ShadowCaster in ZDoom?

dennisj1 · Post by **dennisj1** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 6:42 pm

I read playing "ShadowCaster" (old Raven game) was possible in ZDoom. Can anyone tell me how? ShadowCaster doesn't use .WAD files, through it's (apparently) based on an (alpha?) version fo the Doom engine.

GeeDougg · Post by **GeeDougg** » Mon Feb 14, 2005 7:07 pm

Nope. Sorry, but ShadowCaster actually used an "Advanced", modified version of the Wolfenstein-3D engine. ZDooM won't be supporting that (and even if it happens one day, that won't be for a VERY long time)....

The whole iD FPS engine history thing is a bit tricky.... After Wolf-3D, iD made the Doom engine, but they actually partially converted the Wolf 3D engine to 32-bit (Wolf is 16-bit) and used that as the starting base for the Alpha Doom engine. Around the same time they were doing this, Raven licensed a slightly Enhanced Spear-Of-Destiny (Wolf 3D Episode 2) engine to make ShadowCaster. But I haven't found any evidence yet that would suggest that soem early Doom engine work actually made it to the engine that was licensed for ShadowCaster.

Killo Zapit · Post by **Killo Zapit** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 1:11 am

I heard the ShadowCaster engine was based on an early Doom alpha, but I am not sure. However the scaling looks a lot more Doom-like then Wolf3D-like. If it reminds me of anything it is the ROTT engine, which was based on Wolf3D but apparently uses scaling code from Doom.

Also, as an aside, I think ShadowCaster is more fun and better looking then Heretic or Hexen.

GeeDougg · Post by **GeeDougg** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 1:25 am

More fun? That depends on your taste. Better looking? No.

And BTW I read semi-official documentation from ShadowCaster that said it uses an enhanced Wolf-3D engine, the predecessor to the Doom engine.... I wouldn't be surprised if they added their own code and modified stuff though....

Post by **TheDarkArchon** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 4:48 pm

ShadowCaster was based off Doom: One of the old alpha versions.

Darkmoumoute · Post by **Darkmoumoute** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 4:51 pm

Do you have some screens of this game?

GeeDougg · Post by **GeeDougg** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 5:20 pm

Darkmoumoute: Here's one:

.

And you can go to http://pc.mobygames.com/game/shots/gameId,550/ for more shots....

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TDA: No it didn't. Read the following:

Quote from LooneyGames.com: "Shadowcaster used an early, pre-Doom id engine."

More from LooneyGames.com: "During Shadowcaster's development, id began work on the game that would change everything: Doom. Since they already had a solid relationship, Raven was asked to be one of the two companies who would work on Doom engine titles (the other one was Rogue, who used it to create Strife). Raven agreed, and Heretic was born."

Quote from wiki.quakesrc.org: "[About RavenSoft: ] Licensee of id Software's engine technology since the development of its Shadowcaster game in 1992. Licensed id Software engine technologies ever since:
- Shadowcaster (1992-1993, Wolfenstein 3-D successor/DOOM predecessor engine)
- Heretic (1994, DOOM engine)
- Hexen (1995, DOOM engine)
- Hexen II (1997, Quake engine)
- Heretic II (1998, Quake II engine)
- Soldier of Fortune (2000, Quake II engine)
- Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force (2000 Quake III engine)
- Star Wars Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast (2002, Quake III engine)
- Soldier of Fortune II (2002, Quake III engine)
- Star Wars Jedi Knight 3: Jedi Academy (2003, Quake III engine)
- Quake IV (unreleased, DOOM 3 engine)

Also, go to http://www.ravensoft.com/shadow.html, the official developer website for the game, and read the 2nd paragraph that says: "Raven Software partnered with Id Software and Origin for the first time and began production of ShadowCaster in 1992. The game utilized a hybrid game engine that was created by Id Software's John Carmack as a successor of the Wolfenstein 3-D technology and the predecessor of the DooM engine. "

As I said before (I read this somewhere a while ago), iD needed to make a new, better engine after Wolf 3D, so they took the engine from Spear Of Destiny (the same Wolf3D engine, ever-so-slightly modified) and rewrote it to add new features. One of the first things they did was convert the base engine to 32-bit (Wolf3D is 16-bit), and while in the process of doing so, they added more and more features that would later make it to the Doom engine.... But before it could turn into the Alpha Doom engine, while in it's "hybrid" state, RavenSoft Team 2 licensed and modified the engien for ShadowCaster....

leileilol · Post by **leileilol** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 6:23 pm

Haha, look at the gargs raping that guy on the wall

GeeDougg · Post by **GeeDougg** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 6:29 pm

Ugh.... Somehow I knew posting a ShadowCaster was gonna get me a weird response. But even I wasn't expecting THAT....

AFADoomer · Post by **AFADoomer** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 6:34 pm

Anybody know of a tool that can rip resources from ShadowCaster?

PlzDieKthx · Post by **PlzDieKthx** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 6:46 pm

CheapAlert wrote:Haha, look at the gargs raping that guy on the wall

TO THE PLANETGARGOYLEMOBILE

GeeDougg · Post by **GeeDougg** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 7:29 pm

AFADoomer: According to a site I visited, there's a ShadowCaster IRC channel on FEFnet called #Shadow; you might wanna ask there.... Though I have no idea what FEFnet is....

Here's a program to edit several things in the ShadowCaster savegame files, like giving yourself all 6 meta forms instantly, and upping your values to near invulnerability....

There's also a UGE (Universal Game Editor) module for ShadowCaster by the name "shadcmdl.zip" but I couldn't find it....

Post by **NiGHTMARE** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 8:28 pm

Just to confuse things further: from the look of it, their partnership with Origin caused some Ultima Underworld code (or at the very least, UW interface elements) to be added to the mix...

GeeDougg · Post by **GeeDougg** » Tue Feb 15, 2005 9:42 pm

Perhaps. And among other things, there are elements and pieces of code that have actually been confirmed to have made it into the game Cyclones.... Man the engine business is so screwy....

leileilol · Post by **leileilol** » Wed Feb 16, 2005 1:24 pm

PlzDieKthx wrote:
CheapAlert wrote:Haha, look at the gargs raping that guy on the wall
TO THE PLANETGARGOYLEMOBILE

Damn that guy looks like Kevin Sorbo too