DieHard Wolfers Forums: Map Making Mania Mele

README.TXT

A contest consisting of entrants each submitting a maximum of three levels to be played with the original 60-level full version of Wolfenstein 3-D (including original VSWAP). Original concept by Zach Higgins.

All files are included in this version, along with the complete thread concerning the contest from the Die Hard Wolfers Forum.

Just a few statistics:

Participants who submitted 3 levels: 6
Participants who submitted 1 level: 1
Total number of levels to be judged: 19


Results and comments (All levels were played at the highest difficulty level):

EPISODE 1
=========

FLOOR 01: Opening Level: Arielus (1/3)
Good: Well designed, nicely decorated.
Bad: Could have made better use of guards.
Neutral: None.
Score: 85

FLOOR 02: Middle Level: Arielus (2/3)
Good: Complex, well designed, extensive.
Bad: Looks cluttered at times (vines/plants mainly), no moving guards.
Neutral: None.
Score: 80 

FLOOR 03: Boss Level: Arielus (3/3)
Good: Well decorated, but not cluttered, good variation in guard use.
Bad: None.
Neutral: A bit too symmetrical for my taste, but not a fault (just a preference of mine).
Score: 90
 

EPISODE 2
=========

FLOOR 01: Opening Level: ack (1/3)
Good: Very well designed, decorations done just right.
Bad: None.
Neutral: None.
Score: 90
 
FLOOR 02: Middle Level: ack (2/3)
Good: Well designed and nicely decorated, extensive, good use of guards.
Bad: None.
Neutral: None.
Score: 90

FLOOR 03: Boss Level: ack (3/3)
Good: Extensive, good design and decoration, good variation in guard use.
Bad: No variation in gray stone walls.
Neutral: None.
Score: 90

FLOOR 10: Middle Level (used as secret level): Joe (1/1)
Good: Well designed, extensive, good variation in guards use.
Bad: Lack of decoration much of the time.
Neutral: Moving 'deaf' guards (gives odd effect but adds to variation).
Score: 75


EPISODE 3
=========

FLOOR 01: Middle Level: Bernt Hansen (1/3)
Good: Good designs, some unusual.
Bad: Layout not that large.
Neutral: None.
Score: 65
      
FLOOR 02: Middle Level: Bernt Hansen (2/3)
Good: Extensive, unorthodox but it works.
Bad: Looks dated at times.
Neutral: None.
Score: 80

FLOOR 03: Middle Level: Bernt Hansen (3/3) 
Good: Extensive, fairly good design.
Bad: Decoration very sparse at times.
Neutral: None.
Score: 70

FLOOR 04: Small End Level: Schabbs (1/1)
Not submitted for judging. It was made only to give an ending to the episode.


EPISODE 4
=========

FLOOR 01: Middle Level: Martin (1/3)
Good: Extensive, good design and decoration.
Bad: None.
Neutral: None.
Score: 90

FLOOR 02: Middle Level: Martin (2/3)
Good: Extensive, well designed, well decorated, good variation in guard use.
Bad: None.
Neutral: None.
Score: 90

FLOOR 03: Boss Level: Martin (3/3)
Good: Extensive, good designs, decorations just right amount.
Bad: None.
Neutral: None.
Score: 90


EPISODE 5
=========

FLOOR 01: Opening Level: David O' Rafferty (1/3)
Good: Extensive, fairly good designs and good use of guards.
Bad: Very little decoration with objects - though compensated somewhat with good wall decoration and interesting layout.
Neutral: None.
Score: 70

FLOOR 02: Middle Level: David O' Rafferty (2/3) 
Good: Extensive, well designed, mostly has decoration about right.
Bad: Maze with rows of doors looks tacky.
Neutral: None.
Score: 80

FLOOR 03: Boss Level: David O' Rafferty (3/3)
Good: Good level design.
Bad: Decoration seemed overdone at times and not enough at other times.
Neutral: None.
Score: 70


EPISODE 6
=========

FLOOR 01: Opening Level: Chris (1/3)
Good: Very complex and extensive, good design/variation, well decorated.
Bad: Looks dated at times.
Neutral: None.
Score: 85

FLOOR 02: Middle Level: Chris (2/3)
Good: Good design and decoration, a lot of detail.
Bad: Not so large (though very detailed so not that bad).
Neutral: Took me a long time to activate the areas that were needed to pass the level.
Score 85

FLOOR 03: Boss Level, also with an exit elevator to level 4: Chris (3/3)
Good: Good level design at times.
Bad: Layout owes a lot to the original Wolfenstein 3-D's E1F09.
Neutral: Very difficult to exit via the elevator to level 4.
Score: 60

FLOOR 04: Boss Level: Harry Sr 
Not submitted for judging. It was originally made for 'Beyond Mutantstein SE', the John Bucksnort Tribute Set, though it didn't get a place there, as every map slot was already occupied. Slightly amended to fit the original Wolfenstein 3-D's VSWAP.


Final comments:

Most of the levels were of good quality. I gave 7 of them a score of 90 points each and some others 80 or 85. This reflects how difficult it was for me to choose among them. 

Some levels had good guard use but many just had still and deaf guards. 

Some levels were quite symmetrical. I don't like symmetrical levels very much but that is just a preference of mine and I didn't mark any levels down because of it. Re the use of 'tricks' in some levels, like holowalls, I was neutral to these and didn't mark them up or down.

All results and comments were made before knowing who made each level.

Some of the ceiling colours have been changed, particularly on episode 4 where the original colours did not fit well with the levels. Also, the episodes' names have been substituted by the authors' names, and the music order and some par times have been changed. In this latest version, the demo's have been changed too.


Brian E. Lowe (Schabbs),
Tuesday January 27, 2004.