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Xaser

[v0.5.3] ARGENT - The Streamlined Doom 4 Mod

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EXTREMELY NOTICE: this mod requires a recent build (3.1.0 recommended) of GZDoom, or its equvalent QZDoom -- basically whatever's linked on the main downloads page that starts with a G or a Q.

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ARGENT - v0.5.3
- Release Archive
- Github

 

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wtf is ARGENT?

 

In a nutshell, this mod is Xaser's own spin on Neccronixis's nu-Doom weapon sprites. In contrast to the other big kids on the block (D4D, D4T, and Zion), ARGENT aims to be a bit more "old-school" in its goals, providing a slick set of smoothly-animated d44m weaponry without introducing a ton of game-changing mechanics. In addition, as of v0.4.x, it's powered by ZScript! Huzzah!

 

Some key features:

  • All SP weapons from Doom-Notfour, quasi-faithfully translated and balanced for use against Doom's classic bestiary*.
  • Weapon Mods! 
  • New powerups! Quad, Haste, and Regen are all toggle-able in the menu.
  • Equipment! Rechargeable grenades! Eventually more stuff of the sort like siphons/holograms soon!
  • A custom gib system for maximum "splooshiness"
  • Several tweak flags for user customization, including the fabled "monsters always gib" setting.
  • Gallons of polish (or litres if you prefer), particularly in the animation department.


[*all right, between this and the mods, you're a bit more powerful than standard Doomguy. But not gamebreakingly so.]

 

Stuff that's not yet done but on the list:

  • Holograms n' Siphons -- Grenades are in, but that's not the end of it.
  • Cool Crosshairs, complete with cooldown meters and all that jazz.
  • Better Haste and Berserk powerups
  • A lock-on indicator for the Rocket Launcher, which I keep forgetting to make for some reason.
  • Misc tweaks and bugfixes (of course)
  • A post-release expansion pack featuring reinterpreted versions of the MP-exclusive weapons... with mods!

 

Things that the mod does/will explicitly NOT feature:

  • Glory Kills
  • 100% new-Doom accuracy
  • Enemy sprites or behavior changes (gibs being the exception)
  • Randomization elements
  • Incremental weapon/stat upgrades or currency systems
  • Belching lava

 

As listed above, weapon mods (in the Doom 4 sense, not just the ZDoom sense) are a thing. To obtain, pick up a Mod Kit (replaces Backpack), use it from your inventory, and use your standard weapon select + fire/altfire keys to navigate the "menu". It's a pretty simple system that's designed to let you apply mods mid-combat without the stress of fumbling through a full-on menu; hopefully it's intuitive to match. ;P

 

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Hey, why should I play this instead of D4D/D4T?


'Cause you want to. Otherwise, play the other ones! :P

 

Seriously though, these guys have done a fantastic job, and I encourage folks to try out both mods and pick out which one they prefer. D4D and D4T are jam-packed with features and upgrades, while ARGENT carves out its own niche by focusing on keeping the gameplay a bit more old-school (hence "streamlined") with some ultra-smooth new animation work as the icing on the cake. Check out the videos at the bottom of this post if you're interested, or just give it a spin!

 

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Project Roadmap

 

The mod has mods now (... how meta), but there's still a few things to be done. Here's what we'll see on the near horizon:

  • v0.1.x: Primary fires for all weapons; some things still incomplete (e.g. BFG ammotype).
  • v0.2.x: One mod, chosen based on sprite availability and/or whim. Ha ha! I skipped this entirely.
  • v0.3.x: Both mods, with a good ol' animated swap feature.
  • v0.4.x: ZScript conversion. New SSG sprites. Bugfixes, because bugs happen!
  • v0.5.x: Current version. Equipment system. Huzzah! Just the grenade for now, but there you go.
  • v0.6.x: Kickass animated crosshairs. Also the rest of the equipment, probably!
  • v1.0.0: Profit. /idgames release. Heat death of universe.
  • v2.0.0: The Expansion, featuring the multiplayer-exclusive weapons (e.g. Static Rifle, Lightning Gun, etc.) included, with mod fires! Got some cool plans for these post-release... once the universe is rebooted, of course.

 

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Screenshots


These are slightly-dated, but still show off the goods:
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The mapset shown is Back to Saturn X Episode 2. Ignore the purple plasma -- that's a palette thing thanks to my goofy choice of maps. :P

 

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Videos

 

 

 

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...Github?


Yep. I'm taking a page from Marty Kirra's book and doing something a little different this time: hosting the project on Github. Been using it a ton lately for various things and I figured it'd be a good way to let folks access the latest stuff without having to remember (i.e. always forget) to upload a new version every once in a while, plus I plan on using issue tracking and possibly pull requests -- handy stuff.

 

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Credits

 

  • Hats off to Neccronixis, again, for his killer sprites. Without him this mod would be incredibly hard to imagine existing.
  • Magic thanks to Kate for being awesome and catching a lot of silly bugs I made during testing n' development of a semi-secret thing. More on that in the future, perhaps... O:
  • The D4D/D4T guys for making cool shit and being supportive of my own efforts. Keepin' the "rivalry" friendly. ;)
  • Many more, which are mentioned in the credits.txt lump in the pk3. If I'm missing anyone, let me know!

 

That's all for now. Go forth and... uh... something!

Edited by Xaser : v0.5.3 update

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Those weapon sprites are beautiful. It's cool to see so many projects using them :) Also really glad to see you hosting it on GibHub! So this is something you're ok with others forking and using as a base for other things?

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@Tango: yup, that's part of the plan, though I'm still thinking about how I want to handle the assets in terms of licensing. The sprites are effectively verbal CC-BY-NC but I want to get that "in writing" somewhere, and the sounds are taken straight from the game so it's not exactly possible to CC 'em. :P

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I wouldn't be surprised if someone starts something like that eventually. Some maps would be pretty tough to recreate, though -- Argent Energy Tower is gonna take approximately eight zillion 3D floors and portals, for one.

Back to the mod: Even though I've only had it posted on DW for a few hours, I've already uploaded v0.1.1. It fixes rocket' radius being too large (thanks to Jimmy for the fix) and adds a fun little feature: a "Monsters Always Gib" CVAR for the less-sane folk out there.

See the "Release Archive" link in the OP for downloads. I'll just drop 'em in that folder as things get updated so people don't have to hunt down a bunch of loose links.

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Xaser said:

I wouldn't be surprised if someone starts something like that eventually. Some maps would be pretty tough to recreate, though -- Argent Energy Tower is gonna take approximately eight zillion 3D floors and portals, for one.

Back to the mod: Even though I've only had it posted on DW for a few hours, I've already uploaded v0.1.1. It fixes rocket' radius being too large (thanks to Jimmy for the fix) and adds a fun little feature: a "Monsters Always Gib" CVAR for the less-sane folk out there.

See the "Release Archive" link in the OP for downloads. I'll just drop 'em in that folder as things get updated so people don't have to hunt down a bunch of loose links.


I didn't say it should be EXACTLY like Doom 4, merely inspired. Recreating the exact levels would be pointless and boring.

What I would like to see would be something different, which we haven't seen but still would have fit in Doom 2016, such as more diverse Hell levels or a different part of the UAC facility.

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Dunno. With all that "dirt" they look like pixelized highly detailed models rather than the neatly colored glossy iwad weapons. Not really Doom style. Maybe it's because diagonal lines don't look as good when the pixels are very noticeable.

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Neat work, Xaser! I kinda want to play Doom4 themed maps with this.

A bit puzzled by this one though:



"Geometry" is fine per see, but shadows don't look consistent to me. Adding some to the hand might help.

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Gonna give this a try later today :D

I like the screens and I usually like your weapon mods so I shouldn't be disapointed ^^

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Jimmy said:

The hand is going under the gun there.

I have no problem with that. Just that the hand looks too bright with the weapon part visible right on its side. The latter has shadows on it but the glove looks like it's directly lit.

I am not an expert at this so it probably is just my brain fucking with me.

Edit: nah yeah, my complaint sounds silly the more I look at the screencap. Disregard this.

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I Thought this is going to be something new like a Levelpack, Turns out it's another Doom 4 weps for Doom mod :( .

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DMGUYDZ64 said:

I Thought this is going to be something new like a Levelpack, Turns out it's another Doom 4 weps for Doom mod :( .


And a good looking one at that. I would turn that emoticon's frown upside down! :D

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Whew, finally recorded a vid of my latest bit of progress. Behold -- mods!



Though just the HAR is implemented fully, the basic system is all set up and working, with full animations and controls accurate to the game (altfire readies the mod, fire shoots it). Huzzah!

Still a few things left to polish before I release v0.1.2 (and tons of mods to actually implement before v0.2.0 -- or even v0.3.0 -- becomes a thing). But it's coming...

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Xaser said:

controls accurate to the game (altfire readies the mod, fire shoots it).


Huh, is that really necessary? :/

What is wrong with just pressing the altfire button?

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JohnnyTheWolf said:

Huh, is that really necessary? :/

What is wrong with just pressing the altfire button?

A lot of the mods have a significant delay or flat-out charge-up ( meaning you can fire mid-charge shots for less time but less damage ). Replicating the control system makes it so you can "hold" the delay so you can prepare it ahead of time, or just let go of secondary fire if you decide you don't need to actually use it.

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In addition to what Arctangent said, the canon answer is "because it works that way in the game." Plus it's way too fun to repeatedly raise and lower the micro missile rack without firing anything. :D

Keep in mind I've got a CVAR system set up with the intent to add several to-taste tweaks, and something like this seems like a good candidate. I'm curious to know if other folks would like to see an altfire behavior toggle too -- I may have to set up some sort of opinion-gathering-thing at some point, for justice n' whatnot.

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Amazing work, Neccronixis and Xaser! I don't really play Doom with gameplay mods, but I'm really impressed how this looks and feels anyway.

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Fronk! v0.1.2 is a thing!

Quick summary of what's new, off the top of my head:

  • Kickass new item sprites, thanks to Pillowblaster!
  • BFG revamp! Now comes in Modern and Classic flavors.
  • Powerups! Beef yourself up with Quad Damage, Haste (just movement speed for now), and Regen! Spawn replacements are toggleable in Mod Options.
  • Chain Faw! Find some Gibs!
  • New sounds for item pickups and splooshy gibs, for justice n' filesize.
  • A fancy Mod Options menu with a bunch of toggles for various things. Technically existed in v0.1.1 but it's got more stuff now.
  • Bugfixes and probably other misc. stuff I'm forgetting.
The mod system "exists" but isn't enabled just yet, since the only weapon which has mods is the Heavy Assault Rifle, but if you select it and pukename "GimmeMods", you can try it out. Be sure to bind a "Swap Weapon Mod" key in Mod Options, though this shares the same general bind as Reload so you may already have it bound.

Happy Mars-ing, folks!

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I get the following error whenever I try to launch the mod with GZDoom:

Script error, "Argent.pk3:actors/weapons/bfg.txt" line 195:
Expected ')', got ','.

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At some point in the near future I'm gonna find everyone who's failed to read the notice in the first line of the first post, sneak into their houses, and steal everyone's left shoe.

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