Ashes Afterglow TC - closing the vault

[Kaspc0rp]

Hello! First, greetings for the astonising work. I didn't fell so absorbed in a game, (not mod, GAME) in quite some time. This looks and feels like a true love letter to so many post-apocalipic storys and I'm loving every second of it. Also special mention to the level desing, godamn genious. With such talent I can't be more excited for the rest of it.
Now, the begging for help:

---

What I supose to do to investigate the source of the infection for the Roamers Lider? I got his quest after completing the Biodome, trade the spores whit the medic on Prosperity and give the Seed to the Baron. Also clearing everything in the pipeworks. Can't I side whit the Roamers after all this? Or I need to go again to Biodome to triger something?

Thank you in advance and keep the good work!

[Vostyok]

---

So I'm seeing Doom mancubae everywhere, oftentimes stuck in their surroundings. Are they supposed to actually be there, or is it some monster replacement bug?

Sorry, I didn't see your message from before. The sheer number of new or recently verified messages are making this thread very hard to follow. I apologise to any mods who are also trying to keep track of this thread.

Check error messages on start by opening the console on the main menu. If you are getting zsc errors for things like "manslayer" and other things, it is likely your source port is out of date. Please let me know if this solves the issue - zscript actors not supported by your source port simply will not appear, and the Mancubus replacement is one of them.

EDIT: It occurs to me that some of you are missing the main entrance to the Junkyard, which is near the bridge to the top right of the map, past the abandoned gas station. I will add some more direction signs, as going in through the tunnels is guaranteed to net you a frostier reception than you would normally receive. Mostly involving gunfire.

[Ihavequestions]

---

I think you'll find out later that The Junkyard is not in fact a secret level. Yes, there's only 2 secret maps.

---

Not quite. You can only enter the actual yard (behind the walls) via a secret exit somewhere else. Perhaps it's not a separate map (really not sure right now), but it sure works like one.

Check error messages on start by opening the console on the main menu. If you are getting zsc errors for things like "manslayer" and other things, it is likely your source port is out of date. Please let me know if this solves the issue - zscript actors not supported by your source port simply will not appear, and the Mancubus replacement is one of them.

Oh snap! I only now notice I was playing 4.6.1 instead of 4.7.1. Argh! That explains a few things.

[ZikShadow]

---

You can enter the Junkyard through multiple routes because the whole Roamers vs Prosperity thing is a problem with a multiple approach solution. I won't spoil more since you clearly haven't gotten that far yet.

[Rex705]

Ashes 2063 is super fun I love it! I have been playing the series from the start with the remastered edition. It has been a wild ride so far and I can't wait to get to Afterglow after Dead man walking.

Here is my Ashes 2063 playlist. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLr0k ... c_dVdSsK4a

My 2 cents about the lantern it's a bit of a pain to use. It looks really cool and gives a nice glow but you can only hold it with one-handed guns witch makes sense but when you need more firepower you are in the dark. So combat with the lantern is a pain not being able to use bigger weapons and dropping it every time to reload. I started using Dark Doomz flashlight instead. Other than that everything is pretty solid and fun.

[EddieNahui]

Woo, so many questions!

On subject of hidden endings - I'd like to do this but it has been a pain to rig up the endings as it is. I am adding a few new endings to the next release hopefully that should be fun.

Thank you once again for all the responses. It has been very helpful. Note that the upcoming V1.05 WILL ALMOST DEFINITELY break your save. This is completely unavoidable as Gzdoom will not accept a save loaded from a map which has been modified - probably for the better when complex scripts are involved. Nor will it accept a save where ACS or other internal script lists differ in size from the original. As much as we have tried to avoid this, the complex nature of the mod means that there is no getting around it. Future updates that replace minor things such as textures, sounds or monster/weapon behavior should be fine however. Always back up your previous version and saves before downloading.

Nice i look forward to it thanks for the hard work fella

[Vostyok]

@Kasprc0rp - there are 5 potential spores you can find in dome, you only need 1 to progress the quest. If you have sold them all, open console and type 'give questspores'. I'm currently fixing this quest with alternate solutions.

@Rex705 I have actually been discretely watching your playthrough and it has been quite interesting. Especially that gorgeous shader. Thinking of giving the Mac10 lantern usage, but tbh, I try not to drop you in the dark with the worst stuff if I can help it.

[Shatter-Thought[V-4]]

I had enjoyed this TC tremendously and played it for hours, loving every moment! Great design for the monsters, and great new monsters besides, along with some of the coolest maps I have seen.

Love the secrets, I love the grounded style in which they are put in, and I love the story very much. I hunger for more about what has been teased by a certain "cold" character at the end.

I adore the music, carrying the same awesome style as before and well made. The music for the very last boss is a little mixed for me, VERY intense and well orchestrated, but the alien-sci-fi high pitched whining throws me off slightly, although thematically it kind of fits, it feels a little jarring, may just be me though.

I think my only real trouble was with the last stretch of the game, but I will avoid spoilers and message you directly with my thoughts on that.

Otherwise, it's been an awesome ride! Thank you very much for such a fine piece of work!

[lumbo7332]

Sorry, I didn't see your message from before. The sheer number of new or recently verified messages are making this thread very hard to follow. I apologise to any mods who are also trying to keep track of this thread.

Maybe you could put Ashes: Afterglow up on GitHub so you could use their issue tracker? It would be much easier than following all these comments.

[Ihavequestions]

---

You can enter the Junkyard through multiple routes because the whole Roamers vs Prosperity thing is a problem with a multiple approach solution. I won't spoil more since you clearly haven't gotten that far yet.

Interesting. Yeah, you can play the whole Badlands part in several different ways, it seems. I will have to replay it, anyway, since I've never managed to visit the dome (and probably some other places) on this first playthrough. And I'd love to try a different approach with the Roamers.

[Captain J]

---

Well so i manage to almost, again, ALMOST marathon the game because the finale was not the same for some reason. I will explain why:

- The Final Boss somewhat glitches now after she's down and trying to crush my head. I'm positive this never happened in previous playthrough but after she told me everything, about to crush me, i shot her in the head and the whole screen turned into red. I assumed my Junker Musket's charged shot took her to XDeath state or something so i killed her without using it. But the effect was still there. Thankfully if you kill her before the dialogue then it's all safe until...

- After all that, Athena launches Nukes to a safe spot but still you have to get inside of the bunker or else you get nuked to the core. Now, the thing is that i did arrive to the bunker that i suppose to enter. Opened the door, went inside, pressed the yellow button but for some reason it displayed flashing red error text(i mean the texture) and didn't close the door. The game is now locked into bad ending and it... Hurts my soul.

Sure, i did skip dialogues fast but it never ruined the script until this part arrived. I'm really, super really sure the door required no specific stuff and it closed just fine in previous run. Or maybe i forgot something? What did i miss??

EDIT: Okay. Yeah. You've got to have faith in Athena WITHIN The Star-Spangled Banner plays outside. You have to hurry up and press the bunker button or you fail. That's some suspenseful and impressive work you got there but yeah, if people makes it to the bunker while the music nearly ends, they'll more likely point out that the game's softlocked, or is this the actual end. Silly Athena.

- I also beat the Secret Submarine level and got the Titan Stim, a stable version of the one i got in The Gap. But i wanna be honest, it's not really worth the effort except the visual effect is quite a sight. It does protect you greatly, but it stays short and that's just about it. Simply a protection. Berserk Stim does tremendous job rising up the firepower already, though.

- Shielded Cannibals do die on fully charged musket slug like you mentioned before, but the shield 80% protects the owner and let them live long enough to hurt my butt on a Motorcycle.

- It happened in mid part of the game, but Porcelain has some issues: When the enemy gets close to her, the firing sound plays before she fires her shotgun and her pain state sprite is quite different than existing one.

Plus i somehow got into a fight with her when i was about to leave Terminus, but she played no firing sound effect and gave me no damage.

[blakecasimir]

Just reached the Gardens for the first time. Amazed at the "vista" (how was that ceiling done???), but disappointed that - on skill 4 - there are not a huge bunch of blowbrains rushing at me. Add more enemies, Vostyok!

[Ihavequestions]

---

Has the final boss random second states? One time, she split into three, the other time, she remained one.

Also, regarding the final bossfight music, while in itself perfectly arranged and very fitting for a bossfight, I don't think it fits the game's 80s style. I'd love to hear more Carpenter, less Michael Bay. A pounding bassline, some cold synthesis, and a 'tubed' guitar.

[Zemakat]

I can see the effort put in! Amazing TC, and one I believe will be memorable in the Doom fandom for years.

I like the enemy roster's usage and functionality, especially with them designed in regards to the original Doom monster roles. I like executions where something big is done within a limitation!

I also enjoyed the larger amounts of content, which had me feeling as though the scavenger had gone farther in the world than before (2063 with Doom-esque gameplay and simpler conversations/Afterglow with upgrades and larger plot elements).

---

I ran off upon hearing the additional set of footsteps at The Array (I think that was the area). Whoever in the team had that idea, I loved that sequence!

[Shadefyre]

Having made it out of The City, I now find myself in need of another hint drop because I don't want to leave the area I'm in until I snag a few of the secrets.

---

So, I've cleared nearly all the enemies from The Rink, explored every vent and door I could open, opened both exits, and found the Gold and Blue keys. Despite this, I'm somehow still at 3/8 secrets and can't seem to find the Bronze key or anywhere else to try and reach.