At long last, Version 2.5 of ZDoom Wars, along with Map Pack 3, has been released. Click the download link at the top of the blog page and retrieve all the files!
The complete changelog:
Overall:
Balance Changes:
-Units that cost only 2 mana no longer drop anything upon death.
-Ghost Units are overall more useful, due to several changes (see below)
-Retrofit Summoners are now listed just after the monster they effect, Pre-upgraded monsters are next to Retrofits, and some monsters were reordered to reflect their relative power.
-Many Heroes weren't immune to Radius Damage as they should be.
New Additions:
-Manuals updated, etc, with new purty stuff that makes it easier to use.
-Added flavor text to the monster profiles in the manuals from the original game manuals.
-Mana will now work correctly after respawning.
-Barrage Weredragons now have their own sprites, courtesy of Banjoster.
-Heretic, Hexen, and Strife summoners now use png graphics.
-Weird Bases now uses a High Quality version of the music it had previously.
-Introduced a "Ridiculous" damage type, used to make heroes resistant to certain things. Heroes only take 60% damage from Ridiculous damage.
-New, custom ZDoom Wars HUD, by Firewolf. It displays health and both types of mana, with both bars and numerical values visible. It also works in Widescreen, and is easier to read than the default HUD at high resolutions.
-Mana items will now blink for a few seconds before vanishing. Suggested by Zal. Don't know why I didn't do this before!
-Those who voted that something in the wad would be retarded were, of course, correct.
Bug Fixes:
-Player footstep sounds were broken.
-Some classes used incorrect frames in their HeroSuppression.Pain state.
-Each class now has game-appropriate blood.
-Hero indicators weren't moving at the right speed, and so were inaccurate.
Map Pack:
-You may notice that there are 8 brand new maps. Check the manual for Map descriptions. The descriptions will be more filled out and such in later versions.
-Weird Bases rehauled. Name purposefully misspelled for no clear reason.
-Battlefield 1994 rehauled.
-You can no longer spawn monsters outside the level in Dead Haze.
-A monster-blocking line in Valley was removed.
-Added some more sound-blocking lines in Valley.
-Lesser Crucible, though keeping its name, has been replaced by Greater Crucible, which has been replaced by an even greater Crucible map.
-Courtyard Teleport in Tech Monolith now only works for players.
-Fixed the HOM in the Courtyard Teleport destination.
-You can no longer go outside the wall in Tech Monolith.
Doom:
Balance Changes:
-Several unit prices shifted to have less normal mana cost, but more hero mana cost.
-The Shotgunguy will now be BRIGHT during his firing state, for the sake of Software users.
-Cyberdemon price raised from 120/100, to 130/115
-Mancubus now deal "Ridiculous" damage. Heroes only take 60% damage from this damagetype.
-Mancubus damage reduced from 14 to 13.
-Mancubus projectile speed increased from 22 to 24.
-Flame Mancubus now fire 2 more flames per attack.
-Flame Mancubus projectiles now live for 2 tics longer.
-Normal Lost Soul health boosted from 40 to 60.
-Normal Lost Souls now take 120% damage from Suppression and KaBoom damage type attacks.
-Lost Souls from Dual Elementals are now slightly smaller, to differentiate them a bit.
-Lost Souls from Dual Elementals now take 150% damage from Suppression and KaBoom damage type attacks.
-Increased the dimensions of the Lost Soul Projectile.
-The Lost Soul Projectile can now be shot in midair, to reduce the times the soul deals damage despite being stopped midair.
-Pain Elementals may now only use their missile attack 40 times during the course of their life.
-Preupgraded Rail Revenants took longer to fire than retrofitted ones.
-Revenant melee damage reduced from 20 to 18.
-Rail Rev accuracy increased from a 5 degree variance to a 4 degree variance.
-Revenant's dumbfire rockets can no longer hit Ghosts.
-Arachnotron health decreased from 850 to 800.
-Spider Mastermind minimum damage raised from 12 to 14.
-Spider mastermind accuracy increased from 9 degrees of variance, to 8.
Heretic:
Balance Changes:
-Ghost Wave radius increased from 125 to 175.
-Gargoyle and Gargoyle Leader mass reduced to 30.
-Disciples of D'Sparil no longer temporarily lose their Ghost Status while firing.
-Iron Lich's secondary Ice shards did not use the Hero Suppression damage type.
-Barrage Weredragon secondary projectiles now can only fly upwards at a pitch of 60 degrees max, down from 90.
-Barrage Weredragons are now immune to their secondary projectiles, enemy's or otherwise.
-Maulotaur Melee damage increased from 36 to 45.
-Maulotaur health increased from 4000 to 4200.
Bug Fixes:
-You are now notified when you unlock the mummy upgrade, since you actually have to unlock Nitro Ghost Mummies to recieve it.
Hexen:
Balance Changes:
-Enchant particle size increased slightly.
-Ettin painchance lowered from 60 to 50.
-Ettin enchantment now also delivers damage on strike.
-Enchanted Ettin hit knock-back force raised from 500 to 750.
-Chance of Enchanted Ettin hit raised by 10.
-Frame count in the Upgraded Ettin's pain state rearranged to be more efficient. They now get a full 25 tics of reflection, with less wasted frames, making the defense more effective.
-There is now a more significant visual effect for the Afrit Enchanted Death.
-Afrit Enchanted Death damage buffed.
-All Chaos Serpents are now immune to radius damage.
-Chaos Serpent Enchanted Projectile buffed in both explosive damage and explosive radius.
-Homing Chaos Serpent projectiles now home in less effectively.
-Enchant ability radius increased from 125 to 200.
-Centaur Enchanted Defense effect increased in size.
-Bishops can no longer hit Ghosts.
-Decreased the number of projectiles fired by a Bishop, but increased the per-projectile damage to compensate. The purpose of this is to reduce lag.
-Wraith speed increased from 13 to 14.
-Wraiths now have the +MISSILEMORE flag.
-Heresiarch health boosted from 4000 to 4500.
-Heresiarch bouncing, flaming head damage increased from 10 to 18.
-Heresiarch purple sphere damage increased from 6 to 7, and explosive damage increased from 20 to 30.
-Korax minmissilechance reduced from 70 to 60. He should shoot more often.
-Korax health raised from 5000 to 5500.
-The damage was raised from 8 to 9 on a couple of Korax's projectiles.
-...Korax couldn't hit Ghosts. :|
-Zedek, Traductus, and Menelkir now have the NODROPOFF flag. This means that they won't go strafing off of cliffs, and cannot be pushed off cliffs.
-Zedek and Traductus no longer have melee states.
-Zedek is now immune to radius damage.
Bug Fixes:
-Even un-enchanted Afrits emitted their death-projectiles.
-The Death Wyvern was not immune to Annihilate damage.
Strife:
Balance Changes:
-Spectre A has been replaced by the Programmer. He's very similar to the old Spectre A, but is faster.
-Spectre B has been renamed Spectre A, and Spectre C has been renamed Spectre B.
-Spectres incorrectly had the Shadow flag.
-Both Spectre types given more effective melee attacks.
-Spectre A's attack now homes in more effectively.
-The Spectre C (B) attack will now make less projectiles, so it shouldn't lag as much, though it will be weaker.
-Therefore, Spectre B main projectile damage has been raised from 13 to 15.
-All Sigil attacks can now hit Ghosts.
-The Inquisitor now shoots 4 bullets in its attack state, up from 2.
-The Inquisitor's Grenade states were shortened by 2 tics.
-The Inquisitor's shooting state was shortened by 3 tics.
-The Inquisitor's health was raised from 4250 to 4750.
-The invisible Robot Rez actors will now vanish after 2 minutes.
-Repair Drone effect radius increased from 200 to 250.
-Reavers can no longer hit Ghosts at range.
-The Sniper Templar's attack state was shortened by 4 tics.
-Order Bishops can no longer hit Ghosts.
-Templar health boosted from 350 to 400.
Bug Fixes:
-Fixed a visual innaccuracy with the Tech Tree image.
New Additions:
-There is now a visual effect for the Repair Drone.
CQ:
Balance Changes:
-Flembrane mass increased from 4000 to 6000.
-Larva mass increased from 100 to 150.
-Super Cyclops mass increased from 800 to 1000.
-Super Cyclops will now dodge less.
-Super Cyclops flem spore chance reduced by 5.
-Stridicus mass increased from 500 to 600.
-Stridicus pain chance increased from 15 to 25.
-Cyclops mass decreased from 260 to 220.
-Cyclops speed decreased from 12 to 11.
-Cyclops meleerange decreased from 86 to 78.
-Flembomination fire rate increased by 2 tics each cycle, overall.
-Snotfolus spore production rates increased by 5.
-Maximus can no longer hit Ghosts.
Bug Fixes:
-Fixed a sprite conflict with an unused sprite.
-Stridicus took away one less Hero Mana then they should have, presumably because I programmed the perfect douchebag.
Virus:
Balance Changes:
-Greater Prism health raised from 350 to 360.
-Greater Prisms now fire 4 projectiles in their missile1 state, up from 3.
-Spore shots changed to the KaBoom damage type, to reduce their effect on players.
-Spore speed reduced from 17 to 16.
-Spores given a minmissilechance of 160, so they shoot less often.
-The Spore Upgrade now gives Spores a 30% damage reduction vs. KaBoom damage, lowers their painchance by 20, and lowers their Sniper vulnerability from 150% to 120%, but no longer allows them to hit Ghosts.
-Meshwalkers can now hit ghosts, but only with their blaster.
-Drones can no longer hit Ghosts.
-Spreadshot Turrets can no longer hit Ghosts.
-Meshflier price raised from 40/8 to 40/15.
-Meshflier health reduced from 1500 to 1200.
-Meshflier missile explosion radius reduced to 90.
-Land Carrier frontal assault variance reduced from 3 degrees to 2.
-Land Carrier drone capacity boosted from 40 to 50.
-The Land Carrier's projectiles can no longer be reflected.
-Air Carrier drone capacity boosted from 16 to 20.
-Air Carrier health boosted from 500 to 600.
Bug Fixes:
-It costed more to retrofit a turret than to summon it pre-upgraded.
-Meshfliers spawned quicker than they were supposed to.
I am quite relieved to finally have that out of the way. Focus in the next few versions will be on ironing out Map Pack 3, and continuing to fix up unplayed maps, as well as detail them. Balancing will of course happen as normal. Meanwhile, I can work on OTHER things. Remember, spots in Map Pack 4 are open - though it will be a very long time before it comes out.
EDIT: 10:16 AM Hotfix, because Spores could STILL hit ghosts. D:
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Update to Doom Monster Pack
The Shotgunguy should now be bright during his firing state, and the Lost Soul's invisible projectile can now be shot midair, so it stops when the Lost Soul does.
EDIT: Oh fuuuuuuuu failed with redefining the Super Shotgun. Updated again.
EDIT: Oh fuuuuuuuu failed with redefining the Super Shotgun. Updated again.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Minor Update to Chex Quest Monster Pack
The Minizorcher uses up ammo again, the LAZ Device and Phasing Zorcher give less ammo on pickup, and the Bootspork alerts monsters in its ready state. Get it from the above download link, as usual.
Map Pack 3 Finalized
Just on the verge of release, the Map Pack is getting finished. Here is the complete list of the maps included in Map Pack 3:
Flame Temple by Guigui, 2-3 players.
Red Canyon by Whodaman, 2-4 players.
City of Chaos by Always Doomed, 2-4 players.
Pacific Warfare by Mik57, 2-4 players.
Grimwald by Sauerkraut, 2-5 players.
System Reboot by Damage, 2-6 players.
Knee Deep in ZDoom Wars by Damage, 2-6 players.
Something Epic by Corpsegr1nder and Omegamax, 2-6 players.
Overall a varied map pack with unique design ideas, new themes, and brand new hazards, accompanied by all new music.
Also included are the updated versions of Weird Bases and Battlefield 94', Da Void (the replacement for Deja Vu), as well as the Lesser - Greater - Greater(er?) Crucible update, and a couple fixes to the current maps. Wierd Bases and the Crucible Maps have improved music, as well.
Flame Temple by Guigui, 2-3 players.
Red Canyon by Whodaman, 2-4 players.
City of Chaos by Always Doomed, 2-4 players.
Pacific Warfare by Mik57, 2-4 players.
Grimwald by Sauerkraut, 2-5 players.
System Reboot by Damage, 2-6 players.
Knee Deep in ZDoom Wars by Damage, 2-6 players.
Something Epic by Corpsegr1nder and Omegamax, 2-6 players.
Overall a varied map pack with unique design ideas, new themes, and brand new hazards, accompanied by all new music.
Also included are the updated versions of Weird Bases and Battlefield 94', Da Void (the replacement for Deja Vu), as well as the Lesser - Greater - Greater(er?) Crucible update, and a couple fixes to the current maps. Wierd Bases and the Crucible Maps have improved music, as well.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Doom Monster Pack Released
Now available from the above download link is the Single Player monster pack for Doom 2. Mancs, Pains, and Revs will be randomly upgraded. You are given quite a bit more ammo than normal to compensate for the health increases of the monsters. The Fist will not alert monsters and is slightly faster, so sneakiness may be an option.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Minor update to ZDWars Chex Monster Pack
I made the bootspoon silent and slightly quicker, the bootspork more damaging, and the minizorcher no longer uses ammo.
This rewards the player for stealth tactics (monsters will forget you or ignore you if you are behind them), so group CQ runs should be interesting. The minizorcher didn't need to use ammo since it was almost useless, anyway. In groups, disciplined fire with minizorchers can still be effective.
This rewards the player for stealth tactics (monsters will forget you or ignore you if you are behind them), so group CQ runs should be interesting. The minizorcher didn't need to use ammo since it was almost useless, anyway. In groups, disciplined fire with minizorchers can still be effective.
Yeah, yeah, yeah...
Ever wanted to fight the ZDWars monsters in Single Player?
Well, now you can - at least in Chex Quest 3. I've created a wad that gives the CQ3 Flemoids their ZDWars behaviors. Download it from the "Monster Packs" folder in the ZDoom Wars download link. Ammunition is also increased, due to the vast increase in overall enemy health.
Eventually, I hope to do the same for all the IWADs in ZDoom Wars.
Eventually, I hope to do the same for all the IWADs in ZDoom Wars.
Friday, March 26, 2010
SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING
NEWS FROM SURGEON GENERAL MATTMAN3000:
some people say that playing zdoomwars too much may decrease your skills in certain game modes like dm or lms or other games modes like that, being that your barely making contact when fighting your opponents
EXPOSURE TO ZDOOM WARS HAS BEEN SHOWN IN -1 TEST SUBJECTS TO DECREASE DEATHMATCH SKILL AS A DIRECT RESULT OF STARING AT YOUR MUMMY SPAWNER.
DO NOT PLAY ZDOOM WARS IF YOU ARE PREGNANT, MAY BECOME PREGNANT, OR HAVE A HISTORY OF HEART DISEASE IN YOUR FAMILY. IF AN ERECTION LASTS LONGER THAN FOUR HOURS, STOP PLAYING ZDOOM WARS IMMEDIATELY AND CALL YOUR DOCTOR.
TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE PLAYING ZDOOM WARS.
some people say that playing zdoomwars too much may decrease your skills in certain game modes like dm or lms or other games modes like that, being that your barely making contact when fighting your opponents
EXPOSURE TO ZDOOM WARS HAS BEEN SHOWN IN -1 TEST SUBJECTS TO DECREASE DEATHMATCH SKILL AS A DIRECT RESULT OF STARING AT YOUR MUMMY SPAWNER.
DO NOT PLAY ZDOOM WARS IF YOU ARE PREGNANT, MAY BECOME PREGNANT, OR HAVE A HISTORY OF HEART DISEASE IN YOUR FAMILY. IF AN ERECTION LASTS LONGER THAN FOUR HOURS, STOP PLAYING ZDOOM WARS IMMEDIATELY AND CALL YOUR DOCTOR.
TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE PLAYING ZDOOM WARS.
New ZDWars Server
There is now an Obsidian-UK server for ZDoom Wars, provided by Eruanna. This means that there are now two European servers. :D
Eruanna has also provided a spot on DRDTeam from which to host the ZDWars files, which is better for server host's sake than the Mediafire account I was using before.
Eruanna has also provided a spot on DRDTeam from which to host the ZDWars files, which is better for server host's sake than the Mediafire account I was using before.
Ideas past
That's why I'm not an artist. Drew that last year.
Anyway, while we're talking about the past, there are plenty of ideas which have been set aside during the development of ZDWars.
As some veterans may remember, I once had the idea of One Man Armies, lone characters who would be extra powerful, and face off against the Summoner players. It was realized in time that this would be impossible to balance, and frankly would defeat the purpose of the mod.
I have also considered making Factions of Chosen, Batman Doom, and Action Doom 2, but none of them had enough variety to work out, or would end up too messy, though not for lack of planning:
Of course, there have been ideas that still have some promise in them, and might make it in at some point. For example, I had the idea of giving each player class different stats. I mean, Virus flies, right? I had tossed around thoughts like Doomguy having armor, Corvus having less health but becoming a Ghost when on low health, etc.
Another idea that remains with some promise, I considered a Last Stand option, in which the player would lose all their summoners, but be given a gun with a certain amount of ammo and have their health refilled, just to try and exact revenge. It would be an irreversible process, and I would want it to be very hard to trigger accidentally.
The third idea, which I have really considered, is giving each class a selection of simple Static defenses. When I first tried this out, it was messy, and it was before the game had become so focused on holding areas and sieges, etc, and might be great. It won't be in 2.5 at any rate, but might get in at a later date. The ideas I had were:
-a low barrier that most things could shoot over, but would block movement, and be used to bolster defenses and allow corridors to be defended easier.
-A High barrier that would block pretty much all things from firing. Used to deny movement to an area.
-An "Auto-Bridge". Something that drops to the ground, and then shoots forward a string of Bridge Things. I would need some way for it to be destructible, and also don't know how bridge things work when spawned in a map. I would give them a set of graphics of course.
-And lastly, an Alarm of some sort. Either numbered or color-coded, they could give their owner a notification when an enemy passes nearby, i.e. "Green Alarm has detected movement" so you can know when your castle is under assault while out in the field, etc. This one is probably beyond me to code.
I also think it would be neat for each Faction to have its own unique defense. Feedback on this would be nice. Good idea? Bad? General input of any sort?
Thursday, March 25, 2010
You know those stupid Telefrags?
They should be fixed in 2.5
Yeeees, that means you could theoretically play Deathmatch or Survival Coop with multiple lives, but that would be silly.
Yeeees, that means you could theoretically play Deathmatch or Survival Coop with multiple lives, but that would be silly.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
FNF #2, March 26
FNF this week is 4-Way CTF, starting at 7:00 pm Central Time, and 20:00 GMT for the European Server.
Official Thread
Official Thread
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Just a little something...
With 8 days left until 2.5 is released, I figure I'll throw in another map preview:
Again, this is a map by Damage. Try and guess its name in the comments!
Also, the order of spawners in 2.5 should make a little more sense. It'll be confusing at first since many of you are used to the current order, but it should be easier for new players. There are some readjustments according to strength, and upgrades are next to the monsters they effect.
Also, the order of spawners in 2.5 should make a little more sense. It'll be confusing at first since many of you are used to the current order, but it should be easier for new players. There are some readjustments according to strength, and upgrades are next to the monsters they effect.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
FNF #1, March 19
Here's the official thread.
Tomorrow, the Friday Night Fragfest server will go up. This week, it's LMS, on stlms and the stock Skulltag maps, for 25 players and 32 clients.
The North American server will start up at 7:00 PM Central. Other information is forthcoming in the thread.
So, tomorrow evening, go blast some faces!
Tomorrow, the Friday Night Fragfest server will go up. This week, it's LMS, on stlms and the stock Skulltag maps, for 25 players and 32 clients.
The North American server will start up at 7:00 PM Central. Other information is forthcoming in the thread.
So, tomorrow evening, go blast some faces!
A Relic of Doom Wars past
Pretty much every one of you should know that ZDoom Wars was based off of a Legacy wad called Doom Wars by Martin Collberg (creator of the Cajun Bots). Well, in 2006, before I knew DECORATE, I first proposed the idea of a ZDoom version of Doom Wars.
A fellow named eliw00d had the same idea, and whipped up this straight conversion of the original Doom Wars. He never coded the Mana-giving items that existed in Doom Wars (there were fields of mana you could place in a map to play in), but the rest is almost exactly the same as the original Doom Wars, except you cannot freely select normal weapons, and the barrels are actually explosive, instead of being barriers.
So, on July 1, 2008, I began ZDoom Wars, using the same name, since it was essentially a continuation of eliw00d's effort.
Have fun and look at a bit of the past, hosted, for some reason, by Blazing Phoenix:
ZDoom Wars, eliw00d's version.
A fellow named eliw00d had the same idea, and whipped up this straight conversion of the original Doom Wars. He never coded the Mana-giving items that existed in Doom Wars (there were fields of mana you could place in a map to play in), but the rest is almost exactly the same as the original Doom Wars, except you cannot freely select normal weapons, and the barrels are actually explosive, instead of being barriers.
So, on July 1, 2008, I began ZDoom Wars, using the same name, since it was essentially a continuation of eliw00d's effort.
Have fun and look at a bit of the past, hosted, for some reason, by Blazing Phoenix:
ZDoom Wars, eliw00d's version.
Best Ever Servers down time
In case you haven't noticed, the Best Ever servers are currently down as the Admins work out something with their hosts. They'll be back up at some point, hopefully not too far in the future.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
ZDoom Wars 2.4v2S1 is totally not mine
I just stumbled across a server hosting a file called zdoomwars204v2s1. Upon downloading the file and entering, I found two players named omnomnom and Noob playing what, to all intents and purposes, was ZDoom Wars. I attempted to speak to them, but spectator chat was off, and despite my best attempts, they would not acknowledge my presence.
I do not know what this file is, but it is not mine, and if those involved with its creation are reading this, I find it rather rude to simply append your own version name onto my work, rather than make a rename enough to not confuse people.
I don't know what is changed, etc, and don't care too much, but rename the file, please, rather than more or less inadvertently passing it off as my work.
I understand that I have never been completely clear on my stance on fan-made content for ZDoom Wars, though my rage-fests over the Duke 3D faction that was floating around is well known. Changing the files for private use is fine. Linking to them and failing to acknowledge that it is unofficial through either the file or server name is NOT.
I do not know what this file is, but it is not mine, and if those involved with its creation are reading this, I find it rather rude to simply append your own version name onto my work, rather than make a rename enough to not confuse people.
I don't know what is changed, etc, and don't care too much, but rename the file, please, rather than more or less inadvertently passing it off as my work.
I understand that I have never been completely clear on my stance on fan-made content for ZDoom Wars, though my rage-fests over the Duke 3D faction that was floating around is well known. Changing the files for private use is fine. Linking to them and failing to acknowledge that it is unofficial through either the file or server name is NOT.
Tournament Participation Poll Results
Alright, so 22 people, 4 of which might get lag killed or DC in the middle of a match. That's alright. It won't be a long tournament, but it should work out fine. The tournament won't actually occur for a while. I want you fellows to be familiar with map pack 3 first.
You may have noticed a new entry in the Index, "Mapping for ZDoom Wars". If you want to make a ZDWars map, go ahead and read that, and if you still have questions, contact me however.
Anyway, Mik is presumably working on map pack 3, and once I receive it, I'll put a couple spoilers, etc to tide you over until release. Until that point, how about a list of the general gameplay and cosmetic changes coming in 2.5?
-Ghost Units are overall more useful
-Heretic, Hexen, and Strife summoners now use png graphics for the monster images
- New, custom ZDoom Wars HUD, by Firewolf. It displays health and both types of mana, with both bars and numerical values visible. It also works in Widescreen, and is easier to read than the default HUD at high resolutions.
-Mana items will now blink for a few seconds before vanishing.
-Player footstep sounds were broken.
-Some classes used incorrect frames in their HeroSuppression.Pain state.
-Each class now has game-appropriate blood.
-Hero indicators weren't moving at the right speed, and so were inaccurate.
The total list of changes to the Factions themselves will just have to wait until release! ;)
You may have noticed a new entry in the Index, "Mapping for ZDoom Wars". If you want to make a ZDWars map, go ahead and read that, and if you still have questions, contact me however.
Anyway, Mik is presumably working on map pack 3, and once I receive it, I'll put a couple spoilers, etc to tide you over until release. Until that point, how about a list of the general gameplay and cosmetic changes coming in 2.5?
-Ghost Units are overall more useful
-Heretic, Hexen, and Strife summoners now use png graphics for the monster images
- New, custom ZDoom Wars HUD, by Firewolf. It displays health and both types of mana, with both bars and numerical values visible. It also works in Widescreen, and is easier to read than the default HUD at high resolutions.
-Mana items will now blink for a few seconds before vanishing.
-Player footstep sounds were broken.
-Some classes used incorrect frames in their HeroSuppression.Pain state.
-Each class now has game-appropriate blood.
-Hero indicators weren't moving at the right speed, and so were inaccurate.
The total list of changes to the Factions themselves will just have to wait until release! ;)
Monday, March 15, 2010
Guide to mapping for ZDWars
In the Index sidebar, you will notice a "Mapping for ZDWars" page. It gives a run down of things that can and can't be done, the map submission and acceptance process, etc. Just a handy thing. Don't be afraid to make a map. It doesn't have to be pretty, but at least easy on the eyes.
Friday, March 12, 2010
The Rebirth of Friday Night Fragfest
What is with the double news posts recently? Anyway:
Those from past years of ST might remember something called Friday Night Fragfest, a weekly event in which a server is put up with an underplayed or unique wad, or even just a Vanilla gamemode, and people would pack the server and kick the goodly heck out of each other. Well, it's been reborn, starting tonight, with Domination.
This should be happening every Friday, with a different mode or wad.
Those from past years of ST might remember something called Friday Night Fragfest, a weekly event in which a server is put up with an underplayed or unique wad, or even just a Vanilla gamemode, and people would pack the server and kick the goodly heck out of each other. Well, it's been reborn, starting tonight, with Domination.
This should be happening every Friday, with a different mode or wad.
Skulltag 97C2 Source Code released!
For those who don't traverse Doomworld:
So, it seems that the source for an older version of Skulltag has been let loose onto the world. This article by Carnevil covers everything, so I'll just link to it:
http://vega.skulltag.com/2010/03/skulltag-source-code-released/
So, it seems that the source for an older version of Skulltag has been let loose onto the world. This article by Carnevil covers everything, so I'll just link to it:
http://vega.skulltag.com/2010/03/skulltag-source-code-released/
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Skulltag 98B!
Literally 15 minutes after the previous post! Skulltag 98B is now out!
http://skulltag.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=24064
http://skulltag.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=24064
Two new things to stare at
You'll see a new "Index" thingy on the sidebar, leading to two new pages, a Frequently Asked Questions page, and a currently blank page that will contain info on whoever wins the first and future ZDWars tournaments.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Faction Popularity Poll Results
Some surprises here. I thought Heretic would be more popular, and it seems some people who voted for CQ early on revoted, leaving it the second least popular. There are more Strife fans than I would have thought.
With a total of 44 votes, the final percentages were:
Doom - 31%
Heretic - 9%
Hexen - 13%
Strife - 20%
Chex Quest - 11%
Virus - 13%
I sort of expected Doom domination, but the popularity of Virus and Strife surprise me. The UNpopularity of Heretic strikes me odd. If you have any opinions on why Heretic got such low ratings, please comment.
Anyway, the unexpected Strife-Lovers are getting a treat in 2.5 - I've done a bit of renovation work on the Spectres. Spectre A has been replaced with the Programmer. He's the same as Spectre A, but quite a bit faster. The remaining Spectres have been renamed accordingly, and given melee attacks. The Inquisitor will now fire 4 bullets in his rifle attack instead of two, and ALL Sigil attacks will be able to hit Ghosts.
As a further 2.5 preview (click for full size):
With a total of 44 votes, the final percentages were:
Doom - 31%
Heretic - 9%
Hexen - 13%
Strife - 20%
Chex Quest - 11%
Virus - 13%
I sort of expected Doom domination, but the popularity of Virus and Strife surprise me. The UNpopularity of Heretic strikes me odd. If you have any opinions on why Heretic got such low ratings, please comment.
Anyway, the unexpected Strife-Lovers are getting a treat in 2.5 - I've done a bit of renovation work on the Spectres. Spectre A has been replaced with the Programmer. He's the same as Spectre A, but quite a bit faster. The remaining Spectres have been renamed accordingly, and given melee attacks. The Inquisitor will now fire 4 bullets in his rifle attack instead of two, and ALL Sigil attacks will be able to hit Ghosts.
As a further 2.5 preview (click for full size):
Meet "System Reboot" by Damage. It's the first Virus themed map, medium sized and symmetrical, with each area connected by a wide tunnel. It should make for an interesting battlefield, indeed, and can support a surprising number of players. And yes, there are water splashes in the digital water, there. EDIT: I am in Widescreen. The HUD will be more off to the right for users in a standard aspect ratio.
Anyway, a new poll is up, about Tournament Participation, to gauge how many people to expect.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
2.5 Preview, and setting the record straight
Naturally, I'm going to reach the part you most want to hear later, so suck it up and read the whole post, it would make me very happy face.
Now that I have a central news-giving-out...place, I'd just like to state that I do not like Faction Suggestions. Do NOT suggest a faction unless you have good English skills and have read the Faction Idea Submissions text file that comes with the Wad when downloaded from the thread, or click the link at the bottom of this page. NOTE: There will, in time, be new Factions, but not for a long time, and not without a formal announcement. I will not inundate you with them, each one will be planned out and spaced apart a great deal. Will they land fully balanced? No, but they will have their particular master plan laid out. As before, you'll need to help as you have with feedback, etc. Ideally, the other Factions will be balanced enough that the New Faction won't cause too much trouble.
Of course, you will want to hear what Factions I actually have planned. For those that haven't heard me rant about it in a server, I intend to make a Faction of Harmony, and, if the monsters are ever finished, a Faction of Hacx 2.0. These two are the only Factions confirmed, though Happy Time Circus 2 has been under consideration. DON'T FILL THE COMMENTS THREAD WITH FACTION SUGGESTIONS AND QUESTIONS AAAAAAAAAAA
I usually aim to make new things underpowered if anything, so as not to destroy the gaming experience. Still, I need new content to be played enough for me to be able to fix it. This goes for other content: If it isn't used, I can't make it better to the point that it is used. So you fellows who like picking a single unit and seeing if you can spam your way to victory? That's actually pretty useful for me! This also applies to maps - if you don't like it, tell me why in the thread! There are many good maps available, but the ones that aren't good won't be improved without feedback, except in obvious cases (such as Weird Bases).
Now, as has been stated in-game, I intend to hold a ZDoom Wars tournament. The time frame for this is amorphous. I intend to begin it when I personally feel that the wad is balanced enough, and when Map Pack 3 is familiar to you guys. As far as I have it planned, it will run like so: You sign up, and choose ONE faction to use in every battle for the whole tournament. Games begin with 3 or so players each, the winners of these first battles continuing on and being combined into fewer but larger games, until the final battle. Each Tier of the tournament will have certain maps fitting the number of players per game for that Tier. The number of Tiers and the Tier progression depends on the number of people that sign up. A single loss means you are eliminated from the tournament. Each match will last an hour, and any commanders who survive the hour are taken to Blazing Colosseum for a 20 minute Sudden Death round, in which the Commander with the most health wins if multiple Commanders survive the 20 minutes.
This Tournament will be hosted by The Best Ever on a server with a password. There are other sundry rules which will be posted when the time comes. Don't join if you have a cruddy or unreliable connection to The Best Ever server, since it would be no fun for the other competitors. If you intend to join the Tournament when it happens, post a comment. This isn't a sign up, but it will help me plan if I have a better idea of how many people will participate.
And finally, what you've been waiting for, and may have skipped the entire rest of the post for: The skinny on version 2.5! 2.5 signals the release of Map Pack 3. Map Pack 3 will have at least the author variety of Map Pack 2. Authors Mik57 and the team of Omegamax and CKeen return, while there are other map submissions from other more or less acclaimed map authors, including Xaser with a redo of GVH00, Continuum of Silence, made to work with ZDoom Wars. It is a good mix of attractive and mid-size maps with support for a range of player counts, with brand new themes introduced into the generally Medieval/Tech/Hell mix that has been seen before. The new sights (Such as a Virus-themed map by Grymmoire) are accompanied by a renewed sense of what a ZDoom Wars map should accomplish. The maps all appear to have a good natural flow, and an improved sense of balance and attention to detail on par, or exceeding, many of the current maps.
But this does not nullify the old maps. In fact, several have been refitted for 2.5 to play better and provide a superior playing experience. Weird Bases has been redone from scratch by the original author, Xutawoo, to support 4 players. It looks and plays better (the middle is easily navigable now), while still using only vanilla doom textures. Xutawoo has also improved his other map, Battlefield 1994, with some improved texturing, and extended areas and structures, including an entirely new one in a new space near the Auditorium (which actually has seats now). Deja Vu, aka that map you never play, has been entirely replaced by a map by the same author, Captain Bighead, called Da Void. It has the same interesting visual, Void-like theme, but is an entirely new layout. Lesser Crucible has been replaced by Greater Crucible, which has been replaced by an entirely new map based on the Crucible theme, and by Leonan, the original author, so you could consider Map Pack 3 to bring in 9 maps, instead of the normal 8, without using up a new slot.
As far as gameplay, Firewolf has made a custom HUD for ZDoom Wars which displays both health and both mana types with bars and numerals. It works much better than the default HUD. Mana items will blink for a few seconds before disappearing, and the cost of the Cyberdemon has gone up for the first time in a LONG time, to 130/115. Hexen's Enchant ability is getting a much needed buff, and Ghost Wave is getting a radius increase. Various adjustments have been made to every Faction alongside cosmetic improvements and bug fixes. Overall a good version, I would say.
Version 2.5 will (more than likely) be released on April 1.
Now that I have a central news-giving-out...place, I'd just like to state that I do not like Faction Suggestions. Do NOT suggest a faction unless you have good English skills and have read the Faction Idea Submissions text file that comes with the Wad when downloaded from the thread, or click the link at the bottom of this page. NOTE: There will, in time, be new Factions, but not for a long time, and not without a formal announcement. I will not inundate you with them, each one will be planned out and spaced apart a great deal. Will they land fully balanced? No, but they will have their particular master plan laid out. As before, you'll need to help as you have with feedback, etc. Ideally, the other Factions will be balanced enough that the New Faction won't cause too much trouble.
Of course, you will want to hear what Factions I actually have planned. For those that haven't heard me rant about it in a server, I intend to make a Faction of Harmony, and, if the monsters are ever finished, a Faction of Hacx 2.0. These two are the only Factions confirmed, though Happy Time Circus 2 has been under consideration. DON'T FILL THE COMMENTS THREAD WITH FACTION SUGGESTIONS AND QUESTIONS AAAAAAAAAAA
I usually aim to make new things underpowered if anything, so as not to destroy the gaming experience. Still, I need new content to be played enough for me to be able to fix it. This goes for other content: If it isn't used, I can't make it better to the point that it is used. So you fellows who like picking a single unit and seeing if you can spam your way to victory? That's actually pretty useful for me! This also applies to maps - if you don't like it, tell me why in the thread! There are many good maps available, but the ones that aren't good won't be improved without feedback, except in obvious cases (such as Weird Bases).
Now, as has been stated in-game, I intend to hold a ZDoom Wars tournament. The time frame for this is amorphous. I intend to begin it when I personally feel that the wad is balanced enough, and when Map Pack 3 is familiar to you guys. As far as I have it planned, it will run like so: You sign up, and choose ONE faction to use in every battle for the whole tournament. Games begin with 3 or so players each, the winners of these first battles continuing on and being combined into fewer but larger games, until the final battle. Each Tier of the tournament will have certain maps fitting the number of players per game for that Tier. The number of Tiers and the Tier progression depends on the number of people that sign up. A single loss means you are eliminated from the tournament. Each match will last an hour, and any commanders who survive the hour are taken to Blazing Colosseum for a 20 minute Sudden Death round, in which the Commander with the most health wins if multiple Commanders survive the 20 minutes.
This Tournament will be hosted by The Best Ever on a server with a password. There are other sundry rules which will be posted when the time comes. Don't join if you have a cruddy or unreliable connection to The Best Ever server, since it would be no fun for the other competitors. If you intend to join the Tournament when it happens, post a comment. This isn't a sign up, but it will help me plan if I have a better idea of how many people will participate.
And finally, what you've been waiting for, and may have skipped the entire rest of the post for: The skinny on version 2.5! 2.5 signals the release of Map Pack 3. Map Pack 3 will have at least the author variety of Map Pack 2. Authors Mik57 and the team of Omegamax and CKeen return, while there are other map submissions from other more or less acclaimed map authors, including Xaser with a redo of GVH00, Continuum of Silence, made to work with ZDoom Wars. It is a good mix of attractive and mid-size maps with support for a range of player counts, with brand new themes introduced into the generally Medieval/Tech/Hell mix that has been seen before. The new sights (Such as a Virus-themed map by Grymmoire) are accompanied by a renewed sense of what a ZDoom Wars map should accomplish. The maps all appear to have a good natural flow, and an improved sense of balance and attention to detail on par, or exceeding, many of the current maps.
But this does not nullify the old maps. In fact, several have been refitted for 2.5 to play better and provide a superior playing experience. Weird Bases has been redone from scratch by the original author, Xutawoo, to support 4 players. It looks and plays better (the middle is easily navigable now), while still using only vanilla doom textures. Xutawoo has also improved his other map, Battlefield 1994, with some improved texturing, and extended areas and structures, including an entirely new one in a new space near the Auditorium (which actually has seats now). Deja Vu, aka that map you never play, has been entirely replaced by a map by the same author, Captain Bighead, called Da Void. It has the same interesting visual, Void-like theme, but is an entirely new layout. Lesser Crucible has been replaced by Greater Crucible, which has been replaced by an entirely new map based on the Crucible theme, and by Leonan, the original author, so you could consider Map Pack 3 to bring in 9 maps, instead of the normal 8, without using up a new slot.
As far as gameplay, Firewolf has made a custom HUD for ZDoom Wars which displays both health and both mana types with bars and numerals. It works much better than the default HUD. Mana items will blink for a few seconds before disappearing, and the cost of the Cyberdemon has gone up for the first time in a LONG time, to 130/115. Hexen's Enchant ability is getting a much needed buff, and Ghost Wave is getting a radius increase. Various adjustments have been made to every Faction alongside cosmetic improvements and bug fixes. Overall a good version, I would say.
Version 2.5 will (more than likely) be released on April 1.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Alright, there's a poll up, if you haven't noticed. Which Faction is your favorite? Whether to play as, thematically, whatever. Discuss in the comments.
Also, at the very bottom of the page, you will find direct links to the music pack, and the documentation, if you haven't picked it up. These links will be updated with each release, of course. This will make it much easier to get you people to read the manuals! Remember, they only require Adobe Reader to read, which is more than likely already on your computer somewhere.
Also, at the very bottom of the page, you will find direct links to the music pack, and the documentation, if you haven't picked it up. These links will be updated with each release, of course. This will make it much easier to get you people to read the manuals! Remember, they only require Adobe Reader to read, which is more than likely already on your computer somewhere.
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