***************************************************************************** T H E D E A T H Z O N E A new deathmatch episode for Doom II by Ollie Robinson ***************************************************************************** A Brief Intro ------------- 'The Deathzone' is an all new Deathmatch-only episode for Doom II version 1.9. Featuring 8 brand new levels with new graphics, sounds, music and demos. It also features different playing methods depending on what skill level you choose to play at: Skill 1: I'm to young to die - Reduced Monsters, more weapons and items Skill 2: something else - Reduced Monsters, standard weapons and items Skill 3: Hurt me plenty - Standard Weapons, Items and Monsters Skill 4: Ultra Violance - More Monsters, Standard items and weapons, no co-operative exits It should be noted that this episode was specifically designed to work with the Deathmatch 2.0 rules, and although the levels work with standard deathmatch there may be too few items, etc. All the levels feature co-operative exits, unless you play on Ultra violance when, because of the increased monsters single player exits are available. There are three batch files with Deathzone, to allow you to play single player (boring), co-operative (also boring!), and Deathmatch (Yeah!). There is also a batch file which prompts for a demo name, and then loads it (for details on how to extract the external demos, see section 2 of this manual). Batch File Type of Deathzone launched ---------- -------------------------- DZ_SINGLE.BAT - Launches Single player Deathzone DZ_CO-OP.BAT - Lauches Co-operative Deathzone DZ_DEATH.BAT - Launches Deathmatch v2.0 Deathzone DZ_DEMO.BAT - Runs the Deathzone Demo loader If you want to change the directory the WAD files are kept in, just change the batch files accordingly. This should be all you need to get playing, although we advise you to read the rest of this manual for the background to the Deathzone and level descriptions. The Deathzone ------------- Every five years, the finest warriors on the planet travel to the planet Mars, home to the Deathzone, the latest in high tech warfare. The one difference - this is no game. Every warrior travels there with only one goal, to be the only warrior left to leave the planet. To be the best. The Deathzone, which was originally designed as an army training centre, was completely redesigned by an underground group, and turned into the greatest fighting tournament of them all. Every five years the best fighters in the world travel to mars, hoping to reach the last few, hoping to compete in the deathzone. Nearly all die during the initial gruelling assessment, but a few survive and reach the deathzone. You are one of those warriors. The initial tests were agonising but you succeeded, where others failed and died, you survived. You are now facing the entrance to the deathzone. 'You enter in ten minutes' comes a rough voice and the door to your room closes. Looking around the bare room, you look out of the small, glass window onto the mars surface. In front of you in the distance lies the Deathzone. Seven metallic domes interlinked, with a large, octagonal, central zone dominating over the others. You look out to your destiny. There could only be one human opponent - there could be three. They won't say. The door opens and a tall man with full body armour enters. 'Okay, your times up. Follow me to the zone.' Without saying anything further the man turns and leaves the room and you follow. ... In front of you lies the entrance to the Deathzone, a dark portal lies ahead which will transmat you into the first zone. A heavy object is pressed into your hands. A 9mm pistol, probably originating from the late 20th century. Some spare clips are thrown to you. Now it's time to meet your destiny - to become the best, or die trying ... Welcome to the Deathzone. Files ----- The following files should be present within the main DEATHZON.ZIP file: File Size Description ---- ---- ----------- DZ-LEV.WAD 968,957 WAD file containing the Deathzone levels DZ-GFX.WAD 373,759 WAD file containing the Deathzone new graphics DZ-MUS.WAD 297,676 WAD file containing Deathzone sounds and new music DZ-INFO.WAD 17,847 The Deathzone manual DZ-DEMO.ZIP 108,658 A collection of zipped .LMP deathzone demo's DZ_SINGLE.BAT 759 Single player Deathzone batch file DZ_CO-OP 755 Batch file to launch Co-op Deathzone DZ_DEATH.BAT 756 Batch file to launch Deathmatch Deathzone DZ_DEMO.COM 1,076 Program to run Deathzone demo's GETKEY.COM 2,033 Input characters program Total Size 1772,276 bytes (1.8M approx) Features -------- These are some of the features of 'Deathzone' :- - 8 Brand new Deathmatch levels - Over 290k of new sounds and music - Almost 400k of new graphics - 11 demos, (3 internal and 8 external) showing you exactly what to expect. - Many specific deathmatch features 'Deathzone' is primarily a deathmatch-only episode and because of this has many features specifically designed for deathmatch gaming. Some of these features include:- - 8 brand new levels designed specifically for deathmatch. Each with there own theme, twists and design features ranging from large, sprawling levels where careful stalking of your opponent is the name of the game, to short, fast, action packed levels, where stopping for one minute will result in a frag for the opposition. - Sniper spots. - Bullet proof glass. Yeah we know this has been done before, but we liked it so much we put it in our levels as well. - Different deathmatch scenarios available - more weapons, less monsters, co-op exits, single player exits. We have tried to give as many available playing options as possible. Design Goals ------------ These levels were designed to suit as many peoples tastes as possible. Some levels are small and fast, whilst others are large, sprawling levels where it takes a keen eye to spot the opponent. From our experience, most deathmatch players like a varied set of levels, and this is exactly what we've tried to achieve with The Deathzone. The levels in The Deathzone were designed for up to 4 players to take part in. The levels were tested with 2, 3 and 4 players on an IPX network, as might be expected, the small levels become exceptionally fast with 4 players, and lead to an amazing experience. These levels are recommended for as many players as possible. Some of the levels in this episode, push the doom engine, and players with lower spec'ed machines may find some slowdown on the larger levels, ie. Power complex and The mansion. Sorry. The deathzone was tested on many machines and worked fine on a local bus DX2/50. There was noticable slow down when testing the levels over a serial link. We recommend using an IPX network if at all possible. The Levels ---------- How long do you play a level for? Well, that's down to your own opinion. Some players like to use a level timer, ie. after a certain amount of time Doom automatically goes onto the next level. We have found that using a time of 15-30 minutes per level is best. The other method, which is the one we recommend, is to advance to the next level when a certain frag count is reached. We have put our recommended frag count after the level name in the following level descriptions. The levels: The Coliseum (-) ---------------- A true place for war! The Romans staged fights in the coliseum and what better place to start the Deathzone. Modified and enhanced this level provides raw deathmatch from the beggining. The level is symetrical and should not take too long to learn. Weapons are limited to the Shotgun, Rocket Launcher and Plasma gun. There are 2 green armours, several stim packs and a berserk pack. None of the lava floors inflict any damage. Note: This level has been designed for pure high action deathmatch. We have tested this level a lot and I think it is one of my favourites. I only put a few monsters in this level. The Mansion (-) --------------- Based on an old haunted mansion, this large level provides many opportunities for high speed persuit. The mansion consists of two floors, with a nasty creature residing in one of the many rooms. The mansion includes a large reception, with a banqueting hall and study. This level introduces all weapons including the BFG and Super-Shotgun. The BFG is not in such an obvious position as it seems! Blue armour and supercharge and a megasphere are also available, Note: I thought carefully about the design with this level, with four players it really cooks! Fortress (-) ------------ This is the first of two small levels, within the Deathzone. The first to frag the other player has a slight advantage in this level as weapons are restricted to the Shotgun and Rocket launcher. Based in an old planetry fort there are few safe havens in this level. There are several shells lying about and one green armour which can be found in the console room. The keep of the fort contains a teleporter that teleports you back into the open. There are a number of shotguns hidden (slightly) in this room. Note: It's important to get the rocket launcher if your starting from scratch There aren't that many rockets lying about so make those shots count. Power Complex (-) ----------------- This is the most open of all the levels. Based in a now disued nuclear power complex, this level is probably the most open, and yet easy-to-see-the-opponent level I have ever seen. There are many sniper spots that can be easily reached, and also a couple of safe havens where you can gather your breath. All weapons and armour plus two invisibility spheres are available, there is no supercharge, but there is an invulnerability sphere, which, to see how to get it, watch the demo. This is the first level where the BFG is openly on view and easy to get. There are a number of switches which lower some of the many buildings walls to aid in a fast getaway. Beware of the nuclear reactor - it's still radioactive! Note: A lot of people have said that putting a regenerating invulnerability sphere, seriously ruins game balance in deathmatch. I disagree with this. *If* all the special items are used in moderation, then I see no reason why game balance will be that drastically affected - let's face it, if you see your opponent charging towards you firing rockets left,right and centre, then chances are he's got the invulnerability, and in which case it's time for a sharp exit. This is the only level which has invulnerability, and I think it adds to the fun. Deliverance (-) --------------- This level is essentially split into five parts, each with it's own theme. There is a Library, Warehouse, a mini-maze, etc. The level is the best in the set for ambushing and often results in a real game of hide and seek. One player goes into one zone and messages the other "come and find me", and a real chase then follows. Again, all weapons are now available, there are also two invisibility spheres, and a selection of armour. There are four 'peep-holes' in the red mini maze which can be used to your advantage. The Chase (-) ------------- This is the smallest zone, and is pure action. The level is symetrical, comprising of a central hexagonal area linked to four chambers with a corridor running around the outside of the level. There are ledges looking down onto the central area which contains two medical packs and invisibility spheres. All weapons except the BFG are present in this level. Space Lab (-) ------------- This level is set within a space station laboratory. It is large, but contains many large, open areas. Central to this level is the central transporter room, which provides direct transmat access to most areas of the station. There are eight transporters leading to different areas. The level should be studied carefully as there are many areas containing a lot of equipment. All weapons are available, there is a megasphere in a test laboratory, somewhere in the station!. Note: Although this level is very large - with two competant players, there can be excellent chases and ambush possibilities. Requiem (-) ----------- The final level.. As with any grand finale, I really went all out on this level. You are now within the central zone, the final challenge and it's time to test your true calibre. Because this is the last level, I'm not going to say anything about it here. Suffice to say that this level has many tricks, traps and a surprise at the end of it. If you want to see the level in advance watch the external demo, but we recommend you enter it blindly! Remember - it's the central zone, there's something nasty down there ... Notes ----- There is a set of 9 external .LMP demos, in each one we try and give you a complete rundown on all the features, tricks and hints to each level. The demos are all contained within a DZ_DEMO.ZIP file. To unzip the file type in the following within the DOOM2 command prompt: PKUNZIP DZ_DEMO.ZIP . There are also 3 demos within the main WAD file, these are much shorter than the external ones and show what we think are the best levels. You can use the demo program DZ_DEMO.BAT that will start playing any of the recorded demos. If you prefer, you can run the demos via the command line as follows: DOOM2 -file DZ-WAD.WAD DZ-MUS.WAD DZ-GFX.WAD -playdemo In case any of you are interested, the demos were recorded during two player deathmatch with me as the green player, and Andy Robinson as indigo. Thanks, Credits, etc. --------------------- In no particular order, thanks go out to all the people/groups below. Id Software - for creating the best PC game ever. The Deu team - for DEU5.21. Ron Rossbach - for IDBSP, his port of Id's node builder Olivier Montaney- for DEUTEX3.1, without which it would not have been possible to add any of the new graphics, sounds, or music. Paint Shop Pro - for letting me splice, and generally mess about with the new textures. The Last Resort Design team - for THE LAST RESORT, an excellent deathmatch episode which provided the inspiration for these levels. Get in touch guy's! "Admiral and Sonic" - for the hacked DOOM ][ version of DEU5.21, while I was waiting for DEU 5.3 to be released. Doctor Who - anyone who's into Doctor Who will know why thanks are due. Clue: it's in the sound effects. Thanks also to anyone else I've forgotten. Local thanks ------------ Thanks also go out to the following people: Andy Robinson - for the play testing, music and the loan of his BOSS SE-70 which we used to create the backward voices. Oh, and also for dying with true style during playtesting. Credits ------- Ollie Robinson - all level concept, design and storylines. Additional sounds graphics and other bits. Okay, now it's time for a few notes from the author (me!) ... When I originally designed these levels I wanted many new textures, sounds extra graphics and loads of other stuff. Unfortunately, I'm no artist so I was unable to create many new graphics. Because of this, I did not create any new sprites as this would have resulted in a >3.5Meg sprite WAD and theres no way I could do justice for the extra space. I also wanted to create many ambient sounds, similar to Heretic, but this proved more difficult and because I had to change specific creature sounds I was unable to include the 'Final Enemy' - so you'll have to put up with the Spider/Cyber wars. Apologies, also if you've got a slow machine. I know that some of these levels go very slow on anything less than a local bus DX2-50. Sorry. My next set of WADS, whether deathmatch or otherwise will almost certainly use the Heretic engine as a base, due to the extra features it offers. Final Comments -------------- Here's the copyright stuff: You may NOT use these levels as a base to build additional levels. You may distribute these WADS as long as all files are included (for a list see earlier in this document) intact and with no modifications. You may distribute these files in any electronic format (disk, cd-rom, etc.) as long as all files, as written earlier are included and un-modified. Phew.. glad that's been sorted. Please let me know your comments about these levels - whether you thought they were good or bad. Which one was your favourite? Which one did you think was the worst? If your a good artist, and would like to get involved in some level design, or if you just want to say hello - get in touch. Ollie Robinson (ollie@dircon.co.uk) 'hedge' on IRC!