Realm of Chaos: 25th Anniversary Edition - RC2 RELEASED! (vanilla classic megawad)

[Cammy]

As far as classic '90s megawads are concerned, there are a few key monoliths which we still think back on today - Icarus, Requiem, and the Memento Moris chief among them. But dig a little deeper, and you may just discover some hidden gems...

 

On Halloween night of 1996, Realm of Chaos hit the scene, a megawad developed by TMT. And no, that's not a typo - they're The Macintosh Team! A mere seven Mac users, given a mere six months, managed to assemble an entire 32-map megawad. It flew under the radar for most, not being as Triple-A as the above-mentioned megawads and not pulling off many complicated puzzles or mapping magic. But in its place, Realm of Chaos distinguishes itself with a prevailing focus on straight-up combat, often in quick and concentrated levels. There's plenty of creative maps and fun action to be had in this hidden classic, and I think it deserves its time in the limelight.

 

Fortunately, I've been given the privilege to give it that time. With guidance from TMT keystones Robert "DocBob" Berkowitz and @Steve D, Realm of Chaos: 25th Anniversary Edition is here!

 

This revised and recharged version of the classic wad features new graphics and sprites, an included DeHacked patch with original story sequences and automap names, and a major facelift to every single map with permission from the original creators. The fights are badder, the progression is clearer, the lighting is sharper - but the original soul is wholly intact, and it remains 100% vanilla compatible!

 

Perhaps the biggest addition of all, this edition of Realm of Chaos features a full custom soundtrack of 35 never-before-heard MIDIs courtesy of yours truly! Sticking true to the original project's restrictions, the soundtrack and all above changes were made on my MacBook Air right up until it kicked the bucket.

 

= = > DOWNLOAD RELEASE CANDIDATE 1 HERE < = =

= = > DOWNLOAD RELEASE CANDIDATE 1.5 HERE < = =

= = > DOWNLOAD RELEASE CANDIDATE 2 HERE < = = (updated april 3rd)

 

Here are some screenshots for you:

 

 

 

 

 

If you've read this far, make sure to check out the development thread for Realm of Chaos 2! @Steve D and I have got a hand in that one, as well, and you're not going to want to miss it.

Edited April 3 by Cammy : rc2!!!

[Steve D]

I am so looking forward to this, Cammy! RoC always needed an OST but none of us were musicians, so it's cool to see that issue solved. I also want to give you mad props for tracking down every original RoC member except (so far) Jason Fowler. With your sleuthing skillz, I'm sure you'll find him.

 

I'm pretty sure RoC isn't the only Mac-made megawad. Batman Doom was done on the Mac, and was a full TC to boot. Yes, they admit to using Wintex for the flats, but we used some PC apps as well, for example when Antoni Chan replaced the stock demos. I also think at least one of the Laz Rojas Wolfendoom projects hit the 15+ map mark, too. But no question, we were the first!

 

 

[Terminus]

Hey, I recall playtesting some of these maps! Cool to see this finally getting released, with a brand new soundtrack to boot.

Happy anniversary!

[Pixel Fiend]

I've never seen this wad before. Cool that there will be a remaster. A bit surprised you're not mentioning a retouch of geometry/textures for a 25-year old wad?

[Cammy]

On 11/1/2021 at 4:57 AM, game said:

A bit surprised you're not mentioning a retouch of geometry/textures for a 25-year old wad?

 

I had considered that - I'm fixing whatever texture misalignments I find, but I ultimately decided not to mess around with geometry too much. For a wad of RoC's age, it's difficult to define a point at which a map really needs that visual care, and even harder to define a point at which a visually-updated map loses its identity. Besides, I think each map having its own music track - a field in which I have much more experience than mapping - will do quite a bit of work all on its own to make these maps feel fresher.

 

Thanks for your interest, I hope you end up enjoying it when it's out!

 

Edit 2024: This aged very poorly, lmao

Edited February 20 by Cammy

[Egg Boy]

Realm of Chaos fans are eating this month.

[prfunky]

Whoa!

Knew I had that file around here...

Just cued up map01 & map02 for giggles.

I played the living hell out of this wad back in the early 2000s.

Always impressed by the balance of it considering it a product

of multiple authors.

[P41R47]

I made my own dehacked patch with a story i wrote, a complete music pack with music from all the MM entries, including Requiem, and Icarus: Alien Vanguard, and made a proper status bar for it.

And now you come with this project.
No, Cammy, i don't like you, anymore.

 

I LOVE YOU!!!

[Rudolph]

What a coincidence! I have just found out about Realms of Chaos today. I was going to start playing it, maybe even put together a custom soundtrack for the occasion, but I guess I will have to wait for the re-release instead! 

Edited November 17, 2021 by Rudolph

[Dusty_Rhodes]

Woah Cammy, this looks awesome! Really excited for this. And you even beat @P41R47 to the release. Great job.

[Cammy]

Hey again, folks! Wanted to give you guys a quick update. A November release is looking somewhat unlikely at the moment thanks to some solidifying family plans for Thanksgiving, but I'll be damned if I'm not still going to try and hit it!

 

While I'm posting, here are some new screenshots for you, this time in the form of some good, old-fashioned before and after comparisons. Original RoC on the left, RoC25 on the right. Lighting is fun!

 

 

 

 

I'm glad to see the positive reception this thread has gotten. I hope the adjustments and music live up to all your expectations!

Edited November 20, 2021 by Cammy

[Dusty_Rhodes]

These look great, and I general, I love the idea of touching up an old wad. I'll be excited to play it.

[Andromeda]

19 hours ago, Cammy said:

(cool pix)

Now that's how you do a proper Definitive Edition ;)

[P41R47]

Now that is what i call a proper facelifting :D
Good job, Cammy!

Great to see this happening to one of my favourite pwads :)

[Rudolph]

On 10/31/2021 at 11:23 PM, Cammy said:

This revised and recharged version of the classic wad will feature new graphics and sprites - your muzzle flashes now have a stylish blue pop to them. 

Will the new sprites be optional like with the original release?

[Cammy]

2 hours ago, Rudolph said:

Will the new sprites be optional like with the original release?

 

Nope, all the custom sprites are being baked into the wad this time - both for convenience's sake, and because RoC's sprites are really fun and unique, so it'd be a shame not to show them off front-and-center! If you'd like to play without them, it's a simple matter of opening Slade and deleting everything from S_START to S_END.

[Rudolph]

Cool! I have actually not seen much of RoC's sprites, as I got stuck in MAP04 by an invisible wall, so I was just wondering.

 

I am curious about the promised blue muzzleflashes: for some reason, I have those vague childhood memories of those being in vanilla Doom. As I grew up, I discovered that the game's weapons never had blue muzzleflashes to begin with (except for the Plasma Rifle), so either what I saw was footage of the Plasma Rifle in action or I experienced a case of the Mandela Effect. :P

[Rudolph]

January is behind us already, yet no update on this project. Is everything okay on your end?

[Cammy]

On 2/3/2022 at 5:51 PM, Rudolph said:

January is behind us already, yet no update on this project. Is everything okay on your end?

 

So sorry for being so slow to update this - yes, RoC25 is still underway! Apologies for the delay in its release - I've been busy with life, and also with a few other exciting Doom projects which have taken a lot out of me in the past few months. RoC25 has been on the backburner for a little bit, but very soon I'll finally get the chance to make it my priority again, so don't give up on it just yet!! In fact, it's actually closer to done than you may think. ;)

[Rudolph]

No need to apologize! I just noticed the lack of updates and I was wondering what was going on. Real life takes precedence, I understand that too well!

[Cammy]

Finally, some good news! RoC25 is at last nearing the end of its development. All 32 maps are now remastered and complete, only awaiting a couple rounds of testing and a completed soundtrack before it should be ready for release. I've updated the OP to reflect this, and I've got a few more before-and-after screenies to share with you all. Just like before, originals on the left, remasters on the right!

 

 

 

 

 

[Rudolph]

Nice!

 

I see you have done more than remastering it, though; according to the screenshots, you have added and removed enemies and items. Why is that?

[Cammy]

43 minutes ago, Rudolph said:

I see you have done more than remastering it, though; according to the screenshots, you have added and removed enemies and items. Why is that?

 

For the most part, the changes to the amounts and placement of the monsters actually aren't as significant as they look - just a matter of the monsters deciding to wander in different directions while I got in position to take my screencaps. There are definitely sections of the wad where monster placements and items are switched around, though - including some fights which are either reworked completely or outright new - but I've done my best to keep it so that it's done in service of making the strengths of each map and its respective combat scenarios more prevalent.

[rzh]

I really, really like that last screenshot.

All those blues toghether give me this deep nostalgic feeling.

Only Heretic and some Nicolas Monti maps gave me that feeling so far.

I don't know what it is about huge structures, clear sky, and water that does it for me, but it's certainly a theme I'd like to see more of.

Not sure if that's mostly OG or reworked RoC, but in any case Cammy, really excited to see this project. In the meantime, you just convinced me to play through the original to have something to compare this re-release to.

Those blue muzzle flashes sound awesome, any sneak peeks of those by any chance?

[Captain Ventris]

It’s looking great! Eager to play this when it releases!

[Cammy]

1 hour ago, rzh said:

I really, really like that last screenshot.

All those blues toghether give me this deep nostalgic feeling.

Only Heretic and some Nicolas Monti maps gave me that feeling so far.

I don't know what it is about huge structures, clear sky, and water that does it for me, but it's certainly a theme I'd like to see more of.

Not sure if that's mostly OG or reworked RoC, but in any case Cammy, really excited to see this project. In the meantime, you just convinced me to play through the original to have something to compare this re-release to.

Those blue muzzle flashes sound awesome, any sneak peeks of those by any chance?

 

Thanks so much! The screenshot you're describing is MAP19: Port Fury. The architecture and geometry is almost identical between the original and the remaster, but the color coordination and lighting are significantly reworked, leading to those deep dark blues you're describing. Glad you enjoy it, hopefully the full wad lives up to your expectations!

 

As far as a sneak peek is concerned, I have been entertaining the idea of releasing a demo version containing the first five maps, just to whet people's appetites and show off what to expect from the remaster. I could potentially get that arranged within a day or two if people would like to see it!

Edited April 1, 2022 by Cammy

[Rudolph]

@Cammy I do not know about the others, but I am fine waiting for the full release. ;)

[Endless]

Hey man! Sorry for the bump, I was wondering what happened with the project? The release day says Apri - May, and we are already at July. Hope the project sees the light soon, and everything is okey!

[VoanHead]

Hate to be that guy but uhh is the project doing alright? Don't wanna come across like I'm bitching and complaining, but it's been quite a while since when the wad was supposed to drop as it says in the OP. Like Endless said, I hope that this megawad eventually gets to be released and enjoyed by many, and that everything is OK.

[taufan99]

17 hours ago, VoanHead said:

Hate to be that guy but uhh is the project doing alright? Don't wanna come across like I'm bitching and complaining, but it's been quite a while since when the wad was supposed to drop as it says in the OP. Like Endless said, I hope that this megawad eventually gets to be released and enjoyed by many, and that everything is OK.

There's another thread on the same topic by Steve D himself (focusing more on the development side). If he's to be believed, only two maps are left for the finishing before the eventual RC1.