Relinquished

This is a great level set! I discovered it recently while browsing through the Cacowards and wanted to give it a go. The level designs are great, and I'm a particular fan of the classic Doom textures. Its a dream of mine to create my own megawad in the future, and map sets like these are great inspiration for sure. There is plenty of ammunition and health pick ups, so you always feel like you can tackle all the combat situations you are put in. With the exception of a couple of 'cheap' situations, I felt the challenge was tough, but fair, and with a bit of forethought you can get through the traps that crop up along the way. I actually felt the first map was the hardest, though this was partially due to getting used to the design philosohpy. Once I got used to it, I was better prepared for what lay ahead. Once I figured out the typical set-up of teleporting enemy traps, I felt it became easy to predict them coming ahead of time. It would have been cool to see greater variety thrown in, and different types of traps used that put you into different situations. There were only a couple of times I felt the traps were unfair. I think it was the second level where you throw a switch in a tightly enclosed area, and two Arch-Viles come out of the wall behind you. Theres no where to go, and inevitably you get zapped. Considering map sets like Sunlust are favourites of mine, I'm used to challenging levels, though I feel personally avoiding those kind of cheap scenarios provides a better play experience. There were a little too many Arch-Vile + Revenant ambushes for my liking. It would have interesting to have different combinations in some of those situations, though overall the maps are very well put together, and regardless I had a blast going through this. Its easy to see why this mapset has gained the attention it has and has won an award too! I'll look forward to the next installment :D.

Here's another teaser screenshot of my current progress. I was tempted to show an in-game shot, but I've not done the lighting yet so I'll wait until its further along. My aim will be to create a 5-6 map wad that has a 10,000 linedef limit (to keep myself from going nuts). My aim is to get most of this map finished by the end of this week, although sorting out monster placement will likely take awhile.

Hey Malefication, So I've had a play through of the map and these are my initial thoughts. I liked the main area with the pillars, barrels, and the chasm into the slime. You've got a handle on concepts such as traps and teleporting enemies which is nice to see. The marble room with the imps and hell knights was fun as you are forced to fight in relatively tight confines. I managed to stumble across the secrets on my play through which was handy, although without the rocket launcher some of the later combats against the cacos / revenants might be a bit tedious with only a single shotgun. Not a huge problem but something worth thinking about. I liked the idea of the 'checkpoint' type area with the zombie men behind the glass, although it is quite easy to 'peek-a-boo' shoot them and the chain gunners beyond. As a minor thing, I would either get rid of the switch here so the player can just open the door normally, or if you do keep the switch have it so the door opens permanently. The only reason I say this is while your fighting in this area and the door closes, you have to go back to the switch to open the door which is a little jarring. Again, I like the idea with the pinkies behind the glass, but because the room is so tight they struggle to leave the sector and are easily picked off. Perhaps they could teleport out to catch the player off guard? The chaingun room seemed a bit barren in terms of features, and the stairs going off at a funny angle would have been better as straight stairs here. When creating sectors its worth remembering how the player will navigate through the space as well as the monsters. You want, ideally, smooth movement throughout so the combat is based on dodging around pressure situations, rather than getting potentially stuck on parts of the map / scenery. The best advice I can give in this regard is to play other custom map sets, both recent and old, to get an idea of how they build their maps and to get inspiration for your own work. Off the top of my head Plutonia 2 and Scythe 1 & 2 are great wads to learn from (if you haven't played them already, of course). Overall this is a solid first map that shows a lot of promise! I'll edit this post if I think of anything else to add, but I look forward to seeing your next maps and how you progress over time.

Hey Ragher, I finished a play through earlier of your map and wanted to give some feedback. Upon booting the map my initial thoughts were 'damn, that music is f*$%"$£ sick!" The music track fits the level well and got me pumped to finish it, so great job on the music! The visuals and style of the map were cool and reminded me a little bit of Romero's E1M8b. There's plenty of room to manoeuvre in most cases and the map had a good flow to it. There were a couple of times where I couldn't remember how to get to certain areas, as with the yellow door area outside, it takes a bit of a trek from the hub room to get back there, but this is only a minor thing. At times, the ammo appeared to be quite sparse in certain areas. Overall there is plenty of ammo to complete the level, but in particular the 1,2,3,4 switch area could use a bit more, as you have to battle through the initial corridor, the switch area, and the 4 numbered rooms to deal with. The health was plentiful and it a few cases a little bit too much so. For example, there is a room along the passageway towards the 1,2,3,4 area where there is a soul sphere and berserk in the same room. I would recommend getting rid of one of these, perhaps the soul sphere, as you get another two later on anyway. The weapons are nicely spread out, although I did initially miss the super shotgun as its hidden a little bit in the dark area. This isn't a problem really, but thought I'd mention it as I was 'stuck' on the regular shotgun for the first half of the level, which isn't too fun when dealing with barons and other higher hit point monsters. The main thing to bare in mind when creating these kind of free flowing levels (which is done well) is that the player can, in almost all circumstances, simply run back into previous areas to avoid any possible damage. As a result this reduces the threat of some of the encounters quite a bit. It does, of course, depend on the overall style you are going for. There are many ways you can manipulate the level, to force the player to deal with a particular situation before they move onto the next part, such as creating 'lock in' traps and the like, but again it simply depends on the style you want. It doesn't detract from the fun. In regards to monsters, there is another thing to bare in mind that I noticed while playing. The outside yellow key area has quite a few monsters spawn in. However, due to the size of this area the monsters are not particularly threatening. Its very easy to run circles around our poor demons who are only trying there best, and it also gives players plenty of time to dodge projectiles without much threat of actually being hit. Yes, you do get hit by a stray projectile here and there, but not too much. There's nothing wrong with this area, but its good to keep in mind where the 'pressure' of each situation is coming from so you can really get the players heart rate going. I was half expecting there to be a really big fight at the end with multiple Cybers and other monsters, so I was a bit disappointed by the final fight (the final area looks really cool as well!) but overall the map was very enjoyable. For your first wad showcase this is really solid and I very much look forward to your future maps. PS:

Hello all, I'm taking my mapping more seriously this year after quite a long hiatus. I'm currently working on the first map of a 6 map episode. I'm aiming to post the initial map on here for feedback etc, and then I will crack on and complete the remainder of the episode. It will be based on abstract and surreal map design, as the overall theme for the wad is a dream / nightmare. I've attached a teaser of my current progress, but will go into further details on what I'm doing after the map is done.

Hey SQH, I've finished a play through of your map set and will comment on each map individually, and then afterwards I'll mention what I feel you can improve on, and also what you are doing well already. I feel its important to give honest feedback as I want to help out if I can. E1M1: A solid opening map. It could use a few extra monsters in certain areas as it feels a little sparse at times. I liked the height changes as you progress through, and I think it was this map that has a blood pile with blood across the floor, which was a nice detail. The room with the wooden walls and the imps felt a little cramped. I liked the final red key room, although the monsters seem a little stuck when you first walk in. E1M2: One of my favourite maps in the set. Again, you use height well to give the player a greater sense of exploration, which I appreciated. I enjoyed the cave area with the barons. Overall I really liked this one. I do have something to say about your use of switches later, but I'll get to that. E1M3: Same as E1M2, I enjoyed playing through it. The fake exit was a nice touch and I liked the aesthetics of the map. I don't have a huge amount to say about this one. E1M4: This map plays well and is interesting to navigate. The first room you can enter suffers from the cramped problem of E1M1, but apart from that I really like this one. The yellow key area is well done and gives you a sense hell is tearing the base apart. I also enjoyed the red key area, especially when you go outside. I did notice in the end credits that other mappers contributed to that one, and after replaying it briefly I got the sense different areas were done by different mappers, but on an initial play through it felt cohesive. E1M5: My only issue with this map is its not obvious to the player that the grey ash textured block has a teleporter inside it you have to jump down to. I did spot it on my initial play through, but there was considerable downtime where I was running around wondering where to go. A small issue, but worth baring in mind for the future. E1M6: I agree with riscoloco here, this is the best map in the wad in my opinion. I'll go into detail about this one in a moment. Great job! E1M7: Unfortunately, the best is followed by my least favourite map. The main problem is the map has huge, wide open, spaces that causes a couple of issues as a result. First of these is that many of the monsters, who fire slow moving projectiles, become almost threat-less. You've got all the time in the world to dodge their projectiles, but its also a massive pain to have to run up to them from miles away, shoot them, and then repeat for another batch another mile away. Secondly, and why these kind of spaces should be mostly avoided when making maps, is that if the player is caught out in the open against the hit scanners (zombie men, sergeants, etc) there's nothing you can do about it except take the hit. In the case of this map I didn't have a problem in that regard, but I'm mentioning it as a point to take away for your future projects. Also, due to the area being so large to navigate, I honestly became bored. The fun of DooM comes from combat situations and navigating through those situations, which massive open areas tend to dissolve. This isn't to say you can't make large open maps, far from it, but you have to consider what kind of experience you want the player to have. E1M8: Right off the bat its important to say the strobe effect at the start of this map could genuinely cause certain people problems, so I would seriously consider whether this is necessary. As it happened it was only at the start of the map, but to be honest here, I was seconds away from exiting the map. Apart from that, this one is OK. There are some missing textures on the second section as you release the barons from their lava area; specifically on the sectors that lower after you press the switch. The Cyberdeamon area is OK, although as the previous map, the overall play area feels too large for the amount of enemies that occupy the space. It means, as I mentioned before, the Cybers aren't very threatening as its easy to dodge their rockets with so much space. As a general thing, but at certain times I felt there were too many switches. A good example of this is on E1M5. There is a part where you teleport over to a ledge to flick a switch, which raises a small platform, so you can flick another switch (or perhaps go through a teleporter, I can't remember 100%). Some of them seemed unnecessary as a result. As you continue to make maps you'll think of other ways to move the progression along, but again I felt it important to note. The distribution of health was off on certain maps, but this is something you'll get a handle on over time. I want to finish on a positive note as for a first map set this has some really good ideas! This brings me to our lovely sewer map. I would recommend replaying this map yourself and comparing it to E1M7 as a reference. The map has a great flow to it, you have to watch out for the radioactive parts, and you introduce the radioactive suits at the right time in the level. The music was great on this one as it suited the theme well I thought. The overall map space here is done well. The corridors are sizeable, which gives you room to manoeuvre, but you don't get too much room, so you have to dodge fireballs and engage more with the enemies that are presented to you. The theme of the level is cohesive throughout and feels very Knee Deep in the Dead. Overall this is a good start! I look forward to seeing your future work.

A lot of cool midis @Crunchynut44! The intro section to Baculus would work great on an intermission screen / title screen. I'm quite fond of Down Below, Bamboozled, Climbing Under, Stomping Grounds, and The Dank so far. Basically, anything that sounds suitably evil :P. I'll keep these in mind for future projects, thanks for sharing!

I started playing through the Alpha map set yesterday to get a feel for things before making a start on my Megiddo section. I'm really liking the maps so far. I'll give DMPhobos's map a try later and give my 2 pennies. I've made a good start on my Megiddo section this morning. It'll be great to at least contribute something after my hiatus :). EDIT: I've finished playing through DM's Lunar Comms Station; these are my thoughts. As Scotty mentions above I really enjoyed the layout of the map. At the beginning it feels like old school DooM I, in terms of game play, but the setting is new and refreshing. It is somewhat of a turkey shoot throughout the majority of the level, though again as Scotty mentions getting rid of any needless doors will help with the flow. As an example from my play through, I felt more monsters should teleport in after you pick up the plasma gun. Its a good way to introduce new monsters because the player has a new shiny weapon to use. Perhaps add a few more monsters that attack from different directions to keep the player on their toes. I enjoyed the final exit area. I didn't expect a lift in that section, so it was a pleasant surprise. Its a really solid finish to the level, and I also like how you added a lift back out of the pit so you can re-explore the level if needed. This is super minor, but I also noticed (in the exit area lift) two small health packs get left behind when the lift lowers, so they appear to slightly float. I've added a screenshot so you know what I mean. A slight reposition should prevent that. All in all I enjoyed the map. With a few tweaks here and there it'll be even better! Keep up the good work :).

I have to say, these screenshots look great! I've been on hiatus for a bit while doing a 6 month college course, but I'm glad to see new mappers are coming in with great ideas! I love the aesthetic you've gone for, and I can't wait to see a playable version. How many maps are you aiming to complete for this project?

I've decided to attach the latest teaser of my upcoming Nova III submission 'Lunar Core.' I've had several 'stumped' moments during this one, but it'll be finished over the next couple of weeks.

I finished playing through Cyber Dreams last night. I enjoyed it for the most part, but as Spie812 points out, the final maps are quite luck based. I really enjoyed the concept overall. Does anyone know if anything else like this has been made? I don't think their is a direct sequel, but something similar would be interesting to sink my teeth into.

I decided to start playing Cyber dreams as I wanted some inspiration, and I've really enjoyed it. The concept could definitely be expanded on. The strangest thing is there are a couple of maps I have played before, but I have no idea when that was. I must have played it ages ago at some time. I'm on map 21 and I'll likely finish it during a second sitting.

After 21 hours of work, here is the first teaser for my next map. The running title is 'Lunar Core,' though this may change. This is my submission for Nova III, and I decided to really drag myself out of any comfort zone I may be hiding in. I may have bit off more than I can chew with this one, but so far, its going quite well. This is designed for the 3rd episode that has a Moon theme. I wanted to try something a bit different, so this map takes place in a cavern deep within the Moon with technology left behind from some previous, forsaken, expedition into the Moons core. Most of the map has been built using curving line defs to give it a natural, organic look. I also wanted this one to be completely my own ideas and to move away from my previous map. Although 'Technomancy' tuned out well, it was always designed to be a one off piece. 8Bit Shocker has also created a brand new midi track for the map, and as a result I'm especially excited to get this one finished.

I've just finished this one, and I enjoyed it overall. I like the layout of the map, and contrary to what others have posted here I found it quite tricky. Maybe I'm tired, or more likely I need more practise. Many of the set pieces are well done and I had to do some of them a couple of times to figure them out. I found the start to be the hardest section, and then from there it wasn't too bad. I like how you reuse the same spaces for some of the fights, and the final large fight was fun. Initially I thought the starting area could have done with a tiny bit more health, but I am quite tired this evening, so I wouldn't take much stock in that. I apologise I've not gone into more depth, but I enjoyed the map and I'll look forward to your future releases.

@paymentplan, looks good man, I'm looking forward to giving it a spin when you are ready.