Both Doom and Doom II are eternal when it comes to replay value. Thanks to the long time and passionate fans, players will always have something to play as they revisit these classics. It should also be mentioned that making levels to these games is dead simple. Anybody can make Doom levels; it doesn’t matter how old you are.
With some patience and looking up on tutorials, you can make a Doom map that could garner some fans! Who knows, you could probably become the next prolific level designer for this timeless classic. But there are levels to this artform.
One should not expect to be the next John Romero once you figured out how to use Doom Builder essentially. These are five tips that every new Doom mapper should know beforehand. As someone who has experience in making levels, it is easy to get caught up by the euphoria you can get when mapping. However, following these tips, you will exponentially grow as a mapper. You will be able to get people to play and enjoy your stuff.
Keep Your First Map Basic
It is extremely important to start off your first map as a basic level. What do I mean by that? The level should be short. It shouldn’t be a late game styled map with high tier weapons and monsters. It also should have a relatively simple map layout. You want to take this approach to basically test the waters of Doom mapping. Don’t expect your first level to be great.
The first map from Wonderful Doom is inspired by E1M1. This map and the map it’s inspired from are good examples of a basic level.
Admittedly, my first level wasn’t the proudest map I made, but I am still grateful for it because of the lessons I learned from it. This is the main reason why you want to make your first level to be simple. If you ever feel embarrassed by it, you can always simply improve it as you get better at mapping and making more levels.
Make Multiple Maps/A Campaign
My second piece of advice is to release your maps as a mapset. Since making levels in classic Doom is simpler than ever, it’s emphatically wise to make a campaign out of the maps you make. I highly recommend new level designers to keep things simple.
I’d say four to nine levels is a good number to go for and it should offer Doom fans a reasonable experience with that sort of set up. The megawads of Doom II are certainly iconic for including 32 levels in a mapset, but I highly recommend new mappers to avoid this direction.
When John Romero returned to making a collection of maps, he went with nine levels for SIGIL.
Making 32 levels is a massively time consuming thing. You also need to realize that both from a level designer and player’s perspective. In reality, players will most likely prefer to play a prolific megawad than playing a megawad that’s made by a mapper with no previous mapping contribution.
This is why it’s much better to make a mapset that has lower amount of levels; you simply will gain more attraction by going this approach.
Remember, there are many well received megawads like Alien Vendetta or Sunlust that will simply appeal to a massive amount of players. I highly recommend mappers to avoid making a megawad even if you truly believe you can do one. It’s always going to put your work against some stiff competition.
Include Different Types of Maps
As you make more maps and become more comfortable with the stepping stones of making a Doom level, always remember to make your levels have their own personalities. Do you want the player to play a level that might be a carbon copy of some of the previous levels’ ideas? No, a good Doom mapset should always have levels that will have multiple ideas.
Downtown is known for being an exploration driven level in Doom II.
Some maps might be more combat oriented or require the player to explore more frequently. Maybe, you want to have a map that has some sort of gimmick like Barrels o’ Fun from Doom II. It is important to have multiple ideas to keep your Doom campaign experience exciting for Doom fans to play. Remember, variety is the spice of life and it can also apply to Doom level design!
Play A Lot of Community Levels
Without a doubt, make sure you play a lot of Doom wads. It doesn’t matter if it’s the well known ones or niche projects, always play them. The more you play other people’s levels, the more you can find inspiration or figure out what do you like or dislike in a Doom map. When playing other people’s levels, be observant of them.
The majestic and exquisite Toxic Touch from Alien Vendetta.
Figure out the strengths and weaknesses of other people’s levels. The stock Doom and Doom II levels can also be applied to this suggestion, but I highly recommend going beyond it.
There are many great community levels out there, and some of them are worth taking inspiration from. If you haven’t played enough community content, this should be a priority. You will eventually be exposed to to the standards and design tropes of fan made maps.
You Are the Target Audience
The last and most important tip I can give to aspiring Doom mappers is to make these levels for yourself. You should never try to make a map to fulfill a certain demographic. It might feel “right” to make maps and appeal to an audience, but you shouldn’t take this approach. At the end of the day, you want to make content that you can always enjoy because you simply made it for yourself.
You know what you want in a Doom map, and it simply makes these maps feel special because they are an identity of your art. This identity will also allow you to feel more distinctive compared to other level designers.
You simply need to believe in your levels and have confidence that it will find an audience. When you make levels, you are going to put a lot of time and care into them. Remember to make these levels where you won’t regret putting so much time in them.
These are my five suggestions I believe every aspiring Doom mapper should follow. You’ll definitely need a lot of patience and creativity as you continue to make multiple levels. However, it is always satisfying to see the maps that you envision come to life.
