================================================================ Title : Caldera ... 6 level adventure for Hexen Filename : CALDERA.WAD version 1.0 Author : Chet Walters / WizWorks! Email Address : mtz@cris.com (write if you like it) WWW Address : http://www.cris.com/~mtz Game : Hexen (1.1 update recommended) Base : From scratch by yours truly Level #'s : Map 08 thru Map 13 cluster 2 Single Player : Yes Cooperative 2-4 Player : Yes Deathmatch 2-8 Player : Yes (untested but 8 starts/map) Difficulty Settings : Yes (many - adjustments in scripts too) New Sounds : yes New Graphics : Yes (flats & textures & title) New Music : yes Demos Replaced : Yes (3) System Required : Computer years are like dog years so get yourself up to speed if you've been resting on your 486/33 laurels for the last 14. Base Machine : Developed on a p90 with 32 meg. Run thru Win 95 to simulate slower machine (seems to work but see notes) Scripts & Sectors : 306 scripts, 4137 sectors, 4664 things (see notes at the end of this file) Description : Vaults was only a test. Now for the real thing. When you killed D'Sparil in Heretic, you upset the balance of power among the serpent riders. Korax gained too much power indeed. He has frozen D'Sparil's world. The Caldera is locked up tight, the power grid crystals are frozen and unreachable. Your mission: should you decide to accept it, is to restore D'Sparil's heart to its proper place, reawaken the mountain, set the machinery in working order by retrieving the banished parts from other worlds and replacing the power crystals into the power grid. Only then can you face and defeat Korax for real. (see notes at the end of this file for more) Utilities used : WAD Author 1.3 (the best!) WinTex 4.0, 4.3 for graphics Paint Shop Pro for editing graphics. Additional Credits to : John Williston for WAD Author. of course, ID and Raven Where to get it : http://www.cris.com/~Mtz/caldera.zip ftp.cdrom.com/pub/idgames caldera.zip NOTE: If there are any bugs, please report them to: Chet Walters internet address mtz@cris.com If there are any bugs found the update file will be available at: http://www.cris.com/~Mtz/caldera.html Look to the version number at the beginning of this file and notes at the end. * Copyright / Permissions * Authors may NOT modify this WAD. I spent too many hours and too much care in the details to have this hacked up. Besides, all maps are at the limit. However, the climax map12 contains two exit teleports. One is the end game and the other takes you to level 13 map 27 cluster 3 just as in the Hexen IWAD. You can start there with additional levels if you wish but you must give me full credit for these six. You can also build a prelude adventure for this using the first six levels of Hexen (map 01 - map 06) then teleport to Map 13 from yours. You will need to know how to edit the mapinfo lump to do it, tho. You MAY distribute this WAD, (please do, I think it's great! Yeah, yeah. I'm a legend in my own mind) but, include this 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 and unmodified. NOTES: This wad contains some never before seen Hexen special effects (most different from the new effects seen in VAULTS): Electric switches, flesh tearing hazards, flying monsters, hidden deep pits, visible mazes, multi-level free standing buildings surrounded by low walled courtyards, amazing fireworks displays, elevators that take you to areas that are actually "under" the floors above them, monsters who continue to do damage after they are "dead", monsters who spawn their own ghosts(!), mountain top panorama sky walls and much more. Most levels are maxxed: Max 32 mapvars. Max 200 items with TID. Max Visiplanes. Max 64 scripts/map. The way this WAD was created was to stretch the Hexen engine past its limits then pull back until it would run. In Air Force parlance this is called "pushing the envelope." This wad indeed taxes the Hexen engine to the limits. If you use WAD Author, I've been kind enough to leave the original (but sloppy) script source code there for your edification. Some comments too. Many of the scripts use common "subroutines" for compactness Take a look at the scripts if you wish to see how they work. If you want to create new Hexen levels using these scripts... by all means. I'm a real Hexen fan (the "behavior" makes the difference) and would like to see more well thought out third party wads made for Hexen so feel free! This wad also contains plenty of weapons, health and ammo. There are many, many adjustments made to this WAD for different skill levels. Game play is slowed through scripts for wimps and sped up for bravehearts and different monsters are spawned according to skill level. Try not to cheat. Notes for slower machines and other things: This wad is maxxed completely. It has many very large areas and each level uses many tricks for display and game play. If you have less than a p90 with fast video you likely will not be able to play this wad effectively. In fiddling with the Hexen engine, I made some interesting discoveries that are included herein. I have taken advantage of some of Hexen's display "bugs" making them "features" and changed the behavior of some of the monsters as well. These things I guarantee have never been seen before in any Hexen WAD. However, since this WAD taxes the Hexen engine so, in some rare battle situations, Hexen will lock up forcing a reboot (which is likely why these particular tricks are not in the original release or any other wad I've seen so far). These problems are minimized by the great efforts of yours truly, but they do occur. You are advised to save game often, not only because of these minor irritations, but because CALDERA is a tough WAD to beat. Also note that the tricks used for display look very bad if you are a flyer (Wings of Wrath). The scenery was meant to be perused from ground level. Flying will reveal the tricks. If you fly or CASPER around these levels, you may crash with a VISIPLANE error or a page granular error. CASPER will likey totally screw up the puzzles and you may get trapped somewhere or ruin the game entirely. Don't cheat! You have been warned. Every puzzle built in to Hexen is utilized along with some that the crazed author dreamed up. Most puzzles are randomly generated and so are the monsters so each time you play, you will have a different adventure here. Every creature built in to Hexen is here for your enjoyment, along with extra and surprising behavior added to some of them for your further enjoyment. As in Vaults, switches are reserved. Push button switches and rope switches normally are functional switches which open doors, work elevators or turn on lights. Chain, skull and valve switches are always part of the puzzle solutions. On each level there is a golden calf switch located near the first area you must visit. It is a bonus switch which turns on some helpful messages so pull it for help messages throughout the level if you wish. But, if you want a real challenge, don't pull it to turn on messages. A note on the MAPINFO lump: This wad was originally intended for a sequel to and a meld with our first wad The Bishops Vaults. Therefore, the maps are numbered 13, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12 respectively, filling cluster 2 as in the orignal Hexen mapinfo. However, in melding the two wads together, the file got too darned big, so I left them separate. The MAPINFO lump within has been modified so that these maps, actually the second cluster of Hexen, are transferred to the first cluster with the WARPTRANS and NEXT fields modified. If you wish to meld Vaults and Caldera, feel free, but you'll need to know how to modifiy the MAPINFO lump to do it properly. If you use wadauthor, know that WA does not understand modified MAPINFO lumps and it will be difficult to edit this wad if you want to play around with it. More Details.... LEVEL ONE:VALLES DE MORTE (map13 scripts:42 sectors:456) The icy valley below the frozen mountain. In this colorless and ruined world walk only the tortured ghostly souls of all those you have killed during your prior existences. It is here that D'Sparil's heart has been held in glacial captivity all these years. Watch out for the spirits that jump out at you from behind every turn. Many things are boarded up. Look carefully at the scenery for hints to solve the puzzles. Sampson could solve this one. HUB LEVEL: MARE CALDERA (map08 scripts:61 sectors:504) The frigid mountain which you must awaken to gain access to the other worlds. Frozen in the bowels of the Caldera are the crystals to the power grid which will open the final door to Korax's lair. But, to release them, you must restore the machinery to working order by retrieving parts from the other worlds. You'll visit here often & view some great pyrotechnics. LEVELS THREE thru FIVE: These three levels, each ruled by one of your former masters, are all part of the same complex. The mechanics of each of these levels interacts with one or more of the other levels to make the solving very interesting indeed. You can visit these in any order you like and each is accessible from any of the other two. CADRE IXION (map09 scripts:54 sectors:556) This is a strict military establishment ruled by Zedek himself. In typical military fashion, each area is locked down tight and there is a specific order in which things must be done or critters that must be fought to gain your prize. If you know your mythology, the name of the place will hint at the monsters to be faced here. Watch out for the "super" monsters! SOUTH MASSIF (map10 scripts:40 sectors:630) Wizards are fond of machinery and reptiles as you will see. Logical steps must be taken to activate the final puzzle. Time is of the essence, here. Meet Menelkir, mage in charge of this plumber's nightmare. There are no doors save one on this level and you can wander about to take in the unusual and beautiful scenery at your leisure. NORTH MASSIF (map11 scripts:52 sectors:1285) Traductus likes puzzles and reads not infrequently. He commands quite an army of the "faithful" though you may call them the "fateful" before too long. Summon the faithful to the main cathedral and gain access to the Chapel of the Minor Bishops and the Library of the Lost Tomes of the Ancients. LEVEL SIX:MARE CLAUSEM (map12 scripts:42 sectors:456) On your first visit to this level, Korax's palatial digs are locked. Here you must retrieve your final machine part to break the seal to his door. Your second visit here will not be as pleasant. A simple FAQ file which will give you detailed hints to solve the puzzles of Mare Caldera by level is available at this WWW address: http://www.cris.com/~mtz/c_hints.txt Don't cheat and look at it unless you are really stumped. DEATHMATCH NOTES: I've never played a deathmatch. I don't know how they work, exactly, but I've gleaned the logic from perusing the Hexen IWAD and scripts so I think I've made the proper adjustments to Caldera to make it a passable Deathmatch wad. There are 8 deathmatch starts on each level along with extra weapons and such for each. Each level is rather large and "open" which should make for very interesting deathmatch play. BUG FIXES AND ADDITIONS: