Black Sun - Two maps for Doom 2
Right after the release of Yomi 2, I started working on new Doom 2 maps. The project's title is Black Sun. So far, the set consists of two maps, with the option to add more later.
For screenshots, head on over to my Doom 2 maps page.
Here's some trivia and tidbits about the maps and their creation:
MAP01 - "Kuroiki"
- The start room with the large window is from an unfinished map I built in 2013. When I showed that map to Pablo Dictter, it actually sparked the idea to create a sequel to "Hatomo Battles the Yomi Demons". In the end, that map didn't make it into Yomi 2 though. It gathered dust on my hdd until I reused the start room for this new map, almost 12 years later.
- This map actually started with the blue/yellow key room, which I built to test the new COMP texture I made. I liked the idea of having a double sided computer console, each side containing a key card. As a second step, I copied the start room mentioned above from the older map into this map. The room before the exit is from another unfinished map, and the room on the bottom right of the map containing the crates is from yet another older unfinished map. This crate room was severely shrunken in size though compared to the original one, but keept the same shape and the crates are actually identical. With these elements or cornerstones in place, I just went on from there. It's awesome to me how this very coherent map developed from so many different, older elements.
MAP02 - "Sludge Cistern"
- I wanted to make a map with burning barrels, since I rarely use that decoration.
- I also had the idea to make a brick wall with a grate that oozes sludge. In the end I made two variations of that texture.
- In the first version of the main cistern chamber, platforms would raise out of the sludge. I thought that was a bit too common und uncreative though, so I developed the idea of raising the sludge level to access the corridor leading to the exit.
- The idea behind the large switch room on the upper floor is that it has two sludge tanks and pressing the switch drains the tanks by pumping the sludge into the cistern, which raises the sludge level there, allowing you to reach the exit. As a neat little detail, the empty sludge canal outside the switch room then also floods, emptying into the cistern.
- The room right to the east of the start (specifically above the triangular steps) was where I first created the diagonally stepped brick ceilings, which then became one of the main architectural elements of the map and reappears in variations throughout the map.
- I really like how the switch room combat area turned out. When exploring beforehand, the seems like you'll be able to retreat into the small side corridors for a safe location, but since the tanks have grates there too, there's actually pretty much no escape from the mancubi. Even after building it and playing it over and over, I sometimes still find myself being blindsided by the disappearing cover.
Hatomo Battles The Yomi Demons Yet Again
Do you remember "Hatomo Battles the Yomi Demons", the Doom 2 map set released in 2007 by Pablo Dictter and me? If not...well...we made a sequel anyway.
Welcome to Yomi 2, or "Hatomo Battles The Yomi Demons Yet Again"! Enjoy 17 new maps for Doom 2 (15 regular maps + 2 secret levels) with Music Composed By Damian Lee (Lexus Alyus) and Pablo Dictter. The project has been designed for any ZDoom compatible port (Zdoom 2.8.1 or higher). It's actually a mix of Boom and ZDoom (Hexen format) maps.
For screenshots, head on over to my Doom 2 maps page.
New Kojimatic album - "Press Start to Play"
Insert your cartridges and boot up your old consoles - here is a soundtrack straight from the gaming sessions of your childhood! The latest release of my music project Kojimaic (which has been renamed from Kenji Kojima for this occasion) "Press Start to Play" is pure chiptune goodness with catchy melodies that could come right out of a 80's or 90's console game.
The 5-track album is now available on my Bandcamp page at https://kojimatic.bandcamp.com and will is available on all major streaming and download platforms (like Apple Music, Spotify or Amazon).
Here's some trivia about the album:
- Inspiration for these songs obviously came from chiptune music and soundstracks of 80's and early 90's computer game music. The pixel artwork of the cover is a nod to that. The song titles also roughly resemble a game soundtrack.
- No real instruments, no vocals, just MIDI tracks with chiptune plugins - this project reduces music to the bare minimum. I always preferred working with real instruments, but here, not being restricted by my instrument skills when composing actually resulted in a lot of freedom in composing. It also sped up the process a lot, as these songs were much easier to mix since I didn't have to worry with several different recordings, instruments and vocals for each song.
- I actually never liked using MIDI that much and found working with it somewhat cumbersome. I thus used MIDI rarely before, mostly with plugins that simulated real instruments (like the cello in "Owaru Sekai" from my album "Atarashii Sekai"). When I started researching chiptune music, little did I know that it would spark a huge amount of inspiration. I had a ton of fun composing these songs and I think it shows.
- The first song I did for the project (that song later became the title track "Press Start to Play") was composed almost exactly one year ago in December 2018. After a longer break, I returned to the project in late summer and autumn 2019 to compose the other four songs. The last song I created for the album ("Cutscene") was actually composed just two weeks before the release and within three days.
- A lot of 80's and 90's game music makes use of weird time signatures and rhymthms. While this isn't prevalent in a lot of the songs from this album, "Cutscene" actually alternates between 3/4 and 4/4 signatures, with the main melody ending with a bar of 4/4 and then switching back to 3/4. You can find a few cases where a beat is added or removed in some of the other songs as well.
- The release date December 14 is not random. Three years ago on this date, my previous album "Atarashii Sekai" was released, so Happy Birthday to that album!
Hamburg Fire Department Sends Greetings to Germany's National Soccer Team Ahead of the 2018 World Cup in this Video Filmed by me
The Soccer World Cup is almost here and the Hamburg Fire Department (Feuerwehr Hamburg) is looking forward to it. Over the course of the past couple of weeks, I filmed and edited this video as our support for Germany's soccer team. For this project, I drove more than 500 km all across Hamburg to visit all fire stations and special departments.
Kenji Kojima - “Atarashii Sekai“ - First Anniversary Special Offer
Exactly one year ago, a new world was born: my album “Atarashii Sekai“ (Japanese for "new world") was released on December 14, 2016. Yaaay! It's time to celebrate, and thus I have a special offer on Bandcamp for you: get the digital MP3 download for just 4 EUR (instead of 7 EUR) or the CD for 10 EUR (instead of 15 EUR). Offer valid until December 31, 2017 and on Bandcamp only.
Get it here and celebrate with me: https://kenjikojima.bandcamp.com
Looking for really old Kotogoto news? Check out the blog archives.