Posted on September 05, 2025 by DrPyspy
WATCH OUT! It's another TOMB FETUS DEVLOG! We're gonna talk about boxes, and lots of 'em! Seriously. A third of this post is about the map Boxy, and the next third is about the song for the map Boxy. Guess I boxed myself in on this one! It checks off a few boxes for me! It's like a box of chocolates! Dick in a box
Championship Boxing
Here's a locale that may be familiar to those who are familiar! This map first appeared in Open Fortress as a Tomb Fetus tribute map, constructed by Suo! Soon after, it was adapted for Tomb Fetus itself by the man himself. Take note: this adaptation is no simple port! If your last visit to the Boxy Boxing Warehouse involved multi-colored mercenaries, your muscle memory is in for a shock.
Look, an employee! That is absolutely an employee of the warehouse and not just a stock photo. Stop asking questions.
The Boxy Boxing Warehouse is a legitimate place where things are boxed into boxes, boxingly. It might seem suspicious (it doesn't seem suspicious, this is purely hypothetical, trust) but it's completely legit! Tomblets are not allowed into the back areas for balance and fair-play reasons, and no other reasons in particular. Do not ask what lies within the boxes.
Who are you to judge?
Say hello to the JUDGER 9000! This state-of-the-art machinery passes judgment upon the packages put into it. Those judged negatively are sent into the abyss, while those judged positively are... sent into the abyss? I'm not sure if this thing is even working. Regardless, living things do not fit the criteria of the judger, so I don't recommend actually trying to get judged. This completely normal shipping facility may be suspicious, but the trafficking of anything with a heartbeat is strictly prohibited. You can snag a Friend-Bryo here!
That's four times the damage, right there!
For the power-hungry gamers, there's a Quad Damage here! It looks easy to snag, but keep in mind just how many other Tomblets are going to be climbing over each other to get it. Any amount of fellas could be running towards this tight corner to grab it, and only one will come out of the scuffle mostly alive. Are you crazy enough to claim it for yourself in a mighty battle, or will you place all your bets on the survivor being low enough on health that you can cap 'em for a free Quad? Even the piddly potshots from the AK47 are to be feared when amplified by the Quad, so you'll have to hope that you're quicker to the trigger.
The Friend-Bryo and the Quad spawn at the same time on the first go around, with their later spawns naturally becoming desynchronized as the match goes on, so the dynamics of the hunt will constantly shift. At some point, you could find the Quad being guarded by a Friend-Bryo! There is a third factor to take into account too, but you're not supposed to know about that yet...
Dude what the fuck is that
Beatboxing
A new Tomb Fetus music preview! Laatikot is the track for the map Boxy. It's got a lo-fi kinda vibe, like something you'd hear from an old computer that doesn't quite have the power to push it out the speakers. Watch those corners, and don't get boxed in!#TombFetus #gamedev #modding #music #doom
— Tomb Fetus (@tombfetus.bsky.social) September 5, 2025 at 1:53 PM
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During development, the track for Boxy was the Stage 1 theme from Team Fortress Arcade by Eric Ruth. I adored that game with all my heart when I was a wee baby fetus, sharing sacred space in my soul with Gang Garrison 2. The original intention was to get permission to use the track directly in Tomb Fetus, but I felt inspired to craft a track that Boxy could call its own.
The track went through quite a few revisions, as my musical journey was still very early. I set out to capture the lo-fi vibe of the TFA track without relying too much on the original. The melancholy vibe wasn't the original intention, but it gives a unique and oddly calming vibe to the track without sacrificing any energy. Ironic, considering how chaotic the tighter areas of the map can get.
This track may be one that I return to later on, as I feel I've gotten a better grasp on music shenanigans since then, and I feel the song could use some extra work. Keen ears may notice a special celebrity guest star on this track...
Until It Breaks
Tensions rise.
Playtests are kicking back into gear this Saturday! Woo! I've been doing quick miniature tests with friends to make sure major features are functional (and also because people like playing it and want to play more of it #HumbleBrag #JustBoughtThisNewLamborghiniHere), but now it's time for the real beefy testing to begin. The game is nearly feature complete with the exception of some minor QoL changes, all the weapons and items are in a good place balance-wise, and very few known bugs remain. Now is the time to hunt down any bugs and code gremlins that linger in the dark!
Doors... the source of all of the Earth's woes.
One of the major sources of bugs is networking issues. Zandronum can sometimes be a bit unpredictable with what is sent and received over the network, and this can get even more unpredictable if you're going off the beaten path and implementing stuff from scratch. A recent example is that the sounds for stuff like the crusher in Titan's Realm and the sauna in Pool Day do not function at all online. It's not the end of the world, but it definitely feels a lot dinkier without the proper feedback going on. A slightly more pressing issue is the fact that the top of the sauna door doesn't properly move with the rest of itself online, which busts my balls. It's not big enough to get any shots or projectiles through, but... look at it. That's fucked up.
Best case scenario, the game releases without flaw and all will be able to play the game without any hiccups! In the most realistic and likely scenario, the game will release with some wonky quirks that'll get ironed out after the launch of the demo. Worst case scenario... I learn how to compile Zandronum's source code and wiggle my fingers in its innards. That is easier said than done, especially as I'm still inexperienced with large codebases like Zandronum's. All things can be intimidating at first, though.
It's time to sleep and dream of what's in store...
That's all for this blog post! Here's hoping playtesting goes well. Here's hoping that I don't run into mysterious archaic issues relating to specific combinations of hardware that are pretty much impossible to track down and reliably replicate. Not that I've ever experienced that before! Hehe! Laugh out loud! Rolls on floor laughing roflmao rotflol
