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This is the official thread for the 21st century Hexen adventure known as Serpent: Resurrection.
New version released as of Sep 2017 (contains map fixes for the new official GZDoom 3.1 versions):
Spoiler: Changelog (2017)
Fixed a number of map issues to ensure compatibility with official GZDoom 3.1 builds.
Fixed Braxus's Lightbringer weapon so that shield-bearers can't block it. (as intended)
The shrapnel spell does a bit more damage now.
(these versions are tried-and-tested, newer ones will probably be fine but you never know if something will break in them)
aaand just to make things more confusing, I noticed that 3.2 was released after uploading the project to the archive. That version will probably be fine, but I've not tested it.
Serpent: Resurrection is a Hexen adventure designed to merge the speed and action of FPS'es with the progression and strategies of RPG's. It takes place in another world, some time after Shadowcaster ended. Most of the story will be explained in-game but in short, some crazy dark mage has resurrected the three Serpent Riders on the largest island of a nearby archipalego and (as expected) failed to control them. The adventurer from Shadowcaster was sent out to defeat them but nothing was heard for a while so a new adventurer is sent out after him.
Main mod description:
Spoiler: Summary
Summary: A Hexen adventure like no other. The FPS side of the game brings the classic high-speed monster mashing that the Doom engine has always given us and combines it with Hexen's puzzles plus some more tactical encounters in the style of newer games. The RPG side of the game means that the classes are a lot more different compared to each other than just a new set of weapons...their basic abilities, health, armour and item usage all differ, leading to vastly different playstyles and strategies for each class. The world is designed with realism and cohesion in mind, if somewhere looks a bit barren that's because it's meant to look like that since those sort of places do in real life!
Spoiler: Characters
A brief description of each character, more detailed ones can be found in serpent-h.txt. Difficulty refers to the playstyle of each class...they're all effective in terms of performance, but some are easier/harder to learn than others. (there isn't a huge difference though)
Name: Anvar Class: Warrior Specialisation: Strength Difficulty: Hard Description: The reworked fighter class, now focusing on melee combat. High health/armour and weapon damage, but poor ranged ability.
Name: Braxus Class: Paladin Specialisation: None Difficulty: Easy Description: The reworked cleric class, an all-rounder with powerful weapons. No life drain, though. (for technical reasons as well as balance)
Name: Qinefer Class: Assassin Specialisation: Dexterity Difficulty: Medium Description: A recreation of the Hexen 2 assassin, but also with poison and rudimentary stealth. Great speed/jump, but not that sturdy.
Name: Sallazar Class: Runemaster Specialisation: Sorcery Difficulty: Hard Description: The reworked mage class, now focusing on Serpent's magic spell system. High damage potential, but very slow and squishy.
Name: Herian Class: Heretic Specialisation: None Difficulty: Easy Description: A recreation of the Heretic player, with a souped-up wand and firemace as the big weapons. A familar, yet unfamilar all-rounder.
Name: Kamada Class: Physadept Specialisation: Constitution Difficulty: Hard Description: A typical monk-type class, who uses mana for various fist techniques (projectiles). Versatile and efficient, but also the most advanced.
Name: Darahu Class: Shaman Specialisation: Wisdom Difficulty: Medium Description: A spiritual master, who utilises the power of the elements. Can specialise in melee or ranged combat, but cannot use any spells.
Spoiler: Features
Environment: Once he/she reaches the island the player will be trekking across all manner of natural terrain together with man-made structures and magical realms. He/she will need to jump, crouch and look all around, sometimes with magical assistance to find his/her way. (25 maps in all, with no official hub structure ie. you can go anywhere at any time)
Creatures: The island is crawling with all sorts of entities, from wildlife such as rats and spiders to corrupted humans to undead and demonic beasts (there will be huge amounts of new enemies from a variety of sources, and the bosses are somewhat different to normal). There is also a dynamic gameplay element, which ensures that no two games are identical.
Artifacts: Some Hexen items have been removed, some new ones added and a magic system comprising of scrolls (one-time cast) and magic points (needed to power the casts) gives the player a variety of spells to use - for protection and utility as well as destruction.
Weapons: The player now has 7 weapons at his/her disposal, with 2 new mana types. The first 4 are the same as always (except the mage who gets a wooden staff instead of a sapphire wand) but some with altered mana costs, the 5th will use yellow mana, the 6th will use red mana and the 7th is a 3-parter that will use both red and yellow.
Music: 2 full mod soundtracks, the 1st is demoscene-based (a la Unreal) and the 2nd is fantasy/orchestral-based.
Roleplay: There are 5 attributes covering various abilities, each one can be improved over time by spending skill points which are awarded every time you gain a level. An interactive menu handles this, and as you might expect there are various strategies you can play and various ways to spec your character. There is also a monetary system, where gold drops from various enemies and items can be bought/sold at specific places.
Standalone mod description:
The RPG mod is the standalone version of the RPG system and other game mechanics (the main difference being how the shops are handled, everything else is more-or-less the same). Designed to run with the Hexen IWAD and Deathkings, plus any large custom mapset that doesn't have new game mechanics of it's own. (weapons/monsters/items etc.)
The weapons mod is the standalone version of the classes and their weapons (minus any special features), with everything reverted to vanilla Hexen standards (the new classes have been scaled up/down to fit in with the original ones). Designed to run with the Hexen IWAD and Deathkings, plus any custom map that doesn't have new game mechanics of it's own. (weapons/monsters/items etc.)
Read the text file - I cannot stress how important this is...I know it's uncommon to require it, but if you don't read it you won't have a clue what's happening when you start, or what anything does etc.
This mod is loooooong - in fact it could be one of the longest ever...make sure you set aside plenty of time to play. It's also not really possible to get an overall impression from just the first few maps, it's more of a long-term thing in that respect. (as it is with any classic RPG that influenced this mod)
This is not a classic-style mod - it has a world, a story, and the first 2 maps in particular are designed to set the scene etc. so don't worry about them. The gameplay is a bit different too...weapons, keys & puzzle items have to be found, rather than just being put in front of you. Features such as jumping, crouching and even trading will be required to progress, along with the occasional puzzle (both traditional keys/items and completely new ones). There are help features available if you get stuck, but try not to use them before that point.
This is not designed to be played with external mods - there are lots of new weapons, items, monsters etc. plus the RPG system...all of which are designed to play without anything else loaded.
Hard skill is not the benchmark - Normal skill is the one aimed at first-timers, Hard assumes that you know what you're doing (in terms of the mod's features, strategies etc.) and Heroic is for experts only!
Last edited by The Ultimate DooMer on Sat Oct 07, 2017 7:08 pm, edited 179 times in total.
Very interesting so far, though some areas might need additional work (yes, the old "Needs more Detail (tm)"), especially the buildings in the last shot, the repeating CTYSTUC pattern looks a bit ugly.
Only real complaint I have visually is that the tops of the mountain-y regions all cut off at the same spot -- i.e. it's all the same height. Breaking it up with some height variation would greatly improve the look and feel.
Though, admittedly, as long as it plays well, the sensible ones are not likely to hate it. ;P
Update as of 16 Sep:
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Number of attributes increased to five.
Exp/Levelling curve adjusted as a result.
Two new items in, replacing two others.
Weather effects added to some maps.
Map 25 is mostly complete, save for epic boss encounter.
I thought it was going to be a kick ass mod, but these shots needs more detail. And the fact that the monsters come from "a variety of sources" drops my hopes, I was expecting actually new monsters
5th shot not detailed enough? (that's a complex 3D floor structure inspired by a real-world place)
new graphics
True, the only sprites I've made are small ones for items etc. (and usually based off something else) but you'll meet plenty of monsters with behaviour you've not seen, even if the sprites came from elsewhere.
Update as of 23 Oct:
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Another map completed, just 4 remain unfinished now.
Initial balancing of all weapons, spells, items, hazards and monsters complete.
I'm aiming to have the first beta ready in a few week's time for testing.
(that's a complex 3D floor structure inspired by a real-world place)
