[Release] Scattered Evil for Hexen 2.4 (Oct 9, 2023)

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rambo
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Re: [Release] Korax' Heritage: Scattered Evil

Post by rambo »

Thanks for the heads up on those two maps' scripts, will correct for the next release (map82 currently has a workaround with an extra portal from the last room to the exit, I guess it'd have been less work to think checking the scripts).

Scattered Evil as distributed is set to Full HD (1920x1080), you can modify these values before startup in config.cfg (it's in the subfolder "koraxrpg").

Regarding difficulty: if the dungeons in the forest are now too easy, that's actually a good thing from my point of view. Starting way too high on difficulty can turn new players off quickly, especially is they rolled a character that is critically low on some important stat (you can e.g. roll a fighter that can't berserk until level 3, or a cleric that needs 20 hits with his mace to kill an ettin). The idea is to ratchet difficulty up slowly, until on the second last map you have to kill 16-24 ettin warlords (those with Quietus) in one room (this will become a lot more difficult with upcoming improvements to monster AI and the planned introduction of friendly fire recognition).

One thing that seems to be unclear, our concept was from the beginning to have a game that you can play as an FPS or an RPG or a mixture of both at your choice:

Exploring every nook and cranny before taking on difficult assignments (i.e. the RPG way) would make you several times stronger and thus able to beat hard fights simply by an overwhelming amount of quartz flasks and urn on top of overblown HP. As an example, a very cautious playstyle in the RPG vein might make you wanna visit all towns first and talk to all NPCs and fill out your journal before seeking combat. In this case, without even noticing it, you'd receive an extra 30 CON, 8 STR, 8 DEX, 10 INT and 10 WIS. That would mean that the first time you walk into combat, you kill those ettins with a shot/hit or two, and after killing a few you level up, increasing your HP by 30-40 points.

The other way is the extreme FPS way, you can theoretically just check your journal, look up the main quest, go to Daedalon's tower and pick up his first quest, then travel straight to the desert ruins to find that tablet. If you are a fairly good player, you should be able to make it all the way to the tablet, transcribe it and proceed to the exit - which is blocked by a double-team of an Exarch (Heresiarch on steroids) and a Dark Advisor (think Bishop with D'Sparil genes), both of which can summon further bishops (and even Dark Advisor clones), both can turn invulnerable/reflecting for much of the time, and then as garnish there are also a few Centaur Ghost-Kings and Ettin Commanders around. I would love to see a recording of someone beating that room with only weapons nr.1 and 2 at level 5 or so. :)

This is why most dungeons give you a way back to the world at any given time, so if you feel a place is too difficult, you don't have to reload a savegame from much earlier.
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doomjedi
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Re: [Release] Korax' Heritage: Scattered Evil

Post by doomjedi »

Wow, this project is still alive?
Good to see. Very impressive screens.
rambo
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Re: [Release] Korax' Heritage: Scattered Evil

Post by rambo »

Scattered Evil 1.2 is now available on SourceForge and ModDB. For more information, see http://www.korax-heritage.com.

Many of the gameplay issues reported here and on our Bug Tracker have not made it into this release, as we concentrated on updating and fixing the visual and audio engine related issues first. But keep reporting anything you find, the next release will hopefully include a fix for many of them.
se12shot11.jpg
se12shot12.jpg
se12shot02.jpg
New features and bugfixes:
  • Visual changes:
    • Further tweaks to the updated OpenGL rendering engine, improving visual quality of transparent or partially transparent textures.
    • NPC AI optimizations to increase frame rates in areas with lots of NPCs.
    • Monsters and NPCs now have body types: regular, tall and gaunt, short and stocky. In combination with our pre-existing sprite height randomization technology, you should rarely meet a friend or foe that looks exactly the same as someone else next to him/her.
  • Audio changes:
    • Replaced the previous sound engine with OpenAL.
    • Replaced MIDI music with MP3. This also allowed us to mix sound scenery right into the music track, from the chirping of crickets in the night and the waves breaking on the seashore to the creepy sounds of a dark cave or the ambience of a busy inn.
    • Dozens of new music tracks added. Now every single map has its own dedicated music.
  • Miscellaneous changes:
    • All class trainers now have their own custom portrait.
    • Bugfixes and some difficulty tuning in a number of dungeon maps.
    • Slight architectural changes to The Frozen Court and Gonos Warehouse (it now includes the areas that were previously part of Gonos Hideout).
    • Notable architectural changes in the three largest cities (Thystes, Ocadia, Sichabroner).
    • Further improvements to some models as well as corrections to the placement of many wall-mounted models.
rambo
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Scattered Evil 1.3 Preview

Post by rambo »

The next SE version will feature a number of dungeons either greatly enhanced or completely rebuilt from scratch, as well as new tech to manipulate objects and obstacles in a 3D world.

The video below shows glimpses of three locations in various stages of completion.



The screenshots below are all from one new map (Hedyntin Citadel), which is rebuilt as a true three-dimensional castle with four floors. If you've visited Hedyntin Citadel in-game, you'll hopefully appreciate the vast difference.
preview3.jpg
preview2.jpg
preview1.jpg
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Frozenwolf150
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Re: [Release] Scattered Evil for Hexen (new video Jan 31)

Post by Frozenwolf150 »

Okay, I have a dumb question. Is there a way to make it where the map label is more visible on the automap? Right now when I look at the automap, the lower left part of the HUD covers part of the name. Since I'm not familiar with the world, I tend to look at the map label to keep track of where I am.

ETA: Also, I don't seem to be getting XP for enemies killed by spells or abilities. Only from enemies killed directly by my weapons.
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Re: [Release] Scattered Evil for Hexen (new video Jan 31)

Post by rambo »

1) Removing the HUD from the automap is on our todo list. Also, whenever you enter a new location, its name is logged to the console.
2) What spells or abilities specifically?
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Frozenwolf150
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Re: [Release] Scattered Evil for Hexen (new video Jan 31)

Post by Frozenwolf150 »

rambo wrote:1) Removing the HUD from the automap is on our todo list. Also, whenever you enter a new location, its name is logged to the console.
2) What spells or abilities specifically?
Regarding the spells, I haven't had the chance to test them all yet, but I'm playing as the mage and I did notice that enemies killed by the Repulsion spell don't give any XP. The same goes for enemies that die of other causes, like infighting or getting blown up by their own flechettes.
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Re: [Release] Scattered Evil for Hexen (new video Jan 31)

Post by rambo »

Well if monsters kill themselves or each other, why should you get EXP? In theory though, if a monster kills another one it increases its own EXP reward if you kill him afterward (this code works in some cases, but not always).
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Frozenwolf150
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Re: [Release] Scattered Evil for Hexen (new video Jan 31)

Post by Frozenwolf150 »

rambo wrote:Well if monsters kill themselves or each other, why should you get EXP? In theory though, if a monster kills another one it increases its own EXP reward if you kill him afterward (this code works in some cases, but not always).
I guess I'm used to the way the XP mechanic works in other RPG mods, however, that seems more than fair. It's not like there's a dire shortage of XP to be had in this mod.

I just beat the game as a mage (on Archmage) and I have to say that having been a fan of the Korax Mod since 2004, it's great to finally be able to play Scattered Evil from start to finish. Any mod that adds RPG elements to Doom games gets my endorsement, but this mod in particular really makes you feel powerful by the endgame. About midway through, I had turned my Sapphire Wand into a machine railgun with unlimited ammo, and was using it to kill just about everything. By the end, I had done the same with the Bloodscourge.

I don't have a bug report yet, but when I do, I'll put it on your bug tracker. However, I do have general comments:

* The risk / reward balance is almost perfect. This is a very hard thing to get right in RPGs, but it works well here.
* The documentation, both in game and out, is well put together and serves its purpose nicely. Unlike in some RPGs, I was never unclear on what I had to do or where to go for a quest.
* The new weapons and abilities are fairly balanced and handle well, although as mentioned above, I did eventually pick a favorite and stick with it.
* I did at times wish there were more text clues in dungeons as to what I have to do to solve a puzzle, or what a particular switch does. In some dungeons I ended up running back and forth for up to an hour, since it was my first time playing.
* Are the town services like healing and armor repair meant to be one time only? There is no in-game indication that, for example, a priest can only heal your wounds once per game. It might make more sense if services like this have a small gold cost, like the church asking for a donation of 5 gp.
* There seem to be a lot of travel locations that don't seem to serve much purpose, other than as landmarks. There's nothing for the player to do, and no quests or information to be had. I know these exist to make the game world feel more expansive, but I sometimes felt like I was wasting my time, especially since the player can't travel along a road without stopping at every single location and having to confirm y/n.
* The Chuxen maps don't feel like they fit into this mod, given that the player can circumvent several of the steps by running and jumping, which can break the maps due to the way the puzzles were designed in the original. That said, it did make for a fun quest, and I'm certainly not complaining about the quest reward.
rambo
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Re: [Release] Scattered Evil for Hexen (new video Jan 31)

Post by rambo »

Thanks for the extensive feedback. One question regarding travel: would it help if there were more stagecoach routes?
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Frozenwolf150
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Re: [Release] Scattered Evil for Hexen (new video Jan 31)

Post by Frozenwolf150 »

rambo wrote:Thanks for the extensive feedback. One question regarding travel: would it help if there were more stagecoach routes?
To be honest, I never used stagecoaches or ferries because I was trying to save money. So I think it's fine the way it is.

Also, to clarify, I'm not saying the filler locations should be removed either. I would have assumed that in future versions, there would be more content, and more for the player to do in such locations. For instance, the peasants and random NPCs could give assorted gameplay tips when you speak to them.
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Frozenwolf150
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Re: [Release] Scattered Evil for Hexen (new video Jan 31)

Post by Frozenwolf150 »

I forgot to mention, one feature I would love to see would be a New Game + mode, similar to what the author of Prodoomer did in v3.
Spoiler:
rambo
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Re: [Release] Scattered Evil for Hexen (new video March 18)

Post by rambo »

Scattered Evil 1.3 will take some more time to release, in the meantime there is another short movie to show off stuff I've been working on:

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Re: [Release] Scattered Evil for Hexen (new video March 18)

Post by Bigger C »

Bug/oversight: Cleric's morningstar doesn't seem to make any sound if it impacts a wall.
rambo
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Re: [Release] Scattered Evil for Hexen (new video March 18)

Post by rambo »

I just tried it in 1.2 and hitting a wall with the morning star does the same sound as hitting it with the mace. OTOH I found that parts of the keep wall in the first town doesn't make a sound when hit with any weapon, might that be what you experienced?
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