The Vile Keep (version 1.93) - Doomworld /idgames database frontend

Title:	The Vile Keep (version 1.93)
Filename:	levels/doom2/Ports/v-z/vilekeep.zip
Size:	221.75 KB
Date:	05/12/16
Author:	Chaosvolt
Description:	Crossing the sea of flames, you have arrived at the outskirts of a demonic fortress. Along the only approach to the main gate, a small number of peculiar watchtowers stand, and more such structures ward the fortress walls. See below for more information.
Credits:	Kallin, Andrew, and Paul Smart for playtesting and feedback.
Base:	New from scratch
Build time:	On and off work over the course of 6 days (initial build, NOT counting updates)
Editor(s) used:	Doom Builder 2, SLADE3
Bugs:	Older versions of regular ZDoom WOULD fail to render some sky-related trickery, if they were compatible.
Rating:	(7 votes)

Download mirrors:

/idgames protocol:

idgames://18425

Reviews:

Pure Hellspawn

In this map you face monsters in addition to the challenge of hiding and shutting off watchtowers that will attack you with an arch-vile's attack. It's a unique challenge that is rarely seen in DOOM wads. You cannot shoot the towers and don't bother as ammo is actually pretty tight early on. One of the doors in the center is bugged (the red key one) and doesn't open fully. No clip is required for this. Overall a fun map with a bug or two.

View vilekeep.txt

===========================================================================
Update to               : vilekeep.wad
Advanced engine needed  : ZDoom 2.8.1+, GZDoom 1.9.1+
Primary purpose         : Single+Coop play
===========================================================================
Title                   : The Vile Keep (version 1.93)
Filename                : vilekeep.wad
Release date            : May 11, 2016 (latest update on February 16, 2024)
Author                  : Chaosvolt
Other Files By Author   : TFMod, DRLSpec, Cheeki, MDoomFix, AIDoom, other unreleased projects.
Misc. Author Info       : Psycho bored dragon.

Description             : Crossing the sea of flames, you have arrived at the outskirts of a demonic fortress. Along the only approach to the main gate, a small number of peculiar watchtowers stand, and more such structures ward the fortress walls. See below for more information.

Additional Credits to   : Kallin, Andrew, and Paul Smart for playtesting and feedback.

===========================================================================

* What is included *

New levels              : 1
Sounds                  : No
Music                   : No
Graphics                : No
Dehacked/BEX Patch      : Minor Decorate additions
Demos                   : No
Other                   : No
Other files required    : None

* Play Information *

Game                    : DOOM 2
Map #                   : Map01
Single Player           : Designed for
Cooperative 2-4 Player  : Designed for
Deathmatch 2-4 Player   : Player starts only
Other game styles       : None
Difficulty Settings     : Yes

* Construction *

Base                    : New from scratch
Build Time              : On and off work over the course of 6 days (initial build, NOT counting updates)
Editor(s) used          : Doom Builder 2, SLADE3
Known Bugs              : Older versions of regular ZDoom WOULD fail to render some sky-related trickery, if they were compatible.
May Not Run With        : Older versions of ZDoom/GZDoom/Zandronum, due to use of features introduced in recent versions.
Tested With             : ZDoom 2.8.1, GZDoom 1.9.1.

===========================================================================

* The Usual Spoilers and Advice *

"Oh hey, why am I on fire?" Might as well spoil it here: the entire gimmick of the map involves weaponized archviles, taking cover, and switch hunts.

Don't bother shooting the towers. Each one has a switch somewhere nearby that shuts it down. In particular, look for green marble switches.

The first switch is the only instance where a tower switch isn't visible as soon as its respective tower is activated. Hint: There are only two buildings you can reach from the start without getting blasted, and one unlocks the other.

The room just past the main gate requires the other five rooms in the fortress to be completed first, and these can be completed in any order.

Co-op should be easier barring player mistakes (hint: rushing ahead and triggering more watchtowers is a Bad Idea) or mis-management of resources. Deathmatch is technically possible, and has a few additions specific to it, but this map was not designed for that.

There's also a hidden easter egg not far from spawn. Entering it gives you the option to trigger some extra challenge in the form of activating every tower on the map, or even optionally triggering some spawns that normally trigger later on in the map. You'll know when you see it.

* Version History: *

0.9: Initial upload, found a few things to tweak while it was still in Incoming.

1.0: Some added decor, fixed some sector bugs in the pool room.

1.1: Fixed hard-mode super shotgun and plasma rifle not appearing, made turret attack have a delay when the power is affected by a blue sphere, couple ammo additions, couple texture alignment tweaks. Also made a few deathmatch-only items appear in co-op as well.

1.2: Fixed some monsters that were supposed to ambush, more texture alignment fixes, some brightness fixes.

1.3: Fixed a tower action that wasn't triggering, made the red key easier to grab, removed a bit of excess cover in the garden, fixed some coop-specific problems with the armory, more texture alignment fixes.

1.4: Fixed the armory door being bugged. This was caused my earlier efforts to ensure players in co-op can't get locked out of getting the red key.

1.5: Fixed another bug involving the red key room, where my failure to account for all ways to reach the door allowed for potentially triggering the lockdown AFTER the unlock switch is uncovered and hit. Thanks to PieceofPieSoftware on Youtube for finding the problem.

1.6: Fixed some teleportation failures in the finale. Made the hedge maze less of a cakewalk. Changed the texture in the fort wall to something that isn't ugly zimmer. Added some detail to some blander areas. Made one of the secrets easier to spot. Made a few triggers slower or faster as needed. Moved some decor in the inner sanctum, that previously blocked monsters. Made it so you can't get stuck in the library's secret.

1.7: Cleaned up some more texture alignment, fixed a missing texture in a secret area, fixed an incorrect tag (meant for co-op idiotproofing) causing the first tower to bug out, fixed inconsistent texturing in one area, reduced aggresiveness of towers on hard difficulty.

1.8: New secret added, which can optionally be used to add some extra challenge to the map via opening every tower at once. Removed rather glitchy damaging floor effect for the channels in the blood room, as sometimes they trigger despite being too narrow for the player to get into. Made a few of the barricades easier to stick to. Removed the backup switch designed to make one section easier in co-op if no one makes it to the primary switch. Has caused confusion in the past from what I've seen. Tweaks to the late-level teleportation stuff so that it's less failure-prone. Various misc alignment, detailing, and texture tweaks, to fix up the appearance of some things and make things slightly less bland in spots.

1.9: Made sure the max target range of archvile towers was long enough for them to be a menace if you trigger the hidden easter egg, and made them immune to timefreeze for mod interactions. Added pillars in front of the bridge switch to provide a bit more cover. Added an additional layer to the easter egg that makes the map even more spicy if triggered. Separated the hedge maze lowering effect so that it isn't triggered by the easter egg too. Tweaked thing spawns so shotgun and chaingun show up if you're using mods that replace monster drops. Couple misc lighting and detail tweaks.

1.91: Fixed the inner sanctum secret being split up two secrets by a linedef, lil tweaks to make a couple of the secrets more obvious, some misc texture and lighting tweaks in a few spots, more ammo spawns (in particular where difficulty-dependant weapon spawns tend to be), moved some co-op spawns out of the lava. Set it so some of the bookshelves in the library along the edges don't lower, so that the switch for the secret isn't hidden. Added some extra ways to get out of the lava safely if you fall in. Tweaked the design of the blood room to work a bit better in co-op in case one forgets to disable the watchtower switch there. Made the Hard Mode exit for the megasphere secret just a bit more spicy. Added some extra challenge to the hedge maze.

1.92: Added some cover to the approach to the trench area and near the main gate, for co-op and Hard Mode shenanigans. Removed a now-redudant part of the Hard Mode exit to the megasphere secret I forgot existed. Added some additional multiplayer-focused ammo and health spawns for co-op. Fixed some more issues with the brick barricades in the mail loop.

1.93: Per feedback, set par time to 25 minutes. Added a proper ending text and cut to the cast sequence instead of going to Underhalls. Added a couple medikits before the bridge. Added additional enemies to the library room. Added additional enemies to the blood room, set a couple of the hell knights there to spawn as barons on UV, rigged the ambush to open up at turbo speed. Adjusted the placement of stuff in the library to not be as prone to getting the player caught on things. Set the pillars next to the bridge switch to properly block some tiny gaps that perimeter towers can easily cheese the player through. Added a lil bit more cover in the main gate area of the perimeter. Made it so the doors leading to the inner sanctum stay open, and made it a bit more complex a fight.

* Copyright / Permissions *

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modification or reuse.  Permissions have been obtained from original
authors for any of their resources modified or included in this file.

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