Alien Vendetta offers 32 all new levels, ranging from small fast-paced
tech-styled ones, to complex medieval- and hellish-themed maps. Variety
was to be expected considering several authors had a hand in the making
of these maps and as no specific criteria were given to them. AV
originated in '96 as a one-man project, but saw many transitions and was
eventually made a team effort in August 1999. What started out as a pure
"Hell Revealed" follower balanced out to be something in-between that and
a more classic looking megawad. We decided to put more emphasize on detailed
architecture while trying to keep the at times ultra hard gameplay in focus.
Admittedly recreating the intensity of "Hell Revealed" while trying to create
more commonly scaled maps turned out to be quite a challenge. As a result
the hardness was tuned down a bit, and fun gameplay became more important
than making it as hard as possible. When that's said, AV still holds a
somewhat harder skill setting than any serious megawad with the exception of
"Hell Revealed" and its sequal. In the tougher maps it will indeed challenge
the best players on Ultraviolence, and would probably be more frustrating
than fun for the common Doomer. Fortunately we put effort into all levels of
difficulty, and would advise anyone who is not looking for hordes of monsters
(and the need for planning in order to survive) to play skill 2 or 3.
AV skill 3 plays much like "The Plutonia Experiment" does on its skill 4.
Skill 2 would be the favourable pick for anyone who wants to have a more
relaxed journey through the levels (be warned tho, even on skill 2 AV holds a
few surprises =) Altho map continuity exists between a few levels we decided
to go for variation instead of a one-themed 32 level scenario. This difference
in scenery from map to map hopefully contributes to less redundant gameplay.
Each level is completable from scratch, but when approached this way it
should be noted that secret areas become vital for health and ammo supply.
The first episode consists of a variety of "earthly" themed maps/bases and a
few tech facilities. Difficulty here leans more towards easy even on skill 4,
and primarily functions as a warm-up. Episode 2 starts out with a series of
techbases and ends up in a more brick styled fashion. The first really hard
scenes for the average player will occur in this episode. The final chapter
is mainly hell themed and holds the most extreme levels in terms of hardness.
A few of these are up to "Hell Revealed" difficulty. If you're looking for a
challenge combined with atmospheric levels, Alien Vendetta should be right
up your alley. Enjoy :)
