T.U.C.Q.: Much Obliged (Another shot at the community project.)

[Boingo the Clown]

A year and a half ago, I attempted to start a community project for DeiMWolf, called "Much Obliged".

Sadly, Much Obliged died of a broken heart a few months later, because it didn't get the love it needed.

Well ...

... being ever the optimist, or perhaps a masochist, I've decided to float this raft down the river in front of you again, and see if anyone gets on.

I would like to try Much Obliged again, this time with T.U.C.Q. instead of DeiMWolf, seeing how progress is being made on T.U.C.Q. once again, as well as the Vilecore conversion, and seeing how True Dude recently converted Strife's level packs over to work with the newer version.

Well, here goes.

The Ultimate Chex Quest: Much Obliged

The rules are the same as before:

• You must begin with a level that is randomly generated by the random level generator, Oblige, or possibly Obhack or Slige.
  Yes. You get to pick the one(s) you like best.
  
  
• Once you have a random level you like, you can edit it as much as you want.   You can add sections, delete sections, change floor and ceiling heights, or change the shape of any walls or buildings.  (Hey! Why not change that giant courtyard into a beach with sand and palm trees?) You can alter the level to your heart's content, until you have a level you feel is complete and worthy of release.
  
  
• When we have enough levels to do so, we will pick the levels we like, and put them togther into an episode or megawad, and release it on the unexpecting masses. 
  

Oblige can be obtained at http://oblige.sourceforge.net/ , and I think you know what editor you are going to use. 

Like I said, you can really go crazy with the levels if you want. Oblige uses prefabs, so a lot of rooms and lyouts pop up repeatedly, and the more you do to to reduce that sameness, the better.

{{Addentum: True Dude asked about, making new textures.  My answer to this is "yes".  If you want to add new textures, go for it.
i.e. If you want to make a bank, and you want to make a texture for an automated teller machine, go right ahead.
The only thing I ask is to keep the look similar to the original Chex Quest. }}

I hope somebody shows interest in Much Obliged this time.  It could really make for a nifty project.

[Awesomedude249]

I don't have DooM Builder at the current moment, but once I get it this will be a goal of mine. I'm rather good at decoration but I suck at structure so this is great for me.

[darkstone]

Two questions: I'm in on this, but A) does it generate maps in Hexen format, and B) does it do them pre-functional for CQ, without noflat.png everywhere?
If both are true, I'm in!

[SnowChex]

Map Format? i've only done maps in UDMF or Boom formats.

[Boingo the Clown]

Because T.U.C.Q. started in DooM Legacy, the maps are all in standard DooM format.

I don't know if mixing formats (i.e. E1M1 in standard format and E1M2 in UDMF) will cause any problems.

Work in whatever format you normally use, and we will worry about it if the is a problem later.

I am pretty sure there are utilities for converting between formats out there somewhere.

[SnowChex]

There shouldn't be any problem mixing maps with different formats as long as the source port can read said formats, that said i'll try and make it as you said, can always copy the layout and fix things up for another format later one.
Edit: I may back off from this since i don't feel like dealing with oblige's unordered maps...

[Boingo the Clown]

Two questions: I'm in on this, but A) does it generate maps in Hexen format, and B) does it do them pre-functional for CQ, without noflat.png everywhere?
If both are true, I'm in!

I believe Oblige is creating the levels in standard DooM format, but I know there are conversion utilities out there.

As for the blue checkerboard and bizarre textures appearing everywhere, I started editing the file "materials.lua" yesterday.  Every time I encountered strange textures or the checkerboard, I looked at the texture or flat being used, then redefined it.  I have already eliminated much of the strangeness. Once I have most of it fixed up, I will make thye file available for everybody to use.

I may also edit some of the prefabs that exist as wad files if possible.  That may help in getting away from the standard Oblige look just a little.

[SnowChex]

I'll definitelly drop out, not because i don't want to but because my laptop went Zeppeli, sorry.

[Boingo the Clown]

It is going to be an open project.

You can drop out, but you can also drop back in later.

[SnowChex]

Well, lets hope i can get an usable computer soon.

[TrueDude]

I've begun working on a map for this. When it's screenshot worthy I'll post shots.

[Boingo the Clown]

Here is is people! Here is a set of replacement files to make Oblige 6.20 generate levels for T.U.C.Q..
http://www.doomlegends.com/chexquest/ObligeFiles4TUCQ.zip

It took me most of the last week, but I edited the materials file in Oblige 6.20 to make it generate T.U.C.Q. levels.  This is not a guarantee you will not get blue checkerboards or weird combinations occasionally, BUT for the most part, you should get levels that look right in T.U.C.Q..

Use the files to replace the original files in your Oblige 6.20 directories to make it all work. The exact directories are listed in the readme file.

The file "TUCQextras.wad" contains textures and sprites that do not exist in the current release of T.U.C.Q. (but will eventually be in release 7 when it is ready), and must added as a PWAD or else the walls using those textures will show blue checkerboards.  Some of the textures do not have original artwork for them yet, and have free textures from opengameart.org with "TEMP" on them instead.  I will replace these eventually.  Also, some textures, such as MARBLE1, MARBLE2, and MARBLE3, are identical at the moment.  These will have similar variants when they are finished.

The wad files are mostly optional.  The secret door and secret fence alter the original versions to use landing lights to mark secrets instead of pools of blood, because there are no pools of blood in Chex Quest. An arched doorway is changed to use slopes so the door actually looks arched. Also, a wall with an upside down cross on it is altered to have an octagon on it instead.  The file "pad1.wad" is a simplified version of the  standard teleporter I use in T.U.C.Q.. Oblige did not like the actual version, so I had to pare it down.

Flemoids:

Using my altered version of monsters.lua, Oblige adds all of the flemoids from T.U.C.Q. to the levels, but only does the basic versions of the commonus and bipedicus at the moment.  I did not know if you wanted the medium and hard versions, so I left them out.

The Flemoidus Cycloptis Tenacious is included. It has been in T.U.C.Q. for a long time, but is not in any of the normal levels. It is a version of the cycloptis that actually flies, and shoots a spread of flem balls. It is quite annoying and dangerous, and I only meant for one or two of them to appear at once in levels.  Unfortunately, Oblige will often put a bunch of them in the level, and they are able to fly around, so it is not uncommon for ten of them to show up at once and start sliming you.

The Flemoidus Gyro is also included.  The gyro has also been in T.U.C.Q. for a long time, and not used.  It is a flemoid with a small helicopter on its back and attacks by lunging at the player.  The gyro is not finished. It only has one sprite rotation, and the helicopter blades are not part of the sprite (It goes right back to the Legacy era, and I was going to do the blades as a seperate actor at that time.), and there is no death sequence.  I will try to get the gyro finished by the time release 7 comes out.  (If you hear the sound of a motor running, then a gyro is nearby.)

So now you have no excuses not to make Oblige levels for T.U.C.Q., so go to it!

[Boingo the Clown]

TrueDude has been working on a Much Obliged level.  Here is a screen shot of the most recent version.

[TrueDude]

I can also confirm that another map is being made by my brothers too. They only just started though, so there's nothing screenshot worthy.

[Ether Bot]

Screw life.

I'll try this out, why not