Walpurgis 1.0A (For Doom/Heretic/Hexen) [FULL 1.0 Release]

[eharper256]

Don't get me wrong, I love a bit of tech and magic merging. One of my longest running D&D epics (that I GM'ed over 3 campaigns) covered 90 years and the start of industrialisation (with electro-magi powered trains), which I incidentally pulled on to characterise the Crusader's God, and several of the original relics I add in.

Starfinder is one of my favourite Tabletop RPG's to run as well too.

I just don't personally feel that's doing Hexen justice and tech is not likely to come into Walp at all, other than when you play Doom and your character is rationalising the strange forms of sorcery there in the intermissions.

[Irrevenant]

Hi.

On the first post of this topic, I wasn't able to download the Walpurgis patch for Strange Aeons.


EDIT: I think there is a bug when playing Heretic with the Crusader.

When you hit a Ghast with a shield, the Ghast image reverts to a Mummy one.

Whoops. Sorry, I deleted and replaced it because I think I added some bossdeath flags to things. Completely slipped my mind.

Here it is
https://www.mediafire.com/file/1tfbvrrz ... s.pk3/file

[neto592]

Hi.

On the first post of this topic, I wasn't able to download the Walpurgis patch for Strange Aeons.


EDIT: I think there is a bug when playing Heretic with the Crusader.

When you hit a Ghast with a shield, the Ghast image reverts to a Mummy one.

Whoops. Sorry, I deleted and replaced it because I think I added some bossdeath flags to things. Completely slipped my mind.

Here it is
https://www.mediafire.com/file/1tfbvrrz ... s.pk3/file

Thank you, I really like to play Strange Aeons with Walpurgis classes.

[eharper256]

Glad you got that resolved.

[tegarchoff]

I'm sorry Harper, Youtube video compression kills the 'HD' part in the upscale

[youtube]yWW9Ic9w7G4[/youtube]

Also framepacing is really off. I suspect it has to do with motion blur and uneven frames. I play at 144FPS, the video is at 60FPS, so I guess that must be the case. Anyways, my first youtube video, right there.

Only PNGs can do it some justice. It truly looks good.

[url=https://ibb.co/S7rg54r4][img]https://i.ibb.co/h1fNLJfJ/gzdoom-2025-1 ... 46-859.png[/img][/url]
[url=https://ibb.co/Hfz5MTBZ][img]https://i.ibb.co/XrscdxjH/gzdoom-2025-1 ... 37-934.png[/img][/url]

Can I shoot you a PM with links? Or better, Discord chat? I'd like you to take a look at this things before continuing. All Hexen monsters are done, and the Druid and Crusader are completed too. I had to do a Hexen+Heretic upscale to run VoG, as it has some new assets, then re-do some weapons of the Druid and some monsters (the very first ones I did, as I was learning on the job, I discovered better ways to do it). This is my first 'job', and I want to know if I'm doing stuff right. This... has been a learning experience, to say the least

P.S.: As I don't know if my BBcode will work, I'll just put the Youtube video link here just in case:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWW9Ic9w7G4

P.S2.: The minotaurs are quite the story, the upscaler didn't treat the orks nice at all, so I had to look for a replacement that could be upscaled nicely, had a charge attack, and made a projectile thingy for them. The HypnoSatyr variant was something that came to my mind when I checked their sprites, they had 2 sprites to launch a projectile from their shields, I made a third, made the projectile and ending up adding more variety to the fodder category. I gave them a new tan (which did wonders for their vitamin D levels) and now coexist peacefully alongside their non-projectile kin. And, their projectiles invert the movement keys for 2 seconds and can stack up to two times, that's the reason my brain melts whenever I'm hit by them

[eharper256]

Some thoughts as I watched the vid:
>> Makes me screech "Neural Upscale!", can't help myself.
>> It's funny that when these first came in, everyone was quite interested in the tech, but nowadays, AI in general is the devil.
>> Illitheya is now super edgy, duel-wielding by default. Took a level in Rogue to go with her Druid/Hunter setup, I guess.
>> Locusts don't fade out very well when they're upscaled it seems.
>> Dagon's looks absolutely creepy as fuck, the AI made the coral pulse like flesh lol. Probably more like the Cane of the Deep Ones now, mind.
>> Dagon's also makes poor GZDoom lag so much; such is the cost of so much HD I guess.
>> Hebiko is a plastic toy sceptre now, but it did the blinking nice at least.

My take: "absolutely ruined", but I'm cool with it as long you're enjoying yourself.

[Sharazar256]

I knew that I hadn't seen a new project in a while, but I didn't realize that. I've always been a fan of SuperCupcakeTactics work. Mindblood Genessis and Auger: Zenith are personal favorites. I've even thought of revisiting A:Z with Walpurgis' Magister as a "Shadowrun" style playthrough. And thank you for the DoomWorld link. I didn't realize it was there as well.

No problem. Sadly, I don't include a D6 rolling simulator to properly emulate Shadowrun, lol.

But yes, one thing that always kind of surprises me is when people don't want to play fantasy characters in sci-fi settings or techbases. There are many RPG examples of mishmashing the two (the aformentioned Shadowrun, Dragonstar, and my own personal fave, Starfinder). Not to mention the famous 90's CRPG series like Might and Magic and Wizardry that mix both.

A fellow Starfinder fan, that's awesome. I started playing AD&D back in the 2E days, loved 3E/3.5 and when Pathfinder released I moved to it and Starfinder, and have loved every minute of it. I'm excited to see what they do with 2E. Sorry for the delayed reply. Between IRL stuff and falling into the rabbit hole of No Man's Sky for the first time I haven't been on here in a while. Now I'm thinking of playing through the new Heretic/Hexen content with Walpurgis. Have you done that yet? Any issues that you may have heard of? Also, on the topic of ttrpg's and the mixing of tech and magic, ever try Monte Cook's Numenera, or the other Cypher System games like Godforsaken, The Stars are Fire, or Rust and Redemption?

[eharper256]

I knew that I hadn't seen a new project in a while, but I didn't realize that. I've always been a fan of SuperCupcakeTactics work. Mindblood Genessis and Auger: Zenith are personal favorites. I've even thought of revisiting A:Z with Walpurgis' Magister as a "Shadowrun" style playthrough. And thank you for the DoomWorld link. I didn't realize it was there as well.

No problem. Sadly, I don't include a D6 rolling simulator to properly emulate Shadowrun, lol.

But yes, one thing that always kind of surprises me is when people don't want to play fantasy characters in sci-fi settings or techbases. There are many RPG examples of mishmashing the two (the aformentioned Shadowrun, Dragonstar, and my own personal fave, Starfinder). Not to mention the famous 90's CRPG series like Might and Magic and Wizardry that mix both.

A fellow Starfinder fan, that's awesome. I started playing AD&D back in the 2E days, loved 3E/3.5 and when Pathfinder released I moved to it and Starfinder, and have loved every minute of it. I'm excited to see what they do with 2E. Sorry for the delayed reply. Between IRL stuff and falling into the rabbit hole of No Man's Sky for the first time I haven't been on here in a while. Now I'm thinking of playing through the new Heretic/Hexen content with Walpurgis. Have you done that yet? Any issues that you may have heard of? Also, on the topic of ttrpg's and the mixing of tech and magic, ever try Monte Cook's Numenera, or the other Cypher System games like Godforsaken, The Stars are Fire, or Rust and Redemption?

There are several instances of oddness last time I played the new content, not sure if they've been settled yet (due to fact its not made for GZDoom, so if you pop the levels over, they have a few curiosities).

I'm not actually a fan of the new episode personally. It's okay, but somehow... I dunno... it's defo not the original, but more contemporary inspired. A bit like Sigil is the same for Doom.

Not really managed to play much other sci-fi TTRPG (I did three campaigns of 4th Ed D&D, some 5 Rings, Aniventure etc.). My old group liked Starfinder for a short while, so I GM'ed SF. Unfortunately, then that long running group was decimated by Covid. Which was incidentally why I ended with lots of excess time, and Walp got started, back in early 2020.

I have a cool Starfinder setting which has sadly never gotten to be used properly since~ I tried an online game a couple of times, but it's always been a catastrophic failure, along with trying to reassemble a new group, so I took it as a sign it was time to retire from GM'ing after 15 years of it. Whilst I have nominal interest in 2E, not a fan of some of the changes so waiting in the wings on it right now. Old curmudgeon and all that lol.

[JumbleMaster]

Not sure if somebody else mentioned this and this is probably just me underutilizing its potential, but I've noticed lack of ranged options when it comes crusader starter mace even when upgraded, and this issue gets very apparent in Doom maps where they put enemies on high ledges or even too dangerous to get in within melee range (That, or some map creator expects you to use the pistol throughout the entire level with no shotguns placement in sight.), even someone like Myrmidon, that's mostly melee focused have ranged attacks like the Pilum once you upgraded it, along with his chains. Maybe give the crusader some kind of crossbow or his shield being able to fire projectile like slaughtaurs would've been nice.

On the side note, since this mod is partially inspired from Hexarcana, would've been cool if you make Magister when switching spells, his hands does a little animation in seamless transition similar to one from Hexarcana.

[eharper256]

Not sure if somebody else mentioned this and this is probably just me underutilizing its potential, but I've noticed lack of ranged options when it comes crusader starter mace even when upgraded, and this issue gets very apparent in Doom maps where they put enemies on high ledges or even too dangerous to get in within melee range (That, or some map creator expects you to use the pistol throughout the entire level with no shotguns placement in sight.), even someone like Myrmidon, that's mostly melee focused have ranged attacks like the Pilum once you upgraded it, along with his chains. Maybe give the crusader some kind of crossbow or his shield being able to fire projectile like slaughtaurs would've been nice.

On the side note, since this mod is partially inspired from Hexarcana, would've been cool if you make Magister when switching spells, his hands does a little animation in seamless transition similar to one from Hexarcana.

Worst case scenario, you can sit and try reflecting projectiles back at enemies with the shield, assuming you can't even get any flechettes on the map (don't forget your flechettes and discs of repulsion!). Yes, you can reflect projectiles by shield bashing them. The window is around 9 frames, so it's tight, but it's doable. If you upgrade, it's also a perfect reversed reflection in the same direction.

But yes, the Crusader was not made to excel at pistol challenge maps. This is just mirroring baseline Hexen, really, where Cleric has by far the weakest start. Personally, if I had to play such a map, I wouldn't be hesitating to use a quick "spawn Lightbringer"; that pistol ammo will still be aether mana for you to use, after all. The compensation you do get for upgrading the Mace & Shield is already pretty good (the charge is pretty strong, as is the smiting mace smack) so I don't intend to change that, and beyond that niche category of pistol maps, the Crusader is by far the most versatile in a given situation with access to his full kit.

It's inspired by 1.1 HexArcana, a now very old version from around 2019, so I've not really monitored anything 4page did since then, and Walp turned into something entirely different, of course. I expect what you're asking is possible, but a massive faff for me, making animations (that would like 20 different transitions with like minimum 7 frames of animation a piece, not exactly a trivial project). It's just much easier to use the standard dip off screen, sadly.

[eharper256]

Merry Xmas everyone!

Where did 2025 go? Nobody knows. Nevertheless, I wish you all festive greetings and a happy new year.

[neto592]

Not sure if somebody else mentioned this and this is probably just me underutilizing its potential, but I've noticed lack of ranged options when it comes crusader starter mace even when upgraded, and this issue gets very apparent in Doom maps where they put enemies on high ledges or even too dangerous to get in within melee range (That, or some map creator expects you to use the pistol throughout the entire level with no shotguns placement in sight.), even someone like Myrmidon, that's mostly melee focused have ranged attacks like the Pilum once you upgraded it, along with his chains. Maybe give the crusader some kind of crossbow or his shield being able to fire projectile like slaughtaurs would've been nice.

On the side note, since this mod is partially inspired from Hexarcana, would've been cool if you make Magister when switching spells, his hands does a little animation in seamless transition similar to one from Hexarcana.

Worst case scenario, you can sit and try reflecting projectiles back at enemies with the shield, assuming you can't even get any flechettes on the map (don't forget your flechettes and discs of repulsion!). Yes, you can reflect projectiles by shield bashing them. The window is around 9 frames, so it's tight, but it's doable. If you upgrade, it's also a perfect reversed reflection in the same direction.

But yes, the Crusader was not made to excel at pistol challenge maps. This is just mirroring baseline Hexen, really, where Cleric has by far the weakest start. Personally, if I had to play such a map, I wouldn't be hesitating to use a quick "spawn Lightbringer"; that pistol ammo will still be aether mana for you to use, after all. The compensation you do get for upgrading the Mace & Shield is already pretty good (the charge is pretty strong, as is the smiting mace smack) so I don't intend to change that, and beyond that niche category of pistol maps, the Crusader is by far the most versatile in a given situation with access to his full kit.
(...)

Could you at least make the charge wait time shorter then, so the crusader wouldn't almost always receive damage when using it?

I even in the favor of diminish charge overall damage in exchange for speed so it could be used more on hard difficult game hit-and-run strife situations without almost always getting shoot in the process.

Also, I am not against on nerfing all no-melee crusader weapons in exchange for Crusader having a better shield. After all, the shield is present on most Crusader weapons, but in practice (at least for me) the shield is basically a decoration for him to look cool.

[eharper256]

Could you at least make the charge wait time shorter then, so the crusader wouldn't almost always receive damage when using it?

I even in the favor of diminish charge overall damage in exchange for speed so it could be used more on hard difficult game hit-and-run strife situations without almost always getting shoot in the process.

Also, I am not against on nerfing all no-melee crusader weapons in exchange for Crusader having a better shield. After all, the shield is present on most Crusader weapons, but in practice (at least for me) the shield is basically a decoration for him to look cool.

There isn't like a cooldown, though. Basically just a couple of recovery frames.

It's actually already as fast as it can be due to the weird velocity insta-death thing in Hexen (if he goes faster than a certain speed, he will gib himself on impact).

I wouldn't nerf the non-melee weapons. Crusader is all about being to versatilely switch between good melee AND ranged options. This would skew it towards melee. In fact, all the melee has ranged options except the mace, so this would be a huge nerf. The shield is a bit decorative, yes, its mostly there to remind you of the optimal range to fight as the crusader in melee (i.e. not in the enemies face) since it will auto-bash and stun enemies into that distance for you.