Introduction Within an isolated castle, perched atop steep mountainous cliffs, Dracula rules this land from… The post Count of Wallachia first appeared on the abandoned workshops.
Introduction Within an isolated castle, perched atop steep mountainous cliffs, Dracula rules this land from the shadows. You’ve made the long journey here to finally drive a stake through the nosferatu’s heart and put an end to his reign, but must brave battle against his minions who stand to protect their master from intruders. Review Tekedon originally intended for the level to be part of a larger campaign and based on this experience alone, has caught my curiosity as to how that project might have panned out. WOC creates a solid foundation for its singular adventure oozing with a haunting gothic atmosphere. You start inside a cavern I assume after finding another route leading up to the castle, just outside stands a gatehouse showing signs of dilapidation. Ascending from the never ending chasm is a wide stairway having collapsed away over the years becoming an impossible path to venture from. Anyone choosing to come here now is doing so with a purpose. The portcullis might be shut tight but getting inside won’t be a problem thanks to neglected maintenance. A crumbling wall provides two options, either crawling below through a rat infested tunnel or blowing a hole into a haunted tower. Taking the upper path may prove to be a quicker solution but does pit you up against foes without effective firepower for a short while, while a lower path leading inside the roofed building provides an easy shotgun acquisition that’ll help push back those phantoms loitering above. Everything prior to walking beyond the gates almost seemed like a sneak peek of things to come and got me a little hopeful for similar cases. Turns out progression is more linear than it first lets on, but options dealing with a situation are still placed on the table, designed around combat encounters more so than routing. Progress is tied to key acquisition and often relies too much on backtracking to fill time, the Flame and Eye locks never serve much purpose besides a minor skirmish to grab another key. These small rooms might as well have been side ventures while scouting out, leaving only the important routes locked. WOC reveals its cruel nature with some spiteful enemy placement, cultists are a particular pain point lurking just around corners ready to blast at a moments notice. You’ll learn the hard way going unprepared into the library as they love hiding behind bookshelves, in-between nooks and shooting through gaps. Tekedon must have expected players may take it slow and steady in response, so other monster types are thrown into the fray all to disrupt your positioning. Being forced to dodge aside as a phantom shrieks toward your face is an opportunity cultists will gladly exploit. You could also take a risk leaping across the shelving to rush past everything, consequences be damned. The library is a personal highlight for its hostility, effective at showing Dracula’s minions play dirty to defend the castle. After successful milestones enemy reinforcements may arrive so that backtracking through prior areas will be met with new challenges considering how confined most sections are. There’s still ample space to weave from attacks, but limited enough that even a small opposition making a stand can remain dangerous. During the whole run I grew extra cautious by peeking every corner. Hellhounds were especially scary to encounter, chasing you down hallways without a vertical hiding spot to exploit for protection, Instead I’d often attempt a retreat and slamming face first into an autoclosing door at the worst possible timing. Around midway there’s a fight against Cerberus outside, a murky courtyard setting that’s seen better days with a ruin at the centre. Proximity mines placed beside a few explosive barrels rig the arena, free to disable before pressing on or luring the mutt into them. Of course due to the nature of explosions in BLOOD the favourable odds could still swing in either direction. Resources will be spread thin and health is frugal, encouraging conscious usage of any equipment available and planting traps of your own. Finding hidden stashes will be valuable, a single voodoo doll comes in clutch during the boss encounters. The castle is dripping with ambience and a slower pace helps to appreciate these visuals. Even while showing signs of falling apart, there’s still an air of dominance as the castle stubbornly clings to the cliff edges, its massive size looming above a deep chasm isolated from outsiders. The gatehouse side offers a great impression with distinct shapes, from the curved stairway leading up to a nearby tower with roofed section all housed within rocky terrain. The main entryway has a long stretch of wall emphasising its scale, adorned with staggered pillars across the length. Fire sconces sit atop each of these, drawing the eye to realise a sense of importance, but didn’t strike me quite like the earlier scene composition. Interior design picks up well and has a great sense of place, minor additions like a sloped ceiling denote a walkable ramp above. Lighting adds depth using contrasting wall shading and convincing gradients from sources, warmer palettes applied on surfaces nearer to flames. The castle doesn’t quite appear like your typical living space, which doesn’t surprise me based on its owner. You have rooms like a fancy bedroom chamber, tidy office study and a huge library, but something always seemed off as if these places are only for show. The kitchen next to the dining room isn’t standard either, instead looking more like a simple butchers shop with a single chopping table. Two giant furnaces here are probably used for burning away evidence of victims, or excess meat and unwanted corpses are later dumped out into the courtyard as feed for Cerberus. Your journey will eventually lead into the castle’s dark and damp lower levels, with a trapped catacomb and creepy cellblock. Dracula can also be found resting down here inside a unique chamber, another highlight scenario which will involve a three stage encounter against his guardians as you break each chain one by one holding up a spiked pillar conveniently placed above the coffin. I guess even he needs some danger in the un-life to keep things interesting, making for a pretty satisfying conclusion. Conclusion WOC could have easily been split into two levels reserving more resources for the castle and lower sections respectively, allowing both segments room to breath perhaps by reducing some of the linearity or ensuring meaningful progression without key fetching filler. The library section being a particular highlight showing off the dangers when up against tricky cultists, along with a trapped arena while fighting against Cerberus and great finale sequence to finish off Dracula in the most humiliating way possible. Along side those were options for taking risks or easing the encounter using the environment or finding vital tools. These set pieces offered substance to the experience despite the linearity and made for compelling action, Wallachia is a good adventure with punishing combat while reliant on using equipment consciously. Download Mirrors freeminded.de The post Count of Wallachia first appeared on the abandoned workshops.
Introduction Life has been good, if a bit dull since defeating Tchernobog. However, recent news… The post Willard first appeared on the abandoned workshops.
Introduction Life has been good, if a bit dull since defeating Tchernobog. However, recent news regarding mysterious disappearances around a remote town in Tennessee, called Willard, has piqued Caleb’s interest for an investigation. That place was once prosperous, but has since been abandoned and could make a perfect hiding place for the Cabal to start over. Review When a horror story trusts their participant’s patience, it can take an opportunity to move along at a crawl before revealing what lies beyond the curtain, establishing an eerie calm gradually falling more and more into madness. WILLARD is unlike a typical BLOOD experience, made clear early on where action doesn’t hog all the spotlight. Instead there are long bouts of breathing space for soaking up your surroundings and enjoying a more contemplative side to exploration. The overarching setting becomes a character of its own upon discovering it has indeed become a ghost town. Corpses are scattered about as if they had once been running scared from the direction you intend to follow; a lingering red mist barricades choice paths, consuming life from anyone coming into contact; and an occasional disembodied voice is heard whilst wandering the otherwise empty streets. Every little hint eludes to a bigger mystery just waiting to be unravelled. Having come across this release at a time I was looking for something more laid back to play, WILLARD really clicked with me as it leaned more into the adventure genre and had this compelling slow burn pacing whilst its narrative beats unfold. Unconventional levels have also always been a curiosity to me, especially when they reframe the game to adhere to a style it wasn’t built for. I could sense Bloodskar having confidence behind their vision despite these departures from regular gameplay. In turn this made me reflect back on my own BLOOD project where I had made unnecessary compromises all in fear of player boredom, prioritising standard combat setups rather than fulfilling a long form mystery centred around puzzle solving. Sometimes taking that risk to expose an alternative direction for whichever game we’ve become so familiar with is worth reigniting that imagination, therefore I respect seeing this opportunity exploited to define WILLARD within its own niche. There are six varied levels that make up the campaign, all centred around a vast wetland region with winding roads passing through deep forests. Each one then remains focused upon specific locations without meandering too far from those choice concepts. Places such as Pascow’s Grocery or Willard Public Library are then interspersed as interior points of interest to break up all the outdoor travel. While some levels might operate well enough as self contained vignettes, they function better when considered as a seamless whole where an ending of one leads directly into the start of the next, structured not too unlike a campaign for HALF LIFE. In fact, I was often reminded of Manke’s THEY HUNGER trilogy due to several reasons, from sharing pulpy horror and occult themes involving the undead, to their very introductory segments having a heavy case of deja vu. Both would have you arriving by car when forced to halt the road trip somewhere near to a graveyard. From there a path leads up to an isolated church holding a necessary item to proceed onwards. Their journeys then involve trekking through natural landscapes and rural locales to reach some form of civilised territory, only to find the worst case scenario has already occurred. Whether by coincidence or as a source of inspiration, despite these similarities feeling a little on the nose as WILLARD offered a familiar taste, I much preferred the shorter run time here. Bloodskar chopped away any excess fat, leaving behind just enough to chew on for more effective pacing between moments that mattered most, while not undermining the macabre and lonesome dread it carefully builds up until then. WILLARD is a linear experience through and through that is very much married to the narrative it wishes to tell and likes keeping a tight leash on your whereabouts. While traditional key hunting and some hectic combat encounters are still part of the process, their mechanical roles serve as breadcrumbs toward story milestones. Any detours otherwise are limited to fetching hidden items, such as those thrown onto rooftops, or taking up a side goal to unlock the gun store for its haul of munitions. Getting lost should then be out of the question as your route has already been decided, guided along by an invisible hand, nor are there any puzzles to stumble over. The later swamp level venturing into nearby woodlands might however attempt to throw you off balance, all while under threat of zombies unearthing themselves at every step, this purposeful disorientation worked well to imbue panic to avoid being chopped from your flank. However there were only two occurrences that halted momentum during the latter leg of my journey, if only for a brief time, all because I didn’t see the required switches. The first was inside a boiler room not realising there were two switches, that then must be pulled in order before the other is operable. My second issue was not understanding where the crypt key was supposed to be located, feeling perhaps I’d missed a detail along the way, if not for stumbling over another set of switches in the sawmill blending amongst the details. Even though I found that level progression skirts on the simpler side, that’s not to imply the campaign was lacking in either capacity, playing well into its strengths with an emphasis on atmosphere and weaving narrative details into the environment. Effective use of sound and ambience function in parallel to the current situation almost like a rising heartbeat. These alongside various surprise twists through scripted sequences help to shake up the campaign. One of my favourite scenes occurs early on after a period of downtime, excellently executed when that dreaded sight hammers home the stakes. Other examples tend to involve enemy ambushes, from classics like doors shutting behind you, to unassuming corpses being more dangerous than they appear. There’s even a forklift barrelling down the warehouse aisle you’re forced to leap away from, only for its driver to exit and finish the job himself. Some presence out there really wants you dead and this soon becomes apparent once pitted up against overwhelming odds, all too understandable how victims prior to your arrival succumbed to the horrors lurking here. While opposition often relies by attacking with heavy numbers, you have the firearms to dish out equal carnage and it’s quite cathartic tossing dynamite into large crowds of zombies, but must still take care not to step on any roaming hands while keeping your distance from Hellhounds in pursuit. Combat across WILLARD exists to add flavour to the scenario at hand rather than pose a challenge, they’re all setup like a well rehearsed stage play with no incidental encounters to interrupt the main actors. Your top priority during the campaign instead leans toward learning what happened here and preventing this from spreading beyond Willard’s borders. Scattered notes and diary entries can be found along the way, short bursts of writing bringing attention to people caught up in the aftermath, actions leading up to current events, or clues on how to proceed forward. I appreciate these didn’t bog the experience down with too many pauses, just enough words between levels to paint a picture leaving what you see to do the rest. Beyond reading through documents and getting into prompted scuffles, there sadly wasn’t much in the way of interactivity outside of those. Some light puzzle solving, perhaps navigational and causing more shifts to level terrain by your own hand might have obscured that tight leash around your neck. Therefore it was all more important that design holds up well alongside those immersive wanderings that made up the bulk of engagement. Bloodskar takes full advantage of stock assets and NBLOOD’s extended features to pull off a great visual identity, targeting realism for structural aesthetics and grounded blueprints. Meanwhile landscaping appears naturally varied from terrain inclines, steep rock walls and small mounds, to swampy ponds and a river waterfall. These sights in combination with ambient sounds such as night creatures, a droning wind and drips echoing through road tunnels ties things together that drew me into this world. There was always a weight pressing down as if something could be watching your every move among the trees and shadows. Despite how eerie it may seem, not far off in the distance apartment buildings are perched just out of reach, a mild comfort knowing that civilisation might be close at hand. Every direction you turn there’s a suitable attention to detail to occupy those spaces, applying lots of decorative clutter to appear loud and lived in, as if people once went about their day to day business yet were interrupted at some point. Perusing these sights was an enjoyable enough task alone simply seeing how BLOOD’s assets had been utilised to fulfil certain looks and fixtures, while the odd custom texture is added to cover gaps such as vehicles. Interiors are densely packed too with many expected furnishings almost to a fault, at times interfering with movement during gameplay, slipping and sliding off the details as I’m trying to keep on my toes during a fight. I’d even see enemies themselves getting caught up and bouncing rapidly in some of the tighter sprite constructions. This doesn’t become a major deal breaker for me as WILLARD still remained slower paced, the majority of fighting taking place around open spaces primarily against melee foes, but was still a notable blemish in places like the grocer or cottage when having pieces of decoration snag me and then taking punishment for that. Of curious note in terms of design tying back into gameplay is how vast these areas manage to appear, without then relying on abrupt invisible walls to keep you boxed into the intended zones. Creative use around limitations can compliment a setting and its world building. I’m reminded of the first SILENT HILL which used fog to hide draw distance problems, then becoming an iconic flavour for that series going forward. Bloodskar’s solutions here also invokes a similar bond. The first notable barricade is a convincingly dense forest made up using dozens upon dozens of tree sprites, so that walking into an invisible wall by this point makes sense, as if Caleb chooses not to lose his way should you attempt passage. It’s not perfect but addressed well enough with intent, though part of me wishes these routes could be taken regardless only to emerge back the way you came, perhaps using silent teleport trickery almost as if you’re no longer capable of leaving for whatever reason. The second barricade is the aforementioned red mist positioned along routes where trees simply wouldn’t make any sense, solving another similar problem while being tied into the bigger picture, presenting a dangerous hazard for anyone should the warnings be ignored and an intrigue as to its source. Fever Dream From the episode selection, this is an extra standalone map based around locales presented during the main campaign, only twisted and warped beyond familiarity, incoherently chained together to further establish a dream logic. The deeper you slumber, the feverishness grows wilder as less and less make any sense. Demands are made, scenes are played out and strange sights can be witnessed. It’s a surreal visual spectacle that doesn’t fit with the other levels, but does make for a curious addition. Part of the joy is seeing how similar set pieces are utilised in different ways, meshing alongside many new instances such as a hospital ward and possible iterations of the Twin Peak curtain room. I’d imagine this is what happens to Caleb if he were to fail and be overtaken by the red mist. Perhaps everyone in town are going through a similar hell as they shamble about as undead puppets. Conclusion It took me a good while to cover this one having played a prior version I enjoyed, only to find a new update come out in the midst of writing my thoughts. Version 1.5 included small changes to earlier levels and slotted a new one in-between. This had me worried the quiet pacing leading up to my favourite moment would be diminished in some way. Updates like this always have me concerned, so it was evident I needed to come back another time to the latest release without too much bias clouding any judgement. I’m glad to say those worries ended up overstated, while yes the dynamic shifted from a sudden tide toward more of a propagating threat, the narrative pacing still remained intact. That and Pascow’s Grocery was a nice addition. WILLARD is the type of work I like that pushes the right buttons for many reasons, a departure from the source gameplay, great visual design that suits this style and a showcase of mapping prowess in general. Sometimes it’s just nice to lean back to enjoy something with an emphasis on narrative, even should it be linear, to break up levels that lean heavier on the action. Soaking up the atmosphere and taking my sweet time just browsing the many decorative elements had me immersed early on. Action wasn’t the main attraction but blowing up swarming hordes of zombies in the streets was also a highlight. New bosses are introduced at pivotal points to shy away from the usual suspects, the best found during the finale constructed out of sectors. The only shame was a lack of puzzles perhaps in connection to the initial investigation hook, but that’s simply personal preference having compared this to the adventure genre. However even without those, WILLARD as a whole kept me engaged to play during a single sitting both times. Download Mirrors Moddb The post Willard first appeared on the abandoned workshops.
I had immense fun exploring and romping through WEATHER REPORT's streets, a debut release that feels anything but a typical newbies work, surprising me in more ways than one, The post Weather Report first appeared on the abandoned workshops.
Introduction Duke is roused awake after a tremendous thundering as a huge superstorm passes over L.A. while a second, much larger storm begins to form! Wild theories erupt from TV broadcasts, but Duke knows the aliens must be involved. Time to scout out the city and find out what’s going down. Review Debut releases are kinda hard to come by these days in the DUKE3D mapping community, I’d gather in large part due to the archaic nature of working with BUILD. Despite some extensions and quality of life improvements made in MAPSTER32, other communities benefit from modernised toolsets that are much easier to handle like DOOMBUILDER or TRENCHBROOM. So for anyone coming onto the scene would require a particular patience for memorising several key commands and nuances while wrangling special effects before it all becomes second nature. Pepsodent coming onboard to tackle the challenge of BUILD was a fascinating journey to watch on its own. They asked questions on the DUKE4 Discord, considered possible solutions when problems arise, went through all the motions of near enough hating the editor, to eventually acquiring a love-hate relationship. It was genuine nostalgia to witness as we’ve all been in those shoes at one point. Some move on, while others are forever caught in jaws of BUILD. First releases can often be a quaint stepping stone, showcasing the sporadic nature whilst different aspects of mapping are learnt. But WEATHER REPORT is anything but quaint or sporadic, as there’s a surprising amount of coherent intent behind every jigsaw piece as nothing feels out of place, all while offering a ton of depth and variation. I honestly found it difficult to believe they hadn’t made a level previously, especially having taken great advantage of newer mapping features most veterans have only began utilising in recent years, maybe being too stuck in our old ways to make the shift, which makes newcomers a breath of fresh air for making most of what’s already available. Pepsodent’s visuals here are oozing with style, claiming having taken influence from both ION FURY and Shaky Grounds, pulling off its chosen setting with gluttonous attention to detail as each interior is well realised concerning their chosen purposes. Streets are adorned with varied buildings and storefronts, large animated screens pushing advertisments and distant skyscrapers looming with rich glows. I’m also reminded of aspects during the earliest levels from DEUS EX, especially in regard to the included music track taken from RED ALERT, a smooth and mellow vibe that’s perfect for the setting. WEATHER REPORT primarily takes place around a dirty slum district, you start inside Duke’s sleazy motel room as he lazes around in bed with drink bottles strewn about. These sights don’t get any more pleasant upon leaving the confines of his room into dank littered hallways where trash is piling up and a lack of care being maintained. The motel is a shithole, purposely so, an excellent representation built from default assets. Decorations and furnishings are heavy on sprite usage to fill out many of these scenes with suitable objects of interest leaving no corner left too barren. Sometimes these can hamper Duke’s movement causing him to hop all over the place which could have been avoided either by unblocking certain details or manipulating clip distances for smoother indoor traversal. Decay has also fallen upon the district itself, collapsed buildings and rubble block road ways, flooding waters gushing down streets and more destruction will soon follow in your wake. Military vehicles have been left abandoned after charging into a losing battle, now their turrets are commandeered to serve the aliens own purposes. TROR and sloped sprites have many tasteful applications, a favourite of mine being the parking lot to show off its ruined state, a collapsed hole between floors with rebar bent out of shape. Another structure is primed for destruction, sloped sprites seamlessly blended alongside the architecture disguising that this event would ever occur. Two other components of design also really stood out to me helped emphasise a dystopic cyberpunk aesthetic. The distant buildings to simulate a busy skybox, opting for more than a simple parallax sky, also contrasts against all the dirt and grime. Out of reach sights like stars along the horizon, a better state of affairs than crawling around in debris, later being rewarded with a clearer vantage point when stepping onto the peak of a highrise. Lighting is another gorgeous element using high contrast beams diminishing a bleak urban macabre, going all out with colour choices like greens and blues and reds without shame, while deep shadows are cast from objects conveniently placed for dramatic effect. Darkness doesn’t call for much concern during the moment to moment action, but some occasions can deprive sight of an enemy. There was one room that spooked me, housing a single burning barrel as my only light source, flooding the area with a red glow as black shadows obscure my attackers. A pair of nightvision goggles came in clutch as the situation called for it. I had the most fun after a long time from a DUKE3D map during my initial run because of how well rounded the experience turned out to be and couldn’t pause even for a moment until completion. That can be tricky to pull off consistently, but helps that the level doesn’t overwhelm you with massive real estate, opting instead for a close knit layout and ensuring most encounters are manageable in short bursts. Combat therefore kept me engaged despite being a constant problem around every corner, waltzing into well guarded areas that could turn tides at a moments notice. The battle for a blue access card serves as a good introduction to these kinetic sequences, with additional waves being called in as per usual but not all at once, allowing for some breathing room by staggering oncoming threats without downplaying enemy counts. Similar scenarios to these are dotted all across the experience, there’s always a good amount of space to duck and weave into cover, but a few indoor instances do suffer from getting caught up in the complex decorations such as the nightclub ambush while on the upper floor. Troopers are common foes often used as distractions while other priority targets then make their move, but can also be a major source for dishing out pain. Pig Tanks, Commanders or Protector Drones like to play the wildcard role to throw off your rhythm, usually being forced to dispatch them before others. Progression has you making wide loops around the city, a seemingly bigger environment than it really is thanks to packing so many twists and turns into a small volume, also complimented by bombastic pacing. You’ll be rummaging through dirty motels, scrapping out in back alleys, climbing nearby rooftops, taking an underwater detour before eventually winding up on a skyscraper rooftop for the finale. Verticality is a contributing factor for optimising more out of the given space, being able to climb some rooftops took me by surprise how seamless these buildings were repurposed beyond just visuals. The central building too is complete with several levels built using spritework floors, while housing an entire underground nightclub just beneath. Checking the automap reveals the spaghetti mess considering how much was layered here. Later on there is a significant underwater section to break up the ground combat, applying a slight bit of pressure as you watch that scuba counter tick down while seeking a way forward. During a second session it turned out a decent chunk of the level is optional. Your main objective is hunting down a red key for lowering a barrier, which means as long as you gain access to the flooded parking lot, everything else is extra flavour. Not without consequence mind you, since the majority of exotic weapons demand exploration which will limit versatility during many encounters. While this does make for a good speedrunning route while having less tools on hand, there is still an ample ammunition supply provided for beating the Cycloid waiting at the end. Conclusion I had immense fun exploring and romping through WEATHER REPORT’s streets, a debut release that feels anything but a typical newbies work, surprising me in more ways than one, Pepsodent is a promising newcomer to the scene offering an excellent first release. Design is rich and varied, taking advantage of EDUKE32 features and modern mapping techniques as if they’ve always known them and utilised in tasteful ways. Gameplay offers an action packed journey, engaging from start to finish by always sprucing up how you flow from one scenario into the other. Even as we hone closer to the finale everything ramps up without feeling as if any steam had been lost during the mapping process, being treated to some amazing rooftop views and a spinning energy beam piercing the sky very reminiscent of HALF LIFE 2. Sure, the final boss encounter was a push over as he gets caught on the terrain, but everything leading up to here more than makes up for the experience to end on a good note. In this particular case I can forgive a simplistic boss fight. I look forward to what else Pepsodent has in store for future releases, maybe they could be tempted to whip up something for ION FURY perhaps? Their style would be more than suited for it. Download Mirrors Duke4 Release Thread Moddb The post Weather Report first appeared on the abandoned workshops.
The second level from a classic trilogy follows along the footsteps of its own making and remains another technical showcase to reinforce concepts previously established, revealing some new tricks all the while making an attempt at reintroducing enemies into the fold. The post BOBSP2: Paranoia first appeared on the abandoned workshops.
Introduction The reactor and its subsystems have been all shot to hell and not surprisingly the state around here is even worse. More importantly, someone has been scavenging parts leaving behind a big mess, was their intention to cause a meltdown? Duke decides this ticking time bomb needs patching up long enough for technicians to arrive and prevent everything going up in a mushroom cloud. Review The second entry is a direct continuation from where BOBSP1 left off, having now gained security clearance into another section of the abandoned facility for additional maintenance work. As noted by a terminal message, your first call to action is reducing tank pressure before a gas explosion occurs, achieved by realigning the satellite dish which remotely vents toxic gas build up. It’s another simple objective that involves pushing a single button while an elaborate sequence of moving parts take place, a reiteration of cause and effect from activating the water pump during BOBSP1 only with different set dressing. Therefore, much like before the experience doesn’t really differ too much from that linear showcase, aiming to reinforce concepts Averill introduced as a reminder regarding their varied applications. But that’s not suggesting there hadn’t been some evolution of these ideas either. Take the control room where several measurement devices are displaying information, embedded into the environment on a much bigger scale and not restricted to a security monitor viewpoint, bringing the whole room alive as an active entity beyond placing a sole ambient noise to say otherwise. Although a small, perhaps insignificant aspect, these have always been enjoyable features to gawk at for me and become another BOBSP specific staple which too found imitators across other works. Submachine as a recent example poked fun at one meter making for a cute humorous nod. One big difference going for BOBSP2 is a prior absence of aliens would soon be broken, revealing themselves after crashing a tram right into the facility walls and going guns blazing. Or rather they made an attempt to, as something between us kept blocking attacks from harming either side of the conflict which diminished what effect this little sequence brought to the table. Combat doesn’t play an important role however even with enemies shifting back into focus, remaining a muted part of gameplay that blended into white noise. Most of their attacks are limited externally as if slowly surrounding the facility to box Duke in, only having access within parts that connect outside or by creating their own entrance through destructive means. Your only internal threat is a Protozoid swarm pouring in through a supply belt. In most cases you could simply avoid fighting altogether as foes won’t make an effort following you inside, bound outside meaning their ambush attempts lack any real bite. Of note there’s the Battlelord using TNT blowing open a hole with an entourage of Pigcops in tow, only for you to waltz on by unless you care for statistical completion. Upon further testing while grabbing screenshots, I discovered you could even avoid triggering the tram sequence by not grabbing the shotgun. Only up until reaching the last stretch do you need to get a little serious, but even so this is miniscule in comparison to where BOBSP3 leans for its action. Enemies exist here as an extension to the narrative, they don’t pose a challenge but at least provide substance tying them to the events brewing here. Your second objective involves unclogging a water inlet and manually using a shut off valve, the only concern being limited time due high toxicity. This is where Averill showcases his translucent water effect, a visual trick allowing visible geometry above and below the water surface where upon diving underwater appears to have a seamless transition. Similar properties wouldn’t become an official feature of the BUILD Engine until around Shadow Warrior’s release. How this was otherwise achieved for BOBSP2 was through exploiting particular behaviours with parallax skies when an additional inner sector is raised or lowered at different heights. This creates an invisible but solid floor or ceiling meaning sector functions for diving and resurfacing remain a possibility. Comparing to DOOM it’s not too unlike how self-referencing sectors are utilised, albeit with major technical differences. Flat floor sprites with reduced opacity then make up a water surface layer, while opaque floor sprites are positioned to hide any parallaxing from bleeding through. The same underlying system for water sectors and swimming is still applied here, so all surrounding architecture has to be repeated on both sides, more smoke and mirrors at work. This means there are limitations for practicality where utilisation is possible, should there be any enemies lingering nearby they would disappear from sight when taking a dip below water thus breaking the illusion. Dropping a pipebomb on nearby solid ground can function as a similar demonstration to test out if curious. Translucent water would find use in other community works for similar purposes in levels such as Hydrostation or KaiseR Land 02, while these days because of the extended feature set in Eduke32 these constructions can be side stepped using TROR while transitions become much more seamless. Whether or not as a result of Averill’s showcase here, I find a fascinating development of the tricks using parallax skies later branching off into new forms because of community input. One example meshes them alongside masked walls to fake three-dimensional shapes that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible at the time using spritework alone, often used as free floating doors or staircase panels as seen in either Pascal’s or Glavic’s work. What caught my attention the most across BOBSP2 though is its unique take on aesthetics. The facility goes for a gothic tech design akin to a style straight out of QUAKE3, not a look you would typically associate with a base setting but does stick out, very apparent with features like fire sconces adorning a tunnel entry. Averill took advantage of slopes and curved surfaces wherever suitable, the ribcage archways supporting the internal base is an easy favourite of mine that defines exactly what I enjoy about the design here. Not a single room was allowed to appear empty nor look too similar with another, often helped by various other decorative elements creating a believable and functional environment, such as pipework and ventilation shafts leading off elsewhere or taking opportunities to fill ceiling spaces with details like skylight windows and special light fixtures. Signs of dilapidation from abandonment can also be witnessed from crumbling walls overlooking a beach front, cracks forming across the walls or even a wooden bucket left out for collecting leaking water. There’s not a moment lacking or sectors being wasted, unlike one particular hallway from BOBSP1, each addition having clear purpose for being applied. Even the last hallway with its simpler construction, possibly once resource counts were becoming low, still remains an appealing sight due to gradient shading and precise texture alignment. If there’s anything that bothered me worth mentioning, it would be the few invisible walls. Some kept you safe from decorative elements with tight spaces which might squish Duke, while others that shouldn’t have posed a problem never felt good to bump into. Conclusion The second level from a classic trilogy follows along the footsteps of its own making and remains another technical showcase to reinforce concepts previously established, revealing some new tricks all the while making an attempt at reintroducing enemies into the fold. Combat didn’t pose much of a problem and the general experience doesn’t bring the same wow factor this time, more so here to reiterate upon ideas using a different coat of paint and showing possible versatility. Design is most definitely BOBSP2’s strongest aspect and it’s translucent water forever remains a fine case of clever application of engine exploits along side visual coherency to make it all work out. Download Mirrors Dukeworld MSDN Scent88 arrovfnukem DNR Part of a Series BOBSP1: Foreboding BOBSP2: Paranoia BOBSP3: Fuel for Vengeance BOBSP4: Sub Species BOBSPX: Xenocide The post BOBSP2: Paranoia first appeared on the abandoned workshops.
Introduction Duke works for the Black Mesa Research Facility as part of a storage and… The post Near Life Experience first appeared on the abandoned workshops.
Introduction Duke works for the Black Mesa Research Facility as part of a storage and packaging sector. One day during his shift he presses a big red button which unleashes an alien invasion upon his workplace. With his job position at risk, he must fight back and destroy the portal they’ve spilled out from. Review Although having the stage take place inside of Black Mesa, NELIEX wasn’t built around recreating well known locations from HALF LIFE, instead serving as just another interpretation of a vague storage facility that could be placed somewhere within the base game. This time we’re much closer the surface rather than being stuck deep underground. Combining a selection of ripped textures from HL alongside DUKE3D’s regular assets worked well without appearing off. Colour conversions were poor however and still needed touching up, yet other considerate tweaks had been made such as filling in a black void for swing doors with glass. Some textures additions were near seamless and others had questionable utility. While not the most exciting example I liked those metal trimmed ducts walls when placed together with the original variant, adding a finishing touch to these crawl spaces that otherwise tend to appear flat. Funnily enough ventilation shafts were barely present during the map as a navigational feature despite the two games in question. Keycard panels were replaced by way of colour coded retinal scanners, an odd choice not suitable for their purpose, but functional enough to tie closer to the Black Mesa aesthetic. Form over function was a common aspect of design here, often resulting in a lot of variation across the facility imitating ideas from HL and forming some of its own appeal. The initial starting hub shows aspects of the latter, with a two floor hallway made using flat sprites and a nearby stairwell having a sloped underside adding dimension to this scene. Just beyond the middle gate has a smooth arched ceiling, itself becoming a bit of an Aashage specific flavour that is found in their other works. Staggered half columns along the ceiling… … mirrors similar design from those in Half Life NELIEX almost seemed like it could have been a condensed section pulled straight out from Black Mesa. Almost being a keyword here due to some oversights behind the design as a whole, boiled down to a rather nonsensical layout where rooms don’t serve much function to pull off this sector’s chosen role nor provide a compelling long term scenario. Despite having some abstraction across HL or DUKE3D, both games still alluded to having some sense behind their designs, a clear bigger picture as to how these locales function. The large storage area certainly belongs but misses some believable fundamentals to make it work in comparison to how Black Mesa is usually depicted. There’s several huge shipping containers dumped inside with no entry point or access lift large enough to suggest how these were ever transported here, let alone one container being half embedded within a thick wall. From a casual glance across the level as a whole, it became clear to me that Aashage was simply having fun just throwing ideas into a pot, including anything that resembled HALF LIFE or fit the Black Mesa theme to see what stew is cooked up regardless how it pieced together. Yet because of that a large chunk becomes too uncoordinated, creating a sporadic layout where some placements make zero sense such as the freezer storage. This eventually becomes a detriment during gameplay. A major concern holding this level back was its poor pacing relying on repetitive back and forth plodding, never committing to a single section for long enough nor pushing you along an otherwise linear path once all laid out. Progression is far too dominant around switch hunting, each positioned at the most random placements that never make a lick of sense, acknowledged by the fact all of them required a text label to determine their purpose. These markers weren’t full proof either as I wasn’t certain how “locker” correlated to its door. What further adds to my annoyance is that this particular switch positioned opposite the freezer door unlocked a nearby lab, itself containing yet another switch for opening said freezer. This creates unnecessary backtracking as you’re expected to dart around like a headless chicken, also extending to finding key cards which essentially serve a similar role except more easily identifiable. There lacks any smooth transition moving from one area into the other, where better contextual placements could avoid resorting to crutch solutions. Similar issues bogging down progression can crop up regarding a very specific floor grate necessitating a pipebomb and a six button combination clue being hidden down a dark dead end, which I didn’t find and had to guess the code. Secrets were also in an uneven limbo, some requiring nigh invisible switches in obscure places or one stash could even softlock you should a bottle be broken, whereas shifting the crates here could have prevented this. The best secret however takes notes from HL by using a similar methodology, taking a small peek into a room where a stash awaits and paying attention to your surroundings to receive the goods. Conclusion Combining aspects from two games is a good concept to build from, Black Mesa and HL textures serving as a foundation for a fresh aesthetic within DUKE3D. What wasn’t executed too well was its gameplay marred by awkward progression involving too much nonsensical back and forth padding. What I find most disheartening is there were solid ideas being toyed with, just shy of balancing out some of these lulls. Even an explosive ending sequence felt lukewarm by the time I had reached it, including an ineffective ambush due to Battlelord placements harming each other instead of me. The exit for some reason is found by a door signposted as a cafeteria where a simple exit sign could have sufficed to be noted down when starting the run. NELIEX needed a little more time to stew. Download Mirrors Dukeworld MSDN Dukemaps.net This is a re-review. The old review has been archived here. The post Near Life Experience first appeared on the abandoned workshops.