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Soulcrusher Public beta 2a (now with a FAQ)

Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 7:31
by Alter
Warning: You'll need your latest gzdoom svn to get this thing running, get it from http://svn.drdteam.org/gzdoom/ Or try to use latest official gzdoom which has necessary features.

Hello dear lads, this is Soulcrusher, a mod that is somewhat between a partial and total conversion for gzdoom. The public beta 2 is out now! Link: http://www.mediafire.com/?2m2vk28mem3d868

2a (contains some minor bugfixes for map file): https://www.dropbox.com/s/tefspvbk4qo2v6l/X3Main.wad

Just as a warning i'll have to mention few things about public beta 2 so you know what to expect:
- It's gonna feature all the main content. Meaning 9 levels, 6 bosses.
- It is not gonna feature additional content and will be lacking some graphics for enemies because it's time-consuming to find fitting sprites for everything.
- It will be playable from start to end, so if you are not interesed in waiting for some side content that won't change your view on the mod a bit, don't bother waiting.

This mod won't be up on /idgames until I say it is ready, meaning that to reach it. All the content I have in mind must be complete, refined and all enemies must have their own custom graphics.

Maps, gameplay and various stuff was designed by me
Weapon graphics/some enemy graphics/music were done by Nmn while we still worked together, actually it was his work that inspired me to start something overwhelmingly big like this.

Here's the trailer for public beta 2/final version
Spoiler: Screenies
Also here have two new screenshots!
Spoiler: New
Enjoy!

Here's a little extra FAQ for fans!

Q: How long has it been in works?
A: If we are talking about super-early stuff then I would say the idea came to my head back in late 2007 when I was still a relative newcomer with a bunch of crap maps on /idgames however I haven't begun working on prototypes back in mid of 2008. The prototypes were how to put it... largely different from what I released here, it was just originally meant to be an average zdoom mod with Nmncorp textures and realm667 stuff all over it, simply nothing noteworthy.

The second level here, STGATE was the level in the prototypes, eventually it was made playable thus a proper prototype, the major difference is that the underground bit in STGATE was originally... fully underwater, it seemed cool at first but later on it became annoying both for me and the testers so I sorta removed that element of gameplay to keep constant flow.

It wasn't until 2009/2010 that I started working properly on this mod with Nmn while he still had time, the mod was intended to be a 7-act epic (technically this covers only 3 acts from the old concept) that would play like Strife but expand on that, make it so you can beat every level in 3 ways outside boss levels, as we know, nothing came of this concept as I wasn't able to do something this complex at the time. Still Nmn made a bunch of textures (including giving me the nmncorp3 leftovers!), the entire soundtrack, guns and some enemies but due certain life circumstances, I was forced to quit the total conversion concept.

The mod was constantly going through concept changes until mid-2011 when I more or less settled for the final concept, although there was one thing i'll mention in the next question.

Q: There's a big plothole when you leave STADMIN and begin STCITY, why is that?
A: You see, originally in the final concept there were meant to be 13 levels but because Nmn could'nt maintain working on so much stuff, I had to remove half the characters from the story and unfortunately drop 4 levels that were between STADMIN and STCITY (originally known as STCITY2), that also meant removing 2 planned boss fights.

BUT! There's a chance I might take a stab at adding back the missing content starting March 2013, which may take somewhere between 6 months and 9 months depending how I will be busy at college, unfortunately I can't promise anything because I dislike failing people. Plus... having worked on this for a long time, i'm worn out entirely temporarily.

Q: Since you mentioned there were meant to be 7 acts of the entire story. Who was the real villain?
A: As far as I remember it was called something like Izariat, a computer virus that was so intelligent that it was capable of manifesting itself in real life, the final fight was originally meant to be against him, he was meant to be sort of a godzilla-sized piece of junk but as we know, because of time and life constraints, this will not happen also because there are no fitting sprites for something like him anywhere.

Q: Do you plan to make a sequel filling the last 4 acts of the intended story?
A: Unlikely at this point because there are lots of factors preventing me from doing this:
- I am a college student, meaning starting 5th semester and ownards I will be extremely busy trying to get my IT engineer certificate.
- I'm not sure if people would be able to handle a sequel that is not much different from the original due resource limitations.
- I would need to use music from newgrounds because as we know, Nmn's out for good from Doom meaning chances of him composing a new soundtrack are zero.
- Right now I am very tired of doom modding in general and I need a decent break before doing anything new. The only new work you can look forward to are Map15, map17, map27 and parts of Map30 on TNT2 which is bound to come out sometime.

I'm not saying no but I need time, lots of time to do anything at this point.

Thank you for reading this and watching this thread since it was invented (and thanks to those who tested it and watched me progress with it).

Re: Soulcrusher

Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 14:04
by Enjay
Cool stuff. I really like b1 and I'm looking forward to b2.

Re: Soulcrusher

Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 14:08
by Alter
Enjay wrote:Cool stuff. I really like b1 and I'm looking forward to b2.
And I will be looking forward to your critics. Like I said in the first post, some of the enemies won't have proper graphics YET however, the mod will be beatable from start to end, from the first level to the credits. So basically Enjay, after B2, comes the last wave of refinements and add in remaining minor things.

To be honest March 2013 would be a nice realistic date for the "Final and refined" version to be uploaded to /idgames, I just want people to experience my mod earlier so they can drop critics which will be of great input and help to me.

Re: Soulcrusher

Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 14:33
by Enjay
As you know, my only real reservation from b1 was the graphics for some of the sprites but I appreciate how difficult and time consuming it is to address that. I'll certainly not let a few sprites that could be better spoil b2 for me though. :)

Re: Soulcrusher (Final version beta) is out!

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 16:58
by Alter
It's out ladies and gentlemen, the final version beta is out for your enjoyment. Please drop some feedback once you find some time to play it, even for 5 minutes.

Re: Soulcrusher (Final version beta) is out!

Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 18:37
by Paul
Please write "Pawel Zarczynski aka NMN" in the credits instead of just "NMN"...
Haven't played it yet due to a lack of time, but this weekend I will.

Re: Soulcrusher (Final version beta) is out!

Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 10:50
by Alter
Paul wrote:Please write "Pawel Zarczynski aka NMN" in the credits instead of just "NMN"...
Haven't played it yet due to a lack of time, but this weekend I will.
Can't wait to hear your casual impressions of the entire thing (although the thing I care about most is how the endgame turned out, as in last 2 levels + ending)

Re: Soulcrusher (Final version beta) is out!

Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 11:07
by Alter
Okay Public beta 2a is out:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/tefspvbk4qo2v6l/X3Main.wad

Changelog:
- I fixed the alignment of projectiles from the guns, be aware that it will take a bit before you get used to it.

- Added autosaves before all boss fights, removed redundant ones from STGATE (map02)

- I added in strafe key support for cutscenes/shops meaning that everyone who plays on WASD configs or whatever should have it running properly
Added a protip at start of the mod mentioning that on skill 3 (hard) and above you have to heal yourself manually via inventory and how you can use the spare armor to repair yourself.

- There's a confirmation sound when you make a purchase in a shop.

And other minor bugfixes that other people mentioned.

Sorry no fix for eaters yet, have no idea how to fix their "getting stuck in the wall" bug atm.

Re: Soulcrusher Public beta 2a is out.

Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 12:49
by Enjay
Thanks for the fixes - they make a difference. Thanks also for providing just the fixed file rather than having to DL the whole thing again. Of course, if you'd zipped it up it would have been an even smaller download... ;)

Re: Soulcrusher Public beta 2a is out.

Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 13:29
by Alter
Enjay wrote:Thanks for the fixes - they make a difference. Thanks also for providing just the fixed file rather than having to DL the whole thing again. Of course, if you'd zipped it up it would have been an even smaller download... ;)
Heh I admit I am lazy in this regard, although next time i'll zip it for my dropbox folder. But for that to happen, I need to fix a bunch of things once people report on them :).

Right so let's get this straight, just because this general beta contains what will be contained in the final version, doesn't mean I am close to finishing it. I'm opting for March 2013 after first college semester exams mid-february, nobody likes rushed out to the door mods :)

Re: Soulcrusher (Final version beta) is out!

Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 10:45
by Paul
Alter wrote:Can't wait to hear your casual impressions of the entire thing (although the thing I care about most is how the endgame turned out, as in last 2 levels + ending)
Check your mail. If it's not there, let me know.

Edit: Oh and one last thing. I've lost most of the Scrusher content (including soundtrack) due to a HD format. Could you upload it somewhere, the entire soundtrack, even scrapped tracks, literally meaning EVERY AUDIO FILE I sent you, so I can download the entire damn thing and store it on my HD for archival purposes and perhaps inspiration for future?

Re: Soulcrusher (Final version beta) is out!

Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 11:13
by Alter
Paul wrote:
Alter wrote:Can't wait to hear your casual impressions of the entire thing (although the thing I care about most is how the endgame turned out, as in last 2 levels + ending)
Check your mail. If it's not there, let me know.

Edit: Oh and one last thing. I've lost most of the Scrusher content (including soundtrack) due to a HD format. Could you upload it somewhere, the entire soundtrack, even scrapped tracks, literally meaning EVERY AUDIO FILE I sent you, so I can download the entire damn thing and store it on my HD for archival purposes and perhaps inspiration for future?
I replied to your mail... before you made the edit. I'm uploading the "Soulcrusher/Nmn music archive" now, that's 4 years of work and 250mb of music. Lemme ask you one question, would you give you permission for everybody to use it in the future or something?

Re: Soulcrusher Public beta 2a is out.

Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 12:27
by Paul
Mus is public domain, just credit me.

Re: Soulcrusher Public beta 2a is out.

Posted: Tue Nov 27, 2012 12:36
by Alter
Paul wrote:Mus is public domain, just credit me.
Yeah sure. I'll need to make a seperate topic say in the resources subforum on zdoom forums and post it, btw the link is in your mail now.

Re: Soulcrusher Public beta 2a (now with a FAQ)

Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2012 12:46
by Alter
Main post was updated with the mod's history, explanation of the major plothole and possible future of my modding in general.