Master Levels

Product Title: Master Levels for Doom2

Platform: PC / Playstation / Mac
Developer: id Software
Publisher: GT Interactive / id Software
Primary Role: Contract Level Designer

Links:

My Contributions:

  • “ParadoX” Single player Doom2 level. Created specifically for Master Levels.
  • Also the Unreleased Master Levels submission that didn’t make the cut!

Master Levels for Doom2 Full Gallery:

[Gallery not found]

SINGLE PLAYER LEVEL : ParadoX

The ParadoX Story:

Master Levels ParadoX map topdown

ParadoX was my fourth Master Levels submission to the boys at id software. Three previous Master Levels submissions included Map01 from the TNT wad in Final Doom, which was far too small of a map for Master Levels, Map17 from the TNT wad in Final Doom, which was generally to short of a level, and finally the map listed below that didn’t make the cut since it was very similar in style to American McGee’s Doom2 Map14.

Shawn Green of id software was responsible for determining what maps would appear in Master Levels. After many submissions, I was at the id offices when Shawn informed me that the timeline for getting a level into Master Levels was rapidly disappearing, I would need to get a NEW level together very quickly if it was going to be included!

At that point, I was frustrated by the fact that my previous 3 maps didn’t make the Master Levels cut. So I sat down with my Dad, Bob Mustaine (also an avid Doom / Doom2 player) and with his help worked out a map that would facilitate a super cool gameflow for what would become the map that finally made the cut!

Screenshots from ParadoX (click to enlarge)

UNRELEASED! THE MASTER LEVELS MAP SUBMISSION THAT FAILED!

The Master Levels map that didn’t make it!:

Master Levels failed submission topdown

Before “ParadoX” was officially accepted by Shawn Green at id software for inclusion in Master Levels, I had submitted another level earlier. This level was one that I had created as a homage to the Doom2 map “The Innermost Dens”(Map14), my favorite Doom2 level at the time. The level featured similar geometry and architecture to the Doom2 level, so the boys at id didn’t dig it very much – they were looking for something new.

I had actually gone up to the id office and watched Shawn play through this level, he jumped up in the middle of playing to grab American McGee, (the original designer of Innermost Dens) American spent 2 minutes playing my level, turned to me and said “go make some of your own geometry! We aren’t putting this in Master Levels!”

This of course, encouraged me to get my ass home to create a new level with a totally different geometry style – “ParadoX” was born.

Download the Failed Master Levels submission:

Download TWM01.zip

Screenshots from Master Levels failed submission (click to enlarge)