Hell-Forged - Episode 2 (Restarting Eventually)

[Amuscaria]

Hell-Forged Episode 2: City of the Damned (formerly Planes of Despair, but the name didn't fit the episode's theme) is the sequel to Hell-Forged. You, the player, is trapped on an alien world long lost to Hell's interdimensional conquests. Here is a land of death, decay, blood and poison. The goal of this episode is to really drive in the dire circumstances of what happens when Hell wins as you fight your way through abandoned ruins and alien facilities warped by the corrupting powers of the abyss.

I will be using a different development strategy for this episode, broken down into three phases. The first phase is monster sprite development, and arguably the most important and hardest phase. There are a lot more custom enemies this time around, so this will take a while. The second phase is texture and mapping development. More effort will be placed into this phase compared to Episode 1, and I'll spend more time actually making custom texture sets instead of the mass-produced pattern-based approached I did for episode 1. The finally phase is prop creation and testing. An open Alpha and Beta will be available once the first 2 phases are ready.

(NOTE: The assets posted here are NOT open for public use until the release of the v2.00 of Hell-Forged Episode 2)

GAMEPLAY CHANGES

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Episode 2 will expand on some of the concepts of Episode 2 in the form of themed enemies. The episode will also be significantly harder, and making use of weapon special functions will be vital to survival. The fire weapons from episode 1 will be replaced by Venom weapons, in additional to a super-secret weapon.

[Themed Enemies]

-Ghosts: Some ghost enemies were found in episode one. Like those, this type of enemies attack strike at the spirit, bypassing any armor you might have.

-Reanimated: New top episode 2 are reanimated enemies. These enemies are undead and are generally physically frail, but they have lowered painchances and will revive themselves after they die unless liquified, gibbed, or disintegrated.

-Vampire: Vampire enemies have a bloodlust mechanic that gives them health whenever they land a hit, and some will become more powerful as they are deal damage.

-Poison: Poison enemies deal damage over time. While the initial hit is weak, the poison affect stacks. The more times you're hit, the more damage you take over time.

[Weapons]

-Venom: Venom weapons shoot out toxins that melt flesh. Enemies hit will be poisoned over time. The more times you hit them, the more damage they take over time. When killed, they are liquified, rendering them unable to be revived. Not all enemies can be liquified, as poison-themed enemies are immune to this effect and are resistant to the damage over time as well. Mechanical and spirit enemies are completely immune to the poison over time.

-Purifier: The Purifier, and other sanctified attacks will disintegrate demons on kill, making it impossible to revive them. The slain will also drop a portion of their power as ammunition for the Purifier. This effect only works on demons, as non-demons like the Wights, Ghasts, Wraiths, and mechanical enemies cannot be sanctified.

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LORE

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[Background]

As the dying Hellsmith crumbles to ash, he uses the last of his powers to opens a rift into Hell and pulls you into the swirling vortex. When you come to, your are overwhelmed by the bleak desolate landscape, the stench of rotten and decay, and the shrieks and growls of creatures unfamiliar to you. Whatever is out there knows you're here. With no way of returning home, your only option is to fight and hope to find another way back.

[History]

Eons before you arrival, this world was a paradise inhabited by 2 sentient races. The humans and their much larger Nephilim, half-breeds created from the flesh of man, and the spirits of the Seraphim. The Demigod-like Nephilim naturally rose to the position of leadership and was revered and worshiped. From the ranks of the Nephilim, a single leader rose to become the Matriarch, and through her benevolent leadership, the world was transformed to a righteous paradise for all of its inhabitants; at least for a time.

As the light of their civilization grew, so did it attract the gaze of dark powers from just beyond the veil of reality. Malevolent forces conspired to subsume the Nephilms' radiant powers and began to poke and prod at the borders of their reality. It started with a trickle, but over time, more and more of Hell started to leak into the space around the Nephilim's world and passive defenses were no longer enough.

With the blessing of the Seraphim, the defenders gathered troops and built technologies to combat Hell on their terms. Missive armies were assembled and they took the fight into Hell itself, crushing their demonic harassers in campaign after campaign. As the fledgling world celebrated their victories, Hell grimaced as their trap sprung. Although it lost countless minions, it knew that that with each crossing, the humans and Nephilim is tainted, even a little.

As the campaigns went on, the Matriarch noticed a change within her followers. It started with the humans at first. Each each battle, many became disturbed, while others depraved. The Nephilim were no immune themselves, although they were resistant, many felt the faintest influence of hell upon their minds. While their Seraphim spirits are incorruptable, their bodies and minds are of flesh. With this realization, the Matriarch ended the incursions and the defenders retreated to the safety of their world to assess the plight.

Sensing a change within her body from the taint, Matriarch locked herself within her Royal Chambers guarded by her most fervent loyalists as she sought a cure. But despite her efforts, the effects were permanent. Over time her beauty warped, wilted and withered, succumbing to rot and decay. As her body went, so did her mind, while the rest of her subjects remained ignorant of the corruption growing at the heart of their civilization.

With the last of her sanity, the Matriarch beckoned the Seraphim for aid. Shocked and horrified by the transformation of once their proud and beautiful creation, the Seraphim instead descended upon their world, rallied the uncorrupted humans and Nephilim for a cleansing, and mounted a holy crusade. The crusaders, known as the Purifiers, scoured the world for anyone even remoted suspected of being tainted. With this last betrayal, what little is left of the Matriarch's psyche snapped.

In her desperation to end the suffering, the Matriarch instead begged the entities of Hell for salvation. Hell agreed, but at a price. Instead of a cure, Hell offered Ascendance - as one of hell's overlords. For this bargain, she must first give her body, then her world, to Hell. As her mind spiraled into insanity, she eagerly agreed. The Matriarch would bare and birth the unholy Avatar of Hell, and with his coming, he would lead Hell's forces to subjugate the world.

As the crusaders marched across the surface of the world, Civil War erupted between them and those still loyal to the Matriarch. As the battles raged outside her one holy city walls, the Matriarch's body contorted a mockery of it's former self. Within her womb, the avatar grew. Just as victory seemed assured for the creators, the avatar was born. With his arrival as a dimension anchor, Hell was able to freely march into the world freely. Countless waves of hellspawn flooded from Hell into the center of the holy city and outwards, pushing back the crusaders on all fronts. With her bargain fulfilled, the Matriarch ascended and became The Queen. Her nephilim and human loyalists was completed changed to their corrupted forms, and along with her son, marched from the city to fight the Purifiers.

Although the Purifiers fought valiantly, they were greatly outnumbered. Most decided to go die in a blaze of gloried as they sacrificed themselves ritualistically in battle. The few that remain locked themselves and their technology within stasis. Encased in the heavily protected fortresses by the most powerful of warding spells that even most powerful Hellspawn cannot penetrate, they slept, hoping by the time they awoke, the worse was over. With victory assured, the Queen rose to her new hellish Throne, while her unholy child gained the title of The Hellsmith, and lead hell's armies to conquer other worlds...

THE ARSENAL

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Toxic weapons (and a secret weapon ) will make an appearance in episode 2 to replace the Fire weapons from episode 1. Toxins shot by these will melt the bodies of your foes, leaving them unable to be revived.


[Skull of Blight]: You've seen a relic like this in the Temple Vault, but here they are commonplace. The Skull launches orbs of venom that seek out enemies. Players can spray scorching pools onto the ground defensively, if needed.

(Primary: venom orbs | Alternate Attack: venom spray)


[Manticore]: Built to harness the vast pools of toxins that began spreading across the world after Hell's wake, t launches it in crystalized form at high speed, or sprays it as a scorching jet.

(Primary: Venom bolts | Alternate Attack: Manticore breath)

[Purifier]: A weapon of pure Seraph design that harnesses the purifying powers of their race. Sadly this weapon came too late to make a difference, and the few that remain are locked away in the deepest stasis vaults, waiting for a worthy hero to unleash it.

(Primary: Purifier bolts | Alternate Attack: Purifier beam)

BESTIARY

The enemies found in The Planes of Despair are far more twisted than the likes you've seen back in your world. Even the Hellsmith wouldn't compare to what lies in store for you. Eons of damnation and corruption has changed even the Hellspawn into something worse. From the spirits of the vengeful damned, two the demons infused with Blood Magic, the creatures here reflect the twisted the world they inhabit. (* indicate this monster might be cut if scope becomes too much to manage)

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[Abyss Mites]: Swarms of Abyss Crawler hatchlings are a common sight in poison swamps and bogs. They attack by leaping, detonating their bodies on impact. They are fragile, but numerous.


[Wights]: Former humans whose bodies have withered away by the passing eons. Falsely believing they can be made whole again by consuming the living, congregations of Wights endlessly search for lifeforce, driven by an undying determination.


[Strigae]: Slithering amalgamations of flesh and blood. These bottom-feeders are frail but they are never found alone in their never-ending quest for fresh blood.


[Ghasts]: Disembodied souls of the damned confined to wander aimlessly, waiting to be consumed by greater evils. To avert their grisly fate, these spirits posses carcasses of the recent dead, using it as their vessels for protection.


[Vampyrs]: While sharing the bloodthirst told in myth, these aren't just some fictional Nightwalkers meant to scare children. Once human, these beings have been corrupted by Bloodmagic and reborn as Vampyrs.


[Vulgars]: Millions of imps poured onto this world during the invasion. Those that have survived mutated into the terrible Vulgars. Now they thrown orbs of scorching poison instead of fire.


[Ghouls]: As the defenders crushed countless waves of demons, they were horrified that the battered corpses pulled themselves back together to form new monstrosities. Some evils simply refuse to stay dead.


[Corpse Spiders]: The many mass graves are perfect spawning grounds for the Corpse Spiders; quick and nimble undead horrors that are made of the fused corpses, brought back to life by an undying will.


[Bloodhound]: Savage pack hunters with terrifying speed and a nose for blood. Powerful hunters on their, these infernal beasts are a nightmare in packs.


[Abyss Crawlers]: The few mites that survive to maturity become Abyss Crawlers. These subterranean hunters spew toxic slime to immobilize their prey before they pounce.


[Necrodemon]: Reanimated cacodemons that refused to stay dead the first time around. These rotted and bloated corpses are frail, but just as deadly as their living cousins, and refuse to stay dead.


[Hemodemon]: Given form from within the Blood Temples, the Hemodemons are bloodthirsty kin of the Cacodemon. Their blood-bolts are extremely dangerous and only increase in lethality as the Hemodemon's bloodlust grows.


[Putrefiers]: Within the guts of these mutated Pain Elementals are not the burning souls of the damned, but rather the rotting bilge of the dead they've consumed that can be churned out as undead minions at a moment's notice.


[Striders]: The heavy cavalry to the Blood Temples. These mechanical cataphracts have twin bloodmagic bolt launchers designed to decimate foes from afar.

[Ogres]: Toxin-spewing variants of the Corpulent. Their repeating attacks make them extremely dangerous, especially within narrow confines.

[Incubi]: Within the hollow arms of these hulking hellspawn are numerous thorny tendrils that tunnel thru the ground to impale their victim from below. By the time you see them, it's probably already too late.


[Succubi]: Bearing little resemblance to beautiful temptresses of legend, the Succubi are as vile as they are disgusting. Their swollen wombs birth out Straigae en masse. Best to put these down before you are overrun.


[Defilers]: Within the pulsating backs of the Defilers are immature Mites. These walking Mite factories are best killed immediately, if not sooner.

[Soul Harvesters]: Tasked with gathering up the souls of the damned for their masters, these undead fliers patrol the ancient battle fields, gobbling up any spirit they see. When threaten, they can resummon some of them for defense.

[Banshees]: Once the loyal handmaidens of the Matriarch, they eagerly followed their mistress into damnation. For their sacrifice, they were reborn as powerful flying Banshees to continue their service.

[Wraith]: Seeking safely in numbers, some Ghasts fuse into a single larger creature. In their new form, the Wraith is now top of the food chain. These shadowy hunters haunt the darkest halls of the Necropolis.

[Cardinal Malice]: These graceful relatives of the Archvile are empowered by a mastery of Bloodmagic. In addition to their impressive power, they can transfuse blood into nearby demons, resuscitating their allies mid battle.

[Doom Knights]: Once the Royal Guards, these knights have succumb to Blood Magic. Rechristened as Doom Knights, these fallen Nephilm oversee the Blood Temples. Needless to say, their Bloodmagic mastery is second to few.

[Death Knights]: Former elite Troops of Nephilim who volunteered to have their bodies transfused into a mechanical shell to continue their vigil. Now their shell serve as their prison, compelling them to serve their former enemies.

[Dread Knight]: Once upon a time, these aerial knights grace the skies with their presence. Now they are nothing but a flying terror. Perhaps the most powerful of the three Fallen Knights, these Knights are sustained by the souls of the damned.

[The Queen]: Once the beloved Demigod Matriarch, now a fallen demon lord of Hell. Like all demon lords, she acts as a Nexus of power that allow the evils of Hell to more easily manifest into the world. Destroying her would surely sever Hell's reach, and your only chance to escape these cursed place.

ALLIES

With most of the original inhabitants consumed, corrupted, or slain, the few elite guards have placed themselves within the most secure and remote stasis vaults, patiently awaiting for another to lead them into battle.

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[Crusaders]: Loyalists composed of the most incorruptible humans. Their powerful suit and Purifier weapons makes them incredible powerful, punching way above their weight-class. These unyielding zealots will gladly die fighting.

[Colossus]: These massive mechanical suits are piloted by elite Crusaders. The hulls of these mechanical titans are protected by the thickest armor, allowing to pushed through almost any obstacle.

[Valkyrions]: Seraphim overlords sent down to oversee the defense of their descendants' world. While far and few, a single one of these flying titans will bring fear to even the most stalwart hellspawn.

ITEMS & POWERUPS

Several new powerful artifacts have been added to give you powers on par with the demons you'll be facing down.

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[Venom]: Canisters and tanks of concentrated venom are a common sight. They power your Skull of Blight and Manticore.

[Ancient Armor]: Armor used by the ancient inhabitants of this world. They act similar to the steel armor you've been used to, coming in multiple pieces.

[Life Spark]: With the world mostly dead, the few bits of life energies that remain can coalesce into small orbs of pure healing power. Absorbing one will restore 10 health.

[Life Orb]: a larger orb of lifeforce, these confluences of living energies are far and few. Their brilliant power attract undead to them like moths to a flame. Getting one will heal you for 50 health over a short duration.

[Bloodlust Sphere]: temporarily gain bloodlust, granting health from the damage you deal.
(Duration: 60 seconds)

[Shrines]: Constructed long ago, powerful Nephilim shrines gather ambient powers into powerful artifacts. Shrines come in two sizes, small and large. Small shrines will periodically generate life sparks or orbs, while large shrines can generate any of the artifacts and power-ups.

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NOTICE: The assets posted here are NOT open for public use until the final product is delivered, unless stated otherwise.

[SpaceyStrife]

Incredibly hyped for this! I loved the gorgeous sprite work in the first episode and that you made its assets available for public use, and I can't wait to see what creativity stems from this next episode.

In terms of level design, something I'd like to see this time around is better and more frequent use of powerups throughout the maps. The Doom and Annihilator spheres in Episode 1 and their effect on my arsenal was super fun and added a whole new layer of depth to slaughtermap situations, but they were rare pickups and I can only think of two places where I was able to use them effectively. Chrono Sphere is a similar case but I only ever found one of those, and it was in the ultra secret powerup carousel in the final map before facing the Hellsmith where choosing another sphere is generally a much better choice. With even more stuff in the works for Episode 2, there's so many cool gimmicks that levels can be based around this time, and it's something I hope can not only elevate Episode 2 to new heights but encourage map makers to try building their own Hellforged wads in the future.

[Amuscaria]

...more frequent use of powerups throughout the maps.

Oh, you're gonna need it.

[Leglock]

I will get on the hype train here. I played HF a couple of years ago and I enjoyed it. I found come visual glitches in an arena near the end of a level with elevators (can't rembember which).

As time goes on I have less time to play, but this project, and few others keep me peepping into the forum

[Amuscaria]

I will get on the hype train here. I played HF a couple of years ago and I enjoyed it. I found come visual glitches in an arena near the end of a level with elevators (can't rembember which).

Were you using GZDoom in open GL/hardware render mode? The last few levels have linked portals that won't work unless you're in Open GL due to some software rendering limitation. If GZDoom is too taxing on your PC, try LZDoom. Version 1.10 will not work without Open GL due to more use of portals.

[Leglock]

I will get on the hype train here. I played HF a couple of years ago and I enjoyed it. I found come visual glitches in an arena near the end of a level with elevators (can't rembember which).

Were you using GZDoom in open GL/hardware render mode? The last few levels have linked portals that won't work unless you're in Open GL due to some software rendering limitation. If GZDoom is too taxing on your PC, try LZDoom. Version 1.10 will not work without Open GL due to more use of portals.

I use Vulkan indeed, but I may try OpenGL for instance. But I will wait until the release of the HF 2.0.

Do you suggest to use GL in the new version too?

[Leglock]

I will get on the hype train here. I played HF a couple of years ago and I enjoyed it. I found come visual glitches in an arena near the end of a level with elevators (can't rembember which).

Were you using GZDoom in open GL/hardware render mode? The last few levels have linked portals that won't work unless you're in Open GL due to some software rendering limitation. If GZDoom is too taxing on your PC, try LZDoom. Version 1.10 will not work without Open GL due to more use of portals.

Also, don't quote me on this, but I am almost sure that I finished the mod with no issue other than the previously mentioned. Again, there are mods that I can't finish doe to time restrains so there might be a chance that I dind't finish HF.

[Amuscaria]

I'm not sure if there is a difference in what Vulkan can render vs Open GL, but anything other than Software mode should have no problem since it doesn't have the portal limitations. I'll need to see a screenshot regarding what you mean.

[Scuba Steve]

Ah shit, here we go!

[Jimmy]

Yeah!!!

[Leglock]

I'm not sure if there is a difference in what Vulkan can render vs Open GL, but anything other than Software mode should have no problem since it doesn't have the portal limitations. I'll need to see a screenshot regarding what you mean.

I can't remember which version of Gzdoom I was running back then, maybe 4.3.3? Not sure. I think I can try to get some screenshots if I get the cheat to select that level (the one with a circular HUB/arena with a bunch of elevators).

I will try on the newest GZdoom version, if it was corrected I will try to go backwards.

[Bobby]

Could you make a gameplay mod version of this when you get the chance?

[wildweasel]

Could you make a gameplay mod version of this when you get the chance?

You may be more interested in the Eriguns mods.

[Amuscaria]

Could you make a gameplay mod version of this when you get the chance?

That's not going to happen until the mod is done. I have enough on my plate with just the normal TC as it is.

[osjclatchford]

well this is a really exciting development!

will you be posting your spritesheets as you complete them like you did with DE and HF1?
that was rather fun to watch the resources grow and grow with the project. always nice to see new and beautifully rendered spritework in your lovely style!

good luck with this. hope it doesnt burn you out too much...