new Quake map: Mermaids In The Basement

After making my previous map "One Need Not Be A House" for Quake Brutalist Jam 3, I swore I wouldn't make another giant non-linear castle island single player Quake level.... anyway, this is another giant non-linear castle island single player Quake level called "Mermaids In The Basement," made for Quake Rooftops Jam organized by Naitelveni and Sock. You can download and play Rooftops Jam now on Slipseer! It has 19 rooftop-themed maps.I couldn't resist the rooftops theme, and it quickly grew into a bit of a sprawl across the 1 1/2 months.This post details my design process, intent, and regrets. It SPOILS what happens in the level. If you care, then play it first. Consider this your last SPOILER WARNING.Building rooftops is challenging. It implies building a big outdoor area, which the 1990s-era Quake engine doesn't handle very gracefully. There's also bigger conceptual player experience questions to wrestle: will the rooftop feel meaningful unless the player has to slum around on…