Extreme Survival

[MajorSlime]

[spoiler][/spoiler]


That's right, I have a teaser image for the new room I've been working on 


75, what do you think of the shape? Due to the way the upper areas work, its easy to dodge large sprays of flem from the lower areas, and vice-versa, but not too easy. Also, its large enough for players not to feel cramped, and has some unique geometry so as not to be boring. I'm working on adding stalagmites/tites to the ceiling (can never remember which is which).

[Boingo the Clown]

How very cruel you are.

I have been wanting to do a large open area with lots of flemoids for as part of E1M6 of T.U.C.Q., but I hadn't done it yet, because I couldn't focus the look in my mind enough to actually build the level. 

No you show me a screen shot that is almost exactly what I had in mind.

You are very cruel.

You make me cry.

[75]

I'd need to play it to say much about it. I'd rather you sent it to me, it looks nice but your enemy placement will make or break this map.

[MajorSlime]

K, thanks for the input 75. Do you have any suggestions for enemy placement, or should I figure that out on my own?


lol, Boingo. You can use the room if you want

[75]

I can try (it would be faster for me to critique what you've already done than to guess on what you may do, since I can't be sure what's decorative and what's passable, also which direction you come form)

Generally, it's best in doom and doom-like games to be fighting enemies that are as close to you as possible, it is much more exiting to be dodging in and out of a horde of enemies than to be fighting enemies that are stuck on ledges (unless you're fighting enemies that don't use slow, non-homing projectiles), since these enemies don't really fare as much of a threat to the player and generally they aren't even worth killing/zorching, since if you run away they can't follow you, and their projectiles are too slow / dumb to cause a threat to you.

Also, remember that doom's and chex's weapons are not great sniper weapons, generally, except for the railgun. The most heavily armored/ largest health flemoid I'd put on a ledge would be a bipedici, you should be able to defeat ledge enemies with a single large zorcher shot, otherwise you'll just take needless damage trying to defeat them, and you'd be better off just running past them.

It's possible that they could be easy money for extreme survival, though; can't say much on that until I play it. there could be some benefits to easy money in extreme survival, for stragglers to get back into the game, but part of me opposes deliberately making the game easier and more repetitive, even for a good cause, I'd recommend avoiding that grinding/farming at any cost, personally.

You could do a lot with the flat area, just be sure that you don't put a small army in there that march like British soldiers towards the players, three rows of bipedici with armor are no harder than one row (just more time consuming, and you don't want to add filler!), since they can't shoot through each other.

generally, remember to make it so that the player can't ever retreat to a safe area and sit somewhere, idly shooting flemoids as they walk up to them. My focus lately in my mapping has been to keep unconditionally safe areas out of fighting areas so that players have to rely on their own speed to stay alive, and can't just run to a hiding spot when the combat gets too intense. It's quite nice, you can't really do that in any game except Doom engine based games that I know of.

EDIT - Also, I think shells should be rather rare, the SSG and SG are sort of swiss army knives, they can be used in any situation, I've been experimenting with making them a premium, it seems to improve the game, though I'm not sure of that yet.

Hope that helps

[MajorSlime]

Hmmm... thats nice advice, thanks. Gives me some ideas...