=========================================================================== Archive Maintainer : please replace the currently-archived copy of this modification with this new one Update to : rslexeem.zip in /combos subdirectory, this is RELEASE #7++! Advanced engine needed : GZDOOM 1.6.0 (no GLDEFS) / GZDOOM 2.1.1 (no GLDEFS) for the "Power Soldier" class / GZDOOM stable > 2.1.1 (OpenGL renderer) for the "Swaying Nukem" class Primary purpose : Single/cooperative play =========================================================================== Title : X-Marines Filename : rslexeem.wad (main modification), PowerSoldier\rslxmred.pk3 ("Power Soldier" upgraded class), PowerSoldier\SwayingNukem\rslxmrsn.wad ("Swaying Nukem" final class) Release date : August 30, 2016 Author : Richard Smith Long Email Address : [redacted] Other Files By Author : rslproto.zip, rslrebel.zip, rslvenge.zip, rsliczdp.zip, rslengee.zip, rslforce.zip, rslredux.zip, rsldiazp.zip, rslshino.zip, rslquest.zip, rslzerox.zip, rslpolar.zip Misc. Author Info : AKA "Dick S. Long" Description : what happens when two-so-different personas get involved together in the same UAC mission, and are supposed to collaborate?... Changelog: |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| December 31, 2011: initial release. February 1, 2012: release #1+. - adjusted bullet ammo sprite scaling. (thanks terranova) - removed spurious UAC logo from Icicle Gun. - augmented divergence between / rebalanced the two classes. - increased explosive barrel damage. - customized FireStarter appearance. April 13, 2012: release #3. - fixed Veteran LightStinger jamming bug. (thanks Sergeant_Mark_IV) - added custom teleportation effect. July 05, 2012: release #3+. - fixed hell nobles and cacodemon blood decals. - fixed raise/lower sounds. November 11, 2012: release #5. - added new Volcano Cannon smooth sprites from Eriance, together with new sounds (can be reverted back). July 17, 2013: release #5+. - implemented pushing kick altfire for tier 3 to tier 7 weapons (better coverage of melee section, allows for evasive manoeuvers). - provided new "Power Soldier" upgraded class (suitable for Hell Revealed-level challenges, increased power w/caveats). - reverted back Volcano Cannon to original appearance, albeit with new sounds (Eriance sprites directed to "Power Soldier" upgraded class). - corrected several imperfections of the previous version. - made Revenant gibs non-blocking. - improved X-Chainsaw effectiveness. - fixed behaviour of particle actors on moving flats (MOVEWITHSECTOR). - improved appearance of still actors whenever applicable (FORCEXYBILLBOARD). - rationalized directory structure of the modification. December 29, 2014: release #5++. - integrated the modification with multiplayer-specific improvements. - fixed bugs affecting multiplayer. - fixed BFG altkick not-being-silent. August 31, 2015: release #7. - fixed a few minor inconsistencies in the main modification. - completely overhauled the 'Power Soldier' addon through the following integrations: - several additional death animations for monsters, mutuated from 'Random Deaths and Decorations' by Mr. Chris; - 'Empowerments', a programmable alternate fire system loosely based on the ACS body of work contained in PillowBlaster's first version of 'Guncaster'; - enhancements to the base system actors, including an array of ten (!) different explosive barrel types - each one with peculiar properties - inspired/drawn by a multitude of sources. March 01, 2016: release #7+. - Power Soldier: augmented fire death animations with smoke effects from 'Project Brutality'. - Power Soldier: augmented ice death animations with frames from CeeJay's 'Duke It Out In DOOM', and chilled vapor from PillowBlaster's 'Guncaster'. - Power Soldier: augmented white phosphorus, liquid nitrogen and antimatter death animations with resources from 'Project Brutality'. - Power Soldier: appropriately integrated SidDoyle's 'Droplets'. August 30, 2016: release #7++. - Power Soldier: fixed several barrel-related little glitches. - Power Soldier: enabled "Vitriol" PoisonDamage from chemical-type barrels. - improved speed and effectiveness of original alternate kick attack system. - Power Soldier: fixed several glitches in the definition of foes' death states. - Power Soldier: now microwave can affect flesh corpses! - Power Soldier: granted "Slugwall" rotor rifle in place of the older 'RedStinger'. - integrated a new player class: the "Swaying Nukem". The class redefines its own system and weapons, and leverages all the specific damage types and states introduced by 'Power Soldier', albeit in a more straightforward manner. It is notable for adopting Nash's "Weapon Sway" ACS scriptwork and the "Duke Nukem death roll" effect from the same author. - marked unsupported video modes in the appropriate (G)ZDOOM menu. A bit of rationale... A few months ago, I started working on a new modification using resources that Chronoteeth sent me - that modification eventually became 'Polaris'. After a couple months of work, I decided that I wanted to show off to Chrono the "system" that I conceived for such mod, yet none of the planned weapons was ready. And so I went completely nuts, and decided to create a minimal set from scratch, that would have exploited the above effects. At the end, 'Polaris' went its own way also by reusing something that originated here, but I wanted this set not to be lost anyway. This is what I came up with. The characters |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Two playable characters are included - they bear different stats and personas, and represent the real peculiarity of this modification. [UAC veteran ] Leone Granger, AKA Gran "Cog" Leone A long time operative on the Phobos moon, and one that witnessed the original inter-dimensional incident that brought so many trouble afterwards, Mr. Granger has proved brave and skilled enough throughout the years to survive countless hordes of hellspawn. He's earned a reputation as a great soldier, and superior endurance capabilities; being his training deeply rooted in the past, he is naturally more versed in the use of firearms. [Polaris Corp. privateer] Stuart "Stu" Katz A relatively-new figure among those committed to the DOOM war, Stuart Katz is one of the most prominent representatives of a new race of bionic-implanted cyborg soldiers. He decided to undergo such a painful and sacrificial transformation after losing half of his family in a netherworld attack on earth, and is now fully devoted to the cause. Involved as a trusted mercenary in UAC missions, he specialized in the control of new and prototypical cryogenics-based weapons, under the special training program of 'Polaris Corp.', UAC's newest subsidiary. The weapons |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| UAC special X-Chainsaw ********************** A renewed version of the Mixom classic, this is still the preferred weapon for dealing with hordes of demons. Can be raised and kept silent only to start it when ambushing the monsters. UAC standard issue 'LightStinger' rifle (VETERAN starting weapon) *************************************** The primary, standard issue firearm granted to UAC Space Marines, this weapon has an autonomy of 30 rounds before requiring a reload. Sometimes, it even gets handy to poke your opponent with it. VETERAN : can use it single-round; each round has greater power and is very loosely affected by recoil. PRIVATEER: can use it full-auto; each round has low power and is more affected by recoil. Polaris Corp. 'Icicle Gun' (PRIVATEER starting weapon) ************************** A cryogenics-based substitute of the classic shell-fueled shotgun, this weapon is fed by special coolant cartridges. With a well-placed round, the opponent can be shattered to ice pieces in a matter of instants. VETERAN : less accurate when firing; rearm times equal those of a traditional shotgun. PRIVATEER: more accurate when firing; rearm times between rounds are shortened. UAC Hyper-Frequency 'Volcano Cannon' ************************************ An almost-perfect incarnation of the iconic minigun, the 'Volcano Cannon' can fire at impressive speeds, the only real drawback being wind-up and wind-down times. Eats ammo very quickly! VETERAN : acquires deadly power and accuracy in his hands; plus, *no wind-up wait*. Beware of the ricochets, though. PRIVATEER: becomes a bit inaccurate and uncontrollable - power is more ordinary, too. Stuart Katz Inc. (R) 'FireStarter' dynamo discharger **************************************************** Now this is a peculiar explosive weapon which has been engineered by Mr. Katz himself - did we mention that he runs a small warfare systems engineering company, too? Basically a grenade launcher that can sustain a good rate of fire and has fearsome pyrotechnical capabilities. VETERAN : prefers to lob grenades one-at-a-time that explode on direct hit, dealing greater splash damage. PRIVATEER: is able to exploit the secrets of his own creation, having the grenades bounce and hit around corners, at the cost of reduced impact power. Though autofire can quite make up for that... Polaris Corp. next-generation 'CryoTunneler' ******************************************** Another brand-new prototype conceived by the Polaris laboratories, this device employs the traditional plasma rifle chassis - only to revolutionize its internal mechanics. When triggered, it emits an heavy stream of freezing particles at high speed. VETERAN : uses the weapon less effectively, since the cryogenizing stream tends to assume a cone-shaped flow, thus becoming less concentrated. PRIVATEER: keeps the freezing stream under better control, avoiding excessive dispersion and reaching almost-permeating force levels. UAC X-BFG 9000 ************** The ultimate mass-destruction weapon - widely employed in many occasions against the largest legions of hell - gets a slight restyling, but most of all, a better price/ performance ratio. The required ammunition is now constituted by "melting plasma", which retains a higher average temperature and reactivity to impacts. The result must absolutely be experienced... *** FOOTER NOTE ***: weapons marked with allow the player to deliver an evasive altkick with its secondary fire trigger, to push away foes and cause minor damage. Learn to properly exploit this asset! The powerups |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| OmniSphere: a new black-magic artifact that grants the finder three powers in one... - double attack power, - double attack speed, - infinite resources. The upgraded class |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Starting from release 5+, an upgraded class is available, the "Power Soldier". Chazz Henkule-Döeer is an extremely-advanced biomechanical droid that has been modeled by considering the strongest features of both "Veteran" and "Privateer"; its arsenal includes the best of both worlds, together with its own additions and tweaks. GAMEPLAY-WISE, this class is designed to slightly ease the hardest journeys (that is, Hell Revealed-style WADs) without giving the player gratuituous and unbalanced firepower. You will find that each weapon has its own great peculiarity *AND* major drawback, especially on upper tiers. A quick arsenal summary is given, partially stemming from the above weapon descriptions: Upgraded X-Chainsaw: increased damage rate. "Slugwall" rotor rifle: semi-auto and heavier rounds, increased trigger sensitivity. "Red Icicle" shotgun: major round power, faster response, significant kickback. "HailStorm" microgun: very high firerate, ripping/bouncing rounds. "Prowler" grenade thruster: deep-reaching powerful explosive charges, that radius-damage bosses. "HellMower" blaster minigun: high-frequency explosive hitscan, potentially fire-igniting. Upgraded X-BFG9000: increased number of spawned plasma sparks. The Empowerments System A Power Soldier can exploit a specific feature of its own, that of 'Empowerments': singular armament upgrades that can consume the auto-recharging bionic surplus of the droid to unleash extra matter-based attacks towards hellspawn, each one with its strengths and weaknesses. Empowerments can be loaded as secondary attacks to each of the ordinary arsenal staples by using a special loader system (see 'Footnotes' section on how to operate it). Available empowerments - to be rarely found during quests or on bosses - are: * REPULSION * A simple kinetic thrust command, guaranteed as fallback function when no other empowerment is available or can be sufficiently fueled. => useful to make room in crowded situations. * WHITE PHOSPHORUS * Unleash volcanic formations enclosing a white phosphorus gassous nucleum. Rapid inflammation of surrounding bodies guaranteed. => perfect for mass carnage of large former humans groups - leaves a short-lived mine-like formation if it does not immediately explode by contact into a target. * LIQUID NITROGEN * Propel a thread of absolute zero, self-nurturing icicles of liquid nitrogen. Create a small-scale glaciation effect. => very effective against biomechanical monsters, and in closed spaces - can bounce off multiple times against surfaces before extinguishing, watery ones in particular! * MICROWAVE * Permeate the targeted body with a concentrated microwaves burst. Easily replicate the egg-in-oven effect. => instantly kills any lesser organic foe (or tight group of). Useless against stronger hellspawn. Works on corpses, too! >-D * PLASMA * Hurl multiple threads of overheated, proximity-tracking plasma. Dispatch multiple scattered targets with ease. => designed for aerial spaces crowded with many different (flying) targets; each thread keeps irradiating the impact zone for a short while before exhausting its power. * POWER * Discharge a power-line load equivalent into the nearest body. Mass-chain-folgoration is very likely to ensue. => the ensuing explosion is sure to clear out immediately a quite large area surrounding it; however, usage of this empowerment is to master carefully, since the user can easily get killed in the process. * METAL * Polarize an airborne formation of metallic shards to high speeds, with timelapse side-effects. Perfect welding against any armour plating. => mostly effective against armored foes (i.e. biomechanical); the ability to release the trigger and spare a couple waves of metal shards (and bionic surplus) is a nice extra. * ANTIMATTER * Liberate a large and unconstrained antimatter concentration. Destructive diffusion of attracting macro-particles. => the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. If used in a close space, it is guaranteed to leave none alive. Yet be aware that antimatter particles can be equally lethal to yourself. Creative Waste Instances Once were simple explosive toxic waste barrels, now... There's something more, or to be honest, a lot more. Ten different kinds of explosive barrels replace the older ones, each one with peculiar properties and behaviour. This briefing should help distinguish between them, to exploit each one most effectively in every situation. barrel type symbol special traits ------------------------------------------------------------------- Biohazard barrel biohazard danger slightly weaker-than-average explosion, but leaves after a cloud of toxic gas that tears aggressively and exhausts shortly after Nuclear barrel radioactive danger normal explosion, but doubled radius Tuple-thrust barrel broken purple arrow normal explosion with smaller radius, but also spread of a large number of bouncing metal shards all around; spawned also everytime the barrel is hit with a weapon Chemical barrel green molecular structure standard explosion, with poisonous blobs emitted at the same time; they first deposit on ground, then pop into multiple acid blobs (decaying shortly after) Flammable barrel fire danger standard explosion, with extra flame leaps ensuing afterwards and everytime the barrel is hit anyway; the most-movable of all barrels Frost barrel frostbiting danger cryogenic explosion; releases freezing clouds whenever being shot Reactional barrel do not touch lower explosion damage and radius, but deflagrates at mere touch - avoid colliding into it Hazardous barrel exclamation mark explosion shockwave is harmful and generates radial debris projections: highly damaging Shock barrel shockwave explosion shockwave is harmless but highly effective: surrounding creatures are pushed away in all directions Holocaust barrel death danger releases a chain of multiple explosions upon deflagration; its heavy shockwave is often sight-disrupting (NOTE: all barrels now more resistant to damage, require more shots to explode) The final class |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| And yet a new character class is introduced in release 7++: "Swaying Nukem". The above is a pseudonym for Edoardo Malka (AKA 'Malka Gato'), a rugged soldier who is experienced in the usage of technologically-advanced weapons recently issued by UAC. The class exploits Nash's "Weapon Sway" and "Duke Nukem-styled death" effects and offers a completely new arsenal of its own: slot 1: Black Ingot: a personal-defense strenght augmenter, this high-density \\\\\\\\\\/ lead/titanium metal dan is worn with a wrist belt and prolongs/enhances the wielder's fist. By hitting a hard surface, a ultrasound epicenter is generated: its sound waves slowly damage all surrounding creatures for a short while. slot 1: Eager Beaver: the classic Mixom chainsaw returns, and can be carried around silent, \/////////// only to be strip-started at the right moment. slot 2: Terraformer Rifle: a high-performance, rapid-fire rifle that is common among all \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/ UAC personnel. Has a capacity of 30 rounds. With altfire, it can be used by aiming down the screened ironsight. slot 3: Uranus Trenchgun: the new staple of UAC's heavier arsenal supply, the Uranus is \/////////////// a 9-shell-capacity shotgun that packs the proverbial - but improved - punch, with a snazzy altfire addon: the larger load chamber allows to fire two shells simultaneously and exploits the depleted uranium coating of their pellets, thus producing a fire leap that pierces any opponent at good range. slot 4: Deathflower Minigun: this rotating-barrel firearm sports an excellent rate and \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\/ an amazing load capacity of 300 rounds. The titular attack mode can be exploited with altfire: the weapon shortly spins up to deliver a wave of fifteen crazy, bouncing bullets in all directions - perfect in closed spaces. slot 5: Enema Cannon: quite surprisingly for its own (limited) size, the Enema can propel \/////////// large, highly-explosive grenades at high distance, thanks to its peculiar "slingshot" barrel. An altfire trigger enables the concealed microwave antenna embedded in each grenade, and lets it quickly inflate all surrounding bodies for a short time before exploding. slot 6: FreezeThrower: cryogenics at their best - the FreezeThrower can emit a stream of \\\\\\\\\\\\/ up to 50 bolts of frostbiting gas before emptying, and the bolts leave any victim into cryogenic suspension, ready to be shattered before their cold coating melts. An alternate fire function allows to use this weapon as some sort of "ice shotgun": the penetrating, hitscan-type result of such an attack terminates the target immediately. slot 7: Burn Force Gun: now don't be fooled by the familiar sound of its name: the Burn Force Gun \///////////// is totally unlike its predecessor, both because it's got two attacks instead of one, but also because of *how powerful they are*. Primary: launch a streak of white phosphorus balls that set aflame and torment any unlucky target. Mass fire propagation may ensue... ;-) Alternate: generate a (short-range) black hole that shall suck any creature into oblivion... --- This addon also implements its own new system actors, with the most notable being a series of new exploding barrels, and a (moderately) interactive burning barrel: UAC waste barrel | A fiercer variant of well-known explosive waste. UAC microwave barrel | Emits microwaves upon deflagration. UAC antiparticle barrel | When exploded, spreads antimatter in all directions. fuel tank | Spits out flames around upon destruction. white phosphorus canister | Erupts with white phosphorus when shot. coolant flask | Leaks with irreversibly-frostbiting gas and particles if broken. liquid nitrogen container | Puts the surrounding creatures into suspended hypothermia. burning barrel | Very resistant to damage but not immune; short-ranged and strong explosion. --- Footnotes: (1) The suggested commandline for launching the modification is the following one (assumes that the modification has been decompressed in subdirectory 'RSL' of your (G)ZDOOM directory): (g)zdoom.exe -iwad \ -file RSL\rslexeem.wad (2) To try out the upgraded/slightly overpowered "Power Soldier" class, use the following commandline instead: (g)zdoom.exe -iwad \ -file RSL\rslexeem.wad RSL\PowerSoldier\rslxmred.pk3 (3) To obtain the complete set of weapons and/or carriable items for quicktesting without breaking the weapon set at your disposal, type 'rsl' in the console. (4) To obtain all empowerments at once and try them out beforehand in "Power Soldier", type 'epm' in the console. (5) To activate the Empowerments Loader System at any time in "Power Soldier", do not forget to bind a key for weapon reload under 'Options > Customize Controls' in (G)ZDOOM. (6) In "Power Soldier", the default statusbar is not accessible. However, you can use the high-resolution statusbars at 'fullscreen' and 'none' scaling levels instead. (7) To try out the final "Swaying Nukem" class, use the following composite commandline: (g)zdoom.exe -iwad \ -file RSL\rslexeem.wad RSL\PowerSoldier\rslxmred.pk3 RSL\PowerSoldier\SwayingNukem\rslxmrsn.wad (8) The modification is compatible with the following IWADs: The Ultimate DOOM, DOOM 2, Final DOOM. Additional Credits to : Various sources (see below) |/\_____ X-Marines _____/\| WildWeasel for the projectile tracers, and barrel replacements SilentZora for the custom blood system Chronoteeth and eliw00d for the casings Vaecrius for the muzzle climb script PerKristian, Paavo Ilmari, Z86 for the X-Chainsaw Mike12 for the LightStinger Eriance, Xaser for the Icicle Gun Sergeant_Mark_IV for the Volcano Cannon id Software for the FireStarter PerKristian for the CryoTunneler BlueFireZ88, Sergeant_Mark_IV for the X-BFG 9000 The ZDOOM Wiki contributors for the OmniSphere Woolie Wool and Chronoteeth for the Veteran class Cacodemon and Woolie Wool for the Privateer class MagSigmaX and PillowBlaster for the custom fonts Paul Corfiatis for the custom statusbar Midway and TerminusEst13 for the custom teleportation effects Marty Kirra for the altick base graphics |/\_____ Power Soldier _____/\| osjclatchford for the "Slugwall" rotor rifle smooth sprites Eriance for the "HailStorm" microgun smooth sprites and "HellMower" blaster minigun smooth sprites Ryan Cordell and Hellser for the "HellMower" attack The Skulltag Team for the "Power Soldier" player skin Boingo the Clown (a.k.a. Mark Quinn) for the "Power Soldier" base mugshot Namco for the "Power Soldier" sounds Mr. Chris and others for the alternate death animations (RDND15.ZIP) PillowBlaster and the Guncaster team for the resources and scripting work (Stan423321) that serves as the base for the Empowerments Loader System Xaser for the Repulsion empowerment TerminusEst13 for the Power empowerment El Zee for the Plasma empowerment PillowBlaster for all the other empowerments Xaser and KeksDose for the empowerments special effects PFL, WildWeasel, DBThanatos and Major Cooke, TiberiumSoul, Railgunner, PillowBlaster/Xaser/Zero Prophet for the explosive barrel variations PillowBlaster for the high-resolution HUD parts The Project Brutality crew for fire, white phosphorus, liquid nitrogen and antimatter special death effects CeeJay and PillowBlaster for ice special death effects SidDoyle for the peculiar Droplets blood system |/\_____ Swaying Nukem _____/\| Nash for his 'Weapon Sway' and 'Duke-styled Death' systems Brendon Chung for his fade-to-black scripting effect Alando1 for the 'Swaying Nukem' new custom blood effects and teleportation effect SilentZora, osjclatchford, 3D Realms, AEoD Team for all the barrels Railgunner for Black Ingot id Software for Eager Beaver Mike12 and DoomNukem for Terraformer Eriance and PillowBlaster for Uranus DoomNukem and NMN for Deathflower id Software for Enema and FreezeThrower id Software and the AEoD Team for Burn Force Gun Z86, Mechadon and A.Gamma for the HUD base The Skulltag Team for the hi-res HUD keycards and skull keys PillowBlaster and Marty Kirra for the voice sounds base data, which I obtained the provided character edits from The DOOMRL Team for the "Swaying Nukem" mugshot Sensei Kigamona Gapan/Nakagata for unwavering support |-D ...and for the actor-wide gore and special death states: - Velocity/Rogue, - Daniel, - The Kins, - Zero Prophet, - Eriance, - Sergeant_Mark_IV, - Jekyll Grim Payne. All other authors I forgot to mention: please forgive me! I tried to be accurate as much as I could. If you here notice some of your resources un-mentioned, please notify me and I will try to remedy. =========================================================================== * What is included * New levels : None Sounds : Yes Music : No Graphics : Yes Dehacked/BEX Patch : No Demos : No Other : (G)ZDOOM-specific lumps Other files required : None * Play Information * Game : DOOM Map # : None Single Player : Designed for Cooperative 2-4 Player : Maybe (untested) Deathmatch 2-4 Player : Maybe (untested) Other game styles : None Difficulty Settings : N/A * Construction * Base : New from scratch Build Time : 4 months (of intermittent work) total Editor(s) used : Adobe Photoshop, GoldWave Audio Editor, Notepad, XWE, Slade Known Bugs : None (that I know of, at least) May Not Run With... : Ports not supporting DECORATE; level WADs with heavy amounts of DEHACKED / DECORATE modifications * Copyright / Permissions * Authors MAY use the contents of this file as a base for modification or reuse. Permissions have been obtained from original authors for any of their resources modified or included in this file. You MAY distribute this file, provided you include this text file, with no modifications. You may distribute this file in any electronic format (BBS, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include this file intact. I have received permission from the original authors of any modified or included content in this file to allow further distribution. * Where to get the file that this text file describes * The Usual: ftp://archives.3dgamers.com/pub/idgames/ and mirrors Web sites: None others than the IDGames archive FTP sites: None others than the IDGames archive