The "I'm Stuck!" Thread

[Dan G]

I'm making this thread for getting help playing user maps.  I get stuck frequently, and I usually just give up on the map instead of posting about it, but now I'm going to try this instead and see if other Dukers will help out.



Title                 : GNUSTELLA NETWORK
Filename              : GNUNET.MAP
Author                : Fernando Márquez

Not very far into this^ map, and I can't find any keycards.  I've reached a room that has a crack in a support beam, and there's a a note on the beam saying "do not damage".  Blowing up the crack causes a big sequence of explosions culminating in the entire room collapsing and becoming inaccessible.  Nothing seemed to be opened up by it.  I noticed that there's a switch that becomes visible as the explosions started, I tried shooting the switch before leaving the room but I still couldn't find anything that it opened.  What am I supposed to do?

[Mikko_Sandt]

See the exchange between me & Fernando: http://dukerepository.com/forum/index.php/topic,236.0.html

[Dan G]

See the exchange between me & Fernando: http://dukerepository.com/forum/index.php/topic,236.0.html

In the thread he says that the switch hidden in the pillar was removed, but I downloaded the map recently and it was still there, so it appears that his fixed version never got uploaded, which is strange because he's an admin and says he uploaded it.  Ah, fuck it, I've got dozens of other maps to test and I don't feel like trying this one again.

In other news, I just played MRCK's Filler.map, in which I almost got stuck.  Quite a good map if you don't mind some jumping puzzles, and always check cash registers for hidden switches.

[Dan G]

Title                 : Transport 2
Filename              : T2.map
Author                : Devastator

When the map starts there are explosions chasing you through a cave.  I run for cover, then I'm completely stuck in the next room.  There is a crack in a wall but I have no explosives.  I tried starting over a couple of times to see if I missed a pipebomb in the collapsing cave, but apparently not.

[Dan G]

Title                 : Slick
Filename              : slick.map
Author                : Rob West

I was stuck in this map and finally got through, so I'm writing this just to express my exasperation.  There's a part where you cannot proceed unless you go through a secret area which requires you to jump through a wall that looks solid.  Secret areas should be not required for finishing a map!  Other than that, it is a great map.  Really creative design and theme, and a lot of fun.  Unfortunately the boss at the end walked into a pool of water.  The underwater area was small enough that following him into it was instant death (touching the boss = death), so there was no way to finish the level without reloading my save from before the boss fell in.

I think it's tragic that so many maps like this have the promise of greatness but then fall short due to fatal flaws that could have easily been corrected with beta testing or just common sense on the part of the mapper.  It really is a shame.

[Dan G]

Title                 : FactoryX    (release date: June 22, 2006)
                    (updated date: July 13, 2006)
Filename              : factoryx.map
Author                : Vector (Nick Farrow)

Another flawed map that falls short of greatness.  It's a nonlinear extravaganza with a functioning factory and many cool sights and sounds.  Unfortunately, it's easy to break the intended level progression.  Depending on how you do it, you can either make completing the level impossible or you can skip half the map.

[Gambini]

The thread turned into a map complains thread finally 

So sad we´re left alone here, there are no more duke enthusiastics.

[Dan G]

I got stuck on Dark Place 3 and gave up.  It's too hard to describe where I was and I don't have a screenshot.

[Dan G]

title                        :dark place5
author                    :taivo maripuu

I had high hopes for this one because it is the last in the series and it was play tested by MRCK.  It starts out well enough:  you walk through a nicely landscaped outdoor area to arrive in a haunted river town.  It looks nice, with creative use of colors and spritework and lots of creepy details.  Frustration builds gradually as there is no way to make progress;  occasionally I find some ammo and there was one skirmish, but no switches, no cracks to blow up, no keycards, etc.  Finally I make my way into an area with a significant number of enemies.  It's a bunch of pal 4 liztroops stacked on top of each other in a vertical column.  I guess they are the stayput type and the sector is small enough so they can't move.  The walls of the sector evidently don't allow shoots to pass in, because my bullets can't hit them, but the liztroop shots can fire outward and hit me.  The only weapon available that works is the shrinker, because it has a small blast radius.  So I shrink them down with a lot of shrinker shots (there were a lot of liztroops stacked up)  and stomp them.  Needless to say, this is all incredibly lame and not fun at all.  It also looks stupid and makes a mockery of the map.  After stomping them, I see some other enemies behind forcefields, but still there are no switches, crackes, keycard slots, or anything else that would allow progress.  I bump against all the door again and confirm they are locked.  Then I give up.

It's gotten to the point where this type of map actually makes me angry.

[Spiker]

Hopefully my WGR2 map and my future maps won't make you angry. I should resume my mapping in about 2 weeks.

[Dan G]

Hopefully my WGR2 map and my future maps won't make you angry. I should resume my mapping in about 2 weeks.

Your first map was almost the opposite of the ones I have been complaining about:  slightly above average visually, but top-notch gameplay.

I just finished Dogville, also by taivo, and it's a fucking good map.  I got stuck at one point because I had not pressed one of the dog buttons (the button had been spattered with blood making it hard to see) so a keycard didn't spawn.  But that was not the map's fault and I corrected my mistake and finished it.

[ck3D]

Taivo's maps are always awesomely designed, it's just a shame that on the other hand they often tend to suffer from other issues, mainly little gameplay issues and lack of polishing (especially in terms of shading and ambient sounds, as MetHy pointed out to me recently). He has the skills it takes to make great-looking maps, but they don't always play great at all, which is a waste of potential in my opinion. 'Real' great mappers (Pascal, Gambini, Merlijn) make a name for themselves and their work by paying attention to every aspect possible in a map, not by focusing on one in particular at the expense of the rest.

You should try Just Another Christmas, it's quite probably Taivo's finest map. I tried playing his Babes 2009 Remix (or w/e it was called) when it was released a couple months ago, but got stuck frustratingly soon desperately looking for a way to unlock some door, I got bummed and gave up.

[Dan G]

You should try Just Another Christmas, it's quite probably Taivo's finest map.

I did try that a few days ago, but I didn't finish it.  It wasn't because of "puzzles", though.  I was low on health and another swarm of enemies spawned in the next location, so it was impossible for me to complete without starting over.  I think I had about 10 health and I had to get through a large open area against several commanders and several pigcops.  From what I played of the map, which was quite a bit, I would say it was fantastic looking but had questionable gameplay.  The spritework in particular was some of the best I have ever seen.  But the gameplay was like this:  Go inside of a building, kill everything and find a switch which opens some random door somewhere else in the map (without viewscreen clues iirc) and spawns a large number of enemies, then repeat at the next building.  I guess there are good maps that work that way, but in this case it felt like the gameplay was just tacked on and the monster to equipment ratio was not good (however, I was using my new mod which may may have thrown that off a bit).

[joeylawn]

First post here.

I need help with the user level called "Last Pissed Time".  There is a hallway with a hidden button that when pressed beeps, and then beeps again about a mimute later. Is this a "timed" opening, if so, where is it? Then there is a cave where you must shrink yourself down to get in, but the mirror is too far away. Another part is the "computer room" : I can't figure how to open that door.

any help would be appreciated.

[Mikko_Sandt]

There's a walkthrough video for the map here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlv16Q4U4bg