Help
Duke4.net
DNF #1
Duke 3D #1
BTW there is also the WGSpace3 redux that really improves the level with 20 new secrets TROR effects Jetpacks and lots more. https://forums.duke4...attach_id=17650
Duke Map/Mod of the Month Club - February 2023 "Time to visit the WGRealms!"
- Speaker of the Outhouse
-
#32 Posted 26 February 2023 - 08:46 AM
imagine choosing the shortest month of the year to go over the mapper/modder with the most content
#33 Posted 26 February 2023 - 01:10 PM
Quote
This is something I noticed a lot past this point, but Alien Hive heavily abuses copy-pasting.
William himself mentioned earlier in this thread that it wasn't really copy-pasting, he had to recreate these areas by hand since he didn't know about the command back then
And to the voting - not sure if I'll be able to play much in March either, but I did play MM like 2 years ago and prepared a review for CGS I think that was never uploaded, so will post about it anyway.
- Metropolitan Mayhem +++
- World War II GI + Platoon Leader
#34 Posted 26 February 2023 - 04:12 PM
I didn't even know how to flip selected sectors Y and X back then. :s
Something possessed me to make all those areas the same at the time.
Something possessed me to make all those areas the same at the time.
#35 Posted 27 February 2023 - 12:36 AM
Aleks, on 26 February 2023 - 01:10 PM, said:
William himself mentioned earlier in this thread that it wasn't really copy-pasting, he had to recreate these areas by hand since he didn't know about the command back then
Well, now I'm just impressed honestly.
#36 Posted 28 February 2023 - 07:35 AM
William Gee, on 25 February 2023 - 11:20 AM, said:
BTW there is also the WGSpace3 redux that really improves the level with 20 new secrets TROR effects Jetpacks and lots more. https://forums.duke4...attach_id=17650
Thanks for sharing this William Gee, i will definitely try out redux version of WGSpace 3 after i play the main episode.
A bit late for the month, but still, i decided to play and join in. I started playing WGSpace Episode, though this not my first time i play this wonderful masterpiece episode, playing it over and over again never gets old. Here is my thoughts of first two levels i have beaten recently.
Astro Core
Beautifully detailed space themed level and very fun to play. Challenge is pretty enough well balanced and well done. The is level is neither too easy neither too hard just the way i like. I enjoyed every minute of playing this level. Thanks for making this William Gee
Alien Hive
Again very well designed level, enjoyed playing this master piece very much. The Balance is good as always. I liked new Alien ambient and talk sounds. I know that some are borrowed from Half-Life too of these sounds, but all joined together like this makes very great and epic atmosphere. It was very enjoyable gameplay experience.
While i still have to play other levels in order to finish episode, but knowing this episode from before (as i said it's not my first time i play this episode) this episode deserved to be official Episode 5 of Duke Nukem (If world tour haven't been released of course) And man, let's be honest, not only that this episode gets levels that are at some extent better than 3D Realms official levels, but its definitely FAR MORE better and creative than World Tour that came up much later. If we wanted good official looking space themed episode that contains Atomic Edition resources, that definitely would be WGSpace episode as well deserved place of Episode 5 rather than World Tour.
Thanks for making this, William Gee. It was really great fun.
#37 Posted 28 February 2023 - 12:17 PM
LakiSoft, on 28 February 2023 - 07:35 AM, said:
Thanks for sharing this William Gee, i will definitely try out redux version of WGSpace 3 after i play the main episode.
WGS3 redux is also included in the WGMega pack replacing the old WGS3 map in its version of the WGSpace Episode.
Anyways happy to hear you are enjoying it, I did a poll on moddb a few months back and WGSPace still got a couple votes for fave WG episode.
Attached thumbnail(s)
This post has been edited by William Gee: 28 February 2023 - 12:17 PM
#38 Posted 28 February 2023 - 10:10 PM
William Gee, on 28 February 2023 - 12:17 PM, said:
WGS3 redux is also included in the WGMega pack replacing the old WGS3 map in its version of the WGSpace Episode.
Anyways happy to hear you are enjoying it, I did a poll on moddb a few months back and WGSPace still got a couple votes for fave WG episode.
Anyways happy to hear you are enjoying it, I did a poll on moddb a few months back and WGSPace still got a couple votes for fave WG episode.
Yeah sorry i was playing the old version of WGSpace, but i will definitely try the fixed in WGMega Pack as well.
It's good to have more versions of same product (both older and newer ones) just for the sake of excuse for replay.
So yeah, i already planned doing WGRealms inside either WGMega Pack or EDuke Addon Compilation, so i will definitely try out updated WGSpace as well.
#39 Posted 01 March 2023 - 01:14 AM
Let's continue WGSpace Episode.
Ice Moon
Interesting layout. Honestly, it was confusing at moments, but again that gives a fair way of putting the player to use his brain how to do or pass certain type of situation rather than just blowing up the aliens and collecting the keys. Great level, nothing less perfect i would expect from great author like William Gee.
Infected
Absolutely well done and very well detailed. It definitely got some of best takes at level design i ever seen. I think no more words than that is necessary to describe this masterpiece.
Now i am taking break of this but will do more tomorrow.
Ice Moon
Interesting layout. Honestly, it was confusing at moments, but again that gives a fair way of putting the player to use his brain how to do or pass certain type of situation rather than just blowing up the aliens and collecting the keys. Great level, nothing less perfect i would expect from great author like William Gee.
Infected
Absolutely well done and very well detailed. It definitely got some of best takes at level design i ever seen. I think no more words than that is necessary to describe this masterpiece.
Now i am taking break of this but will do more tomorrow.
#40 Posted 01 March 2023 - 08:00 AM
Here is a short review of WGRealms (original 2004 release), which was played in Duke3D v1.5 and yes it is fully DOS-compatible for anyone who is wondering.
Awakening
The first level of WGRealms is short but very atmospheric, setting the episode quite nicely. There are no enemies or secrets to be found in the whole level. All you have to do is visit two houses and find/press THREE switches to open up a way to fall into the next level.
The only danger in this level is the lightning but you should be able to never get hit if you are lucky. There are two toilets to be found just in case, so you can recover your health. You can also find a pistol towards the end, which will be a great help for the next level, since you start this level without any weapons.
Not much else to say. This is a nice opening level.
Medievil Cress
The second level brings us right into the action. Here we have to find a switch to temporary open the main game and then enter the castle. We will be met by various aliens and we have to take them down. Just take note that the door only opens temporary (though you can backtrack later on if you missed something, thankfully) and you might want to explore in advance, such as finding a scuba gear (you get another one later) which will help for underwater exploring.
If you are lucky, you can get armor dropped by pig cops, considering armor is very rare in this episode, though health is usually plentiful in most levels. There is even a water fountain that will be a great help if you are falling low on health. Ammo is also quite limited in the beginning, so you might want to save the RPG for the Mini Battlelords and maybe the Commanders, while using the hitscan weapons for weaker enemies. And the Devastator for the groups of Octabrains later on.
I died a few times because my gameplay was a bit sloppy in this level, as I was running short on ammo at one point after forcing myself to kill a Mini Battlelord with shotgun/machinegun and even had to kick one commander to death, which was painful but after that section, there was more than enough ammo. Oh yeah and got hit a bunch of times halfway through the level, so much that my used armor (75) was gone quickly. And yes, the pig cops dropped armor twice in this level (ironically, only on this level), though there is an actual armor pickup inside a secret, which will be great for the next level. Alongside two atomic healths if you can afford to save them for next level.
There are two rather well hidden secrets to find, both located somewhat close to each other, which are also very rewarding:
1) Near the water fountain, check those two windows, as one of them contains the secret. Break the glass and jump inside to get an Atomic Health.
2) Go further towards a door that is locked early on. Look on the left side, where two enforcers are standing. Kill them, then jump inside the fake wall to pick up an Armor.
Great level! Looking forward to the next one.
Open Season
Probably the best level of the episode (both in terms of looks and gameplay), this level is beautiful and nice to explore. It's quite challenging too, especially the beginning when you've got many enemies scattered around the place, demanding quick decisions and reflexes to get rid of them quickly. I suggest to finish the previous level with 200 health and 100 armor (and the medkit in inventory), to compensate for the lack of armor in this map (though health is plentiful that the lack of armor isn't that big of an issue) and that there will be a lot of unavoidable damage.
Most of the parts in the level are very fun and challenging. There is one bullshit trap where you get stuck in a small corridor and are getting shot by turrets and after you kill them, the floor explodes and you fall down. This costs you nearly all your health (assuming you got there with 100 health) but the worst part is not being able to survive the fall because you need at least 20-25 or so health to survive, even if there is health placed at the bottom, Duke doesn't grab it until after landing. It took me a few tries but thankfully after I survived the fall and used the medkit, I got rewarded with an Atomic Health!
The last part of the level (surrounded by a deadly pit) is also quite difficult, as you will get shot by hitscanners (mini battlelords and enforcers) and run low on health. Have the medkit ready (or grab a new one if you already used the previous one) and take down the bastards. I got killed once more by two enforcers firing at me but then on next attempt I survived with 1 HP. I was out of medkit and came across some life saving large medkits. I backtracked to find more health (especially a new Portable Medkit) or even use various water fountains scattered to fully recover.
Oh and yes I did in fact fall down accidentally once in that lava pit but doing so revealed one enforcer was down there stuck in the pit. Loading my save, throwing one pipebomb and taking him out, so then I was able to get all the kills.
There are also four secrets to find, with the last two requiring to take fall damage to get them, so make sure to have 100 health (or more) in advance:
1) Look for a big column/pillar located near a switch you insert the card into. Jump inside that column/pillar to collect an RPG and an Atomic Health.
2) Towards the end of the level, look for a giant crack to blow up. Then you will eventually be able to reach the secret that contains a Shrinker crystal.
3) In the same location, carefully jump down to collect an Atomic Health and reach a teleporter.
4) After taking the teleporter in the third secret, you will get to the last secret. It contains RPG, Shrinker and Devastator, though it requires you to take fall damage again to continue with the level. Still, it's worth getting all the secrets!
Besides that one annoying trap, this was an excellent adventurous level! Looking forward to the next one.
Crystal Mines
An interesting level taking place in some underground mines.
The level can be a bit confusing because you need to pay extra attention to the environment. You need to press on those switches labeled with different symbols to solve switch puzzles, which was easy to figure out but the thing that got me stuck was having to insert the Blue Card directly into a crystal.
The lack of armor was only irritating when taking a sudden commander's rocket to the face, which caused significant damage and happened twice. There IS an armor pickup that spawns underwater (alongside the second Blue Card, ammo supplies and an atomic health) later on but if you are playing continuously, I recommend saving the armor and two atomic healths for the next level because the next level doesn't have any armor, although it has plenty of health, so once again, it's up to you. Personally, I find the armor a valuable item and has saved my ass many times.
As for the map, it's not too difficult, nor is too long. Though the map can take a while to complete if you don't figure out where you are supposed to place the first blue card. As I said above, you must insert into the blue crystal located in the left side of the room near the blue door you can't open yet. Oh and no secrets to find, so nothing else to say.
Overall, pretty cool map! Looking forward for the finale!
Temple Cress
Boss level time! It feels like a level you'd see in Serious Sam, even though I haven't played the SS games (yet). Anyway, kill the various aliens found around the pyramid and find a teleporter. Afterwards, kill a few Mini Battlelords and other aliens, press some switches (careful at the part where you must press/shoot the FOUR switches quickly before the ceiling crushes you) and return to the main area to find the BATTLELORD BOSS awaiting you inside the pyramid! Take down the guarding commanders and lure the Battlelord outside of the entrance if you want to get the two Atomic Healths inside as well as the Jetpack, then use your Devastator and that's it!
Interestingly, I died twice in this map, first time at the part with the collapsing ceiling (I think I remember dying at the same part in the WGR2 version of the episode) and when I happened to run into a Mini Battlelord right around a corner (the same Mini Battlelord you could see earlier but was impossible to interact with, as he can't be damaged until he sees you). Other than that, the map isn't difficult at all and it's not too long either. The Battlelord is straightforward due to the space you have to move and he will almost certainly get stuck somewhere, making him stationary and an easy target.
There are no secrets to find but at least there is a cool new ending screen teasing WGRealms2! The new cutscene didn't play for some reason, I only heard sound in the background. Can anyone confirm that or it's missing in the initial release? Or a side effect causing by playing the mod in DOSBox? Or there is simply no new cutscene (the original E1 cutscene simply replaced by a black screen). The initial release of WGRealms seems to work just fine in DOSBox, I never got any crashes or freezes or anything, so I find this thing odd but I'm not going to complain about that, as I appreciate there is a new ending screen at all.
Definitiely a great level and a great conclusion to the episode!
Overall, WGRealms is a fantastic episode/TC. Highly recommended to be played, whether you are playing the original release (though I highly recommend the updated version instead, either the 2009 one or the WG Mega Pack version) or the separate version included in WGRealms2 as a bonus. Whichever version you choose, this episode is a must play!
WGSpace3 Redux
Because I didn't get to play the WGSpace Episode yet (or the WG Mega Pack, which I'm saving for the upcoming summer), I played WGSpace3 Redux (user map version) that William Gee has posted earlier in the topic. I used EDuke32 r9887 (latest 2021 build) to play the map on CGS skill.
It's much better than the original version, as it has rebalanced gameplay (lots of stuff to be found scattered around), updated locations, 20 SECRETS and OVER 600 MONSTERS to kill!
Due to the enhanced controls in EDuke32, I actually got through the whole level without dying, as it was far comfortable to aim with the mouse and use WASD controls to play, as opposed to the default keyboard only controls in DOS DUKE3D (no, I don't like mouse aiming in vanilla Duke3D). I never struggled with health, as medkits and atomic healths were plentiful, even when getting to around 50 or so hp left. I did run into a weird glitch later in the map with some commanders turned into ghosts, similar to a weird glitch that can happen in original DOOM 2 where Archviles can resurrect crushed monsters! Those glitchy commanders couldn't get hurt by projectiles and the attacks passed through them, even when using hitscan weapons against them, it's as if their collision became non-existent. I eventually got rid of them using pipebombs. The only commanders affected were those towards the end of the map, found in a large orange area where you are crossing a bridge. I don't know WTF was up with that but other than that, I didn't notice anything too weird.
Well, besides the kill count glitching halfway where the total amount of monsters declined until it reached like 244/244 and stopped (my guess is this glitch caused by some slimer trying to eat an inactive enemy offscreen and caused the total amount of enemies present in level to read as if I had killed everyone already, though unlike vanilla Duke3D, you can get more than 255 kills in a level). And also another weird thing was some monsters falling into pits (like three pig tanks towards the end) and having to use the jetpack to get to them, as the enemies seem to survive long falls. Yes, as mentioned, you do get the jetpack later on the map after the platforming part (in the green alien themed area) and yes, there are Atomic monsters used this time around, so you aren't limited to just original Duke3D monsters. You get to fight protectors and pig tanks occasionally.
I'm not going to write a secrets guide for the 20 secrets but I will say to look for cracks in the walls (they are large and easily spotted) and areas you can reach, some of them requiring a jetpack. I may even replay the map on DIG skill later on if I feel like but for now, I'm going to look for the missing secrets, as I only found 6 of them by the time I got to the end.
It was definitely a great map and highly recommended to be played!
Anyway, it looks like Metropolitan Mayhem has won and I will host the new topic very soon! 15 maps may be a bit low for March but I think that's justified for now. In fact, I'm sure there will be a lot to write when talking about Metropolitan Mayhem and I promise from now on I will stick to 15-20 maps in total per month, so the deadline can be met.
WGSpace review coming next week or so, if I ever decide to play the episode and bump the topic. Thanks everyone for participation and especially thanks to William Gee for the developer commentary, I really appreciate it. See you guys on the next edition of the Map/Mod of the Month Club!
Awakening
The first level of WGRealms is short but very atmospheric, setting the episode quite nicely. There are no enemies or secrets to be found in the whole level. All you have to do is visit two houses and find/press THREE switches to open up a way to fall into the next level.
The only danger in this level is the lightning but you should be able to never get hit if you are lucky. There are two toilets to be found just in case, so you can recover your health. You can also find a pistol towards the end, which will be a great help for the next level, since you start this level without any weapons.
Not much else to say. This is a nice opening level.
Medievil Cress
The second level brings us right into the action. Here we have to find a switch to temporary open the main game and then enter the castle. We will be met by various aliens and we have to take them down. Just take note that the door only opens temporary (though you can backtrack later on if you missed something, thankfully) and you might want to explore in advance, such as finding a scuba gear (you get another one later) which will help for underwater exploring.
If you are lucky, you can get armor dropped by pig cops, considering armor is very rare in this episode, though health is usually plentiful in most levels. There is even a water fountain that will be a great help if you are falling low on health. Ammo is also quite limited in the beginning, so you might want to save the RPG for the Mini Battlelords and maybe the Commanders, while using the hitscan weapons for weaker enemies. And the Devastator for the groups of Octabrains later on.
I died a few times because my gameplay was a bit sloppy in this level, as I was running short on ammo at one point after forcing myself to kill a Mini Battlelord with shotgun/machinegun and even had to kick one commander to death, which was painful but after that section, there was more than enough ammo. Oh yeah and got hit a bunch of times halfway through the level, so much that my used armor (75) was gone quickly. And yes, the pig cops dropped armor twice in this level (ironically, only on this level), though there is an actual armor pickup inside a secret, which will be great for the next level. Alongside two atomic healths if you can afford to save them for next level.
There are two rather well hidden secrets to find, both located somewhat close to each other, which are also very rewarding:
1) Near the water fountain, check those two windows, as one of them contains the secret. Break the glass and jump inside to get an Atomic Health.
2) Go further towards a door that is locked early on. Look on the left side, where two enforcers are standing. Kill them, then jump inside the fake wall to pick up an Armor.
Great level! Looking forward to the next one.
Open Season
Probably the best level of the episode (both in terms of looks and gameplay), this level is beautiful and nice to explore. It's quite challenging too, especially the beginning when you've got many enemies scattered around the place, demanding quick decisions and reflexes to get rid of them quickly. I suggest to finish the previous level with 200 health and 100 armor (and the medkit in inventory), to compensate for the lack of armor in this map (though health is plentiful that the lack of armor isn't that big of an issue) and that there will be a lot of unavoidable damage.
Most of the parts in the level are very fun and challenging. There is one bullshit trap where you get stuck in a small corridor and are getting shot by turrets and after you kill them, the floor explodes and you fall down. This costs you nearly all your health (assuming you got there with 100 health) but the worst part is not being able to survive the fall because you need at least 20-25 or so health to survive, even if there is health placed at the bottom, Duke doesn't grab it until after landing. It took me a few tries but thankfully after I survived the fall and used the medkit, I got rewarded with an Atomic Health!
The last part of the level (surrounded by a deadly pit) is also quite difficult, as you will get shot by hitscanners (mini battlelords and enforcers) and run low on health. Have the medkit ready (or grab a new one if you already used the previous one) and take down the bastards. I got killed once more by two enforcers firing at me but then on next attempt I survived with 1 HP. I was out of medkit and came across some life saving large medkits. I backtracked to find more health (especially a new Portable Medkit) or even use various water fountains scattered to fully recover.
Oh and yes I did in fact fall down accidentally once in that lava pit but doing so revealed one enforcer was down there stuck in the pit. Loading my save, throwing one pipebomb and taking him out, so then I was able to get all the kills.
There are also four secrets to find, with the last two requiring to take fall damage to get them, so make sure to have 100 health (or more) in advance:
1) Look for a big column/pillar located near a switch you insert the card into. Jump inside that column/pillar to collect an RPG and an Atomic Health.
2) Towards the end of the level, look for a giant crack to blow up. Then you will eventually be able to reach the secret that contains a Shrinker crystal.
3) In the same location, carefully jump down to collect an Atomic Health and reach a teleporter.
4) After taking the teleporter in the third secret, you will get to the last secret. It contains RPG, Shrinker and Devastator, though it requires you to take fall damage again to continue with the level. Still, it's worth getting all the secrets!
Besides that one annoying trap, this was an excellent adventurous level! Looking forward to the next one.
Crystal Mines
An interesting level taking place in some underground mines.
The level can be a bit confusing because you need to pay extra attention to the environment. You need to press on those switches labeled with different symbols to solve switch puzzles, which was easy to figure out but the thing that got me stuck was having to insert the Blue Card directly into a crystal.
The lack of armor was only irritating when taking a sudden commander's rocket to the face, which caused significant damage and happened twice. There IS an armor pickup that spawns underwater (alongside the second Blue Card, ammo supplies and an atomic health) later on but if you are playing continuously, I recommend saving the armor and two atomic healths for the next level because the next level doesn't have any armor, although it has plenty of health, so once again, it's up to you. Personally, I find the armor a valuable item and has saved my ass many times.
As for the map, it's not too difficult, nor is too long. Though the map can take a while to complete if you don't figure out where you are supposed to place the first blue card. As I said above, you must insert into the blue crystal located in the left side of the room near the blue door you can't open yet. Oh and no secrets to find, so nothing else to say.
Overall, pretty cool map! Looking forward for the finale!
Temple Cress
Boss level time! It feels like a level you'd see in Serious Sam, even though I haven't played the SS games (yet). Anyway, kill the various aliens found around the pyramid and find a teleporter. Afterwards, kill a few Mini Battlelords and other aliens, press some switches (careful at the part where you must press/shoot the FOUR switches quickly before the ceiling crushes you) and return to the main area to find the BATTLELORD BOSS awaiting you inside the pyramid! Take down the guarding commanders and lure the Battlelord outside of the entrance if you want to get the two Atomic Healths inside as well as the Jetpack, then use your Devastator and that's it!
Interestingly, I died twice in this map, first time at the part with the collapsing ceiling (I think I remember dying at the same part in the WGR2 version of the episode) and when I happened to run into a Mini Battlelord right around a corner (the same Mini Battlelord you could see earlier but was impossible to interact with, as he can't be damaged until he sees you). Other than that, the map isn't difficult at all and it's not too long either. The Battlelord is straightforward due to the space you have to move and he will almost certainly get stuck somewhere, making him stationary and an easy target.
There are no secrets to find but at least there is a cool new ending screen teasing WGRealms2! The new cutscene didn't play for some reason, I only heard sound in the background. Can anyone confirm that or it's missing in the initial release? Or a side effect causing by playing the mod in DOSBox? Or there is simply no new cutscene (the original E1 cutscene simply replaced by a black screen). The initial release of WGRealms seems to work just fine in DOSBox, I never got any crashes or freezes or anything, so I find this thing odd but I'm not going to complain about that, as I appreciate there is a new ending screen at all.
Definitiely a great level and a great conclusion to the episode!
Overall, WGRealms is a fantastic episode/TC. Highly recommended to be played, whether you are playing the original release (though I highly recommend the updated version instead, either the 2009 one or the WG Mega Pack version) or the separate version included in WGRealms2 as a bonus. Whichever version you choose, this episode is a must play!
WGSpace3 Redux
Because I didn't get to play the WGSpace Episode yet (or the WG Mega Pack, which I'm saving for the upcoming summer), I played WGSpace3 Redux (user map version) that William Gee has posted earlier in the topic. I used EDuke32 r9887 (latest 2021 build) to play the map on CGS skill.
It's much better than the original version, as it has rebalanced gameplay (lots of stuff to be found scattered around), updated locations, 20 SECRETS and OVER 600 MONSTERS to kill!
Due to the enhanced controls in EDuke32, I actually got through the whole level without dying, as it was far comfortable to aim with the mouse and use WASD controls to play, as opposed to the default keyboard only controls in DOS DUKE3D (no, I don't like mouse aiming in vanilla Duke3D). I never struggled with health, as medkits and atomic healths were plentiful, even when getting to around 50 or so hp left. I did run into a weird glitch later in the map with some commanders turned into ghosts, similar to a weird glitch that can happen in original DOOM 2 where Archviles can resurrect crushed monsters! Those glitchy commanders couldn't get hurt by projectiles and the attacks passed through them, even when using hitscan weapons against them, it's as if their collision became non-existent. I eventually got rid of them using pipebombs. The only commanders affected were those towards the end of the map, found in a large orange area where you are crossing a bridge. I don't know WTF was up with that but other than that, I didn't notice anything too weird.
Well, besides the kill count glitching halfway where the total amount of monsters declined until it reached like 244/244 and stopped (my guess is this glitch caused by some slimer trying to eat an inactive enemy offscreen and caused the total amount of enemies present in level to read as if I had killed everyone already, though unlike vanilla Duke3D, you can get more than 255 kills in a level). And also another weird thing was some monsters falling into pits (like three pig tanks towards the end) and having to use the jetpack to get to them, as the enemies seem to survive long falls. Yes, as mentioned, you do get the jetpack later on the map after the platforming part (in the green alien themed area) and yes, there are Atomic monsters used this time around, so you aren't limited to just original Duke3D monsters. You get to fight protectors and pig tanks occasionally.
I'm not going to write a secrets guide for the 20 secrets but I will say to look for cracks in the walls (they are large and easily spotted) and areas you can reach, some of them requiring a jetpack. I may even replay the map on DIG skill later on if I feel like but for now, I'm going to look for the missing secrets, as I only found 6 of them by the time I got to the end.
It was definitely a great map and highly recommended to be played!
Anyway, it looks like Metropolitan Mayhem has won and I will host the new topic very soon! 15 maps may be a bit low for March but I think that's justified for now. In fact, I'm sure there will be a lot to write when talking about Metropolitan Mayhem and I promise from now on I will stick to 15-20 maps in total per month, so the deadline can be met.
WGSpace review coming next week or so, if I ever decide to play the episode and bump the topic. Thanks everyone for participation and especially thanks to William Gee for the developer commentary, I really appreciate it. See you guys on the next edition of the Map/Mod of the Month Club!
#41 Posted 01 March 2023 - 11:53 AM
Sounds like the ghost commanders are due to them flying in a TROR portal. If any enemy flys there are are impossible to hit unless you use pipe bombs.
Also I had completely forgotten WGRealms had a end screen.
Also I had completely forgotten WGRealms had a end screen.
This post has been edited by William Gee: 01 March 2023 - 11:55 AM
#42 Posted 02 March 2023 - 02:44 PM
Ok, here we go, let's get it done with WGSpace Episode.
Pay Load
I was really amazed and impressed by high detailed of alien architecture William Gee put his powerful creativity very well in this level. I enjoyed and had fun of every second of playing it. No need to add anything more than that.
Mother Ship
Absolutely best final boss styled level i ever saw in any Duke3D user made content. Literally it rivals official 3D Realms levels. New alien ambient sounds making excellent atmosphere in this even even more amazing and realistic. William Gee made this episode as an absolute masterpiece. Definitely A MUST PLAY for any serious Duker.
BTW, @William Gee, if you are still reading this, i have one question. I know that many cool ambient sounds are taken from Quake and Half-Life, but alien high pitched speech/voice sound, where you got this one from? Some unknown video i don't know or some Alien themed movie? Well, no matter where this sound come from it really made a complete experience of this amazing episode you put your all effort into making it so great.
Now, next thing i am going to play is WGMega Pack, just to play WGRealms and updated version of WGSpace. And who knows, i may even do WGCity while i am at WGMega Pack, even if that level isn't assigned for this month club, but i stil i would like to try all William Gee maps i haven't played yet because i already know the gonna be awesome. It's William Gee Creation after all.
Pay Load
I was really amazed and impressed by high detailed of alien architecture William Gee put his powerful creativity very well in this level. I enjoyed and had fun of every second of playing it. No need to add anything more than that.
Mother Ship
Absolutely best final boss styled level i ever saw in any Duke3D user made content. Literally it rivals official 3D Realms levels. New alien ambient sounds making excellent atmosphere in this even even more amazing and realistic. William Gee made this episode as an absolute masterpiece. Definitely A MUST PLAY for any serious Duker.
BTW, @William Gee, if you are still reading this, i have one question. I know that many cool ambient sounds are taken from Quake and Half-Life, but alien high pitched speech/voice sound, where you got this one from? Some unknown video i don't know or some Alien themed movie? Well, no matter where this sound come from it really made a complete experience of this amazing episode you put your all effort into making it so great.
Now, next thing i am going to play is WGMega Pack, just to play WGRealms and updated version of WGSpace. And who knows, i may even do WGCity while i am at WGMega Pack, even if that level isn't assigned for this month club, but i stil i would like to try all William Gee maps i haven't played yet because i already know the gonna be awesome. It's William Gee Creation after all.
#43 Posted 02 March 2023 - 06:30 PM
I really cannot remember where I got any of those sounds from it was so long ago. But I appreciate all of your comments!
WGCity in the WGmega pack is now level3 in the WGPandora episode, so if you want to play the original you might as well download it from MSDN, or just play WGPandora, a 5 level episode.
The version of WGRealms in WGMega has the cycloid emperor at the end as it is now in the 3rd episode slot. And all the original duke3d weapons.
But I appreciate all of your comments!WGCity in the WGmega pack is now level3 in the WGPandora episode, so if you want to play the original you might as well download it from MSDN, or just play WGPandora, a 5 level episode.
The version of WGRealms in WGMega has the cycloid emperor at the end as it is now in the 3rd episode slot. And all the original duke3d weapons.
#44 Posted 04 April 2023 - 03:45 AM
I know I'm a month late but in the last couple of weeks, I had some free time to get around playing the original 2008 release of WGSpace Episode and now it's time to review it and finally wrap up the February 2023 topic for real this time! Grab the popcorn and enjoy reading!
First, the mod works in DOS Duke3D v1.5 but you need to modify the batch file or create a copy of it with some fixes. Clicking on duke-wgs.bat will just load the original Duke3D Atomic with no changes. At first I didn't see what was wrong with the batch file but then I realized why. The batch file has the following parameters:
The line appears fine at first but upon further investigation, the original DOS Duke3D doesn't accept "-" for loading con files and grp files, for some reason. Using "/" works properly. Therefore, use the following to load the mod:
Then the mod will load and you will get Episode 2 replaced in main menu. It doesn't have any new intro demos or anything but at least the mod works fine.
My guess why it didn't initially work is that the mod was tested only in JFDuke3D and EDuke32. And indeed, trying the batch file in JFDuke3D will load the mod just fine.
Second, the levels were further refined compared to original standalone/user map releases. The Atomic monsters now populate the earlier maps, the balance is better, the secret levels are now reachable from the new paths introduced in third and fourth level respectively, etc.
Third, there is of course, the exclusive boss map Mother Ship, which wasn't released as standalone before the episodic release. Although I recall when I played the Attrition mod back in 2010, the map was included in the package and chosen as the boss map in Random Missions Part Two.
Anyway, I'm going to quickly note some of the changes for each level, as well as a full review of Mother Ship! Screenshots are only posted for the last level!
Astro Core
The first level received a couple changes, such as introducing the Atomic Edition resources (Expander Ammo, Protector Drone and Pig Cop Tank) in some parts of the maps. It also features a couple trip mine traps (at least I don't remember them appearing that often in original version of the map) and balance of the map seems better this time around. I'm guessing there are more health pickups. The four secrets remain the same, so I won't describe them again. This version of the map was much more fun and I didn't have to deal with the weird DOS Duke3D 1.3D glitches either.
Alien Hive
The second level received a few changes. As far as I can tell, it's mostly the same as before, except for the occasional Atomic enemies showing up and the Expander Ammo appearing in some places. There are still no secrets to be found.
Ice Moon
The third level received a couple important changes compared to the original release, before it was further refined in the recent REDUX re-release. Other than the Atomic stuff introduced and better balance, there is now a switch that leads to a hidden room containing two Atomic Healths and the first SECRET EXIT of the episode! There are still no official secrets to be found but here is a hint on how to access the first secret level of the episode:
When you get near the forcefield with the four buttons, you will get to a corridor with various aliens. Inside one of the rooms, if you look up, you will notice a switch. Problem is you need to be very quick or else it closes. The same applies to the nearby switch-operated window, you need to open them quickly and run to get in time before they close. Don't worry if you fail to get in time, you can retry as many times as you want but I recommend saving anyway if you happen to get squished by the door (didn't happen to me thankfully but it's better to be safe than sorry).
Alien X
OK, first of all, I want to take some of my complaints back from the review earlier. The updated version of the map gives you the Chaingun right at the start! But then again, this time I was playing the map continuously and even if the Chaingun wasn't there, I would use the one I got so far.
Unfortunately, the rest of the level still suffers from having annoying enemy placement and lack of armor. I still have no idea how to access the hidden goodies (including the ONLY Armor in this map) underwater near the beginning. The switch corresponding to the tag doesn't seem to be present or maybe I'm just missing something and I haven't figured out. Oh and this time around, there is no optional Overlord boss battle, for obvious reasons.
I'm just guessing the map was further balanced/refined in WG Mega Pack but as it stands, the map was still a miserable experience to me, with many annoying deaths and running low on health at times that necessitated save-scumming to be able to beat the level.
Infected
Just like with Alien X, this is another notorious level where you will be struggling with your health at times (e.g. 30 health and no medkit remaining in inventory). Even starting this map with almost a full arsenal and 200 health, you will still die plenty of times later on from the amount of Mini Battlelords encountered and getting hit almost all the damn time from the aliens' attacks. The lack of armor for several consecutive levels, bites you really hard in the ass! And the pig cops didn't drop any used armor either.
I even managed to get shrunk twice by the Protector Drones near the end of the level and of course this ended up badly. But at least, this also led to a funny result of one of the Mini Battlelords getting shrunk in the process, which is what caused me the two deaths when I saved and rushed to step on the Toy Battlelord. I sometimes try to shrink Mini Battlelords myself but due to the game's autoaim (BTW there is no way to disable it in the original DOS version!), the shot is aimed in the chest and doesn't do anything. It is very difficult to aim at their feet around corners but if done successfully, it saves me precious health. The Protector shrinking the mini boss was just a happy accident, I guess.
But leaving aside the nitpicks, most importantly, there is a new optional quest where you must find THREE new access cards (not counting the ones intended for progression) in order to access the secret exit!
First, you must find and blow up a crack. You will see the three access cards slots. Afterwards, you will need to look for the three hidden cards and come back here. I recommend first clearing the level and when getting to the regular exit, backtrack and start finding the cards.
Second, here is the location of the three extra cards:
Red Card - Shortly after picking up the Shrinker (including ammo for it and expander), you will come across rotating doors. Check the nearby walls to your right and you should find it.
Blue Card - This card is located relatively close to the Red Card. Kill those aliens in the next room and check those green panels. The Blue Card should be hidden over there.
Yellow Card - This card is located behind a wall sitting in lava. It is hard to describe the exact location but it is found just next to some dead bodies and some supplies, shortly before encountering the two Mini Battlelords and the crack with the access switches that is the key (heh) to the secret exit.
Third, use the cards to unlock the doors leading to the secret exit. Just like with the third level, you will be rewarded with TWO Atomic Healths, ensuring you start the next level with 200 health! At least as long as you have 100 health beforehand and didn't consume every medkit in the level.
Forgot to mention, the last room (which contained a few enforcers and commanders if I remember correctly) was removed and replaced with the shuttle that leads to the beginning of fifth level if you choose the normal exit, so continuity-wise it now makes sense.
There are still no secrets to find. Overall, this level was quite painful and just like with Alien X, I think an armor pickup wouldn't have hurt to have been placed somewhere.
Matrix
As far as I can tell, the second secret level is pretty much the same as before, except with a few differences, such as the removal of about 5 monsters (Commanders and Octabrains) and there is now continuity added to the next level.
The map remains mostly easy, as the most enemies you encounter are Troopers and Enforcers. Sadly, the lack of armor is still present but at least, this doesn't hurt your survival chances, so you shouldn't struggle with your health this time around, as long as you don't get too careless when fighting the aliens.
Oh and the level is now called just "Matrix" instead of "Future Matrix". Whether a mistake or not, I will wait for William to comment here.
Pay Load
Formerly known as WGAlien. From what I can tell, the level plays out almost the same. I died a few times but it's nothing too bad. Difficulty wise, is much easier and shorter than both the fourth and sixth level (you will see soon what this level awaits).
The level still has no secret places and most of the enemy placement remains the same with only a few problematic parts that may give you trouble. This is also the only level in the episode with a shrinking puzzle involved (it was present in the original map as well). That if we don't include the possibility to be shrunk by the protectors in other levels.
Interestingly, I ended up picking up an atomic health by accident (there's 3 or 4 present in the level), so at the end of level when backtracking for supplies, I only came across one atomic health remaining, making it the only level I didn't finish with 200 health but still, 150 should be enough for the next level. On the bright side, in this level I got two armor pickups from pig cops and these will also come handy for the next level.
A somewhat relaxing break from the harder fourth level (Infected) and what will be coming soon!
Mother Ship
I'm happy to inform that the exclusive WGSpace boss level works perfectly fine in Duke3D v1.5 in DOSBox. I never had any crashes or glitches happening. I won't offer a full walkthrough since the level is pretty straightforward but I will still focus on some important details. Such as the blue card you get right at beginning, unlocks a nearby window with many goodies inside! This is absolutely essential for pistol starters, while continuous players will want to come back later and restock.
With that said, the level was really damn hard at times. It is quite fitting as it's the finale but still, there were far more Mini Battlelords and Assault Commanders than I expected. You are given plenty of ammo and even health supplies to deal with most of the threats but there will be moments where you will be left with even as little as 1 HP and without any medkit in inventory (as it happened once to me), leading to having to backtrack for any health pickup you can hopefully come across or save scum to win the battle. I had to backtrack at that point for the Medkit from beginning because I only had 1 HP left and I was unable to kill a Mini Battlelord. I couldn't find any other health packs remaining in the areas opened until that point.
There is an Armor pickup right at beginning (thankfully possible to backtrack to collect the goodies) but other than that and whatever pig cops drop for you (wasn't the case this time but at least I appreciate the used armor I got from previous level), there aren't any more armor pickups. I recommend saving the ONLY armor pickup for the last boss area, if you manage to get far enough. You will definitely need it!
When getting to the last area, be sure to grab everything in advance. After killing everyone in the large area and pressing all those switches (there's about 10 of them), when a whole army of monsters is unleashed (including the Overlord boss), there is a wall that will prevent backtracking, on top of a Mini Battlelord spawned to make sure you aren't going to hide from the aliens' attacks.
The army of monsters may pose a problem at first but eventually you will take them down (the Expander ammo is very useful against the army of troopers). The Overlord is easy to take down, as he will not be attacking often, so he won't bother you much. You should concentrate on taking down those alien bastards quickly before you get annihilated! Be sure to have the medkit selected in inventory and use it when you get low on health, as you will inevitably get shot a lot! Then grab whatever ammo/health pickups in the arena.
Afterwards, kill the Overlord and you've finished the episode! Congratulations!
Funnily enough, I happened to kill 250 monsters in total in this level. I was worried I'd exceed the vanilla Duke3d's 255 kill limit but now at least I know I killed exactly 250 monsters. Also this level doesn't contain any secrets, so there is nothing else to add.
There is no new cutscene or ending graphics, it's just the original Lunar Apocalypse cutscene and ending. Makes sense, as unlike WGRealms that was a completely new adventure, WGSpace feels like an alternate take on Lunar Apocalypse, so I won't complain about the lack of a new ending or whatever. Although the episode contains new ambient sounds and a few new songs that play in some of the levels, so it's always nice to have new stuff included to make the episode feel even more professional.
Overall, this map may have been really frustrating at times and getting shot nearly all the damn time, not giving poor Duke a break (at least not until taking down the Overlord). But despite that, this was an exceptionally epic, long and challenging map that will truly test your Duking skills! It may have been easier in a source port with modern controls but still, I appreciated the extra challenge when playing in DOS Duke, even if I did get annoyed at certain parts when I keep dying and seemed like it was taking forever to get past a certain fight.
png]
png]
Final Thoughts
WGSpace Episode is definitely one of the best Duke3D episodes I've ever played. It's a great E2 replacement that will really test your skills at times. I think the monster and item/health ratio is great for the most part. I still stand by my point that the lack of armor hurts the episode's balance, as the armor is an essential item that will greatly help at times, compared to spending most of the episode with no armor and getting shot often, your health gets drained quickly that you will have to consume almost every health pickup in the level, EVEN if you collect the health items carefully to get the most benefit of them (e.g. grabbing the large medkit at 70 or less hp, the atomic health at 150 or less, the portable medkit when not having one in inventory, etc), sometimes you will still feel like there could have been slightly more health placed.
Don't blame my Duking skills, I consider myself very good at Duke3D. For the record, I beat half of the episode without dying (first three levels and the second secret level). I played keyboard only as this is how I like playing the DOS version of Duke3D and for having an additional challenge, so of course it was harder to aim and dodge enemy attacks but my point still stands that it wouldn't have hurt to have at least ONE armor pickup in each level, to reduce the pain that Duke had to suffer and that way I wouldn't complain about certain parts being impossible. At least saving often saved the day.
Thank you William Gee for making these levels! It has been a fun ride. I hope later this year, I can nominate the WG Mega Pack in its entirely, so we get to experience WG Abyss, WG Pandora and what else wasn't played for February. That way WGRealms and WGSpace will also get replayed for those who missed the chance of participating in February but this time I will be sure to play their latest version if I intend to revisit them, so my complains are fair instead of criticizing older versions that were rebalanced over time.
And thus this month has finally been wrapped! I will attach the zip containing the screenshots for various WGMaps, as well as WGRealms and WGSpace Episode. I only included what I could fit within the 20 MB upload limit. Have a nice day!
First, the mod works in DOS Duke3D v1.5 but you need to modify the batch file or create a copy of it with some fixes. Clicking on duke-wgs.bat will just load the original Duke3D Atomic with no changes. At first I didn't see what was wrong with the batch file but then I realized why. The batch file has the following parameters:
duke3d.exe -xWGGAME.CON -gWGS.GRP
The line appears fine at first but upon further investigation, the original DOS Duke3D doesn't accept "-" for loading con files and grp files, for some reason. Using "/" works properly. Therefore, use the following to load the mod:
DUKE3D.EXE /xWGGAME.CON /gWGS.GRP
Then the mod will load and you will get Episode 2 replaced in main menu. It doesn't have any new intro demos or anything but at least the mod works fine.
My guess why it didn't initially work is that the mod was tested only in JFDuke3D and EDuke32. And indeed, trying the batch file in JFDuke3D will load the mod just fine.
Second, the levels were further refined compared to original standalone/user map releases. The Atomic monsters now populate the earlier maps, the balance is better, the secret levels are now reachable from the new paths introduced in third and fourth level respectively, etc.
Third, there is of course, the exclusive boss map Mother Ship, which wasn't released as standalone before the episodic release. Although I recall when I played the Attrition mod back in 2010, the map was included in the package and chosen as the boss map in Random Missions Part Two.
Anyway, I'm going to quickly note some of the changes for each level, as well as a full review of Mother Ship! Screenshots are only posted for the last level!
Astro Core
The first level received a couple changes, such as introducing the Atomic Edition resources (Expander Ammo, Protector Drone and Pig Cop Tank) in some parts of the maps. It also features a couple trip mine traps (at least I don't remember them appearing that often in original version of the map) and balance of the map seems better this time around. I'm guessing there are more health pickups. The four secrets remain the same, so I won't describe them again. This version of the map was much more fun and I didn't have to deal with the weird DOS Duke3D 1.3D glitches either.
Alien Hive
The second level received a few changes. As far as I can tell, it's mostly the same as before, except for the occasional Atomic enemies showing up and the Expander Ammo appearing in some places. There are still no secrets to be found.
Ice Moon
The third level received a couple important changes compared to the original release, before it was further refined in the recent REDUX re-release. Other than the Atomic stuff introduced and better balance, there is now a switch that leads to a hidden room containing two Atomic Healths and the first SECRET EXIT of the episode! There are still no official secrets to be found but here is a hint on how to access the first secret level of the episode:
When you get near the forcefield with the four buttons, you will get to a corridor with various aliens. Inside one of the rooms, if you look up, you will notice a switch. Problem is you need to be very quick or else it closes. The same applies to the nearby switch-operated window, you need to open them quickly and run to get in time before they close. Don't worry if you fail to get in time, you can retry as many times as you want but I recommend saving anyway if you happen to get squished by the door (didn't happen to me thankfully but it's better to be safe than sorry).
Alien X
OK, first of all, I want to take some of my complaints back from the review earlier. The updated version of the map gives you the Chaingun right at the start! But then again, this time I was playing the map continuously and even if the Chaingun wasn't there, I would use the one I got so far.
Unfortunately, the rest of the level still suffers from having annoying enemy placement and lack of armor. I still have no idea how to access the hidden goodies (including the ONLY Armor in this map) underwater near the beginning. The switch corresponding to the tag doesn't seem to be present or maybe I'm just missing something and I haven't figured out. Oh and this time around, there is no optional Overlord boss battle, for obvious reasons.
I'm just guessing the map was further balanced/refined in WG Mega Pack but as it stands, the map was still a miserable experience to me, with many annoying deaths and running low on health at times that necessitated save-scumming to be able to beat the level.
Infected
Just like with Alien X, this is another notorious level where you will be struggling with your health at times (e.g. 30 health and no medkit remaining in inventory). Even starting this map with almost a full arsenal and 200 health, you will still die plenty of times later on from the amount of Mini Battlelords encountered and getting hit almost all the damn time from the aliens' attacks. The lack of armor for several consecutive levels, bites you really hard in the ass! And the pig cops didn't drop any used armor either.
I even managed to get shrunk twice by the Protector Drones near the end of the level and of course this ended up badly. But at least, this also led to a funny result of one of the Mini Battlelords getting shrunk in the process, which is what caused me the two deaths when I saved and rushed to step on the Toy Battlelord. I sometimes try to shrink Mini Battlelords myself but due to the game's autoaim (BTW there is no way to disable it in the original DOS version!), the shot is aimed in the chest and doesn't do anything. It is very difficult to aim at their feet around corners but if done successfully, it saves me precious health. The Protector shrinking the mini boss was just a happy accident, I guess.
But leaving aside the nitpicks, most importantly, there is a new optional quest where you must find THREE new access cards (not counting the ones intended for progression) in order to access the secret exit!
First, you must find and blow up a crack. You will see the three access cards slots. Afterwards, you will need to look for the three hidden cards and come back here. I recommend first clearing the level and when getting to the regular exit, backtrack and start finding the cards.
Second, here is the location of the three extra cards:
Red Card - Shortly after picking up the Shrinker (including ammo for it and expander), you will come across rotating doors. Check the nearby walls to your right and you should find it.
Blue Card - This card is located relatively close to the Red Card. Kill those aliens in the next room and check those green panels. The Blue Card should be hidden over there.
Yellow Card - This card is located behind a wall sitting in lava. It is hard to describe the exact location but it is found just next to some dead bodies and some supplies, shortly before encountering the two Mini Battlelords and the crack with the access switches that is the key (heh) to the secret exit.
Third, use the cards to unlock the doors leading to the secret exit. Just like with the third level, you will be rewarded with TWO Atomic Healths, ensuring you start the next level with 200 health! At least as long as you have 100 health beforehand and didn't consume every medkit in the level.
Forgot to mention, the last room (which contained a few enforcers and commanders if I remember correctly) was removed and replaced with the shuttle that leads to the beginning of fifth level if you choose the normal exit, so continuity-wise it now makes sense.
There are still no secrets to find. Overall, this level was quite painful and just like with Alien X, I think an armor pickup wouldn't have hurt to have been placed somewhere.
Matrix
As far as I can tell, the second secret level is pretty much the same as before, except with a few differences, such as the removal of about 5 monsters (Commanders and Octabrains) and there is now continuity added to the next level.
The map remains mostly easy, as the most enemies you encounter are Troopers and Enforcers. Sadly, the lack of armor is still present but at least, this doesn't hurt your survival chances, so you shouldn't struggle with your health this time around, as long as you don't get too careless when fighting the aliens.
Oh and the level is now called just "Matrix" instead of "Future Matrix". Whether a mistake or not, I will wait for William to comment here.
Pay Load
Formerly known as WGAlien. From what I can tell, the level plays out almost the same. I died a few times but it's nothing too bad. Difficulty wise, is much easier and shorter than both the fourth and sixth level (you will see soon what this level awaits).
The level still has no secret places and most of the enemy placement remains the same with only a few problematic parts that may give you trouble. This is also the only level in the episode with a shrinking puzzle involved (it was present in the original map as well). That if we don't include the possibility to be shrunk by the protectors in other levels.
Interestingly, I ended up picking up an atomic health by accident (there's 3 or 4 present in the level), so at the end of level when backtracking for supplies, I only came across one atomic health remaining, making it the only level I didn't finish with 200 health but still, 150 should be enough for the next level. On the bright side, in this level I got two armor pickups from pig cops and these will also come handy for the next level.
A somewhat relaxing break from the harder fourth level (Infected) and what will be coming soon!
Mother Ship
I'm happy to inform that the exclusive WGSpace boss level works perfectly fine in Duke3D v1.5 in DOSBox. I never had any crashes or glitches happening. I won't offer a full walkthrough since the level is pretty straightforward but I will still focus on some important details. Such as the blue card you get right at beginning, unlocks a nearby window with many goodies inside! This is absolutely essential for pistol starters, while continuous players will want to come back later and restock.
With that said, the level was really damn hard at times. It is quite fitting as it's the finale but still, there were far more Mini Battlelords and Assault Commanders than I expected. You are given plenty of ammo and even health supplies to deal with most of the threats but there will be moments where you will be left with even as little as 1 HP and without any medkit in inventory (as it happened once to me), leading to having to backtrack for any health pickup you can hopefully come across or save scum to win the battle. I had to backtrack at that point for the Medkit from beginning because I only had 1 HP left and I was unable to kill a Mini Battlelord. I couldn't find any other health packs remaining in the areas opened until that point.
There is an Armor pickup right at beginning (thankfully possible to backtrack to collect the goodies) but other than that and whatever pig cops drop for you (wasn't the case this time but at least I appreciate the used armor I got from previous level), there aren't any more armor pickups. I recommend saving the ONLY armor pickup for the last boss area, if you manage to get far enough. You will definitely need it!
When getting to the last area, be sure to grab everything in advance. After killing everyone in the large area and pressing all those switches (there's about 10 of them), when a whole army of monsters is unleashed (including the Overlord boss), there is a wall that will prevent backtracking, on top of a Mini Battlelord spawned to make sure you aren't going to hide from the aliens' attacks.
The army of monsters may pose a problem at first but eventually you will take them down (the Expander ammo is very useful against the army of troopers). The Overlord is easy to take down, as he will not be attacking often, so he won't bother you much. You should concentrate on taking down those alien bastards quickly before you get annihilated! Be sure to have the medkit selected in inventory and use it when you get low on health, as you will inevitably get shot a lot! Then grab whatever ammo/health pickups in the arena.
Afterwards, kill the Overlord and you've finished the episode! Congratulations!
Funnily enough, I happened to kill 250 monsters in total in this level. I was worried I'd exceed the vanilla Duke3d's 255 kill limit but now at least I know I killed exactly 250 monsters. Also this level doesn't contain any secrets, so there is nothing else to add.
There is no new cutscene or ending graphics, it's just the original Lunar Apocalypse cutscene and ending. Makes sense, as unlike WGRealms that was a completely new adventure, WGSpace feels like an alternate take on Lunar Apocalypse, so I won't complain about the lack of a new ending or whatever. Although the episode contains new ambient sounds and a few new songs that play in some of the levels, so it's always nice to have new stuff included to make the episode feel even more professional.
Overall, this map may have been really frustrating at times and getting shot nearly all the damn time, not giving poor Duke a break (at least not until taking down the Overlord). But despite that, this was an exceptionally epic, long and challenging map that will truly test your Duking skills! It may have been easier in a source port with modern controls but still, I appreciated the extra challenge when playing in DOS Duke, even if I did get annoyed at certain parts when I keep dying and seemed like it was taking forever to get past a certain fight.
png]png]Final Thoughts
WGSpace Episode is definitely one of the best Duke3D episodes I've ever played. It's a great E2 replacement that will really test your skills at times. I think the monster and item/health ratio is great for the most part. I still stand by my point that the lack of armor hurts the episode's balance, as the armor is an essential item that will greatly help at times, compared to spending most of the episode with no armor and getting shot often, your health gets drained quickly that you will have to consume almost every health pickup in the level, EVEN if you collect the health items carefully to get the most benefit of them (e.g. grabbing the large medkit at 70 or less hp, the atomic health at 150 or less, the portable medkit when not having one in inventory, etc), sometimes you will still feel like there could have been slightly more health placed.
Don't blame my Duking skills, I consider myself very good at Duke3D. For the record, I beat half of the episode without dying (first three levels and the second secret level). I played keyboard only as this is how I like playing the DOS version of Duke3D and for having an additional challenge, so of course it was harder to aim and dodge enemy attacks but my point still stands that it wouldn't have hurt to have at least ONE armor pickup in each level, to reduce the pain that Duke had to suffer and that way I wouldn't complain about certain parts being impossible. At least saving often saved the day.
Thank you William Gee for making these levels! It has been a fun ride. I hope later this year, I can nominate the WG Mega Pack in its entirely, so we get to experience WG Abyss, WG Pandora and what else wasn't played for February. That way WGRealms and WGSpace will also get replayed for those who missed the chance of participating in February but this time I will be sure to play their latest version if I intend to revisit them, so my complains are fair instead of criticizing older versions that were rebalanced over time.
And thus this month has finally been wrapped! I will attach the zip containing the screenshots for various WGMaps, as well as WGRealms and WGSpace Episode. I only included what I could fit within the 20 MB upload limit. Have a nice day!
