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I remember when I started playing Wolf3d (actually, I don't) at a very young age. While most people ran around playing with some action figures, I was feeling like I was top of the world, blowing Nazis away, spamming M-L-I. Anyways, I eventually found out I could edit my own maps when I was around 13... basically around the time that I joined DHW, I think. At the start the levels were simply edits of the original maps with many vines and bosses. Eventually it grew to a larger edit, and a larger edit, into me editing every corner of the whole entire level, hitting the max static objects cap very quickly. SDL really fixed things. If it weren't for that, I would not have made any maps after Super Haven Mapset I. Allowing myself to use more static objects means I could build larger maps with more atmosphere, since it requires more static objects. At first my mapping was pretty god-damned insane. There were mazes, holo-walls that led to mazes, and many difficult areas. Difficult was here to stay, but the mazes were not. Mazes suck, frankly. They are unrealistic and near-impossible to make without boring the player. At first I was obsessed with cramming in as many secrets as I can muster. I didn't set out to do that, it just sort of happened. I never put keys in secret areas because I know I hate it when people do that. Any secrets that are required are very obvious to prevent confusion, and always serves a purpose. It's not there just because. The most secret-laden-complex level I have ever created (and frankly, the most complex original mapset level I have ever seen in my entire life) is Nazi Base of Super Haven Mapset. I had to make a guide because of the many secrets, and in my opinion it rivals the Aardwolf maze.
Eventually my mapping progressed and I decided to add some different textures in a room to spice things up. Ack really inspired me. Some people don't like his mapping, but I sure do. I like the design, the aesthetics, and it really drew me in. I had a few maps loaded one day when my brother walked across the room, and he asked me if I was doing art on my computer. My implementation of different wall textures was very sketchy in places. It looked like I desperately wanted different textures. Just because two textures are or similar color, it doesn't mean that they go along well together. In fact, usually the textures need to be of different color. Finding out what worked and what didn't was a trial and error kind of thing. I kept asking Brian for advice, but a lot of it I needed (and on some level, that's the way it ought to be) to figure it out on my own. Some things look good. Some do not.
Mapping I find interesting because it is a style. It is almost like a fingerprint. If I know the mapper well enough, I can tell who made which map by scrolling through them on Chaosedit. Every level is unique, and every mapper is unique. As much as I like ack's mapping, I do scroll through maps made by others for ideas. It's always good to have a broad range of ideas and concepts that can be used. Making maps is a time-consuming process, and I always hesitate before the start of the next map, because I know that the audience is there, but always dwindling, and the map takes 5 hours to complete but 5 minutes to play.
Eventually I got around to making SHS. I wanted a more unique name for my mapset and future mapsets, so I named it, 'Sod, Haven Style'. The difficulty got overboard, but I stand by some of my ideas at the time. If you think the game is too difficult on hardest, TURN DOWN THE DIFFICULTY. Some of us like a real challenge and are quite adept and Wolf3d and shooting games. To play the first level, die at the start on hardest and ragequit on my mapset in which I spent a long time to make, well, that's disappointing. In fact, I quite enjoyed the start of level 1 of SHS. It required some fast action at the start. The real problem I recognize with SHS at this point is the monotony of mutants everywhere. It's not a Nazi base, it's a friggin' mutant base with Nazis visiting. Mutants are the most difficult to kill, and Ubermutants are the most difficult bosses to kill in Sod, so I spammed them, every-which-way. Note: I DID play SHS hard version on hardest difficulty level starting each level with a pistol and eight rounds. I strongly believe Wolf3d needs a few good challenger mapsets. For SHS I started making better readmes, and took some lines from Ack's funny readmes. I posted a picture, made a cover page, etc. Starting with SHS I started experimenting with completely new mapping styles. Wastelands 1 is a great example. Before then, all mossy rooms were actually modified rectangular rooms. Wastelands 1 had very irregular walls. I'm not sure what clicked, but the level just really clicked into place for me. On other levels, I used some textures I do not see often in Sod mapsets, and I'm not sure why.
This Spear turned out to be my final mapset. This Spear is taken from 'This Gun' and 'That Machinegun' from Fallout: New Vegas. I originally planned to make a That Wolf3d, but that never materialized. This Spear is the combined product of everything about map-making that I have learned over the years. Following all of my mapset's tradition, I scatter aardwolf signs in difficult to find secrets. Even while making the mapset, I learned things. I moved levels around to match the ceiling color, and I even recolored level 5. I later toned down the symmetry, because too much of it can be annoying. In my opinion, my mapping won't really get any better from here. Not necessarily because I've ascended into a mapping god, but because I don't think I am capable of better maps. This Spear featured more marching guards and more dogs. In the past I left dogs out because they use up valuable memory while being easy to kill, and I never added marching guards because they take a long time to add. But with This Spear, I wanted to go all out. I literally replaced my worst map of the mapset and made a new one. I used the same map ack made for SHS because 1) I really didn't feel like making maps that week, 2) almost nobody played ack's map since everybody ran for their lives from the difficulty of SHS, even on easy version, and 3) I wasn't quite sure how to make level 21 because I have never made it before. I tried to criss-cross Grey brick 1 and 2 for the subtle effect. Scavenger Hunt was the result of another experiment on the way I made maps. At the end of the day, I am satisfied knowing I got two Dome awards, and the public for the most part do like This Spear.
That Wolf3d never finished because I don't have time. College starts. I did finish 2 levels, but they will never be played because nobody bothers to play mapsets with 2 maps in it.
I prefer Chaosedit because of its functions, and 3d edit is useful because of the way I browse maps for ideas. I do use WDC for error-checking, and for that it is invaluable.
What I usually end up doing, in attempt to get inspiration, I often browse through maps on Chaosedit, using 3d-edit to assist from time to time. Because of this, I can pretty much imagine what a level will be like simply from a map file. However, it's hard to imagine what the gameplay will be like since it is very difficult to figure out whether there is enough ammo or health, or too much ammo or health. It's also hard to figure out how the guards will react, so often-times it led to difficult maps and a lack of awareness on guards and how they affect gameplay.
Because this is just a game from over a decade ago, and because of the way I took so many ideas from ack, I allow anybody to use my maps in any way, shape, or form should they choose to.
I don't even know why I'm posting this, but by the time I asked myself why I was typing this, I was half-way done so I finished it anyways. Oh yeah, and I was trying out my new $130 keyboard.
Eventually my mapping progressed and I decided to add some different textures in a room to spice things up. Ack really inspired me. Some people don't like his mapping, but I sure do. I like the design, the aesthetics, and it really drew me in. I had a few maps loaded one day when my brother walked across the room, and he asked me if I was doing art on my computer. My implementation of different wall textures was very sketchy in places. It looked like I desperately wanted different textures. Just because two textures are or similar color, it doesn't mean that they go along well together. In fact, usually the textures need to be of different color. Finding out what worked and what didn't was a trial and error kind of thing. I kept asking Brian for advice, but a lot of it I needed (and on some level, that's the way it ought to be) to figure it out on my own. Some things look good. Some do not.
Mapping I find interesting because it is a style. It is almost like a fingerprint. If I know the mapper well enough, I can tell who made which map by scrolling through them on Chaosedit. Every level is unique, and every mapper is unique. As much as I like ack's mapping, I do scroll through maps made by others for ideas. It's always good to have a broad range of ideas and concepts that can be used. Making maps is a time-consuming process, and I always hesitate before the start of the next map, because I know that the audience is there, but always dwindling, and the map takes 5 hours to complete but 5 minutes to play.
Eventually I got around to making SHS. I wanted a more unique name for my mapset and future mapsets, so I named it, 'Sod, Haven Style'. The difficulty got overboard, but I stand by some of my ideas at the time. If you think the game is too difficult on hardest, TURN DOWN THE DIFFICULTY. Some of us like a real challenge and are quite adept and Wolf3d and shooting games. To play the first level, die at the start on hardest and ragequit on my mapset in which I spent a long time to make, well, that's disappointing. In fact, I quite enjoyed the start of level 1 of SHS. It required some fast action at the start. The real problem I recognize with SHS at this point is the monotony of mutants everywhere. It's not a Nazi base, it's a friggin' mutant base with Nazis visiting. Mutants are the most difficult to kill, and Ubermutants are the most difficult bosses to kill in Sod, so I spammed them, every-which-way. Note: I DID play SHS hard version on hardest difficulty level starting each level with a pistol and eight rounds. I strongly believe Wolf3d needs a few good challenger mapsets. For SHS I started making better readmes, and took some lines from Ack's funny readmes. I posted a picture, made a cover page, etc. Starting with SHS I started experimenting with completely new mapping styles. Wastelands 1 is a great example. Before then, all mossy rooms were actually modified rectangular rooms. Wastelands 1 had very irregular walls. I'm not sure what clicked, but the level just really clicked into place for me. On other levels, I used some textures I do not see often in Sod mapsets, and I'm not sure why.
This Spear turned out to be my final mapset. This Spear is taken from 'This Gun' and 'That Machinegun' from Fallout: New Vegas. I originally planned to make a That Wolf3d, but that never materialized. This Spear is the combined product of everything about map-making that I have learned over the years. Following all of my mapset's tradition, I scatter aardwolf signs in difficult to find secrets. Even while making the mapset, I learned things. I moved levels around to match the ceiling color, and I even recolored level 5. I later toned down the symmetry, because too much of it can be annoying. In my opinion, my mapping won't really get any better from here. Not necessarily because I've ascended into a mapping god, but because I don't think I am capable of better maps. This Spear featured more marching guards and more dogs. In the past I left dogs out because they use up valuable memory while being easy to kill, and I never added marching guards because they take a long time to add. But with This Spear, I wanted to go all out. I literally replaced my worst map of the mapset and made a new one. I used the same map ack made for SHS because 1) I really didn't feel like making maps that week, 2) almost nobody played ack's map since everybody ran for their lives from the difficulty of SHS, even on easy version, and 3) I wasn't quite sure how to make level 21 because I have never made it before. I tried to criss-cross Grey brick 1 and 2 for the subtle effect. Scavenger Hunt was the result of another experiment on the way I made maps. At the end of the day, I am satisfied knowing I got two Dome awards, and the public for the most part do like This Spear.
That Wolf3d never finished because I don't have time. College starts. I did finish 2 levels, but they will never be played because nobody bothers to play mapsets with 2 maps in it.
I prefer Chaosedit because of its functions, and 3d edit is useful because of the way I browse maps for ideas. I do use WDC for error-checking, and for that it is invaluable.
What I usually end up doing, in attempt to get inspiration, I often browse through maps on Chaosedit, using 3d-edit to assist from time to time. Because of this, I can pretty much imagine what a level will be like simply from a map file. However, it's hard to imagine what the gameplay will be like since it is very difficult to figure out whether there is enough ammo or health, or too much ammo or health. It's also hard to figure out how the guards will react, so often-times it led to difficult maps and a lack of awareness on guards and how they affect gameplay.
Because this is just a game from over a decade ago, and because of the way I took so many ideas from ack, I allow anybody to use my maps in any way, shape, or form should they choose to.
I don't even know why I'm posting this, but by the time I asked myself why I was typing this, I was half-way done so I finished it anyways. Oh yeah, and I was trying out my new $130 keyboard.
