Mars 3D Discussion

[sergeirocks100]

Split from here viewtopic.php?f=18&t=70856 -Enjay

I sort of expected this to get closed, but i may as well state that the game can be easily downloaded here:

https://mars3d-game.wixsite.com/index

[Caligari87]

Wow, this is like the uncanny valley of 90's shooter games.



I definitely don't think engine support is warranted, but a total conversion project could be interesting.

[Graf Zahl]

The game - but no source code. Without source there's no way to do anything here.

[Rachael]

It is not even a Doom-based game. Apparently it uses code that is reverse-engineered from multiple games - I wouldn't be surprised if Doom and Duke Nukem are among them.

I agree with what Cali said - this could make for an interesting TC project. But direct engine support is something I don't think is directly necessary.

[Enjay]

but a total conversion project could be interesting.

Is it known how to rip the resources?

[Gez]

but a total conversion project could be interesting.

Is it known how to rip the resources?

It was known, at least.
https://forums.duke4.net/topic/6753-mar ... _p__171911
Unfortunately, both the converted file and the converter python script are dead links now. It was from 2013 after all.

It is not even a Doom-based game. Apparently it uses code that is reverse-engineered from multiple games - I wouldn't be surprised if Doom and Duke Nukem are among them.

Nah, it was an original engine but heavily inspired by Doom and Build games. After all, reverse-engineering multiple games and gluing their disparate codebases together would be much harder than just writing something new to begin with...

Hi Everybody,

I unexpectedly find some people to discuss Mars 3D here. I am pleased that everybody discuss the 3d engine.

I created the 3d engine in 1996 . The engine Inspired by doom and duke3d and WAD File format.

The engine was created by me using C/ASM.

The level is use third-party doom editor to create ( I forgot which name) .

This is a low-budget game.

The Mars 3D Game only published in Taiwan in 1997 .

The Company ended in 2002.

[sergeirocks100]

but a total conversion project could be interesting.

Is it known how to rip the resources?

It was known, at least.
https://forums.duke4.net/topic/6753-mar ... _p__171911
Unfortunately, both the converted file and the converter python script are dead links now. It was from 2013 after all.

It is not even a Doom-based game. Apparently it uses code that is reverse-engineered from multiple games - I wouldn't be surprised if Doom and Duke Nukem are among them.

Nah, it was an original engine but heavily inspired by Doom and Build games. After all, reverse-engineering multiple games and gluing their disparate codebases together would be much harder than just writing something new to begin with...

Hi Everybody,

I unexpectedly find some people to discuss Mars 3D here. I am pleased that everybody discuss the 3d engine.

I created the 3d engine in 1996 . The engine Inspired by doom and duke3d and WAD File format.

The engine was created by me using C/ASM.

The level is use third-party doom editor to create ( I forgot which name) .

This is a low-budget game.

The Mars 3D Game only published in Taiwan in 1997 .

The Company ended in 2002.

The .MAD files are pretty much .WAD files with a different extension, and they open right up in SLADE.

They use the same formats for textures, flats, sprites, and even maps as Doom engine games.

It even uses the same palette as Doom and Doom II.

The sounds are all .wav files stored in the game directory.

All of the music is stored in Mars.xmi, and i'm currently in the process of extracting the individual songs with a hex editor.

And lastly, the engine can play back FLIC video, and most of the videos are .anm files in the game directory, although i have not been able to find the intro movie yet.

[Enjay]

The .MAD files are pretty much .WAD files with a different extension, and they open right up in SLADE.
They use the same formats for textures, flats, sprites, and even maps as Doom engine games.
It even uses the same palette as Doom and Doom II.

Thank you and, you, same format and many familiar lump names too. I wonder if it had originally been conceived as a Doom TC?

Certainly some of the graphics were "inspired" by ones that I am familiar with including stuff from Doom, Duke, Hexen, Heretic, Strife, Dark Forces...

[Caligari87]

I just tested, it's actually quite possible to simply run MARS.MAD in GZDoom, as either a PWAD or an IWAD.

Now, many things are broken (doubly so if used as an IWAD), but it loads and it's playable. Even elevators and doors work.

Like, all you need to make this work is probably some scripting shims to make things behave as intended. TEXTURES, SNDINFO, ZScript... The fact that it runs and loads means a TC project is probably about 75% done by default.

[sergeirocks100]

I managed to locate where the rest of the FLIC videos were, and they were in the install disc directory.

The intro movie and the end movie have playback issues in VLC, unfortunately.

Also, here's all of the game's music, separated into tracks and converted into MIDI:

https://amel.pw/trevie/Mars%203D%20Midis.zip

[Redneckerz]

''Kissu my ass!''

The Mars 3D technology is an interesting endeavor - It does things neither Doom or Build can do, but its also limited in other respects. Still, its impressive technology - Atleast compared to that other 1997 Doom-like game, Quiver.

The engine would go on powering two more games:

3D Hero:
A third person only game with a story taken from the ancient Chinese gods. Hilariously, it uses the Quake quad damage power up sound for very different purposes, along with a rift of other sound effects that are taken from else where.

Youtube:


Tao:
Also a third person slasher, but this one atleast has the ability to be played in first person, giving off some Legends of the Paladins vibes. By the time of its release (1998), The Mars 3D engine was effectively very much outdated.

Youtube:




Other trivia:

• The engine is actually original. It does however, take a very thorough look in Doom's structures.
• The MAD files employed by the game are basically WAD files. You can easily convert these.
• The studio that made the game is called ''Engine Technology.'' Totally not generic.

[ramon.dexter]

The .MAD files are pretty much .WAD files with a different extension, and they open right up in SLADE.

What version do you use? Slade 3.1.12 says the file is corrupt.

[sergeirocks100]

The .MAD files are pretty much .WAD files with a different extension, and they open right up in SLADE.

What version do you use? Slade 3.1.12 says the file is corrupt.

The .MAD i got from the website seems to work just fine in SLADE, but it turns out that it had a standard IWAD file header, while i'm assuming the original .MAD file, the one you're likely trying to open, has a different header.

So, as long as you download it from the rerelease website, you should be fine.

And, to answer your question, i use Slade v3.2.0.

I also managed to locate converted versions of the Tao and 3D Hero .MAD files, so i'm more than willing to provide those if asked.

And finally, i also managed to record the intro and outro movies from Dosbox using a screen recorder, here's the links:

https://amel.pw/trevie/marsintro.webm

https://amel.pw/trevie/marsoutro.webm

[PlayerLin]

As I know, only the converted WAD(s) can be opened with SLADE, original .MAD didn't use the standard WAD file format(header is MAD with minor difference) , even the engine was based on DooM engine/WAD Spec(that's why all DooM function/item/related names in the MARS3D.EXE if you view the file by using hex editor tool, the engine still custom made but it was using DooM engine Spec as base), so SLADE won't open it, unless you give it converted ones.

I'm not sure about 3D Hero and Tao, but MARS 3D also using Duke3D's ANM format for its level statistics screen animations for whatever reasons.

Sadly, I forgot to download a copy of converter python script by then(I think I never needed), I still have a mirror of converted MARS3D.WAD, but since stupid Google decided to kill the classic Googlesites in 2021 so I guess my mirror will dead too in next year, at least it won't lost.

[Caligari87]

The free download at the remaster site has the converted file I think. At least that's the one I was able to open/run, so it's probably not going anywhere?