Operation: Arctic Wolf Redux

[ravage]

So a few years ago I started working on revamping Laz Rojas' Operation: Arctic Wolf. I got as far as re-doing half the enemies and all the weapons, and got snagged on the whole point of combining both parts 1 and 2 into a single file, given how much of a hassle it'd be. So I basically put it on a shelf for like 5 years before deciding to pick it up again.

Took me almost a solid week of peering at the dehacked patches trying to figure out what was different between parts, and coming to the conclusion that Laz was either a genius, a wizard, or insane. Mostly insane, because things were replaced in one version, and the same object takes up a different space.

Took me about another two weeks to convert the maps to UDMF, get them working again (the converter I found was not terribly smart about linedef actions at all), and completely re-doing every single level. Everything is basically complete, though I did not do any graphical updates for map31 outside of making the underwater section a working portal.

So here you go: Operation: Arctic Wolf Redux

Download:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6g5dvhr7q5pqc ... m.pk3?dl=1

Major changes:
All weapons completely redone, all enemies mostly the same, soldiers can throw grenades at you too, bosses are more challenging, Many levels had to be re-done for gameplay issues (especially The Tunnel), full use of GZDoom effects like portals, underwater sections, slopes, and UDMF features. Replaced the mortar with a sniper rifle, alt-fire throws grenades.

Screenshots:









Credits:
Laz Rojas - Wolfendoom, Arctic Wolf base mod
id Software - Doom & Wolfenstein 3D
3d Realms - Duke Nukem 3D
Apogee - Rise of the Triad
CeeJay - some stuff from their WolfenDOOM Update

[Tormentor667]

Awesome, I need to try that as soon as I am back home

[ZikShadow]

I remember playing Arctic Wolf a few weeks ago with Hideous Destructor and finding it a miserable experience pet peeve wise, with mandatory secrets, arbitrary linedef progression, egregious pointless backtracking, unclear exit points, first timer traps, and lots of repetitive featureless corridors. Anything that attempts to repair those mistakes are already well on their way to get a thumbs up from me. Will play this and report my findings.

[Graf Zahl]

I actually liked the visuals of AW, my main gripe was with the high health points of the enemies, often combined with automatic weapon refiring. Fixing this, along with a bit of ammo tweaking is what it really needs. It's no fun combatting hordes of hitscan enemies with insufficient health and armor.

[YukesVonFaust]

I have played through all of the maps and i can tell you only one thing.

This is such a reworked masterpiece.

Edit: Will you also do the Astrostein Trilogy?
I would love to see Astrostein remade for GZDoom.

[ZikShadow]

Took the time to play from start to finish on UV. I'll say, I think this redux has finally made Arctic Wolf good. The original mapset is one that I kinda detest, but this fixes it right up well.
However, there are a few thoughts that passes through my mind as I play this:

1. I really like how you merged the underwater bits with the topside, beats the heck outta teleporters. It being proper water instead of a room with an underwater textureset and a damagefloor also improves things immensely.
2. Also appreciate no longer having an overglorified shotgun for my "assault rifles".
3. Cool as well how you initially start with one pistol, and have to find another to get the ol' twofers. Nice one there.
4. Noticed the enemy changes, lovin' their new behaviors.
5. The enemy counts seems to sometimes lie, was playing through The Canyon when my 51 count went up to 58 as I was exiting the map.
6. Ammunition seems to be a bit hard at first, had to rely a lot on the ol' tap accurate to get all my shots in. Gets a lot smoother as I go along though, the grenades help a lot in a crowd.
7. Having stielhandgranates be impact explode instead of timed is a bit weird, but I can dig it for gameplay.
8. I'm not sure if the gold key backtrack in the Water Treatment Plant should be kept, since you don't really do anything else aside from grabbing a key from a far away place only to walk all the way back to the other locked door. Having the gold door just open when you flip the switch might be preferable.
9. That said, thank goodness for shortcuts and the overall tidyness of the maps. No walking for aeons for one switch and then back for a random door.
10. The D3 machine gun sound felt inappropriate for the MG34. Maybe the FG42 from RTCW? I dunno, in my opinion, it sounds too weak for a light machine gun.
11. I like the new lockers.
12.
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/ ... 233733.png
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/ ... 233758.png
I don't like this. The textures had little difference from the others surrounding it (not to mention the lighting) and you have to possess clairvoyance to know that this is a usable door.
13. I forgot just how many enemies are in this mod. Did you add more or anything? Certainly made grenades a lot more flashy with all the blood flying up.
14. Thank goodness, you got rid of that miserable dam fake-wall-elevator. The first of many fixes in my list of reasons to dislike the original Arctic Wolf.
15. Very happy that you also cut down the Barracks' backtrack.
16. I can understand the STG and the Kar98K sharing ammo, but the MP41 as well? Strange weapon choices.
Checked the damages as well, seems like the STG is the most ammo conserving of the 3, if you manage to hit all the rounds anyways.
17. The sound effects in general feels a bit inconsistent. Some of them high quality, others sound like they came straight from Wolf3D (which makes sense, but it still feels really off). It's particularly noticeable with the MP41 where the drawing sound is higher quality than the firing sound.
18. Is it normal for the Kar sprite to not have a scope? I get that you're probably following the old WolfenDoom rules of beta Doom weapons disguised as WW2 weapons, but surely a scope wouldn't go amiss?
19. Not sure if I like the linedef triggers where you have to pass through them first before a door or a wall opens. It's close by atleast, so I give it a half-crime point.
20. Is it just me, or are the officers not dropping ammo? Seems a bit odd since all they carry is a pistol. I can somewhat understand ubersoldats not giving you ammo atleast, all locked up in that armor of theirs.
21. Bill Clinton's face is still in the Command Center map. A bit anachronistic, isn't it? Unless you intend to keep Rojas's little political commentary.
22. Really cool how you did the radiation area ala' Strife.
23. Cracked wall right next to the canisters plus a whole new room. A+. Literally better than the original.
24. The Research Facility in general is improved. I went on a rant with the original version, but this almost takes the cake.
25. I say almost, because this nonsense is kept:
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/ ... 053940.png
Really didn't like that.
26. The stupid linedef trigger mandatory switch wall in the Shark Farm is now an optional secret. I appreciate it.
27. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/ ... 055841.png
Some weird unknown script errors when you touch these ladders.
28. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/ ... 060631.png
I wonder if it's possible not to have invisible walls. I imagine it would make some areas not make sense, but it does take my immersion out when I can't just get outside and circle around the island or something because of wibbly wobbly bits.
29. Appreciate torching the mandatory secret in Jailbreak, Part One.
30. Not sure about keeping that ice fake-wall-door in Jailbreak, Part Two. Atleast you used a switch instead of a silly linedef trigger.
31. The gold key in the Fuel Depot feels unnecessary. Some random wall opens nearby when you flip the switches where you get a key, then you go all the way to the edge of the fuel depot to flip a locked switch, only to go back and have some random fake-wall-elevator lower? Might be good to swap that out with a proper elevator that's opened up when you flip the switches, use the gold key somewhere else.
32. Loving the massive explosions in both Seeteufel and the Fuel Depot.
33. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/ ... 130631.png
Found a NULL texture in Das Boot.

Compared to the original Arctic Wolf, this redux is gold goose incarnate.
Still some crimes, but a lot more playable.
I'd recommend it.

[Graf Zahl]

Hm, I'm a bit torn here. While the changes to the maps are very much appreciated, I felt that the gameplay does not really go along. The original's main problem was that nearly all enemies have automatic refiring hitscan weapons, meaning that they tend to stand in place and shoot and shoot and shoot and...
Sadly this is the same chore. A mod like this would really benefit from using enemies that move around and shoot less frequently, and also have a bit less health. Throughout the entire thing there was a constant barrage of hitscans everywhere and this is simply getting tedious after a very short time.

I also noticed that in "The Dam Part 1" the sharks are able to leave the water to the center platform. There probably should be a few monster blocking linedefs here.

[ravage]

Posted an update that fixes several things, mostly things I found on a full playthrough, but not everything as I need sleep badly.

As far as backtracking or semi-useless gold keys, yeah I agree. I just don't know what to do with them yet.
If you can find a better fitting sound for the machinegun, by all means let me know.
I don't really care enough to change the clinton portrait. I think Laz did it as more of a lark than anything political, considering one of the other portraits is of the Yellow Submarine, so yeah, your mileage may vary on that one.
As far as the ammotypes are concerned, I don't really want to add more and more ammotypes. That would require a complete re-balancing and I didn't want to detract too far from the original--this includes the way most enemies behave.

Again, thank you for the feedback, as always! I'll probably plonk with this a bit more later.

[ZikShadow]

Made a small addon that changes all the sounds in OAR from 44khz and 22khz to 11khz ones. All OGGs and WAVs are also converted to Doom format.
Also replaced two weapon sounds: MG34 sound replaced for RTCW MG42's, the D3 machine gun sound seems too weak. Same thing with the Kar98K, felt it was a bit shotgunny for a rifle firing sound.

http://www.mediafire.com/file/blavkc90f ... z.pk3/file

EDIT:

Also made a sprite replacement pack for the MP41, tried to match the view sprite with the world sprite.



https://www.mediafire.com/file/8bc22dqi ... 1.pk3/file

[Graf Zahl]

Made a small addon that changes all the sounds in OAR from 44khz and 22khz to 11khz ones. All OGGs and WAVs are also converted to Doom format.

May I ask what's the point? Since this mod is GZDoom only, all you get is inferior sound quality.

[ZikShadow]

That's exactly the point! I did complain earlier about how the sound effects are inconsistent, with one sounding high quality while the other sounding low quality. Since LQ sounds can't exactly be HQ-fied so easily, I decided do the the opposite instead, since it fits the classic WolfenDoom aesthetics anyways.

It probably doesn't bother others, but it sure does me. Sharp and clear bolt racking sound combined with muffled sounding firing noises is most offputting.

[ravage]

Or just replace that weapon's firing sound. Most of the sounds are exactly the same as the original mod.

[Scuba Steve]

Ooooo!

[edgymemester]

I like what you did with the levels/effects, but a few stylistic things bother me. Firstly, the sprite you used for the sniper rifle looks very out of place and doesn't resemble any kind of rifle from ww2. I have the same complaint about the machine gun. You also replaced Laz's nicer looking rocket launcher edit with a generic doom one, but that's not a big deal. Good job overall.

[ravage]

I like what you did with the levels/effects, but a few stylistic things bother me. Firstly, the sprite you used for the sniper rifle looks very out of place and doesn't resemble any kind of rifle from ww2. I have the same complaint about the machine gun. You also replaced Laz's nicer looking rocket launcher edit with a generic doom one, but that's not a big deal. Good job overall.

I actually have changed that weapon slightly to fix the sniper rifle, but I've always hated that smooth RL sprite. Looks too much like a shiny metal penis for me.

Edit: Update should be up