===========================================================================
Title                   : Pratique Concrete
Filename                : qbj_magnetbox.bsp
Release date            : 2022-09-26
Author                  : magnetbox
Email Address           :
Other Files By Author   : xmj21_magnetbox.bsp, jjj2_magnetbox.bsp, sm215_magnetbox.bsp

Misc. Author Info       : https://magnetbox.bandcamp.com
                          https://soundcloud.com/magnetbox
                          https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZwbkNIeWVUG6JmnfTi95Aw

Description             : Brutalist architecture with "diagonal" progression.

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* What is included *

New levels              : Yes
Sounds                  : No
Music                   : Yes - music/track114.mp3 (proper title is "Cracked Rainbow"; DAW/plugins are Logic Pro X and Native Instruments "Massive")
Graphics                : WADs used--prototypes, id1, makkon_concrete
Skybox                  : emer_ (got it from a Blue Monday Jam map)
Other                   : No
Other files required    : No


* Play Information *

Single Player           : Designed for
Cooperative 2-4 Player  : Yes
Deathmatch 2-4 Player   : Yes
Difficulty Settings     : Yes


* Construction *

Base                    : New from scratch
Build Time              : ~ 4 days
Editor(s) used          : Trenchbroom
Known Bugs              : None known
May Not Run With        : Unknown
Tested With             : FTE 1.07, Quakespasm


* Thank You *

id Software             : Making Quake
Makkon                  : Running the jam / creating the most beautiful and well-organized .wads I've ever seen
dumptruck_ds            : Making Quake mapping accessible to intimidated newcomers
Trent Reznor (NIN)      : Providing continuing inspiration
Playtesters             : Nostalgick


* Copyright / Permissions *

Authors MAY use the contents of this file as a base for
modification or reuse.  Permissions have been obtained from original 
authors for any of their resources modified or included in this file.

You MAY distribute this file, provided you include this text file, with
no modifications.  You may distribute this file in any electronic
format (BBS, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include this file 
intact.  I have received permission from the original authors of any
modified or included content in this file to allow further distribution.



* Mapper's Notes *

I made this map in a weird order: first I wrote the music track, then I started making the map itself. Unfortunately, I spent more than 2/3 of the jam on the music, so I officially joined the jam late and had to scramble to finish the map. For that reason, I'm more proud of the music than of the map itself.

For the soundtrack I tried to think of brutalism as "more analog cyberpunk." Or rather, cyberpunk, but where the indestructible Tron-type adamant that makes up everything could actually crumble and splinter. Additionally, I watched the fourth Thor movie on a break from making the song, which made me think of rainbows in space, which led to the climactic guitar duo at the end.

I also got that stuttering rhythm track by dumb luck. It was just one of the stock Logic Pro X soundscape instruments, which I knob-twiddled until it sounded more like it was splintering apart. It also made me think of the song "The Background World" from the Add Violence EP by NIN. I love the refrain of that song--the three or four bass notes as Trent Reznor repeats, "Are you sure / this is what you want?"

That sentiment--"are you sure this is what you want?"--is such an evil little brain worm. It undermines happiness and can lead to self-sabotage. I found this to be a running theme in the Add Violence EP. Another example: "You got what you asked for / did it fix what was wrong with you?" on the song "Less Than."

As a parallel to my own life, recently a couple of important things took a turn for the better: both my career and my living situation improved. While they are not at the levels of the fame and fortune that I fantasized about as a kid (and continue to fantasize about), they are also nothing to look down upon. So I can live this somewhat comfortable external life and try to build as rich of an inner life within it as one can, or I can obsess over the sentiment, "Are you sure this is what you want?" and consider throwing it all away.

For the map, I did the conventional thing and Google image-searched Brutalist architecture for inspiration. A simple design motif of Brutalist architecture that stuck out to me is having a boxy structure that is bigger/wider at its high point than at its low point, which is why I made the two major structures in the level with that motif. I also wanted the player to approach both structures at a 90-degree angle, something distinct from the usual interaction of a player with the broad side of a castle, or base, or guarding wall. The second major structure, first seen from above and through a window, is meant to evoke the image of a mushroom cloud. 

I made this map during a particularly violent time after the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, when nuclear weapon use began to be mentioned more explicitly than they had before. But in the map, I made it so that when you go around to the back of the mushroom-cloud structure, it turns out that it's hollow. This is my way of expressing the hope that these threats of nuclear weapon use during this war are equally hollow.

The robot head at the end was just an idea I had that I wanted to try. The robot is supposed to appear evil, but in a jolly way, like the robot devil in Futurama, with the sentiment, "You will always be part of the machine" being downbeat, but not TOO downbeat. I considered having a "Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha." sound loop when you first see it, but I simply ran out of time.

I'm not sure how well the music that I wrote complements the map itself. As with all 4 of the maps I've made so far, the map does not resemble what I'd originally envisioned, but I think that's a good thing. On the other hand, musically, I did what I set out to achieve.

The gameplay loop I tried to make using the usual "set up, then escalate" modus operandi. I always watch Koren's playthroughs (they're great--find Koren on Youtube and Twitch), and try to set the conflicts up by thinking, "What would make Koren enjoy this?"

I suppose that that's all I wanted to say about this map. I hope you enjoyed it!

See you at the next map,

magnetbox
2022-09-26