Hey everyone! Thanks for the participation this month and sorry for my absence. I've been very busy with various things (my birthday is also coming in about a week) and I just got to play JJDuke earlier this week. I've finished E1 and E2 recently and this post will only cover these two episodes for now, as they are pretty short.
To respond a few comments:
@Forge: Thanks for the suggestion! I will see what I can do these days, as it looks like the situation is worse than I thought and I don't even know if I can get to recover my data after all. I will be sure to buy the Cable and try this method, before sending my hard disk to a professional tech repair shop. If my friend doesn't manage to recover the data until the end of the year.
@The Watchtower: Don't worry for not revisiting the mod for the club, I hope my screenshots will be enough to refresh your memory regarding how these levels looked.
@LakiSoft: Nice videos my friend!
And as both Aleks and Quacken noticed, some enemies are dying quicker. In reality, the pistol is slightly stronger (and in turn the mighty foot is slightly weaker?) and most enemies were made slightly weaker (pig cops have now 75 hp for example). The pistol is certainly much stronger than before and I don't think pig cops do more damage than usual but the enforcers and mini battlelords definitely do more damage than usual (9 damage instead of 5). So be careful when fighting them in E2 and E3! Not to mention, the bosses are slightly weaker too. Battlelord has 3000 hp, Overlord has 3500 hp and Cycloid has 4000 hp. In original Duke3D, they all have 4500 hp each.
Oh and yes, I forgot to mention (I didn't know until I started playing the mod), there is a new Super Duke Pack item. It gives Health, Armor, Steroids, Jetpack and Night Vision Goggles. It's usually found inside secrets (so far I only found it in the levels from first episode and last E2 map, probably appears again in E3), so be sure to explore!
Also from what Aleks said, it appears that the Addon Compilation version had missing art files. NightFright must have fixed this in the meantime (alongside including some missing sounds). Sorry to hear that the addon compilation version had missing content!
Anyway, I have played the mod in Duke3D v1.5 in DOSBox 0.74-3 (with the 101c patch installed, which contains all 3 patched maps), on CGS skill, while going for all kills and secrets.
Before I begin the review, here are a couple screenshots to represent the mod:
As you can see, there's a new intro with the authors' names, a new logo (replacing the ATOMIC logo), 3 new demos (JJE3L6, JJE1L1, JJE2L3), new item and enemy (the second enemy I mentioned isn't really an enemy, while the other appears exclusively in E3), new art, new messages (secret place, mighty foot) and other stuff. The mod seems pretty promising with the features. What about the levels? It's time to review them, though since I don't like repeating what others have said, I will be short and mostly point out secret areas and stuff like that.
THE EXORCISM
Disturbance
An interesting opener that sets the mood for the episode, which is quite L.A. Meltdown inspired. You will fight mostly troopers and pig cops. I thought the map was ok overall but also a bit dark at times. Yeah I know, I keep forgetting to bump up the brightness but I also want to see how it feels to play on the default settings.
It's not difficult and indeed I never fell below 55% health. Enemies aren't difficult to kill and with the stronger pistol, you can mow down groups of troopers and even pig cops without much effort. As for other points of interest and secret areas, there's quite a few hidden items that are required to get the secrets.
First, there is a hidden RPG (go upstairs in the dark room inside the first building, then open up the small window) which is required for the first secret area where there is a crack surrounded by trees. It is difficult to spot and not sure how to describe but this secret holds a few goodies.
Second, there is a hidden jetpack behind a pole, near where you would find the Atomic Health (the only one in the level) in the parking lot. Then use it to fly through the windows (near the arrows sign). The secret contains the Super Duke Pack.
I couldn't figure out how to access the other side of the train that had medkits in it but it's not that big of a deal, since there was enough health in this level and I finished with 150 health (and full armor). I assumed that this is where you would start the next level but turns out, next level starts outside of train.
Overall, pretty decent opener.
Rush Hour
I found Laki's reference to the Rush Hour movie funny, because that said movie actually showed up on my TV not too long ago.
Anyway, I thought this was an interesting level overall. It has a few inspirations behind it (most notably the Shop-N-Bag, the pirates from Babe Land, the cinema from Hollywood Holocaust and the sewer section from Red Light District).
Don't forget to find the hidden switch behind the Battlelord monitor. You can also find a few other small switches hidden behind a desk and similar places, so keep your eyes open for these sneaky switches.
There is the shooting gallery from Babe Land that is required to open a door inside the cinema. I think the solution was the first and last target. You are given two pistols for this and with the increased ammo capacity, you shouldn't worry about running out of ammo.
There are four secrets to find:
-Inside the shopping store, near the aquarium, you can find two shopping carts and two trash containers. Jump through the fake wall to collect an Atomic Health.
-In the center of the map, blow up the hole to access the sewers. There is a Super Duke Pack, as well as a trooper and octabrain.
-Inside the cinema, go through the curtains on the right side to collect Armor and NVG
-In the back of the room with the pirates, use the jetpack to collect shotgun ammo and chaingun ammo.
I don't really have much else to say about the level. It was ok.
Backstreets
The level was dark and kinda forgettable, to be honest, though I liked some areas like the strip club that had a dozen of strippers and there were enemies hidden behind chairs ready to ambush you. I also recognized a few areas before, despite not playing JJDuke before. And the same was true for some levels from 1999 TC. It appears that the unfinished Duke's Revenge TC (from 2002, I think) stole some parts of maps from both 1999 TC and JJDuke. At least that's the impression I got.
Anyway, when comes to the map, it seems dark at times and there's a few hidden switches that can be annoying. For instance, there is one I just happened to find by accident, which was hidden behind the broken mirror. The second screenshot should help expose its location, so other players don't need to cheat if they get stuck. That said switch opens a locked door in the entrance of the building, which holds a switch that opens a bookcase in the bookstore, which contains another switch that will lower that barricade in front of the elevator.
Then after taking out the pig cops and collecting an atomic health, you must do a long jump (or use the jetpack if you've found it in previous levels or picked up the Super Duke Pack item) to reach the building, which contains another jetpack. Then drop down in the sewers to reach the exit.
Before doing all that, make sure to collect everything (a hidden atomic health is found inside fire near beginning of level). Once again there's four secrets to find:
-At the very beginning, jump through the window in front of you to collect Armor and two pistol clips.
-At the next intersection, near the club, look for some hidden stairs. Jump on them, then jump at the window in left. You will access Chaingun, Armor and even some hidden Steroids behind the TV.
-Before entering Dukai Sushi, jump on that ledge and then through one of the windows to access a few extra monsters, a captured babe and a few supplies.
-After exiting Dukai Sushi, use the jetpack to collect a Super Duke Pack.
What about the next level?
Industrialisation (aka Industrialization)
Another somewhat forgettable map, this one takes place in a factory. It is shorter and provides a minimal challenge. I don't think there is much to describe about this level, so instead let's talk about the two secrets you can find (as well as a hidden non-secret atomic health)
-Near the beginning, use the jetpack to reach and collect Portable Medkit.
-In the control room (with troopers and pig cops, as well as a switch and monitor), press on the Whiteboard to reveal Super Duke Pack.
Bonus: There is a hidden atomic health. It is located below one of those crushers (near where you need to use keycards to unlock doors). Be careful when grabbing it!
A small tip: when you reach the helicopter at end, you will see two pig cops standing on an ending sector. You probably end up touching the sector by accident and finish the level before killing them. It is recommended to save and try killing them quickly with your shotgun. If they run towards you, you can probably just toss a pipebomb and take them out. This also makes their encounter pointless because they might as well not even exist. They should have been encountered BEFORE reaching the ending sector!
If this level disappointed you, then hopefully the finale doesn't disappoint!
Show Down (aka Showdown)
Well, that was shorter than expected. Kill the troopers and pig cops in the starting area, grab the RPG + ammo and drop down. Grab the supplies and prepare for the Battlelord boss! You don't need to fight him on his own room (which contains TWO armor pickups and even a Super Duke Pack), you can backtrack to the previous room and fight him behind the door. He won't be able to fit through, so you can kill him with ease by just standing and unloading RPG on him. And since the boss has lowered health, your RPG should put him down after about 20-25 rockets.
Overall, this wasn't anything special and E1 overall was somewhat short and slightly disappointing at times. It starts promising and declines in quality as you progress. The maps weren't necessary bad but they were somewhat short and a bit underdetailed compared to what you can find in the original Duke3D. I didn't mind playing the maps, they are nice old school styled design and far better than the typical mod quality released in the 90s. But by today's standards, they don't match up the quality. Let's move on to Episode 2!
THE INVASION
Polaris Outpost
This is an interesting somewhat short opener that is basically the authors' answer to Spaceport with a couple copy-pasted ideas from other Duke3D levels, most notably E2L3, E2L4 and E2L6.
You will notice that the enforcers deal more damage this time around, so this makes them bastards that can really put you in trouble. When you first start, after clearing the first few troopers and the first two enforcers, you might want to look up for the only armor pickup AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! It is located on one of the elevator paths you (each leads to an enforcer but only one of the paths contain the armor). So if you first took the other side like I did, then be sure to check the other side as well to get the armor.
After that, you will need to solve a few puzzles and to be careful to not get crushed by those turbines (inspired by those from E2L4, except much smaller).
When getting to the vents near the end, BE SURE TO COLLECT EVERYTHING as you can no longer backtrack once you get the bathroom! The vent is too narrow to go back. I was lucky to have backup saves because I forgot to blow up the crack for third secret and I could no longer go back. No, I won't use the noclip cheat for a reason as trivial as this, especially since I save often. I prefer to not cheat at all.
Anyway, once you are ready, kick the slimers in vent, kill the aliens in the bathroom, grab the NVG near the mirror, then prepare to drop down (the second point of no return) where you fight the Octabrain and exit the level.
Secrets:
-Near the supplies room, where you fight a bunch of troopers, press on one of the panels to reveal a Portable Medkit.
-Near where you need to insert the yellow card, press on the different looking panel to reveal RPG + ammo.
-Near the vent at end, look up for hidden pipebombs behind the crates. Blow up the crack to reveal a slimer, RPG ammo and Devastator!
Overall, I thought the level was ok.
Solar Flare
Another interesting map and probably the biggest space level of the pack. There are various interesting things about this level and it's even harder than the rest. I actually died 3 times in it. First two times because in the area with the pistons, you only need to check the middle one (contains yellow card and you can jump out of it). I tried to see what was behind the other two (chaingun ammo and atomic health) and once I grabbed the said item, I couldn't jump back and was promptly squished. And my third death was from the Mini Battlelord, which was a real bastard. His chaingun shredded me to bits, despite having about 130 health. And yeah the screen shake effect you encounter in various Duke3D mods is back. When your health gets lower than 25%, then the screen will shake upon getting hit.
Anyway, the level is fairly generous with resources to make up for increased difficulty. You will come across two portable medkits, three armor pickups, a bunch of atomic healths and the usual health pickups are plentiful in the level, though as Quacken said, some health packs will get wasted upon going through the vents. You will take damage from fire and steam that will cause you to accidentally grab health at 97-99 health, which is annoying.
Most enemies you encounter are the usual E2 enemies but you also get to encounter ONE pig cop (maybe placed by mistake?) and a couple protector drones later in the map. It's fine to encounter some protectors but feels a bit strange because if the episode was trying to recapture the original E2 feeling, then the authors didn't get the enemy placement quite right. Which is strange because in E1, they only used the "shareware" content.
There is a secret nuke button in this level (mentioned by Aleks, see below for secret areas location) but unfortunately, due to E2 being unfinished, it causes game to exit upon trying to load an UNDEFINED map. And it's not only that but there is some really interesting trivia about E2, which I will post later at end of E2 review. The said secret nuke button is found inside a secret place, which reminds me, there are five secrets to find:
-In the broken room (with lots of fire and steam), blow up the crack to reveal Devastator + ammo.
-Near the first secret, jump through the broken computers to grab pipebombs
-Inside the big vents, at one point after progressing through the map, a RPG will be revealed in a compartment
-In the dark red room with the protector drones and a switch puzzle, jump through the nearby monitor to collect freezer ammo. Go further to collect two atomic healths in front of the SECRET NUKE BUTTON! Unfortunately, there is no secret level in this episode, so using this exit causes game to exit because the map isn't found. Just use the normal exit to progress through the map.
-In the following room after using the blue card, jump through the sign to collect Armor and Laser Trip Bomb.
Overall, it was okay. But then the next level...
Lunar Eclipse
Why? This level is shorter than it should have been. It really seems like the authors have run out of ideas at this point (or they were trying to finish E2 the latest). The map will probably take you 5 minutes to complete. Most enemies you encounter are troopers, enforcers, sentry drones and one Mini Battlelord at very end.
The level seems to be inspired by Dark Side but is nowhere near as good as its inspiration. Dark Side was the longest level in the original Duke3D 1.3D and it was an epic adventure. This one comes as a short disappointing level that shouldn't give you much trouble, although I wasn't able to avoid a lot of damage taken at times, so despite starting with 200 health, I didn't get to finish with more than 100 health due to lack of atomic health in this level, though at least there was an armor pickup to replace my damaged armor. Yes, the enforcers are still bastards and even those troopers managed to get a few good shots, with some deciding to play dead and deal 1-2 surprise shots. Oh well.
The mini battlelord at end isn't too bad, you can just kill him with the RPG. And that's it. And of course, there are NO secrets to find at all! Just grab all the stuff you need before exiting.
Fun fact: The original version of the map had a forcefield that prevented the player from progressing! If you didn't install the patches and you watched the intro demos, you would notice the player runs into a forcefield until dies. If you didn't watch the demo and found out yourself, you were quite in a shock! But if you installed the patches (101b fixed this and is also included in 101c), you don't have to worry!
Hopefully the next level doesn't disappoint!
Undefined (aka Back in a Hurry)
As I was saying, E2 is quite unfinished because of various reasons and it seems in the original version of the addon, the level doesn't have a proper name (same applies to E3 secret level). Instead, the level is called UNDEFINED. And that's not all! The map even has a game breaking bug that happened to me. The Overlord is supposed to spawn upon entering the Briefing room (which contains a couple pig cops and an RPG), which also causes a bunch of troopers to spawn nearby. There is a mirror that can cause the boss (and even the player) to warp into it and gets stuck. If the boss hasn't showed up, then it is clear he disappeared and got warped into the mirror. The same can happen to you if you get unlucky, which means you must load the last saved game or restart the level.
In my case, I had the misfortune of the Overlord disappearing and after wandering around for 10-15 minutes of nothing happening (even explored the optional goodies room you can access with the blue card), I then looked up Mapster and realized what happened. I had to replay the level from the previous level's save because my saves on current level were fucked.
As for the level, it was great, it presents a good challenge and it's certainly one of the best maps of the entire TC. But at same time, it's a shame the experience is ruined by various stupid bugs and lack of playtesting. As if it wasn't enough, when I got to fight and kill the Overlord (who happened to even disappear once in front of my eyes), I realized I had missed two enemies somewhere (must have gotten stuck inside the mirror). I was almost certain I would get 100% everything in each level but this level proved me wrong. Maybe this level could have done without the mirrors, just saying.
As for the secrets, there are four to find:
-Near the two firetrucks, jump on the crates. Push the crate to reveal a Jetpack.
-Inside the bathroom, push the buttons that start the shower (the first ones you come across in the left side), you will open a nearby room containing a few troopers and Portable Medkit.
-Secrets #3 and #4 can be found in the room with the three lockers. Push the third locker to lower the other two. The lowered lockers contain Atomic Health and Shrinker Ammo.
Bonus: When stepping into the Briefing room, you will cause a few troopers to spawn inside the building and the Overlord boss to spawn outside the building. Open one of the doors to find a hidden room containing a blue card, as well as 2x Boots and 2x NVGs. After getting the blue card, either drop down the pole or go downstairs as usual.
Avoid the Overlord (if he hasn't shown up, then he most likely disappeared, if this happened, load the save or restart the level), go to the other building, kill a red trooper and insert the blue card. Inside, you can find various goodies: Devastator and lots of ammo for both RPG + Dev, as well as 2x Atomic Health and a Super Duke Pack!
If the Overlord has shown up near you, don't worry, he can't fit through, so you can kill him with the Devastator with ease, he won't attack. You also get 25 Dev ammo per pickup, so this assures you have 99 ammo!
Overall, great ending to the somewhat unfinished episode. I only wish this level didn't have bugs in it because it kinda ruined the experience and what would have been a competent and excellent finale.
Undefined (JJE2L7)
A short unfinished and untextured space map. Use DNSCOTTY206 to access it. I accidentally typed DNSCOTTY207 and it caused the game to exit upon warping to a non-existent map. Yeah, I know, the map order in E2 is just weird (see below).
Anyway, the map is empty. You can even walk in the space but if you go through the windows, you die! The map may have been been removed from the compilation version. I only had to mention it exists because it was included in the original release of the mod, despite not accessible by normal means. I only found its existence when looking in the Mapster.
Trivia: the maps in E2 are JJE2L1, JJE2L2, JJE2L3, JJE2L5 and JJE2L7. The first three are the space maps. There is a clear progression between them. Then you reach JJE2L5, which is the city map where you fight Overlord. There is no JJE2L4 and was probably cut for whatever reason, which is why there is a secret nuke button found earlier and the progression from JJE2L3 to JJE2L5 doesn't make much sense.
And then this suggests another planned JJE2L6 map, with JJE2L7 being the unfinished and untextured space map you can only access it with cheats.
Currently, I reached Episode 3 and its review will be posted next week, around 23-25th when I also get to post the nominations for next month. Hopefully I get to finish the third episode in time.
Have a nice weekend!