.: April 30, 2008

Despite my lack of updates since I announced the project, work on Paranoid has been progressing apace. I have all but completed Map03, and have some additional ideas for Map02 and Map04. Work on the enemy graphics has stalled since I got my new wide-screen monitor. For some reason the image resolution appears to increase, which increases the file size proportionately. I will need to hook up my old monitor and see how that makes a difference to image resolution and file size. As soon as I have a few more enemies completed I will put up some pictures of them.

I have a brutal travel schedule - I just got back from the Washington, DC area and am leaving for Portland, Oregon on Friday. The good thing is that the actual travel time allows me to do some DooM editing. The bad thing is that most evenings when I am traveling I am either adjusting to the time zone difference or am too tired to be creative. This summer isn't looking too good either, as I am scheduled for several trips. This, of course, messes up my production schedule for Paranoid. Ah, well, DooM editing doesn't pay the bills, so I shouldn't complain.

.: March 7, 2008

So. I've been promising screenshots of Paranoid for quite a while now, haven't I? Before I get to that let me summarize what this project is all about (particularly for those that haven't visited here in a while. Or at all.)

1. Paranoid is a 5-map Half-Life mod for GZDooM that features the textures, weapons, enemies, sounds, and other goodies from H-L.
2. The mapping for Map01 is 100% complete, Map02 is 20% done, and Map03 is 35% done. The maps are set up into a hub and the game is objective-driven, requiring returning to many areas that were initially impassable (i.e., highly non-linear).
3. I have created 3 custom actors - a scientist and a security guard (Barney), both of which are "friendly", and the infamous head crab. All of them are in hi-res. I have customized behavior for several other enemies, but they are not hi-res. I continue to work on other enemies, but I suspect that most of them will not be hi-res (because of the enormous amount of drudge work involved in creating sprites from models). I will, however, customize the enemy behavior via DECORATE definitions.
4. I am using excellent models for decorative purposes.

So without further ado, proceed forthwith to the screenshots.

.: March 1, 2008

Almost exactly one year to the date since I wrote my tutorial on creating sprites from models I have put up another related tutorial. This time it's for resizing (specifically, shrinking) sprites without an appreciable loss in image quality. You can check it out here. Now you may ask why this interests me, and Goldarn it, what the phrick it has to do with Paranoid. Patience my young Padawan, I'm coming to that. I decided to create a hi-res version of Half-Life's Head Crab, instead of using the sprites currently available in the various Half-Life wads. Starting with the model I went through the steps to create the sprite frames, but found that each image was very large - both in its dimensions and in its file size. Hence the mind-numbingly tedious process of manually shrinking each frame to be smaller. Anyhoo, the bottom line is that I have a set of hi-res sprites for the Head Crab, and you get a tutorial to boot.

In other Paranoid-related news, I have been plugging away at the maps and have not only completed all the mapping for Map01, but have done a significant amount of work on Maps 02 and 03. I am loth to post screenshots just yet, as I haven't done the work that I intend for the new enemies, and I'd rather have pictures of both the 'scenery' (aka architecture) and the enemies. So for now be content in the fact that I am making progress and that each days brings me closer to a release. I do believe it will be worth the wait and you will not be disappointed.

.: February 20, 2008

I have updated Enjay's Burghead wad with the minor fix to make it 100% compatible with the latest versions of ZDooM and GZDooM. Now you don't need the zzfix.wad file any more. After you have downloaded the updated version of Burghead, simply run the file as follows: gzdoom -file njbgpabh.pk3 Of course, this new version of the game is only meant for those that have not yet downloaded the version that became available on January 31. I have replaced the old version with this new one, so that anyone doing a first-time download will have the most up-to-date version. I am still keeping zzfix.wad up on the site for those that have the original version and might not have downloaded the fix yet. Here are the links again: Burghead Missions v1.1 and zzfix.wad.

.: February 18, 2008

There's a new version of ZDooM, and, as a consequence, a new version of GZDooM. Now ordinarily I wouldn't be reporting this on DooM Nexus. But it has something to do with Enjay's Burghead Missions, which was based on a sub-version of GZDooM, and which doesn't work any more with the new versions. Information on this problem is on the ZDooM forums. To fix the problem Enjay has created a small wad file called zzfix.wad, which I have uploaded. Simply add the file name to your command line when starting the game, like so: gzdoom -file njbgpabh.pk3 zzfix and you'll be good to go.

.: January 31, 2008

It is a period of civil war.... Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire... Oh, wait. That's a different story line. Anyhoo, now that I've caught your attention, let me tell you about a terrific mod for GZDooM that my good buddy Nigel "Enjay" Rowand has just completed. Here are the particulars:

This is a 5 level GZdoom mini-conversion made to depict a genuine live action adventure game that took place in the Summer of 2006 near the Scottish towns of Elgin and Burghead. The sequence of events and feel of the level set are very much in keeping with that event but within the limitations of a video game with simple AI versus real-life people. The levels are effectively a mission pack for a much larger game that had already been played by the people who took part in the actual event and so weapon, ammo and health availability is tailored to that set of circumstances and preferences. It may not be the ideal setup for seasoned Doom players.

The level set follows (approximately) the time of day (and therefore lighting conditions) that the real event did. As a result, early sections are intentionally very dark. To combat this, every weapon gives you a flashlight on alt-fire, you have flare globes and rechargeable light-amp goggles right from the outset. To get the best experience, play with sector lighting mode set to "Doom". All other settings are too bright and will not give you the intended experience. As the game moves on, the levels get brighter as dawn approaches.

The conversion uses features from the most recent versions of GZdoom and, as such, will not work properly (or at all) with earlier versions. The release version of the mod is tailored to run with GZdoom 2.1.8 SVN r13 which is available here

What's that you say? You came here expecting to hear a story, and dammit you're not leaving until you hear one? Well then, how about this:

The year is 2389. You are in orbit around the colony world of Mons Grampius, an earth type planet, after terra-forming. Until recently, although technically under BGPA (British Galactic Police Association) control, Mons Grampius was effectively under the joint administration of the BGPA and the Inca Free Republic. The colony was largely settled by British citizens but there has always been a significant Incanese contingent. As with many remote colony worlds, the various peoples of the planet have coexisted quite happily, their remoteness making the politics of the home planet (Earth) seem less relevant than the day to day business of getting on with life and with your neighbours.

In the last ten years the BGPA has signed up to the liberal Galactic Framework Agreement On Colonies (GFAC). Under this, but two months ago, the people of Mons Grampius (Grampies) acceded from Britain and asked the Incanese Empire to intervene. Since then a small force of BGPA and Incanese ships have been in a stand off in neutral orbit. Incanese ground forces have been on the surface for a month. Since their arrival no neutral press agencies have been allowed on to the surface and a communications blackout has been enforced from the planet. You are part of the BGPA fleet travelling onboard the "Bright Hope". You will be briefed by BGPA Special OP’s Maj Blatchford who will continue to act as your mission coordinator for the entire mission. You will then be dropped by Viper Stealth Shuttle onto Mons Grampius where the local resistance will meet and equip you.... Good Luck.

Oh, and I guess you'll want the link to the text file and the 33MB download too? Enjoy.

.: January 24, 2008

I just got done writing up a tutorial for newbies that answers some basic questions on using custom textures using XWE.

.: January 23, 2008

For the most part Return From Oblivion was well-received. There were, however, a number of nitpick comments, and some downright rude ones. Still, I think we got it all straight. There were a few minor issues that the team has resolved to address, and we are looking forward to the future. We have already begun selecting map slots, and are doing a low-key recruitment effort. More on that as it develops.

But the big news is the progress on Paranoid. For the past week I have been learning the basis of models and DECORATE definitions for ZDooM. My good buddy Nigel 'Enjay' Rowand put in a huge amount of work on customizing models for my project, as well as explaining the mechanics of using them. My game now features some excellent models that fit the Black Mesa theme beautifully. Also, I am almost done with Map01, after which I will put up some screenshots.

.: January 11, 2008

Return From Oblivion is done. I have uploaded the entire 42MB wad (15MB zipped) to the idgames archive incoming folder, and it ought to be appearing for download in your neighborhood ftp stores real soon. Happy New Year!

.: January 8, 2008

Well, my friends, I'm back from my sojourns to distant parts. In the past couple of weeks I must have logged close to 20,000 flight miles, but I had a blast along the way. But you're not here to listen to me gloat about my winter vacation, so I'll get right to the point. During my absence, no one at TeamTNT was willing to take over the reins of Return From Oblivion, and although we were done with all mapping and play-testing, the packaging of the wad was left to me to do upon my return (no pun intended). As a result, we did not have a Christmas 2007 release, nor a New Year's Day 2008 release. However, I am back in the saddle, and hope to have the goodies in your hot little hands real soon.

I have also been at work on Paranoid, which, for those of you that haven't heard about it, is a 5-map Half-Life mod for GZDooM. Because I'm learning many of the elements of GZDooM mapping (including the use of models), and because of the many distractions that a schlob in my position must endure, the going is slow. I am all but done with Map01, and have the schematics down for parts of Map02 and all of Maps 03 and 04. So you can expect to see some eye candy in a few weeks.

In December I also started a map for Episode 3, Map05. However, I am considering changing the map number to E2M8, as the map ending suits the Tower of Babel better. We'll see how that goes. Meanwhile, The Phobos Directive is still lurking in the wings, but it will probably be a while before I can get back to it.

.: Acknowledgements

I would be remiss if I did not thank my kind host Grubber for the use of his web space. Please visit his site, which has more DooM-related stuff than you can shake a stick at. [Let me re-phrase for those English Grammar purists who cringe when a sentence ends in a preposition - Please visit his site, which has more DooM-related stuff than at which you can shake a stick. Heh.]

I'd also like to thank StevesTemplates for the web design you see before you. Feel free to visit that site to get ideas for your own web pages or to download a template or two.

.: News Archives

Take a stroll through memory lane.