both Combat Shock 1 and 2 to fill an episode.

47 minutes ago, RichardDS90 said:

I'm willing to bet it's Eviternity II if it isn't Eternal Doom.

He'll probably save Eviternity II for Season 4 opener / 4th anniversary of the series (Given how Eviternity 1's episode was released the same day as well)

The pre-release YouTube premiere thing of Season 3's finale is already up on the channel (not the actual video! - it premieres at 4 PM PST).

@MundyC Ribbiks and danne, don't forget about Sunlust's coauthor. So my guess is Combat Shock and Stardate 20X6.

4 hours ago, Celestin said:

@MundyC Ribbiks and danne, don't forget about Sunlust's coauthor. So my guess is Combat Shock and Stardate 20X6.

Eagerly waiting for the evening, nevertheless!

I mean yeah that's combat shock 2 in the thumbnail as well, so clearly ribbiks + danne major releases before Sunlust.

Also, people not forgetting Danne made half of Sunlust challenge (its impossible), SMH.

Danne deserves more recognition, hope this episode will help with that.

Going clockwise from the pre-release thumbnail, the maps are:
 

Good selection to go through Ribbiks and Danne's major solo works which are a good buildup to Sunlust and helps paint a picture of how the author's style evolved leading to it. Quite excited for the episode 

So excited for this one!!!!!!

1 hour ago, Kinetic said:

The scenes these 2 authors paint are exemplary evidence that many mappers are more than just mod creators for an old game, a lot of mappers take on a role as an artist when making maps!

Quite perplexed regarding the question relating video games and art --- mostly because I don't know anything about videogames --- the dive in this community changed my mind. I discovered a real unique language and a way, especially here with the limitations induced by the  original "machine", to make creativity explode in the best way !

I love great visuals but here it's that and something else : cleverness under pressure.

'its been an hour and I want to do something else' Why I generally don't play that kind of wad.