Graphics quirks in original Wolf3D/Spear

First I want to say that I can't express enough how in awe I am at id and A. Carmack's work in the original games. As apparently simplistic as the art style may be, they really did a kickass job -- and anyone who has attempted to compose even the simplest sprite by hand knows: it's not as easy as it looks.

That said, in the original games, what are some graphics or design quirks that have always bugged you? For example, I think the standard brown guard was animated excellently but for some reason his shooting animation always strikes me as pretty ugly, especially when you compare that same animation to the officer's which looks great.

Or another example for me, muzzle blasts -- I'm not 100% on exactly how they could be improved, maybe more yellow or orange, but I've never liked the way they look in the original game.

Purple on guard's shooting frames...

Haha, yes me too  I always wonder how they got there.

You know, I'd really like to try to find a way to contact Adrian Carmack and ask him what his design ideas were. I always wondered what he would have added/changed/refined if given more time (and desire to do so, of course).

doomjedi wrote:Purple on guard's shooting frames...

Seconded. There's purple on some of his marching frames as well, especially #15 and #16 where his belt is purple... Argh... And #30 on the SS has a turquoise spot...

The cage/skeleton has a black spot in its right corner. The green plant has an annoying shade. I think all black should be replaced by darker gray which would go over more well on e.g. wells and things... And of course, the dog is the only guard except for the bosses with a shadow. What the hell!

There's some purple goop within the skulls on stick sprite from Spear and a green (!) dot in all the bizarro pulled pork bunch or whatever on the cow carcass sprite.

There's a gray dot on brown stone #2, purple mush on gray brick/map #2 (I think), the original blue stone has weird tops and bottoms, and the white panel from Spear is just an abomination in itself.

So I either replace all of the above with a) small fixes, b) different sprites from other mods or, c) decide to love it and make a map set 'cause that's why I started playing Wolf in the first place. It's not about dots and small dings! It's the action, passion and beauty of the gameplay and making a cohesive map that would look good on a printed, foxed old overview map some US spy got hold of in 1943!

Thomas wrote:...the white panel from Spear is just an abomination in itself.

Haha, really.

You know, I think your spy map idea is a very good one. In fact I have an idea for the mod I want to do that includes something like that, if I can figure out how to code it.

I tried to use the white panel in This Spear for one level or two to try to make use of it in a way that doesn't blow.  

I understand brown coat guards, but WHY WHITE UNIFORMED officers and BLUE UNIFORMED SS?!

Why is it a machine gun when it's supposed to be the mp40 SMG? Why doesn't it look like it?

Dark_wizzie wrote:I tried to use the white panel in This Spear for one level or two to try to make use of it in a way that doesn't blow.  

Use it in the middle of a room as a + with four plants in each corner. That's about it... Making it a load bearing wall is pointless, unrealistic and very off-putting, as the whiteness just smudges out everything else, with the fecal-colored top and bottom edges rendering it an aesthetic nightmare BUT opening up to the usage of dark brown ceiling.

Ipank used the white panel in a good way in The Trilogy; it was in combination with the grey wall and it was one of the few times where I considered the texture to be looking good. Don't remember which level it was exactly, but it's in there. I rarely use the texture, only if I go for something a bit more experimental. Oh, and I used it for an area that I wanted to resemble a museum.

ronwolf1705 wrote:Ipank used the white panel in a good way in The Trilogy; it was in combination with the grey wall and it was one of the few times where I considered the texture to be looking good. Don't remember which level it was exactly, but it's in there. I rarely use the texture, only if I go for something a bit more experimental. Oh, and I used it for an area that I wanted to resemble a museum.

Just for you, I'll make an all white panel map.  

If I need the white panel from Spear to work for me, I just imagine it as being a primitive edition of the "Japanese" walls from Spear Resurrection used in level 10. Those were pretty good. They could also be used in a future sushi restaurant mod.

Thomas wrote:They could also be used in a future sushi restaurant mod.

Million dollar idea.