Phocas Island 2: Re-Phocased. Is it back?

[chopkinsca]

After a bit more testing I might release an Endurance mode teaser. It would only include one map.

[chopkinsca]

I have decided to release a beta version of the project. Endurance mode is complete with only a few minor issues (scores are only from skill 2 with leveling weapons). Adventure mode at the moment isn't complete. While it is possible to finish the adventure, one major boss and the end boss aren't completed yet. Also the ending system hasn't been completed.

I'm doing this because I've been in a major slump the past half year and maybe people commenting on the project will motivate me some.
http://speedy.sh/JxJXY/phocas2RF-Beta2.zip

[Scripten]

Holy crap. I've been waiting to see the new bits of the mod for ages. (Phocas Island 2 is one of my top three favorite mods of all time) Playing now. Will post some more info after a few playthroughs.

[Captain Ventris]

Good to see this is at least still in mind. Can't wait for the finished product!

[Rayd3r]

This is seriously one of the best adventure mods I have ever played. The scenery, the ambiance, the detail... Damn near everything about it is amazing! I played the first non-rephocased version... I had to play it about 6 more times because it's just that good. Now, I've given that beta a try, and I'm even more amazed at what has been done. The amount of work that has gone into all of that must have been immense, but it really pays off. That detail is insane, I don't see a whole hell of a lot of projects with that level of detail. I've only taken a short look at some of the maps however, because I don't want to fully experience the re-worked phocas until it has reached the final version. I really hope you get the motivation to finish this, that would really make my day.

[Scuba Steve]

I once argued that Phocas Island 2 was one of the 10 greatest wads of all time. I still sand by that.

[Red Phazon]

I spent a few hours playing the Endurance mode on my favorite maps (especially Retreat) with various settings. The additional detail added to the maps is amazing. The levelable weapons were fun to use. I do have a few suggestions though, unfortunately about adding more content.

- I think the forest could still feel a bit more 'foresty' if more ground plants were used. Right now there are plenty of flowers and mushrooms, but it might be nice to add some bushes or jungle vines. This would also make the area more difficult to navigate, even though the map itself is by far the most straight forward.
- When playing the Retreat map, everything seemed to mesh together well, but after switching to the forest map (forgot the name) I felt like some of the enemies didn't belong, such as the centaur and the serpent. I sort of remember you talking about not being able to find enemy sprites that fit the theme of the game very well, but with the limited number of enemies there are (at least in endurance mode), I feel like a greater variety may be needed to keep the fights from becoming stale.
- I was thinking about adding a new weapon to increase the variety a little bit, such as a trap that can be laid down for fighting enemies in tight spaces, or a magic item which could also match the theme of the game.

I was also going to comment on the difficultly of endurance mode being too easy, making the round last a bit long, but... it IS endurance mode so, never mind. It is fun as it is.

[chopkinsca]

I spent a few hours playing the Endurance mode on my favorite maps (especially Retreat)

Retreat is one of my least favourite maps for endurance mode (Bosk is the most disliked). I like Gloam and Beached the most. Sanctuary and Hallowed being more action oriented and usually has quicker games.

- I think the forest could still feel a bit more 'foresty' if more ground plants were used. Right now there are plenty of flowers and mushrooms, but it might be nice to add some bushes or jungle vines. This would also make the area more difficult to navigate, even though the map itself is by far the most straight forward.

I was limited by my computer on how I detailed areas such as the forest. Now that I have a better machine, I can add a lot more visual effects as I desire. One idea I got from Gothic 2 was to have the forest ground covered in moving fog.

- I was thinking about adding a new weapon to increase the variety a little bit, such as a trap that can be laid down for fighting enemies in tight spaces, or a magic item which could also match the theme of the game.

Adding a new weapon has been on my mind quite a few times. One idea I had was having the artifacts in endurance/multiplayer mode that did different things. Fire could be used to throw a fireball. The death artifact could summon a spirit to chase enemies (like Hexen's wraithverge). It would be hard to find a use for artifacts like the cylinders though.

I'm always open to ideas, but at the same time, overwhelming feature creep kind of puts me off as in I feel like it's never finished. I've had ideas such as sub-dungeons such as a underground volcano firey theme area.

[Red Phazon]

Retreat is one of my least favourite maps for endurance mode (Bosk is the most disliked). I like Gloam and Beached the most. Sanctuary and Hallowed being more action oriented and usually has quicker games.

I guess Retreat and Bosk are probably the easier maps with easy escape routes. Gloam and Beached both have plenty of passageways. I haven't yet tried Sanctuary yet since I don't want to spoil the new areas.

Adding a new weapon has been on my mind quite a few times. One idea I had was having the artifacts in endurance/multiplayer mode that did different things. Fire could be used to throw a fireball. The death artifact could summon a spirit to chase enemies (like Hexen's wraithverge). It would be hard to find a use for artifacts like the cylinders though.

That sounds very fitting for Phocas Island.

I'm always open to ideas, but at the same time, overwhelming feature creep kind of puts me off as in I feel like it's never finished. I've had ideas such as sub-dungeons such as a underground volcano firey theme area.

Yeah, that's why I was hesitant to make those suggestions. It might be a good idea to finish all the important things first before working on anything new.

Also, while playing on Height at the beach near that statue, I noticed that there was a fish swimming... in the sky. It probably wasn't intended, but actually, it really is something that I wouldn't be too surprised to see on an island like that.

[chopkinsca]

Also, while playing on Height at the beach near that statue, I noticed that there was a fish swimming... in the sky. It probably wasn't intended, but actually, it really is something that I wouldn't be too surprised to see on an island like that.

Lol, yeah, that's a bug I haven't been able to fix. In some instances, something overrides the thrustz downwards when the fish actors are above water. As an easter egg there is a flying snake in one of the maps' skies.

[Take One]

Hey, Chopkinsca, are you still looking for some more music for this? I was experimenting with the style Jute used for Phocas 2 to see if I could just do something really weird and ended up with a test song that you can check out here if you want: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/25144174/Pass.mid. If you want, I could fix up that really random bit in the middle and have a go at writing up a couple more tracks like this. What kind of areas do you want them for? (Or would you rather PM?)

[samtam90]

May someone reupload the unfinished beta? It looks like the dl link is dead.

[Trooper 077]

http://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=28589

Seriously. That thread exists for a reason

[chopkinsca]

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[Scripten]

That appears to be an underwater area. This pleases me a lot.

Glad to see that this is still being worked on. Phocas Island 2 is one of my all time favorite mods.

EDIT: Wow, I sound like a broken record. Hadn't realized that the topic had been dead for quite so long.