[RELEASE] HECTIC REALMS DEMO

Started by MikeNorvak, 27 February 2018, 04:25:53

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MikeNorvak

Hi everyone. I posted this in Duke4 but I haven't had many feedback from mappers, and I think not everyone here visits the forums so there you go!

What happens when you mix William G Realms and Mesoamerican culture legends?

HECTIC REALMS!

I can write more and you can read more about it, but it's better if you play.

INSTALLATION.

Extract all the content in a fresh folder and run Hectic Realms.bat

IMPORTANT INFO.

There are new keys you need to assign like in the original WGR2: Altfire and POW.

You can play the mod in Polymost or Polymer (cool lights implemented!) you can expect the usual problems using the render though.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Special thanks to Dan Gaskill for developing special code all these years, to my girlfriend Teresita for all her support and help, she really have motivated me to achieve what I actually had in mind for this mod. I'd like to thank betatesters Forge, Fantinaikos and Teresita for this version and Paul Boulduc for earlier versions as well.

http://www.moddb.com/mods/hectic-realms

Hope you enjoy it!

Forge

I liked it.
Explore around, solve puzzles, get into some pretty frantic firefights (but it's well balanced, so it's never unfair).

Great atmosphere. The texturing, architecture, and detailing are top-notch.

The flow is smooth and logical, players will have to get used to transitioning back and forth between open areas and linear corridors & passages though.
Take it down to the beach with a hammer and pound sand up your ass

MikeNorvak

Thanks for your comments again Forge, I have the feeling the thread didn't get much attention in Duke4. Did you play the version of moddb already? it has a short secret map accesible finding two keys, nothing new though since you played the big previous version of the map. This time I decided to divide the levels to get the classic short map progression instead of huge ones, the advantage of this is that POW gets reset, and the maps can be started weaponless if someone would like to play a particular map.

I have a big plan for this, but I doubt I can achieve what I have in mind, at least doing it by myself, new monsters, a new main character, new weapons, and of course new textures. I know everyone is bussy with his own projects and I'm doubtful to ask for help.

The plan concerning mapping is having 4 realms, each corresponds to one of the four Tezcatlipocas,
Tezcatlipocas were personified elemental energies in ancient Toltec and Aztec cultures, they are symbols of different things:
Blue one, lord of the south, the wine that earth drinks, represents childhood and puberty, nature, fertility, summer, is represented by water and his animals are an axolotl (some kind of salamander) and the hummingbird. His name: Tlaloc, he and his wife rule over Tlalocan, the southernmost part of the realm, you don't actually fight him in the game, but help him.

Red One: lord of the east, the descarnated, represents adulthood, sacrifice (both metaphorical and literally) hunting, he sacrifes himself to feed humanity is represented by fire and blood, his animals are eagle and deer. His name: Xipe Totec. I'm not sure if he needs to be a boss or not.

Black one: Mictlantecutli, the antagonist and last boss, lord of the north, represents dead, fall, is represented by earth, animals: jaguar and bat. He is the lord of Mictlan or Black realm. I could use Korax art with some edits for him.

White tezcatlipoca: Ketzalcoatl, the main character, he left the supreme realms to bring help in terrenal world, but get lost in the process and forgot who really is, he needs to make the hero https://www.google.com.mx/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%2527s_journey&ved=2ahUKEwik26m178jZAhVG0FQKHa_BBmUQFjAAegQIAxAB&usg=AOvVaw0t8FMbfmD1SyFvxZX7RdIGhero journey and defeat Mictlantecutli to bring balance to the realms again. He represents older
age, wisdom and reborn, winter, is represented by wind and his animals are snake and quetzal (an exotic bird) together  both are Quetzalcoatl (feathered snake) synthesis of divine and mundane.

There are other minor bosses and entities like Cipactli (boss of first realm) it is a monster that looks like a shark and a crocodile, it captures Tlaloc's wife.

Camazotz,  is a bat god, guardian of the Mictlan entrance.

Other entities are supposed to be minions of Mictlan. There's lots of mythological creatures in mesoamerican pantheon.

Anyway if I can't get any artist to do the new monster and sprites I still keep my plans regarding mapping and new textures.



Forge

#3
I don't know why this didn't get a better response at Duke4. It was a quality release with a lot of content.
Could be a seasonal shift. Dunno.

Your plans sound interesting. Hopefully that girlfriend of yours will keep you focused & out of trouble.
Take it down to the beach with a hammer and pound sand up your ass

Puritan

Played parts of the level. Haven't passed it as of yet.
I like the style  ;)
Nice, tidy mapping and cool effects. Maybe a little bit too tidy, meaning that I would like to see a tad more details.
The music and sounds also fits the theme very well.
Quite some work you've put into this project.
I wish that you will find somebody to help you out.
Bitter words mean little to me. Autumn winds will blow right through me
And someday in the mist of time, when they asked me if I knew you
I'd smile and say you were a friend of mine, and the sadness would be lifted from my eyes
Oh when I'm old and wise

MikeNorvak

Thanks Frode!

I'm not sure what details I could add considering the semi abstract nature of the maps, it happens the level used to be a lot longer and I reached the wall limit, now that I split it I probably could add trimming and shadows here and there, but I think is better to spend that time on new maps rather than going back. I'm glad you started playing, hope you can finish the demo soon :)