DaveNHB
03-22-2001, 04:17 PM
Hello, I'm the project leader for the mod Damnation. We still can use a lot of help in developing this mod. If you have any experience in modeling, skinning, or programming and are interested, send me an email @ davenhb@bellsouth.net . You can also check out the webpage http://www.floridamartialarts.com/damnation . Here's the fatty of what the game should play like:
Basic Overview:
The story is that the legions of hell have opened a portal linking to earth and prepare to commence a mass war on earth(like doom2). This time though, the humans of earth create a huge army and go into the portal (cue awesome FMV) then land in a huge cave. The humans set up a base with tanks, artillery guns, etc. in the mouth of the cave in hell.
This would be the intro of the game. Levels could be setup like the nine levels of hell, with each level having a different mix of monsters becoming more powerful and cunning. For example, the first level would be an all out war in hells surface. The player emerges from the other side of the portal and sees a battle. You can have NPC's manning artillery guns firing away at demons and stuff like that. This objective of the level would be to go to the 2nd level of hell, conviently located on the demons side inside a large mountain where all the demons are emerging from. To make the story non-linear, you can have the player do this in several ways:
1) He is ordered by a squad commander to do several duties like manning a artillery gun to kill cacodemons or to protect the artillery gunners from demons approaching on ground or conquering a hill, etc.
2) He steals a gun from one the fallen and charges bezerkly to the other side.
3) The more creative way, have a river flowing through the battle field (river styx of forgetfullness) and the player must devise a float of some kind so he doesn't touch the water (like a floating dead body).
Depending on his choice, NPC's in lower levels will react differently. For example in choice 3, the player would be alone in level 2. If he picked 1, he would have a squad with him. I think with level 1 being a bunker battle would be the coolest level ever created.
Each level should have a theme, and all the monsters should be related to it. To progress levels, the player could drop in a hole or, maybe jump into a pit of flames, through a mirror, etc. The deeper they go, the more puzzles their should be.
This would be the first game that would be very fun playing cooperative. Imagine making a server. Ten players jump in a fight together in a squad, making it through several levels. Let's say in level 7 their is a dilema of sacrificing a player in order to pacify a large monster, otherwise a hard battle would be fought. Let's say the rules on this server says if you die you have to restart on level 1. At level 7 there is 6 players left. Imagine the debate of who would be sacrified to the monster. All the players might say the weakest player be sacrificed, he gets angry and starts blasting everyone, kills one guy and then gets killed. Now four left, the cycle repeats. These type of things would be great in a co-op game.
Heres a sample of level 2:
[Mood Setter]
Your fall from the hole seems to have warped you from one plane to the next. However, your comrades have disappeared. Where they are, is a mystery to you. You seem to have entered a cavern under the mountain of Hell's surface. The cave walls smell of sulfur and the roof leaks of blood. The floor covered by bones that you can't identify. The chaos of the surface is devoid in this lair. Peace and quiet rule here, too quiet. Your mission awakens you from your wondering as you venture for a way down to the next level.
[Notes on Level Design]
This level is a maze of deception. Things are not what they seem. The player will meet nothing for two minutes. No monsters or puzzles. Just loneliness. After one minute, the maze will start to play many ambient sounds, such as growls, shrieks, footsteps, etc. The maze will have many secret doors which will open up after a minute of the sounds, in such a way that the player will not hear or see them open. I think this would be a great way to f**k with someones head (player goes to a room and finds nothing, returns and then finds an opening).
After the player passes through the newly opened passages, he will hear loud, thumping foot steps for a couple of seconds, then BAM, he meets a comrade, who tells a similar story. However, little do the two know that they are being surrounded by shadow demons. The demons only leave shadows on the wall, no visual warning besides that. Only the observant player will realize his danger. But there will be no time to assess that, for they will be confronted by several beholders. (NOTE: If a player does notice them and attacks, they will retreat, and come back later)
During the battle, the NPC will suddenly disappear. The player will realize this after the battle and find a conspicuous blood trail. The blood trail leads the player to hear a shot and a growl. Then finally the sight of his comrade victorious over a demon dog. He explains himself and continues to follow. What the player doesn't know as that the NPC has died and become prey of a doppleganger. The doppleganger will not attack the player until the player's energy is low. He will continue to fight and aid the player until that moment comes. The doppleganger doesn't get injured by monsters. (NOTE: If the player somehow identifies the doppleganger and fires at it, he will reveal himself and attack the player for a short moment, then retreat. Then continues as below)
Now the action starts to pick up. The player meets some more NPC's (3 more. If player attacked doppleganger above, he will appear as an extra NPC with a different appearance) who are battling against a mix of beholders and demonic spiders who fall from the roof. After the battle, the NPC's join up with you and begin to look for a way out. (NOTE: If player still suspects a Doppleganger and attacks the correct NPC, a battle will ensue and the doppleganger will battle to the death as described below. If player attacks the incorrect NPC, he will be attacked by his comrades considering him a traitor).
After 20 seconds from the joining, the team will finally be ambushed by the ever elusive shadow demons. The shadow demons will come by fives, in random periods ranging from 10-30 seconds. After a couple of encounters, the players will feel overwhelmed and their desperation will increase. Right about when the player hits 30 health or very low ammo, BAM the doppleganger goes apesh1t!
The Dopplerganger will be a very powerful monster. His first attack will be with his most powerful gun as a surprise attack on an NPC. Then he will explode out of his human body into a dark ghastly creature with huge claws. He will attack with his claws and rake for heavy damage and moves very quickly (occasionaly blending into the background after taking some damage).
After the dopplerganger is slayed, his head will be left behind to pick up as an item. The dopplerganger head is an item that works like a gem of trueseeing (D&D reference, reveals illusions). So now all the shadow demons will be revealed, and chaos returns. Demons will start to pour in one by one at the players from all angles. The player must use the head to find the exit, a secret wall that can be walked through where the end portal lies. The head evaporates as he transfers to the next level.
Thats the basic idea for Level 2. I would like to add more encounters and of course some ammo,health,etc to replenish player in an appropriate way, as well as some rooms that are very distinguishable from the maze with some eyecandy. Still a little rough, but it has the essence of the level, illusions.
Basic Overview:
The story is that the legions of hell have opened a portal linking to earth and prepare to commence a mass war on earth(like doom2). This time though, the humans of earth create a huge army and go into the portal (cue awesome FMV) then land in a huge cave. The humans set up a base with tanks, artillery guns, etc. in the mouth of the cave in hell.
This would be the intro of the game. Levels could be setup like the nine levels of hell, with each level having a different mix of monsters becoming more powerful and cunning. For example, the first level would be an all out war in hells surface. The player emerges from the other side of the portal and sees a battle. You can have NPC's manning artillery guns firing away at demons and stuff like that. This objective of the level would be to go to the 2nd level of hell, conviently located on the demons side inside a large mountain where all the demons are emerging from. To make the story non-linear, you can have the player do this in several ways:
1) He is ordered by a squad commander to do several duties like manning a artillery gun to kill cacodemons or to protect the artillery gunners from demons approaching on ground or conquering a hill, etc.
2) He steals a gun from one the fallen and charges bezerkly to the other side.
3) The more creative way, have a river flowing through the battle field (river styx of forgetfullness) and the player must devise a float of some kind so he doesn't touch the water (like a floating dead body).
Depending on his choice, NPC's in lower levels will react differently. For example in choice 3, the player would be alone in level 2. If he picked 1, he would have a squad with him. I think with level 1 being a bunker battle would be the coolest level ever created.
Each level should have a theme, and all the monsters should be related to it. To progress levels, the player could drop in a hole or, maybe jump into a pit of flames, through a mirror, etc. The deeper they go, the more puzzles their should be.
This would be the first game that would be very fun playing cooperative. Imagine making a server. Ten players jump in a fight together in a squad, making it through several levels. Let's say in level 7 their is a dilema of sacrificing a player in order to pacify a large monster, otherwise a hard battle would be fought. Let's say the rules on this server says if you die you have to restart on level 1. At level 7 there is 6 players left. Imagine the debate of who would be sacrified to the monster. All the players might say the weakest player be sacrificed, he gets angry and starts blasting everyone, kills one guy and then gets killed. Now four left, the cycle repeats. These type of things would be great in a co-op game.
Heres a sample of level 2:
[Mood Setter]
Your fall from the hole seems to have warped you from one plane to the next. However, your comrades have disappeared. Where they are, is a mystery to you. You seem to have entered a cavern under the mountain of Hell's surface. The cave walls smell of sulfur and the roof leaks of blood. The floor covered by bones that you can't identify. The chaos of the surface is devoid in this lair. Peace and quiet rule here, too quiet. Your mission awakens you from your wondering as you venture for a way down to the next level.
[Notes on Level Design]
This level is a maze of deception. Things are not what they seem. The player will meet nothing for two minutes. No monsters or puzzles. Just loneliness. After one minute, the maze will start to play many ambient sounds, such as growls, shrieks, footsteps, etc. The maze will have many secret doors which will open up after a minute of the sounds, in such a way that the player will not hear or see them open. I think this would be a great way to f**k with someones head (player goes to a room and finds nothing, returns and then finds an opening).
After the player passes through the newly opened passages, he will hear loud, thumping foot steps for a couple of seconds, then BAM, he meets a comrade, who tells a similar story. However, little do the two know that they are being surrounded by shadow demons. The demons only leave shadows on the wall, no visual warning besides that. Only the observant player will realize his danger. But there will be no time to assess that, for they will be confronted by several beholders. (NOTE: If a player does notice them and attacks, they will retreat, and come back later)
During the battle, the NPC will suddenly disappear. The player will realize this after the battle and find a conspicuous blood trail. The blood trail leads the player to hear a shot and a growl. Then finally the sight of his comrade victorious over a demon dog. He explains himself and continues to follow. What the player doesn't know as that the NPC has died and become prey of a doppleganger. The doppleganger will not attack the player until the player's energy is low. He will continue to fight and aid the player until that moment comes. The doppleganger doesn't get injured by monsters. (NOTE: If the player somehow identifies the doppleganger and fires at it, he will reveal himself and attack the player for a short moment, then retreat. Then continues as below)
Now the action starts to pick up. The player meets some more NPC's (3 more. If player attacked doppleganger above, he will appear as an extra NPC with a different appearance) who are battling against a mix of beholders and demonic spiders who fall from the roof. After the battle, the NPC's join up with you and begin to look for a way out. (NOTE: If player still suspects a Doppleganger and attacks the correct NPC, a battle will ensue and the doppleganger will battle to the death as described below. If player attacks the incorrect NPC, he will be attacked by his comrades considering him a traitor).
After 20 seconds from the joining, the team will finally be ambushed by the ever elusive shadow demons. The shadow demons will come by fives, in random periods ranging from 10-30 seconds. After a couple of encounters, the players will feel overwhelmed and their desperation will increase. Right about when the player hits 30 health or very low ammo, BAM the doppleganger goes apesh1t!
The Dopplerganger will be a very powerful monster. His first attack will be with his most powerful gun as a surprise attack on an NPC. Then he will explode out of his human body into a dark ghastly creature with huge claws. He will attack with his claws and rake for heavy damage and moves very quickly (occasionaly blending into the background after taking some damage).
After the dopplerganger is slayed, his head will be left behind to pick up as an item. The dopplerganger head is an item that works like a gem of trueseeing (D&D reference, reveals illusions). So now all the shadow demons will be revealed, and chaos returns. Demons will start to pour in one by one at the players from all angles. The player must use the head to find the exit, a secret wall that can be walked through where the end portal lies. The head evaporates as he transfers to the next level.
Thats the basic idea for Level 2. I would like to add more encounters and of course some ammo,health,etc to replenish player in an appropriate way, as well as some rooms that are very distinguishable from the maze with some eyecandy. Still a little rough, but it has the essence of the level, illusions.