Wicked Invasion

[AnotherLurker]

I'm sure this will come off as laughably quaint compared to all the other projects, but consider this just me throwing in a penny to the wishing well.

I introduce my mod "Wicked Invasion".

As the name implies, it is a mod where the objective is to survive in one of the pre-made maps from an invasion of sorts. Waves of enemies will appear
in consecutive order, their presence announced via messages on the screen (or in console if you missed them). The enemies themselves don't vary much,
as the main focus of the mod is the variety of weapons, there being exactly 200 of them in this mod.

You are never in control of your chances as you wander the maps to survive. Weapons and health spawn in random locations, forcing you to scavenge and run
about to make sure you've got enough firepower to deal with your enemies, making the gameplay very fast-paced and a bit frantic, as well as have a bit of
roguelike element, as the RNG which spawns the weapons may decide your fate.

But there is tactics and strategy involved as well, as there are many defensive weapons that can give you a fighting edge, letting you set traps, defense points,
or even just dig yourself in a specific spot in the map and hope you've got enough supplies to last the next few waves.

There is also a "Gallery" Map, containing all the weapons, and a switch panel to let you summon any enemy in the game, as well as a 2nd switch panel for the music.


(Picture of one of the rooms of the map "Hazard Zone")


(Picture of one of the hardest maps, "The Great Divide", inspired by the actual level from Sky Odyssey!)


(Picture of a map-view of the gallery map, displaying all 200+ weapons.)

Most of the maps have themes attached to them.. "Hazard Zone" is full of a variety of hazards, some deadly to both you and the enemy.
Every map has a different playstyle to it. One might force you to run around at full speed to loot weapons, while another might give you more time
to plant defenses or get more acquainted with the spawn locations while you find a cozy place to camp before the next wave.

Now, I've been lurking around this forum long enough to know what projects like these end up as, so I'll make a quick overall analysis of this mod, to help
give you a good idea if it's even worth your time to try out or not.

Pros:
- High difficulty, high stress, non-stop action. Good for those who love an intense challenge.
- Huge weapon variety, some even custom made by me from the ground up
- Small variety of maps to play, including 2 "Endless Mode" maps, for those who like a long-term challenge
- Multiplayer compatible

Cons:
- Extremely basic/shoddy map design (At least compared to this forum's standards)
- Most enemies, though different, are pallete-swaps, and almost a third of the weapons have the same initial sprite.
- High difficulty, high stress, non-stop action, terrible for those who are used to slower-pace challenges
- Some weapons can be very cryptic/annoying/confusing, until you figure them out.
- Requires a late, or the latest version of GZDoom to run.
-

I hope you have fun with it.. If not, then just explore the gallery level, check out all the weapons, or read the weapon glossary if you're bored.
I've worked on this project for a couple years as something fun to play with, and I thought I'd share it.
I won't mind if it gets beaten down or not even looked at, I just thought it might be a fun thing someone would like. No skin off my bones if I'm wrong.

[Zip file contaning the Wad itself, and the Weapon Glossary - Text file containing the stats/description of every weapon]
https://mega.nz/#!0zxWhSJB!Ro67BT_efgV2 ... QHtebVfkr8

[The accompany'ing music WAD. Not required to play, is over 500Mb large, and contains all the main (blatantly stolen) theme music for the game.]
https://mega.nz/#!d3JHQSZY!uPK2D8iqThuC ... nNrq_-hAjM

[A visual showcase of the utility-category weapons.]


I've played (and legitimately beaten) every single map dozens of times, buffed/nerfed the weapons, enemies, and maps themselves, polishing the game to a fine sheen,
but even so, due to my own style and disturbing lust for challenge, don't be surprised if you never end up beating a single map. This is a pet-project, a thing made by
someone who just made it for fun, not so much to impress someone, so keep that in mind when cautiously deciding to take a look at it.

Though if you savor a good challenge, and are the kind of guy who considers Doom II on nightmare difficulty a cake-walk, you might appreciate this mod as a
genuine meaty challenge.. Hard enough to beat you down savage and scar you, but balanced enough to still beat, once you get the hang of things.

There's also a special feature I added very early, in which whenever you die, or are killed, time freezes, and you become a ghost, as your body dramatically dies in
slow motion to sad music as the screen greys out. Besides looking a bit artsy fartsy, I found it to be a rather good method of reducing the stress from dying, as
when you die this way, you are able to walk/float around and take a good look around, so you can see exactly what killed you, what was going to kill you, or just
how fucked you were as you see 4-7 dudes just around the corner you were about to obliviously run at desperately.

[Bigger C]

Looks pretty legit, but I think this belongs more in Levels than TCs/Projects.

[AnotherLurker]

This is definitely more of a gameplay mod, it just has custom maps which are needed for the specific gameplay.

The description for "levels" says mods that mostly focus on being level-packs or what-not, and gameplay mods' description says things that mod gameplay but don't
have maps..

So I felt it belonged here, if only by a technicality of sorts.

[AnotherLurker]

Wad updated - Another 32 weapons added to the roster!

My personal favorite of the new additions is "The gun that can kill the past", or maybe the "Sealing Blade" or "Virus Rifle".

https://mega.nz/#!0zxWhSJB!Ro67BT_efgV2 ... QHtebVfkr8

(OP's link updated as well)

Kinda get the feeling this'll get buried again, but what the hey, I had fun making the weapons, maybe someone'll have fun using them.

[Enarkz]

Actually i was searching for a mod like this ! If you want my opinion the start feels a bit slow and the ammo seems scarce but i think it's a matter a value that can be changed in a few minutes Currently playing it so my mind can change. Btw can you make a wad with the 200 weapons and a basic randomizer but for normal gameplay ?

EDIT : It's very slow and most of the time the weapon don't spawn or i unfindable and when i find one it has ammo for 3 shots at max. Needs little edits and it can be pretty good

Edit 2 : The fort map is well more balanced than the first map But i can't swap weapons when i have 2 and it's a bit gamebreaking. Also some weapons have insane delay (fire ball staff and a plasma rifle variant)

[gwHero]

Kinda get the feeling this'll get buried again, but what the hey, I had fun making the weapons, maybe someone'll have fun using them.

Well, I agree, that's the most important thing: having fun making it!

But it would help if you'd add screenshots, and yes, that's still possible. Check this topic: viewtopic.php?f=48&t=56065#p992367

[AnotherLurker]

Thanks for the tip, OP updated with screenshots.

Just casually glancing at other projects around the forum it's clear by a standard of general quality mine might as well be a turd (at least by a glance), but I still adhere to my old stubborn ways, following the philosophy of "Gameplay > Aesthetics", admittedly making me more like the doom equivalent of some genetic throw-back..

I've always imagined doom to be like the FPS version of MUGEN.. If you know decorate code (and maybe a pinch of ACS), you can put practically anything in it!. Some people want to make high-quality doom-style remakes of others games, some want to make TC megawads, and some just like to make mods that test and utilize the capabilities and limits of the engine itself. They're all good, it just depends on what you personally want or expect as a player of doom mods. I just happen to make a hobby (or mistake) out of aiming to make things people don't expect.

Maybe instead of just expecting people to play the mod and see its features for itself, I should explain it a little more. The main focus of the mod is the variety of weapons.. Though there are over 200, for simplicity's sake, when making them (as you can see in the weapon glossary), I categorize them as such.

Utility, Short range projectile, long range projectile, short range explosive, long range explosive, short range hitscan, long range hitscan, and superweapons.

I would whole-heartedly dare anyone here to suggest to me a weapon to create, that I either haven't already, or would end up being too similar to a weapon already in the roster, at this point. There are some weapons that are similar or overlap in effect (like the confetti blaster, and mine grenade), but who's effect and usage are different enough to justify their existence..

As far as balancing their damage, each weapon (excluding most utility weapons, and ailment-inducing weapons) are balanced that they have enough damage output to kill 1 or 2 medium-class enemies. So no matter what weapon you get, you are mostly safely assured that you can get somewhere with it. And if you can't, there's always the next weapon.

As mentioned, some weapons induce ailments to the enemy.. For example, "Pestilence", a pistol, will cripple any enemy shot with it, slowing them down to half speed, reducing their chance to attack, and poisons them..

One of my favorite ailment-inducing weapons is part of the latest update, "Sealing Blade", and "Virus Rifle".. The sealing blade is a large broadsword, which attacks in wide slashes to enemies within melee range, but it's alt-fire, the "sealing slash" cripples an enemy's ability to attack, making their attacks only deal half damage.

As for the virus rifle, it was inspired by a unit from "Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge". In my game, enemies shot by this weapon turn green, and are "infected".. Infected
enemies occasionally cough up caustic gas, or leak green goo, which, if another enemy is hurt by it, has a chance to infect them as well.. Infected enemies who die, explode into a cloud of gas and goo, furthering the chance of infecting another enemy..

Other unique weapons I have in my mod, all of which I either made/ripped the sprite myself and coded from the ground up, are weapons that are basically taken
from other games.. Weapons like these such are the Buster Cannon from megaman X, which fires just like it, including ALL of the charge phases, from green, to blue, to the purple swirly one. There's also "Epic Fetus", taken from binding of isaac, as well as "Telepathy for Dummies", which doesn't quite function the way you'd think it does.
And of course, the lastest entry, "The gun that can kill the past", taken from Enter the Gungeon.. It's categorized as a superweapon, and it does what you might think it does.

I have a wierd thing for variety.. I just love it.. And with "Wicked Invasion", I made sure to go all out and make a variety of weapons, but also made a nice balanced (but still very difficult) game mode which successfully employs the usage of all these weapons!.. All maps have only 10 waves to deal with (except the endless mode maps), and killing every monster is not required to win.. After the 10th wave, if you survive 5 more minutes, an exit will open, allowing you to escape!

Though it is possible to cheap the maps, I've made it very difficult, or even near impossible on most of them, so feel free to find a cheese strat if you can.
I'd love to hear people's thoughts on it, regardless if they're positive/negative.. As I said, I've worked on this over the span of a couple years now, and I may still yet add more weapons to it.. But I only do so when I have one weapon of each category to make at a time, which simplifies the process.. There are the same number of every weapon, in each category, to make sure one type of weapon doesn't appear more often than the others.

I've considered making a youtube video showing me using every weapon and explaining its usage, but with so many weapons, that'd take a while.. Would it be worth the effort to do, instead of expecting people to just DL the mod and explore the gallery map?

[AnotherLurker]

Actually i was searching for a mod like this ! If you want my opinion the start feels a bit slow and the ammo seems scarce but i think it's a matter a value that can be changed in a few minutes Currently playing it so my mind can change. Btw can you make a wad with the 200 weapons and a basic randomizer but for normal gameplay ?

The start is supposed to be slow. Every map has about a 30 second or so warm-up time where you are free to wander the map to look for weapon spawns to build up a basic arsenal before the first wave. Think of it like a "Preparation Phase".

As for ammo, there is no ammo, the design for weapons goes for a sort've arcade twisted-metal feel in that it's not about finding weapons and then keeping them, but rather finding weapons and using them quickly in succession.

As for making a wad that puts the weapons in normal doom, the weapons are balanced for enemies specifically in my mod, they'd end up being too strong/weak for regular doom monsters.

EDIT : It's very slow and most of the time the weapon don't spawn or i unfindable and when i find one it has ammo for 3 shots at max. Needs little edits and it can be pretty good

Weapons spawn I think around every 10 or so seconds.. If you're not finding them, continue looking around. In most maps you'll find them appearing in the corners or edges of rooms. Every time that message appears, one weapon and one stimpack appears somewhere on the map. They don't de-spawn, so the likelihood of you finding one only increases as time goes on. Not to mention, going with the roguelike appeal, you're not expected to ace any level on the first try.. It may take multiple runs of figuring out the weapon spawns, dealing with RNG, and getting accustomed to the enemy's attack patterns before you even win your first time.

Also, superweapons always spawn at the start of the map, and once every 2 or so waves, and always spawn in the same place on the map, so keep an eye out for them, they're specifically there to help you get out of a bad situation. And yes, since you can't really switch weapons on the fly, you should only pick it up when you plan on using it.

As for them having low ammo, each weapon is balanced according to the damage it deals, or its usefulness.. Bigger more-powerful weapons are typically going to have lower amounts of ammo, and are meant to be used sparingly, or strategically.

Edit 2 : The fort map is well more balanced than the first map But i can't swap weapons when i have 2 and it's a bit gamebreaking. Also some weapons have insane delay (fire ball staff and a plasma rifle variant)

"Fort Condor" is by far the easiest map because it is literally one giant choke-point, and all the weapon spawns are in one location, so there is no running around or
hiding for cover, everything you need is all in one place. (Keep in mind there's not really any real order you have to play the maps in.. If you play them in order of difficulty, then fort condor is technically the "first" map, with The asylum being second.

Weapon swapping isn't really meant to be a thing, as I mentioned before the weapon system uses an arcade feel, you're meant to simply find a way to use the weapon
you have, which will then auto-switch to another weapon you have once you run out of ammo for it. As for the delay on some weapons, again, this is the same as for the ammo, the delay for a weapon is balanced according to its damage output.. If it's a strong weapon, it'll typically either be a slow-firing weapon, or a weapon with low ammo.

If you have weapon name tags enabled, attempting to swap weapons will refresh the weapon tag display, telling you the name of your weapon. If there's a specific weapon you think is too weak or underpowered, mention it, and I'll take a look at it for you. I've rigorously played, replayed, tested, and worked on this mod over the years, and I still find the occasional bug, or slightly unbalanced weapon, so if there's something I missed (or simply haven't found yet), lemme know.

Just bear in mind if a weapon appears obviously too weak or pointless, there's usually a reason for it.. Some weapons have special functions, effects, or alt-fires which make its main fire appear useless, but in reality may be doing something special.. All the ailment-inducing weapons are like this. (Tranquilizer, Delirium, Pestilence, Virus Rifle, Corrupter, EMP Cannon, Dazer, Tesla Rifle, ect)

Good examples of non-ailment-inducing weapons that appear useless but have some extra function is...

Survivalist's Rifle - Slow fire-rate and low damage, but alt-fire produces a stimpack
Synthesizer - decent fire-rate but low damage, every 25th shot you can use alt-fire to produce a random booster drug.
Rapture - Fair fire-rate but low damage, but while holding it grants flight and health regen.
Accumulator/Mana Blast - Shots grow larger/smaller (Stronger/weaker) over time, best used either far away, or up close.
Scatterbomb Launcher - fires a slow, low-damage large rocket, but it scatters into a bunch of higher-damage rockets after flying a certain distance.
Plasma Core Launcher - The plasma stops and floats in the air and starts spurting out plasma, acting like an enemy-hazard, but is useless if just shot at an enemy directly.
Trail blazer - Leaves a permanent trail of enemy-damaging plasma, meant to be shot down a hall to purposefully leave a long line of plasma to lead the enemy through.
(Or just ANY of the omega weapons)

[Enarkz]

I played it a lot since my last message and i get along pretty well with the lack of swap feature but the others maps seems very big for this gamemode, i only play on fort maybe i'll change my mind on this later too. I won't spit on an unbalanced weapon wad for this even it's it's too weak or too strong The mod itself is very good and it's top tier 100%. If you need more feedback feel free to ask

[AnotherLurker]

I played it a lot since my last message and i get along pretty well with the lack of swap feature but the others maps seems very big for this gamemode, i only play on fort maybe i'll change my mind on this later too. I won't spit on an unbalanced weapon wad for this even it's it's too weak or too strong The mod itself is very good and it's top tier 100%. If you need more feedback feel free to ask

That's just the thing, all the weapons ARE balanced, I've literally played and worked on this mod for years to balance them.. As I said, if you find a weapon that seems to weak or strong, just drop me a line here, and I'll either explain why it's the way it is, or fix it up a bit. I'm not afraid to change my weapons by making them a little stronger
or weaker at a time, half the entries on my personal change log are incriminating the damage or speed of certain weapons by a very small number.

The difficulty level of my mod can be hair-pullingly hard, but if you can even imagine it, it used to be almost 2x harder than it already was, just a year ago before I made
some balance changes.. But getting back to the subject of the weapons, the "weapon glossary" has accurate values as to the damaging power of a weapon, showing
exactly how much damage-per-shot it would take for it to kill a normal-level enemy. (A grunt, which has 200 health)

I can understand the mod obviously being harder for others besides me because I've played it for so long I'm attuned to it and know a few tricks.. So I'll share some
with ya..

1. Always find the superweapon the second you spawn. Assuming it's a good one, it can carry you through the first wave easily to give you more time to prepare,
and find more weapons.

2. Don't run around randomly looking for weapons, treat the map like a race track, and run in laps, covering EVERY area on a run-through, to maximize weapons.
In smaller maps like the asylum it may not be as important, but maps like the city, or fun house, it'll save your life.

3. The weakest enemies (scouts) can be punched out easily if you're in a pinch, just crouch and stick to them, and 80% of their shots will go over your head.
This can also be done to the red ones as well, but NOT any other enemies.

4. Know your guns.. Just like with binding of isaac, half the challenge comes from not knowing what the hell you just picked up, and trying to figure things out.
Remember the guns, remember their functions, and if you really wanna nerd out, check out the weapon glossary!

5. If you find a weapon that heals you, (Anti-Pistol, Survivalist's Rifle, Rapture), use it as intended if you need health, but if you have full health, try to quickly find
a weapon to replace it so you aren't forced to.. Having a few healing weapons on stand-by can help you out.

..(For fun) I could make a series of youtube videos showing every weapon in action, and its uses.

[AnotherLurker]

Done, OP updated with youtube link to a weapons showcase of all of the Utility-Category weapons.. That way it's even more upfront, and you don't even have to download the thing to see what some of the stuff is in it.

[AnotherLurker]

Fixed a few bugs that prevented two weapons from spawning, and fixed a bug with the superweapon "Cornucopia" not spawning the most-recently added weapons.