Thoughts On Hexen?

[Rudolph]

Huh. Well, that is rather disappointing, then. The levels are not badly designed per se, but the combat leaves much to be desired: with the Fighter and the Cleric, it feels like playing Doom with only the fist and, in the Mage's case, with only the pistol. As for the enemies, well, they are basically Doom's Pinky Demons and Hell Knights and Heretic's Imp Leaders; not bad either, but fighting them with only one puny weapon is not particularly fun. I could not help but wish for a shotgun or even Heretic's Crossbow.

 

I trust the full game is better?

[JustCallMeKaito]

2 minutes ago, Rudolph said:

I trust the full game is better?

Each class gets a total of 4 weapons, and they're far better than what you get in the beginning. Enemy wise, you get a few more projectile spitters, but you also get a few enemies that just reuse sprites. The level design and puzzles get more obtuse and demand you travel back & forth more.

 

If you didn't enjoy the demo, then you'll probably not like what the rest of the game offers.

[RHhe82]

16 minutes ago, Rudolph said:

Huh. Well, that is rather disappointing, then. The levels are not badly designed per se, but the combat leaves much to be desired: with the Fighter and the Cleric, it feels like playing Doom with only the fist and, in the Mage's case, with only the pistol. As for the enemies, well, they are basically Doom's Pinky Demons and Hell Knights and Heretic's Imp Leaders; not bad either, but fighting them with only one puny weapon is not particularly fun. I could not help but wish for a shotgun or even Heretic's Crossbow.

 

I trust the full game is better?

 

Looking at the thread, not everybody likess HeXen. I personally do, even if I do like Doom and Heretic considerably more. The hubs do get more confusing in my opinion, and as a kid I finally got stuck in the fourth hub (Castle Grief), I couldn't figure out what to do. So, if the first third of Seven Portals gave you trouble, I don't know. Hubs 2-4 are cooler, though, and you'll finally have better weapons. Cleric's second weapon, which you should have gotten in the demo (but once again, I can't remember if that was the case) is ranged, and has a cool health absorption if utilised close range.

 

I only reached the final hub and end game as an adult, and I found that bit disappointing. The expansion set Deathkings of the Dark Citadel was good, though, it was like a better version of Hexen in a condensed package.

[Doomlover77]

I’ve played the Hexen demo in October 1995, liked it, and borrowed the full version of the game from a friend on 3rd December of that year. Installed it onto my computer the same evening then played it. I thought it was a good game. But a year later I lost the game due to a virus on my computer. 
 

On Christmas Day in 1997 I received the game as a present from my parents. I actually brought the game myself from WH Smith’s in Redditch before going to college !

 

I finished the game in January 1998. The first map was fairly easy. The seven portals hub was very hard. The challenge Kept me occupied. 
 

The second hub (heresiach’s? seminary) drove me mad. Lost a bit of sleep one night due to not finding three switches. Kept retracing my steps. 
 

The one big problem with Hexen is when I saved my game on the seminary hub where you visit the three chapels (dragon, wolf and griffin) and then had a Z_malloc error and discovered I’d lost my save game position!! Damn ! Was I mad !! Luckily I had backed it up. 
 

Hexen is a good game. Excellent music. 

[Rudolph]

@RHhe82 Well, my main issue with the demo is that it only gives you one weapon (two in the Fighter's case); as such, like I said, it feels like playing Doom with only the fist and the pistol. The levels and the music are fine, though. 

[RHhe82]

3 minutes ago, Rudolph said:

@RHhe82 Well, my main issue with the demo is that it only gives you one weapon (two in the Fighter's case); as such, like I said, it feels like playing Doom with only the fist and the pistol. The levels and the music are fine, though. 

Yeah, there are only four weapons per class, and I think fighter class had two melee-range only weapons. Flechettes also behaved differently between classes - I think they acted like grenades for fighters? Again, can’t be certain as I always played the cleric class.

[Rudolph]

Holy crap! You were right. I have just replayed the demo as a Mage and now, we are talking!

 

Maybe the Fighter and the Cleric get better weapons later on, but based on the demo, I feel like Raven Software should have focused on the Mage alone, as the character's gameplay feels the most like Heretic's: just make one class and give it access to all the weapons!

Edited December 5, 2021 by Rudolph

[magicsofa]

On 3/25/2020 at 3:31 PM, Denim Destroyer said:

I picked Cleric.

Noob, you were supposed to pick Mage.

 

Spoiler

Just kidding, they are all playable. But the Sapphire Wand is about 400% more effective than any other weapon in the game so yeah you've basically won the moment you start as Mage. I have a special love for the Cleric only because the Serpent Staff projectiles are purdy. If you actually want to enjoy the combat, pick Fighter.

 

[Cruduxy Pegg]

Cleric flechette's are super busted, they can instakill normal enemies if you use a disc of repulsion on them and they can stunlock bosses for all eternity. He also happens to have one of the most balanced ultimate weapons to ever grace an fps game. even the final boss gets terrified when you say its name loudly.

Spoiler

 

 

[MidnightMage]

^

Wow! That's beautifully broken. 

[INfront95]

I like it because of changing level. Its a good feeling when your actions affect the world.

[7Mahonin]

Hexen was the best 3 player coop I ever played. Each player was one of the 3 classes and we played on the hardest setting. I wish we had the knowledge at the time of how to record such a thing because I don’t think I’ve seen a video that has that going on, and likely there are at least 3 Hexen players that could do that without dying from beginning to end… that definitely wasn’t my friends and I lol. 

[Rudolph]

Is there a mod out there that merges all three classes into one that can wield all the weapons? Or one that improves the Fighter and the Cleric's arsenal, so I do not have to power through several levels worth of tedious melee combat? I like the Mage's ranged weapons and the Frost Shards are quite fun to use, but the Cleric's Serpent Staff is not available in the demo - at least, not in the penultimate difficulty level - and the Fighter's second weapon is basically a Berserk Fist that uses ammo.

Edited December 6, 2021 by Rudolph

[Cruduxy Pegg]

7 Portals just sucks compared to the rest of the game. They should've removed it altogether or made it an optional hub in the full game.

[leodoom85]

@RudolphBetter get the full package soon. But beware of the fourth hub, if you get it there. 

And we wish to have all 9 weapons (excluding the melee/wand-tier 1 weapons) but I think it would need some modifications to balance the weapons.

 

The wraithverge is fucking OP except for monsters who can repel projectiles. But, the most OP weapon imo, is the mage's wand. Who needs ammo when you have a low-energy, magical stick that can pierce enemies like butter and uses 0 ammo? Like...seriously.

[leodoom85]

3 minutes ago, Pegg said:

7 Portals just sucks compared to the rest of the game. They should've removed it altogether or made it an optional hub in the full game.

Fourth hub is the worst for me. 

But, the Deathkings expansion has some forgettable maps that can hate you more than the seven portals...

[Midnight_00]

I'm not sure if I'm missing something, but I've quit out of irritation and boredom before completing Seven Portals with the Mage every time I've tried it. It's the fact that all you have is a fairly weak starting weapon and the freeze magic which forces you to switch weapons if you want to shatter the enemies which makes the combat really tedious. Playing through the game with the Cleric struck the right balance for me even though the Centaurs get really horrible later on.

[SilentD00mer]

Well, I like Hexen, but for me it feels like a (very) long game, even if it's not that long. And it feels confusing at some parts, when you are trying to remember which part of the map you go next. The bosses don't feel like 'special fights' for me, I mean, they are stronger than the rest of the monsters, but I always feel like they need something to be really good...

Edited December 6, 2021 by SilentD00mer

[Rudolph]

I have to ask: does Hexen have secrets so to speak? All the levels in the demo indicated zero secrets in the automap stats.

[leodoom85]

2 hours ago, Rudolph said:

I have to ask: does Hexen have secrets so to speak? All the levels in the demo indicated zero secrets in the automap stats.

It has zero secrets marked in all of the maps BUT, there are secret maps and some "secret" areas if you are willing to 100% the hub.

 

Each hub has one secret map. Some of them are fairly easy to find, like in the third hub and others are.............really convoluted. 

I can give a hint for all 5 secret maps in a spoiler down below.

Spoiler

• First secret map: Do all steps in the 7 portals hub to find it. The last step is done in the steel map. Find it in the main hub map, at the beginning, where you saw a small pool and step into that small area by jumping (yup...no indications whatsoever).
• Second secret map: Find the 6 main switches. Then go to the main hub map (in shadow wood), where you found a platinum helm at that high area, near of one of the portals. (IMPORTANT NOTE: be sure to complete the secret map quick...more details next)
• Third secret map: Kill the heresiarch and some pillars will open nearby you (it's where the heresiarch was placed in the map).
• Fourth secret map: Remember the second secret map? Well, after killing all enemies fast, the floor lowers, revealing a switch (if you don't kill them quick, it will keep spawning monsters forever and won't unlock that switch). Press it to unlock the portal to that map. It's found in the map where one of the books are.
• Last secret map: It's in the main hub map (the necropolis). Go to one area (it's like a mausoleum) as fast as you can or the door will stay closed.

Uff....that's all of them.

 

[ApprihensivSoul]

Strange as it may sound, HeXen is easily unironically my favorite idTech1 game. 

It's puzzle design is strikingly lacking, and I've done some modding to repair that, and and it's combat can get really repetitive until you have three weapons. Which takes quite some time compared to other games of the style. But the atmosphere and map design blow everything else in the era out of the water. 

I liked HeXen II, as well, and the puzzles in that game are far better, and in fact mostly actually fun, but the smaller maps and calmer atmosphere make it hard for me to love it as much as I did the original. (H2 does have atmosphere, it's just different, and nowhere near as brutal.) 

I really liked the Tuklu hubs, due to the faster paced combat and denser level design, it's a real shame that Portal is tied up in rights limbo.

[CBM]

I love hexen and Im considering making hexen UDMF maps

[RHhe82]

By the way, what is the best way of playing Hexen these days? GZDoom? I remember watching one of my favoured Doom YT-channels that recently took on Hexen, and there were some very strange, game breaking bugs in the forest hub.

 

Edit: Search functionality is a thing. 

 

Edited December 6, 2021 by RHhe82

[Cruduxy Pegg]

8 hours ago, leodoom85 said:

The wraithverge is fucking OP except for monsters who can repel projectiles. But, the most OP weapon imo, is the mage's wand. Who needs ammo when you have a low-energy, magical stick that can pierce enemies like butter and uses 0 ammo? Like...seriously.

You actually just need to avoid hitting them with the projectile part of the attack, the wraiths themselves don't really care much. Their damage is also much lower to the cleric who shot them so you can just tank them if they are somehow reflected. Heresiarch can reflect them with his shield but let's face it.. You have Wraithverge and he needs line of sight to cast reflection. All you need is to stay out of sight and shoot until you hear his death sound lol.

[PlumFun]

2 hours ago, RHhe82 said:

By the way, what is the best way of playing Hexen these days? GZDoom? I remember watching one of my favoured Doom YT-channels that recently took on Hexen, and there were some very strange, game breaking bugs in the forest hub.

 

Hiya!

 

Well, if you plan on just playing the original Hexen and then DkDC... I'd actually recommend Doomsday Engine. The lighting and effects really bring out the "magical eeriness" of the game; Doomday Engine is just freaking *gorgeous*! :)

 

If you want to play other Hexen wads... GZDoom as more mappers map for GZHexen because mapping in Doomday Engine is still a tedious PITA... :(

 

^_^

 

Paul L. Ming

[leodoom85]

4 hours ago, Pegg said:

You actually just need to avoid hitting them with the projectile part of the attack, the wraiths themselves don't really care much. Their damage is also much lower to the cleric who shot them so you can just tank them if they are somehow reflected. Heresiarch can reflect them with his shield but let's face it.. You have Wraithverge and he needs line of sight to cast reflection. All you need is to stay out of sight and shoot until you hear his death sound lol.

True....or play wraith tennis with reflection disks >:)

[Rudolph]

Having watched a longplay of Hexen, I see that the game has respawning enemies, which is a big "No thanks" for me.

 

I really wish Raven could have made a straightforward Heretic sequel without the respawning enemies and the mandatory backtracking.

[Gibbon]

The levels are more interesting, it pushes you to look everywhere and it is nice and slow and let's you take everything at your own pace and gives itself a unique quality that makes it 'Hexen' rather than 'Doom with Wizards' (Heretic).

[RHhe82]

21 minutes ago, Rudolph said:

Having watched a longplay of Hexen, I see that the game has respawning enemies, which is a big "No thanks" for me.

 

I really wish Raven could have made a straightforward Heretic sequel without the respawning enemies and the mandatory backtracking.

 

In the base game respawning monsters are ettins, the most basic representative of bestiary, which are easy to deal with melee weapons. I don't consider it a big deal, it's not like the nightmare difficulty thing in Doom. (Although in the final hub I think the respawners are reavers, which is a bit uncomfortable).

 

But yeah, I totally understand that Hexen is not everyone's cup of tea.

[robocaco]

I like it and will play it but because of the respawning enemies and 'You have solved 1/9th of the puzzle' I prefer Doom a lot more.