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[Release] Gene-Tech: Before the Storm

Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 5:22 am
by Enjay
Download
https://www.aspectsweb.co.uk/enjay/doom/njgtb4ts.7z
(just over 90MB). :?

It's in a 7z file (which shaved a few MB off) but you'll have to take the PK3 out of the 7z and load it to play it.

Any Doom-based IWAD should be fine for loading it on top of.

Image

It's not much, just a single map. I originally wanted to make a small episode of three or four maps but time and real-life meant that simply couldn't happen. I've managed to get most of what I wanted to do into a single map anyway.

I've had a few bits and pieces lying around on my HD for a while that I always intended to make into a map and when my Summer holiday started I thought I would have an opportunity to finish them off and release something. However, me being me, I got carried away with the idea and it kinda-sorta turned into a one map mini TC. That's partly where the problems start. I spent much of the Summer creating, gathering and modifying resources and DECORATing new weapons and enemies. So that side of the project is pretty fleshed out. However, now that my real-life work has started again, I simply don't have time to do more than one map.

It will definitely require GZDoom. It has lots of models (scenery, weapons, enemies) and loads of graphics not in the Doom palette. It also uses brightmaps, dynamic lights and sloped 3D floors.

It will work with any Doom-based IWAD. All the required content is in the PK3. It will even just about function with any IWAD (Hexen, Heretic, Strife) but menus will look messed up and some sound sequences (Hexen) won't work. I was going to make it completely IWAD independent but then I thought "what's the point?"

Part of the original idea was to have a Hollywood "orange and teal" colour scheme and this is evident throughout. However, I didn't try to adhere to this too closely in all areas.

So, what have we got?
A single, quite large map.

Screenshots
Spoiler:
Setting/story: - I'm keeping this very, very short ATM but avoid if you don't even want a hint.
Spoiler:
Gameplay
Spoiler:

Re: [WiP]Gene-Tech: Before the Storm

Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 5:23 am
by Enjay
More information

Weapons
Although many of the models used for the weapons will look familiar (coming from SiN or Quake 2) and some may even feel quite like their original game counterparts, they are not (and are not intended to be) exact copies of the weapons from the original games. They're more like cousins (sometimes distant) of the original weapons. As such, most have an altered appearance and behaviour in some way. There are probably more weapons than are really needed for a single map but, like I said, I had originally thought that this might be a mini episode rather than just a single map.
Spoiler:
Pickups
I'm including details of these simply to help people avoid picking things up when they don't need them and thereby wasting them. Most of the pickups have basically the same functionality as their Doom equivalents.
Spoiler:

NPCs and Enemies: Many enemies have alternative skins. Many have melee as well as ranged attacks.
I'm not going to go into too much detail here, and I have deliberately missed some out. Finding out how to deal with them should be part of the fun (I hope). However, most of the main, common antagonists are here. Don't look if you don't want spoilers.
Spoiler:

Re: [WiP]Gene-Tech: Before the Storm

Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 5:23 am
by Enjay
Thank you kindly

Credits
A lot of what is in here is based on the work of others or only exists because I received help from others when making it. I will try to credit everyone but if you see something that you know is yours and I haven't credited you, please let me know and I will rectify that. I apologise in advance to anyone in that situation.

Most of the resources, sounds, models, model skins, textures, sprites, code, whatever have been at least tweaked by me to a greater or lesser extend and I did produce quite a few things myself too.
Spoiler:
Tools used:
Thanks also to the authors of the various tools used.
Spoiler:

Re: [WiP]Gene-Tech: Before The Storm

Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 5:55 am
by Sgt. Shivers
Woah, this looks really good. I love your other wads so I am highly anticipating this. :D

Re: [WiP]Gene-Tech: Before the Storm

Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 6:27 am
by Slax
Feels like we're about to Sin.
:ninja:

Re: [WiP]Gene-Tech: Before the Storm

Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 8:56 am
by Nash
Hhhh...

[hyperventilating]

Re: [WiP]Gene-Tech: Before the Storm

Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 9:20 am
by Kostov
Yeah.

Re: [WiP]Gene-Tech: Before the Storm

Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 9:22 am
by Jblade
Hot damn, I loved your Liberation level set and the BGPA universe sounds really interesting just from that pack along. Eagerly eagerly looking forward to this.

Re: [WiP]Gene-Tech: Before the Storm

Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 9:23 am
by SamVision
Spoiler:

Re: [WiP]Gene-Tech: Before the Storm

Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 12:38 pm
by seedzhao
i´m excited just to see the photos, can´t wait for the final release...

very nice indeed.

Re: [WiP]Gene-Tech: Before the Storm

Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 1:59 pm
by Ed the Bat
Something fresh and exciting? My interest has been grabbed.

Re: [WiP]Gene-Tech: Before the Storm

Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 2:35 pm
by grouchbag
This is beautiful. Thank you also for all the great maps in the past.

Re: [WiP]Gene-Tech: Before the Storm

Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2014 5:47 pm
by Darsycho
NEAT

Re: [Release] Gene-Tech: Before the Storm

Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2014 5:33 am
by Enjay
OK, it's out. Link in first post. I hope people have fun with it.

Please treat this as a late, late, late beta rather than a final release. I've played through many times and not had any real problems and it has been tested by Chevrolet103 a number of times too so it should be OK. I did get a last minute glitch where one actor seemed to be juddering between two states instead of dying properly when shot. I've looked and looked at the code and I can't see a reason for this. I added something that might work as a safeguard but it's a shot in the dark. The glitch was merely odd-looking and did not break the game and I've not been able to replicate it.

Just a "heads up". As I mentioned, the logic of the map is quite open, particularly in the first half of the map where most areas can be visited by more than one route and some areas are entirely optional. I think it's OK but this could lead some people to find it a bit mazey. When it comes down to it, however, the logic is still just "find the blue key and then go through one of the blue doors". Once you've done that, things become a bit more linear.

There is also a "zoo" map (type map zoo at the console) if you want to see all the actors, models etc. It would be better to do that after playing through at least once because it, obviously, contains spoilers.

Re: [Release] Gene-Tech: Before the Storm

Posted: Sun Sep 21, 2014 6:52 am
by AstroSkull
Eye candy, i like it!