@Shambler. I disagree, they can work together, as long as the mapper creates the right context.

I don't see why user created levels have to stick to any rules or themes used in the original Quake. I prefer to see mappers not limit themselves to specific texture sets or styles. 

from Operation Urth Majic

Gotta keep Shambler happy. 

base enemy and knights together = totally unacceptable.

E1M2...? 

 

It's literally right there.

There's more precedent in the original game for mixing Grunts and Knights than putting Knights in runic. 

...a coherent story. We have now transcended that with stronger thematic adherence. 

There was nothing mistaken about the monster order of appearance once the final episodic structure was settled. 

The grunts are just possessed by the entity known as "quake" in the story, so there is no reason why this entity wouldn't just mix his new recruits up with his old knight fellas without sparing a second thought.

What shums is alluding to is a question of personal taste, of no more validity than an objection to certain texture combinations.

The Hipnotic mission pack did a lot more of this if I recall. 

The Hipnotic mission pack did a lot more of this if I recall.

Yep and there's nothing wrong with it if you justify it with a Slipgate pad as otp alluded to. 

Zerstorer if I recall correctly did this?, as did a few good maps in the 90s. I don't remember anyone caring back then, and in the Doom modding community, there aren't such rules. It is as kinn said, just preference masquerading as a rule.

Personally, I like when authors follow their own style and do something original, and don't stick to a predefined iD style. lpowells screens look great, and the style seems to work. 

 

Base and Medieval enemies can be used together, but there needs to a reason why. A portal within a research lab where hell knights are coming through makes perfect sense. 

Thanks for the comments everyone. @dumptruck_ds, thanks for the comment about the lighting; getting the right Quakey contrast is something I really need to work on. 

It's detrimental to gameplay (enemy variety) to refuse to use base enemies in otherworldy settings for "thematic reasons". But even thematically it doesn't make logical sense. Why can Ranger travel through the slipgates, but the grunts can't? Is there an anti-grunt forcefield? It's perfectly reasonable to imagine grunts traveling through slipgates to act as backup. 

It's detrimental to gameplay (enemy variety) to refuse to use base enemies

If it's the mapper's choice to not use base enemies, then it ain't detrimental to jack shit, mr anonymous.

Let's try not to confuse "what mapper wants to do" with "what people are telling mapper to do". 

@lpowell I was just going to add to dumptruck_ds's comment about the lighting. At the moment from the screen shots, you can see the light spheres around obvious light sources (especially in the 3rd screen shot), but there isn't much to break the lighting up or give it a different flow and direction. It looks good now, but it would look better if you thought more about lighting in terms of how the architecture would cast shadows on itself, how light might flow from area to area, how light might flow out of a brighter area into a darker larger area (for example, having light spill out of a doorway or hallway). Let the architecture shape the lighting more. Doing this also increases the visual detail. 

I have been farting around in trenchbroom recently (it's been a while)...

https://twitter.com/GavinEdgington/status/1187881309873623040?s=20

I've been pottering away at it, though it's slow going now that Outer Worlds has been released. 

Fifth, that kind of fart would tear a butthole to shreds but what a visual stun ! Such a beautiful spiky-curvy shaped menace. Love it. Can't wait ! 

butthole shreds ahoy 

I'm looking for playtesters for my first map in Quake! I have tested it a bit with people inexperienced with the game, but I'd love to hear what you guys think. Mostly looking for some absolutely brutal feedback.

screenshots
map

Thanks! 

I have here a skill 1 demo for you (i usually play 2 but i have not played in a few years ...).

About your map i like the original style, the interconnectivity and exploration, and variety on looks and rooms. You are going into the right direction.

On the things to get better:
- Lighting is dull, while low contrast lighting is nice i think you have gone too far in that direction. The good part of it is that it hides secrets a lot better.
- In general it feels like the scale is a bit small and it is easy to get stuck on columns, but as the map is easy at least on skill 1 it poses no problem.
- Those two silver key doors at the beginning should not be marked for, as they open without a key later, which can be misleading.
- You may want to add a silver or gold key texture like in id maps to make it obvious for everyone they are for that. It can lead to misunderstanding and people getting lost.
- That ring of shadows probably needs to count as a secret.
- Those crates you saw me looking on while on top of them need the textures to be aligned, but it also seems that all of them have the wrong size compared with the texture they use.
- You should probably put a non invisible wall on top of that rooftop or any other mechanic.
- Theres too many green armours, even for skill 1, but better too much than too few.
- You will probably receive complains here because the map is non-linear, but i do think you should pay no attention to them.
- You probably saw how those enemies telefragged themselves at the end ... 

@lpowell I like those screenshots, they look nice. Good lighting and QUAKE style brush architecture.
@FifthElephant - I love heavy, dark, metal, spikey stuff! When I see something like this I know it is not friendly world but evil unknown dimension.
@oprel Good architecture on screenshots, as Cocerello said maybe the lighting is a little to flat in some place but generally looks for good work.

After 10 years pause in QUAKE maps I back and play around with architectures and light. If you like see, here are my playgrounds:
https://imgur.com/a/w7Cul0F 

Seems like you're doing a lot of experimenting with brushes. I'd recommend also recommend experimenting with layouts and monster placement too, make blockouts and then use your brush experiments to detail up the map afterwards. 

I am loving these. Keep going! 

Great looking stuff!