[RELEASE] FM7X: The Complete Fernando Márquez 7-Episode Full-Steel-Balled Pack

[Fernando]

Hello fellow dukers,

Fernando Márquez reporting on this channel, author of the FM4X series and offline player since as early as the game's 1996 release, but an online player since the NetDuke32 Branch sprang to life, thanks to Striker's huge effort and sweat and blood.

With this post I officially conclude my participation in the Duke community as a mapper, but not as a player, mind you. I present you: FM7X: The Complete Fernando Márquez 7-Episode Full-Steel-Balled Pack, with the real final chapter in my 20-year service to the Duke community (yes, it's been that long!).

I've read the post about the release of FM4X I made a few few years on Duke4 and other sites and what it went on my mind that day is that its release WAS meant to be the end of my series. But as years transpired, that turned out NOT to be case - fortunately, I had several additionals levels to give you before I could say I sign off my career as a mapper.

77 levels, spread across 7 episodes are included in the Plutonium/Atomic versions, but not Registered (I will explain that later...): The first 4 single-player episodes, comprising the base campaign are already known to the public, so I won't list them here. Episodes 5 (DukeMatch Bonus: original levels) and 6 (Flashback Bonus: reinterpretations of base campaign levels) are exclusive for DukeMatch and not meant for a single player session. The real highlight on this release is the seventh and final episode: Continental Odyssey, a full-fledged episode consisting of 7 single player levels, 2 of these are secret and 4 are multiplayer-only.

Originally I planned this episode as a DukeTag-only episode. Since the DukeTag mode is seriously underutilized, I wanted to provide a full set of levels which took advantage of this gameplay method, but after 4 levels ahead in progress, I've decided to scrap the episode completely, and jumped ahead and morphed the premise into creating my true final episode. But the four levels did not go to the waste bin, instead being tackled at the end of the episode as bonus levels outside the episode campaign. The main 7 levels of this episode are fully Single Player/DukeMatch/Cooperative/DukeTag enabled, and levels 8-11 are DukeMatch/DukeTag exclusives.

Like prior packs containing my levels, these went heavy testing and robust performance checks with friends and players and, up until now, I'm satisfied with the results. So that's the reason I now officially release my pack to you.

If the four-episode campaign mirrors the original Duke episodes, the seventh episode (but fifth story-wise) mirrors the Alien World Order episode, but unlike the aforementioned episode, Continental Odyssey (just like my complete pack and levels) is meant to be played on the original MS-DOS version of Duke3D, either on DOSBox or even on real hardware (my levels were heavily tested on real and varied hardware, ranging from a Pentium 75MHz to a 400MHZ, Win3.11 to Win98SE and so else).

You can get my complete FM7X release downloading it here on this link.
https://1drv.ms/f/s!AlVfQGO4mip6jzI3kEj6nTAKPao_?e=8LuwPW
https://mega.nz/folder/O9xnFQqT#B7LDkQXDZdsLnvQ_zeF6Gw
   
FM7X.ISO is a CD image of the expansion pack. Burn it onto a CD and load it into your DOSBox or real DOS/Win9x computer. Just like if it was released in early 2000s.
FM7X-DOS is the contents of the CD image above, saving you the hassle of burning the CD in first place.
FM7X-FULL contains all version of FM7X in three folders ready to copy and paste into your Duke folder. Choose the version you have and just copy to your root Duke folder. The GRP contains all assets from the expansion pack plus the original game.
FM7X-GRP is exactly the same as the above folder, save for the GRP files condensed. These just contain the new data.
FM7X-NetDuke32 is the easy way for NetDuke32 players. The GRP files used are from the condensed folder.
If you just want to shoot ahead and straight play the levels, just choose the NetDuke32 or Full version files. Just install it in your Duke folder and play.
I only provide full support for the original MS-DOS versions and (limited but substantial) NetDuke32. I think you can play my levels without issues on any other port, but no port was tested outside the original retail MS-DOS versions and NetDuke32.

Each and every level was corrected, reedited, made easier and fixed a few problems found after its original release. This is my final foray into Duke mapping, so therefore, unless there is a critical bug present or caught after this initial release, no more levels will come out from me (perhaps a few collaborations or maybe, mayyyyyyyyyyyyyyybe a tiny weeny bitty map). I consider it a goodbye, see you soon.

Thank you very much for taking your time in reading this and I really hope you enjoy my levels as much as I did mapping them. It was quite a rollercoaster!

Thank you very much. Enjoy!

CGS review/download

Below a few pictures previewing "Continental Odyssey"...

[Puritan]

Signing off as a DN3D mapper ??
Duke mappers never signs off! 

Will try to find some time to upload this package this weekend.