My First Map Ever : Jake's House

[jake250]

Basically, this is my house. This is my very first map ever, no custom textures or anything, however it uses TNT's textures, so you must run it with TNT, NOT Doom 2.

There is more details on the outside levels than when you get in the underground, where I had no real special details.

I used absolutely nothing to helped me, I figured out everything myself so it did took a while to make the map. Since it was my first map, I experimented with multiple things - lighting, doors and elevator, teleport and teleport ambush, and some secrets (5). The map does not support difficulty levels.

The map is "based" on my house and its surrounding, but its not exactly the same.


If im posting this here, well, I want some people's oppinion, if the map is worth it and all. Again, this is my first map, so don't be too hard!

http://membres.lycos.fr/jake250h/jakehouse.wad

[ace]

For a map where you haven't gotten any external help, this is quite good.

The architecture is a bit bland in some spots, and the basement was a bit too dark in some rooms, but the gameplay was very challenging and fast-paced (I finished the level with 15 health and nothing but my fist :p), and the secrets were well-hidden (I only found 2 of them). You have a very strange obsession with revenants, don't you? ;)

The fast-pacedness of it did occasionally seem overwhelming though, specifically at that last ambush battle before the exit. I had to run my arse off whilst looking for dropped shotguns to pound those last few revenants before I died. But this was not half-bad at all for a first map. I personally would have chosen a port such as GZDoom or Legacy for a house because 3D architecture (and possibly slopes) comes in handy for stuff like this. But you pulled it off quite nicely as it is.

I remember trying to make a map of my house back before I really knew anything about Doom mapping. I tried making a 3D floor by making the ceiling height lower than the floor, heh...

[Illdo]

I tried making a 3D floor by making the ceiling height lower than the floor, heh...

Same here, but I tried that when I was pretty advanced :)

[jake250]

The architecture is a bit bland in some spots
Indeed. I need to find some tricks and such to make it look nice and varied.

and the basement was a bit too dark in some rooms
It really depends on what you're using. In JDoom, it's perfect. In Zdoom (tried it later after that), its quite dark, yes. I guess I should make it sligthly brigther.

the gameplay was very challenging and fast-paced (I finished the level with 15 health and nothing but my fist :p), and the secrets were well-hidden (I only found 2 of them). You have a very strange obsession with revenants, don't you? ;)
I did wanted the map to have some kind of challenge, not a "walk through the park". I also didn't wanted to make it annoying (say, load of badly placed cyberdemons or arch-vile). However, I guess your quite good anyway, because without the secrets, the map tend to be quite hard. And yes, they are well hidden - none are really "obvious", I guess you need to search a little. Try using your MAP and you'll get them, even if it's "cheap".

The fast-pacedness of it did occasionally seem overwhelming though, specifically at that last ambush battle before the exit. I had to run my arse off whilst looking for dropped shotguns to pound those last few revenants before I died
Yeah, I think I should give some additional ammunition to the player, to make it possible to survive and have fun without the secrets.

I personally would have chosen a port such as GZDoom or Legacy for a house because 3D architecture (and possibly slopes) comes in handy for stuff like this. But you pulled it off quite nicely as it is.
I wouldn't be against that idea, however I yet have no idea how to do slopes and stuff. It would be of great use, however. If you have any link about this, I would like.

I remember trying to make a map of my house back before I really knew anything about Doom mapping. I tried making a 3D floor by making the ceiling height lower than the floor, heh...
I won't say what kind of mistake I did :P


Heh, thanks for your opinion and your time wasted playing my map :P.
I don't know if im going to make any other map, maybe if I learn how to make slopes and 3D stuff, it'll sure be more interesting.

[ace]

The only links I would be able to give you would be the Legacy (http://legacywiki.net/index.php/Main_Page) and ZDoom (http://www.zdoom.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page) Wikis for Legacy's 3D floors and ZDoom's slopes. For anything GZDoom-specific (i.e. things it has that ZDoom doesn't such as 3D floors, reflective surfaces, etc) see this (http://forum.drdteam.org/viewtopic.php?t=231) thread on it. If you want both slopes and 3D floors then GZDoom would be the way to go, otherwise it's one of the other two.

Ye'll have to do the searching yourself, though. :p

[rustyslacker]

I remember trying to make a map of my house back before I really knew anything about Doom mapping. I tried making a 3D floor by making the ceiling height lower than the floor, heh...
I think every mapper is required by law to attempt a house map.

It's not too bad for a fürst map, but it's a little tough with all the hitscan monsters. Maybe you should mix it up some by adding in a hellknight or two instead of the cloud of shotguys and former humans near the beginning.

[Aliotroph?]

But that's already the easiest part of the map! :p The only part I thought needed tweaking for gameplay was the last part of the basement where I ran out of ammo. Everything else was fine playing on UV in Legacy.

Apparently your basement is way cooler than mine too. That dark TV room would be awesome! ;)

Now for a few things you can fiddle with without even needing slopes or 3D floors:

texture alignment. It's hard to try and texture a house map, but aligning the textures you do use makes it look nicer.
Think about light sources and brightness levels in detail. You did this pretty well in the basement, which had good atmosphere. Upstairs was bland though.
If you have an outside area with buildings, consider how much room there is for a door to retract into a ceiling. If the sky starts right above the height of the door it gives the impression door is folding or something, which doesn't match the textures in DooM.
Marking the exit with the customary exit doors or signs would be nice. It's scary to pull a switch and not know if the level will suddenly end.


Now go map more. That was fun to play. :)

[jake250]

But that's already the easiest part of the map! :p The only part I thought needed tweaking for gameplay was the last part of the basement where I ran out of ammo. Everything else was fine playing on UV in Legacy.

Apparently your basement is way cooler than mine too. That dark TV room would be awesome! ;)

Now for a few things you can fiddle with without even needing slopes or 3D floors:

texture alignment. It's hard to try and texture a house map, but aligning the textures you do use makes it look nicer.
Think about light sources and brightness levels in detail. You did this pretty well in the basement, which had good atmosphere. Upstairs was bland though.
If you have an outside area with buildings, consider how much room there is for a door to retract into a ceiling. If the sky starts right above the height of the door it gives the impression door is folding or something, which doesn't match the textures in DooM.
Marking the exit with the customary exit doors or signs would be nice. It's scary to pull a switch and not know if the level will suddenly end.


Now go map more. That was fun to play. :)

Ok thats a lot of point here! For the texture alignment, I did aligned many textures in the map already, although I know I missed some. Was it that obvious?

I didn't experienced anything in "light source" until upstairs was finished. Then I did some in the backyards (that little house in the back... forgot how its called *turvy*. Then I tried it in the basement and it turned out like this. I didn't reworked anything upstairs after that, it already gave me too much trouble sine it's what I did first.

About the door thingy... yeah, I saw that, but I had problem with outdoors area - I don't know how to make the roof appear "higher" in the backyard's hut without giving my house an higher roof too.

The exit sign! I can't belive I forgot about that! Otherwise, the door is suposed to lead to the next level, which is obviously NOT done, yet.

Your post is really encouraging, thanks a lot - I would like to map more but I do have some problem :

1- I wanted to work with slopes, water.. you know, zdoom stuff, but despite the link given by Ace, I found nothing about them.
2- Lack of ideas.. I find it much easier to build a map when you already know how much it will look.
3- Lack of time - school is nearly finished, but I have my most important exams coming, and I can't think about mapping too much for now.

Anyway, more advice the better - I am already considering them for my next map *thumbs*

EDIT : BTW did you guys found all the secrets? If not I can always tell where they are.

[Sigma]

For ZDoom information and tutorials:

http://www.zdoom.org/zdkb/zdoomindex.html

http://www.zdoom.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page

[jake250]

For ZDoom information and tutorials:

http://www.zdoom.org/zdkb/zdoomindex.html

http://www.zdoom.org/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
I know these, but none say how to configure Doom Builder in using and editing with doom builder.

If I choose to open a map for ZDoom in "ZDoom" format, it ask me for a wad... what wad? I don't know. I tried some, but none works - opening the map literally transform the map in something that doesn't work anymore.

I tried making a new map to make slopes, and it didn't worked. This is where my problem is, and I find nothing about it.

[rustyslacker]

What wad? Use doom.wad, doom2.wad, tnt.wad, or plutonia.wad. Those contain all the textures, sprites, etc.

[ace]

For some reason I had trouble figuring that out, too. But yeh, just whatever IWAD you'd use for it. For example, if you want it to be a wad for ZDoom using Final Doom: TNT you'd pick tnt.wad, or if you wanted it for Doom II then doom2.wad, etc.

By the way, if you can't find the pages on how to (http://www.zdoom.org/zdkb/slope.html) make slopes (http://www.zdoom.org/wiki/index.php?title=Slopes), you aren't looking hard enough. :p

[jake250]

Still no luck. What are these "arguments" they keep talking about? How I am supposed to change this?

I tried to download their slopes.wad... looked in ZDoom, ok nice it works, slopes. Open in doom builder, lot of linedefs error, the map doesn't work.

"insert lot of question mark here" Guess I'll have to forget about slopes.

[Sigma]

Does Doom Builder require a "zdiwhack.wad" or is this a WadAuthor specific version of the IWAD? I assume so?

@ Jake250

Have you downloaded the latest version of Doom Builder? Are you using ZDoom (Doom in Hexen) format? Did you select the correct IWAD (Doom2.wad)?

---

Otherwise, I recommend SLADE or WadAuthor for your construction-related needs. However, SLADE is not finished. WadAuthor may not have 3D-mode, decent ACS support, full support of features or a true nodes-builder, but it is one of the easiest to manipulate and useful editors of all of time.

[Aliotroph?]

WadAuthor is weird. I dislike not being able to draw lines all over the place. And reinstalling it every month because the full version didn't get released for free is crappy.

I haven't mapped for ZDoom though so I can't comment on how to do that.

[Illdo]

Mapping for ZDoom is like mapping for normal Doom, unless you choose Doom in Hexen mode, then it gets more complicated. For example, when setting up a door, you not only have to set the linedef action, but also door movement speed, delay before closing, activation method, whether it's a repeatable action or not... You might need time to get used to ZDoom editing.

[jake250]

Are you using ZDoom (Doom in Hexen) format?
How stupid I am *roflmao*

That was the problem, I didn't understood you had to choose this.

Well, it seems to be working now.

Thanks *bday*

[Chubz]

Jake, for a FIRST map, that is phenomenal... excellent job overall.

My first maps were nothing like that. They were horrible when it came to texture usage and very bland when it came to architecture and gameplay overall.

It even took me a while to get the hang of how to create buildings (such as what you've done in this map), so to say you're off to a great start is an understatement.

Keep up the great work, and I'm sure you can easily become a very good mappist!

*thumbs*

[jake250]

Jake, for a FIRST map, that is phenomenal... excellent job overall.

My first maps were nothing like that. They were horrible when it came to texture usage and very bland when it came to architecture and gameplay overall.

It even took me a while to get the hang of how to create buildings (such as what you've done in this map), so to say you're off to a great start is an understatement.

Keep up the great work, and I'm sure you can easily become a very good mappist!

*thumbs*
Well, great thanks there! I'm surprised to have any more comments, I considered that thread "dead" since long *turvy*

I'm actually in the making of a huge zdoom only map using some monsters in Monster/Boss ressource wad, some of them have modified dehacked properties to fit their role, some are now bosses too (the map will consist of multiple "world", so I call them, because they all have different music and a boss).

My house here could have nice detail for one, single reason : its my house, I don't have to ask myself "why im putting this here and what to put there" because this is my house anyway, while in my next map I have some problem with the look, since it is not based on anything.

Oh well I'll stop there! Thanks for the feedback, after all this time, it is grealy appreciated.

EDIT : BTW, Welcome to the forum!

[ultimatesaiyan605]

muahaha now we know where the monsters are in his house =P