Rise of the Triad: Ludicrous Edition

[Fletcher`]

Its time to kick ass and eat lead, and I'm all out of toast

[Revenant100]

9 hours ago, Scuba Steve said:

It's one of the greatest tragedies of our time that there was no female variant Lightning Guard.

But as it so happens, this release doesn't even include an alternate male variant for the Lightning Guard, even though we already know there was one played by the late William Scarboro. And not only was William's portrayal as the Lightning Guard featured in the game's credits, but new art of his sprites was also recently shown on Twitter in regards to cut characters that they still needed to "finish restoring":

 

But release day has come, and the William Scarboro Lightning Guard is nowhere to be seen with nothing said of his conspicuous absence. In fact, the mystery deepens even further as the game includes a complete and seemingly pointless duplicate copy of the original Kevin Green Lightning Guard "LIG" sprites but under the name "WIG", and I can confirm these graphics are loaded in-game as "alternate" Lightning Guards even though they are 100% identical. Is this unsolved enigma of the missing alternate William Scarboro Lightning Guard one that will remain for the ages? Perhaps only time will tell.

 

Also, since these duplicate Lightning Guard graphics actually are loaded, I have would posited that a mod could be made to create and load in some actual alternate Lightning Guard sprites since the code support is already there, but that's an impossibility as well as all forms of KPF mod loading are unfortunately disabled, a great and inexplicable peculiarity for a KEX title with Workshop support.

[Kinsie]

Reads to me like something they couldn't quite finish in time and quickly patched over. I think New Blood has plans for post-release stuff, so maybe their pixel artists will polish it off? Who can say?

[Daytime Waitress]

I have high expectations of both New Blood and Nightdive at this point, but I'm still floored that they'd release so stupidly comprehensive a remaster, and then manage to out-do themselves by slapping the Return of the Triad GZ Doom affair on top of it, just as a treat. The whole thing feels less like a commercial release and more like an unrestrained fan's ideal of a "dream game" - a bunch of people working their butts off to produce the best possible experience of something they obviously, unabashedly adore. Fukken. Majestic.

[LexiMax]

8 hours ago, Revenant100 said:

But as it so happens, this release doesn't even include an alternate male variant for the Lightning Guard

 

It's not an oversight.  We have the old frames, but cleaning up a set of sprites is long and arduous work and the timing simply didn't work out to be able to finish the sixth guard in time for release.  And far from being pointless, the copy was added with the explicit intent of being able to easily swap in replacement sprites in a future patch - or a user-made substitution.

 

I can't promise that the alternate lightning guard will be patched in, due to the realities of game development being what they are, but it's 100% on our radar, and I'll also see about making it possible to launch with additional KPF files as well.

Edited August 1, 2023 by LexiMax

[MrHellstorm17]

I'll wait for it to go discount. It's not worth the current price

[Turbulent]

Having a lot of fun playing this version so far. 

[Edward850]

1 hour ago, MrHellstorm17 said:

I'll wait for it to go discount. It's not worth the current price

It's already on discount.

[cybdmn]

On 7/31/2023 at 11:08 PM, SealSpace said:

Even as someone who still has yet to get far in the original RoTT on my DosBox/Boxer, I can't say that I'm not just a bit stoked for this. Wish I knew how to download shit and load it properly from Steam on my Mac OS X.

 

I bought it on GOG, and could download it on Mac OSX, after a warning message that my OS isn't supported. But don't even think about it, i won't even run on Wine. At least not without some heavy wizardry, because ROTT needs DirectX 11.

[Individualised]

I was initially not going to buy this straight away as it was a bit more expensive than I had anticipated, but I decided to bite the bullet because a) it might not go on sale for a while and b) I might not be able to afford it in the future. First impressions; this game is really fun! It really does feel like the sequel to Wolfenstein 3D, which makes sense as it was originally intended to be one. It almost feels like the missing link between Wolf 3D and Doom.  Unlike Wolf 3D though, I don't find this game boring at all. I ran through the first level and it felt really satisfying to play, not sure how to describe it but the game just feels solid. Definitely recommended.

 

I was going to try multiplayer but unfortunately the lobby list was empty. Not sure if that's an issue on my end or not? I did manage to get one lobby to appear but it errored out when I joined it. Linux users will be happy to know that this game runs completely fine through Proton.

[Edward850]

26 minutes ago, cybdmn said:

 

I bought it on GOG, and could download it on Mac OSX, after a warning message that my OS isn't supported. But don't even think about it, i won't even run on Wine. At least not without some heavy wizardry, because ROTT needs DirectX 11.

Or Vulkan. Either will do.

[Fletcher`]

7 hours ago, MrHellstorm17 said:

I'll wait for it to go discount. It's not worth the current price

I waited 20 years for a proper good port of ROTT. It absolutely IS worth the current price

[Xenaero]

Congrats to the team on the release!

[Individualised]

The arcade style gameplay mechanics ROTT inherits from Wolf 3D is something I honestly miss in Doom and Quake now. I didn't care for them in Wolf 3D but they definitely add to the experience here. I don't care for lives still though.

[PsychEyeball]

13 minutes ago, Fletcher` said:

I waited 20 years for a proper good port of ROTT. It absolutely IS worth the current price

Right now the game costs less money than it cost back when it first came out and you're getting so much stuff with this release!

 

(The retail version cost 30 bucks in 1995, which probably amounts to like 50 bucks today)

[Daytime Waitress]

8 hours ago, Individualised said:

The arcade style gameplay mechanics ROTT inherits from Wolf 3D is something I honestly miss in Doom and Quake now. I didn't care for them in Wolf 3D but they definitely add to the experience here. I don't care for lives still though.

 

The arcade elements are something that really get a pop out of me these days. The gaming industry has traveled so far and lodged itself so deep up its own venture capital/microtransaction-funded arsehole that something as prehistoric as arcade mechanics feels fresh, to me. Why are there jump-pads? Video game logic. Why do you have to collect spinning ankhs to get another shot at a level? Bidyagaem logic. Why am I a dog now? You guessed it:

 

Spoiler

The devs thought it would be a hoot.

 

Instead of being focus-grouped and manicured to appeal to the broadest possible demographic, it's chock full of stuff they added because they could. That gleeful, kitchen sink, throw it against the wall and see what sticks, experimental attitude is one of the reasons I download wads here, and it's definitely what I enjoy most about ROTT.

[leejacksonaudio]

4 minutes ago, Daytime Waitress said:

That gleeful, kitchen sink, throw it against the wall and see what sticks, experimental attitude is one of the reasons I download wads here, and it's definitely what I enjoy most about ROTT.

It's why I wrote the Fish Polka.

[Individualised]

4 minutes ago, leejacksonaudio said:

It's why I wrote the Fish Polka.

Your music in this game is great. I was mainly familiar with your work on Duke 3D before this and your ROTT music certainly does not disappoint.

[QuaketallicA]

If you want a downgrade from the DOS edition, then sure...

 

I don't get the point of charging money for a source port. Same with Blood, or Shadow Warrior. I prefer playing the original versions in DOSBox.

[Noiser]

11 hours ago, Individualised said:

The arcade style gameplay mechanics ROTT inherits from Wolf 3D is something I honestly miss in Doom and Quake now. I didn't care for them in Wolf 3D but they definitely add to the experience here. I don't care for lives still though.

 

2 hours ago, Daytime Waitress said:

 The arcade elements are something that really get a pop out of me these days. The gaming industry has traveled so far and lodged itself so deep up its own venture capital/microtransaction-funded arsehole that something as prehistoric as arcade mechanics feels fresh, to me. 

Interesting to see this attitude back in Doom Eternal as well. A nice call back to games like this and a refresher from the military\realistic era of gaming (nothing wrong with them btw, but I like the change of pace).

[Master O]

3 hours ago, Daytime Waitress said:

 

The arcade elements are something that really get a pop out of me these days. The gaming industry has traveled so far and lodged itself so deep up its own venture capital/microtransaction-funded arsehole that something as prehistoric as arcade mechanics feels fresh, to me. Why are there jump-pads? Video game logic. Why do you have to collect spinning ankhs to get another shot at a level? Bidyagaem logic. Why am I a dog now? You guessed it:

 

"Everything old is new again." - a proverb.

[D4NUK1]

1 hour ago, QuaketallicA said:

If you want a downgrade from the DOS edition, then sure...

 

I don't get the point of charging money for a source port. Same with Blood, or Shadow Warrior. I prefer playing the original versions in DOSBox.

If you need to write a Source code without the Source Code being free (like Doom), and make it compatible not only with PC, but with consoles too, make new levels,make new(s) type of HUD, make the resolutions available in modern PC, insert new music, make a Map Editor inside the game, re-structure the Multiplayer portion to be possible on modern networking, Restore Beta Content that could never see the ligth again if was not for the official Publisher make it available to be reworked again, and show it on a Free Demo, i trink they need some way of payment that is less of 20$ (When every game nowdays it's 40$ or 70$) to help every one involved in the port.

Also, the DOS still available as a STANDALONE with this pack, so the option if there for thoses who wish the original in DOS.

 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/238050/The_Apogee_Throwback_Pack/

Edited August 2, 2023 by D4NUK1 : Stuff

[PsychEyeball]

4 hours ago, QuaketallicA said:

If you want a downgrade from the DOS edition, then sure...

 

I don't get the point of charging money for a source port. Same with Blood, or Shadow Warrior. I prefer playing the original versions in DOSBox.

What in the world makes you believe this is a downgrade from the DOS version? I'm genuinely interested to know.

[Fletcher`]

4 hours ago, QuaketallicA said:

If you want a downgrade from the DOS edition, then sure...

 

I don't get the point of charging money for a source port. Same with Blood, or Shadow Warrior. I prefer playing the original versions in DOSBox.

This is a weird take, because its the exact same game, plus more goodies, and you don't have to fight with dosbox to get it working just right, or run it in a vm. It even lets you specify the OPL chip to emulate so that it even sounds exactly the same.

I could understand it if they did something stupid like fundamentally changed the game or remove something important, but nightdive have had a pretty good track record with their previous games, so they've earned my trust easily.

 

Also, the level editor is actually useable, which is a nice bonus.

 

[GooberMan]

Some people just want to listen to everything on 8-track I guess.

[Dweller Dark]

I haven't bought it yet, might buy it tomorrow, but does Rise of The Triad: LE's midi work with VirtualMidiSynth by any chance?

[Individualised]

1 minute ago, Dweller said:

I haven't bought it yet, might buy it tomorrow, but does Rise of The Triad: LE's midi work with VirtualMidiSynth by any chance?

It doesn't have native MIDI output as far as I can tell, your options are OPL emulation or recordings from an SC-55(?)

[Dweller Dark]

1 minute ago, Individualised said:

It doesn't have native MIDI output as far as I can tell, your options are OPL emulation or recordings from an SC-55(?)

 

I'm guessing the SC-55 recordings are about on-par as Strife: Veteran Edition's?

[Murdoch]

11 hours ago, QuaketallicA said:

If you want a downgrade from the DOS edition, then sure...

 

 

By any measure, this is an objectively incorrect statement. You may prefer the DOS version for your own subjective reasons and that's fine, but don't go slinging crap like this around which is demonstrably false. Downgrade implies they significantly decreased the quality somehow. So put up or shut up - what, precisely, did they take out or decrease the quality of? Meanwhile, the Steam and GOG pages will tell you plainly what they added above and beyond what the DOS version can do. So it is by any objective definition of the word, a clear upgrade.

 

11 hours ago, QuaketallicA said:

I don't get the point of charging money for a source port.

 

That is a crass, borderline insulting oversimplification of what Nightdive has done.

 

11 hours ago, QuaketallicA said:

Same with Blood, or Shadow Warrior. I prefer playing the original versions in DOSBox.

 

OK, great. A lot of people don't want to fuck around with stuff like DOSBox. Now they get the option not to. 

Edited August 3, 2023 by Murdoch

[Individualised]

Just now, Murdoch said:

 

By any measure, this is an objectively incorrect statement. You may prefer the DOS version for your own subjective reasons and that's fine, but don't go slinging crap like this around which is demonstrably false.

 

 

That is a crass, borderline insulting oversimplification of what Nightdive has done.

Yeah this post really fucking annoyed me but I decided to not give it any attention