I used to make maps for Doom and Descent back in the '90s, but haven't do so in years. When I heard about the DGC map collab project. I figured it was a great time to give it another go. I generally prefer Doom 1 style maps, episode 1 in particular, so the theme for the project was perfect for me.
After drawing lots for the maps, I got M6. While not my favorite E1 map, it is a memorable one to be sure. Unfortunately, the name "Central Processing" didn't really give me much to go on when trying to pick a theme. Instead, I read the Doom wiki page about the original map and what it was "known" for. This gave me a few ideas, so I started to dig in.
For a start, I wanted the map to "fit in" to the orignal episode motif as much as possible. To that end, I used the image of the level on the intermission screen as a loose model for the shape and look of the map.
With a general map shape in mind, I set out to incorporate the most imporant aspects of M6:
Additionally, I'm a big fan of secrets and exploration, I set out with a goal to have at least 1 of every general "style" of Doom secret in the map:
I couldn't help myself and ended up with a total of 10 secrets, but it was still important that the map be completable without requiring them to be found (at least on HMP and below). The spectre trap in the computer room and the final fight are the most dangerous spots, but are doable with zero secrets.
Overall I'm quite happy with how it turned out. Completely unintentionally, the overview of the map ended up looking like an angler fish, which I thought was pretty cool actually.