[Wolfenstein: Blade of Agony] v3.1 released (p204)

[Rachael]

I just noticed that this mod is adding some postprocessing shaders and does not work with GZDoom anymore.

BoA team, this makes me sad! GZDoom's been my sole port of choice for well over a decade and (no offense to QZDoom) I'd like to keep it that way. You can always do an enhanced re-release in the future when this stuff gets into GZDoom; there's no need to chase experimental eye-candy, especially when it's likely to change implementations.

The feature was developed under the specific idea that it may never get merged in. Please don't discourage people like this - the feature was meant to be used, and using QZDoom is a choice. Is it wrong if someone, for example, uses Eternity? That is quite rude of you to step in like this and say "don't". Check the dev blog for further discussion on this.

Strict adherence to your ideas would mean innovation is wrong, it is backwards thinking, and can actually hurt new features from ever being perfected and used and enjoyed by everyone. In the long run, in order for GZDoom to ever adopt it, it HAS to be used in the first place.

[Gez]

Though it can always be placed in a small, separate optional addon to make it easier for the tech-illiterate users to play with GZDoom without breaking compatibility.

[Rachael]

That shouldn't be too hard to help them set up.

[Rachael]

Though it can always be placed in a small, separate optional addon to make it easier for the tech-illiterate users to play with GZDoom without breaking compatibility.

That shouldn't be too hard to help them set up.

Done - or at least, I made it easier.

The GZDoom-specific pk3 will just have "ppshader.txt" be a 0-byte file that can be overridden by a different archive (which would have the full file, for use with QZDoom). I can't imagine it getting any easier than this.

[Korell]

Does this mod not work with GZDoom any longer, then, as Graf said, or am I missing something? Only the official download page says it comes with GZDoom 3.1.

[AFADoomer]

Does this mod not work with GZDoom any longer, then, as Graf said, or am I missing something? Only the official download page says it comes with GZDoom 3.1.

The released version of the mod works fine with GZDoom.

There is one piece of ZScript and a shader definition in the mod's development version right now that causes load errors in GZDoom, but we have a variety of options for fixing/working around that, so it won't be a problem in the long run.

I haven't talked to Torm, but, to my knowledge, GZDoom is, and always has been, the target release engine for BoA - I don't see that changing.

[Nash]

I'd rather the custom PP shaders be kept out of BoA until the feature is actually added into GZDoom. It's just too confusing for end users right now and breaks the user base. Heck I think I'm confused too.

[Scubbo]

It's sweet as it is, no need to change

[yoshi314]

[*]What gameply aspects where frustrating?

- scarce ammo and health where you need it most.
- enemies in stealth mission do not drop ammo/weapons, even if you already have a gun, forcing you to keep playing stealth.
- knife is not very reliable in stealth missions. sometimes it is a instant kill, sometimes it fails completely.
- enemies can notice and melee you through closed doors (mostly spiders/dogs), if you get too close.
- mini bosses are completely unbalanced. some of them can be defeated without a scratch (those doctors/chefs that throw slow projectiles), some a brutally tough (usually the ubersoldats)
- you can destroy a tank with a shotgun in Ep2, where you get ambushed by a lot of tanks by the end of the level.

- the tank at the end of the prison mission in ep1 is really difficult (or i suck). so is the gun defense piece in paris.
- in some missions you get shot at by enemies you cannot see and it's hard to tell where the fire is coming from to hide effectively.


- buying mine detector after first level does nothing. it doesn't work for further missions. maybe it has to be bought again?

What will most likely make you use cheats or the console commands because of that?

some of the above, especially minefields.


ideas for improvements

- mark objectives on the map, like ".... of the wool ball" mods do. maps are huge and in missions where you have to backtrack for extra C4 or other supplies, it's easy to get lost.

[Scubbo]

yargh no need to make it a console fps game IMO

[The Ultimate DooMer]

A lot of people saying there's not enough ammo...curious, as I find there to be too much most of the time (hence why I was able to kill everything in E2's stealth map). Maybe it could be remedied at the shop, by adding ammo items for a small price. (particularly as you'll cap out on max health upgrades in E1, leaving you with a lot to spend and not much to buy)

Health is a bit more of an issue (though not for me) but that could also be remedied at the shop, by altering prices and increasing inventory capacity for health items.

The shop in general needs improving IMO, maybe this is one way to do it.

[Bofubutt]

A bit late, but:

What gameplay aspects did you like?

I really love the action and the variety of missions, enemies, and weapons. There's too much I love about this mod to really say.

What gameplay aspects were frustrating?

In general, I rarely die to enemies shooting me to death. It's always anything that involves an instant-kill trap, or anything involving the fans in air ducts that suck you in if you get too close. Also, certain maps (such as E1M1) have a definite shortage of ammo unless you get lucky with the enemies spawning items when they die. Anything involving rolling boulders was generally hit or miss, too.

What would you like to see in an improved version of chapter 1 and 2?

An increase in secret areas, more consistent ammo drops from enemies, and tweaks to the jumping sections.

What would you like to see in an all new chapter 3?

More chaingun! Also, castle-style levels like the original Wolfenstein.

What will most likely make you use cheats or the console commands because of that?

Anything involving a lot of jumping, especially if it also involves obstacles that kill you instantly. In fact, environmental traps that kill you instantly will generally cause me to turn on some kind of cheat, or at least abuse quicksaves. There's a level in Episode 2 that involves jumps across a destroyed bridge over a pit of acid and some high-speed fans; it felt impossible for me.

[Clownman]

I hate to complain, but that Tank you have to fight at the end of the level where you rescue the agent? I had to use godmode because it kept killing me with it's rapidfiring machinegun. There really isn't enough medkits, I feel so I had to resort to save scumming A LOT.

And I was playing normal mode, mind you.

[TDG]

There is a path along the left side of the railway that offers a lot of cover when you try to approach the armored vehicle in at the end of the second mission.

[edgymemester]

I dislike the gameplay. A lot of the stuff in here like the stealth sections or the flinching when getting hit seems like its just a call out to modern shooters brought in only because it can/to show off. It's saturated with these gimicky/unfun mechanics. There has been very little attention paid to aesthetic, most of the weapons are brought in from WW-Nazis and/or are hacked together from a variety of different resources with little cohesion. I understand that a lot of effort was put into this, but it's too much. I would've liked just another corridor shooter.