Doom Mapping Crash Course [Absolute beginner mapping workshop]

1 hour ago, Somniac said:

A very useful command is "align grid to selected linedef", which I have set to shift + w as there is no default hotkeys. This is not only great for drawing sectors diagonally, but its a lifesaver when you've been working at varying grid sizes (usually 8, 16 and 32 for me) and need thing to line up quickly and easily.

 

Took me way too long to realise this was possible but it makes things a lot easier. Might be worth adding. Cool thread!

This is an absolutely cool command, I never knew it was possible to have diagonally aligned linedefs. I will probably create a part 2 to this thread and I think it would be better in the intermediate steps, though. Still, I have a doubt. How do I know how to align textures if I use this? I thought the blue squares represented the way the Doom grid aligns and that`s what allowed me to select according floor and ceiling textures, but now I`m confused. How do I reset it?

This is a very useful resource for beginner mappers and another important step in keeping the community going forever! Good job!

On 10/14/2023 at 8:36 AM, Cheesewheel said:

This is a very useful resource for beginner mappers and another important step in keeping the community going forever! Good job!

Thank you very much, that's my hope. Long live Doom!

I'll reply here cuz I think the discussion is more appropriate than the CP thread.  

Thanks for playing my map!  I get lots of joy watching videos of my maps.  Thanks for saying that map was made by an intermediate and not a beginner, I tried to have a good example of a simple but fun level, cuz most of my levels now are not simple and are very combat puzzle heavy.  I didn't wanna post a slaughter map here.  I made that TNT level in a week where its taking me almost a month to get something I like now. And since I started mapping its all I do in my free time so take my time frames with a grain of salt, cuz a week still has many hours into it ha. 

18 minutes ago, Treehouseminis said:

I'll reply here cuz I think the discussion is more appropriate than the CP thread.  

 

Thanks for playing my map! I get lots of joy watching videos of my maps. Thanks for saying that map was made by an intermediate and not a beginner, I tried to have a good example of a simple but fun level, cuz most of my levels now are not simple and are very combat puzzle heavy.  I didn't wanna post a slaughter map here. I made that TNT level in a week where its taking me almost a month to get something I like now. And since I started mapping its all I do in my free time so take my time frames with a grain of salt, cuz a week still has many hours into it ha. 

Thanks for commenting here, I think that's the best place. I just posted it there so others could see how I felt about it. I wouldn't be able to make that map that fast, ahahahah. It really didn't feel like a beginner map, but if that's already past behind you, I can't wait to see what you can turn out now. 

Well I've released my fair share of wads already lol.  I post em in a spoiler if anyone is curious, also feel weird about any form of self promotion but it is what it is lol. 

1 minute ago, Treehouseminis said:

Well I've released my fair share of wads already lol.  I post em in a spoiler if anyone is curious, also feel weird about any form of self promotion but it is what it is lol. 

 

  Hide contents

Blood Grave(very first maps)

 

Meat Machine

 

Early Mass

 

B L E A K

 

It's always interesting to see people's evolutions. I'm going to give these a spin later and maybe post videos too. I hope other beginner nappers appear too, I want to see them evolve and create fun things. 

1 hour ago, jo2ukegappy said:

 

It's always interesting to see people's evolutions. I'm going to give these a spin later and maybe post videos too. I hope other beginner nappers appear too, I want to see them evolve and create fun things. 

Awesome sounds good.  If for some reason you decide to play B L E A K first just know it's not very gzdoom friendly.  To get the intended atmosphere you need to play without any dynamic lights and in software renderer(so mouse look wont look good either)  but there's plenty of content in my post, and play how you want at the end of the day :) 

54 minutes ago, Treehouseminis said:

Awesome sounds good.  If for some reason you decide to play B L E A K first just know it's not very gzdoom friendly.  To get the intended atmosphere you need to play without any dynamic lights and in software renderer(so mouse look wont look good either)  but there's plenty of content in my post, and play how you want at the end of the day :) 

I generally load things with vanilla essence on GZDoom so it looks a tad better. I also don't like all the bells and whistles that much, just use it because it's the most used nowadays. Been thinking about changing ports for some time now. I'll keep the no mouselook in mind, though. 

I have added texturing and brightness information as of today. I also think that it's a little obvious, but the guide progresses as the mapper does, so in latter parts, ther is not a lot of submenu screenshots being presented as in the beginning. If anybody thinks this is confusing, I'd love to hear it. There is also a link to the original google doc if anyone feels more comfortable reading that. Anyone can make comments on it, so if you find something wrong, put it there. Feedback is greatly appreciated.   

Doom mapping stream is on.

https://www.twitch.tv/jo2ukegappy

I added a Google Drive folder link at the top of the thread, so that new mappers can send their maps for evaluation. Hope to see many submissions!

On 10/14/2023 at 6:27 AM, boris said:

 

Why do tutorials keep telling people to start drawing lines from Linedefs Mode? It's an unnecessary extra step and will lead to problems down the line, when users get confused how to start drawing a new line starting on an existing line.

 

The best way to start drawing lines is by manually entering Draw Lines Mode by pressing Ctrl+D. This can be done from any mode, not just Linedefs Mode.

I've recently been using draw lines mode starting from Ctrl + D much more. This way I can start wherever I want. I never knew it was there, so it made a lot of sense to start from linedefs mode. I'll review the parts where I had previously mentioned using linedefs mode to draw to reflect this. It's good practice. Thank you, Boris.

1 hour ago, jo2ukegappy said:

 

I've recently been using draw lines mode starting from Ctrl + D much more. This way I can start wherever I want. I never knew it was there, so it made a lot of sense to start from linedefs mode. I'll review the parts where I had previously mentioned using linedefs mode to draw to reflect this. It's good practice. Thank you, Boris.

I don't think I've ever had this problem because I've always started with ctrl + D. Little mistakes that go unnoticed for some reason or other.
 

Despite the colleague's slightly annoyed tone (yet justifiable), it's a very valid point and it's worth noting. The devil (or demon) lives in the details.

I think part 6 - Aesthetics is done. Feedback about that is appreciated, I might have missed something. There are some things I didn't talk about on purpose, mainly skyboxes. They will be discussed in another thread. 

2 hours ago, The Royal We said:

 

I don't think I've ever had this problem because I've always started with ctrl + D. Little mistakes that go unnoticed for some reason or other.
 

Despite the colleague's slightly annoyed tone (yet justifiable), it's a very valid point and it's worth noting. The devil (or demon) lives in the details.

This made me think a lot about the responsibility of being a teacher. It's something that I've thought about very much recently, and not only just in relation to this thread, but in my own life. Life is tough, man. But I updated the thread to containt the best practice which will end up in the best results down the line, that is, using ctrl+D to start Drawing Lines mode.

Started working on a Video Series for the thread, in English and in Portuguese. Here is the first one.

English:

Portuguese, if you're curious: 

These will be updated in the main post later. 

I've updated this thread with demo and compatibility information provided by @Maribo. Thanks! I also requested baja blast rd to move the thread to Editing, but I wasn't expecting it to be pinned. I hope others can see it and come post their maps!

-quote of entire OP removed-

WOW ! that's a lot for a tutorial ! i haven't touched doom builder in quite a lot of time, might use this to try making good maps

1 hour ago, kaimilus said:

WOW ! that's a lot for a tutorial ! i haven't touched doom builder in quite a lot of time, might use this to try making good maps

 

Hey, Kaimilus. Good to see you here. Hope to check your submissions soon, and hope the tutorial helps. Cheers!

-quote of entire OP removed-

Okay, after reading all this, i tried making a new map, still working on it, but this is really useful ! there is a lot of info and if i knew this tutorial before, i would've really use it to start making maps in doom !

27 minutes ago, kaimilus said:

-quote of entire OP removed-

 

Okay, after reading all this, i tried making a new map, still working on it, but this is really useful ! there is a lot of info and if i knew this tutorial before, i would've really use it to start making maps in doom !

Glad you're enjoying it, Kaimilus! You can submit your maps to the google drive folder once you feel confident about them, I'll give you feedback here or in your DMs if you prefer. Can't wait to see what you make!

4 minutes ago, DoomGappy said:

 

Glad you're enjoying it, Kaimilus! You can submit your maps to the google drive folder once you feel confident about them, I'll give you feedback here or in your DMs if you prefer. Can't wait to see what  you make!

well i can still make a rar with it and then post it directly with the text, but if there is a problem, i guess google drive would also work

7 minutes ago, kaimilus said:

well i can still make a rar with it and then post it directly with the text, but if there is a problem, i guess google drive would also work

Yes, you can post it directly here, but be aware of the 50mb size you have for usage across the forums. I've used almost 30mb already!

Just now, DoomGappy said:

Yes, you can post it directly here, but be aware of the 50mb size you have for usage across the forums. I've used almost 30mb already!

oh, ok, so i guess google IS a better way to post wads, and with this said, i'll go back at creating my doom wad

spiked4.zipUACRESTARTFINAL.zipandysunholymassacar.zipvanillaflashboogie.zip

Hey, @Buzter55555, those are a whooping 15megs in total. Wouldn't you prefer to post it in the google drive and save some doomworld storage space? Also, it would be nice if you posted a little form for each level just so I can see when I can play them and give you some feedback. The form is below.
 

Name: (Name of map)

Map Format: Boom

IWAD: Doom 2

Map(s): (MAP01, E1M1-M8, etc.)

Time to complete (5 minutes, 10 minutes, etc.)

4 minutes ago, Buzter55555 said:

spiked4.zipUACRESTARTFINAL.zipandysunholymassacar.zipvanillaflashboogie.zip

WOW !! incredible ! i should make things like this !

Yea I know I just thought it convenient here but I guess I would try your way soon thank u man

1 minute ago, Buzter55555 said:

Yea I know I just thought it convenient here but I guess I would try your way soon thank u man

really incredible maps, i'll play them once i'm done with my map

I can't wait to play your maps too