Hexen II Demo (v.1.11) _________________________________________________________________ Special Demo Notes * This demo will allow you to play Multiplayer games with anyone who has a comparable code level (v1.11). Note, however, that if you are connected to a non-demo server (either the full, retail version or a Hexen II: Continent of Blackmarsh bundle version), you will be disconnected if the server advances to a level that is not included in the demo. Additionally, if you log into a non-demo server that is currently playing a map that is not included in the demo, you will not be able to enter the game and will remain in the menu system seemingly doing nothing. At this point, you can either leave the multiplayer game or wait for the active server to load a map contained in the demo. * The executables in this demo will not work only with this demo. In order to use modified or custom levels, you will need to purchase the full, retail version of the game. _________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents The Chronicle of Deeds * Legacy of the Serpent Riders * The Serpent Riders * The Lands of Thyrion * The Servants of Eidolon * Artifacts and Armor * The Crucader * The Paladin * The Assassin * The Necromancer * A Bitter Farewell... Technical Help * Minimum System Requirements * Getting Started * The Basics of Play * Your Environment * Commands, Menu, & Console * Multiplayer Games Trouble-Shooting and Reference Guide * Hexen II Software Engine (H2) * Common Problems and Workarounds * Hexen II 3D Accelerated Engine (GLHexen) * DirectX 3a * The Hexen II Team * Important Legal Information _________________________________________________________________ The Chronicle of Deeds [INLINE] It was precisely one year ago that Eidolon came to our world of Thyrion. On the evening before his arrival, a rain of fire streamed down from the sky, scorching citizens and buildings alike on the four continents of our fair planet. By dawn the populace was fearful and demoralized, and they fell quickly before the march of Eidolon’s vile Golems. The attack was bold and carefully executed. All four continents had fallen by midday: a sad tribute to the withered resistance of our four mighty nations. Even now I am shamed to think of it. Now, a full year after the conquest, Thyrion still huddles in a state of constant fear and dread. The conquest has ended, and many humans yet survive–but in these times of trouble, life itself is a meager blessing. Eidolon’s minions overrun the land and kill its populace for sport. The cleverest humans make themselves unobtrusive, avoiding Eidolon’s creatures and attempting little more than to survive. It is under these dreary conditions that I write the manuscript you now hold in your hands. Legacy of the Serpent Riders [INLINE] Several hundred years ago, in the time we now call the Age of Dreams, there were rumors of the Serpent Riders. The Serpent Riders were a trio of horrifying demons, wielding powerful magic and commanding vast, formidable armies. They possessed the power to travel from world to world–and everywhere they went, they spread chaos and despair. Their motives were unclear, but their goals were obvious: they wished to possess. That which they could not possess, they strove to destroy. No world was immune, not even our beloved Thyrion. So went the rumors, but few took heed. Some dismissed them as the ravings of a madman, or as fairy tales told to frighten children. Others disputed the very foundation of the stories, denying the existence of worlds beyond our own. And still others took comfort in obscurity: if other worlds did indeed exist, why should the Serpent Riders trouble themselves with Thyrion? How naïve, in retrospect, were our great civilizations. The portents were numerous and easily read, but none–not even I, Sage of Mur–gave them more than a cursory glance. And now we have paid for our ignorance, as all that was prophesied has come to pass. The four great continents of our world have been overrun by demonic hordes, their denizens crushed, scattered, and cruelly enslaved. Our world is, by any measure, utterly lost–and yet I cannot bring myself to believe it. Despite all that I have seen, I assure myself that salvation is yet possible. To this end I write the volume you now see before you. It is a history of the Serpent Riders’ assault on our world, and, hopefully, the counterattack that will free us of their dominion. At present time, the populace has little fuel for hope. None have risen to challenge the dark armies of Eidolon. Still, I continue to maintain my faith. In dreams and visions I have seen a band of unlikely saviors, a defiant flicker in the darkness that cloaks our world. Who these heroes are, I cannot say–but I shall present my visions in the pages of this chronicle. My visions, in fact, are our only reason for hope. They suggest an end to Eidolon’s reign, and the possibility of our world’s restoration. Instead of calling this history The Fall of Thyrion, therefore, I have named it The Chronicle of Deeds, after the deeds of unknown warriors that will hopefully save us all. These deeds may never be realized, but I steadfastly maintain that they must–for I shudder to think of the alternative. - Themedes, Sage of Mur _________________________________________________________________ The Serpent Riders [INLINE] In ages past, the steppe dwellers of Kazul-Mokh prophesied the coming of Eidolon and his brethren. But to understand their stories, one must first understand their view of the universe. In the steppe dwellers’ eyes, Thyrion is just one of many worlds. The other worlds of our universe appear as stars in the evening sky. By the steppe dwellers’ reckoning, there are precisely one thousand worlds besides our own, each appearing a single brilliant star. But this view of the universe posits many questions. What lies between the stars? What holds each world in place? According to the steppe dwellers, the universe is filled with a clear but viscous gas known as Aether. The Aether is to the universe what water is to the ocean; it holds the stars in place, and fills the void between them. A great crystal sphere encircles the Aether, preventing it from escaping. Beyond this celestial sphere lies darkness: the very darkness we see when the sun sinks below the horizon. This darkness is an uncharted land of powerful demons and evil spirits, each slavering to crush our petty worlds, but prevented by the great crystal barrier. The steppe dwellers tell of a brilliant magician who, seeking to travel to distant worlds, fashioned a ship of ironwood and silver to journey through the Aether. When the ship was complete he climbed aboard and sailed into the night, just as a mariner would take to the seas. The journey proceeded smoothly for countless days, but then disaster struck: the ship’s gossamer sails were torn in a great storm of Aether. Unable to steer or otherwise control his craft, the helpless magician watched his ship glide past the brilliant stars he had hoped to visit. Closer and closer loomed the celestial sphere, and the darkness beyond; the magician watched it approach with a mixture of dread and fascination. Finally, the magical ship collided with the barrier. The vessel’s silver prow punctured the crystal sphere and cracked it open, allowing a trio of demons from the darkness beyond to slip into our universe. Horrified at the tragedy he had caused, the magician worked a final, mighty spell to close the rift, exchanging his life for the power to seal the cosmic barrier. He died quietly in the darkness between worlds, wondering if our universe would survive the terror he had unleashed. He would never know the answer, and neither, yet, do we. So goes the story. Whether truth or fiction, it remains our best guess as to the origin of the Serpent Riders. Many have dismissed this tale as mere superstition, but I choose to believe it. Why? Just as the steppe dwellers foretold the arrival of the Serpent Riders, they also foretold the trio’s demise. For this reason alone, I fervently hope their prophecies are correct. [INLINE] D’Sparil According to the texts of Yavenar the Astromancer, the Serpent Riders’ first attack occurred two thousand years ago, on a remote world whose name is forever lost. This world was a place of dense population and seven mighty nations. The Serpent Riders subjugated the world’s seven great leaders by trickery and guile, for they had not yet attained their full power in this universe, and could not crush the world through forthright aggression. One by one the nations fell, as if by clockwork; their corruption and decayed traditions had left them vulnerable to the Serpent Riders’ deception. When the seven great nations had been subverted, they were left to fight amongst themselves. D’Sparil, the youngest and weakest of the Serpent Riders, was left behind to act as puppeteer. He gleefully pulled the strings of each nation, pitting former allies against each other, and sending peaceful nations to battle. He planned to continue this cruel game until every nation had collapsed under the weight of war and famine. The two elders, meanwhile, departed. It was their intention to wreak havoc in new and unsuspecting worlds. Only the Sidhe, a race of heretical elves hiding in the secret places of the world, were left untouched by the Serpent Riders’ poison. Recognizing the threat to their world, the Sidhe elders contrived a mighty spell that crushed the greatest of the Serpent Riders’ armies, leaving behind only a fraction of the mighty horde. But D’Sparil, sensing the source of the magic, retaliated with a storm of pure energy that killed the elders to a man. In the wake of this great magical battle, with the world apparently withered beyond salvation, a single nameless Sidhe assaulted D’Sparil’s stronghold: The City of the Damned. Using the Sidhe elders’ Tomes of Power, mighty artifacts that enhanced the properties of his weapons, this lone elf scored an improbable victory against the forces of evil. D’Sparil was crushed and his minions killed or scattered. Though merely a shadow of its former self, the world was finally free of the Serpent Riders’ poisonous influence. [INLINE] Korax The next target of the Serpent Riders’ wrath was Cronos, a populous human world. Cronos was a land of unification and oppression, where all of humanity bowed to the triumvirate of Legion, Arcanum, and Church. These three institutions controlled every aspect of Cronos, each exerting power over a meticulously defined sphere of influence. As such, Cronos was both disciplined and fragile: by subverting the leaders of these three institutions, the Serpent Riders instantly gained control of the entire world. Zedek, Marshal of the Legion, Traductus, Grand Patriarch of the Church, and Menelkir, Arch-Mage of the Arcanum succumbed quickly to the Serpent Riders’ promises of immortal life. As before, a single Serpent Rider was left behind once the world was largely enslaved. This time it was Korax, the second most powerful Serpent Rider. On Cronos there was no such thing as the Sidhe, no secret conclave to expunge Korax’s grand army. But there were three brave souls who fought against Korax’s might: Baratus of the Legion, Parius of the Church, and Daedolon of the Arcanum. Together, these three adventurers fought their way through the twisted realms of Cronos, ultimately defeating the chitinous horror that was Korax. Their victory marked a grand day for all of humanity, once again signaling the vulnerability of the dreaded Serpent Riders. Eidolon Eidolon’s power is immense, his grip on our world absolute. Some citizens believe his hellish reign must come to an end, and look to the improbable victories against D’Sparil and Korax for inspiration. But for most, the future is uncompromisingly bleak. Eidolon, the oldest and strongest of the Serpent Riders, is reputedly many times more powerful than his vile brethren. He is certainly aware of the weaknesses that led to the downfall of D’Sparil and Korax, and will do his best to guard himself against similar circumstances. Indeed, he has already taken such measures: in addition to his own troops, he has surrounded himself with the remnants of Korax’s and D’Sparil’s broken armies. The task at hand is formidable. Whoever challenges Eidolon must destroy his minions on all four continents, then challenge Eidolon himself within his ebon stronghold. The dangers are great, from beginning to end. The dank jungles of Mazaera seethe with giant Scorpions and Spiders, while the pyramids of Thysis are replete with Mummies and dreaded Stone Golems. No less formidable are the horrors lurking in the ruined cities of Septimus, or behind the crenelated walls of Blackmarsh. Despite all these travails, there is yet another peril: the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who serve Eidolon as generals. Each governs one of the four great nations, and each must be defeated to end Eidolon’s infernal dominion. Can any hero, however powerful, face all these perils and emerge victorious? Only time will tell. _________________________________________________________________ The Lands of Thyrion What challenges and perils await those who would strive against Eidolon’s might? Aside from Eidolon’s ravening armies, the land itself presents formidable challenges. For those unfamiliar with Thyrion, I will now present a brief introduction. Continents Any hero wishing to clear the land of Eidolon’s minions must visit all four of Thyrion’s great continents: Blackmarsh, Mazaera, Thysis and Septimus. These lands all possess their own unique perils and challenges, many of which are unknown even to me. Blackmarsh A land of cold rain and dark, decaying castles, Blackmarsh appears harsh and uninviting to the casual visitor. It has become even less so since the coming of Eidolon: once-quaint villages and fortresses have now been overrun with Golems, Fallen Angels, and a host of other vile creatures. Any hero wishing to rid Blackmarsh of evil would have to fight his or her way through several distinct locales: the Grand Cathedral, the Underhalls, the Mage’s Tower, and more. Eidolon’s minions have also infested the sewers beneath Blackmarsh’s greatest cities–and these, too, must be expunged of their evil denizens. Eidolon’s inner sanctum is rumored to lie somewhere within the lands of Blackmarsh, though none can attest to this with any certainty. Mazaera Mazaera is a land of lush rain forests and nomadic tribesmen. A few scattered centers of civilization have been carved from the heart of Mazaera’s steamy jungles, but the remainder of the continent remains largely untouched by man. Mazaera is filled with the ruins of ancient civilizations, many of which have now been claimed by Eidolon. The legendary Plaza of the Sun, Court of 1,000 Warriors, and Tomb of the High Priest are all famous sites long since overrun by vile beasts. Perhaps the most formidable of these creatures is the lithe and deadly Were Jaguar, which makes its home exclusively in Mazaera’s warm climate. Adventurers beware! Thysis Thysis is a continent dominated by desert: only the land adjoining the coast shows signs of abundant vegetation. Within this barren desert, several great empires have risen and crumbled–despite the apparent hardships of living in such a hostile climate. The distinctive culture of Thysis has always seemed unusual to denizens of other continents, and is shrouded with even more mystery since the coming of Eidolon. The great pyramids of Thysis, both whole and ruined, have been conquered by hordes of Mummies and Golems. The fantastical Palace of Horus and the forbidding Temple of Set have likewise fallen to Eidolon’s inexorable onslaught. Only the mightiest of heroes will succeed in this strange, hostile land, where Scorpions run rampant, and sealed tombs conceal horrors beyond mortal imagination. Septimus The most heavily populated of Thyrion’s four continents, Septimus is a land of urban decadence. Its citizens are cosmopolitan, sampling the best that Thyrion has to offer from the comfort of their richly appointed palaces. Unfortunately, the wealth and comfort of Septimus bred complacency and sloth. Aside from the ascetic devotees of Kravnos, Septimus’ citizens were ill prepared for the coming of Eidolon. Septimus’ grand structures fell within hours of Eidolon’s initial assault: the grand Forum, the multitudinous temples, the famous bath houses and hanging gardens. All these grand locales were conquered in record time, and Septimus’ citizens were forced to watch their carefully built cities reduced to ruins overnight. Eidolon’s minions keep a particularly strong vigil over Septimus, due to its wealth and importance in the workings of Thyrion. Led by deadly Medusas, these armies will present a formidable challenge to even the mightiest champion. Hazards and Peculiarities of Thyrion As the reader may not be familiar with the lands of Thyrion, I shall endeavor to describe the perils and peculiarities that are found throughout our lands. Monsters are not the only challenge to face a would-be hero; the land itself is replete with untold dangers. Precipices Thyrion is a land of steep precipices and narrow gorges. In many cases Eidolon’s minions have used this feature to their advantage, occupying fortresses riddled with dangerous drops, and forcing would-be heroes to brave these perils before challenging the fortress’ occupants. Rivers and Lakes Rivers and lakes are scattered across the world of Thyrion. Just as Eidolon’s minions have chosen to take residence near dangerous heights, so too have they staked out lairs where water is close at hand. Thanks to the swarms of deadly Hydrae inhabiting Thyrion’s murky waters, the presence of lakes or pools is often of great defensive value to Eidolon. Lava Though uncommon, volcanic eruptions have been known to strike all across Thyrion. In certain cases, daring architects have sought to funnel molten lava through their palaces and tombs, either for decorative or defensive value. Even the hardiest of adventurers cannot withstand the heat of this lava; falling into a pit of the stuff is almost certain death. Traps Eidolon’s creatures have devised any number of diabolical traps and snares to catch the unwary adventurer. Many of these traps involve falling sections of ceiling, magical fire that gouts from the walls, or floors that give way to sheer drops or superheated lava. These traps are so varied that I cannot list every sort: suffice it to say that a hero must be cautious when infiltrating Eidolon’s strongholds, for all manner of traps are likely to abound. Teleporters There is a final feature of Thyrion that bears mentioning. Unlike the others, it is not a hazard. I refer, of course, to the network of teleporters erected by Thyrion’s mages many years ago. These teleporters connect important points on each of the four continents, and in some cases, connect the continents themselves. Using these teleporters is as simple as walking through a door. Teleporters will be crucial to the fight against Eidolon, for they allow free movement among his most pivotal strongholds. Any adventurer seeking to destroy Eidolon would do well to locate nearby teleporters and use them to best effect. _________________________________________________________________ The Servants of Eidolon In the year since Eidolon’s first conquest, many strange and deadly creatures have stalked Thyrion’s shores. So that the reader might comprehend the might of Eidolon’s army, I shall spare a few brief pages documenting the nature of these creatures. [INLINE] Scorpion Eidolon has bent a race of giant Scorpions to his will. These creatures are truly horrific: their deadly sting, combined with their variable size, force the citizens of Thyrion to continually watch their step. There are two known varieties of Scorpion: the pale Sand Scorpion, which fights viciously but lacks the strength of its darker cousin, and the glossy black Bog Scorpion, whose attacks are notoriously deadly. Both are best avoided. [INLINE] Spider Just as Eidolon has turned Scorpions into his footsoldiers, his race of giant Spiders is a plague upon the land. Like Golems, they come in many different sizes. There are two distinct varieties of spider, each with its own color scheme. One sports a black and yellow coloration, while the other is a muddy brown or red. The black spider is reputed to be the deadlier of the two, but the red variety is still a dangerous foe. [INLINE] Imp Among the weakest of Eidolon’s minions, Imps are nevertheless vicious adversaries. Imps have been sighted in both the coldest and hottest of Thyrion’s climes. There seem to be two distinct varieties, each best suited for a particular extreme of temperature: the Fire Imp and Ice Imp. They are quite similar in physiognomy, though the Ice Imps’ bodies are a frosty blue, and the Fire Imps exhibit a ruddy coloration. Imps fly upon leathery bat wings and attack their hapless victims with magical projectiles of ice or fire–or with vicious, swooping dives. They are fragile but extremely quick, and thus quite difficult to kill. All four continents of Thyrion are currently plagued with Imps. [INLINE] Knight Archer Eidolon’s minions include a number of human and semi-human followers. In particular, Eidolon seems to favor the cadres of deadly archers who heed his beck and call. The continents of Thyrion veritably swarm with roving Knight Archers, each seeking to prove his worth by slaying a foe of Eidolon’s empire. Knight Archers occupy the middle range of Eidolon’s minions, both in terms of commonality and power. Their swift arrows can be deadly, while at close range these archers are forced to punch at their opponents. Knight Archers fire enchanted arrows of two varieties. The standard Archer arrow emits a greenish glow and deals considerable damage to its target. The alternate type of arrow glows luminous red, and knocks the archer’s foes backward with great force while causing an equal amount of damage as the green arrows. These red arrows are deadly tools, as they allow the Archer to buffet nearby foes back to long range–thus maintaining the optimum distance for successful archery. Occasionally the traveler may encounter commanders of Knight Archer regiments. These men, known as Archer Lords, are considerably more skilled (and therefore deadlier) than their common minions. [INLINE] Hydra Even as the lands of Thyrion were being subverted by Eidolon’s minions, the waters were likewise undergoing a horrific change. Sinewy, tentacled Hydra now prowl the dank waters surrounding Eidolon’s strongholds, promising violent death for the unwary swimmer. Hydra can rip a victim to shreds with their wickedly barbed tentacles. When their prey is too far to grapple with, they spit a corrosive bile that sears the skin and even tarnishes metal. It’s a common misconception that Hydra can harm people on land. While all agree it is true that Hydra cannot leave the water, some claim they can rear above the water line and spit their bile at humans near the water’s edge. The truth of this frightening story remains to be seen. [INLINE] Golem Golems were the mainstay of Eidolon’s first assault on Thyrion. These colossal automatons are both durable and formidable, winning many battles through sheer intimidation. The typical Golem stands twice the height of a man, and moves with measured, ponderous steps. Golems come in many sizes, however. There are reports of several distinct types of Golem. Though different varieties may appear on several continents, there are definite concentrations of particular types on each continent. The mid-sized Iron Golem, a ponderous creature of iron and lead, plagues the castles of Blackmarsh and jungles of Mazaera. Deadly and massive Bronze Golems tread the paved streets of Septimus, while the relatively diminutive Stone Golems prowl amongst the pyramids of Thysis. All Golems love hand-to-hand combat, where they can crush opponents under their massive, nerveless feet. Additionally, the larger Iron and Bronze Golems fire a deadly blast from magical gems set in their foreheads. The main challenge in fighting Golems is to deal enough damage to destroy them. There are tales of agile warriors who evaded Golems’ attacks with ease, but eventually grew tired of hacking at their durable opponents, and were forced to give up and run. [INLINE] Skull Wizard No one knows the origin of the Skull Wizards. What is known, however, is that they posses immense magical power. Skull Wizards serve as generals and councilors to Eidolon, advising him in arcane matters and overseeing the gradual destruction of Thyrion. Skull Wizards are masters of summoning. Instead of directly attacking their foes, they like to summon lesser creatures to do battle in their stead. Spiders are reputedly their favorite subjects. When pressed, however, a Skull Wizard is not incapable of defending itself. It can summon a magical skull to fire at enemies, and it teleports short distances whenever it feels genuinely threatened. Even in death, the Skull Wizard is deadly. It is said that a dying Skull Wizard does not truly die, but instead is transmuted into a host of giant spiders. Finally, it is said that the Skull Wizard is merely a lesser form of an even mightier creature, the Shadow Wizard. None have seen a Shadow Wizard and lived to tell of it, but the rumors are so persistent that its existence seems likely. [INLINE] Fallen Angel Fallen Angels haunt the decaying castles of Blackmarsh. Ghostly and ethereal, they possess a surreal, deceptive beauty. But beware! Fallen Angels rank among Eidolon’s most deadly minions, and harbor no love for humans despite their charming appearance. Fallen Angels use magic to harm their foes. Common attacks include magical bursts that seem to originate from the Angel’s translucent wingtips, and a crimson, spiraling bolt of magic that rends everything in its path. When attacked, the Fallen Angel is more than capable of protecting itself. Naturally hard to see due to their ghostlike transparency, Fallen Angels further confound their opponents by flying to and fro. When seriously threatened, the Angel can enfold itself in its own wings to ward off damage. [INLINE] Medusa Medusa roam the great cities of Septimus, inspiring fear in all who tread those flagstoned streets. A startling combination of woman and snake, the Medusa is capable of turning her prey to stone with a mere glance. Her head is crested with snakes instead of hair, and these snakes spit venom that sears the unwary target. Little else is known of Medusa, for very few humans have seen one and lived to tell of it. [INLINE] Mummy Travelers in the deserts of Thysis must constantly be wary of Mummies. These desiccated tomb dwellers are slow of foot but remarkably hardy. In the narrow confines of their decaying tombs, speed is less important than power. Wielding long scepters to good advantage, Mummies tend to have the upper hand when fighting in their natural environs. When their foes retreat to greater distances, however, the Mummy is by no means helpless. By stamping their scepters upon the ground, Mummies are capable of summoning flames from the earth itself, scorching hapless foes who try to run away. One cannot make the mistake of assuming that a Mummy is dead when its limbs have been severed. So powerful is its spirit that the Mummy will continue to attack after vital pieces of its body have been hacked off. Destroying a Mummy, therefore, is often a slow and painful process that requires the utmost diligence. Only when the Mummy has been thoroughly dismembered can an adventurer rest easy. [INLINE] Were-Jaguar The steamy jungles of Mazaera are home to a particularly deadly foe: the Were Jaguar. Brandishing serrated swords, Were Jaguars look like a combination of great cat and conventional footsoldier, but they are considerably more deadly than either. Were Jaguars are extremely adept with both sword and shield, hacking and slashing at medium range, and bashing with their shields when an opponent draws too close. Were Jaguars are also incredibly fast and agile. They are known to leap and dive at their foes, and roll nimbly from side to side in order to dodge attacks. Occasionally they use their great shields to reflect incoming projectiles, sometimes even turning these projectiles back upon their originator. An even tougher race of Were Jaguar has recently been sighted in Mazaera. Dubbed the Were Panther, these beasts are supposedly even stronger and faster than their common Jaguar cousins. Riders of the Apocalypse Four grim generals carry out Eidolon’s decrees upon the four continents of Thyrion. The origin of these dread beings is unknown, but none questions their power: Eidolon himself, it is rumored, cannot fully control them. These four abominations are known as the Riders of the Apocalypse. Mounted on dire steeds, these riders are known by the names War, Famine, Pestilence and Death. Who can say what dire magic they command, or what deadly powers they possess? The only certainty is this: should a wandering hero encounter one of these four beings, his life is in great peril. Eidolon Any man or woman who tries to free Thyrion must do battle with Eidolon himself. Reports of Eidolon’s appearance and powers are wildly conflicting, though all agree that he is potent beyond all human reckoning, and that he bears great resemblance to a creature from a nightmare. Nothing else is known of Eidolon’s powers or physiognomy. When the time comes for a hero to challenge Eidolon’s dominion, we can only hope that he does not despair at the sight of this horrific fiend. _________________________________________________________________ Artifacts and Armor The world of Thyrion has always been magical. Aside from the mundane trappings of everyday society, it is relatively common to encounter relics of great power. Here is a brief catalogue of such items, from the mundane (such as torches and armor) to the fantastical. Any hero who attempts to defeat Eidolon will be forced to make good use of these resources. Armor Several types of armor are widely available in Thyrion. Armor slowly wears away as it sustains blows, becoming less and less effective until disintegrating entirely. Each piece of armor is designed for a particular body shape and style of fighting. Hence, some armor is of extra value to certain heroes. [INLINE] Amulet Amulets are a magical sort of armor that greatly benefit spellcasters such as the Necromancer, but are of considerably less use to brawny warriors such as the Paladin. [INLINE] Breastplate The Paladin prefers to wear sturdy breastplates, and gains great benefits when doing so. However, breastplates do not fit well upon the Necromancer’s slight frame, and confer fewer benefits upon him than any other hero. [INLINE] Bracers Bracers fit over the forearm and are used to deflect enemy attacks. The deadly Assassin is highly trained in the use of bracers. Other heroes gain some benefit from bracers, though the Crusader, who knows little of their use, is least affected. [INLINE] Helmet The Crusader is accustomed to wearing helmets, and therefore gains most value from their use. The Assassin rarely uses this armor type, though, and as such gains the least benefit from wearing a helmet. Artifacts A sharp-eyed adventurer is wont to aquire items that aid in the deliverance of our people. A quick wit and strong arm can only be aided by valuable found objects. [INLINE] Torch The least of any adventurer’s supplies, torches are nonetheless valuable when exploring the shadowy places favored by Eidolon’s minions. They produce light for a brief span, then slowly fade. It is wise to save them for truly black areas, rather than expending them in locales where the gloom is merely a nuisance. [INLINE] Healing Vial Healing Vials are used by Eidolon’s minions to repair minor wounds. The availability of these potions helps make up for the grievous lack of medics in Eidolon’s ragged armies. An adventurous hero could steal any number of these vials, and thereby keep himself in good health over the course of his travels. Unfortunately, however, these glass beakers are typically too fragile to carry: they must be quaffed on the spot. [INLINE] Quartz Flask Quartz Flasks are a more substantial variety of Healing Vials. Unlike Vials, which are fragile and impossible to transport, Quartz Flasks are sturdy containers that can be ported from place to place. This portable quality, plus the fact that they’re substantially more potent than Vials, makes them a handy resource in battle. [INLINE] Mystic Urn The Mystic Urn is a treasured but unfortunately rare artifact in Thyrion. Mystic Urns are portable, and are capable of restoring a grievously wounded hero to complete health or beyond. Their value, therefore, is self-evident. Mana Crystals Magic of all kinds is powered by an intangible essence called mana. Mana suffuses the earth and flows in the wind, but humans are incapable of tapping into this mana directly. To harness this mystical energy, magi capture it in specially designed crystals. Anyone who wishes to cast magical spells or utilize magical weapons must collect a number of these crystals. Mana crystals shatter as soon as they are touched, infusing the recipient with raw magical power. As with Healing Vials, Mana Crystals are extremely fragile and cannot be transported, for they would shatter the instant an adventurer placed them in his pack. [INLINE] Blue Mana There are two distinct varieties of mana in Thyrion: blue and green. Magi trap mana in different-shaped crystals, the better to easily distinguish what type of mana is stored therein. The blue mana crystal is a rare jewel indeed. [INLINE] Green Mana Green mana crystals are no less rare than blue mana crystals. They are used to power any spells or weapons that the blue variety cannot affect. [INLINE] Combined Mana On some occasions, mages capture mana of both sorts in a single crystal. These crystals are invariably red, and somewhat larger than the vessels containing blue or green mana individually. [INLINE] Krater of Might The ultimate container of mana is called a Krater of Might. Unlike mana crystals, these vessels may be carried from place to place and used when necessary. They contain sufficient power to fully infuse a single human to maximum mana capacity. [INLINE] Chaos Device Allegedly the fruit of a mad wizard’s experimentation, the Chaos Device teleports its user to another part of the world. This effect is not always predictable, but it’s useful when the user finds himself trapped in a room with deadly foes. Clever uses of the Chaos Device have been reported. For example, adventurers have been known to trigger these devices as they fell to certain death, or as they struggled for air underwater. The value of a Chaos Device, therefore, cannot be underestimated. [INLINE] Boots of Speed Boots of Speed are created by secretive, unknown craftsmen. While their original purpose is not apparent to the average human, one thing is clear: by donning a pair of these boots, it is possible to attain speeds not otherwise possible. This extra speed is extremely handy in combat. [INLINE] Disc of Repulsion The Disc of Repulsion is a defensive artifact. When used, it blasts aside projectiles aimed at its user, and hurls nearby opponents back to a manageable range. These discs are extremely valuable for deflecting damaging spell effects. [INLINE] Icon of the Defender Perhaps the most potent artifact in all the land, the Icon of the Defender is a tremendous boon to its user. When activated, this artifact renders its bearer invulnerable for a short period of time. Legends abound of mighty heroes who used Icons of the Defender to slay their mightiest enemies, using the protection of the Icon to best effect by approaching their foes and attacking at close range. The Icon’s effects vary slightly when used by different individuals. The Paladin appears to turn to stone when he uses the Icon; the Necromancer is shrouded in darkness; the Assassin phases in and out of existence; and the Crusader glows with an unearthly light. [INLINE] Tome of Power The Tome of Power is a staple of all warrior guilds. Tomes such as these bestow a supercharging effect upon both mundane and magical weapons, augmenting their natural strength, and in some cases producing new effects altogether. Tomes’ effects are extremely limited in duration, and are therefore best used when dealing with particularly deadly foes. [INLINE] Seal of the Ovinomancer Perhaps the most dreaded artifact of all is the Seal of the Ovinomancer. This terrible creation transforms an ordinary human (or a lesser monster) into a brainless sheep! Mages’ guilds have long denied the existence of these artifacts, but all evidence points to the fact of their existence. Sadly, the Seal of the Ovinomancer is useless against the most potent of foes. Thus, a hero with this Seal could not merely approach Eidolon and transform him into a lowly sheep. Were this the case, our beloved planet would already be free of the Serpent Rider’s blighting presence. [INLINE] Glyph of the Ancients The Glyph of the Ancients is a curious artifact that behaves differently in different heroes’ hands. When activated by the Crusader, the Glyph acts as a slow-moving mine that slides across the ground toward its target–and explodes. The Necromancer drops the Glyph in place and hurries away from the spot, as it detonates in just a few short moments. The Paladin throws the Glyph like a rock and watches as it explodes into a fireball. Finally, the Assassin drops the Glyph and watches as it sprouts a magical chain that attaches to a nearby wall. The Glyph automatically explodes when anyone touches the chain. [INLINE] Force Cube The Force Cube, sometimes known as the Magical Square, is a small object that flies up to circle its owner’s head when activated. As it circles, it attacks its owner’s enemies with magical beams of light. The Force Cube lasts for only a short while, and is therefore best activated in difficult situations. [INLINE] Stone of Summoning The Stone of Summoning allows its user to summon a giant Imp that smites his foes. This Imp cannot be directly commanded, and only remains for a short while. Therefore, as with the Force Cube, the Stone of Summoning is best used when fighting multitudes of foes. [INLINE] Invisibility Sphere The Invisibility Sphere renders its user ghostly and ethereal for a short while, thus making him or her much harder to see and attack. This Sphere does not render its owner completely invisible, but is nevertheless an asset in many combat situations. Rings Rings are a special class of magic item unlike all others. Whereas some items (such as Healing Vials) cannot be carried to and fro, and other items can be carried and used at their owner’s leisure, rings fall somewhere in between. They can be taken from place to place, but the user cannot decide when or where to use them: their effects are triggered automatically, and last until the magical power supply has been exhausted. [INLINE] Ring of Flight The Ring of Flight was originally commissioned by King Yasvim the Unruly as a "gift" for his bothersome son. When the ring was complete he presented it to his son, but neglected to mention that its effects were limited, thus endangering a user that flew too high for too long. Yasvim was notorious for his cruel pranks. Later the ring was copied by magicians throughout the land, and while not exactly common, the Ring of Flight can be found in many secret places throughout the lands of Thyrion. As the name suggests, the Ring of Flight bestows the power of flight upon its wearer. Flight begins as soon as the ring is picked up, and lasts for a limited time. The wearer cannot "turn on" or "turn off" this effect to conserve power, so effective use of the Ring is not always easy. [INLINE] Ring of Water Breathing The Ring of Water Breathing allows its wearer to breathe freely underwater. The ring automatically comes into use when the wearer is underwater, and stops being used when the wearer surfaces. The ring’s magical energy is only drained while the ring is actually being utilized. [INLINE] Ring of Regeneration The Ring of Regeneration slowly restores its wearer to full health whenever he or she is injured. The ring does nothing when the wearer is at full health; its magical energy is only drained while the ring is busy healing its owner. [INLINE] Ring of Reflection The Ring of Reflection occasionally reflects projectiles that have been fired at its wearer. This effect is not guaranteed: sometimes the ring works, and sometimes it doesn’t. Magical energy is only drained from the ring when it successfully deflects a projectile. [INLINE] The Crusader In my visions, I have seen four mismatched heroes who seek to destroy Eidolon. The following pages chronicle my visions, imparting what I have seen of each. I know none of their names, but by observing them time and again in my dreams, I have come to know the heart of each. The first figure of my visions is a Crusader. The Crusader is a holy man and a healer. Armed with both his faith and an array of mystical weapons, he is a staunch opponent of Eidolon. His superb defensive skills and mystical powers make him extremely hardy and resistant, and will serve him in good stead on his upcoming quest. Profile of the Crusader Raised in a small, wind-swept monastery in the southern hills of Blackmarsh, the Crusader is familiar with hardships of all kinds. He was taken into the monastery at an early age, after being abandoned by unknown parents at the monastery’s stone gates. With only the most barren of surroundings to distract his attention, the Crusader attacked his studies with the utmost fervor. This singular lack of distractions has molded a distinct, earnest and intense personality; few can match his single-minded pursuit of knowledge, or his remarkable force of will. The Crusader was not taught to destroy, but rather to heal. Healing, however, is sometimes a painful process: the canker that resists salves and balms must be burned or excised. As the first year of Eidolon’s reign drew to a close, the Crusader realized the nature of Thyrion’s blight: it could not be quelled by peaceful means, but rather must be driven from the land. To this end he increased his already rigorous regimen of study, practicing martial skills in addition to the skills of the healer. One day, as the Crusader drilled in the monastery yard with his great Warhammer, the looming figure of a Golem trudged past the ancient stone gates. Never before had Eidolon’s minions ventured so far into the countryside. The Crusader realized that Eidolon had started a new campaign: he sought to rein in the wayward country folk, driving home his point by force of arms. The Crusader donned his armor and put aside his healer’s herbs, knowing the time for action had finally arrived. The Crusader’s Abilities Though not the most formidable of adversaries, the Crusader has several abilities that greatly aid his chances of survival. Indeed, the Crusader is perhaps the hardiest of the four heroes, armed only with the favor of his god to protect him. The Crusader has the power to periodically heal himself, though this power is not completely under his own control. As he fights the enemies of Thyrion, he is constantly learning and gaining insights. It is during his most intense combats, and hence his most intense periods of learning, that his body is apt to be completely restored. In this way, the Crusader’s god rewards action over sloth. Occasionally, when the Crusader slays an enemy, a magical sphere appears over the corpse of his foe. This sphere represents the vitality and power of the enemy. By collecting this sphere the Crusader is able to partake of his opponent’s power and add it to his own. For a brief time his strength is superhuman, and he can perform feats of unlikely heroism. Eventually this power fades, however, and the Crusader returns to normal strength. The Crusader’s Weapons Though his skills are those of a healer, the Crusader is nevertheless a formidable opponent. In my visions I have seen him wielding a wide array of weapons, and always to good effect. Warhammer The Warhammer is a powerful weapon, and particularly effective in the Crusader’s capable hands. He swings it with both speed and power, laying low the minions of Eidolon who dare to venture close. When augmented by the Tome of Power, the Warhammer is more formidable still. Under the spell of the magical book, the Crusader can hurl his Warhammer a great distance, smiting enemies from afar and enshrouding them in a storm of lightning. The hammer returns to his hands after every cast, be it hit or miss, passing through obstacles that would appear to block its return path. [INLINE] Ice Mace At times I have seen the Crusader bearing an Ice Mace, a curious weapon indeed. This weapon fires small, jagged ice projectiles that can harm enemies at a great distance. Enemies slain by the Ice Mace are frozen solid. The Tome of Power completely transforms the Ice Mace’s function. Instead of firing an ice projectile, the Mace instead causes a blizzard of frozen shards to pelt its target from above. This attack is extremely powerful, and difficult to avoid as well. [INLINE] Meteor Staff Another weapon in the Crusader’s fascinating arsenal is the Meteor Staff. In its unpowered state it fires a torrent of boulders. When it hits its target, these rocks explode into smaller, but equally damaging fragments. Augmented by the Tome of Power, the Meteor Staff produces extraordinarily powerful whirlwinds that can pick up a victim and send him flying in any direction. These whirlwinds are heavily laden with rocks, which fly out from the vortex now and again without warning. The Meteor Staff is hardly a subtle weapon, but it makes up for this deficiency with its overwhelming power. [INLINE] [INLINE] Lightbringer Lightbringer is a holy relic, and the most powerful of the Crusader’s weapons. Even in its normal state, the relic is deadly: it issues forth a ray of holy light that sears and dissolves everything in its path. This ray burns evil and corruption. While some might aspire to holiness, no man or creature is true enough to stand in its path unscathed. Like each adventurer’s most powerful weapon, the Lightbringer cannot be found fully intact. Instead, two separate parts must be gathered together after they are located on his travels. Only then will the Crusader be able to harness the full power of this weapon. The Tome of Power does not change the fundamental effect of the ray, but rather, augments it. Instead of a single beam of light, the powered Lightbringer generates three. [INLINE] The Paladin The Paladin, like the Crusader, is a holy man. But while the Crusader is principally a healer, and his skills emphasize defense, the Paladin is a true warrior. The favor of his warlike god protects him, but also gives him strength to smite his foes. Few can match the Paladin in single combat. He lacks stealth and subtlety, instead relying on his mighty weapons and divine favor. Profile of the Paladin The Paladin is a devotee of Kravnos the War God. The Paladin makes his home in the Great Temple of Kravnos, in the city of Mur on Septimus. He blesses the warlike citizens who seek Kravnos’ aid, and like his holy brothers, he rides with the army of Mur whenever the city is threatened by external forces. At the first coming of Eidolon, Mur was among the first cities to fall. Realizing a quick counterstrike would not succeed, the devotees of Kravnos took refuge in their temple. They bided their time and looked for an opportunity to strike, meanwhile honing their martial skills to a razor-sharp edge. A fortnight before their attack, however, their secret was betrayed. An army of Golems and Imps stormed through the temple at midnight, slaughtering unprepared devotees and destroying the holy relics of Kravnos. Only the Paladin, meditating in the bell tower atop the temple, was overlooked. Cursing the informant who gave them away, and doubly cursing his brothers’ lack of preparation, the Paladin decided to act immediately. Casting aside the temple’s carefully-laid plans, he grabbed his mighty sword and marched on Eidolon’s stronghold. Without a clear plan of attack, his odds of success seem lean–but as the sole survivor of his temple, Kravnos will certainly be guiding his steps from afar. The Paladin’s Abilities During endless hours of training, the Paladin has pushed his abilities to new levels. Invoking the power of his god, he has developed magical powers unknown to the common human. Kravnos the war god has an affinity for water. As a minion of Kravnos, the Paladin is capable of moving underwater without the same restrictions as a normal human. While others are forced to laboriously swim, the Paladin traverses the depths as if they were air instead of water. When engaged in battle with a river or lake nearby, he prefers to carry the battle underwater, where he can use this ability to great advantage. When brought to the brink of death by his enemies, the Paladin sometimes receives a great boon from Kravnos. As the lethal blow lands, the Paladin does not die. Rather, he enters a mystical state: he grows in strength and stature and becomes a holy scourge, seeking to avenge the evildoers who tried to lay him low. In this state the Paladin cannot be killed, and his powers grow to otherwise impossible heights. The Paladin’s Weapons The Paladin’s weapons emphasize close-range power over long-range projectiles. This lack of range is sometimes a nuisance, but he often makes up for this deficiency by closing the gap quickly, and conducting most combat at comfortably close range. Gauntlets The Paladin is a true fighter, and often likes to use his armored fists as weapons. Though his Gauntlets may seem a puny substitute for sword or axe, the Paladin nonetheless is capable of felling mighty opponents with nothing more than these humble weapons. The Tome of Power has a supercharging effect on the Paladin’s mailed fists, allowing him to knock foes hither and yon like stuffed playthings, and making it difficult for them to counterattack. [INLINE] Vorpal Sword The Paladin employs a powerful sword during most combats. This sword can be used without mana to power its magic, but its damage correspondingly decreases when there is no such power source. When the Tome of Power is employed in conjunction with the Sword, both range and power are magically increased by a bolt of magical lightning. The Paladin can cleave an enemy in twain at fifty paces or more with the Sword thusly powered, and damage several foes in one mighty swing. [INLINE] Axe The Paladin’s axe is a mighty weapon. In addition to its brutal close-range power, the axe casts a projectile that ricochets from walls and obstacles. This projectile does not stop when it impacts the Paladin’s foe, but cuts right through and continues flying at lesser strength, potentially damaging several foes at once. The Tome of Power turns the Axe’s projectile into a razor-sharp wall of blades that issue forth from the Axe at various angles and explode upon hitting their targets. [INLINE] [INLINE] Purifier The Purifier is the Paladin’s ultimate weapon: it breathes a stream of glittering shards. These shards issue forth in a deadly twin stream, rending anything that breaks its brilliant path. The two halves of the Purifier must be found and joined together before the Paladin is able to devastate foes with this holy lance. The Tome of Power utterly changes the Purifier’s effect. Instead of firing a stream of small projectiles, the powered Purifier shoots a flaming fireball that unfalteringly seeks its target and explodes upon impact. [INLINE] The Assassin The Assassin is a master of stealth, disguise, and trickery. Whereas the Paladin rushes into combat with a mighty roar, the Assassin sneaks up from behind. Many of the Assassin’s weapons and skills are geared toward trickery and concealment. From her devastating ability to backstab an opponent to the deadly Hand Crossbow, it is clear the Assassin is always ready for an unfair fight. Profile of the Assassin The Assassin hails from Khitar, one of the few true cities in the jungles of Mazaera. As a child she watched her parents toil as farmers, reaping a meager harvest from the unforgiving jungle soil. A farmer’s life is always difficult, but even more so in Mazaera, where the land is particularly unsuited to the task. The Assassin learned this by observation, and she learned even more as she prowled the streets of Khitar–against her parents’ wishes. Wealthy folk of all description wandered those unpaved streets: gem merchants with stout bodyguards, proud mercenaries bearing gold-hilted scimitars, and slavers in ivory-trimmed palanquins. None spared a second glance for an urchin in dirty rags. As days and years went by, the Assassin became scornful of her parents. Rich folk gained their wealth by treading upon the weak, and only weak fools would till the accursed, clay-filled soil of Mazaera. Vowing never to become a fool like her parents, she ran away at the age of fifteen and took up the dark career of the assassin. First preying upon drunkards and the unwary, she gradually learned the tricks of her bloody trade, and began to aim for wealthier victims. Her skills grew by leaps and bounds. Nobody, it seemed, was safe from her depredations. With a small fortune accumulated in her secret lair, the Assassin soon realized she had become bored with her trade. She required ever richer victims, more and more danger, to sustain the thrill of the hunt. Who remained that could pose a challenge? Kings? Emperors? With a crooked smile, she decided upon her next victim: the richest and most powerful being on all of Thyrion. Armed with Katar and Crossbow, she set forth on her quest to rid the world of Eidolon. The Assassin’s Abilities The Assassin is a master of stealth and deadly strikes. The first noteworthy ability the Assassin gains is that of stealth: she can render herself invisible when standing perfectly still in a shadowed area. It takes a few seconds for her to achieve this invisibility, but once attained, the illusion is perfect. It is rumored that Assassins can master this skill in broad daylight when their skills are all but perfected. The Assassin makes very little sound when moving, and is often able to surprise her victims. Creeping up from behind, she strikes before her foes acknowledge her presence. When attacking in this fashion, she is capable of dealing much more damage than she otherwise would. This ability also comes into play when the Assassin strikes a foe who knows of her existence, but allows her to get behind him. This is a rare occurrence, but occasionally significant when she fights sluggish opponents such as Golems. The Assassin’s Weapons The Assassin’s weapons are excellent for trickery and deception: the Katar is ideal for vicious backstabbing, her small incendiary Grenades can be lobbed down at unsuspecting passersby, and her deadly Hand Crossbow is excellent for picking off foes from afar. Katar The vicious Katar (or "punch dagger") is the Assassin’s first weapon. It is the least of her weapons, but deadly nonetheless. It deals moderate damage at limited range, and can be wielded very effectively in close quarters. The Tome of Power imbues the Katar with a viscous nerve toxin and allows the Assassin to knock back her enemies with great force. [INLINE] Hand Crossbow The Hand Crossbow is a trademark weapon of the Assassin. Light and portable, yet deadly, the Hand Crossbow fires three iron bolts for an added measure of destruction. The Assassin likes to employ this weapon against distant foes, switching to Katar before closing to short range. The Tome of Power magically multiplies the Hand Crossbow’s projectiles. Instead of three bolts, five flaming bolts are fired from the Hand Crossbow. These bolts stick in their target for a moment before exploding for additional damage. [INLINE] Grenades The Assassin wields small incendiary devices that only she knows how to construct. These clusters of Grenades tend to roll and bounce for a moment or two before detonating, and therefore require careful aim and a measure of foresight from the Assassin. When used in conjunction with the Tome of Power, the grenades increase in size. Instead of hurling a single, small incendiary, the Assassin throws a bigger Grenade, which then detonates into many smaller explosions. [INLINE] [INLINE] Staff of Set The Assassin possesses a magical staff with a special power. It fires a scarab of concentrated magical energy. The Assassin may increase the potency of this staff by hesitating before firing it, and allowing magical energy to build up within. This weapon contains power that must be earned. There are two pieces that must be joined together before it can be unleashed. The Tome of Power imbues the Staff with a different ability. In its powered state, the restless spirits imprisoned in the staff vent their rage upon its hapless victims, wrapping them in a cocoon of razor-sharp chains and violently stripping flesh from bone. [INLINE] The Necromancer The Necromancer is a self-styled lord of the dead. Though physically weak, his potent magic and dark talents make him a formidable combatant. He likes to fight from a distance, where his powerful ranged weapons can decimate even the most formidable of enemies. Profile of the Necromancer The Necromancer spent his early years in a small village of Thysis, huddled in the shadow of a monolithic pyramid. His people were lean and wiry, but the Necromancer was thinner and weaker than most. He lived in a great, cavernous house with only his aunt to mind him, his parents having died in a plague not long after his birth. An unattractive appearance and the lack of a family conspired against the Necromancer, robbing him of confidence and making him morbidly self-conscious. His days and nights were spent inside his aunt’s decaying mansion, and very rarely did he emerge. He longed for a power—any power—that would increase his stature in village society. He wished to be handsome, or strong, or wealthy, or clever in conversation. But as time wore on, and he grew from a lad to a young man, it became clear that he possessed none of these skills. Bitter and alone, the Necromancer’s desire for acceptance slowly withered into hatred. He no longer wished to impress the villagers, but rather, to frighten and punish them. His thoughts turned to the ancient pyramid that overshadowed the village. For the villagers, this monument was an object of superstitious dread. Seeking to partake of that power and dread, the young Necromancer entered the pyramid. Within, he found what he sought: a set of ten crumbling papyrus scrolls, each inked with runes of great power. Through study and diligence he learned the magic scribed therein, and soon began to terrorize the village with legions of undead servitors. But the coming of Eidolon quickly ended his reign of terror. No longer was the Necromancer dreaded by the villagers; Eidolon and his minions were now the focus of their dread. The Necromancer, it seemed, was no longer all-powerful. Bitter and enraged by the helplessness welling up from within, the Necromancer came to a desperate conclusion. Eidolon must not be allowed to steal his precious power. Eidolon must be destroyed! The Necromancer’s Abilities The Necromancer’s skills are truly unique, and most of them revolve around Soul Spheres. When the Necromancer slays an opponent, a Soul Sphere is left behind. This sphere is invisible to all but the Necromancer. It represents the life force and vitality of the recently-slain foe. The Necromancer may collect a Soul Sphere simply by touching it, thus collecting the energy in the form of mana or healing. As the Necromancer gains skill, his chances of benefiting from a Soul Sphere slowly increase. Soul Spheres quickly lose their potency, so the Necromancer must be swift! The Necromancer’s sickle is also a source of power. Whenever the Necromancer strikes a foe with this sickle, he has a chance to drain vitality from his opponent and add to his own health. This is not a common or predictable occurrence, but it is often helpful when the Necromancer enters precarious situations. The Necromancer’s Weapons The Necromancer’s weapons are, for the most part, geared toward long-range attacks. When used with skill and discretion, they are extraordinarily effective. Sickle The Necromancer’s hand weapon is an iron Sickle. This is not the most effective of arms, but the Necromancer favors it as a symbol: like a farmer harvesting wheat, he relishes the act of harvesting souls with his Sickle. The Sickle’s power is not entirely symbolic, either: occasionally the Sickle does harvest vitality from its target, transferring that vitality to the Necromancer. The Tome of Power lends both potency and augmented range to the Necromancer’s Sickle. A fully powered Sickle knocks enemies from their feet, making it difficult for them to recover and counterattack. [INLINE] Magic Missiles The Necromancer is fragile, and prefers to do his fighting at long range. Magic Missiles are his spell of choice, especially at lower levels of skill. These fiery missiles gain potency as the Necromancer himself gains potency. They’re swift and not too strong, but they explode on impact for a bit of extra damage. A Tome of Power allows the Necromancer to fire three fireballs simultaneously. These missiles lazily home in on their target, making it easy for the Necromancer to smite his foes. [INLINE] Bone Shards As the Necromancer advances his skills, he learns the powerful spell of Bone Shards. This spell projects a hail of sharp bone fragments at incredibly high speeds. These fragments shatter into yet smaller pieces upon impact. Bone Shards are particularly devastating to nearby enemies, who take the full brunt of the spell. Used with the Tome of Power, these Bone Shards concentrate into a single projectile. This projectile is potent and damaging, and bursts into an unpredictable spray of shards upon hitting its target. [INLINE] [INLINE] Raven Staff As the Necromancer’s most cherished weapon, the Raven Staff fires a potent blast of pure energy that forks and splits as it travels forward. Anything caught in this blast is cut and seared beyond recognition. But only after the two halves are brought together can this prize be discharged to annihilate the forces of Eidolon. When used in conjunction with the Tome of Power, the Raven Staff acts in a completely different manner: it summons a swarm of deadly Ravens that fly forth to attack their target. A Bitter Farewell It is with heavy hand and heavy heart, dear reader, that I lay down my pen. I had hoped to write a full chronicle of the attack on Eidolon, documenting these four unlikely heroes’ quest to banish him from our world. But now I must abandon my work, for my hiding place has been discovered. Golems and Fire Imps will soon swarm through this place, destroying all that they find here. There is no help for it; I must flee for my life. The future is uncertain. I have seen it in scattered visions, but the play’s final act has not been performed. Perhaps it is not yet written. Whatever the case, I pray that one of these four heroes succeeds in their quest. If not, this history–and the world that it chronicles–will be forever lost to darkness. I pray it is not so. –Themedes, Sage of Mur _________________________________________________________________ Hexen II Technical Help MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS * Windows® 95 or NT 4.0 with 100%-compatible computer system * Pentium® 90 MHz processor (120 MHz recommended) * Windows 95: 16 MB RAM (24 MB recommended); Windows NT: 24 MB RAM * Dual-Speed CD-ROM drive (300k/sec. sustained transfer rate) * Hard disk drive with at least 120 MB of uncompressed space available * 100% Sound Blaster-compatible sound card * Joystick and mouse-supported (3-button mouse recommended) * Supports network and Internet play via IPX and TCP/IP GL Hexen Additional Requirements * 24 MB RAM * GLHexen supports some OpenGL 3D accelerator cards. Consult your hardware manufacturer to determine compatibility. NOTE: Hexen II uses Microsoft DirectX 3a technology, and requires that your system have the most updated drivers that fully support DirectX. In order to play Hexen II for Windows 95, the CD must be in your CD-ROM drive at all times. Hexen II may have trouble working with some 1993 or earlier Matsushita CD-ROM drives. These CD-ROM drives have trouble reading beyond 63 minutes on CDs, and Hexen II uses the full CD. These drives were sold under the names of Panasonic, JVC, Reveal, Creative Labs and Plextor. Gameplay may occasionally slow down and the CD-ROM drive will be accessed constantly. We highly recommend that you upgrade to a newer CD-ROM drive to avoid problems with other programs in the future. [LINK]-[IMAGE] Back to top _________________________________________________________________ GETTING STARTED In the Main menu, you can start a new single-player game by selecting the Single Player option (press Enter), then selecting New Game and choosing a player class. You can play any of four different characters in Hexen II, each with his or her own special set of weapons, abilities, and attributes. Each character will be able to combat enemies and solve puzzles with varying degrees of difficulty. For instance, the Paladin may be a strong fighter but lacks magical powers, while the Assassin can kill easily but can be killed just as easily. Playing each character requires slightly different gameplay styles, but that’s the fun of Hexen II. Experiment and explore. You’ll be surprised with the variety between the characters. For more information on each of the characters, refer to the Chronicle of Deeds. [LINK]-[IMAGE] Back to top _________________________________________________________________ THE BASICS OF PLAY The goals in Hexen II are simple: stay alive, solve the puzzles, and defeat your enemies. Ultimately, you will face your greatest enemy, Eidolon, but your journey along the way will be far from easy. Staying Alive Walking: Using the up and down arrow keys will move you forward or backward at a steady pace. Turn left or right with the left or right arrow keys or by sliding the mouse in the desired direction. Running: Hold down the shift key while pressing the arrow keys to increase your speed. Jumping: Press the space bar to jump. You jump farther if you’re moving forward and you jump higher if you’re moving up a slope. You’ll be surprised at the spots you can reach in a jump. You can even avoid some attacks this way. Swimming: When underwater, aim yourself in the direction you wish to go and press the forward (up arrow) key. You have full three-dimensional freedom, so use your look-up and look-down keys to swim up and down. As in real life, you may lose your bearings while underwater. Use the jump (space) key to kick straight up toward the surface. Once on the surface, tread water by holding down the jump key. To get out of the water, swim toward the shore and use the jump key to hop out. If you’re down a well or can’t get a grip, you may not be able to climb out. There is always another way out, but you may have to submerge to find it. Crouching: Press the apostrophe key (‘) to squeeze into tight areas or small openings. Flying: Certain powerups allow you to fly. In addition to your normal movement keys, use the ‘D’ key to fly up and the ‘C’ key to fly down. Shooting: Press the Ctrl key or the left mouse button to fire. Hold shoot down to keep firing. Use: The Hexen II key has an automatic "use" function. To push a button or open a door, walk up to it, or, in some cases, shoot at it. Remember, some walls can be pushed or pulled. To move these blocks, simply walk up to them and push in the desired direction. If a door won’t open or a platform won’t work, you may need to do something special to activate it. Picking up Items: To pick up items, weapons, power-ups, or armor, simply walk over them. If you can’t pick something up, it means you already have the maximum number of that item possible. Inventory: Throughout the game, you will pick up various powerups and inventory items. To use an item in your inventory, use your bracket keys ([ and ]) to toggle between your items and then press the Enter key to use the selected item. Solving Puzzles Inventory: Throughout the game, you will pick up various puzzle pieces key to advancing through the game. When you hit the TAB key, you see small icons of any puzzle pieces you have picked up along the way and are still carrying. If you need a more detailed description of your inventory, hit the Q key to show the icons with descriptions. Buttons and Floorplates: Buttons activate with a touch, and floorplates must be stepped on. If you see a distinctive looking button in a spot you cannot reach, it’s probably a shootable button. Hints: Throughout the game, there are books, plaques, and signs that can help you with puzzles. To read these items, simply walk up to them and read the text that appears on-screen. Doors: Most doors open at your approach. If one doesn’t, seek a button, floorplate, key, or inventory item. Secret Doors: Some doors are camouflaged. Look for irregularities in the walls, protruding edges, cracks along the walls, etc. Most walls can be pushed, shot, or triggered with a nearby switch. Likewise, a switch may be more obvious than the secret door. The Secret of Secrets: All secrets in Hexen II are indicated by clues. Don’t waste your time hacking at every wall. It’s much more productive (and fun) to use your brain and your eyes. Look up. An angled texture, a light shining under a wall, a strange sound, anything might be a clue. Something prominent in a room may be a decoration, or it might be a clue. Defeating your Enemies There are a wide variety of enemies in Hexen II that attack in many ways. Some fly, some crawl, some just swing at you with their stubby arms, but each requires a slightly different attack to defeat it. If you can’t hit it with your hands, come back later and defeat it with a projectile weapon. If you can’t get near it, shoot it from afar. And when you meet the Four Horsemen and the last of the Serpent Riders, be sure to have plenty of ammo and health saved up. You’ll need it! [LINK]-[IMAGE] Back to top _________________________________________________________________ YOUR ENVIRONMENT The Screen The large upper area of the screen is the view area. You can adjust the size of this view area by hitting the ‘-’ or ‘+’ keys. Increasing or decreasing your view area will have a direct effect on game performance. The Status Bar Immediately below the view area is the Status Bar. Press the Tab key at any time during the game, and the status bar pops up to reveal much more information. The Hub Level System Hexen II uses a non-linear hub level system. Each hub consists of several levels. When you enter a hub, you will solve the various puzzles and defeat the enemies that lead you to the Hub Room. From this room, you access any of several teleporters that take you to other levels of the hub. Solve those levels and return to the Hub Room. Once all the levels in a hub are complete, you can move on to the next hub. [LINK]-[IMAGE] Back to top _________________________________________________________________ COMMANDS, MENU & CONSOLE Keyboard Commands Press F1 (the Help key) or select the Help option from the Main Menu to get a list of keyboard commands. By using the key configuration option from the Main menu, you can customize the keyboard to suit your fancy, except for the function keys, the Escape key, and the ~ (tilde) key. Function Keys F1= Help F6 = Quicksave F2 = Save F9 = Quickload F3 = Load F11 = Zoom F4 = Options F12 = Screenshot F5 = Multiplayer Weapons Key Paladin Crusader Necromancer Assassin 1 Gauntlets War Hammer Sickle Katar 2 Vorpal Sword Ice Mace Magic Missiles Grenades 3 Axe Meteor Staff Bone Shards Crossbow 4 Purifier Light Bringer Raven Staff Staff of Set Movement Move Arrow Keys Turn Mouse Left and Right Jump/Swim Space Bar Run Shift Sidestep Left . or > Sidestep Right , or < Strafe * Alt Swim Up D Swim Down C Inventory Toggle '[' or ']' (bracket keys) Inventory Use Enter Crouch ‘ (apostrophe) Other Controls Main Menu Escape Console ~ (tilde) Look Up A or PgDn Look Down Z or Del Center View X or End Mouse Look ** \ or center mouse button Keyboard Look *** Ins * With the Strafe key pressed, your turning keys or mouse movements move you sideways rather change the direction you’re facing. ** Sliding your mouse forward and back looks up and down while the Mouse Look key is pressed. *** When the keyboard Look key is pressed, the walk forward/ backpedal arrows will let you look up. More Advanced Commands: Impulses Although you can easily customize your controls, some players prefer to set key bindings manually. There are hundreds more commands available in the console. Some of the new items to Hexen II are: Detailed Inventory Description (Single Player) Toggle Frag Count (Multiplayer) +showdm Crouch +crouch Lift Object impulse 13 Inventory Toggle Left invleft Inventory Toggle Right invright Use Inventory Item invuse Drop Inventory Item impulse 44 Status Bar +showinfo Frag Count +showdm Toggle Frags toggle_dm Torch impulse 100 Quartz Flask impulse 101 Mystic Urn impulse 102 Krater of Might impulse 103 Chaos Device impulse 104 Tome of Power impulse 105 Summoning Stone impulse 106 Invisibility Sphere impulse 107 Glyph of The Ancients impulse 108 Boots of Speed impulse 109 Disk of Repulsion impulse 110 Seal of the Ovinmancer impulse 111 Ring of Flight impulse 112 Force Cube impulse 113 Icon of the Defender impulse 114 Customize Controls Your keyboard commands are highly customizable. To change the default commands at any time, go to Main Menu> Options>>Customize Controls. Use your up and down arrow keys to toggle between the various choices. Press Enter to activate your choice, and then press the key or mouse button you wish to bind to the command. Your configuration is automatically saved. Menu The Menu system can be accessed at any time during a game. Simply press the Esc key to activate the menu during the game. Use the arrow keys to move the Hexen Glyph up and down the menu. Place Hexen II the glyph before the desired option, and tap the Enter key. To return to Hexen II the Main Menu, tap the Esc key again. To exit the menu and return to the game, press the Esc key when you are in the Main menu. SINGLE PLAYER: NEW GAME: Discards the game being played, and starts anew. CLASS: Choose one of the four character classes (see the Chronicle of Deeds for more detailed information): Class Key Attributes Paladin Strong fighter Crusader Fighter, some magic Necromancer Strong magician Assassin Stealth, kills easily, but physically weaker DIFFICULTY: Choose one of four difficulty levels. LOAD: Highlight the desired slot, and press the Enter key. SAVE: Highlight the desired slot, and press the Enter key. Each saved game is identified by the level's name, plus the proportion of kills achieved so far in that game. MULTIPLAYER: Controls multiplayer game starting and details. JOIN A GAME: Join a pre-existing network game. IPX and TCP/IP: Both network protocols share the same options below. IPX works better on Local Area Networks and TCP/IP is used for internet play. Address: Your network address. This is automatically entered. Port: The port at which you will connect to the server. This is automatically entered. Search for Local Games: Trolls the network for Hexen II servers. Join a Game At: If you know the name of a server on the network, type it in here. New Game: Launching a new game will make you a host. Be sure your Setup options (see below) are correct before launching a new game. IPX and TCP/IP: Both network protocols share the same options below. IPX works better on Local Area Networks and TCP/IP is used for internet play. Address: Your network address. This is automatically entered. Port: The port at which you will connect to the server. This is automatically entered. OK Begin Game: Starts a multiplayer game. Max Players: The maximum number of players in a game. The Max allowed in any game is four unless you are running a dedicated server from a command line. Game Type: Deathmatch (you against your buddies) or Cooperative (everyone works together to get through the level). Teamplay: Determines if your teammates’ health is affected when you shoot them. Skill: Choose one of four difficulty levels. Frag Limit: Maximum number of kills one player can get in one level. Time Limit: Maximum amount of time of a game; zero to 60 minutes. Episode: Selects the hub in which you start unleashing your fury. Level: Selects the level within the hub. Setup: Establishes the parameters that identify you and/or your server. Host Name: The name of your server. Your Name: Your name or nickname. Character: The character class (see above) you wish to play as. Shirt Color: Pick the color of your shirt. Pants Color: Ditto. OPTIONS: Miscellaneous game options. Configure Keys: Permits you to customize Hexen II so every action is linked to the button or key that you prefer. First, move the cursor (via the arrow keys) to the action you wish to change. Then press the Enter key. Now press the key or button you want to bind to that action. For instance, if you wish to use the Alt key for Jump, move the cursor to Jump/Swim, press the Enter key, then press the Alt key. Each action can have two different keys assigned to it. If you already have two keys in an entry, you cannot add more from this menu. To clear the keys bound to an action, move the cursor to that action and press Backspace or Delete instead of Enter. This will clear the keys formerly bound to that action, leaving it blank. You can bind any key to an action except Function keys, the Escape key, and the ~ (tilde) key. “Weird” keys such as Scroll Lock, Print Screen, etc. may or may not work, depending on your machine, but why bother? For a list of impulses and manual commands, go to the Impulses section. Attack: Fires your weapon. Change Weapon: Switches the next weapon in your inventory. Jump/Swim Up: If you're on land, jumps. If you’re underwater, kicks you towards the surface. If you’re right at the water’s edge, pops you up out of the water, if you combine it with forward movement. Walk Forward Backpedal Turn Left Turn Right Run: Press this while moving, and you move at double speed. Step Left: Sidesteps left. Step Right: Sidesteps right. Sidestep: Press this when using turn left or turn right and you sidestep (strafe) instead. Crouch: Lets you fit into tight places. Look Up: Lets you angle your view upward. Your view returns to horizontal when you start walking forward. Look Down: Lets you angle your view downward. Your view returns to horizontal when you start walking forward. Center View: If you're looking up or down, returns your view to dead center. Mouse Look: Press this to allow your mouse to look up or down (by sliding it forward and back), and to remain looking up or down even if you move forward. Keyboard Look: Press this to use your movement keys to look up or down. Swim Up: Use to swim up toward the surface of the water (also used to fly up). Swim Down: Use to swim down (also used to fly down). Lift Object: Pick objects up. Use Inv Item: Use an item in your inventory. Drop Inv Item: Drop an item in your inventory. Most useful in Coop games where you can share resources. Full Inventory: Pressing this key will bring up the status bar. Frag Count: In multiplayer modes, this key will display the score. Toggle Frags: Will turn frag counting on or off. Inv Move Left: Pressing this key will toggle inventory items left. Inv Move Right: Pressing this key will toggle inventory items right. Torch: Lights your way in dark places. Quartz Flask: gives you a health boost. Mystic Urn: completely replenishes your health. Krater: The Krater of Might replenishes your Mana. Chaos Device: Teleports you out of trouble. Where you respawn, no one knows. Tome of Power: Imparts special powers on your weapons. Summoning Stone: Summons some help from a giant imp. Invisibility: Glyph: The Glyph of Ancients is a magical item used differently by each character class. Boots: The Boots of Haste double your speed. Disk of Repulsion: Provides a modicum of protection. Bo Peep: The Seal of the Ovinmancer. One word: Lambination. Flight: Ring of Flight provides momentary weightlessness. Force Cube: Attacks your enemies for you. Icon of the Defender: Provides invincibility. Go To Console: Brings down the Console. Also possible by pressing the ~ (tilde) key. Reset To Defaults: Everything you've changed in the options menu is reset by this option. Consider it an "Oops" key. Screen Size: A slider which enlarges or shrinks your view area. All of the sliders use the right and left arrow keys. Brightness: Pretty much self-explanatory. Choose a brightness which doesn't strain your eyes. Mouse Speed: Adjusts mouse sensitivity. The farther you set the slider to the right, the quicker your mouse reacts. Music Volume: Self-explanatory. Sound Effects Volume: Self-explanatory. Always Run: When this is selected, you do not need the Run key—you are always at double speed. Invert Mouse Up/Down: This gives your mouse “airplane-style” controls. This means that pushing the mouse forward “noses down” and pulling it back “noses up.” Some people prefer this control technique. Lookspring: Returns your view immediately to straight ahead when you release the look up/down key. Otherwise, you must move forward for a step or two before your view snaps back. Lookspring does not work while you are underwater. Lookstrafe: If you are using the look up/down key, then this option causes you to sidestep instead of turn when you try to move left or right. Video Options: This screen allows you to change the resolution of your screen while playing Hexen II. Resolution has the greatest impact on game performance. Use Mouse: This option is available only when you are in a Windowed mode (see Video Options above). When turned on, Use Mouse allows you to use your mouse as an input device in the game itself (to turn left or right, for instance). However, you will not be able use your mouse to control your cursor in this mode. Turning Use Mouse off lets you use your mouse in Windows, but not in Hexen II. HELP: An abbreviated, in-game version of this document. QUIT: Exits Hexen II at once. Console The console is a command line interface that gives you access to many functions in the game engine. Although it is not necessary to access the Console to play Hexen II, many environmental and gameplay settings can be configured through this interface. To access the console, press the tilde (~) key or go to Main menu>Options>>Go To Console. For a complete list of console commands, please refer to the online documentation installed with Hexen II. [LINK]-[IMAGE] Back to top _________________________________________________________________ MULTIPLAYER GAMES Equally as much fun as the single player game is the multiplayer environment. Whether on a LAN or on the Internet, there are several types of multiplayer action available. Cooperative In a co-op game, you and your friends work together to finish each level. Each player can play any of the four character classes, and combining the strengths of each class can substantially enhance puzzle-solving ability. Save Cooperative Game If you are running a listen server, you can save your current game as you would any single player game. Simply access the Save Menu under Multiplayer options in the menu system to save a game (or hit F5). NOTE: Only the server can save a cooperative multiplayer game; players attached to the server will not be able to access the save option. Loading a Cooperative Game Please note that loading a cooperative multiplayer game has some basic rules that you must follow. 1. Pay special attention to the order in which specific players join the game. The server saved game remembers this order and repeats it when clients connect back into the restarted game. In order to retain the same character class, level, and inventory, a client must join the restarted game in the same order as he or she did when the game was originally started. For example, let's say three people play a multiplayer coop game. Player 1 launches the listen server and joins the game first as an Assassin. Player 2 joins the server as a Paladin, and Player 3 joins third as a Crusader. They play through the first hub. Player 1 saves the game at this time, and they all go to bed. The next day, Player 1 launches Hexen II, loads the saved Coop game and waits for Players 2 and 3 to join. Player 2 jumps in first and is the Paladin again. However, if Player 3 jumped in second, he would take over Player 2's character. This may be slightly confusing here, but just try it in the game. It will be obvious. 2. No more than the same number of characters saved in the game can join at any time. If additional players try to join, their character will enter the game dead and frozen in the world until they quit out. Deathmatch In this all-out melee, the sole object is to stay alive long enough to kill everyone else. The player with the most kills wins. No enemies exist in Deathmatch mode, just your so-called friends. Each player starts in a random spot in the level, and various weapons and power-ups are randomly spawned throughout. Items and player re-spawn points are randomized in Hexen II to allow an even playing field. Team Games Similar to Deathmatch, Team mode allows players to band against each other in groups. The team with the most kills wins. Multiplayer Detailed Information A comprehensive guide to multiplayer action is provided in the online documentation installed with Hexen II. Console The console is a command line interface that gives you access to many functions in the game engine. Although it is not necessary to access the console to play Hexen II, many environmental and gameplay settings can be configured through this interface. To access the console, press the tilde (~) key or go to Main menu>Options>>Go To Console. For a complete list of console commands, please refer to the online documentation installed with Hexen II. [LINK]-[IMAGE] Back to top _________________________________________________________________ HEXEN II SOFTWARE ENGINE Trouble-Shooting and Reference Guide The Engine Hexen II (H2) is based on the WinQuake, the a native Win32 application, and will run on either Win95 or Windows NT 4.0 or later. Note that this engine is different from the GL version, "Glh2.exe," included with this game, and that the references in this section of the Tech Help document do not apply to Glh2. H2 is designed to take advantage of whatever enhanced video, sound, and input capabilities (such as DirectX or VESA VBE video modes) are present, but has fallback functionality so it can run on any Win95 or NT 4.0 or later system, even if neither DirectX nor VESA VBE is available. You may experience problems running H2 on some systems, because video driver and operating-system support for game functionality are not yet mature under Win32, and many bugs and incompatibilities remain in those components. If you encounter what seems to be a bug, first please check through the list of known problems, below, and check to see that your problem is not covered in this manual. If your problem doesn't appear in this documentation, please contact Activision’s customer support at http://www.activision.com/. Hexen II Modes Hexen II supports several modes. Double clicking the H2.exe icon will launch the game in normal mode. To launch the game in a special mode, you need to execute a batch file called "H2B.bat" found in the Hexen II directory from a MS-DOS prompt. To do this, go to your Start Menu, open the Programs folder, and select the MS-DOS Prompt icon. Switch directories ("cd.." to go up a level, "cd hexeni~1" to go into the Hexen II folder [DOS truncates the folder name to 8 characters with the "~1"]) to the Hexen II folder, and type any of the commands below. The first special mode Hexen II supports is H2B fast (The "b" stands for Batch) This is the same as typing "h2"; this runs Hexen II in an aggressive configuration that is likely to yield the best performance if it runs successfully on your system, but which has a risk of causing Hexen II or even your system to crash if there are bugs or incompatibilities in your video or sound drivers. Alternatively, you can use H2B safe to run Hexen II in a conservative configuration, likely to run on almost all machines with no problems, but possibly with slower graphics, fewer high-resolution modes, and delayed sound. Or you can run H2B verysafe to run Hexen II in a very conservative configuration that is pretty much guaranteed to run, but will probably have slow performance, and will have no sound. Two other options are H2B fastvid which has maximum video performance, but greater sound latency (delay until the sound is heard), and H2B fastsnd which uses more conservative video modes, but low-latency sound. (One odd note is that DirectSound has much lower-latency sound than wave sound, but is currently quite a bit slower overall. Thus you may find that "H2B fastvid" is actually faster, by as much as 5-10%, than "H2B fast"; however, it may not feel faster, because the sound will lag.) Finally, you can use H2B max which is the same as H2B fast, but turns on DirectInput, which provides more responsive mouse control, but does not work properly on all systems. By default, Hexen II will install DirectX 3a on your system. Note, however, that DirectX is not required for H2 to run, but H2 will automatically take advantage of DirectSound and DirectDraw if they are present. If DirectSound is no longer present for some reason, there will generally be considerable sound latency (sound will become audible several hundred milliseconds after the event that caused it). Note also that there are currently no true DirectSound drivers for Windows NT, so H2 will always run using wave output on NT, and will consequently have lagged sound. See below for information about obtaining DirectX if you do not have it. Note that VESA VBE modes aren't required for H2 to run, but H2 will automatically make VESA modes available if they're present. Your BIOS may already have VESA VBE 2.0 support built in, but most BIOSes don't. Worse, some BIOSes do have VESA VBE 2.0 built-in, but have buggy implementations, which may prevent you from being able to run the faster configurations of H2. Heapsize (Memory Allocation) Hexen II normally uses half the physical memory in your system for its heap, but not less than 12 Mb and not more than 22 Mb. You can override this with "-heapsize n", where n is the amount of memory to allocate for the heap, in Kb. For instance, you would type "-heapsize 16000" to use 16 Mb of RAM. Joysticks To use the joystick, you must bring down the console by pressing the tilde ('~') key, and type "joystick 1"; you can disable the joystick with "joystick 0" at any time. The joystick setting remains in effect for subsequent Hexen II sessions until changed, so you only need to do joystick 1 once to enable the joystick. If the joystick somehow causes problems that keep you from being able to run Hexen II at all, you can start Hexen II -nojoy to complete disable the joystick for that session. Common Problems and Workarounds General H2 crashes or won't run Serial/modem menu is missing Playdemo fails across multiple levels Alt-Tab fullscreen only works sometimes System with Packard Bell sound card III crashes on CapsLock Dedicated server runs very slowly while typing at console H2 crashes while switching modes or Alt-Tabbing Many fast Alt-Tabs on Win95 sometimes disable H2 input In-game message boxes "stick" on screen Video Modes How do I select fullscreen or windowed H2 operation? Gee, I wish I could use a mouse to play H2 with in a window H2 sometimes runs pretty slowly fullscreen The color black doesn't change with palette flashes sometimes Sometimes Permedia boards crash unless -nowindirect is used H2 doesn’t work in a window in 16-color mode Some DirectDraw modes flicker badly and look wrong My default mode is windowed, but H2 goes fullscreen first Palette goes bad periodically on #9 Imagine card Windows95 & Environment Problems can result if Office shortcut bar is running H2 doesn't have quite the right colors when it’s not the active app Desktop is weird colors when H2 runs windowed Right-click on H2 button in task bar to close doesn’t work as expected Screen saver never kicks in when running H2 fullscreen Can't minimize window while mouse active Mouse sometimes vanishes in system menu on Win95 H2 behaves oddly if Scandisk starts defragmenting MS-DOS windows get scrunched on Alt-Tab Dprint in progs doesn't work The Windows key doesn't do anything fullscreen on Win95 Right-click doesn't work right on minimized WinQuake The screen briefly blanks when you exit H2 QBENCH doesn't work with H2 Desktop doesn't reset to proper resolution on H2 exit Dvorak keyboard mapping ignored Cursor messed up after running H2 Windows NT Problems running H2 on NT 3.51 Sound is sluggish on NT Window controls don't work on NT when mouse enabled H2 runs very slowly when it has the focus under NT Ctrl-Alt-Del on NT sometimes doesn't allow return to H2 Sound Sound breaks up or gets choppy, especially in menus Other apps fail to play sound while Hexen II is running Hang reported with zero sound volume MWAVE sound loses focus Joysticks Joystick worked fine with earlier versions of Quake but not with Hexen II Joystick doesn't seem calibrated properly H2 crashes or won't run If H2 refuses to run or crashes on your system, try running it using "H2 safe" or "H2 verysafe". Or you can use command-line switches: H2 -nodirectdraw -nowindirect -wavonly This will almost certainly solve your problem; however, it may result in lagged sound (a long delay from action to hearing the sound), may result in fewer or slower high-res video modes, and the mouse may be somewhat less responsive. If this does work, you can try removing each of the command-line switches until you identify the one that fixes the problem, thereby sacrificing as little functionality as possible. If the above command line does not fix your problems, try: H2 -dibonly -nosound which forces H2 into silent operation with bare-bones video support and no use of DirectInput for mouse input (the normal Windows mouse APIs are used instead). Again, if this works, try removing switches until you identify the needed one. Both of the above command lines are quick fixes. Often, the problem is caused by incompatible or buggy DirectX drivers or code (later installations of DirectX could cause this), and can frequently be fixed completely simply by reinstalling the supplied version of Microsoft DirectX 3a which can be found on your game CD in the DirectX folder. Also, you can find these drivers on the Microsoft's DirectX website, although the availability and location of the DirectX file changes periodically; note that at last check, this is a 3.4 Mb file. (Be aware, though, that sometimes Microsoft's DirectX drivers don't support features that the manufacturers' drivers do support, such as display refresh rate control.) For more information on DirectX 3a, click here. One known problem of this sort involves the current SB16 drivers from Creative Labs, which cause H2 to crash on some machines. The DirectSound drivers from Microsoft, available via the above-mentioned URL, fix this problem. It can also sometimes help to get the latest Windows drivers for your video adapter or sound card (although as the SB16 example indicates, this is not always a good idea), and for video boards that have flash BIOSes, it can sometimes help to get the latest BIOS upgrade. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds In-game message boxes "stick" on screen There are many text messages throughout the game that provide hints or story fragments. From time to time, especially in co-op, these boxes will "stick" to your screen and not disappear. This is a known bug that we are working on, but you can easily make the message box disappear by bumping up against the trigger. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Serial/modem menu is missing H2 currently does not support direct connect serial or modem play. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds How do I select fullscreen or windowed H2 operation? H2’s video options are accessible from the Options menu. There are two types of modes listed, windowed and fullscreen. You can make any of these modes the current and/or default mode. If you make a windowed mode the default, H2 will still briefly start up in fullscreen mode, then switch to windowed; if this is a problem, use the -startwindowed command-line switch. More complete video control is available through the console, as described in the "A bit about how H2 video works" section, below. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Gee, I wish I could use a mouse to play H2 with in a window You can! While in a windowed mode, go to the Options menu. At the bottom, you'll find a new selection that lets you choose to have the mouse active when you're in a window. Of course, if you do this, you'll have to use the keyboard (Alt-Tab, the Windows key, Ctrl-Esc, Alt-Esc, or Shift-Alt-Tab) to switch away from H2. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Problems running H2 on NT 3.51 NT 3.51 isn't supported by H2. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds H2 crashes while switching modes or Alt-Tabbing So far, all cases of this seem to be tied to Creative Lab's SB16 sound drivers, and have been fixed by getting the latest DirectX drivers, as described above. Alternatively, you should be able to fix this either by not switching modes or Alt-Tabbing, or by running -wavonly to disable DirectSound support. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds H2 sometimes runs pretty slowly fullscreen There are several possible reasons for this, starting with "You have a slow computer." Assuming that's not the case, you can sometimes get a faster 320x200 mode on Win95 by doing vid_describemodes, then using vid_mode to select a non-VGA 320x200 mode, as described in the "A bit about how H2 video works" section. You can also try using a primary sound buffer on Win95 (this doesn't work on NT) by using the -primarysound command-line switch; this can improve performance by several percent, but does not work on all systems, and can result in odd sound effects on some systems when minimizing H2 or switching the focus away from it. Finally, you can use -wavonly to select wave sound; this will increase your sound latency (sounds will be heard later than they should), but allows H2 to run 5-10% faster on some systems. That's about all you can do to speed up fullscreen H2 on Win95, other than shrinking the active area of the screen with the screen size control in the Options menu. NT 4.0 comes with DirectX installed, but doesn't have any resolutions lower than 640x480. In order to support a lower-resolution 320x240 mode, H2 has NT double each pixel in both directions to get enough pixels for 640x480. The extra stretching costs some performance, the result being that NT can seem sluggish on all but high-end Pentiums and Pentium Pros. (In fact, depending on the quality of your driver's stretching code, it can sometimes be faster to run H2 at 640x480 than 320x240-stretched on NT.) One thing that can help on NT is switching to 640x480, then using the Options menu to shrink the active area of the screen. A common cause of slowness running in a window is having the desktop run in 16- or 32-bpp mode. H2 is an 8-bpp application, and it slows things down if pixels have to be translated from 8-bpp to 16- or 32-bpp. (Note that this is generally a problem only when running in a window; fullscreen apps rarely suffer from this.) [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Sound is sluggish on NT NT doesn't have any real DirectSound drivers yet, so there's no way to do quick-response sound on NT. When DirectSound drivers for NT appear, H2's sound should automatically be snappier. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Sound breaks up or gets choppy, especially in menus This is generally a sign that H2's frame rate is too low on your system. Try reducing resolution or shrinking the active area of the screen. In some circumstances, it may help to set the console variable _snd_mixahead to a larger value. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds The color black doesn't change with palette flashes sometimes Normally, DirectDraw lets H2 change all 256 colors, so when a palette flash happens, we can change all the colors, including black. However, on NT DirectDraw currently doesn't allow changing black; likewise, on both NT and Win95, black can't be changed in a window, either a normal window or fullscreen. Consequently, in some modes and in a window, some parts of the H2 screen stay black when the palette flashes. There is no workaround. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Problems can result if Office shortcut bar is running Various odd behaviors, especially with sound, have been reported if the Office shortcut bar is running while H2 is running. If you experience odd problems, you might try shutting down the Office shortcut bar and see if that fixes anything. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Other apps fail to play sound while Hexen II is running The sound hardware is currently not a fully shareable resource on Win32. Consequently, while H2 is running, it always has the sound hardware allocated to itself, to make sure that sound is never lost to another app. This means that normally (when H2 is using DirectSound), apps that use wave sound (most non-game apps) will not be able to play sound while H2 is running, even if H2 is minimized or not the active app, although other DirectSound apps will be able to play sound when H2 is not the active app. If H2 is using wave sound rather than DirectSound (either because -wavonly is used on the command line, or because there is no DirectSound driver, as is always the case on NT), then no other app will be able to play any sound while H2 is running, period. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds H2 doesn't have quite the right colors when it’s not the active app We're working on fixing this. But H2 puts everything back again as soon as it is reactivated, and anyway, when it’s not active, you can’t actually do anything in H2, so it doesn’t really matter anyway, right? [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Desktop is weird colors when H2 runs windowed H2 needs all 256 colors to look right and run fast, which causes it to have to change some of the 20 colors used to draw the desktop. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Sometimes Permedia boards crash unless -nowindirect is used It looks like this is probably a Permedia driver bug, so it might help if you get the most recent drivers. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Right-click on H2 button in task bar to close doesn’t work as expected In some modes, right-clicking on the H2 task bar button doesn't work the way you'd expect. We're trying to fix this, but if it's a problem, don't right-click. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Screen saver never kicks in when running H2 fullscreen It does work windowed, but when Hexen II is fullscreen, it completely owns the screen and doesn't share it with anyone, even the screensaver. If you use Alt-Tab to minimize H2, the screensaver will then be enabled, so Alt-Tab away from H2 if you're leaving your computer alone for a while and want the screensaver to be able to kick in. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds H2 doesn’t work in a window in 16-color mode That’s 16 *colors*, not 16-bpp. If you’re still running a 16-color desktop, run H2 fullscreen. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Can't minimize window while mouse active When running in a window with the mouse active as a H2 input device, there is no easy way to minimize the window, because the system menu can't be brought up from the keyboard (because some of you use Alt and Spacebar for playing the game), and the mouse can't be used to manipulate the window because it's controlling H2. To minimize, you can disable the mouse for H2 and use it to minimize the window. Or on Win95 you can Alt-Tab away from H2, then use the mouse to minimize (this doesn't work on NT, where clicking on the window controls just reactivates H2). Or you can bind a key to the vid_minimize command, as in bind m "vid_minimize" and press that key to minimize the window. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Window controls don't work on NT when mouse enabled When running in a window on NT with the mouse enabled (so you can use the mouse to play H2), if you Alt-Tab away from H2, then use the mouse to click on the H2 system menu control, or the minimize, maximize, or close controls, the controls are ignored and H2 just reactivates. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Mouse sometimes vanishes in system menu on Win95 On Win95, if H2 is running in a window with the mouse enabled (so you can use the mouse to play H2), if you Alt-Tab away, then click on the system menu, the menu comes up, but the mouse vanishes. However, you can still use the keyboard to select system menu items, or to exit the system menu. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds H2 behaves oddly if Scandisk starts defragmenting If H2 is running fullscreen on Win95 when Scandisk starts an automatic defragging, H2 is forced to minimize, and when it is brought back up, may either be in a strange mode where it runs one frame for each keystroke (in which case Alt-Tab generally fixes things), or may hang the system. We don't know what the problem is right now, but you may want to make sure you don't leave H2 sitting there fullscreen overnight if you have automatic defragging. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Hang reported with zero sound volume When sound is turned all the way down via the H2 menus, hangs have been reported. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Joystick worked fine with earlier versions of Quake but not with Hexen II The joystick was enabled by default in earlier versions of WinQuake (the engine Hexen II is based upon), but quite a few people reported serious problems that forced them to disable the joystick--even some people who didn't have a joystick attached. Since most people don't have joysticks, we've decided to disable the joystick by default, and let people who do want to use it set joystick 1 in the console (Hexen II remembers this setting, so this only needs to be done once). [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds H2 runs very slowly when it has the focus under NT In one case, H2 ran very slowly when it had the focus, but fast when it didn't (obviously this is only visible in windowed modes). The problem turned out to be that NT had a Sidewinder 3D Pro joystick driver installed; when the driver was removed, things were fine. If you see a similar problem, check whether H2 is detecting that your system has a joystick when you don't think it should; if so, try doing "joystick 0", or -nojoy on the command line, and see if that fixes it. If so, there's something flaky in your system joystick setup. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Joystick doesn't seem calibrated properly H2 relies on the information about your joystick stored in the system registry. If the joystick seems miscalibrated, run the joystick applet and recalibrate and see if that fixes things. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Playdemo fails across multiple levels If "record" is used to record a client-side demo, bad things will happen on playback via playdemo if a level change is recorded. (Timedemo works fine.) This is unfortunate, but Hexen II internals make this not fixable without a good chance of breaking something more important, so it'll have to stay this way. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Alt-Tab fullscreen only works sometimes I know it seems that way, but actually the trick is that on Win95 it only works if you let go of Tab before you let go of Alt. This is due to a Windows quirk involving what key sequences are passed along, so you'll have to work around it by remembering to let go of Tab first. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds MS-DOS windows get scrunched on Alt-Tab This is a quirk of Windows; when you run Hexen II in a low-res mode, sometimes when you exit Hexen II or Alt-Tab back to the desktop, any open MS-DOS windows will be scrunched down to the size of the low-res mode. There is no known workaround. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Dprint in progs doesn't work Dprint means "developer print," so it only works if the developer console variable is set to 1. It was a bug in earlier versions that it worked even when developer was set to 0. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds The Windows key doesn't do anything fullscreen on Win95 True. This is a minor bug we haven't figured out how to fix yet. You'll have to use Ctrl-Esc, Alt-Tab, or Alt-Esc to switch away. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds My default mode is windowed, but H2 goes fullscreen first For internal reasons, H2 has to pick a single mode to always initialize when it starts up, before it sets whatever default you've selected. We've chosen fullscreen mode, because that's the way most people will play. If this is a problem for you, however, you can run H2 with the -startwindowed command-line parameter. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Some high-resolution video modes flicker or fail to initialize We think these problems are all fixed, but if not, they have to do with triple-buffering in some modes on some DirectDraw drivers. If you encounter this problem, either don't use the problem modes or try using the -notriplebuf command-line parameter to turn off triple buffering. Note, though, that turning off triple-buffering can reduce performance in some modes, so do this only if needed. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Right-click doesn't work right on minimized WinQuake If you right-click on minimized Hexen II on the task bar, the Close selection in the right-click menu doesn't work; you have to restore H2 before you can exit it. Also, the cursor vanishes over the right-click menu, although it still works. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds The screen briefly blanks when you exit H2 We're trying to fix this, but it's not harmful, just a mite ugly. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds QBENCH doesn't work with H2 We've had a report that QBENCH doesn't work with H2, but haven't had a chance to look into it yet. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds MWAVE sound loses focus We've had a report that on a ThinkPad with MWAVE sound, H2 loses sound focus (and thus sound) every few seconds. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Desktop doesn't reset to proper resolution on H2 exit We've had a report that on exiting H2, the desktop didn't reset to the proper dimensions. This may be a bug with the Matrox drivers, but we're not sure. If it's a problem and newer drivers don't fix it, you can run -dibonly, which solves the problem but can cost some performance. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Palette goes bad periodically on #9 Imagine card There's only one report of this, so maybe it's a flaky board, or maybe it's a driver bug. Newer drivers might help. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds System with Packard Bell sound card III crashes on CapsLock This appears to be the result of buggy DirectSound drivers; -wavonly makes the problem go away. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Dvorak keyboard mapping ignored H2 is hardwired for QWERTY. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Cursor messed up after running H2 This is a Windows driver bug; the driver isn't restoring the cursor properly on return from fullscreen H2 to the desktop. Try newer drivers. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Dedicated server runs very slowly while typing at console When you type at a dedicated server's console, the game runs very slowly for everyone who's connected. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Ctrl-Alt-Del on NT sometimes doesn't allow return to H2 This happens on some machines while running H2 fullscreen. If you experience this problem, the only workaround is not to press Ctrl-Alt-Del while fullscreen; Alt-Tab away first. [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds Many fast Alt-Tabs on Win95 sometimes disable H2 input If you Alt-Tab fast lots of times on Win95 with H2 running fullscreen, sometimes you end up in fullscreen H2, with the game not accepting any keyboard input (so there's no way to exit). The only workaround is to not do lots of fast Alt-Tabs (why you'd want to, I'm not sure). [INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds A bit about how H2 video works H2 has the built-in ability to draw into windows (both normal, framed desktop windows and fullscreen, borderless windows). It also has built- in support for VGA 320x200 graphics, and supports DirectDraw, VESA VBE 2.0 and VESA VBE/AF (Accelerator Functions) graphics modes, if those are available. H2 does not require VESA VBE, but in order for VESA VBE modes to be available, your graphics card must be VESA VBE 2.0 or VBE/AF compliant; a VESA driver can either be built into the BIOS of your graphics card, or loadable via software. Contact the original manufacturer of your video card to obtain software updates containing these drivers. Video modes supported in Win95 What all this means is that on Win95, H2 will always be able to run in the following modes: 1) in a window 2) fullscreen 320x200 VGA mode 0x13 3) fullscreen high-resolution of some sort Category #3 can be any of several configurations. On Win95, if either DirectDraw or VESA VBE modes are available, then all the DirectDraw and VESA modes will be presented as high-res choices. (320x200 will always default to VGA mode 0x13.) In the case that a given resolution is supported by both DirectDraw and VESA, the VESA mode will be used. (However, the command-line switch -nowindirect can turn off VESA modes entirely.) If neither DirectDraw nor VESA modes are available, then high-resolution modes will be provided by using fullscreen, borderless windows in whatever resolutions the Windows driver supports, usually starting at 640x480 and going up. Video Modes Supported in Windows NT NT is similar but not identical, because neither VESA VBE modes nor VGA mode 0x13 are available. On NT, H2 will always be able to run in the following modes: 1) in a window 2) fullscreen high-resolution of some sort On NT, category #2 can be one of two configurations. If DirectDraw modes are available, then those will be the high-res choices; otherwise, fullscreen, borderless windows will be used in whatever resolutions the driver supports, usually starting at 640x480 and going up. Because there is normally no low-resolution mode such as 320x200 or 320x240 on NT, a pseudo low-res mode is created by rendering at 320x240, then stretching the image by doubling it in each direction while copying it to a 640x480 screen. However, stretching performance depends on the driver, and can be slow, so sometimes 640x480 is actually faster than 320x240 on NT. The bottom line here is that you can generally just use the Video menu and pick one of the modes and be happy. In some cases, though, you may need to use command-line switches (described next) to get the types of modes you want. One useful tip is to go into the console and do vid_describemodes, which lists all the modes H2 makes available on your machine given the command-line switches you've used. Each mode is followed by the name of the internal H2 driver that supports it, so you can tell which modes are DirectDraw, VESA, and so on, as follows: WINDOWED: H2 runs in a normal window FULLSCREEN DIB: fullscreen borderless window FULLSCREEN VGA8.DRV: VGA 320x200 mode FULLSCREEN DDRAW8.DRV: DirectDraw mode FULLSCREEN LINEAR8.DRV: VESA VBE 2.0+ mode FULLSCREEN ACCEL8.DRV: VESA VBE/AF (Accelerator Functions) mode (note that H2 does not take advantage of VBE/AF acceleration; so far as H2 is concerned VBE/AF is the same as normal VBE) You can use vid_mode from the console to set any of these modes. So, for example, if you see that there are two 320x200 modes (such as one VGA mode 0x13, normally mode 3, and one VESA mode, normally mode 4), you can choose the VESA mode, which will often be faster, with vid_mode 4. (You can make it the default by setting _vid_default_mode_win to the mode number.) There's more to the windowed modes than you might think. 320x240 is just what you’d expect, but 640x480 is actually rendered at 320x240 and stretched up to 640x480, because most machines can’t handle the performance demands of real 640x480 rendering. Likewise, 800x600 is a stretched 400x300. Actually, though, vid_mode 2 (the 800x600 mode) is a user-configurable mode. By setting the following console variables, you can change the characteristics of vid_mode 2: vid_config_x: width of mode 2 window vid_config_y: height of mode 2 window vid_stretch_by_2: whether to render at half-resolution in each direction and stretch up to the specified size in mode 2, or render at full resolution. After setting these variables in the console, do a vid_forcemode 2, and you’ll have the window you specified. Note that after making these changes, the new resolution will show up as the third windowed mode in the Video menu. You can turn off page flipping by setting the console variable vid_nopageflip to 1, then setting a new mode. (Note that the vid_nopageflip setting does not take effect until the next mode set.) Some systems run faster with page flipping turned off; also, page flipping does not work properly on some adapters, and vid_nopageflip is a workaround for this. Note that vid_nopageflip is a persistent variable; it retains its setting until it is explicitly changed again, even across multiple Hexen II sessions. The vid_forcemode console command sets the specified mode, even if it's the same as the current mode (normally the mode set only happens if the new mode differs from the current mode). This is generally useful only if you've modified the characteristics of video mode 2 (the configurable window) while you're in mode 2, and want to force the new characteristics to take effect. Whenever you switch to running Hexen II in a window, the window is placed at the same location it was in the last time Hexen II ran in a window. You can reset the window position to the upper left by using the -resetwinpos command-line switch. The window position is stored in the vid_window_x and vid_window_y console variables. Video command-line switches The full list of video-related command-line switches is: -dibonly: H2 will use only windows (both normal, framed windows on the desktop and fullscreen, borderless windows), not any direct hardware access modes such as DirectDraw or VESA modes, or even VGA 320x200 mode. This is the closest thing to a guaranteed-to-run fullscreen mode H2 has. -nowindirect: H2 will not try to use VESA VBE 2.0 modes, or VBE/AF 1.0 or later modes. Note that if there are both DirectDraw and VESA modes for a given resolution, H2 will normally use the VESA mode; -nowindirect allows DirectDraw modes to be the preferred choice for all resolutions except 320x200. This can be useful if H2 is crashing because of a buggy VESA driver. -nodirectdraw: H2 will not try to use DirectDraw modes. This can be useful if H2 is crashing because of a buggy DirectDraw driver. -novbeaf: H2 will not try to use VBE/AF 1.0 or later modes. -startwindowed: H2 will come up in a windowed mode, without going fullscreen even during initialization. -noforcevga: normally, H2 uses VGA mode 0x13 for the default 320x200 mode, even if a DirectDraw or VESA 320x200 mode exists. However, DirectDraw and VESA modes can be considerably faster than mode 0x13, because they can set up a linear framebuffer with higher memory bandwidth. If you specify -noforcevga, the default 320x200 mode in the menu will be a DirectDraw or VESA mode if one exists. This has no effect on modes selected via the console variable vid_mode, and if 320x200 is already your video mode, -noforcevga doesn't do anything until you use the menu to select another mode, then select 320x200 again. (So if your default mode is 320x200 and you then specify -noforcevga, switch away to some other mode and then back to 320x200 to get the potentially faster 320x200 mode.) The downside to this switch is that DirectDraw and VESA modes can cause problems in some systems, due to driver bugs or hardware incompatibilities; if you experience problems with this switch, don't use it. -noautostretch: don't stretch windowed modes selected with -startwindowed to double resolution. -nofulldib: don't use fullscreen, borderless windows, even if there are no DirectDraw or VESA modes available. -allow360: allow listing of 360-wide modes in the video mode menu. These are normally filtered out to make sure the menu doesn't get too full, which could cause high-res modes not to be displayed. A bit about how H2 sound works H2 can use either DirectSound or Windows wave output to generate sound. If DirectSound is available, it is used; if not, if wave sound is available it is used; and if neither is available, there is no sound. DirectSound results in the best sound quality, and also the lowest-latency sound; use it if you can, because you will be happier with the results. (Note, though, that no NT sound drivers yet support DirectSound.) Wave sound will often have high latency, lagging the events that generate sound by hundreds of milliseconds on some machines. You can tell what kind of sound H2 uses on your system by looking at the startup portion of the console; you will see either "DirectSound initialized" or "Wave sound initialized" (neither message is printed if there's no sound). Any sound failure messages will also be printed in the startup portion of the console. Note that H2 generates sound only when it is the active app, the one with the input focus. Sound command-line switches The full list of sound-related command-line switches is: -wavonly: don’t use DirectSound, but use wave sound if available. Note that wave sound is generally faster than DirectSound, but has considerably greater latency. This switch is redundant on NT, because all sound output on current NT drivers is wave sound. -nosound: don’t output any sound. -primarysound: use DirectSound primary buffer output. This is generally faster than normal secondary buffer output, but does not work in some systems, and produces odd sound glitches on minimization and focus switching in other systems. Use it at your own risk, and please do not report sound bugs if you're using this switch. -snoforceformat: H2 will not try to force the sound hardware to 11 KHz, 16 bits per sample. This may be useful if DirectSound is failing for no apparent reason, but generally H2 will produce better sound and better performance if this switch is not used. Notes on networking The winsock TCP/IP driver will not cause a dial-up internet connection to automatically start up when Quake is started. If you start Quake with it inactive, the connection will be activated when you either try to connect to a server or search for local servers. The local IP address will not always be known at startup. If it is currently unknown the menu will display "INADDR_ANY". This will be replaced with the real address when it is known. The IP address will become known when you try to connect to a server, you search for local servers, or you start a server. For multi-homed machines (machines with more than one network adapter and IP adress), you can force Hexen II to bind to a specific IP address. There is a command line option "-ip" that takes an IP address as its parameter. Notes on the mouse If DirectInput is installed and functioning, Hexen II can use it for mouse input, but does not do so automatically because DirectInput does not work properly on all systems. DirectInput can be enabled via the command-line switch -dinput. If DirectInput is not available or is not enabled, Hexen II uses the normal Windows mouse APIs instead. DirectInput provides slightly smoother motion; also, it tends to be more responsive to fast spinning motions, and we recommend that you use it if it works properly on your system. You can determine if H2 uses DirectInput on your system when you use -dinput by checking for "DirectInput initialized" in the startup console text. If not, you might try installing DirectX 3 (note, though, that as I write this there is no released DirectInput support for Windows NT, only Win95). Special thanks Special thanks for help with WinQuake to: Michael Abrash, John Carmack, James Barnes, Kendall Bennett, Raymond Chen, John Colleran, Andrew Goossen, Mike Harrington, Chris Hecker, Todd Laney, Scott Ludwig ...and all the beta testers! [LINK]-[IMAGE] Back to top _________________________________________________________________ HEXEN II 3D ACCELERATED ENGINE 3D ACCELERATORS The hardware world is changing so fast that it is impossible for us to test, or even list, every 3D accelerator card with GLHexen. While some cards work extremely well, we cannot guarantee that your card will work as expected. How GL Works: The executable relies on the OpenGL library created by 3Dfx to support their Voodoo graphics cards. If you have a non-Voodoo graphics board that fully supports OpenGL, you can try removing the file Opengl32.dll from the Hexen II directory. This will force the program to use the GL library installed with your card's drivers. However, there are no guarantees that this will work. If you are using a Voodoo graphics board and are still having trouble getting GLHexen working, we suggest reinstalling your manufacturer's run-time Glide drivers (not the Direct3D drivers if there is an option between the two). Click here to go to the 3Dfx driver page. Other popular manufacturer's driver pages are Diamond Multimedia's driver page, and Orchid's driver page. Special thanks to Gary McTaggart at 3Dfx for helping us write GLHexen! [LINK]-[IMAGE] Back to top _________________________________________________________________ DirectX 3a Upon completion of the Hexen II setup, the installation process will continue by determining if Microsoft DirectX 3a needs to be installed on your computer. If so, the Microsoft DirectX 3a setup program will install the appropriate files on your computer. If you choose not to install DirectX 3a, and you find that later you need to install DirectX 3a, follow these directions. With the Hexen II disc in your CD-ROM drive, install Microsoft DirectX 3a by right mouse clicking on the Hexen II CD icon to get the Context menu. From that menu, select Install DirectX. Who makes DirectX and how can I contact them? Microsoft created DirectX. If the answer to the question you are looking for is not found on this page, you may want to contact Microsoft via mail at: Microsoft Customer Sales and Service One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052-6399, USA Microsoft can also be reached in the USA at (800) 426-9400, or internationally at +1(206) 882-8080. What is DirectX and why do I need it? Microsoft's DirectX 3a is an API (Application Programming Interface) set that increases the speed at which games play under the Windows 95 operating system. These APIs allow direct access to the enhanced features of hardware under Windows 95. With DirectX 3a, a program has instant access to the hardware, allowing for great advances in graphics, sound, video, 3-D, and network capabilities of games. Since Windows 95 and DirectX 3a are relatively new in the computer world and have not achieved compatibility with some older video cards, many manufacturers are releasing updated drivers for Windows 95 to meet the DirectX standard. If you are not sure about your video card's compatibility, consult the company that makes your video card. If the Microsoft DirectX Installer does not detect DirectX 3a on your computer, it can install DirectX 3a for you. After installation is complete, you will need to restart your computer in order for DirectX 3a to take effect. If you have other Windows 95 games on your computer, chances are you already have an earlier version of DirectX installed on your computer. In this case, the Microsoft Installer will overwrite that version with DirectX 3a. The DirectX installation process will then be complete. You will need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect. If you already have DirectX 3a installed on your computer, the Microsoft DirectX 3a installer will detect it and not overwrite any DirectX 3a files. You will not need to restart your computer after installation in order to run Hexen II. DirectX 3a should not affect any titles designed for the original version of DirectX. Should you encounter difficulties with DirectX 3a, please contact Microsoft for further information. How do I check to see if my computer supports DirectX? 1. Place the disc in the CD-ROM drive and exit from any AutoPlay screens. 2. Double-click on "My Computer". 3. Right-click on your CD-ROM drive and choose Install DirectX. If any of the components of DirectX are not certified, please call your hardware manufacturer for the updated drivers that support DirectX. I am having problems with running Hexen II and think it might be related to my Direct X installation. What should I do? If you experience problems running Hexen II, try turning off the "Enable 3D Acceleration" option in the DirectX setup program. To disable 3D Acceleration, double click on the dxsetup icon located in Program Files\DirectX\Setup. Uncheck the option for 3D acceleration in the middle of the DXSetup window. I have heard DirectX is not compatible with some video cards. What can you tell me about that? Windows 95 and DirectX are relatively new in the computer world and have not achieved compatibility with some older video cards. Many manufacturers are releasing updated drivers to meet the DirectX standard. If you are not sure about your video card's compatibility, consult the Vendor List for the company that makes your video card. If I don't have DirectX, will Hexen II install it for me? Yes. If the Microsoft DirectX Installer does not detect DirectX on your computer, it will install DirectX for you. After installation is complete, you will need to restart your computer in order for DirectX to take effect. If the DirectX Installer copied over a previous version, will the UnInstaller remove DirectX 3a? How will this affect my other Windows 95 games? DirectX 3a will remain on your computer and you will be able to run other Windows 95 games that use Microsoft’s DirectX libraries. DirectX 3a should not affect any titles designed for the original version of DirectX. Should you encounter difficulties with DirectX 3a, please contact Microsoft for further information (address and phone number listed above). How do I restore my video and/or audio drivers once DirectX has been installed? 1. Place the disc in the CD-ROM drive and exit from any AutoPlay screens. 2. Double-click on "My Computer". 3. Right-click on your CD-ROM drive and choose Install DirectX. Choose the button that satisfies your need (e.g. Restore Audio drivers). This process will install your previous drivers and prompt you to restart Microsoft Windows. The following manufacturers suggest running DirectX 3a with their products using the configurations listed below. If you need further assistance, please contact your video card manufacturer directly. Diamond Multimedia Stealth SE Stealth 64 Graphics 2000 Stealth 64 Video 2000 Stealth 64 Video 3000 Stealth Video 2001 Stealth Video 2001\TV Stealth Video 2500 Stealth 3D 2000 If problems are encountered with the above Diamond Multimedia video cards, we recommend that you restore your video card drivers. Instructions are as follows: 1. Place the game disc in the CD-ROM drive and exit from any AutoPlay screens. 2. Double-click on "My Computer". 3. Right-click on your CD-ROM drive and choose Install DirectX. 4. Click on the button labeled “Restore Video drivers.” STB Powergraph64 with Vision 95 We have experienced numerous problems with STB video cards running the STB Vision 95 set of display tools. Please uninstall your STB Vision 95 display tools by reinstalling the STB drivers without the STB Vision 95 display tools if you experience any problems playing Hexen II. ATI Mach 64 If you experience problems running with an ATI Mach 64, click on your Start Button and select Run, then type SYSTEM.INI. Click OK. Locate the section within the file labeled [Display] and add the line STRETCHENGINE=0 Example: [Display] STRETCHENGINE=0 Click on File, then choose Save. Click on File then choose Exit to leave your System Configuration editor. Reboot the system and try playing Hexen II again. [INLINE] Back to top _________________________________________________________________ THE HEXEN II TEAM Raven Project Director: Brian Raffel Programming Lead Programmer: Rick Johnson Programmers: Ben Gokey, Bob "The Doctor" Love, Mike Gummelt Additional Programming: Josh Weier Design Lead Design: Eric Biessman Designers: Brian Raffel, Brian Frank, Tom Odell Art Art Director: Brian Pelletier Artists: Shane Gurno, Jim Sumwalt, Mark Morgan, Kim Lathrop, Ted Halsted, Rebecca Rettenmund, Les Dorscheid Animators: Mike Werckle, Brian Schubart Cinematics: Jeff Dewitt, Jeffrey P. Lampo Audio Music: Kevin Schilder Sound: Kevin Schilder, Chia Chin Lee Activision Producer: Steve Stringer Localization Producer: Sandi Isaacs Marketing Product Manager: Henk Hartong European Marketing Product Director: Janine Johnson Marketing Associate: Kevin Kraff Senior Quality Assurance Lead: Tim Vanlaw Quality Assurance Lead: John Tam Quality Assurance Team: Steve Rosenthal, Mike Spann, Steve Elwell, Igor Krinitskiy, Ian Stevens, Winnie Lee, Kelly Wand and David Baker Additional QA and Support: Tony Villalobos, Marilena Wahmann, Jason Sullivan, Kip Stolberg, Dale Son, David Santos, and Daniel McDonald Documentation: Mike Rivera, Sylvia Orzel, Belinda Vansickle Chronicle of Deeds written by: Joe Grant Bell Localization: Nathalie Dove, Lucy Morgan, Alex Wylde, Nicky Kerth Installer by: Steve Stringer, Adam Goldberg, Tanya Martino, Eric Schmidt, Ronnie Lane Video Services: Chris Hepburn, Brian Bright, Kenny Ramirez Art Assistance by: Carey Chico and Franz Boehm Production Assistance by: Jonathan Eubanks Special Thanks To: E.H.S., JKay, & Lairdo BizDev Babe: Jamie Bafus And... Deal Guru: Mitch Lasky id Thanks to Id software: John Carmack Adrian Carmack Kevin Cloud Barrett "Bear" Alexander American McGee Published by: Id Software, Inc. The Id Software Technology used under license in Hexen II™ © 1996, 1997 Id Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. [LINK]-[IMAGE] Back to top _________________________________________________________________ Hexen II™ ©1997 Raven Software Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Id Software, Inc. software code contained within Hexen II™ © 1996 Id Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Raven Software Corporation. Published by Id Software, Inc. Distributed by Activision, Inc. under sublicense. Hexen® is a registered trademark and Hexen II™ is a trademark of Raven Software Corporation. The Id Software name and the id logo are trademarks of Id Software, Inc. Activision® is a registered trademark of Activision, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective companies. 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