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Q1SP: Shamsp1 "Crown Of Thorns"
First map, first time trying an editor, 20 years overdue.

Canyons and blue castle and spikes. Fairly mundane 2D layout but should feature a distinctive style and some fun gameplay encounters - best played methodically rather than gung-ho. Skill settings included. Fish counter bug also included.

Download:
http://www.quaketastic.com/files/shamsp1.zip
(Skybox included, goes in id1\gfx\env)

Screenshots:
http://www.quaketastic.com/files/shamsp1_01.jpg
http://www.quaketastic.com/files/shamsp1_02.jpg
http://www.quaketastic.com/files/shamsp1_plan.jpg

Walkthrough and explanation (spoilers):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvowTA3y6No
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Omg It's Damaul! 
Where's Damaul9!? (or was it 8? or 10? can't remember). 
Nice Little Map, Shambs! 
When you say 20 years overdue, do you mean you started it 20 years ago but only finished it recently, or you simply didn't bother trying your hand at mapping until now?

Anyway, methodically is my usual playing style, so this is right up my alley. Still, it's quite action-packed for its size. A bit cramped in places but nothing too off-putting. I for one liked the vore ambush at the RA. Best bit was the zombie/vore pit, fun stuff! Not fun stuff was the protruding button that squished me on my way back up the lift. The shambler fight at the end could've been designed better: I'm no fan of closed arena combat but here, leaving the door open just made it too easy to snipe them from behind the door-frame. And there was a bit too many spawns for my taste - I hate these fuckers!

The start puzzle, well... puzzled me ;) I failed to notice the hidden door to the cave but inadvertently found an exploit allowing me to climb over the rocks and drop down on the GK. Therefore, I unknowingly played a good chunk of the map backwards and only found the hidden door once I had cleared the cave. Weird thing is that I couldn't pass through it from either side once opened...

Played on skill 2 as always. Missed a few monsters and 2 secrets because the exit wasn't marked as such. No demo, sorry. I did record one but something went wrong and it was corrupted. 
Cheers Muggers. 
I had the idea and sketched the plan out 20 years ago. The closest I came to an editor before was un-ticking the "Install UnrealEd" box on a UT install.

The lift button is a problem, I know. I should have tried harder to fix that.

The ending arena, I didn't want it to be too arena-y. Watching people play I think it was a decent challenge. Watching Poorchop back hastily out of the final arena into the bridge Shambler was the highlight of my day (Shambler facing away as he isn't supposed to be part of the fight, just a penalty for escaping too easily).

The starting puzzle puzzled more people than intended. I should have clipped the rocks, put a better message on the bars, and lightened the cave entrance further. Not sure why it wasn't passable unless you didn't shoot all three blocks? 
3 Blocks? 
Umm, must've been that... *facepalm* I have to admit this triangular opening seemed odd. 
So 
its pretty good for a first map man


as usual I played on nightmare

theme wise, it felt like a hybrid between lovecraftian and medieval... I would have loved to have seen the outdoors area look a little less green and a little more... dire?

The building was very well constructed, the rockwork was maybe a bit tight, especially where the dogs were in the cave. Actually the rockwork I thought needed a little more TLC in general. I thought it was a strange choice to use the "don't link" flags on the doors on the entrance to the cave, in my minds eye they should open all together.

There were certain areas that really needed some triggers to alert the monsters, in particular was the start of the cave where the ogres are... that would be perfect for them to start shooting at you from the get-go.

Combat throughout the map was pretty solid, challenging at times, never really feeling unfair. The exit plinth thing was pretty cool, its animations were nice, and the way you access it too. 
Cheers Snaut Glad You Enjoyed It. 
Interesting point about the outdoor area. I guess I was trying to keep it fairly normal?

The rockwork ideally needed to not exist in the first place. Starting out mapping with a shitload of terrain was a stupid idea :)

The separate rocks at the cave entrance were deliberate, I wanted it vaguely like the player was breaking his way in.

The ogres again were deliberate, I wanted them to be hiding there with the SSG distracting the players attention and drawing them around the corner.

The exit plinth thing was just a random collection of brushes I dumped inside the courtyard to try to give me some inspiration, and then thought looked cool. Every demo I've see the player has watched it all the way, so I'm really pleased with that. 
Fuck Me Sideways! 
OK, so I made a 2nd playthrough to record a nice lil' demo for you... or so I thought! Does demo recording not work with quicksaves? All I have is this partial demo going through about 1/3 of the map, my full playthrough demos don't work. You're not missing much anyway, I played like an ass... 
Congratulations Shambler! 
Very happy that you've entered the editor realms. Well overdue, I've wondered before what sort of map you'd make if you tried your hand at it. Looks nice from the screenshots, look forward to giving it a play later! 
Congrats On The 1st Map 
Hopefully it is the first of many... Have a demo -

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3gw8w85i783l0ai/sham5th.zip?dl=0 
Starbuck And Fifth 
Thank you dudes.

"what sort of map I'd make", well, focusing on personal inspiration / ideas, but also trying to keep it manageable and reasonable to actually make and get out. Avoiding the "OMG I can't make Sepulchre as my first map, I'm quitting" fallacy is something I'm keen to do and promote :). I respect amazing maps but I think there's always room for "pretty good" ones.

5th I will check the demo a bit later. And yours Mugglz. 
Oh I'm Rusty 
Haven't played Quake for several months. This map was great for some relaxing fun. Thanks for leaving the shortcuts in.

http://www.quaketastic.com/files/demos/shamsp1_mandel.zip 
 
Nice map shamby :p messy start but had luck... found quad secret fast and saved me!!!

:) 
 
BTW i didn't find that secret wall at start... i got if from other side LOL

But we can climb those rocks near door :p 
First Map 
A solid 1st map. Combat was tough on hard skill but i somehow survived. Clever layout with lots to discover and variety even though it was very blocky overall. I liked the first half of it the most. 
..open Spaces..outdoor Areas.. Yes I'm In 
I like this kind of settings, even if rough on the edges as someone told :) 
A Philosophic Grumbling.. 
Hey listen(and possibly help)!
I'm a mapper too though did not released any yet because I have a moral dilemma:
I enjoy videogames so much (Quake in primis!) but I've noticed that the more I learn mapping, the less I enjoy playing myself (!)
That's because the mistery,the surprise, the curiosity you had in the past approaching a new Quake map gradually vanishes if you know the tricks yourself..
Like a movie director probably loses interest in other people movies..
So maybe the world won't see any of my (silly?)creations ;)
What do you think ? 
 
I'm a mapper too though did not released any yet because I have a moral dilemma

In Texas they have an expression for that: All hat no cattle. 
Well I Never... 
Heard it through the grapevine...
Didn't believe it...
But it's true, it's true, it's really true!

Played a bit, just for old time's sake. When I saw your YT playthrough, that's when I realised that I wasn't supposed to climb up the rocks to get to the gold key... doh!

I just didn't see the texture change on the rock face so did some lateral thinking, and vertical climbing - you can climb in two places.

Anyway, well done. 
Cheers Trinca Olive Komagama And Mike 
All appreciated.

I really wish I'd blocked off the bloody rocks.

What is it with Quake players having decades and thousands of maps of having to hunt secret doors and squinty walls and different textures as a matter of habit, and almost never being clearly encouraged to slope-slide as part of progression, and suddenly doing it now?? You're all contrary bastards :P 
Shambler 
Not sure how much you changed the map after I play tested but I never told you that the initial message to the player about exploring didn't fire for me the first time I launched it.

That might be part of the problem with ppl finding the door. Who knows and maybe you fixed it? 
@Shambler 
We sort of had this discussion but maybe part of the problem was you mapping for a lower gamma value. On my first play through, I did not notice the secret door at all. Even with the different texture, there just wasn't enough contrast for it to really jump out at me. Granted that the hole in the wall also pointed to some armor and other goodies, it made sense for me to try and get into that area first somehow.

I'm hugely in favor of dumptruck's suggestion of mapping for gamma 1 (and contrast 1 for that matter). Then again, now that I look the map over, it's hard to believe that I missed the secret door at all because it seems to obvious. 
@Poorchop 
Aye I sort of remember that discussion. The gamma I play on is gamma that makes all Id maps and 95% of custom maps look spot on it - if I mapped for gamma 1 and had my monitor cranked waaaaay up (so the rest of everything I ever did on it was ridiculously bright and bleached out), the end result would be exactly the same. Even so, I should have made those rocks brighter.

Armour and goodies, again there is a fairly common trend of items being visible that aren't available until quite a while later? 
I've Always Liked Slope-<s>grinding</s>sliding... 
Always enjoyed exploring a map in its every nook and cranny, to the point of finding many exploits.

I did not notice the secret door at all. Even with the different texture, there just wasn't enough contrast for it to really jump out at me.
^THIS^ 
 
I had like no problem sorting the rocks out. I'm pretty flabbergasted that others did honestly. 
Memories Of Late '90's 
Haven't played Quake in a while but I couldn't pass up a Shambler map.

Played on Hard and killed all but three enemies (maybe failed spawn in since there's nowhere left to hide.) I found all 5 secrets without cheats or hints or reading this thread first - 4 were easy enough, the 5th was a challenge but fair.

I made it harder on myself by attempting to kill on the cheap by stirring as much infighting as I could; especially around the river. Died a lot but that's what I get for waking everyone up while bunnying and swimming around the mayhem. No shortage of ammo. Very retro lighting, texture and geometry - nice snack size map. Oh yeah, I did get a bit stumped at the beginning but it's not like you can't go a bit ax crazy and discover the path.

Nice work. 
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