(wip) Ashes 2063 TC - Back to Work

[-Ghost-]

Congrats on the big release! It's been fun playing through it, and thanks for making a monster/weapons pack as well!

One question, any plans for adding a bit more enemy variety down the line? I might be remembering the earlier version wrong, but I miss seeing weaker mutant guys mixed in with the zombie replacements. More bandit variety would be great as well, same for the small mutants that replace the imps (I think?).

[Vostyok]

The first episode only uses the Ultimate Doom monsters as a base. I'm making use of the full Doom II bestiary for EP2. I've already been working on replacements for Chaingunner, Hellknight and Pain Elemental, although the next load of enemies are going to be quite different to their Doom II counterparts. I'm planning on using the alpha monsters as well, but I'm giving them new sprites and abilities.

Some of this will become apparent in the next video I post, whenever I can get to it.

[PRIMEVAL]

An "extended" video of the Outskirts track, Wasteland. I'll be doing more of these in the near future for the other songs.

[-Ghost-]

The first episode only uses the Ultimate Doom monsters as a base. I'm making use of the full Doom II bestiary for EP2. I've already been working on replacements for Chaingunner, Hellknight and Pain Elemental, although the next load of enemies are going to be quite different to their Doom II counterparts. I'm planning on using the alpha monsters as well, but I'm giving them new sprites and abilities.

Some of this will become apparent in the next video I post, whenever I can get to it.

Ah, okay, that's good to hear! The more variety the better!

[TheRailgunner]

So, I updated Jetfire and Standalone with an updated Thumper - one thing I can say, however, is that the default version of it is...powerful, perhaps a tad excessively so owing to its lightning-fast reload (compare the Sawed-off SG's reload, which functions similarly as far as the visuals are concerned). Hence, Jetfire's M79 reloads more slowly (still faster if you hold Reload, but even then it's still slower than vanilla Ashes'). I also updated Standalone to 1.15.

[Vostyok]

@Primeval: Nice work. Something to listen to while I mess around with Doombuilder (I know I could just loop the MP3's I've got, but I'm lazy).

@TheRailgunner: Haha remember the m79 is the BFG9000 replacement. And to be honest, there isn't much that could realistically survive a 40mm grenade to the noggin, save a tank. Don't worry, I've got something in mind for Ep2 that will be a bit more fitting for the final slot. This one is just for fun really.

Starting map04 at the moment. I'm playing around with environmental special effects a bit more, with some dynamic reverbs for when entering structures, and things such as dust clouds, dripping moisture and dusty particles. I'm having a lot of fun, anyway.

Edit: Hmm... maybe that should be map13, since this follows on from ep1? I'll have to think about that....

[TheRailgunner]

@Primeval: Nice work. Something to listen to while I mess around with Doombuilder (I know I could just loop the MP3's I've got, but I'm lazy).

@TheRailgunner: Haha remember the m79 is the BFG9000 replacement. And to be honest, there isn't much that could realistically survive a 40mm grenade to the noggin, save a tank. Don't worry, I've got something in mind for Ep2 that will be a bit more fitting for the final slot. This one is just for fun really.

Starting map04 at the moment. I'm playing around with environmental special effects a bit more, with some dynamic reverbs for when entering structures, and things such as dust clouds, dripping moisture and dusty particles. I'm having a lot of fun, anyway.

Edit: Hmm... maybe that should be map13, since this follows on from ep1? I'll have to think about that....

I have no qualm with the damage of the projectile itself, merely its rate of fire - it just seems absurd compared to every other weapon, which have realistic reload speeds.

That said, it really is too much fun shooting this thing at things.

[Hyperstyle]

I really enjoyed this mod. Cool mix of games like strife, stalker and metro. I like how exploration is motivated by fun locations and textures. Bike ride through wall into bad guys. Music is awesome. Second episode. Please

[TheRailgunner]

I increased the quick-reload speed for the Jetfire Thumper - also, I added something extra to the FAL mutators, in case you feel like pestering the gun seller even more!

---

The mutators' gun seller can now be pressured into selling you the M79 grenade launcher, in exchange for one of two things:
*2000 chips (as I understand it, impossible to get without cheating), or
*Smiley's suitcase

The obvious decision, then, is between giving the suitcase to Rigs and upgrading your MAC-10, or giving it to the seller in order to get the grenade launcher (along with ammo for it) - my understanding is that it does not spawn in Episode 1 at all, although I could easily have missed it.

Further pestering should reveal potentially more interesting conversation options.

[Vostyok]

@Hyperstyle
Glad you liked it I'm working on further adventures as we speak.

@TheRailgunner
I'll have to try that out. Ah, yeah, the grenade launcher doesn't spawn in episode 1. This was purely added so that people could use a BFG equivalent in other map sets. It's getting replaced in the next installment, although that will be through a completely new PK3. I like that option you've added though.

[Vostyok]

Alert: Attention Railgunner (and anyone trying jetfire update)

I noticed a couple of bugs with the new Jetfire and Fal mutators. Just played episode one, and the first time you get the machinepistol, you can't drop it and it acts like the original version. I found this in the code, under the Ingramspawna replacer:

Code: Select all • Expand view

Pickup:
      TNT1 A 0 A_JumpIfInventory("Ingram2", 1, 3) //Skips giving you the normal mac10 if you have the upgrade
      TNT1 A 0 A_GiveInventory("Ingram")
      TNT1 A 0 A_Jump(256, 2)
      TNT1 A 0 A_GiveInventory("NineMilAmmo", 32)
      TNT1 A 0
      Stop

Changing Giveinventory("Ingram") to GiveInventory("Ingrama") should fix the problem.
Also, the gun dealer didn't give me the grenade launcher, but sold ammo for it? After giving him the briefcase, he added the conversation point for buying the ammo, but I had to summon in the gun itself. I couldn't find the "Thumpera" weapon in the code, is this perhaps an old version uploaded by mistake?

One last thing, the Thumper's 40mm grenade box is affected by Survival modifier. Although the seller will give you grenades, on survival he will only sell you two grenades, even though he states he is giving you four, and charges you the same price. Adding +ignoreskill under the thumper's ammo should fix this, or perhaps adding a new ammo box that only he sells, with this addition. Apart from that, very fun to try this out.

[TheRailgunner]

Alert: Attention Railgunner (and anyone trying jetfire update)

I noticed a couple of bugs with the new Jetfire and Fal mutators. Just played episode one, and the first time you get the machinepistol, you can't drop it and it acts like the original version. I found this in the code, under the Ingramspawna replacer:

Code: Select all • Expand view

Pickup:
      TNT1 A 0 A_JumpIfInventory("Ingram2", 1, 3) //Skips giving you the normal mac10 if you have the upgrade
      TNT1 A 0 A_GiveInventory("Ingram")
      TNT1 A 0 A_Jump(256, 2)
      TNT1 A 0 A_GiveInventory("NineMilAmmo", 32)
      TNT1 A 0
      Stop

Changing Giveinventory("Ingram") to GiveInventory("Ingrama") should fix the problem.
Also, the gun dealer didn't give me the grenade launcher, but sold ammo for it? After giving him the briefcase, he added the conversation point for buying the ammo, but I had to summon in the gun itself. I couldn't find the "Thumpera" weapon in the code, is this perhaps an old version uploaded by mistake?

One last thing, the Thumper's 40mm grenade box is affected by Survival modifier. Although the seller will give you grenades, on survival he will only sell you two grenades, even though he states he is giving you four, and charges you the same price. Adding +ignoreskill under the thumper's ammo should fix this, or perhaps adding a new ammo box that only he sells, with this addition. Apart from that, very fun to try this out.

I'm fixing the MAC-10 bugs at the moment - can't figure out what's going on with the GL, though - both the basic and Jetfire versions of the gun seller seem to function properly. At any rate, I've also reuploaded the current versions just in case, with +IGNORESKILL applied to the grenades he sells you.

[Kroc]

This game is a completely other level; unquestionably the best DOOM mod I've ever played and flat-out the best game I've played this year. I'm at the subway station ATM and the atmosphere is off the charts.

The interactivity is so good, that it's surprising and bit of a let down when it doesn't 'just work' like you expect. E.g. the fire-extinguishers are non-interactive and there a number of elements throughout that expect to be breakable but aren't. That's really a minor quibble because everything else is just so damn right. I love exploration, tight navigable spaces and puzzles and this game has it all in spades.

I feel like the game really needs a kick command (use 'zoom' key when weapon has no zoom, typically Q). The knife is always there, but it feels a bit... off... for the quantity of breakable-breaking you do.

An issue I have with basically any and all DOOM mods is no game should prevent a player being able to go back and pick up missed secrets; it's often not until the end of the level I might know that I've missed something. The Red's gang base for example locks you in at the finale and there's a handful of other places throughout the game thus far -- I hadn't thought to take note of these but I could going forward.

The flaming barrels can be stood upon, which allowed me to jump from a flaming barrel, to a truck, to the the roof (with the multi-colour light) at the Red's gang base and nab the yellow key through the window. Perhaps intentional, but seemingly a bug given the flaming nature of the barrel.

Some windows in the truck stop on the motorbike level are not solid when they should be:

Non-solid windows in Ashes 2063

I explore ever nook and cranny:

A very, very lonely incorrect texture in Ashes 2063

I haven't come across it yet perhaps, but if there isn't, can the game include traders we can sell things to? I have like 4 medi-packs and I'd like to sell some for the cash to buy bullets.

Thank you, and extremely looking forward to playing more.

[Vostyok]

I find the kick command a good idea but doesn't really fit the setting, where the knife would be a more realistic alternative. I might be wrong about this, so guys let me know what you think. A universal kick would require use with all weapons, so to preserve secondary fires in the later weapons would require adding an extra key the player requires, which I'm loathe to do (I personally never use the quick kick in most mods, too many buttons already. I dunno. Give me your thoughts).

Interactivity is a sticking point I should have spent more time on, but ended up leaving out for this release. You might have noticed the fire extinguisher sat next to Wez's range - this was not an accident, but I ended up sloping doing sprites and sfx for it. My bad.

It may be my philosophy that stops you going back to areas already passed - I feel it ruins the atmosphere when you can explore a map fully at any time without penalty. But this is something that comes up often and I'll be making EP2 a lot more open to exploring and revisiting. Maybe have some surprises if you just stroll around an area you thought was empty.

Yeah, there is probably still a few things I missed. The yellow key trick I left in when I discovered it. I feel I should have made more of a reward for finding short-cuts like this, however.

Edit: on subject of shops; yeah, I see your point. I will experimenting with another way of doing this, especially to emphasise the 'bartering' aspect. We'll see what I can come up with.

Thanks for playing though and glad you are enjoying it

[Kroc]

One way to look at kicking is that the knife does damage, where as the kick would only knock-back / stun enemies, and its primary purpose would be for breaking things as it would be faster than the knife which just that bit slow enough to be annoying when you have a lot of stuff to break. Speeding up the knife would be OP, but a kick would serve as faster alternative. I can understand it's not for everybody, and of course would be designed as optional; if the user doesn't bind the key, then they're not losing anything. As said before, use the Zoom binding for kicking as this is typically bound to Q.