===========================================================================
Advanced engine needed : Boom.exe or compatible, complevel 9
Primary purpose : Single play
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Title : Lithubristics Under Sanguine Twilight
Filename : PASOLUST.WAD
Version : 1.1
Release date : 02/22/2022 (first released August 2019 on Doomworld)
Author : Leon "Pasokon Deacon" Staton
Email Address : [redacted]
Misc. Author Info : Joe Bob sez check this map out!
(It's my very first, after all.) You can find me on Twitter (@DragEnRegalia),
Doomworld, and various Doom servers on Discord if you have questions/comments.
Description : PASOLUST.WAD is my first full foray into Doom mapping.
After learning the basics on a whim early in August 2019 (which produced a very
small tutorial scrap of a map), I got to work on whatever came to mind. This map
fell into place around mid-August, with another third's worth of ideas added
up until September 2019. My goal was to make a medium-sized, well paced
early-2000s-style map reminiscent of my favorite PWADs from that period
(Alien Vendetta, Scythe, etc.).
Please disable jumping and crouching! The included MAPINFO lump automatically
disables these features in certain ports. This map should be compatible with
most cross-WAD gameplay mods (DEHACKED only edits the automap title).
S T O R Y
You check your timer impatiently, waiting for the inter-base warp to start.
Ops at UAC Sanguine Twilight, an electro-lith mining outpost, has requested
expert assistance with security and inspection. Their discomfort regarding new
archaelogical finds at the quarry reminds you a bit too much of previous
corporate disasters. At least everything seems normal at the warpgate. In a
verdant flash, you pass through an event horizon, blinking towards the VIP
teleport at Sanguine Twilight almost a light-year away.
Things go wrong, again. The date on your clock starts fluctuating wildly before
landing. Upon touchdown, you notice it's not the middle of August anymore, but
the end of September. On the blood-spattered carpet below you lies a dead
officer, the one who green-lit your transport. A demon, rabid and relentless,
steals past malfunctioning computers, suddenly warping too close for comfort.
What befell this base during your delay in transit? Electro-lith readings exceed
safety standards, the terminals indicate. Demons and corrupted once-humans
prowl the base and its surroundings with complete confidence. Rumblings beneath
mess with your balance and show up on your readings, as if something trembles
within the rock. Whatever the case, it's clear that UAC has failed to defend
their people and property, and you're the only solution. You prepare to tango
with the occult infestation, hoping the main warp bay can still bring you home.
D E V E L O P E R N O T E S
(Please read AFTER playing through the map!)
The blue key area came extremely early and remains a hub example for the map's
design direction. I wanted a hot start that would set goals and stakes for the
player. However, I only added in the alternate non-key exit later when I
realized the courtyard ambushes could prove tricky for some less-experienced
players. The fork leading to the depot bay can still challenge most players,
just without as many foul surprises. This also helped me add fluid
interconnection and foreshadowing to a then neglected part of the layout.
Giving players this scenic route early on helps balance the courtyard's
relative claustrophobia and lack of a horizon.
The yellow key courtyard shows off some early, clunkier structures and
encounters which I've tweaked a bit to match the rest of the map. (Let me know
if the pop-up switch at the top of the stairs malfunctions; it gave me some
trouble early on.) All the flyer spawns here started as a happy accident, and I
decided to flesh the area out based on their unplanned appearance. Here you get
the first glimpse into the quarry below, which uses Boom lighting transfers to
catch your eye and provide some silhouettes. More than even the blue key room,
this acts as the map's progression landmark, featuring two doors you can't enter
until passing checkpoints.
About halfway through layout design and thing placement tests, I decided the
map could use three major fights: an SSG-grab skirmish in the nukage center, the
main demonic warp trap within the quarry, and one last horde ambushing you at
the exit. These became more important to overall progression over time vs. the
yellow and red keycards, with the latter not even required to enter the quarry
if you use a certain skip. I've kept UV-Max runs in mind, though, meaning
there's little downside to getting the red key and visiting optional areas
for completion. One goal of mine with climax fights was to provide contrast in
pacing and intensity; sections right before the fights are notably slower,
offering a calm before the storm.
I'll happily admit that the visual theme, similar to Ultimate Doom's second
episode, gave me an excuse to try out a wide range and mixture of stock
textures. Some rooms and areas might look a little off or unconventional, but
I've added a lot of trimwork to ensure some level of transition between the
worst offenders. Visibility and visual hints at later areas/encounters stayed
on my mind throughout the project as such. The limit-removing format was nice
enough, but my increasing attention to detail lured me towards using more
unique Boom features, including voodoo dolls on conveyor belts to control
various effects. I got the custom-height perpetual lifts, waterfall teleports,
and timed lock-in trap at the end working through these means.
Building the quarry and excavated ruins took a lot of time. I had to learn how
to align textures the hard way, as well as gate player progression without
using anything too contrived (which I might have failed at anyway?). I think
the big fight inside's fun, but very messy and easy to cheese because of my
layout and sector effect choices. If there's anything I'll need to try for my
next maps, it's avoiding cramped hordes teleporting in vs. more elegant use of
abstract, complex layouts to stage fights. Still, I'm proud of what I
accomplished for the map's halfway point, and it got me out of my techbase
comfort zone for sure.
The main techbase port and river courtyard areas came last in development. I
wanted a MAP01-style outer battleground to give players an escape from the
map's confined space--this part developed very fast with little issues at all.
Figuring out meaningful fights and progression following the quarry escape, but
before dropping into the warp bay, took longer. After tossing out some iffy
concepts and ending up with a more Ultimate Doom-style techbase interior, I'm
satisfied with the end result. Doom Builder X isn't too great for curving
geometry, so the staircases further into the base gave me some practice.
It's hard for me to tell if I've afforded players too many or too little
resources for the final fight; my tests all had me at a large amount of ammo
by map's end. I'll learn a lot more from demos and recorded playthroughs rather
than assuming I can anticipate every skill level and play style.
If you've tried out and/or played through the map, thank you! Please leave some
feedback in the release thread (or direct-message me) and check out my
future works when you can.
S P E C I A L T H A N K S
*HAK3180 for the very first playtest, leading to a lot of fixes and feedback
*Bridgeburner and the Hellforge Discord server for playtesting and
constructive criticism
*Austinado, Suitepee, skepticist, Ribbiks, and Mistress Remilia for additional
playtesting
Additional Credits to : Mechadon for sky; Dario and Milo Casali for
A-RAIL/WFALL textures from The Plutonia Experiment; lupinx-kassman, Jimmy, and others who
helped make Revolution! MIDI Pack.
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* What is included *
New levels : Only a new MAP01.
Sounds : None.
Music : "Smooth Infiltrator" by lupinx-kassman and Jimmy
Graphics : Sky by Mechadon + A-RAIL/WFALL animated textures from
plutonia.iwad + new CWILV00 graphic.
Dehacked/BEX Patch : Dehacked lump for automap.
Demos : None.
Other : MAPINFO lump for compatible ports.
* Play Information *
Game : Doom II.
Map # : MAP01.
Single Player : Designed for.
Cooperative 2-4 Player : Player starts only.
Deathmatch 2-4 Player : N/A.
Other game styles : N/A.
Difficulty Settings : Balanced first around UV, includes minor changes for
HNTR and HMP (extra ammo at start area + alternate body count/monster selection)
* Construction *
Base : New from scratch.
Build Time : Approximately a month, give or take time spent
elsewhere/playing Doom instead of editing. The idgames release features some
changes and additions made in late 2020 and early 2022.
Editor(s) used : Doom Builder X 2019.1-alpha11, Ultimate Doom Builder,
ZokumBSP, WhackEd, Doom Writer
Known Bugs : You might find a stray slime trail or missing sidedef texture not caught in testing; please contact me about any serious fixes!
May Not Run With : doom2.exe, Chocolate Doom, Crispy Doom,
Boom complevels other than 9.
Tested With : PrBoom+ complevel 9.
* Copyright / Permissions *
Authors MAY use the contents of this file as a base for
modification or reuse. Permissions have been obtained from original
authors for any of their resources modified or included in this file.
You MAY distribute this file, provided you include this text
file, with no modifications. You may distribute this file in any
electronic format (BBS, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include
this file intact. I have received permission from the original
authors of any modified or included content in this file to allow
further distribution.
* Where to get the file that this text file describes *
The Usual:
ftp://archives.gamers.org/pub/idgames/ and mirrors
Web sites: Doomworld's idgames archive frontend; search for Lithubristics!
