"Against the Clock" gets started!!!.

[Danimetal]

Sure, I posted the last maps and mods thread about something I was experimenting with... Now this is barely the same but a little evolved *bliss* ...

Nah, serious, I worked in a script that lets you play against the clock and worked it a little until it was something that you can see (results in the other thread :P... Notice how I say "see" since it´s unplayable!!!)... The result of this work is my intention to do a set of levels for it with more features than the original, so I gave it a name ("Against the clock") and started to work.

What´s "Against the Clock" about?. Well, you start a level with an amount of time and have to run through it solving riddles, platform passages, avoiding traps, killing monsters and such. What happens when the time runs out?. You die. How do you avoid dying?. Easy, picking up nice hourglasses (I know, I ripped them from Heretic, sorry :() that extend your time, passing through checkpoints and things like that :).

The whole thing is a standard script (to be included in any level so anyone can make their own) wich I´m currently developing. It works but as I come with new ideas for powerups and features I re-do it (resulting in a total mess!!!). As far as I go it has three powerups and two special features regarding time... I don´t hope I can add more since that´s v.1.42 limitations without going crazy with fake-pickups. I hope I can do something about that with v.2.0 :).

The current status of the project?. Just starting. I finished the "Tutorial" map and I will start planing new levels for it and developing the main script as I go.

In the "I would like to add section" there are:

-Lives (and extra lives) to make it feel more arcade... But I think I can´t with V1.42 since I can´t carry a variable from a level to another (sure I can if I do some trick with the ammunition *spin* but Hexen globals could do better).
-Score... Same as before.
-New powerups (flying, underwater oxygen...) that can be done with FS but guess are easier to do once Heretic compatibility is made easier.
-End bosses... But I´m still not there!!!.

I would post a screenshot or two but the "Tutorial" map looks so bad by now that I´m embarassed *bliss* . I hope I can carry on with news for this thing soon. As always, any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks.

[wario]

hey... i just wanted to say i havent started the map yet.... but ill start it soon.. i just have allot projects and school now :(.... it might be done uhm maybe over 2 weeks

anyway im looking foward to see when its done

[jnsg]

-Lives (and extra lives) to make it feel more arcade... But I think I can´t with V1.42 since I can´t carry a variable from a level to another (sure I can if I do some trick with the ammunition *spin* but Hexen globals could do better).
What about hub globals?
From Legacy FS Docs: "Hub global variables persist between levels and can be accessed and modified by scripts in any level until the current cluster ends."

hub int visitedSwamp = 0;

[Danimetal]

But I think that in order to do Hub Globals we have to be able to work with hubs first... This is something we can´t do still, can we?... Besides, I think that "cluster" is Hexen talk :).

Anyhow, it really gives me some headaches. I can´t resurrect the player with FS (I must have supposed that) and anything like "If player´s life is minor than 1 set it to 100" is not likely to work. Maybe I´ll just remove that feature... I thought of some others that will have to wait for 2.0 though so this is more likely to be released (if ever) for 2.0.

[Danimetal]

Update time!!!.

Wow!!!. It´s the first ever I update something, feels pretty exciting :P... Nah, enough of it.

At the current time I have plans for the project... And most of them need of v2.0 features to work so in order to make the gameplay nicer I will release this for Legacy v2.0 once it´s done (I hope I learn of these new features)... It will be a small file, maybe about four or five maps but as far as I´m done they´re somehow hard to beat, you know, the old-school arcade feel ;).

What we´ve got so far is:
-Tutorial level done (but things will be added to it as the mod gets new features).
-Level one almost done (really, almost!!). It´s a small place full of open spaces and... I love it. I hope you will too :).
-Full working scripts for time, items and so on.

I´ve made three screenshots to illustrate this update a little. They don´t look exactly crystal clear and Corel did some strange things when changing format but... Here they are :):

A shot of the tutorial map.

http://www.geocities.com/danimarlboro/hosted/sshot1.txt

A shot of an indoor place of Level 1.

http://www.geocities.com/danimarlboro/hosted/sshot2.txt

A shot of the first place you visit in Level 1.

http://www.geocities.com/danimarlboro/hosted/sshot3.txt

I promise to take better and more spectacular screenshots next time *crazy* .
Any comments are welcome.

[wario]

they look pretty good.
i dont think it needs extra detail

[Danimetal]

In Jetflock´s fashion, I made a website for "Against the clock" where I can post all the news, screenshots, progress and things about it so I don´t write that much around here ;).
I will update the site with things as they come up and then tell about those updates here. So, well, the site adress is http://www.freewebs.com/danimarlboro/index.htm . Yes, freewebs XD!.
Thanks.

[Danimetal]

An update has been made to the site. You know, at first these things go fast until you lose all interest ;). More screenshots have been added (I would like to have more but I don´t want to spoil things and there´s not enough places to shot in the actual maps), sections of the site have been completed or created, text added and corrected here and there... Hope you visit and enjoy. Here´s the link (it´s also in my signature, maybe it´s annoying...)

http://www.freewebs.com/danimarlboro/index.htm .

Of course, all comments are welcome :).

[rustyslacker]

i think since this mod has an arcade feel to it, u should have a mode that will let you play with respawning monsters that eventually overwhelm the player like survival from Reflexive Entertainment's "Crimsonland". is this do-able?

[Danimetal]

Hmmm... I think the old Doom had a "Respawn" command line function and so Legacy should... I also think that you can make some kind of loop that revives all dead monsters each certain time (with FraggleScript). Any of the two could do the job.

But, in all honesty, I´m not getting the feel I thought of. There´s some of the old arcades where you had to learn all levels by heart (ah... Contra...) if you wanted to survive in hard dificult levels but the way the thing is (lots of fall down and die pits and such...) and the way Doom works (you respawn at the beginning of the level and not at a checkpoint) makes hard to get the whole feel :(.

Also, playing the maps I don´t think respawning is a good idea. Don´t get me wrong: I appreciate your suggestion but the way the maps are done would make them damn hard!. Still, there´s always that command option if you want to try :).

I hope Legacy v2.0 handles more savegame slots and some "Checkpoint save" function so you could restart from some other point than the beggining.

[Danimetal]

Another update has been done to the site... It has little updates here and there each day or two days (or even three :P) but it would be pointless to tell about them. You can scroll above to get the link to the site.
What has been added?. Text, more text, some spoiling text and some screenshots. Again the image quality is not precisely excellent but it works without spoiling (yes, I know, most angles look lame). I hope you visit and enjoy (and also hope that I reach the 100 visitors :P, it´s really near).
Thanks.

[Danimetal]

And yet another update to the site where three more screenshots (as interesting stuff) and a bunch of text (for interested people) can be found...

I´m satisfied with the pace of the mod, it´s look, it´s gameplay and it´s character so I may release some demo or beta testing for it (and also to generate a little interest in it since it will be too big to be in "Newstuff" XD!) once I finish one more level... Still, if Legacy v2.0 comes out before I will re-think all levels and that beta will have to wait. Supposing, of course, that I actually release something to the public and not to a few betatesters :P.
Anyway, if you visit enjoy the update in http://www.freewebs.com/danimarlboro/index.htm and don´t forget to drop a little feedback :).

Thanks.

[Danimetal]

And yet another update... The same site, new contents, more text, a new screenshot, more text and a complete lack of feedback XD!.

I´m doing nice progress on the mod itself since levels are taking shape and I could say that more than the 50% of the mapping work for the first world has been done (that´s more than I´ve ever done in one of these projects!!). Surely it would be much quicker in a team, but I see this as a personal work... Well, not exacly, I´m getting help from Psyren in the texture departament that is proving to be quite valuable :).

Anyway, if you haven´t been there before, want to see what it is about or just want to see what´s new visit http://www.freewebs.com/danimarlboro/index.htm ... More than 200 visitors :P.

[Frades]

Just looked at the screenshots on your webpage.. some of them look quite nice.
I hope the gameplay will be just as good.

[Danimetal]

So do I... But, in all honesty, I can´t tell if people like the way it plays or will find it extremely frustrating.

[Danimetal]

Hmm... I just feel like telling the mod is still alive!. Small updates to the site here and there, nothing big but a bunch of text XD!. Nearer it´s completion now, sure :P.

Also, I read the comment Frades made before... I got to tell you it´s not a regular Doom mod in the way it plays, since it´s quite... How could I tell?... Yeah, Choreographic, it´s quite choreographic at times. I don´t know if it will get popular or if people will ever play beyond the first level so I will surely add a mode where it plays like a regular Doom mod (and also allows to chose the level you want to play, why not?) without the frustration and such. This way maps can be played and hardcore gamers can try with different levels of difficulty later :).

[Danimetal]

Finally, another update to the site :). This time it comes with three new screenshots of "World 1-4" as well as with reports about the status of the project, what´s left to be done and what´s currently being done, wich means a lot... A lot of text, sure! ... Also, we´re in 700 people who have visited, that´s a record for me :P, I´d like to give thanks to all the visitors to the site (subtracting my own visits, of course) and I´d also like to ask for some feedback since I´d like to know what you think or expect of this project (there´s a contact mail at the bottom of the index page, in case you´re interested).

Also there´s something I didn´t mention before in this thread and it´s the creation of a small section of my Doom Wads. Currently there are only two of them, both Legacy and both to be played in DM but I will try to make this number grow when I feel like working in a thing other than "Against the Clock" (http://www.freewebs.com/danimarlboro/index.htm) :).

Thanks for your patience and attention.

[MR_ROCKET]

Lookin good danimetal ;)

[rustyslacker]

looks cool yo.

[Danimetal]

For those who are interested, the project is still alive. Actually, a beta has been assembled for my personal testing and use and I can tell you it works (at least in my computer ;)). Of course, lots of things are to be implemented (the "To Do" list is relatively big) but all of them are reachable goals... In fact, I could release this for v1.42 if it wasn´t for the fact that I want more and this more will be available only with Bex Codepointers. I don´t mind waiting, I can even make World 2 in the process ;).

So far you could be glad to know that the file is not quite big: about 10mb unzipped. Of course, that is without the mp3 music, that´s why I´m planning to release a separate wad with mp3 musics, being the main wad Midi only.

Lots of things have been added but no screenies of them are on the site yet. In fact, you´d only notice if you read the "Daily reports" on the site... Anyway, the biggest leap made has been a nice optimization of the "Master Script" that controls all the maps. Now I think it´s more "Author friendly" since you don´t even need to look at it to map for "Against the Clock" :P, it´s also smaller and somewhat better organized than before.

So, well, as I said in the beggining, I just wanted to let you know that this project is still alive and on its way.

[Danimetal]

Here´s a duplicate of a reply I posted to my own thread in the "Showcase" forums:

"Against the Clock" Doom Legacy Mod site has moved to a new page hosted by www.teamhellspawn.com!!!. Right in New Against the Clock site!. you will find the new site!.
The The Marlboro Man Pages. will continue to be up but will take care of another topics.

Yes, we´ve moved to another location and that implies a new layout, more information and a big "Thank you" to DooMad :). Check the new site: New Against The Clock site!!. (http://www.teamhellspawn.com/againsttheclock/index.html)
Thanks!.

[MR_ROCKET]

Hey freaking Awesome !
And I was just about to say, isnt it time for someone to push out some maps?
BeholT nice work guys :)

[Danimetal]

Thanks Mr.Rocket... And about the maps, well, this is a one-man team so surely it has to go slow. Anyway, if you´re patient enough you may get a surprise soon. Stay tuned!.

[Danimetal]

Another update!!!.

Since the last time I posted I added a few things to the "Against the Clock" (http://www.teamhellspawn.com/againsttheclock/index.html) site, mainly a couple of "Related art" entries and two music files: the intro music in both mp3 and midi!!!. Also, a couple of sites (our generous host and this very same newdoom) have been added to the "Links" section. Sure, there are much more to come, but I´d like to contact people individually and have not found time for it yet!.

As always, massive text and updates to the project status have been done so you can get to know what exactly the status is and try to guess how much is left to be done. If you´re hungry for reading and have nothing better to do, try the "Daily reports" where you will get to know the thoughts for each day of work on the mod. That´s a true record for history!!!.

In case you drop by, don´t forget to step on the "Contact" section and please, send me a mail about the site, the mod, your thoughts about them, suggestions, cheering, whatever you want :).

And that´s all!.

[Danimetal]

I´m keeping the site and project alive, so here´s another update to them :).

From the last time I reported here I added something that I wanted to since I started the fifth level in the mod: screenshots. Now you can get a glimpse of what this new level looks like but, as always, I wouldn´t expect me revealing eye candy or impressive stuff in these images. Those are being kept (as many other things) for the moment it´s released and anyone can play it :). The "anyone" is meant to be taken literally since I´m doing my best to make this compatible with both software and hardware modes so people with not powerful computers can also play. I´d need some test with old computers but surely I´ll make them when the time comes.

Finally, I would like to trade links soon so in case you have a nice site related to Doom (about Doom itself or with your levels, mods, works...) don´t hesitate to drop me a PM here or a mail in the "contact" section of the mod to talk about business :).

As a reminder, the new site is located at http://www.teamhellspawn.com/againsttheclock/index.html .

Thanks for your time :).

[Danimetal]

Time for another update!!.

Since I will be out for a trip and I won´t be able to take care of the mod and the site for a small period of time I decided to update it again :). What´s new?.

First of it all, a poll. I´ve decided you can help me choose some directions in some matters so please, visit the "Participation" part at the bottom of the main page and vote there in the current poll: "Should there be an "Against the Clock" teaser??" :).

Second, some cleaning up, a new screenshot, the usual bunch of text and all that stuff in the "Progress" section in case you want to know exactly how much is left to be done or what to do next.

Third, links. Added some links but still need more... Anyone willing?.

Thanks for your time.

[Danimetal]

The site and mod seem to be back to life...

I added little text to the website depicting exactly what I did on the actual wad file: warming up and getting ready to tweak the already existing five maps on it. There´s not a lot of work left to do on them since almost everything is working as expected but there are still two (really three) maps to be done and a lot of Legacy v2.0 implementation to go... Anyway, I hope I can release this shortly after Legacy v2.0 is out...

And, as said before, I am in need of links to other mods and doom sites. You´re welcome to mail me in case you want to crosslink with this site.

[FATAL]

Be sure to punch me in the face when you release this.

[MR_ROCKET]

How bout we just push some barrels in front of you and wait to see what happens?*wacky*

[Danimetal]

It´s time for an avatar change... Do it when released :P...

As always, I have to say that anyone expecting your regular Doom gameplay will be dissapointed. That thing is damn hard and needs a lot of learning of the maps to slowly conquer them... I guess I´ll do a lot of tweaking in the testing stages, but I´d like to keep it difficult enough to be interesing and challenging but only a bit frustrating. In defense of my mod I have to say that it completely implements different skill levels suitable for a lot of players ;)... I will also recommend to try it in higher skills when finished since that´s the only way to unlock the complete ending (as planned).

[MR_ROCKET]

Awesome ;)

[Danimetal]

In my language that means that you instantly applied for beta-testing :P.

[ace]

Sounds very kewl. Looking forward to it. :D

[Osiris's_Legacy]

This is looking to be an ultimate MOD. Played the Testing grounds.wad yesterday. Kepp up the good work. Also I was just wondering how do you get the Chaingun to fire faster like you did in this MOD?

[Danimetal]

Thanks for your comments. I hope that it turns out to be a fun mod :).

About the chaingun, the only thing I did was to change the duration of the chaingun firing states with WhackEd (you can do it with Dehacked too) and then put the dehacked lump into the wad. A new world of possibilities regarding Dehacked is yet to come with Legacy v2.0.