HeXerci--HALT, TRAVELER

[Woolie Wool]

That's an incredibly good question.

Short answer: I intend this release to be the absolute last, so it probably won't happen.

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I suppose I tried to keep some measure of authenticity going on, hence my holding back on fancier stuff. It's a bit of a slippery slope for me because once things like scaling are in there, all the fancy ZDoom effects are established as fair game and I get compelled to add all sorts of stuff. Then it sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the rest of the game, but I'm far too proud of it to let go, so I replace more and more stuff to fit the new standard and before I know it, the whole mod gets bloated with massive amounts of redundant crap that doesn't even look that great anyway. It's a trap I fell into with Doom It Again.

Well, the Slaughtaurs being everywhere really annoys me and messes with the balance of some areas (sometimes it's just plain unfair when you're swarmed by projectile enemies that were intended to be melee-only). How about replacing them with another Raven or Raven-style enemy, like Sabreclaws or KDIZD Satyrs? Especially the Sabreclaws since the same artists made it and the style is exactly the same as the Hexen monsters. Also could you please reupload that Doom it Again mod?

Now this makes me feel like doing my own Hexen weapons mod, but I don't know if Hexen would even allow me to do some of the things I want (like having four mana types and replacing two of the ultimate weapon segments with new weapons that use red and yellow mana).

[Lioyd_Irving]

Well, the Slaughtaurs being everywhere really annoys me and messes with the balance of some areas (sometimes it's just plain unfair when you're swarmed by projectile enemies that were intended to be melee-only). How about replacing them with another Raven or Raven-style enemy, like Sabreclaws or KDIZD Satyrs? Especially the Sabreclaws since the same artists made it and the style is exactly the same as the Hexen monsters. Also could you please reupload that Doom it Again mod?

Behold its bloated glory!

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BE A MAN.

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You can take it! You're mobile enough to dodge them as they come, robust enough that a couple in the face isn't too much to worry about and if all else fails...

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PUNCH THEM TO DEATH. Literally. you can actually deflect projectiles mid-flight by punching them.

Now this makes me feel like doing my own Hexen weapons mod, but I don't know if Hexen would even allow me to do some of the things I want (like having four mana types and replacing two of the ultimate weapon segments with new weapons that use red and yellow mana).

That's easy. The trouble is getting them to show up on the HUD...

[The Zombie Killer]

I found a crash bug

Use the alt-fire with the green-bolt shooter thing whilst aiming at AND underneath the bell in the tower in the first level, the game will then crash, not exactly a problem for the first level, since you will only obtain that weapon at that time with a cheat, but it may be a problem in later levels.

-MBF

[Woolie Wool]

That's easy. The trouble is getting them to show up on the HUD...

The whole HUD would have to be rewritten anyway.

Also, that's bloated? Mutiny is 21.5 MB!

[Kate]

There's just two issues I'd like to see addressed, and that's the fact that the Arc of Death's alt-fire always generates the same spark puff regardless of whether it hits an enemy or not, so you literally can't tell if you're actually damaging an enemy or not. In addition, it only plays the attack sound once and then goes completely silent, which seems outright awkward when you're spewing lightning everywhere.

[Lioyd_Irving]

I got me no excuse outta that one.

[ChronoSeth]

There are a lot of good ideas in this, but there are a few things that bother me:

• Timon's Axe uses ammo when you miss. Same goes for the quietus's primary attack.
• There isn't really ever any reason to use Timon's Axe over the gauntlets. One powered strike does just as much damage as an alt-attack punch, but it requires mana (and a lot of it, to boot).
• None of the weapons seem to work with infinite ammo. Not really important for normal play, but it implies questionable code...
• The Serpent Staff's alternate attack is very hard to use without harming yourself, and doesn't really do enough damage (or absorb enough life) to warrant the risk.
• It doesn't really make sense to only regenerate mana when the weapon using it is equipped.

[Ethril]

[*]There isn't really ever any reason to use Timon's Axe over the gauntlets. One powered strike does just as much damage as an alt-attack punch, but it requires mana (and a lot of it, to boot).

The primary advantage of Timon's Axe over the gauntlets is speed. It always was, even in vanilla... although I think it also had a longer range in vanilla.
You can quickly mow down mobs of Ettins by alternating primary and secondary attacks. It's noticeably faster than just altpunching, meaning it has a higher DPS (or at least seems to) and has a better chance of keeping things pain-locked.

[*]It doesn't really make sense to only regenerate mana when the weapon using it is equipped.

I think it's like that so you can't just run around with the Bloodscourge all the time.

[Lioyd_Irving]

All duly noted. Next build will be out shortly. (Peh, who am I kidding? It'll be out when I feel like it.)

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• Better feedback on the Arc's secondary.
• Axe hits on walls no longer consume mana.
• Serpent Staff's alt no longer railroads you into damage unless you hold it down.
• Infinite ammo works correctly. (I suppose it's as good a time as any to point out that I didn't know about TIF_NOTAKEINFINITE until the last couple days...)

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Mana regen, maybe. I'd have to make sure it doesn't happen until you possess the relevant weapon. I've yet to figure out a solution that doesn't involve ACS. It's the reason why the build isn't already out yet.

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• Timon's Axe. Ethril beat me to it -- speed is the Axe's thing, in opposition to the Hammer's raw offensive power.
• Quietus. It's not so much a melee attack as it is a directed explosion. I built it so that making the most out of one's mana is precisely the key to using it well.
• Serpent Staff's alt damage. I consider this a tradeoff between ammo efficiency and free health. I might "bulletize" and de-randomize it, though.

[Kate]

I intended to respond to this but forgot to.

Mana regen, maybe. I'd have to make sure it doesn't happen until you possess the relevant weapon. I've yet to figure out a solution that doesn't involve ACS. It's the reason why the build isn't already out yet.

Unfortunately it's impossible without, say, modifying every single weapon's ready states to do the mana check with A_JumpIfInventory. In this case, ACS would actually be the easier and quicker solution, since it's literally only a few lines:

Code: Select all

#library "HexZilla"
#include "zcommon.acs"

Script "ManaRegen" ENTER
{
    if (CheckInventory ("frost shards")) GiveInventory ("mana1", 1);
    if (CheckInventory ("arc of death")) GiveInventory ("mana2", 1);
    delay (25);
    restart;
}

and thus would be able to keep the checks out of the weapon code entirely.

[Xaser]

Another nice thing (from a player's perspective) about doing it ACS-wise is that Mana will continue to regen even while the weapon is being used. Looking back, I kinda wish I did this for Psychic -- it'll be something I'll keep in mind for the future.

[Valherran]

Stumbled upon this while I was looking for Hexen MODs. Are you still working on this?