Ashes 2063 - GZDOOM Total Conversion

[Urutora]

Does anyone know how to get ashes afterglow and hard reset working on questzdoom? I've been enjoying replaying episode 1 in vr

[Urutora]

finished hard reset for the third time

Im glad for the tweaked final level, it didnt seem like that much actually changed but what was new left a hugely different impression on me and I actually really like the ending now, maybe I was just misinterpreting the game, but the scene added to the spire map really recontextualized a lot of the episode for me. I'd elaborate more but it feels like huge spoilers for those who haven't played it.

great job y'all

[EldenBloodFury]

I just finished "Hard Reset", and, as a veteran of the series (recorded and uploaded full playthroughs on Apocalyptic difficulty, no deaths) who played "Ashes 2063", "Dead Man Walking" and "Ashes: Afterglow" to the bone, I felt compelled to come in here and write a review in support of your stellar work, Vostyok.

First and foremost: Thank you for making these games. Next to "Cultic", "Ashes" are, by far, my favorite FPS shooters out there. All that crap AAA industries churn out can't compare, and I wait each and every release from your team with bated breath. Hope y'all will never stop, just please don't go in the direction of said AAA products, we hardly need their modern standards and gimmicks in this classic FPS experience.

So. "Hard Reset".

In many ways it felt experimental -- an attempt to iterate on the "Ashes" formula with some success. Narrative-wise it serves as a prequel to the story we experience as the nameless Scavenger from the original Duology, which complements to overarching plot, introduces some more juicy world-building and sets up what is to come in the sequels. I've a feeling we'll be facing off against better organized, better equipped agents operating in the Wasteland who appear to be in competition with the New Guard for control of the Old World's technology.

The character of Walker has an air of mystery about him, opposed to Scav who's mainly a self-insert for the player. Right now, I don't have a strong preference for one or the other. Walker archetype allows us to explore the world from a certain point of view which can be a great asset in world-building and story-telling, but it may limit player's individual roleplaying experience facilitated by a blank page of the Scav archetype. I think there's room for both in "Ashes" universe, ye should totally stick to both of these guys.

That straightforwardness of Walker's character is likewise expressed in the context of gameplay. Man's a brute through and through, and by the end of the story he appears to be losing his mental faculties further providing the contrast to the cunning, crafty Scav. This go around our arsenal feels rather barebones with fewer and rather basic customization options available which is compensated by the addition of ammo types mechanic which is a sidegrade compared to the previous installments.

Ideally, I'd love the next "Ashes" experience to further expand on the customization and incorporate different ammo types (craftable ammo?), but not at the expense of fewer implements of war and carnage, 'cause the potential to diversify gameplay there is massive. Think instead of throwing at the player these spazmonkey enemies like Gladiators, Parasite Worms and Withered, invent a system of damage resistance and vulnerabilities (if at all possible) to pressure the player into selecting right tools / ammo types for the right problems i.e. metal armor-clad enemies that can only be beaten into submission by receiving Armor-Piercing Rounds treatment.

In my humble opinion, the modular rifle was a curious gimmick and it'd totally be worth it to revisit the idea of configuring player's weapons in different mutually exclusive branching options to give more flavor to their roleplay and the satisfaction stemming from having control of your own, hand-crafted arsenal. However, in execution, the modular rifle has nothing on Scav's ye olde SMG w/ Silencer attachment and Solar Lamp combo. Ammunition is always scarce, so the player isn't offered a chance to develop a relationship with the weapon -- it's the pump and dump experience in earnest -- you save up ammo only to dump all mags at the boss or fire the weapon in short, controlled bursts at the lower rank adversaries when in a pinch.

The crossbow is an excellent addition to the "Ashes" arsenal and I'd love to see it again in future installments. Bolts hit hard, the player can recover them as well as parasite off of enemies by baiting their shots which makes both types of ammunition for it rather plentiful. Not once have I run out of explosive bolts, and they were an enormous boon in dealing with the GIVE ME THAT MEAT mutants or thinning out the herds of clumped up enemies. Frakkin' finally -- a direct-fire, long-range explosive weapon. Keep it in some form of another.

The grenade launcher... existed, I suppose. Only a handful of ammo and effectively no time nor space to play with it. It's the element like this one that makes me think "Hard Reset" served mainly as a test bed for ideas and mechanics for the sequel to "Afterglow". Can't wait to get more on that, potentially customize it in ways similar to those offered in "Cultic", where the same weapon type quickly became an integral, inseparable part of the player's arsenal about half-way through the experience. I see the potential.

Far as enemies go -- I think I'd find many oldschool FPS veterans or just players in general who will agree that enemies shouldn't be too annoying to fight. Take a look at these tiny spiders from "Ion Fury" and you'll know what I'm talking about. These little parasites are the bane of player's existence not because they hit hard or present a moderate threat, but because they're dodgy, there's always swarms of them, they spaz around like no-one's business and as a result it takes forever to deal with them. It's not thrilling, it's not serving any purpose other than annoying the player and there's always one more of these than you think. Sadly, I think that's the case here with 'em Parasite Worms. I like the inclusion of that enemy into the "Ashes" lore and it facilitated an interesting moment of thriller, but I genuinely won't miss 'em one bit if you opt not to include them in the future unless revamped in some ways, like perhaps tune down their health and allow them to possess other enemies which would in turn change that enemy's AI and vulnerabilities? I'm now picturing a boss encounter where phase two results from a swarm of these worms flocking to the badly injured adversary and transforming him in some gruesome fashion. Something to explore, perhaps.

The Gladiator is... alright, I suppose. There's really only one reliable way of dealing with it, which is the flamethrower. They're fast, tanky, hit like a truck, the ruckus they cause with their steps is panic-inducing. I assume the inspiration here were Hell Knights from "Doom 2016", as it essentially serves the same purpose. You can not ignore that guy. The moment he steps onto the battlefield, he's the priority #1 threat to eliminate, which is easier said than done when they are accompanied by hordes of EAT HIS FLESH fellows. The areas in which they appear seemed to be rather tailored specifically to these encounters, offering enough but not too much room to maneuver to challenge the player on the front of spatial awareness, ammo / weapon and enemy management. Definitely keep them, their spazmonkey attitude isn't that big of a deal and I don't see how else they could perform their function to expectations without that AI, but then again, I'm not a programmer.

Empties are great in the sense that they expand the roster of the cannon fodder enemy types. The strength of that enemy design is in its simplicity. They don't have to be anything other than they already are, they almost always come in overwhelming numbers and I could see a scenario where the player is forced to deal with absolute hordes of those while navigating difficult terrain... long as they aren't accompanied by the Withered. Withered are, far as the reality of "Hard Reset" goes, an eye sore rather than an interesting and rewarding element of enemy encounters. Their whole shtick is zone denial which they facilitate by the radioactive breath which phases through the walls on top of that, which should absolutely be looked at as it's punishing the player for not doing anything wrong. It doesn't help that the player typically encounters them in tight, confined spaces which further aggravates the issue at hand and they sport the spazmonkey AI making them rather challenging targets from medium to long range, so not only is the player actively encouraged to get up close and personal with Super Shotgun in their hands to reliably dispatch them ASAP, there are usually hordes of Empties forming a buffer zone of raw meat in front or around them. Something to investigate, perhaps.

The Wendigo is another spazmonkey, tanky, hard-hitting enemy type not too dissimilar to the Gladiator. I'm not exactly sure if there are any differences between the two, aesthetics aside. It's a hit or two, and you're done, and it's all too easy to get absolutely eviscerated by them given the locations and the numbers we find them in. The Wendigo was #1 cause of all my deaths and level restarts. A skill issue, perhaps, but it seemed to me like they were envisioned to fill the role of an assassin-type adversary, and the chunky health pool they were given seems to contradict that.

Level design felt simplified in this one, in the sense that often there were whole areas of effectively nothing like at the start of the Cordon scenario where player is almost encouraged to parkour around the city block in search of secrets or world-building elements, or secret passageways through the blockade, but there's just nothing. The same could be said of that excavation site and the sewers in that Wendigo mission, as well as sections of the level leading through the city into the spire -- just large swaths of open areas that say nothing, do nothing, aren't populated with enemies, items, lore or create tension. That wasn't the case with the "Ashes" duology. Compared to set pieces such as the underground section of the subways in "Ashes 2063" leading the player through the pitch-black maze devoid of music, yearning for any source of light as they navigate the unknown and sharpen their senses to pick up any hints of potential threats lurking in the darkness, they then walk up to that prehistoric-like mural hinting at the presence of something intelligent dwelling in the subterranean world, crawl the duct and hear that disturbing noise emitted by the fungi, emerge into a labirynthian area with yet another mural, scavenge for some junk, and then... yeah. That moment. Superb lead-up to the enemy reveal, excellent level design, enemy placement, atmosphere, lore, use of sound to create tension and Weekley's music...

... or that abandoned military outpost in "Afterglow" with some phantom presence seemingly stalking your every step. Nearly shat meself out of tension when these sets of doors I came through started opening up from the other side, then the footsteps making me double-check every corner and feeling on edge all throughout the scenario which culminated in the Destroyers encounter...

... or the whole Submarine level...

The point being: These are some of absolutely certified "Ashes" moments that give the series its own identity, and I've found "Hard Reset" nearly deprived of these, or at least not on par with the aforementioned examples, 'cause attempts were surely made with the Anderson Farm scenario or the ambush by the phantom menace in The Spire scenario, but the tension in the lead-up there wasn't nearly as palpable.

With all that said, I'd like to thank you, thank you, thank you all of "Ashes" team from the bottom of my heart for crafting this world, this game, this story. I literally can't wait to get more on that, see the world expanded further, battle through interesting and layered enemy encounters with customized arsenal of weapons and absolutely vibe to Weekley's music. Voice acting is a nice addition, but not required. Looking forward to the next installment.

Live long and prosper. o7

Edited August 25 by EldenBloodFury

[Serathis]

"... or that abandoned military outpost in "Afterglow" with some phantom presence seemingly stalking your every step. Nearly shat meself out of tension when these sets of doors I came through started opening up from the other side, then the footsteps making me double-check every corner and feeling on edge all throughout the scenario which culminated in the Destroyers encounter...

... or the whole Submarine level..."

Yep those two things hit me harder than practically anything in AAA games. Pure, undiluted atmosphere. Sadly, Hard Reset didn't deliver in that regard, other than the school and the amusement park.

[Gregor]

2 hours ago, EldenBloodFury said:

-text-

I don't think it makes too much sense to compare an expansion like Hard Reset with Ashes 2063 and Afterglow. Just like Dead Man Walking, this was made by a different author than Vostyok, and as such, should not be judged like a main entry in the series. I look at both of these releases as essentially "Ashes Gaiden".

[june gloom]

As far as the Wendigos go, I think they're perfect, no notes. But we don't need two enemies like that.

[Hoodie]

as someone coming into series with hard reset i am very impressed with all of it so far. Great job to the team behind this.

[ErlingSigurdson]

Newbie here, jumped into the whole source ports and WAD world just to play Ashes. Started from Episode 1. Runs like a charm on GNU/Linux btw.

 

I've got a short question. Upon meeting Rigs I chose ammo over armor and an SMG upgrade. It also bumped up my ammo limits. Is it explained story-wise by Rigs giving you a **backpack** for carrying ammo?

[ErlingSigurdson]

Met this "Sexy Goblin?" easter egg and now I wonder what is the author's favourite TRPG rule system.

[Gez]

@Vostyok and team: I don't know if you've seen this, I figure it could be useful for E3 development.

[AnotherGrunt]

So I'm little past the Cordon and I have to address few issues:

 

First off, voice acting — I belive it's a step in right direction. Many times, playing Afterglow slicing through the endless dialogues, I said to myself it feels like old days of DOS adventure games and it could use some voice acting. This time, my prayers have been answered. I'm fan of less (but all the more profound) Lore and more of shooting and playing, than reading. So thumbs up for this. BUT, problem with voice acting in Hard Reset have been already mentioned. Yes, whole enterprise isn't professional paid thing. I'm aware of that. 

Many times, I don't simply understand what the characters are saying. How were the voice files recorded? It consist a lot of mumbling and too quick and wrong pronunciation. I personally don't mind accent but it should fit the on screen character. Many times voices simply don't fit how character is depicted. Back in days when state of the art was Sound Blaster, rule was voice-file converted to 8-bit, 11025Hz (or 16kHz) played on speakers had had to be understandable. Please @Vostyok, if you own original non-compressed sound files, try to test them. Convert it, play it and let (for example) Google Speech-to-Text AI convert it back to text and you'll see right away which part requires improvements. Other than that, I don't have any complaints.

Character depiction it's even better this time and when fixed, I wouldn't mind voice acting retrospectively in Afterglow. It is definitely good thing and should be kept in any further releases.

 

Next thing is sound ambience. I belive it is good, but I wouldn't mind it even little enhanced. No part in maps (unless intended) should be pure silence. Again, back in days it was way how to compensate for the imperfect graphics. Add more ambiance. Wind howling, white noise, weird non-logical noises, steps, transformer buzzing, doors slamming, whatever comes to mind. All releases are compensated with five-star soundtrack, but try to play it without it and you'll see for yourself what I'm talking about.

 

And lastly I would like to know, if there is a way how to convert some part of maps to vanilla BSP format. I would like to try how endless tunnels would look like with vanilla Light diminishing. As i get it, TC isn't optimized for anything other than OpenGL or Vulkan renderer. Is that so?

Edited September 1 by AnotherGrunt

[Rex705]

Ashes makes a good survival horror. It would be really cool to see a new chapter with a survival horror theme just trying to survive out in the wastelands.

 

 

[Vostyok]

Thank you for all the comments. We have recently released some patched updates on the MODDB page - Hard Reset is now at version 1.05 (changelog on the file description) and there is also a Gzdoom mod friendly Sterilized Edition so you can play Hard Reset maps with your own monsters or weapons without having to worry about story, cutscenes or quests getting in the way.

 

We're currently changing address at the moment, so have been very busy as of late, but pleased to announce we're deep into the ground work of the next full episode. Expect to catch up with the Scavenger as he heads north, and join us one day for all the carnage they'll be, no doubt, witness to. 

 

Thank you for all the support. 

 

-V

 

[Gzegzolka]

Is that new HUD? It looks awesome 👌 

[UserPlayer89]

i loved the direct fallout homage of the old hud but this is much more readable from a distance 

[camper]

I see the scavenger got hold of the SKS?

[iDoT]

Spoiler

Quote

Just now, Vostyok said:

Thank you for all the comments. We have recently released some patched updates on the MODDB page - Hard Reset is now at version 1.05 (changelog on the file description) and there is also a Gzdoom mod friendly Sterilized Edition so you can play Hard Reset maps with your own monsters or weapons without having to worry about story, cutscenes or quests getting in the way.

 

We're currently changing address at the moment, so have been very busy as of late, but pleased to announce we're deep into the ground work of the next full episode. Expect to catch up with the Scavenger as he heads north, and join us one day for all the carnage they'll be, no doubt, witness to. 

 

Thank you for all the support. 

 

-V

 

 

 

Man I'm Really glad to hear the announce of episode 3 
I know it may take sometimes to make, But I really care about the announcement 

I think it will features more maps than both previous episodes.

[Gzegzolka]

I wonder did Hud could be dynamic? For example if You have no armour there will be no visible box for armour, similar for giger counter or flashlight battery/solar lamp.

[scrubbysniff]

awesome, thanks for the update!

[Dweller Dark]

If I wanted to play all the Ashes stuff with my own GZDoom install, which version do I install? Can I take the files from the standalone version and use those?

[Gez]

Yes.

[ErlingSigurdson]

Currently playing Ashes: Afterglow and enjoing it a lot. Encountered two minor bugs:

1) At Larry's meat store upper floor upon interacting with the counter no button showed up on the wall. I was still able to press it blindly though (following YouTube playthrough hints).

2) At (Dis)array map my radio still picked up a broadcast from Miller despite him already being saved by me from the raiders.

[ErlingSigurdson]

Looks like now I've encountered a more serious bug. Kyle the Farmer won't talk to me about crops, politics, The Dome and any sort of that stuff. Just because I talked to him *BEFORE* I talked to Sheriff Myers. Now my only option in conversation with Kyle is [LEAVE]. I'm afraid it can handicap my playthrough perspectives. Journal still was updated though with the mention of spores and The Dome, which confused me a lot.

Can I, er, un-talk to Kyle using console?

 

P. S. And on the fun side, when I accidentally hit Kyle with my crowbar (I reloaded the savegame after, don't worry), his sprite flickered and turned into the Rigs sprite for a split second, lol

Edited October 4 by ErlingSigurdson

[ErlingSigurdson]

Looks like I nailed it.

 

I'm not a modder, but I have some hobbyist programming and scripting experience, and also I really love Ashes, so I ran grep -ira "kyle" * among files from the Afterglow .pk3 archive and realized that all relevant dialogs are contained in a MAP21.wad file. Yeah, I guess it's obvious for modder folk, but I had to find it out myself. After several silly mistakes (like trying to edit a WAD file with a regular text editor, haha) I installed SLADE (conveniently available as a flatpak for GNU/Linux) and started trying to fix my situation. Eventually I succeeded with several variants, but this one seems most logical: I added the line giveitem = "dialogtoken7"; in Sheriff Myers' dialog pages 19 and 29 after lines text = "Failing crops?";

 

This way Scav finds out about failing crops and, since he already knows that Kyle is Kyle, he can ask a question about the crop problem. Voila!

 

P. S. Also console command give dialogtoken7 saves the day.

Edited October 4 by ErlingSigurdson