- Lutz

March 4, 2001

The major news I have to share with you all is that the beta-testers for Caverns of Darkness have been selected; the inital stages of testing are currently underway. Thanks to everyone who applied -- the offers of support were tremendous. If you applied and were selected, you should have received a message by now; conversely, if you have not received a message, I thank you for your offer but we can only pick so many.

I wish I had some cool quotes to share with you all (not that this project needs any more marketing; it has been around for 2 and half years), but I don't. Maybe some will crop up in the near future -- who knows?

On a personal note, the initial beta-test for Phobos: Anomoly Reborn was sent out a couple weeks ago (it was just levels 1, 2, and 4). From the responses I have heard, level 2 is enormous, amazingly detailed, but a little on the easy side; and level 4 is going to rock your world. To wit, "Holy Shit, man, you are actually on a train!" Also, I dusted off my copy of Strife last week -- man, that is one of the best games I have ever played. Granted, it's not without its flaws (the bosses...er, well, suck), but it is definitely one of the best at mixing action with storytelling (and has some great-looking levels, too). Quality stuff.

That's it for now. Hey, the release of Caverns of Darkness may actually be in sight!

- Lutz

February 9, 2001

I'm always one to look to the future, even when the present isn't through taking shape. I would like people's opinion on something.

The following is only a mock-up, but it is designed with a concept in mind:

[ IMAGE DELETED]

What do you think? I need a coder to help us add capability for something like this into ZDoom for The Chaos Crew's next project. See my post on the ZDoom Message board for more information.

If you've read the post and would be interested in making this feature happen, E-mail me.

In Christ,
G. B. Jackson
Director

Right, okay, so don't get used to these rapid updates. Long periods of silence are a Chaos Crew tradition, and I am sure that we will revert to our tight-lipped ways with all possible speed.

Regardless, I have a bit of news, too. Initial screenshots for level 2 of Phobos: Anomoly Reborn can now be found on here. Go check 'em out. I am hoping to get this level completed before the true graduate school-work nightmare commences for the term (though no promises); that'll leave me with 1/3 of P:AR done. Not too shabby.

In other, semi-related news, Team TNT's Eternal Doom is still kickin' major ass. I was playing through again for old times' sake, and man -- it rocks (I think level 12 has got to be my all-time favorite Doom II level). Also, I gave my old Inferno a whirl with Legacy in GL mode -- it looks pretty damn sweet (though there are some problems with texture alignments and 3D structures). Some of the levels are starting to look pretty...er, what's the word...oh yeah -- shitty, but there are definitely some cool scenes in there. Check it out, if you want some extremely old-school Lutz-style action.

And that's it, I suppose.

- Lutz

Well, it's been a while since I've posted a news update. Real life has had me by the throat for a while.

I know that many people are awaiting the release of Caverns of Darkness, and I wish that we could just release it now, but there's still a bit of work left to do.

However, I have decided to tell you a little bit about what you're going to see:

You've all seen level one, which was our demo. But I can honestly tell you that the best is yet to come. The architecture of all our levels is outstanding, and my hat's off to all our talented level designers for taking the little bit of description of my vision and managing to hit it head-on with their creativity.

For you experienced Doomers out there, I think that you will find the surprises we have in store for you to be refreshing. We've got our AI models doing some pretty cool things and ought to keep you on your toes.

Graphics-wise, the game will be relatively the same. However, we are enhancing it so that monsters bleed the correct color. We are also adding a brand-new death animation for all true hellspawn characters. Which means there will now be three ways for monsters to be seen dying: Normal death, Exploding (for some monsters) and disintegration. And yes, with a new death type, a new weapon will be introduced. But I'm not telling you what it is, or how you'll get it. It WILL be there, I assure you. However, we are making sure that NO cheat code will give it to you.

Here's a look at one of the disintegration frames for the Demon:

[ IMAGE DELETED]

It's just a single frame, I know. But it does show something of what the disintegration effect will be like.

Well, that's about all I have to show right now. Keep watching this site for news. I'll try to update as often as I can.

In Christ,
G. B. Jackson
Director

I just have one quick bit of news: the promised screenshots of level 4 are now up. Take a look at them here.

- Lutz

Right, okay, so I cleared out a bit of room on this page; it was getting somewhat disgusting. All the old news has been moved to the Archives page, which is now horrendously long and needs to be organized. Dammit. Anyway, I also made some other minor changes around the site (general tidying up), and put a link the Phobos: Anomoly Reborn demo in the place it should have been a while ago.

And speaking of Phobos: Anomoly Reborn (to which I will now refer as P:AR, since it's a long name), I got a lot of feedback on it (47 comments on the Doomworld news forum, or something like that). Most of the comments seemed to say that "this is pretty cool" -- I got a few "This is the most amazing thing ever", etc., but more "Eh...sorry, hate it." After thinking about and digesting all the comments, I have come to the conclusion that I am going to keep doing what I want to do (so there, dammit). Quite frankly, I like a lot of detail and vastness; I don't know if I could design a small, simple level. I will say that the gameplay was not great, and I will take a look at it before releasing the final product, and also that the level was large even for my standards. Hopefully, this will be enough to quiet some or most of the disapproving critics. To everyone else, thanks for the praise.

So with that said, I have started another level -- Railbender. As you might infer from the name, this level takes place on a speeding train. It's about 70% complete, and it's looking pretty good -- something is still a little bit wrong though, and I'm still fine tuning many of the areas I thought I was done with. It's getting there, though, and I will have screenshots soon.

For what it's worth, what I can offer now are level names and some brief descriptions. These are hardly set in stone and don't really tell you anything about the levels, but hey, it's what I got right now:

1. M1 - Hangar B: Play the demo, moron.
2. M2 - Toxin Refinery: A monolithic processing plant in which reactor toxins are purified. Poisonous acid seethes in giant cauldrons, and rivers of steaming sludge wind through the place...it sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it?
3. M3 - Dissolution: Once to be the command center of Site B, all construction ceased when the...incident occurred. Unfinished and exposed, it has fallen into disrepair.
4. M4 - Railbender: A speeding train ride across the Phobos wilderness, where a misstep is as deadly as the Hellspawn.
5. M5 - Specimen Labs: Apparently, the scientists at Site B attempted to study and experiment on the creatures. It seems, however, that not all of the experiments were ethical, nor the cages strong enough...
6. M6 - The Dig Site: The surface of the underground construction zone, leading down into darkness.
7. M7 - Subterra: When excavating for the underground construction, the crews stumbled upon what are best described as ruins. Further digging revealed a massive (but crumbling) subterranean complex, damp, shrouded, and covered with vines. It looked to be ancient, but yet one could feel a definite presence...
8. M8 - Anomoly Reborn: No data available.
9. M9 - Lost Barracks: The living quarters of the staff for Site B.

Finally, I have finished the background story for those who actually care about that stuff. You can find it here. And, well, that's it. Look for screenshots of level 4 to be posted pretty soon.

- Lutz

December 14, 2000

The Anomoly has been unleashed.

Get the demo here. And folks, please read the text file; it contains some important information about what to expect and tells you what, exactly, is going on. Also, if you have any comments about this level or the project in general, don't be shy.

- Lutz

December 10, 2000

Unfortunately, this is still not the announcement that heralds the release of Caverns of Darkness; I am going to send everyone a WTF?-style e-mail here pretty shortly to find out just what, exactly, is going on. Oh well.

I do have some positive news, however, and a large question to pose to you all. The good news is that I have put up some screenshots of Phobos: Anomoly Reborn, my own project -- you can find them by clicking here if you are so inclined. Also, as soon as level 1 is complete, I am going to release it to the general public; this is partially because the only thing I have released in the last year is my 10 sectors entry (map 26, "The Aquaduct"), and partially because I think it is an amazingly kick-ass level. My main question, though, is whether or not I should release levels as soon as they are complete (serialize the project), or wait until every level is complete.

The benefit of a serialized project is that everyone has something new to play with every few months, which is a definite plus. However, there are a few downsides to doing so: first, I tend to get very excited when I know I am about to release something, and the rush as a result of that excitement can lead to some minor errors (texture alignments, ammo balance, etc.) that would otherwise be corrected with ample testing time. Second, that means I should build the levels in order -- since I don't really have the full storyline worked out, that might be a problem. Third, I could not assume that the player was bringing over weapons and ammo if each level is released individually, which could potentially suck. And finally, the idea of a large level set is generally more exciting.

But I don't know; that's why I want to hear what everyone thinks. Feel free to send me e-mail (by clicking my name at the bottom of this post) or by attaching comments to the Doomworld news item that announces this update. Either way, you should get a nifty-looking level here in about two weeks.

That's it for now -- please do tell me what you all think.

- Lutz

December 3, 2000

Well folks, at this point, I am in the same boat as you all are. To sum up: all the levels have been submitted, and I am pretty sure the engine is completed; at this point, we are all waiting for Greg to do whatever he is doing and release Caverns of Darkness so that everyone can proclaim us as minor dieties and grant us celebrity status. (That is, of course, false bravado smartly placed to pique curiosity...but two of the three level designers in the Crew made it into the recently released 10 Sectors Wad Contest, and Nokturnus took runner up. We aren't too bad, really.)

That's all I know about the Crew; time for personal stuff. Since I am sitting here twiddling my thumbs, I have decided to start a new project. I will say up front that I have no real plans for it -- just that it will be an episode replacement for E1 -- nor do I have a timeframe. Basically, I want to design levels, but really can't make any commitments to anybody; the solution is thus to start my own project which has no deadlines and can turn into anything I want it to. Though I will probably release it as a product of The Chaos Crew, since it really isn't, there won't be a lot of news about it here. To check up on Phobos: Anomoly Reborn, visit my personal site by clicking here.

In conclusion: e-mail Greg (G.B.) and tell him to hustle up.

- Lutz

October 30, 2000

Oh baby, things are cookin' now.

Point blank, the levels are done. Er, well, okay, they have been completely built. I will say that we are going to take enough time (probably a little too much, but eh, what are you gonna do?) for quality control purposes and make some last minute changes, but 99.9% of the geometry is absolutely perfect. There are still some things to do, mind you (i.e. level title graphics, a few missing sounds, etc.), but Caverns of Darkness is close.

That's about it for Chaos Crew news, but on a personal note, the webpage redesign has occurred; check out my new personal site at members.nbci.com/Chris_Lutz. I think it turned out to be pretty damn sweet.

- Lutz

September 14, 2000

The new intro screen says it all...you will soon descend into Caverns of Darkness.

At this point, all I have to do is add an ending to Emil's level 5, and the levels will be completed; hopefully, I can have this done by the end of the weekend. Quite frankly, I don't know what is in store for the post-production phase, and thus have no idea how long it will take. I will say this, though -- levels 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10, and whatever secret levels we may have in store for you (he he he) are as near to perfect as I care for them to be, so tweaking shouldn't take too long. Further, all of the non-texture graphics are done (title screen, etc.), and I think that somewhere we have a copies of the ending text that's ready to go. Not to be overly optimistic, but you may be happily slaughtered in the beautiful gloom of Caverns within a month.

That's basically all I have to say about the Chaos Crew, but on a side note, I am thinking about redesigning my current page (which can be found here). Any thoughts on a new design, or pages I should look at for inspiration? All input is appreciated, though please keep in mind that I am now in grad. school and have to have something of a respectable page.

- Lutz

July 13, 2000

Well, well, well...how time flies when you are dead.

Arrgh. Yes, we are still around, and yes, Caverns of Darkness is meandering towards completion. Things have been going alright, I suppose, but the thing is this: Nokturnus has finished level 4, Joel has tidied up the engine, Greg has actually been talking to the Crew again...which leaves me. I don't have a whole lot more to do, but it is kind of ticking me off that the one time everyone else is sort of depending on me to get my stuff done is the one 3-month period where I am insanely busy. I have bitched about schoolwork before, I know, but Real Life is kicking my ass. Whatever, no excuses, I realize, but things are finally getting to a point at which I can see myself getting stuff done.

Of course, when Caverns of Darkness is actually released, everyone else we be developing for EDGE. Dammit.

When I stop to think about it, this is something of a depressing update -- this is a project that could have been released a good long time ago, and not that it is necessarily "behind the times" (since, in comparison to anything else, DOOM is so ridiculously unadvanced that it is moot to talk about it), but the energy seems to have drained out of the Crew. No doubt the sure-to-be-upcoming flurry of activity will exciting all of us again.

- Lutz

December 30, 1999

Wow -- two updates in a month. Hold me back.

Anyway, what was supposed to be a Christmas present to everyone has become a New Year's gift: a one-level demo of Caverns of Darkness is now available for download!

DOWNLOAD THE DEMO

Have fun, and Happy New Year!

- Lutz

December 10, 1999

Whoo. Long time no update. Sorry.

However, during the length between updates we were not unproductive. I must admit, there was a good three-week period during which nothing seemed to happen, but the past couple days have seen a flurry of activity within the Chaos Crew. I have started (and more than half-way completed) level 3; Nokurnus is in the middle of producing another epic level which looks phenomenal; and Joel is doing some ingenious last minute coding before he leaves us (*sniff*). Caverns of Darkness will probably not be out this year (as we had hoped), but dammit, it will be released mighty soon.

Speaking of mighty soon, we have something of a surprise for all you ardent followers. I don't know if Greg wants me to relate specifically what it is, so I will say this: you all may get a very nice little Christmas present on the 25th.

More good news: I have put up some screenshots of levels 3 and 4 on the "In Progress" page -- visit them here.

That's about it -- hopefully, it will be less than a month till next time.

- Lutz

September 29, 1999

Hello all, Lutz here -- this is just a small update so that we update at least once this month. As may be expected, our lack of updates betrays the fact that not a whole lot of important stuff has been happening. I have been trudging along dilegently (or however you spell it) on level 10, which is looking okay but is becoming tedious to make. It has some very cool effects in it (and no, I am not going to tell you any of them), but those effects are exceedingly repetative to create and I am getting kind of bored. I don't mean to bitch, but Hell, I'm the one updating, so I can say what I want. Ha.

Anyway, that's about all I have to report. Messages between team-members have been somewhat slower (I imagine the commencement of higher education has much to do with that), so I don't have a lot to pass on as to the nature of what others are doing.

I will take this opportunity to address some folks who have asked why no level 10 under-construction screenshots have been released: it's the final level, guys, and it is supposed to be a surprise. You will see it in its full glory when Caverns of Darkness is released, which should be in the relatively near future.

I've also moved a couple errant screenshots around -- levels 8 and 9 are now complete, so the screenshots now appear in the Completed Levels area. Also, I put up the screenshots of our Smash DM level -- check it out here.

- Lutz

August 30, 1999

Despite the rather large gap between updates, The Crew is going strong on our Caverns of Darkness project. Unfortunately, the Crew is getting smaller all the time, so there is significantly more work to divide between those of us who are left. However, Joel has really given us a good engine (which -- speaking as a level designer -- is just fun to play around with) and we are all interested in seeing this project succeed, so I have high hopes for it.

Since you are all dying to know the exact status of Caverns of Darkness, here is a breakdown of what has been done and what still needs to be finished:

Completed Levels: 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 11
Nearly Completed Levels: 5, 9, 12
Levels Planned/Under Construction: 4, 10
Graphics: Done
Sprites: Not Complete (80% ?)
Music: Not Complete (50% ?)
Engine: Not Complete (95% ?)

As you can tell, we are nearing completion of the project; the end is in sight, anyway. With every successive build the levels (and the game in general) is expenentially more polished. Caverns of Darkness will be an amazing PC.

Also, in the last weekend I have whipped up an arena for Smash DM based on our Caverns of Darkness project. I heartily extend an invitation to all current projects out there to submit an arena -- they are extremely simple to create (mine took all of two days but looks pretty damn cool) and a great way to publicize your project.