We got a post from one of our users over at the Gameplayer forums where he linked to a small but fun game he and some others had put together. It's a simple but challenging puzzle game in cosy pixel-graphic retrostyle. I have taken a liking to it and I urge you all to download it.
It's hosted here.
It's well worth the download. Tilt on. Oh, and if you solve level 32, give me a hint. I'm stuck.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Monday, September 25, 2006
Those crazy germans
Ok, this is from Starmania, the german equivalent of Idol. During the early takeouts this guy enters the stage and starts to sing "The Brimstone Gate", a song made by the Umeå-based black metal band Naglfar.
Not only is it such a sorry call for attention, he really sucks at it too. Has he ever heard of lungs? The jury seems kinda unaffected tho.
Not only is it such a sorry call for attention, he really sucks at it too. Has he ever heard of lungs? The jury seems kinda unaffected tho.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Friday, September 08, 2006
Doom 4 life!
Well, as promised here is the link to download my Doom 2-levels: ZIPPED ARCHIVE
I'd recommend using the Doom Legacy engine to play it since that's what I optimised it for some time ago (Using DoomEd and ZenNode. It was however originally built with a fairly early version of DCK for DOS).
The levels are not 100% finished. Some are more final than others, but in a few you'll find some texture misalignments and other oddities. They are all 100% playable though. All seven of them. There is an eight map that I began designing but never finished. All in all the .wad was supposed to have like 15 levels all in all, and I had a storyline, proper levelnames and everything written for it, but all I have left is the raw levels in this wad. I wish I had finished it because I'm quite sure I will never get to it now. I have forgotten half of the concepts I had in mind and besides, I doubt anyone will actually play it anyway, even though I post it here.
The levels are all designed to be a challenge (or at least a challenge to me and my own skills back then), and to keep the player on toes. I implemented many ideas where I wanted to challenge the traditional gameplay encouraged by the Doom-games. The players usually had to think a bit extra about what they actually were doing, so it is wise to be careful and pay extra notice. Although I think some of my ideas were fresh back then, by todays standards they are fairly simple.
All levels can be completed even though you only start with a single gun. It was one of my most important designchoices and personal challenges. Make every level being completeable by starting from scratch, while not giving too large an advantage to people that play through them all subsequently. There's also a lot of thought put into making it enjoyable in coop-mode. A lot of secrets and stuff are much more easilly revealed in coop. Oh, talking about secrets, I love secrets. There's lots of secrets, all over the place. If ever stuck, just try pushing or shooting walls or panels that look suspicious. You never know what will happen, a trap or a reward? You'll find out.
Level 1: Castle 1 entrance
This was actually the third level I ever designed. It was after I started to flesh out the concept and story I had in mind when I made my first two levels. Anyway, this level is a parantesis. It's there to introduce the type of gameplay style I expected to base my levels on. Everything is not what it seems. It doesn't hold in itself any concepts or ideas that make it unique, but rather a simplified version of everything else I made. Not too fond of this level and was always thinking about giving it a proper update, but never gotten around to. In my book it is a raw incomplete version of what it could have been.
There is both a double barreled shotgun and a chainsaw on this level. Can you find them? Not that you need them anyway, if you save your ammo that is. The exit is that diamondshaped hole.
Level 2: Castle 1 basement
This is the first Doom-level I ever made. This means that almost everything in it is ideas that appeared when I wanted to exercise the Doom-engines possibilities and limitations. It is therefor a weird mix of typical Doom-design and some really unorthodox thinking. The level has a small bug regarding an early secret area if you play coop, but you really need to mess up to do it anyway. I really like this level, it is hard and fun to play. First half is pretty straightforward (if you find the lightbutton to the left) with a few surprises while the second half is really starting to mess around by morphing parts of the level. I love my corridor of slaughter, where the chaingun or plasmagun comes in very handy (if you can find the latter that is). I just love to kill those marine zombies in dozens.
Since it's my first level ever the gameplay at a few instances tend to be a little trial an error, much because it's an uneven mix of many ideas and concepts. I was learning as I went on. Anyway, a small tip: exit is just by the entrance.
Level 3: Mountain outpost
This is a level I like a lot but that some of my friends found confusing because of it's labyrinth nature. The story behind it is that you must activate the generator that powers the outposts electric system to get in, so you can get the key you need to progress. It's fun and it has some nice traps I really like as well as some bonus secrets that are just flavors, like a small blood waterfall in the end that you can access if you click the right pillar. Anyway, it introduces the Wolfenstein nazi troops, which made sense with the storyline I had for it, but might be confusing otherwise. I needed more human-type models. They fit the purpose. Here are some areas that are ONLY accessible in coop if you know how (Another of those concepts I was playing around with a lot).
Level 4: Castle 2 entrance
Begins like most of my levels exactly at the point where the previous ended. Some of my favourite traps are implemented in this level. It also probably has the most sadistic exit of all my levels. You'll understand when you get there. Gameplay in this one differs a lot in coop since you can work around the traps in completely different ways. Although I love some of my concepts in this level to pieces I was never truly satisfied with it. It lacks something to spice it up a little, and the end might just be over the top annoying to most.
Level 5: Castle 2 interior
This is my personal favourite of all the levels I made. It tries to simulate a feeling of true 3D-space in a medieval castle environment. The objective is to raise the 2 bridges to the tower at the far side of the lavafield. Not as easy as you think, since it requires exploring both attics, cellars and towers of the castle. If you ever play these levels I'd really want to get feedback on this one. It has a weird bug though, just by the exit all sound is muted. It's just for that sector which is weird. Never figured out why.
Level 6: Mining Facilities
Here I tried mixing up my own designstyle with the traditional Romero-style of Doom. It has a small bug with lightvalues in a few sectors. I tried fixing it with DoomEd recently, but didn't get it to work properly. If you find it too dark, just up the lights. Anyway, the yellow key can be found in two places. One obvious, and one not so obvious. Oh. Traps. Beware. Can you get into that lonely tower by the way? Oh, and the puzzle to raise and lower the ramp seems harder than it is. Trust me.
Level 7: Old Mines
Last level I ever finished designing. Also one of my absolute favourites. It ended up exactly as I had anticipated, and encourages exploring in the same way the castle level does. It's probably my most straightforward level though, but that is what I wanted to achieve with it also. If all levels follow the same patterns it becomes too obvious.
Level 8: Scattered Outposts (unfinished)
In this level I aimed to work with contrast. Big landscapes and small narrow corridors mixed together. Shame the Doom-engine isn't really made for landscaping, but at least I tried (and yes, failed utterly). Big antclimax though, for the level ends quite abruptly, just as things get interesting. Never got time to finish it.
I'd recommend using the Doom Legacy engine to play it since that's what I optimised it for some time ago (Using DoomEd and ZenNode. It was however originally built with a fairly early version of DCK for DOS).
The levels are not 100% finished. Some are more final than others, but in a few you'll find some texture misalignments and other oddities. They are all 100% playable though. All seven of them. There is an eight map that I began designing but never finished. All in all the .wad was supposed to have like 15 levels all in all, and I had a storyline, proper levelnames and everything written for it, but all I have left is the raw levels in this wad. I wish I had finished it because I'm quite sure I will never get to it now. I have forgotten half of the concepts I had in mind and besides, I doubt anyone will actually play it anyway, even though I post it here.
The levels are all designed to be a challenge (or at least a challenge to me and my own skills back then), and to keep the player on toes. I implemented many ideas where I wanted to challenge the traditional gameplay encouraged by the Doom-games. The players usually had to think a bit extra about what they actually were doing, so it is wise to be careful and pay extra notice. Although I think some of my ideas were fresh back then, by todays standards they are fairly simple.
All levels can be completed even though you only start with a single gun. It was one of my most important designchoices and personal challenges. Make every level being completeable by starting from scratch, while not giving too large an advantage to people that play through them all subsequently. There's also a lot of thought put into making it enjoyable in coop-mode. A lot of secrets and stuff are much more easilly revealed in coop. Oh, talking about secrets, I love secrets. There's lots of secrets, all over the place. If ever stuck, just try pushing or shooting walls or panels that look suspicious. You never know what will happen, a trap or a reward? You'll find out.
Level 1: Castle 1 entrance
This was actually the third level I ever designed. It was after I started to flesh out the concept and story I had in mind when I made my first two levels. Anyway, this level is a parantesis. It's there to introduce the type of gameplay style I expected to base my levels on. Everything is not what it seems. It doesn't hold in itself any concepts or ideas that make it unique, but rather a simplified version of everything else I made. Not too fond of this level and was always thinking about giving it a proper update, but never gotten around to. In my book it is a raw incomplete version of what it could have been.
There is both a double barreled shotgun and a chainsaw on this level. Can you find them? Not that you need them anyway, if you save your ammo that is. The exit is that diamondshaped hole.
Level 2: Castle 1 basement
This is the first Doom-level I ever made. This means that almost everything in it is ideas that appeared when I wanted to exercise the Doom-engines possibilities and limitations. It is therefor a weird mix of typical Doom-design and some really unorthodox thinking. The level has a small bug regarding an early secret area if you play coop, but you really need to mess up to do it anyway. I really like this level, it is hard and fun to play. First half is pretty straightforward (if you find the lightbutton to the left) with a few surprises while the second half is really starting to mess around by morphing parts of the level. I love my corridor of slaughter, where the chaingun or plasmagun comes in very handy (if you can find the latter that is). I just love to kill those marine zombies in dozens.
Since it's my first level ever the gameplay at a few instances tend to be a little trial an error, much because it's an uneven mix of many ideas and concepts. I was learning as I went on. Anyway, a small tip: exit is just by the entrance.
Level 3: Mountain outpost
This is a level I like a lot but that some of my friends found confusing because of it's labyrinth nature. The story behind it is that you must activate the generator that powers the outposts electric system to get in, so you can get the key you need to progress. It's fun and it has some nice traps I really like as well as some bonus secrets that are just flavors, like a small blood waterfall in the end that you can access if you click the right pillar. Anyway, it introduces the Wolfenstein nazi troops, which made sense with the storyline I had for it, but might be confusing otherwise. I needed more human-type models. They fit the purpose. Here are some areas that are ONLY accessible in coop if you know how (Another of those concepts I was playing around with a lot).
Level 4: Castle 2 entrance
Begins like most of my levels exactly at the point where the previous ended. Some of my favourite traps are implemented in this level. It also probably has the most sadistic exit of all my levels. You'll understand when you get there. Gameplay in this one differs a lot in coop since you can work around the traps in completely different ways. Although I love some of my concepts in this level to pieces I was never truly satisfied with it. It lacks something to spice it up a little, and the end might just be over the top annoying to most.
Level 5: Castle 2 interior
This is my personal favourite of all the levels I made. It tries to simulate a feeling of true 3D-space in a medieval castle environment. The objective is to raise the 2 bridges to the tower at the far side of the lavafield. Not as easy as you think, since it requires exploring both attics, cellars and towers of the castle. If you ever play these levels I'd really want to get feedback on this one. It has a weird bug though, just by the exit all sound is muted. It's just for that sector which is weird. Never figured out why.
Level 6: Mining Facilities
Here I tried mixing up my own designstyle with the traditional Romero-style of Doom. It has a small bug with lightvalues in a few sectors. I tried fixing it with DoomEd recently, but didn't get it to work properly. If you find it too dark, just up the lights. Anyway, the yellow key can be found in two places. One obvious, and one not so obvious. Oh. Traps. Beware. Can you get into that lonely tower by the way? Oh, and the puzzle to raise and lower the ramp seems harder than it is. Trust me.
Level 7: Old Mines
Last level I ever finished designing. Also one of my absolute favourites. It ended up exactly as I had anticipated, and encourages exploring in the same way the castle level does. It's probably my most straightforward level though, but that is what I wanted to achieve with it also. If all levels follow the same patterns it becomes too obvious.
Level 8: Scattered Outposts (unfinished)
In this level I aimed to work with contrast. Big landscapes and small narrow corridors mixed together. Shame the Doom-engine isn't really made for landscaping, but at least I tried (and yes, failed utterly). Big antclimax though, for the level ends quite abruptly, just as things get interesting. Never got time to finish it.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Is this guy weird or what?
Ever wondered what my last post was about? Well, thing is, I was rummaging through my harddrive searching for some old mp3s of the last band I was in to send to my friend Kristoffer that used to be a drummer in the very same band. While finding the mp3s, I also found my library of lyrics I wrote for all different bandprojects I was in. Slow Aggressor was one of those songs that never got finished. Anyway, I once got accused of writing to obscure and nonsensical lyrics on a forum. So, that's why I explained the thought behind each line of lyrics. Problem is, I think I never got down to actually post the damn explanation. So, quite some years overdue, there it is: The explanation and defense of my lyrical style.
Anyway, more interesting is, while being in that dark corner of my harddrive I found some even more exciting (well for me it is) stuff just lying around collecting virtual dust. Something I thought had been destroyed in a harddrive crash way back. My old Doom 2 level designs; a wad file of 7 complete levels that was never shared properly outside my own circle of friends. It's just a novelty today, of course, but it brings back lots of fun memories of fiddling with level designs and concepts.
I'm thinking of posting it here later. Since I think they deserve to be spread. They never really got the chance back in the days. I designed them with an early version of Doom Construction Kit back when Doom 2 was fairly new, and stuck with a 14.4k modem and no real possibility of hosting them online. Internet back in -95/96 was primitive and limited, mark my words, compared to today although we tend to forget that.
I also found most of the units I designed for Warlords 3 Dark Lords Rising, although they actually did get their chance. I used to have a site over at Angelfire where people could download them, and I had made some like 16 or so unique units for the game, some with original graphics, some modified from existing game units. Some became really popular in the community, such as the Plague Lords, Hay Golem, Succubus, Halfling Braves and Halfling Warriors and made it into some of the largest fan-additions for the game. However, my Warlords 3 site met a grisly and grim fate, as anglefire pulled the plug on it. They said it hadn't been active for over half a year and withotu warning shut it down. Mark my surprise as I had edited it just a month before and had at least 5-10 visitors each day. Shame, since I forever lost my campaign map that I had taken a lot of time to design and balance, as well as 2-3 units I never took backups for. Oh well. Shit happens.
Anyway, I'll get back to the Doom 2 levels when I finish out which version of my wad is the most complete. Not that I think anyones really that interested, but if someone actually is, it'd be a shame to not post it.
Anyway, more interesting is, while being in that dark corner of my harddrive I found some even more exciting (well for me it is) stuff just lying around collecting virtual dust. Something I thought had been destroyed in a harddrive crash way back. My old Doom 2 level designs; a wad file of 7 complete levels that was never shared properly outside my own circle of friends. It's just a novelty today, of course, but it brings back lots of fun memories of fiddling with level designs and concepts.
I'm thinking of posting it here later. Since I think they deserve to be spread. They never really got the chance back in the days. I designed them with an early version of Doom Construction Kit back when Doom 2 was fairly new, and stuck with a 14.4k modem and no real possibility of hosting them online. Internet back in -95/96 was primitive and limited, mark my words, compared to today although we tend to forget that.
I also found most of the units I designed for Warlords 3 Dark Lords Rising, although they actually did get their chance. I used to have a site over at Angelfire where people could download them, and I had made some like 16 or so unique units for the game, some with original graphics, some modified from existing game units. Some became really popular in the community, such as the Plague Lords, Hay Golem, Succubus, Halfling Braves and Halfling Warriors and made it into some of the largest fan-additions for the game. However, my Warlords 3 site met a grisly and grim fate, as anglefire pulled the plug on it. They said it hadn't been active for over half a year and withotu warning shut it down. Mark my surprise as I had edited it just a month before and had at least 5-10 visitors each day. Shame, since I forever lost my campaign map that I had taken a lot of time to design and balance, as well as 2-3 units I never took backups for. Oh well. Shit happens.
Anyway, I'll get back to the Doom 2 levels when I finish out which version of my wad is the most complete. Not that I think anyones really that interested, but if someone actually is, it'd be a shame to not post it.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Slow Aggressor Explained
A thousand pale and obscured minds
Man of today live a busy life, mostly unaware of the surrounding world.
Even though we live in an age of information, everything we see or read are already biased. Thus our minds become obscured by our own prejudices, perspectives and opinions and it makes us unable to view the world objectively.
They march for an unknown future
In this state of subjective blindness we aim headstrong into a future we imagine to be known, able to foresee if we just can break it down and control all our actions. The problem arises when everyone wants control of their own world and wills collide, creating more chaos in the process, leaving the future more unknown and unpredictable than before.
On this inevitable path of death
The only thing we can be sure of is our final goal, which ultimately always will be extinction. Sooner or later we will all die, however we try to fight against it. It is the only fact of the future we can know, and the only thing we to some extent can control by taking our own lives.
No words are enough to describe
We are rendered speechless and unknowing of the feelings of frustration that this creates inside of us. We all want control and we all need control, but we actually have no control whatsoever over our pitiful lives.
All the grief that wallows within
This frustration that is building up inside of us results in many different feelings, and one common is the lack of hope, and the inner grief that follows.
All these dark feelings kept suppressed
Feelings like this we supress, unable or unwanting to deal with them, since dealing with them could expose our weakness. Show us for the fragile beings we actually are.
A huge clot inside
Thus we tend to harbor these feelings as they grow inside and builds up during our living years. Growing and growing in our breast until they become all that we are.
Aggression builds inside
And when we are our grief, we no longer have any control. All we have created is a different man, an aggressive man. We will react violently against anything that tries to break our illusions of the world, since we rather live in our dream of the life we never can have. Aggression towards ourselves and aggression towards the fellow man. We slowly become a destructive force of nature. Bitter and empty.
Man of today live a busy life, mostly unaware of the surrounding world.
Even though we live in an age of information, everything we see or read are already biased. Thus our minds become obscured by our own prejudices, perspectives and opinions and it makes us unable to view the world objectively.
They march for an unknown future
In this state of subjective blindness we aim headstrong into a future we imagine to be known, able to foresee if we just can break it down and control all our actions. The problem arises when everyone wants control of their own world and wills collide, creating more chaos in the process, leaving the future more unknown and unpredictable than before.
On this inevitable path of death
The only thing we can be sure of is our final goal, which ultimately always will be extinction. Sooner or later we will all die, however we try to fight against it. It is the only fact of the future we can know, and the only thing we to some extent can control by taking our own lives.
No words are enough to describe
We are rendered speechless and unknowing of the feelings of frustration that this creates inside of us. We all want control and we all need control, but we actually have no control whatsoever over our pitiful lives.
All the grief that wallows within
This frustration that is building up inside of us results in many different feelings, and one common is the lack of hope, and the inner grief that follows.
All these dark feelings kept suppressed
Feelings like this we supress, unable or unwanting to deal with them, since dealing with them could expose our weakness. Show us for the fragile beings we actually are.
A huge clot inside
Thus we tend to harbor these feelings as they grow inside and builds up during our living years. Growing and growing in our breast until they become all that we are.
Aggression builds inside
And when we are our grief, we no longer have any control. All we have created is a different man, an aggressive man. We will react violently against anything that tries to break our illusions of the world, since we rather live in our dream of the life we never can have. Aggression towards ourselves and aggression towards the fellow man. We slowly become a destructive force of nature. Bitter and empty.
Monday, September 04, 2006
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