DOOMWAD is an open collaborative single-player mapmaking project in the vein of Kill Them All. The objective of this collaboration is to make maps that are fast-paced, simple, and exciting, for quick co-op rounds or single-player challenges. The goal for mapmakers is to make maps that are brief bursts of fun, straightforward combat.

This is an open project, meaning anyone who wants to can participate. As long as the map is playable and not completely terrible, it will be accepted into the project. For anyone interested in participating, here are the rules and other things to keep in mind:

The name "DOOMWAD" is no accident -- you should be drawing a certain degree of inspiration in level design from Doom and Doom II. Levels should be brief and simple but exciting. To that end, there is a 400-polygon limit to keep in mind, but remember, that is a maximum value, not an expected one. You should be able to complete each level in just a few minutes, if you don't die. If you can't execute your map concept in under 400 polygons without it being barren and ugly, think smaller. Maps should look good and be designed with craft and cleverness.

Each map should have no objectives other than to reach the exit. Again, this is to help encourage straightforward mapping and fluidity. To this end, try to avoid irritating switch hunts or anything else that has the player scouring every corner of a big maze. These aren't inherently bad, but they're not the point of the project -- maps should be easy to play in co-op mode even if you don't know the map. Also, exclude terminals from your map -- when the goal is just to reach the end of every level, no text is necessary.

Each map should be flagged Rebellion. I'm going to jumble up the maps in a rough order of scaling difficulty. This has two benefits for you: one, you don't need to worry about the previous map giving the player a bunch of weapons, so you can use your own. Two, a player can start wherever he wants in the scenario without worrying about missing earlier weapons. That said, you should provide health and a pattern buffer near the beginning of each of your maps to avoid frustrating people. Each level is your own clean slate -- you can do whatever you like. You can have any style of map you like -- arenas, linear shoot-fests, nice non-linear maps, whatever, just as long as they're simple and fun.

Your own custom physics and shapes patches are welcome, within reason. With your physics, try to focus on making different monsters rather than different weapon physics. That said, you aren't necessarily encouraged to use either one -- there's plenty of fun to be had with the regular Infinity tools.

Like Doom and Kill Them All, the primary focus of this project is combat, combat, combat. Try to test your maps on Total Carnage, because I will be strongly encouraging people to play on that difficulty. Monsters on TC are faster, more aggressive, and just generally more exciting to fight against than on the slower easier difficulties. If you want to include little puzzles in your maps, that's fine, as long as they don't take forever -- again, no irritating switch hunts!

Flag each map as both single-player and cooperative. Co-op mode should be played with the co-op script, so don't worry about extra weapons and ammo. Just try to avoid one-way one-time doors that keep other players locked out.

You can submit as many maps as you like -- the more the merrier! Make them as easy or as difficult as you want. You can really do just about anything you want to, and I encourage variety, as long as the maps are fun. That's the key, here: fun fun fun. There's no official deadline, either; as long as maps keep coming in, the project can continue, so take your time and come up with good stuff. Remember, this isn't a contest, it's a collaboration.

If you're interested in this project, leave a post or two! If you have any questions, suggestions, or anything else, leave those here as well.

To submit a map, send the map as well as the physics and shapes patch (if applicable -- don't bother sending a Standard physics model) to bolt0064@umn.edu as well as any additional JUICE instructions or whatever else. I might edit or adjust your map if there's something wrong or especially annoying, but I'll keep it as minimal as possible (and I'll try not to monkey with it at all).

Remember, this is an open project, and any submission will (probably) be accepted, no matter how small! If you only have time for a tiny map, that's perfectly fine, as long as it's still fun.

PROJECT RULES SUMMARY
- Single player collab
- 400 polygon maximum; smaller is preferable
- Maps should be brief and focus on combat
- No objectives except "reach the exit"
- Each map should be flagged "Rebellion"
- Custom shapes patches and physics are welcome
- Send the map to bolt0064@umn.edu

I suddenly have the urge to make a boss chamber. I horrible horrible boss chamber. And yet... besides the horrible part, it meets all the requirements.

Well, if I do decide to make this boss "chamber" I will try and make it interesting.

Oh wowow, u dont do shit 4 teh comunity, Ryoko! This prooves it!

Joking aside, this project sounds very fun and I hardly know why anyone would refuse. I'll try to post a map or two.

I'll try to submit a map or two!

already working on 2 or 4 maps :D

If I could map, I would for this. What a fun and great idea Ryoko!

I am now anticipating for this to be released.

lol, DOOMWAD, you rip-off artist

It's homage, not thievery.

Please. I'm a treasure hunter.

Would you be willing to help with map testing?

Sure.

Heck yeah. I'll make some maps for this DOOMWAD project.

Seems interesting. Il tackle down my maps on saturday and monday. should be easy to create two.

I'll try to submit a map or two for this.

This looks hella tight. It would also be a good project for me to submit my first maps, yes? (me being a newb in mapping but it being something I've always wanted to do)

If I can't make any cool maps then I'll be sure to play it when it's released :P

It's certainly worth a try. The project is intended to be very friendly (as opposed to collaborations like Xmas which are usually more of a commitment).

For inspiration people should download the doom2.wad and play with a source port.

Just a quick question. Is there a deadline in which to send files, or is it more of a certain quota of maps that need to be made. I'm working on one, but am not sure when it definitely needs to be done and turned in by.

On a slightly different topic, since it is for Co-op, if I give player one a health canister next to his spawn, must I place one at player two's spawn, or will the Co-op script give a health canister to every player, regardless of their position?

any questions?

The script will give everyone the canister, but it'll only apply once, and if you die and respawn you'll only have 20% health or however much it is.

Interested!


Yays I can insert elite Pfhor!

Just 1 problem.


What if I don't normally play on TC and the monsters eat me on that difficulty?

See if you can have someone else test your levels then.

This would be pretty ironic, given your avatar :P

i believe the script was updated so that if you died on a rebellion level you came back with full (1x) health, or maybe i just talked to irons about that, or maybe i just pasted that into my copy of the script. I'd check but my computer doesn't like marathon right now, or much else for that matter.

I have the latest version of the script, and you still only start with 1/5 health or whatever it is. For this reason, I'd recommend keeping some form of health (whether it be a charger or a re-spawning canister) at the beginning of the level for respawning players, even if its only 1X health.

In that case, with the rebellion style health on respawn, I guess I could make a teleporter room filled with canisters, that teleports you to the beginning of the level, so I would not have to make a special script or anything to guarantee full health. Plus the Co-op script will can teleport you next to your buddy anyway, so it might be a good method.

So if you get a 100 maps, you are just going to keep hoarding them until you don't get a map for a year, then release the whole pack? Or are you waiting for 20/10/5 etc. submissions, making a pack, then waiting for more? That was sort of an under-intention (if one can exist) of my original question. I mean, there is no deadline, but they are going to be released eventually right?

Sue me, that avatar is just for public image

By the way, I'm assuming the maps just to have to be inspired by Doom's flow and kill-everything atmosphere, and current Marathon standards such as differential lighting, complex architecture and use of play mechanics are still in force. Is it a must to have Doom-like elements in the map?

They are going to be released eventually. If I get 15 maps or something, and release it, and whoamg it looks like more people want to submit, I can release a second edition or update the first one to add more maps. Nothing is set in stone.



What is the project called?

read your own posts, stupid

Stupid? Looks like the joke's on you.

The point was to get CKY to read my posts. Yes, Doom elements are necessary to some degree. That's why it's called DOOMWAD. I answer his question, first line of the third paragraph of the first post.

Yes, it positively was a joke

Unless you need to place the same type of canister across the level (As opposed to using chargers or a different type canister), you can just place one at the beginning and in "item settings" set the initial, minimum and maximum amount of that canister to "1", set the amount available to "∞" and set the appearance to 100%.

I don't get it, does that mean we're supposed to have tons of 5-polygon rooms like Doom? IMO, the level architecture in Doom sucks.

Have you ever played Doom?

Read Ryoko's first post again and for clarification, Doom levels are fun and simple in the respect that unlike Marathon levels you don't get easily lost. You can have good architecture that doesn't cause the player to be royally confused. So, go make a fun level that doesn't cause the player to get lost easily and can be beaten quickly if the player really tries. Better yet, go read the first post again.

That's possibly marathon's most annoying aspect, the overly complex level design

Sectors in Doom function differently from polygons in Marathon, so to say that a room in Doom has five polygons sectors is meaningless when trying to compare the two.

Oh, I meant that most of the rooms in Doom that I've seen would take about five polygons to make in Marathon. There were several notable exceptions, like the big slime-filled arenas you encounter every so often, but it's mostly dreary corridors.

Since my mapping skills have improved slightly, I may be able to create something playable in time.

It's probably gonna suck, but I'll try; if it does, I'll still have fun playing it!

If you're able to replicate this with five polygons, then you're truly a god amongst mappers. :V

That's not original Doom or Doom II, I see slanted surfaces...

Anyway, that was a custom map.


Trick of the low lighting and 2.5D.

No, it's really not. I brightened it up before making the comment. Take a look:
[attachment=2047:Doom3D.jpg]
The archway indicated with a blue arrow is either a hundred stair-steps small enough in width to look like a slant, or else it's not 2.5D the typical two dimensional polygonal geometry extruded vertically into the third dimension, which is the only kind of geometry supported by the original doom engine. Also, the red 'glows' coming from the ceiling lights are impossible in original Marathon or original Doom.

Can we have a moratorium on using the term "2.5D", particularly when it involves giving it an arbitrary definition for the purposes of winning an argument (which is to say, always)?

I still think it's succinct, but if you insist.

I've seen people use 2.5D to mean:

• the level geometry is made of extruded polygons
• the engine displays objects in the 3D world using 2D sprites
• the perspective projection plane is rotated when looking up and down
• the engine can't support multiple clip windows per polygon side (i.e. B&B)
• the engine can't support rooms over top of rooms

It's not succinct, it's just meaningless. Duke Nukem 3D (and one of the Marathon 2 licensees, can't remember which) uses extruded polygons and supports sloped surfaces, so even your corrected version isn't helpful to the discussion.

On the other hand I apologize, I now realize my ire should have been directed at chinkeeyong (big surprise) for first using the term in this topic. Who knows what he even meant by it.

I don't want to argue semantics in this thread. It is helpful for illustrating my point, which I shall rephrase. Da Spadger's screenshot does not follow the constraints of the original Doom engine, and as a result isn't a good reference from which to make maps for this Doomwad scenario.

Ok, I didn't see that. Point taken.


Darn, why does Tree hate me so much? I meant the extruded-polygon definition; next time I'll not use the term.

I should mention that the map in the picture makes use of a source port called Zdoom, which adds tons of new features. (One of them being slopes, of course. It still can't do room over room though)

I must admit, when I found out about A1 and saw that it was the only marathon source port around, I was surprised. There's tons of of doom source ports around, but only one for marathon.

There's also tons of Doom fans for every one Marathon fan.

There are/were also Aleph Inio, Aleph Modular, and Old Durandal. Aleph One dominates because we mostly agreed to work together on it, rather than sprouting tons of forks like Doom did.

Like me!