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<EXU2> "G59 - EXPANDED ROUTE Phase 2" v6.01 OUT

For public discussion of all things EXU2.

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Subject: Re: [UT] <EXU2> "G59 - EXPANDED ROUTE Phase 1" v2.01 OUT [released]

Post Posted: 05 Feb 2014, 23:26

Been playing the first level for a while now. It's quite fun, even though Easy seems to be Normal. Difficult but still fun, and not nearly as confusing as the original Unreal's levels.

But there are a few things I noticed needed changing. For one, there are too many melee enemies. It's so easy to just get caught up in a corner and then you're dead, which I wouldn't mind except the map is very closed in.

Second, more armor would be desirable. Maybe just some Supreme Thigh Pads in every one or two corridors?
Gameite; "Shit sounds like a fable to me", till he jumps out the fuckin toilet when you're takin a pee.

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Subject: Re: [UT] <EXU2> "G59 - EXPANDED ROUTE Phase 2" v2.03 OUT [released]

Post Posted: 05 Jul 2014, 18:41

NEW VERSION OUT to build momentum a bit in case v6.00 will be released / me in a new development hell cycle

This is mostly a gameplay patch to fix the dumbest stuff from the old version, like the item drops in Map 5.
Oh and it's in EXROUTE Phase 2, there's a new map! With new enemies too! Watch out that it may be quite hard as hell.

Really lost my mind with file dependencies on the new map, so I don't know if it requires another file not found in the pack (oh please god no).

>>General Changes
  • System and texture files updated. Due to the patch having a map from the Phase 2 group, the logo is now red-coloured!
  • Rest of the pillars added to the main system file.
  • New enemies and other stuff added to the main system file.
  • Various parts of the readme changed.

>>EXU2-G59-00-LimitBurst
  • Cybernetika's Artificial Bloodline song has been added.
  • Some extremely minor visual updates done.

>>EXU2-G59-01-TheLimbo
  • One ShitJar and one EARAmmo added.

>>EXU2-G59-03-Neonlights
  • The boss is now immune to Tachyon Driver damage.
  • All Demon pawns appearing throughout ambushes won't drop anything now.

>>EXU2-G59-04-PerditusParadisus
  • Cybernetika's Bio-Magnetic Tunnel Transport has been added. It replaces both Hayashis Journey and Close Your Eyes.
  • Tonatiuh now drains Tachyon Driver damage.

>>EXU2-G59-05-ElectricMassiveDiver
  • Amount of items dropped by the emergency Demon waves is now SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER. Combat Seeds and Nuclear Flares are not dropped anymore.

>>EXU2-G59-07-Exusia
  • The boss is now immune to Tachyon Driver damage.
  • Minor changes on item placement.

>>EXU2-G59-08-SHADOWNESS
  • The boss carcass gibs should be fixed now (i.e. not anymore red but black).
  • End message and glyph removed, due to Map 9 fully existing now.

>>EXU2-G59-09-Haereticus
  • New map to play! Features a new artificial enemy race. THE ALL-IN-ONE RACE - and it may be pretty strong.
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Subject: Re: [UT] <EXU2> "G59 - EXPANDED ROUTE Phase 2" v2.03 OUT [released]

Post Posted: 05 Jul 2014, 19:45

"Cybernetika's Bio-Magnetic Tunnel Transport has been added. It replaces both Hayashis Journey and Close Your Eyes."

Nice. That's going to sound awesome in that fight.
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Subject: Re: [UT] <EXU2> "G59 - EXPANDED ROUTE Phase 2" v2.03 OUT [released]

Post Posted: 05 Jul 2014, 20:12

That song also sort of thematically fitted the battle considering all the enemies came from transport tunnels!

Oh yeah, if you players still have a save at Map 8's ending and want to see Map 9 directly with your current inventory, you can use the SWITCHCOOPLEVEL command (i.e. "switchcooplevel exu2-g59-09-haereticus?difficulty=#, # from 0 to 3).
Now enjoy fighting your Freezer Troopers and an army of angry Mercenary types with various firemodes. And other terrible things.

I don't exactly recommend playing Map 9 on Unreal difficulty if it's your first time, due to the new enemies (one is exclusive to that difficulty and it's a real bastard). They're still some assholes "in the works" and have to get a better rebalance.
The RED guys are my first proper custom enemy race for EXU2. They don't exactly use new projectile types, but each creature has some unique gimmick which makes them unique from the other EXU2 enemy race versions.
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Subject: Re: [UT] <EXU2> "G59 - EXPANDED ROUTE Phase 2" v2.03 OUT [released]

Post Posted: 05 Jul 2014, 23:09

Hell yeah!! and right on time for when I get back home (tomorrow) :) this whole EXU2 stuff is gonna be great, I'm pumped! Will return with feedback in due time :)
Nali: Magic or Telekinesis
Waffnuffly wrote:It's tarydium-doped smoothies. Drunk by the player, I mean. The player is tripping balls. The whole game actually takes place in a large city and the player thinks he's on an alien world.

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Subject: Re: [UT] <EXU2> "G59 - EXPANDED ROUTE Phase 2" v2.03 OUT [released]

Post Posted: 08 Aug 2014, 01:53

Apparently the Gatekeeper is actually on a greenscreen set...

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Subject: Re: [UT] <EXU2> "G59 - EXPANDED ROUTE Phase 2" v2.03 OUT [released]

Post Posted: 10 Oct 2014, 13:02

News: v6.00 is releasing on October 31st 2014. What does this mean? G59 cannot be played on that version! This sure is bad news for the really few G59 players out there and like what happened with the jump to v4.00 and v5.00, I'll once again have to lock G59 down until it's remade for the new EXU2 version. However, this time the jump will be even bigger and it'll take me even more time to make it out from development hell.

So I've decided that G59's v6.00 release version will go back to phase 0 - meaning that when it's re-released you'll only be able to play the intro and the first four maps just like good old times (and maybe something else???). Of course, all the first four maps will be once again ultra-edited with new stuff and other bullshit I might come up with.

And what ever I might come up with. The door knows.

The reason behind this decision is to not let stay G59 more dead than it already is for a long period of time. So adding stuff progressively should make the whole revival process come quicker. And then I might finally finish the red phase's map quartet.
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Subject: Re: [UT] <EXU2> "G59 - EXPANDED ROUTE Phase 2" v2.03 OUT [released]

Post Posted: 21 Oct 2014, 14:16

Roger that, but because I'm now finally playing through the entire Batshit Insane campaign which I had started last summer (before v6.00 was announced) and because I'm rather confident about the level of quality of G59 v2.03 and because I'm impatient, I've just downloaded the full 268.34 MB package from G59's last release. I'll probably move on to v6.00 only next year. Honestly, the level of quality of EXU2 v5.03 is already VERY high and it's been around long enough that I think I want to experience it fully. For comparison's sake I might keep two separate installs for v5.03 and v6.00.

Personal feedback on Batshit Insane will begin shortly.
Obviously G59 feedback will follow.
Nali: Magic or Telekinesis
Waffnuffly wrote:It's tarydium-doped smoothies. Drunk by the player, I mean. The player is tripping balls. The whole game actually takes place in a large city and the player thinks he's on an alien world.

UB_
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Subject: Re: [UT] <EXU2> "G59 - EXPANDED ROUTE Phase 2" v2.03 OUT [not-released]

Post Posted: 01 Nov 2014, 01:03

Download link is only for the people who haven't upgraded to 6.00 at the moment.
Don't even try running this on 6.00 - system file already doesn't work.

So yeah it'll take me a while. Who knows how much, maybe weeks, months. Considering the amount of people who played G59 I don't think it's worth hurrying much, so be patient :)
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Subject: Re: [UT] <EXU2> "G59 - EXPANDED ROUTE Phase 2" v2.03 OUT [not-released]

Post Posted: 06 Nov 2014, 14:33

Hello there!

So, after joining the EXU2 craze by playing through Batshit Insane v5.03, I decided to continue my streak by diving into UBerserker's G59. As UB himself says, the official EXU2 campaign should be played first, as G59 is built with the assumption that players already know the general rules of the mod (hence the absence of any "HOLY SHIT HINTS ARE GODDAMN GREAT").

This is obviously EXU2 v5.03, and G59 v2.03, and I use the same settings as with BI and performance is similar:-
Sat42 wrote:Everything is set to max with the EXUOpenGL renderer, and permanent decals and carcasses are set ON. No slowdowns whatsoever, hurray! Just to be done with the purely technical side of things: saves can be lost, yes, it's not too bad but it forces the player to be a bit more cautious here (reminds me of Legacy, in my experience the only other SP mod that had this problem when playing with Oldskool). Another bug is the occasional UT shutdown when saving due to the engine "shitting itself" as I believe Waffnuffly put it ;) it's kind of random and only happens maybe once in every two to three hours of game time.


I play on the medium difficulty setting.

In truth, I haven't finished G59 yet, I only just got to the Holy Mausoleum of Exusia, but I shall already start sharing my impressions now as there's a lot to say and besides, I won't be at home this week-end and there's a chance I won't be able to play the remaining levels until sometime next week.

And so it begins...

First of all, it is interesting to note that UBerserker set out to do something that is quite a bit different from BI: while both campaigns obviously share a lot gameplay-wise (EXU2 gametype after all), G59 (G-5-9 = Ji-Go-Ku = Hell: nice one!) is more serious in tone, and actually establishes some kind of backstory before the game even starts (in particular, "The Scanner of Elohim" is an intriguing and entertaining read). It may not seem like much, but it's enough that the average player will experience things in a noteworthily different manner, beyond the simple fact that he/she will be playing new maps. On top of that, while the author almost exclusively relies on previous works to shape his campaign (as is usually the case with BI), the reduxed material here isn't just based on officially released maps, but also finds its roots in Unreal 1997/8 Beta levels... for which the reduxed maps amount to completely brand new levels, really, at least to the casual player's experience.
Last edited by Sat42 on 06 Nov 2014, 14:38, edited 1 time in total.
Nali: Magic or Telekinesis
Waffnuffly wrote:It's tarydium-doped smoothies. Drunk by the player, I mean. The player is tripping balls. The whole game actually takes place in a large city and the player thinks he's on an alien world.

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Subject: Re: [UT] <EXU2> "G59 - EXPANDED ROUTE Phase 2" v2.03 OUT [not-released]

Post Posted: 06 Nov 2014, 14:35

LIMIT BURST is the pack's intro map. You find yourself in some kind of hyperspace bypass and while you try to make sense of the place (is this hellscape or something else altogether?), the player character (the "Hell Survivor") muses enigmatically about the Dominion and his condition. It's really short, but still takes a few minutes to get through because, frankly, it's hard!
I had to reload several times due to the daunting waves of Ultra Energy Bags and Blue Bags, which in this environment are fairly well camouflaged (and the same goes for their projectiles). Eventually, the beams from the two Piddledopers you wield are the best way of dealing with the enemies, while constantly backtracking and strafing (especially for the second wave).
After surviving that, the Hell Survivor's thoughts, coupled with the sight of the teleporter and the evil laughter were enough to make me understand that I had to run for my life! :P
The Cybernetika track suits the soundscape perfectly: it merges with it and we forget there's even a track there.
It's a great little intro, with enough WTF factor and unforgiveness to have you prepared to what comes next.
Last edited by Sat42 on 01 Dec 2014, 16:18, edited 1 time in total.
Nali: Magic or Telekinesis
Waffnuffly wrote:It's tarydium-doped smoothies. Drunk by the player, I mean. The player is tripping balls. The whole game actually takes place in a large city and the player thinks he's on an alien world.

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Subject: Re: [UT] <EXU2> "G59 - EXPANDED ROUTE Phase 2" v2.03 OUT [not-released]

Post Posted: 06 Nov 2014, 16:38

Thanks for starting and continuing this :)

Oh yeah, finally I get to talk about this thing. Won't mention much spoilers (if there are, they're minimal)

Scanner of Elohim is owned by the Saint race (btw, Elohim = God); of course Elohim is currently a separate location but I had (actually still have) plans to add it as a new section in Exusia, accessible throughout one of those metal doors next to the rope elevator in that map. It'd make sense since the scanner only lists stuff seen or mentioned until Exusia, and after Exusia a lot of things in the storyline change, including something about the main character.

LIMIT BURST was added later in G59. Here comes to a long story on how things went back then, something I always felt like talking about here.

The mappack started from just Nebiros in the versions before EXU2 v5.00. With the increase of quality of Batshit Insane I decided to do the same and expanded G59's scope for a fair bit, both story and content. The mappack was originally supposed to be more brief, with just 10 maps (without intro) instead of 16+1 planned ones.
The progression was the same until Exusia but instead of its current ending it had a little hell portal which worked as a beacon for Demons to invade the sanctuary; most of the messages around were much more focused on the subject of Baalberith and his fortress because it was the next thing in line - in fact the portal did lead the main character directly into Baalberith's own home (it's called the Yaksha kingdom in-game), which is the RTNP Castle conversion you see in the last picture of this thread's main page. Map was almost finished (but the ugly thing is that I DIDN'T EVEN CONVERT IT TO VERSION 5, I hope I can salvage it), Baalberith itself wasn't/isn't.
After beating the shit out of super Demons you would find a forbidden portal leading to a location where you would fight the true final enemies with the final boss and at the end you had to choose the correct ending (the wrong one would make you start from the beginning of the mappack); correct ending map was planned to be surreal as hell with another boss but either proven impossible to execute and I never made it. The Magatsu back then didn't exist yet but the core of the story was more or less the same.

If I remember well the G59 beta with all the 10 maps was actually ready and playable (one forum user here did test all of it but other people saw the final location including Cybernetika lmao) before any public version was ever released but 1. EXU2 Open Beta wasn't that much far off - 2. anything past Perditus was buggy and far from being finished - 3. I eventually decided to make a test release during EXU2 v4 with just the first four maps.
I still have that full beta package with EXU2 Demo v4 copy, however.

Back to LIMIT BURST now.
I decided to add the intro map as one of the new things planned for post v5 G59 versions. I wanted to be it a quick thing, the total opposite of BI's own intro; it will be an important recall very late in the mappack's story. Took inspiration from a certain game which used the same map title with attached banners that shown something like glowing circular portals; from there I came up with the hyperspace. A very frantic quick trip to Map 1, BAM.
I have no idea what to improve in the intro aside making it a bit more easy but I still couldn't find a way to make the gibs disappear if they touch the "bottom" of the hyperspace (it should vaporize everything). And perhaps employ a better-looking portal at the end.
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Subject: Re: [UT] <EXU2> "G59 - EXPANDED ROUTE Phase 2" v2.03 OUT [not-released]

Post Posted: 06 Nov 2014, 22:08

UBerserker wrote:Thanks for starting and continuing this :)


You're welcome! I've just prepared my comment on Nebiros' Crossing, it'll be posted just after this one.

Thanks for the explanation on the creative process and everything; I'm happy to say that I had already figured out that the Scanner of Elohim is owned by the Saint race (however, I hadn't checked the meaning of Elohim, but I now checked all the possible meanings of every name I've encountered in EXU2 :P ); I'll mention it in due time, of course, but indeed there seems to be something weird going on with the player character (the Hell Survivor)!

The Yaksha kingdom is mentioned in-game, but not in the Scanner of Elohim: consequently, taking into account how far I got up until now, I did not make the link between this kingdom and BaalBerith's own home.

I don't think Limit Burst needs to be tweaked, difficulty-wise. It's hard, and it's the nature of the pack, no problem there. To make the gibs disappear if they touch the "bottom" of the hyperspace: well, this is just off the top of my head, and I'm no expert, but maybe making the hyperspace "walls" non-solid, then adding a region (also cylinder shaped, encompassing the central hyperspace tube) beyond those walls where you define the zone as "lava" or "slime", you know, would "melt" the gibs away.
Nali: Magic or Telekinesis
Waffnuffly wrote:It's tarydium-doped smoothies. Drunk by the player, I mean. The player is tripping balls. The whole game actually takes place in a large city and the player thinks he's on an alien world.

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Subject: Re: [UT] <EXU2> "G59 - EXPANDED ROUTE Phase 2" v2.03 OUT [not-released]

Post Posted: 06 Nov 2014, 22:15

Ah, yes... Neve's Crossing, my dear... I always liked your bosom, and enjoyed spending time with you to admire the Na Pali skyline... you always were of the jaunty type, weren't you? I like that. Happy Days.

OK shit just got real. Nebiros' Crossing is an excellent redux of what used to be "simply" a great transition map. If you liked BI, you have got to experience this.
Yes, this is a full-blown "welcome back to EXU2" trial for BI veterans, as UB put it (like I said before, I always read his tips associated to a map after I completed said map, so as to see if I missed anything and also to reflect on recommended tactics). It's a very hard map: I saved, died and reloaded a lot, and thus it took me roughly two and a half hours to complete, but that's OK, because when it's awesome you're willing to put in the effort to make it until the end. It's epic, for several reasons, but the first and most obvious one is the presence of massive amounts of enemies in typical EXU2 fashion - as well as the availability of crazy weapons early on, such as the Hyper Flakker and the Tachyon Driver: prepare to face down a broad variety of fiends - mostly all kinds of Demons proper, but also hordes of Fucker Brutes and Turbo Gasbags, various types of Tentacles and Queens, Invisible Mini Grenade Brutes and God knows what else. Another reason for the sheer epicness of the level is that there's a build-up, storywise but also visually. Let me explain:-
Firstly, storywise, the level prepares the player for a massive confrontation - we already know a number of things, such as the fact that there's an incoming hell-charged magnetic storm, which has led nearby populations of Demons to seek shelter in Nebiros' Crossing (known as "The Limbo", an iconic Hell valley which, ironically, had mostly been forgotten by demons until then), and this is made clear both by the High Lord Morax's log #35623362 (heh!) and the very visible meteors in the sky. We also know about the current master units of Nebiros: a Demon Juggernaut and the Gatekeeper Naberius. This doesn't bode well, as a video game never bothers to inform you of the names of the master units of a hostile territory unless they're, like, boss material. On top of that, the aforementioned log also strongly hints at the imminent arrival of an Archdemon. Tough shit.
Then there's the visual progression. It starts off really dark, the sky covered with clouds of inky brown and orange hues, the monotony of which is only broken by the bright streaks of the meteors. And just to make things really look desperate, there's a fresh human corpse at the beginning of the valley - the model of which is the same as yours - when in fact, you're meant to be the only human left running amok in hell. But then, as in the original level, you make your way up the valley, and slowly, the part of the sky from where the meteors seem to originate becomes visible: and it's an incredible sight! Really, you might think it's rather superfluous to dedicate a paragraphe to the skybox, but hell NO man, for players like myself who enjoy immersing themselves into another Universe, this kind of detail is really important! The magnetic firestorm is visible from afar and the overall composition is fantastic; not only that, but the aesthetics of the skybox makes a smart contribution to the setting when the player finally steps onto the stone bridge overlooking the lower part of the valley: then, sharply contrasting with the brightness of the storm, a huge swarm of modified Gasbags can be seen between the player and the backdrop. It makes for some truly great scenery: you know what it reminded me of? The dark Gasbags in front of a bright orange and yellow sky formed an image akin to some artworks from Starcraft 1, with the Zerg floating in space in front of some bright interstellar backdrop. Finally, the skybox here is not only animated, but is actually subjected to a sudden increase in activity during a striking scripted event: when the player starts to cross the bridge, the firestorm suddenly bursts into the valley, and a new battle begins! All this makes it the best skybox I've seen with this engine up until now (even beating the skybox in Hellcastle)!
Image
We also get Cybernetika's Gagarin track, which is awesome. It fades away during that climactic event on the bridge. After a spell of silence, the final battle is accompanied by another (suitable) Cybernetika track.
One of the more lighthearted moments came from those Demon Fuckers positioned next to the hut: I'd lure them to the closest lake by translocating back on those wooden planks and they'd rush to the edge of the water and then JUMP all the way across the lake, mostly missing me (but sometimes landing on my head - ouch, I'd reload then, it's just too silly) and allowing me to finish them off easily while they struggle to climb back out of the water!
There are other moments where meteors fall into the valley: I sure was glad I didn't open the hut's door upon picking up the Hyper Flakker! EDIT: I really like that original little statue in the hut, too, by the way!
And about the final encounters: holy shit. When I first came face-to-face with the Demon Juggernaut, the fight lasted one second. A sneaky one, hiding behind a (big, otherwise I'd have spotted him) boulder, eh? When he shoots, he scores! The trick, for me, was to charge a Tachyon beam in advance, walk up to him, and release the beam upon seeing him - that way, he doesn't get to shoot! Then, of course, there's the real boss fight, with the Gatekeeper Naberius: that, too, was naturally intense, and while I did have to reload a few times (and ended up making a save midway into the fight, for convenience), I was glad I'd figured out fairly quickly all by myself that I really had to concentrate my fire on Naberius proper, and not get too distracted by the multiple minions being spawned in the meantime.
Upon completing this map, I jumped into the teleporter and arrived in the next level, but immediately decided to keep my save from just before entering the well, and went to read UB's tips for Nebiros' Crossing: that's how I got to get all the secrets :P (I had been everywhere but hadn't obtained the secrets, which need to be triggered) Well, hey, I intended to fully enjoy what's on offer! :B
The final notable thing, in my view, is that UBerserker also made more sense of the well exit and of the valley's end compared to what existed in the original level: the random exit in a well coupled with a seemingly dead end for what was meant to be a passage was the only slightly fishy aspect of Neve's Crossing - not a big problem but could've been better; here, in contrast, the area is known as "The Limbo", there's an entrance into the mountain where the wells are (exactly like the entrance at the other end of the valley) and Morax makes it clear that the demons are protecting - or containing - something in the well.
An amazing level and I personally rank this as high as the best levels in BI - second only to Realm of Corruption!
Last edited by Sat42 on 07 Nov 2014, 00:48, edited 1 time in total.
Nali: Magic or Telekinesis
Waffnuffly wrote:It's tarydium-doped smoothies. Drunk by the player, I mean. The player is tripping balls. The whole game actually takes place in a large city and the player thinks he's on an alien world.

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Subject: Re: [UT] <EXU2> "G59 - EXPANDED ROUTE Phase 2" v2.03 OUT [not-released]

Post Posted: 06 Nov 2014, 22:22

The rest will have to wait until next week - stay sharp!
Nali: Magic or Telekinesis
Waffnuffly wrote:It's tarydium-doped smoothies. Drunk by the player, I mean. The player is tripping balls. The whole game actually takes place in a large city and the player thinks he's on an alien world.

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