[Wolfenstein: Blade of Agony] v3.1 released (p204)

[RockstarRaccoon]

Alright, it's working now. You did something that made my save file no longer work, so I'm speeding through the levels again.

Bug Report: God moding with the shovel is more satisfying than it has a right to be.

Tormentor, I like the changes you made to C1M2. I see the boat, I see the slightly altered enemy placements.

Edit: I just noticed that the back of the flag hanging above the stairwell in the tank bay where you fight the two Hans Grosse guys during the prison escape is misaligned.
Also, I want to give the scientist these Eismann files, but he won't take them if I've already triggered the briefing. :<

[AFADoomer]

Although I would like to take full personal credit for viciously targeting you and breaking your saves, it's far more likely that one of the recent engine changes necessitated a savegame version bump...

[RockstarRaccoon]

Feedback on C1M4: The Dam
This level felt really uneventful and short... Like, even the storyline is pretty mundane stuff. You're just blowing up more artillery placements on a Dam where there's nothing really happening. I was hoping I'd at least see an escape sequence... You might want to go back and add something unique to pad out the level, like a stealth approach, or a sequence at the end where you have to escape in the back of a truck, or some other complication to the mission. Overall, this feels like a low-point in the campaign: the map is very nicely detailed and looks good, but nothing else is really happening here...

- This section at the beginning is painfully frustrating... I have to attack this clump of guards from across an open bridge, and they just lay into me as I run to get into range, because they don't have to worry about how tiny I am on the screen or limited ammunition. You should make the dam curved or something, because that would make this section feel alot less unfair. Either that, or there was something I didn't understand about what you intended me to do which would've made this easier.

- What's the deal with Ryan? He keeps appearing throughout the facility, but he doesn't really... do... anything... Like... you should at least have a section where he opens a door for the player from a room, or better, where he provides useful fire-support, because right now the most he does is walk across a catwalk like "oh hey, don't shoot me"

- There are alot of side-corridors and inaccessible areas which feel like they could be secret areas or be used to pad out the level. Most importantly are the lake at the beginning and the big room with the generators.

Overall, the level feels like you had a design in mind but you didn't implement the more interesting parts of it, because there's alot of missed-opportunities here, and not alot of novel stuff... I even noclipped through a couple of walls to see if I was missing a section or something, but I traversed all of it and found everything. Am I missing something about it?

Don't get me wrong, it's not a BAD level or anything, it's perfectly competent work with sections that are somewhat memorable architecturally, but I feel like it's missing that "wow" factor that the previous 3 levels tried to have...

[Ozymandias81]

Bug Report: God moding with the shovel is more satisfying than it has a right to be.

I think you are joking here, am I right? How cheating would be retained as a bug report?

I just noticed that the back of the flag hanging above the stairwell in the tank bay where you fight the two Hans Grosse guys during the prison escape is misaligned.

Please next time use "idmypos true" and link screenshots, we aren't clarvoyants unfortunately

Also, I want to give the scientist these Eismann files, but he won't take them if I've already triggered the briefing. :<

"Triggered" which kind of briefing? Do you mean briefing menu or the assigned briefing from General Miller?

[RockstarRaccoon]

I just noticed that the back of the flag hanging above the stairwell in the tank bay where you fight the two Hans Grosse guys during the prison escape is misaligned.

Please next time use "idmypos true" and link screenshots, we aren't clarvoyants unfortunately

Oh! Duh!
7300, -560

Also, I want to give the scientist these Eismann files, but he won't take them if I've already triggered the briefing. :<

"Triggered" which kind of briefing? Do you mean briefing menu or the assigned briefing from General Miller?

After he's given the assignment. I'm guessing this is to prevent the player from accessing the Eismann level when they're supposed to go somewhere else?

[Ozymandias81]

Fixed the flag misalignment and a couple of things on c1m2, thanks.

Concerning Eisenmann: yeah that's the case, let me fix even that one later then (if I am able though).

[RockstarRaccoon]

I thought about C1M4 for a bit. This is a list of additions that might improve it...

• Make the approach longer and stealthier, and have the player deal with snipers that Ryan takes out for them.
• Curve the dam so it's not just a slog through clumps of enemies.
• Have the player see Ryan blow up a distant Flak Gun
• In the scene where Ryan is on the catwalk, have him stop and start shooting at enemies until he doesn't see them any more. This would be a major improvement for little effort.
• Have the player get trapped in an area for a moment, and have Ryan show up behind a window to throw a switch and let them out
• Have the player come across a point where Ryan is pinned down and they use the environment (maybe dropping an explosive barrel from a crane?) to thin out the enemies for him.
• At the last flak gun, have some snipers attack the player when they walk outside. Ryan gets on the radio and tells them to wait a moment, then takes out the snipers.
• At the end, have a longer escape sequence, like, maybe have the player use the moving-turret mechanics for the first time here.

The big thing is that Ryan's presence is a big so-what at this point, and the level really feels like it's missing something. I kept expecting him to actually do something, but the only thing he really "does" is setting off the alarm at the end... It's thematically weak, and the level wouldn't be any different without him. :\

[Doom Juan]

[*]Curve the dam so it's not just a slog through clumps of enemies.

How do you think the gameplay could be improved without having to alter the map?

[Ozymandias81]

Uhm...

New colored brightmaps, Stage I

[Captain J]

SWEET HEIL, that chaingun turret soldat just went HD and better! This is some absolute amazing work!!

[RockstarRaccoon]

Oooh! Nice!
I was screwing around with brightmaps in Metroid Doom a while back, and made this really nice sci-fi effect with the power-beam's yellow lines glowing in the dark...

[*]Curve the dam so it's not just a slog through clumps of enemies.

How do you think the gameplay could be improved without having to alter the map?

Adding doors to break up movement or changing enemy positioning. There aren't many good options here because curving the dam is hard and adding doors would screw with the progression...

Moving the enemies to where they don't have as clear of line-of-sight might help: they're just really frustrating when you have to approach from a distance and can't see them well...

Edit: the other day I was listening to NPR talk about how the NAZIs used amphetamines to make their troops better, and how the French had pioneered that with wine. If I gave you decorate files for Amphetamines and Alcohol, would you include it?

[Tormentor667]

@RockstarRaccoon - Thanks for all your suggestions, would you mind playing the new version of C1M4 and let me know if it is any better?

[RockstarRaccoon]

Oh, you went in and redid it?? Wow, you guys sure are responsive...

Sure, lemme do that tonight...

[Tormentor667]

I didn't implement all but things that are doable and reasonable, maybe I might do some more for C1M4 if you have good suggestions

[RockstarRaccoon]

Does Ryan do something useful?

The reason why I'm poking at it is that this is a VERY well documented issue in games like this: developers will include these NPCs intending for the player to see them as a companion or ally, but they end up not doing anything useful, and sometimes hamper the player, making the player resent them and wonder why they're there. Simply having them do something useful relatively early in the level, even if it's one thing one time, like throwing a switch or shooting at enemies, can make the player feel like the NPC is actually an ally and not just another part of the scenery or an "escort mission". If you can make Ryan do something useful on this level in front of the player, even if it's a single action with no real mechanical change, that'll go a long way in making him feel like an ally.

In Metroid Doom, the only NPCs you encounter are there to give advice and items, and hang out in safe places. In ZHexen, I've been poking around with the idea of adding a non-playable Bard to the party, who basically stands near the health-regen fountains and gives the player hints and occasionally a random potion she found, and weakly attack any enemies that happen to wander over. These are very minor actions, but they'd make her feel like she's actually pulling weight, giving the player character a reason to keep her around.