[RELEASE]The Nadir - a Hexen project

[Virtue]

you may want to look here: http://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?f= ... 6&p=495990 for a totally updated Lavademon that has a new meltingdeath and fixed stuff.

[Gez]

By the way, there are warning messages in the log:

Code: Select all

LoadActors: Load actor definitions.
Script warning, "" line 0:
Icon 'AMC20' for 'CrossbowAmmo2' not found

Tried to register class 'StaffPuff2' more than once.
Script warning, "nadir.zip:nadir.wad:DECORATE" line 1428:
Unknown class name 'IceGuyAttack'
Script warning, "nadir.zip:nadir.wad:DECORATE" line 1429:
Unknown class name 'IceGuyAttack'
R_Init: Init Hexen refresh subsystem.
DecalLibrary: Load decals.
Warning: EvilKnight and DragonFamiliar both have doomednum 3106.
M_Init: Init miscellaneous info.

In the version I have now, the flame mask teleporter to MAP02 works only once... I had to cheat myself a new PuzzFlameMask to activate it again, instead of just crossing the line of the pit as before.

MAP02, once you get the steel key and can enter the complex with all the stained glass... The double doors at the end of that entrance can only be activated once, so after they close they remain close if you did not enter, and you're stuck.

You can get to the Underground Barracks from above the 3D floor above the gate... It's a bit weird.

[otsego]

In the version I have now, the flame mask teleporter to MAP02 works only once... I had to cheat myself a new PuzzFlameMask to activate it again, instead of just crossing the line of the pit as before.

MAP02, once you get the steel key and can enter the complex with all the stained glass... The double doors at the end of that entrance can only be activated once, so after they close they remain close if you did not enter, and you're stuck.

You can get to the Underground Barracks from above the 3D floor above the gate... It's a bit weird.

Yeah I'm aware of the warning messages but it does nothing to the game so I've ignored it. I don't know why it's coming up.

As for the puzzle and double door issues - I can't reproduce these and have no idea why you're experiencing them. For the mask it sounds like the level... resets in some way? Once you use the mask the floor and lines are set, should never be any need to re-use them. The set of doors you're talking about is set to close only when you cross a line inside the room you need to go in, and will reopen once you do what you're supposed to do in there. Works fine on my end and for a friend I got to try it out. GZDoom version mismatch or something like that?

The 3d floor teleport was brought to my attention yesterday by the same friend, I'll fix that.

[darkerner]

Well i started the game a nocliped there and it gave me the steel key.

[otsego]

Default range of melee weapon is 64 units. Hence most HeXen weapons have minimal range of 128. If you left default values it have shorter range, which is kinda innaprpriate for staff-like weapon. Its just one parameter in A_CustomPunch function.

Thanks, this was very helpful.

I just uploaded v1.03. Included is an increased staff range (greater than that of typical melee weapons) and a couple of texture fixes. Crossbow strength has also decreased slightly.

The barracks is no longer accessible by passing a line I had hidden by a 3D floor.

Also, a few texture and aesthetic fixes on all maps.

I believe all previous major problems have been dealt with at this point, thanks to everyone for their keen eyes and their help (and patience ).

[Graf Zahl]

Yeah I'm aware of the warning messages but it does nothing to the game so I've ignored it. I don't know why it's coming up.

It's coming up because it points you to things that are wrong in your mod. You should fix them, not ignore them. Otherwise your mod may easily break in the future.

[ETTiNGRiNDER]

Just gave this a try, but had a weird bug that kept me from being able to play it. On the first map, I can get as far as going down the cave passage to look out, and then it lags horribly, to the point of being unplayable. Is it just me? Never had this problem with any other wad.

[otsego]

Just gave this a try, but had a weird bug that kept me from being able to play it. On the first map, I can get as far as going down the cave passage to look out, and then it lags horribly, to the point of being unplayable. Is it just me? Never had this problem with any other wad.

Not heard of this one either. Almost sounds like you're having trouble viewing larger outdoor areas (old PC?)

[ETTiNGRiNDER]

I gave it a try on my (ironically older!) alternate computer just to see if it was a problem with the particular machine, and I got it working fine on that one.

Overall, this was a pretty good effort. Probably not my favorite Hexen .wad that I've ever played, but my favorite out of any of the "modern" ones I've tried (which is not all of them.)

- I liked some of those big epic areas. The titular Nadir map with its volcanic cave areas and the cathedral-ish thing was particularly memorable.
- I thought some of the new monsters were good, others not so much. I liked the death knight, fire gargoyle, lava demon (though I wish his attack made a "shoot fire" sound instead of a "shoot ice" one), and the endboss. I'm kind of ambivalent to the cultist, I think I mainly don't like the sounds he makes. I didn't like the imp warlord (looks too small beside the Hexen monsters, and always found his concept kind of funky, though he fits better in Hexen than in Doom at least), the soldier (rather ugly sprite and the sounds are too signature Quake for me), the ghoul (annoying).
- Speaking of the endboss, he was a pretty cool fight. Though it was kind of annoying to fall off a cliff and die during that battle. Maybe lava would be better.
- The new weapons are hard to say about, they feel kind of overpowered, on the other hand some areas seemed geared towards needing them (the crossbow, anyway, in practice I hardly used the staff except a few times early on, though I was playing as Mage so wanting to avoid melee combat against the nastier new monsters probably played into that, I bet the Cleric would be the class finding it most useful.)
- I only found two pieces of the Bloodscourge, is a piece hidden?
- The first inter-level portal near the bridges in Nadir is kind of annoying, when you arrive on the level through it you have to jump to the bridge, but there's not a lot of space to back up for a running start so it's easy to fall and die or unintentionally return to Mountain Keep. Either connect it to the bridge or give it some of the glitter platforms like the second one, I think.
- The water puzzle was clever; one of the more memorable parts and one of the most nicely done uses of ZDoom mapping stuff in the set.
- I turned the first Death Knight into a pig to bypass him pretty easily. Is he supposed to be vulnerable to that?
- It'd be nice if you put in fixed-for-GZdoom centaur death frames. I'm pretty sure Necrosis has some that can be used.

[otsego]

Ah, finally! Some comments on the work as a whole!

Overall, this was a pretty good effort. Probably not my favorite Hexen .wad that I've ever played, but my favorite out of any of the "modern" ones I've tried (which is not all of them.)

Thanks for the comment. I wasn't going for a masterpiece with my first attempt at a WAD, but it's very nice to know that you enjoyed it!

- Speaking of the endboss, he was a pretty cool fight. Though it was kind of annoying to fall off a cliff and die during that battle. Maybe lava would be better.

You mean have a short pit of lava you can hop out of? The purpose of the big fall is to an extra danger/challenge to be aware of during that fight, but I think the centaurs might have to be replaced with something else, as their shield can make it much more of a pain than a challenge. (yeah, their bolts and reflections have sent me flying once or twice)

- The new weapons are hard to say about, they feel kind of overpowered, on the other hand some areas seemed geared towards needing them (the crossbow, anyway, in practice I hardly used the staff except a few times early on, though I was playing as Mage so wanting to avoid melee combat against the nastier new monsters probably played into that, I bet the Cleric would be the class finding it most useful.)

They certainly can be overpowered in places, but like you said they drop off in a bit of their usefulness later on. To counter-balance that I made the ammo a bit rare (though as I get even more and more familiar with the maps myself, I find myself with a lot of that ammo - might have to cut that down a bit). Yeah there are some areas built where it is 'suggesting' that you use them, but of course, not necessary if you don't want to!

I found the cleric the toughest class and the tightest on mana (mage I think is easiest). These things also provide a 'strategic' way to conserve regular mana if you find yourself running low and don't wanna be stuck with the mace.[/quote]

- I only found two pieces of the Bloodscourge, is a piece hidden?

Nope, if you visited all areas you should have found them. Except the third piece is a bit out of the way.

---

- The first you would find in the barracks level, specifically in the dungeon with all of the cells. There's a switch in there that opens all of the cells and the first piece is directly behind you
- The second is in plain sight when you are just about to meet the second death knight to get the third holy relic
- The third is again in the barracks behind a locked RUSTED KEY door. The key is picked up in the cathedral area, in one of the small rooms you teleport to to open the large room to the mini-boss fight. You end up getting the CASTLE key from that fight, so you might have forgotten about the other key you just received (I have a few times! )

- The first inter-level portal near the bridges in Nadir is kind of annoying, when you arrive on the level through it you have to jump to the bridge, but there's not a lot of space to back up for a running start so it's easy to fall and die or unintentionally return to Mountain Keep.

Yeah I realized that recently when I tried to back up as a mage and went through that portal unintentionally. I'll add a sparkly bridge

- The water puzzle was clever; one of the more memorable parts and one of the most nicely done uses of ZDoom mapping stuff in the set.

Hah, thanks. I felt like I was designing a simple 'Half-Life' puzzle in that area

- I turned the first Death Knight into a pig to bypass him pretty easily. Is he supposed to be vulnerable to that?

Yep, you can easily dispose of him if you've got the items. You can stick it out and fight him in tight quarters with a lot of strafing too (I lowered his hitpoints and damage, he was too tough in stock form but I wanted to keep him to represent a sort of 'captain' of the place).


I didn't know about the centaur death-frames, thanks, I'll go look them up.

Appreciate the comments!

[otsego]

Little bump for an update -
Latest version of the Nadir is now 1.05.

Included in the latest additions and fixes are:
- new mage staff graphics, courtesy of neoworm
- a fix on the final boss that made it too easy for a cleric with Wraithverge (thanks Ghastly_dragon, Xaser)
- a slightly more decorated frontal-end of the keep on map 1
- a few small item placement, decoration and geometry changes on all maps (just minor details)

Enjoy if you haven't tried it out yet! And if you have and want to replay it at any point, you should get this version

[AVGN]

Was brilliant best HeXen experience i've had so far.
Can we expect a sequal.. even to this!? another episode? or the story is done? D: something to bridge the gap between hexen and hexen2 maybe

[otsego]

Was brilliant best HeXen experience i've had so far.
Can we expect a sequal.. even to this!? another episode? or the story is done? D: something to bridge the gap between hexen and hexen2 maybe

Glad you enjoyed it

I have begun mapping a project that I may consider a sequel, but I haven't had much time lately so I'm not sure when or if I'll get at it any time soon.

[AVGN]

Your puzzles are very clever, however I was confused do I allowed to jump and crouch in this wad.. some places it seems I need to crouch or jump some places if I crouch or jump over a door then it's cheating so i'm not sure how to play "properly" help ?

[otsego]

There shouldn't be any areas that you can cheat past by jumping or crouching, the maps are designed to allow these things.

However, if you HAVE found a spot, let me know so I can fix it I haven't heard of any yet.