Realm of Chaos 2: The Revenge of '96! Full Megawad development thread

[ScrappyMcDoogerton]

Hello, seeing the recent update for the ROC25 release, I am curious what the status of this project is since the release dates in the OP for a playable beta and the full version have both passed.

[Chalibluefin]

Hell yeah Europa

[Chris Hansen]

On 4/1/2022 at 4:18 AM, ScrappyMcDoogerton said:

Hello, seeing the recent update for the ROC25 release, I am curious what the status of this project is since the release dates in the OP for a playable beta and the full version have both passed.

We’ve hit a few bumps and have had to postpone it some months. Our project lead @Steve D wants to release it no sooner than August come hell or high water! Rest assured it’s coming. Thank you for the interest btw!

[Steve D]

Thanks for picking up the slack, @Chris Hansen :)

 

RoC2 is in limited testing right now, even though it's 2 maps shy of a full load. The incompletes are Map29 (mine) and Map31, which is one of our many collaborations. There's a few other maps that need revisions, and there's going to be some shuffling of the map order, but for the most part, we're in good shape.

 

In order to qualify as a 25th Anniversary sequel to the original RoC, RoC2 must be released in the 25th calendar year from 1996, relative to RoC's Halloween release, which will end on October 31st. I had originally hoped to release the megawad on October 31st, 2021, but had to settle with an announcement. Rest assured that RoC2 will release in the near future. This is not going to be a project that drags along for years. It really is almost done.

 

From time to time I've considered creating a 9 or 11-map beta combining maps from all 3 episodes, as other projects have done, but in the end decided against it. I wanted it all done before it went into general testing. The way things are going, there may not be much testing other than our own internal work plus the testing recently done and ongoing by trusted Doomers. In some ways, that's closer to the original RoC ethic, which was released with nothing more than internal testing -- and as a result, problems occurred. ;D With luck, we'll get more testing than I anticipate, because that's the best way to uncover the occasional bizarre error. 

 

So hang on, and don't worry. We'll be collecting your pelts soon enough. ;D

 

[impologist]

excited for  the project but haven't heard from you since last July . any update ? can't wait to play this wad honestly

[Steve D]

Hey, impologist, sorry it took so long to reply.

 

I think this megawad is progressing like so many do. First, you get a bunch of maps, get close to finishing, and then it takes forever to nail those last two maps. ;D Things have taken longer on that front than I expected. As it turns out, one of those maps was Map29, No Pity (current title), by me. That map was finished in October '22 and has gone through its pre-RC1 round of playtesting. Right now, we are a secret map away from an RC1, though there is another map I'm a little unsure of, that might need to be revised or replaced. So a few things are up in the air, but only a little bit.

 

Anyway, for shits 'n giggles, I'd like to mention that Map29 is a drastic revision of my very first map, the one that got me the job at Realm of Chaos back in '96, but was never in the megawad and was only released to the long-defunct AOL MacDoom Library. It's one among five of my '90s maps, most of them left unfinished back then, that I've revised for RoC2, in order to help achieve that oldschool vibe. Here's some screenies from Map29.

 

 

 

The next two rooms are not in the original map.

 

 

Edited February 6, 2023 by Steve D

[taufan99]

Oh, this is looking like a killer megawad already! Hopefully the development gets completed soon for this one.

[RaRu Des2122]

On 2/6/2023 at 7:15 AM, Steve D said:

Hey, impologist, sorry it took so long to reply.

 

I think this megawad is progressing like so many do. First, you get a bunch of maps, get close to finishing, and then it takes forever to nail those last two maps. ;D Things have taken longer on that front than I expected. As it turns out, one of those maps was Map29, No Pity (current title), by me. That map was finished in October '22 and has gone through its pre-RC1 round of playtesting. Right now, we are a secret map away from an RC1, though there is another map I'm a little unsure of, that might need to be revised or replaced. So a few things are up in the air, but only a little bit.

 

Anyway, for shits 'n giggles, I'd like to mention that Map29 is a drastic revision of my very first map, the one that got me the job at Realm of Chaos back in '96, but was never in the megawad and was only released to the long-defunct AOL MacDoom Library. It's one among five of my '90s maps, most of them left unfinished back then, that I've revised for RoC2, in order to help achieve that oldschool vibe. Here's some screenies from Map29.

 

 

How are things going with the two remaining levels? Has the development already progressed to the final stage or not yet?

 

In any case, I wish the authors inspiration to speed up this process!

[Steve D]

What timing @RaRu Des2122! Just last week, Dobu delivered Map32, Sanity Is A Prison, taking us to Alpha9. So yes, we finally have 32 maps! 4 or 5 maps are also in various stages of development, and depending on when they are finished, they may replace maps already in the megawad prior to RC1 release, or be kept in reserve in case testing reveals a few weak maps. We are also about 5 music tracks away from a complete OST, but there's no worries on that front as all the needed tracks are being worked on, some already close to the finish line. So, with luck, an RC1 will appear in May or early June.

 

I'm being a little bit cagey with pics from Dobu's new map because this one really has to be experienced and I don't want to give anything away. But here's a few just to whet your appetite.

 

 

 

 

[Tristan]

NEW DOBU!

[Egg Boy]

10 hours ago, Steve D said:

What timing @RaRu Des2122! Just last week, Dobu delivered Map32, Sanity Is A Prison, taking us to Alpha9. So yes, we finally have 32 maps! 4 or 5 maps are also in various stages of development, and depending on when they are finished, they may replace maps already in the megawad prior to RC1 release, or be kept in reserve in case testing reveals a few weak maps. We are also about 5 music tracks away from a complete OST, but there's no worries on that front as all the needed tracks are being worked on, some already close to the finish line. So, with luck, an RC1 will appear in May or early June.

 

I'm being a little bit cagey with pics from Dobu's new map because this one really has to be experienced and I don't want to give anything away. But here's a few just to whet your appetite.

 

 

 

 

absolutely ridiculous screenshots. Wonder what it looks like in software!

[Steve D]

17 hours ago, Egg Boy said:

absolutely ridiculous screenshots. Wonder what it looks like in software!

 

Pretty damned incredible based on the first playtest video. ;)

[RaRu Des2122]

On 4/11/2023 at 12:48 AM, Steve D said:

So, with luck, an RC1 will appear in May or early June.

 

 

 

Are there any news? How are things with these 4-5 maps still being made?

[Biodegradable]

14 minutes ago, RaRu Des2122 said:

Are there any news?

 

There's a handful of maps that are still being tweaked and playtested at this time. That's all I say right now.

[Chalibluefin]

I'd say I'm hyped for this. I haven't been keeping up with every upcoming megawad but this along with TNT: 2 are on my list.

[TheShep]

Can't wait for this after reading @Jaws In Space's comment on decino's video about Europa being in here :)

[Insaneprophet]

I have dedicated this, my day off, to a playthrough of the original Realm Of Chaos for the first time in anticipation of the release of this and Realm Of Chaos Annivesary. Godspeed and farewell 😝

[Insaneprophet]

Ive finished the original and can now say that I am fully hyped for this release! Hopefully its closer to finished than further. I dont recall wether I ever saw or played it back in the 90s but I do know that if I did, it didnt stick out in my memory, which leads me to believe I never saw it. I remember the names of alot of what I liked back then and after playing it now, Im sure I would have loved it in its day. Having said all of that, the original Realm Of Chaos is absolutely a product of its time, with all the design philosophies, both combat and architectural, that entails. Luckily for me, I still enjoy me the hell out of some good old school Doom. Im unsure if it was my port or my comp lvl but I ran across a few handfulls of game breaking bugs but in the end it was never anything that a quick "idclip" couldnt resolve. I am very very stoked that at the end of the day, it is the two mappers that shared between themselves, the absolute best maps of the set, that have taken up the mantel of bringing this into the future. And I mean their maps are head and shoulders above the rest. A modern sequel headed by Steve D is almost certian to be a high class, high quality, classic and I for one CANT WAIT!!!

[BohdanZPM]

Hi, I only found out about Realm of Chaos today, and now I'm hyped to play both the original (1996) and the sequel!
Hopefully, Realm of Chaos 2 will be released soon.

[dobu gabu maru]

On 11/18/2023 at 5:28 PM, BohdanZPM said:

Hopefully, Realm of Chaos 2 will be released soon.

 

Steve is busy this holiday season but he's hoping for an early 2024 release, if all goes well. Still got some maps being shuffled around, but the full megawad is there and is in the process of being playtested, barring one or two maps that are still coming together.

 

Anyway, here are some screenshots from some maps Steve let me polish up:

 

 

 

 

 

[impologist]

Any news on this project. still waiting and can't wait to try it out. especially after listening to the soundtrack shared by Lippeth on YouTube