For my final project, I want to go back to my DOOM roots and focus on play rather than an elaborate recreation. Reskinning DOOM with the tools available has been interesting, and some of my previous considerations would be interesting side projects to continue working on in the future. But right now, for some reason, I don’t feel like doing any of that. I just want the players to feel like they’re playing something made with craft and time and attention. They can feel however they want, but the important takeaways are fun, intrigue, and challenge. A list of characteristics I want this project to contain by the end of its conception and execution:
- At least 5 well-designed levels (hopefully 8, making a full episode, by the final due date)
- A background storyline conveyed through level details
- Game feature spotlights, such as key card puzzles, traps, jump-scares, and secrets
- Some updates to the original DOOM, including new monsters, weapons, sprites, and maybe textures (although not to detract too heavily from the original DOOM aesthetic)
- Design features that stray from the limitations of the original and showcase the capabilities of using modern tools such as GZDOOM
I want this project to culminate every design lesson taught throughout each week without the tedium of creating everything from scratch. This way I can work through the details that I never fully investigated in prior projects simply because the new features implemented to fulfill requirements took precedence. Now that I know how things work in DOOM, or at least how they’re supposed to work, I can think about my level design from a holistic standpoint. For now, my worst enemy is myself when it comes to finishing this over an appropriate course. I know I have a tendency to do projects within a limited time frame, usually because I procrastinate much more than the average person and also because I like seeing something through from beginning to end without many breaks in the creative process. With an undertaking this huge, though, I need to keep working, even if I’m not in front of the level editor itself.
To end, here are a few additions I will make to the pool of resources I have to make these levels (some of which will have to do with my story arc)
