Tempered Arms: A weapon mod for Hexen [v1.6.2]

[Lippeth]

Well at any rate, I remade the axe animations from the ground up, and made a short video to demonstrate:


If it's still not right, I can keep working on it, otherwise I'll most likely post the newest version sometime before the end of this week.

And as far as an inventory menu is concerned, I just discovered m8f's Gearbox mod which is somewhat similar to what I had in mind.

[Neccronixis]

Thank you for continuing to update this awesome mod.

For me the frost shards are the least enjoyable weapon to use in the mod because they are very weak and cumbersome to use compared to other projectile weapons. I have a suggestion to make it more mechanically interesting, but overall the damage still needs to be increased:

1. Primary attack quickly fires smaller individual shards double the rate of the serpent staff. This attack kills enemies without freezing them.

2. Secondary attack is a charged attack that fires a slower moving, high damage volley with a tighter, randomized spread. This attack freezes enemies for a certain period of time, but is non lethal; the mage has to touch an enemy at the cost of zero mana or kill them with shards from the primary attack.

[Lippeth]

Glad you're still enjoying it Neccronixis, and you're knocking it outta the park with these ideas, thank you so much!

I will say that I consider the frost shards primarily as a melee weapon, as it does adequate damage at point-blank range. But I can buff the individual shards to compare more closely to the serpent staff's damage, and even increase the damage of the main spread at the beginning. I don't want to remove the main spread because it's part of what makes close range attacks so effective.

I really like this idea of temporarily freezing enemies; I'm reading about how to do it in zscript now, but I feel that I'd almost need to make enemies change to their frozen sprite and that could make it confusing to players if they suddenly start moving again. Plus I'm not sure if I want to start editing monsters for this mod if I'm unsuccessful in doing it cleanly with zscript. I'm not purely against it, I just like the idea of combining weapon mods with monster packs without losing compatibility, even though I don't really use custom monster mods or randomizers. Either way, I'll keep reading about it and experiment.

Thanks for the feedback, you should see at least part of your ideas implemented in the next update, you've given me a fun challenge!

[Lippeth]

Every drop of DECORATE has now been replaced with ZScript. I have no idea why I did this or even if I could, but it started working out and I just kept going with it. Luckily GZDoom is great at telling me what's deprecated and where the errors are so overall it went very smoothly, considering my inexperience. Nothing has really changed other than a few other updates, like increased Frost Shard damage and weapon icons for all weapons.

I started out by trying to figure out a way to make weapon piece hud icons work with NightFright and 3saster's Fullscreen Statusbar Mod (which I still can't get to work without editing their mod) and somehow I ended up going on a different journey altogether. If any ZScript expert has the patience or interest in looking through it to see how it can still be improved, I would be grateful!

The only thing that I can't seem to get working now is an alternative to A_DamageSelf when using the Bloodscourge to recharge mana. So as it is now, you can still gain mana when you run out, but no damage is inflicted.

EDIT: I fixed the issue with mana regen. It was at the very beginning of the ZScript conversion before I realized that jump states don't work the same way inside anonymous functions. The next update will cause damage to the player.

[Lippeth]

Another update! Frost shards can freeze plants that are destroyed by fire, among other various tweaks, fixes and balances which are in the changelog.

I made frozen sprites for the plants as well if you want to use them in your own projects.

Tempered Arms v1.3.5

[Lippeth]

Working on implementing some of the ideas Neccronixis mentioned. Frost shards freeze enemies and then shatter them if still firing at them. I want to do a few more things before updating, but here's a video demonstration.

[StraightWhiteMan]

That honestly looks really cool, nicely done. Another thing that would look pretty cool and be fun would be if one hand would freeze enemies like they do in the video, and the other hand could do a force push and shatter the ice that way. Just throwing out another idea. Keep up the good work though, this mod is a lot of fun and it looks like it's only going to get better.

[Lippeth]

The other hand still breaks ice, and will freeze monsters and break them at the same time, as well as reflect projectiles if timed right. Thanks for the feedback, another update is around the corner!

I've added a red glow to the hammer, I always felt that it should have it with mana. It also works similarly to the axe, by hitting harder and doing fire damage at close range, but only takes one point of mana because the flying hammer is too useful to squander with melee attacks.

Here's a sprite sheet if anyone wants to use them.

[Lippeth]

Updated to 1.5.0!

Mainly minor additions that I've been meaning to get around to:

Added silver ring to mage's left hand with frost shards
Added wall hit sound to Quietus primary fire
Lowered pitch of fighter punch grunt sound
Added fighter grunt to Quietus no-mana attacks
New wall hit sound for fighter jab and shield
Removed cleric mace powerup during low health (it occasionally broke and I'm not smart enough to fix it apparently)

before-after.png (7.73 KiB) Viewed 1967 times

[Lippeth]

A few things I'm planning for the next release:

Adding Nash's cblood with green blood for Korax and Daedolon/Menelkir, purple blood for the Heresiarch, dark blood for the dragon, and no blood for the bishop and fire bats. It's all really subtle but helps sell the whole vibe.

Adding a separate file that adds a chapter select screen for Hexen and Deathkings, while being able to fairly quickly find the weapons and weapon pieces you would've gotten from previous episodes. Because this includes modified map data for hub levels, I'm unsure if I'm legally allowed to distribute this, so I plan to do a bit of research first. If anyone has some insight on the topic I'd love to hear it. Because it's so easy to do but impossible to find online, leads me to believe that it's simply not allowed.

A few other minor fixes and features, giving the unpowered Quietus the axeblood splatter on contact, changing puzzle item pickup sounds to the unused (afaik) weapon piece pickup sound because I don't know how many times I've picked up a puzzle item without realizing it because the normal pickup sound is so unobtrusive.

[PurpleRhino83]

There's a newer (1.5.1) version on the doomworld forums.

[Lippeth]

1.5.2 actually, it's the same link across all sites.

[ArchDoomer]

This is very cool! Thank you.

[CacoTwoShoes]

This mod has revived my interest in Hexen since so many years. In 2023, vanilla feels tedious and repetitive in the combat department. Too much (un)necessary weapon switching as well. Vanilla Hexen tried hard to be something different but never truly departed from the Doom formula while not being particularly good even at that.

I've been struggling with the more popular and well-known class and weapons mods because IMO they all turn out to be too complex and remote from the original Raven vibe. I was especially upset with how your average power fantasy Hexen mod of today has most attacks absolutely ruin everything in your immediate path while you can't see shit because the SFX look like someone's welding or setting off fireworks right in his bedroom and that guy is YOU.

I finally feel at home with Tempered Arms. It sticks true to the Raven vision while making combat extremely fun and streamlined. AoE attacks don't feel like a mortar shelling and have very sobering costs and limits. Each character has multiple ways of more or less precisely hitting an isolated enemy from a distance for a low-to-moderate mana cost, a concept integral to the vanilla experience but somehow barely given any love in most mods.

So here's my five cents on how the mod could be improved even further.

The only bad thing is the insane damage resistances granted by equipping certain weapons. It makes Hefty & Spike a cheat and the ettins little more than punching bags. Even without the resistance, that weapon duo is formidable and your go-to when saving up on the mana -- it clearly has a slight edge over the axe and the hammer once they are out of mana, has always been that way. Experienced Hexen players would use vanilla fists all the time. Now with the 50% incoming melee damage discount it's insanely overpowered against certain enemies. Crusader's equippable resistances constantly incentivize equipping corresponding weapons like mobile shields, without actually firing them, only to instantly equip a more appropriate weapon for firing a few shots. That's clunky and there's not a single bit of the game that couldn't be beaten without said resistances merely by properly utilizing the existing character powers and inventory. Same goes to the Magister. That's the only aspect of the mod that I don't like, feeling tacked-on and cheatish.

The weapons themselves could use a little more tweaking to help them become even more unique and streamlined. Here's my take:

Hefty & Spike: After about the 3000th ettin turned into a mush, I grew bored with having to manually switch between the sword and the fist but I can't pick which one I like the best, so I'm forced to make that choice every time some chump walks into me. So I've got this idea to switch between two "fighting styles" that would differently mix punch and stab attacks:

- Primary fire launches a three-hit volley of punches, culminating in a power attack. All subsequent volleys are 67% likely to be fist volleys but 33% likely to be sword volleys.

- Secondary fire launches a three-hit volley of sword swings, culminating in a power attack. All subsequent volleys are 67% likely to be sword volleys but 33% likely to be fist volleys.

- No matter the firing mode used, each punch volley is 67% likely to end in a power punch but 33% likely to end in a power stab, whilst each sword swing volley is 67% likely to end in a power stab but 33% likely to end in a power punch.

This way, Primary Fire will make Baratus' fighting style brutally cunning and Secondary Fire cunningly brutal. One style is mostly about the fists but every now and then (when least expected) there goes the sword, and the other style is the opposite, but also much like the same thing. This proposed change is purely cosmetic. The moment I saw the gladius and gauntlet combo, my first thought was that Baratus would prioritize either one of them at a different time while absolutely mixing both, much like a fantasy gladiator.

Timon's Axe: Primary Fire stays the same but Alt Fire could be more streamlined about shield bashing and blocking.

Primary Fire: the regular fast paced swings, shield down.

Alt Fire: just tapping doesn't do anything meaningful, but the outcome depends on what the player does while holding the button. Holding Alt Fire both raises the shield and raises/readies the axe. The shield can be held raised indefinitely, but actually can't. The three usage scenarios are:

- Just walking around with the shield up will block a majority of attacks coming inside a 90 degree cone in front of the player. Every hit blocked by the shield has a chance of making Baratus lose his defensive posture and become vulnerable. This chance depends on the incoming attack's damage roll, the higher the intended damage the bigger the chance the attack will make Baratus lower his shield instead of taking damage. A ton of projectiles or melee hits heading Baratus' way at the same time will inevitably result in one of them staggering our hero, all subsequent hits getting him. Any attack that comes outside the 90 degree shielded area (i.e. from the sides or the back) has a 100% chance of both dealing full damage and making Baratus lower his shield. A staggered Baratus just reverts to his normal mode and will have to spend another second to assume the defensive posture once again (or choose to start cleaving through the enemies instead). The shield is useless unless you have your back and sides covered, and even when it's useful it won't protect you from a horde of enemies pushing right in your face. It's only as useful as regular shields get. The occasional couple of projectiles, a couple of pesky Centaurs in a narrow passage, etc. A great aid when used tactically but useless for mindless spamming.

- Running into an enemy with the shield up makes Baratus shield bash that enemy and anyone immediately beside. The damage and knockback power are calculated depending on Baratus' speed, shield bashes without run-up will barely budge the adversary. SR40 and SR50 (or what should they be called given Baratus' superior speed?) are absolutely a thing, straferunning shield-up should produce an even mightier bash. Running into a wall or an obstacle will make Baratus say UGH! and lower his shield, so you can't run around with the shield up for too long. You have a clear sight of the enemy. You raise the shield. You charge straight into the enemy. Then bam! The ettins go flying. Jumping into the enemy while running boosts the bash attack even more. Upon an (un)successful bashing, Baratus lowers his shield and enters the normal state.

- Releasing Alt Fire after holding it makes Baratus land a power swing with the axe. The power swing consumes 2x mana and deals 2x damage, but DPS-wise is weaker than Primary Fire. Its purpose is to land well-timed individual hits while circle-strafing and back-pedaling, taking advantage of the shield's protection in between.

Slamming Alt Fire for no reason will result in slow and meaningless power swings, which is meant to force the player to utilize Alt Fire tactically: a combination of shield bash runs and occasional precise power swings. Running around with the shield up with no intent of attacking will instantly get interrupted once you bump into an obstacle, so no spamming that either. Too many hits on your shield or a single hit from the back, and down goes the shield as well.

Hammer of Retribution

Mana-powered melee swings knockback the enemy to make the next swing a throw. If you really have to engage someone in melee with the hammer, you will have to push into the enemy all the time. Otherwise the hammer acts as the ultimate repellant, throwing the enemies back and making them easy targets for the hammer's ranged attacks. A hammer that just whacks isn't too much different from the axe, and there should be some synergy between the hammer's two firing modes.

Mace of Contrition

Primary Fire: every subsequent hit gives a small stackable bonus to both the minimum damage and attack speed, resulting in an absolute frenzy of hits at about the 7th consequent hit (doesn't stack up indefinitely of course, or jokingly does but knocks Parias down when he cranks up past the limit). Releasing Primary Fire or missing a target immediately breaks the combo. Hitting anything other than an enemy counts as missing.

Alt Fire: raises the shield while readying the mace. The shielding mechanic is identical to Baratus' but shield bashing may or may not be a thing for Parias, or he might deliver less powerful shield bashes or ones that don't get boosted by running-up unlike Baratus (I'm inclined to think shield bashing should be Baratus' exclusive power). Releasing Alt Fire results in a power swing of the mace, which deals 3x the normal damage and knocks a single enemy back, whose ongoing attack is interrupted and that enemy can't attack any longer until they land on their feet (or, in the case of airborne enemies, stop drifting from the knockback).

Overall the Mace of Contrition is not as universally powerful and easy to use as Spike & Hefty, and hardly holds up to a mana-powered axe or hammer, but as Parias' only melee weapon it's extremely useful in certain situations when wisely used, much like a weaker version of Timon's Axe but also beyond that! Its power swings bring it closer to the hammer and the combo bonus from the primary fire makes it a bit like Spike & Hefty. Thus the mace is a jack of all trades and a hybrid between Baratus' three weapons that quite holds up to the latters' plain, no-mana attacks. Vice versa, Baratus takes the three aspects of Parias' mace to their extremes with his three highly specialized weapons.

Wraithverge

Primary Fire aka the Holy Shock is too similar to Deidolon's many tricks, so instead of zapping the enemies Primary Fire spawns three ghosts that cruise in loops in front of the player while shredding anyone coming too close. Releasing Primary Fire releases the ghosts, and keeping this ghost shield up should be pretty costly. In this mode the ghosts don't chase after distant enemies but stick to the area right in front of the player. For the ghosts to chase after things, Parias must utilize Alt Fire.

Sapphire Wand

Its Alt Fire makes very short work of even Slaughtaurs due to how it lands multiple consequent shocks on an overcharged impact. This may be fair given how vulnerable Deidolon is meant to be and how his weapons are expected to make up for that, but my first impression was that it's a bit overpowered. Not that Deidolon lives for too long after he lets some enemies close on him, and not that Deidolon is fond of melee fighting...

Frost Shards

The right hand attack can have even more uses. Currently when tapped, it releases a frost blast that shatters frozen enemies while freezing the normal ones. What I suggest is when held, after releasing the initial frost blast Alt Fire goes on producing a continuous freezing wind that pushes back, damages and eventually freezes anyone in a wide cone, but at a short range. The gale's damage and freezing ability quickly wane over distance but it's literally meant to push enemies back, so it's mostly a mass enemy repellant for cramped combat situations and not a real damage dealer. Only the ones who are foolish to keep pressing into Deidolon's face right into the gale end up as frozen statues. To break the frozen enemies, the player must release Alt Fire and tap it once again to produce the initial shattering blast. For the actual damage dealing and mid-range combat, Primary Fire still reigns supreme while Alt Fire is a handy backup when cornered.

Bloodscourge

Alt Fire currently releases a single ball when tapped, three when charged. Absolutely should release two balls when charged between 50% and 100%. How come a powerful mage can conjure either one or three balls, but not two? How?!

Now onto some possible graphics impovements.

- Among other things, Hexen Weapon Refinement has really cool looking, smooth anims for the various projectiles and projectile impact effects. The smooth explosions and Firestorm effect look especially delicious. You might want consider asking the author for permission to implement the smooth projectile anims in Tempered Arms. It's the only other mod that improves upon Raven's original pixelated spritework instead of introducing some super modern, extra flashy SFX.

- Tempered_arms_lights.pk3 is missing the 'muzzle flashes' and projectile lights for the Sapphire Wand and the Bloodscourge which is weird because those weapons' attacks do produce dynamic lights on impact. The wand and the staff look like they absolutely should light the place up when fired, and their beams / projectiles also look like they themselves should be a source of light even prior to impact.

- Mana-powered Axe, Hammer and Quietus; Serpent Staff, Firestorm, and Wraithverge; the Wand, Arc of Death, and Bloodsourge; they all look like they themselves should be emitting a magical light of varying intensity while equipped. While not as useful (if at all) as the Torch for navigating dark places, and probably flickering and faltering all the time, those lights should be a thing purely for the vibe of it.

Thank you for reading through this massive rant and please know that I really, really love Tempered Arms and now am using it all the time!

[CacoTwoShoes]

I found a bug. Since Deidolon shares Menelkir’s actor class, he too spurts green ooze whenever hit by an Afrit’s fireball with the latest Nashgore 1.01. I'm not even sure whether the player character is supposed to shed blood at all.

BTW it would be cool to have custom assets and BLUDTYPE definitions for the Afrits and Dark Bishops to bleed with (and gib into) quantities of smoldering cinder of the yellow and green varieties, respectively. Since that’s what they seemingly have for flesh and perhaps blood.