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Vordakk

Flashback to Hell (Playtesters needed!!!)

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It was a good while after the Gatekeeper's demise that the Union Aerospace Corporation renewed its research on dimensional gateways. 10 years passed before the One Earth Government allowed the UAC to reopen the vaults which contained the bulk of the gateway data, neatly preserved on special servers held in cryostorage. But to those who remember the cataclysmic events which nearly resulted in humanity's extinction, 10 years was far too soon.

During the decade after the Plutonia incident, the government had consulted with a number of thinktank groups in an effort to ensure that nothing of that nature would happen again. The facilities which had been previously overrun by the demons were torn down, and newer, better ones were constructed in their place. These new labs were specially designed to minimize or eliminate any threat of demonic invasion. The complexes were isolated, both from one another and from human population centers, having been built upon the moons of distant planets. Automated turret and laser systems were installed to neutralize any threat resulting from a gateway hijack or demonic invasion. In extreme cases, the facilities could be remotely set to detonate, destroying all invaders and severing any wormholes which had been established. Earth's defenses were also strengthened by the creation of a high-tech ionized field which surrounded the planet. This special layer of energy allowed in sunlight and did not affect weather patterns or gravitational forces, but would obliterate any foreign object which attempted to penetrate Earth's atmosphere, whether it be a meteor, an asteroid, or a enemy ship. Localized "holes" could be opened in the field, allowing Earth spacecraft entrance and exit.

And so Earth's best and brightest began anew matter apportation research, under the moniker of Project Phoenix. Warp gates were completely controlled via supercomputers using the latest artificial intelligence, and anyone, or anything, seeking to gain access to gate for any reason was subject to a myriad of nanosecond-long checks and verifications. Special built-in safety measures allowed the scientists to exert total control over the gates, so that they could not be re-opened or commandeered in any way by a third party. As the two-year anniversary of Project Phoenix came and went, the OEG was confident that its obsessive security protocols and countless defense systems had not been in vain. But as researchers forged ahead, they stumbled upon something they hadn't even been looking for. They were seeking newer and better ways to instantly transport matter through space. What they found was a way to transport it through time.

4th dimensional travel, once thought to be beyond the laws of physics and out of humanity's reach, had suddenly become a reality. Still under top secret status, the focus of Project Phoenix shifted to place greater emphasis on studying movement between different points in time. And as time travel technology improved, the UAC began to entertain ideas for the application of this technology, the first being the salvation of billions of human lives. They were determined to prevent the events which occurred 13 years prior, when Earth had been overrun by Hellspawn and almost 90% of the population had either been killed or zombified. But there was a small problem. The time travel technology which the UAC scientists had was still in its nascent stages, and they had not yet figured out how to send large objects through a time portal or how to keep a portal open for more than a few seconds. This of course meant that they would either be forced to wait for the technology to catch up to their vaunted idea, or that they would have to send Earth's greatest warrior into battle...one last time.

You are the fabled Doomguy, the nameless soldier who saved humanity from utter annihilation by bravely facing Hell's legions alone. At age 38, your body is still a finely-tuned weapon, and your reflexes haven't dulled a bit. When the UAC officials knocked on your door and told you what the situation was, you gladly agreed. This was a chance to save innumerable souls from a savage death at the hands of Hell. It was a chance you had to take.

Once you arrive at the installation, the scientists brief you on the particulars of the mission. You will be sent through time to a location near the spaceport which had fallen under Hell's control during the invasion. You will be armed with a standard-issue military pistol and 50 rounds, the most the time machine will allow. But you will also have a GPS device which is crucial to your success. This device will point you to a gateway which the scientists believe led directly to the Icon of Sin's dimension at the time of the assault. The key, the eggheads stress, is to get to the Icon of Sin as soon as possible and destroy it. If the Icon falls, the demonic armies will be broken and their reinforcements will be cut off. By using this warp gate, you can confront the Icon of Sin much earlier, and prevent much of the loss of life which resulted from a full-scale onslaught.

The time for action has arrived. You take your position at the foot of the time machine. The lab assistants steadily bring the device to full power. Arcs of electricity leap back and forth in front of you, and the air around you seems to swirl and pulsate. All at once, a portal appears and you rush through it before it closes. You dive through and land on the other side of the portal, turning just in time to see it snap shut behind you. You've arrived, and this time they didn't see you coming. Or did they...?

Welcome to Flashback to Hell, a lightning-fast virtual reality adven-...err, well uh...pwad. This 12-map -complevel 9 compatible wad is designed for fans of the original DOOM 2 levels.

Map 01: Approach 1 2 Status: Finished
Map 02: Lower Corridors 1 2 Status: Finished
Map 03: The Trial 1 2 Status: Finished
Map 04: The Convergence 1 2 Status: Finished
Map 05: The Sewage Aqueducts 1 2 Status: Finished
Map 06: The Pulverizer 1 2 Status: Finished
Map 07: Simply Dead 1 2 Status: Finished
Map 08: Deceptions and Snares 1 2 Status: Finished
Map 09: The Hole 1 2 3 Status: Finished
Map 10: Resupply Site 1 2 Status: Finished
Map 11: Coil of Oblivion 1 2 Status: Finished
Map 12: Symbol of Iniquity 1 2 Status: Finished

Much thanks goes to Grain of Salt for being the first to playtest the wad and for giving a ton of useful feedback. You rule!

EDIT: I'm almost ready to post a public beta.

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I'm not sure how much time I have for playtesting so I'll let others put their names forward but I must say that it's looking good so far Vordakk. The story is refreshingly well thought out. It looks like a new take on the existing Doom 2 levels judging by the screens and reading the names. Seems right up my street. Grain of Salt is a useful playtester to have on board too. From experience he talks a lot of sense.

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Vordakk, this is some great mapping you have here.


My only suggestion is that virtually everything is very squared off; I feel the layouts could sometimes use more irregular shapes and structures. Not all the time; most of the images look great just as they are, but a little here and there just to break it up.

But otherwise, great looking stuff. Lots of strong contrasting colors and really unique design. I will totally play this when it comes out.

I also like how the names of all the maps are modifications of the original Doom2 maps.

[edit] The first screenie of Map 03. The MODWALL1 texture is misaligned above the doorway.

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KiiiYiiiKiiiA said:

The first screenie of Map 03. The MODWALL1 texture is misaligned above the doorway.


It's actually a door that springs open after you hit a switch. This is why the texture appears misaligned, because in the screenshot I had already hit the switch. But thanks for paying close attention to the pics, I need as much advice as I can get. Regarding the "squareness", I will try to work on making use of more irregular shapes. I'd like to say that the screenshots make the levels seem look more square than they are, but I have a suspicion that you're right and that I just need to work on relying less on obvious shapes. If you'd like to playtest, let me know since you seem to have a good eye for level design/gameplay. Any input at all would be appreciated.

Thanks a ton for the kind words, everyone! Now that I'm back from tour, I'll be working hard on getting the last 2 levels completed.

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Just a minor annoyance in PRBOOM+ the new text messes up the text in the menus so you can't see what you're selecting

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Vordakk said:

It's actually a door that springs open after you hit a switch. This is why the texture appears misaligned, because in the screenshot I had already hit the switch. But thanks for paying close attention to the pics, I need as much advice as I can get. Regarding the "squareness", I will try to work on making use of more irregular shapes. I'd like to say that the screenshots make the levels seem look more square than they are, but I have a suspicion that you're right and that I just need to work on relying less on obvious shapes. If you'd like to playtest, let me know since you seem to have a good eye for level design/gameplay. Any input at all would be appreciated.


I won't take on being an official playtester, purely because I am already waaaay behind on my Doom related stuff, and don't want to add another thing to be behind on. Normally I would love to playtest something like this tho, I actually enjoy playtesting usually.

Though if you do a public beta, I will play through that, and take note of any bugs and stuff I find, for sure.

Also

Vordakk said:

Thanks a ton for the kind words, everyone! Now that I'm back from tour, I'll be working hard on getting the last 2 levels completed.


"back from tour"? You have me all curious now. Are you secretly some mega rock star just back from a sellout world tour, or perhaps an elite soldier just back from a tour in a foreign war-torn land? These are the only two things I regularly hear the word 'tour' associated with. Hey, I mean you don't owe me any explanations or anything, but I am kinda intrigued.

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KiiiYiiiKiiiA said:

I won't take on being an official playtester, purely because I am already waaaay behind on my Doom related stuff, and don't want to add another thing to be behind on.


I can certainly understand that. Maybe in a little while I'll do a public beta for you :)

KiiiYiiiKiiiA said:

"back from tour"? You have me all curious now.


I play in a little band just for fun.

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Vordakk said:

I play in a little band just for fun.


Haha, seriously, what a coincidence I JUST listened to your band on spotify, and I did not know that it was your band until right now =)

Check out this recent post: http://www.doomworld.com/vb/post/1072776
Might explaint how I stumbled over your band =)

ps: sorry for being off topic

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