[WIP] Virus - Episode 1 "Shareware Release"

[Phobus]

Right, I've written out a full plan now (complete with retro-spective stuff), so I think I'm all planned out. A Training mission is planned, as is a release of Episode 1 when it's done (with the Training mission) as it's own thing before the whole release, to keep people interested. What with my ZDoom Wars contribution being one monster and a strategy guide short of completion, that's not all that far away (could easily be done before the year is out).

Obviously I'll keep the large part of my plans secret until they're either done or released, but I'll try and keep people updated, perhaps with screenshots if maps or whatever are being done.

[Phobus]

Here's the last monster to be going into Zdoom Wars' Virus faction (well, it's A frame anyway). I'm taking a slight shortcut with it's diagonal frames, and using mirroring, so the arms will look flipped on the 8 rotations. Penultimate boss, so it's allowed to be pretty big and somewhat complex looking.

It's got every weapon the player can get (but a lot more missiles). I'm thinking it's long range attack can be a cluster of 4 mini missiles (erratic homing), mid range can be a choice of a burst from the blaster or the wall of death and close range is either a burst of Basic blaster fire or a laser beam. I'm also thinking that when it gets low on health (500 out of 2750) it can start alpha striking for it's every attack, just to make the player cry

[.+:icytux:+.]

that is looking very good! you are a good spriter phobus. sad that is the last one. (or just last for Zdoom wars? or last for Virus overall?)

[Unknown_Assassin]

Awww, I imagine that the Felix will fire different weapons at the same time.

[Phobus]

@icytux: There's at least one more proper Virus monster to be made, but the Felix is the last one going into ZDoom Wars. However, after all the Virus monsters are made, there are still one or two extra monsters to be made for the secret maps in the other two episodes... and there may yet be more stuff if ever I finish this bit.

@U_A: On low health it will, but I'm thinking beforehand it won't need to... though I could merge it's mid-range and close-range attacks into it firing two weapons at a time. I'll look into it and see how that plays when I've gotten round to finishing the sprite set.

[Project Dark Fox]

Awww, I imagine that the Felix will fire different weapons at the same time.

That isn't proper BattleMech firing discipline, as 1. you can easily over-heat your 'Mech, and 2. aiming two different types of weapons (such as ballistic and missile) require two totally different skills. ... Unless you have nothing to lose, it'd be very difficult to pull something like that off consistently.

[Enjay]

1. you can easily over-heat your 'Mech

The overheating in mechs always amuses me. I don't have a problem with it, but it is so obviously a game mechanic rather than an actual thing. I mean, if all that tech was really possible, I think they'd have found some way around the incredibly restrictive overheating problem with mechs. And lets face it, overheating to that extent isn't really an issue on current day kit that carries out similar roles. It makes the games fairer though, so meh!

[Phobus]

Funnily enough, that's why I was going to let the Felix over-heat (ie. stand still and smoke for a little) after alpha-striking. To keep it fair. Simply put, flying right next to it when it alpha-striked would totally and utterly annhialate you (probably even with 300 health and 300 65% shield), so my idea is that if I slow it's attack rate down a bit, you shouldn't find yourself owned by it too quickly.

[CaptainToenail]

Nice sprites, but the walker thing looks really flimsy, like it would topple over immediately

[Phobus]

I'll admit, the legs were even thinner before I asked Project Dark Fox about the sprite, and the reason being that they're most animated part of the sprite, and quite difficult to draw out IMO, so I tried to keep them simple, and somewhat light-weight. As it's Virus it doesn't really matter anyway - it'll always look tougher than the MeshWalker

[Phobus]

Virus is now officially into Phase 3, which means I finish mapping Episode 1, map the Training map, add any extra resources required (couple of screens I think) and then release it as it's own wad, as a further teaser for the whole thing. I've sent the monster/player pack off to Captain Ventris to implement into ZDoom Wars

[HotWax]

I'm taking a slight shortcut with it's diagonal frames, and using mirroring, so the arms will look flipped on the 8 rotations.

Dude, that is excessively lazy given that it took me only a few minutes to make this from yours.

[Phobus]

I was thinking not just of laziness, but also space and time. Space in that this wads going to be huge, so having proper rotations for everything that could get away with not having them is a fair way of lowering the filesize by a little, and time in that it's more to align in XWE and move in the actual sprites too.

TBH I reckon nobody would notice if I hadn't have said anything.

[Project Dark Fox]

TBH I reckon nobody would notice if I hadn't have said anything.

I'm the kind of guy that would notice right away and not give a shit. Unfortunately there's few like me.

[Phobus]

Well, as we all play doom we're all like that really. I know that DoomGuy at least swaps gun hand when on his 6,7 and 8 rotations. Wouldn't surprise me if some of the monsters do it too.