Wrath of the Titans - Doomworld /idgames database frontend

Title:	Wrath of the Titans
Filename:	levels/heretic/Ports/titans.zip
Size:	1.94 MB
Date:	05/07/23
Author:	ETTiNGRiNDER
Description:	A complete 9-level episode featuring some new textures and classic Heretic style with attention to Raven's mapping conventions. The set plays on the episode 2 slot. (Autopicked in some ports) Aside from E2M2, these maps have been released before in various forms; some made it to idgames and some were never released beyond my web site. These versions have been variously tweaked, fixed, and re-balanced, and can be considered the "Director's Cut" editions superceding older releases. Some of the maps no longer fit within vanilla limits, but Heretic-Plus works. Some metadata lumps for ZDoom, Doomsday and Eternity are also included, for map/episode/finale texts. Classic Heretic mechanics are intended (NO jump, NO crouch.) There are no enemy/weapon alterations (this time) so any gameplay mod you want to stack on top should work, but the maps are designed for standard Heretic enemies and weapons. See bottom for map notes & DOS installation.
Credits:	Music - Jimmy, Viscra Maeltrom, Darman Macray, mrgrimsdale, pcorf Textures - Cage, Rottking, Esselfortium, Fuzzball, Not Jabba, NiGHTMARE, InsanityBringer, Raymoohawk, Gez Dedicated to the memory of my Player 2. You will be missed always.
Base:	Revamped releases / New from scratch
Build time:	About a decade off and on
Editor(s) used:	GZDoom Builder, Eureka, SLADE, MIDI2MUS
Bugs:	Wings of Wrath carryover can happen if using Heretic-Plus. Consider it a valid exploit; nothing should break TOO badly.
Rating:

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View titans.txt

===========================================================================
Archive Maintainer      : Supercedes the following uploads:
                          /levels/heretic/a-c/coven
                          /levels/heretic/m-o/mtnking
                          /levels/heretic/v-z/vos
Advanced engine needed  : Heretic-Plus at minimum.
Primary purpose         : Single play / Co-op
===========================================================================
Title                   : Wrath of the Titans
Filename                : TITANS.WAD
Release date            : 2023-04-28
Author                  : ETTiNGRiNDER
Email Address           : [redacted]
Other Files By Author   : Earlier versions of these maps.
Misc. Author Info       : A mortal who has played this game too long.

Description             : A complete 9-level episode featuring some new
                          textures and classic Heretic style with attention
                          to Raven's mapping conventions.  The set plays
                          on the episode 2 slot. (Autopicked in some ports)
						  
                          Aside from E2M2, these maps have been released
                          before in various forms; some made it to idgames
                          and some were never released beyond my web site.
                          These versions have been variously tweaked,
                          fixed, and re-balanced, and can be considered
                          the "Director's Cut" editions superceding older
                          releases.

Some of the maps no longer fit within vanilla
                          limits, but Heretic-Plus works.  Some metadata
                          lumps for ZDoom, Doomsday and Eternity are also
                          included, for map/episode/finale texts.

Classic Heretic mechanics are intended
                          (NO jump, NO crouch.)  There are no enemy/weapon
                          alterations (this time) so any gameplay mod you
                          want to stack on top should work, but the maps
                          are designed for standard Heretic enemies and
                          weapons.
						  
                          See bottom for map notes & DOS installation.

Additional Credits to   : Music - Jimmy, Viscra Maeltrom, Darman Macray,
                                  mrgrimsdale, pcorf
                          Textures - Cage, Rottking, Esselfortium,
                                     Fuzzball, Not Jabba, NiGHTMARE,
                                     InsanityBringer, Raymoohawk, Gez
                          Dedicated to the memory of my Player 2.
                                  You will be missed always.
===========================================================================
* What is included *

New levels              : 9
Sounds                  : Just DSSECRET to replace ZDoom's obnoxious
                           default sound with Corvus' weapon pickup cackle.
Music                   : Yes
Graphics                : Yes
Dehacked/BEX Patch      : HHE (Text only)
Demos                   : No
Other                   : ZMAPINFO / EMAPINFO / DD_DEFNS (Text only)
Other files required    : HHE for DOS play, none otherwise

* Play Information *

Game                    : Heretic
Map #                   : E2M1 through E2M9
Single Player           : Designed for
Cooperative 2-4 Player  : Yes, tested two players & extra things spawn
Deathmatch 2-4 Player   : Player starts only
Other game styles       : None
Difficulty Settings     : Yes, somewhat

* Construction *

Base                    : Revamped releases / New from scratch
Build Time              : About a decade off and on
Editor(s) used          : GZDoom Builder, Eureka, SLADE, MIDI2MUS
Known Bugs              : Wings of Wrath carryover can happen if
                           using Heretic-Plus.  Consider it a valid
                           exploit; nothing should break TOO badly.
May Not Run With...     : Vanilla or Chocolate.  Some areas need
                          extended visplanes/drawsegs limits.

* Copyright / Permissions *

To every degree allowable, the MAP LAYOUTS and MAP METADATA are released
under the terms of CC0:
https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/
Acknowledging credit to ETTiNGRiNDER for designing the maps would be
polite, but do an ye will.

Any data contained in the file that is derivative of the Heretic game data
remains copyright to Raven Software.

Other TEXTURES remain copyright to their respective authors; for usage see
the "Heretical Thoughts Texture Pack".

MUSIC remains copyright to their respective authors, for usage see
"The Wayfarer" and "RAVEN MIDI Pack".

* Where to get the file that this text file describes *

Doomworld, possibly idgames and ettingrinder.youfailit.net

===== Story =====

After your many adventures, you bear the title of archmage, and enjoy
a relatively quiet life in your wizard's tower.
Relatively.
Today, it is not quiet, and a commotion disturbs you at the door to
your tower.  Descending from your study, you open the door to see
an imp flying into the distance and a dagger impaling a piece of parchment
to your door.
The tattered, blood-soaked missive is scrawled with large, brutal letters,
"PATHETIC HERETIC, DO YOU THINK YOUR DEEDS IMPRESS US?  WE HAVE CONQUERED
THE REALM FOR MILES AROUND OUR FORTRESS IN THE NORTHERN SEA.  MEET US IN
THE COLISEUM OF CHAOS AND LET US SEE ONCE AND FOR ALL WHO IS TRULY THE
MASTER."
Slowly, you put the parchment down.  This rude affront shall not go
unheeded, and there is no trap or battle fierce enough that you will back
down.  Consulting your library of forsaken lore, you research the location
of this "Coliseum of Chaos" and, once you have found a lead, you nod
grimly, preparing your weapons and magic for the journey ahead.

===== Further info and lore =====

E2M1: The Coven
---------------
"Far from quaint, this village's chapel is inhabited by an evil cult."
Prior release: 2012-07-15, single level
Music: "Saltbringer" by Jimmy

Back when I first made this, it was a quick release to get me in the
groove of mapping, and always had an "early level of an episode" feel
to it.

E2M2: Dragon's Teeth Gardens
----------------------------
"In this strange garden, the soil is sown with dragon's teeth, and a crop
of brutal warriors sprouts forth."
Prior release: Never before seen
Music: "Anxiety" by Viscra Maelstrom

Started as a test map for some of my custom textures, and grew from there.
The name is a reference to a portion of the story of Jason and the
Argonauts from Greek legend.

E2M3: The Black Heart
---------------------
"The heart of the great cathedral throbs with a blackened taint of evil."
Prior release: 2018-06-25, E1M6 of HUMP Mini
Music: "Ominous Wind" by Viscra Maelstrom (with inspiration from
         "Guardhouse" by James Paddock)

The initial version got rushed to make the HUMP release date, and had a lot
of bad alignments and similar messiness that have been addressed in this
new version.  I also made it less easy to simply run past the tower fight,
and tweaked a few other parts of the structure here and there.

E2M4: Tyrant's Tomb
-------------------
"The tyrant lord of Zogar-Krul demanded that his subjects entomb him in the
depths of the earth with a cohort of his greatest warriors.  Dormant for
centuries, earthquakes and volcanism have now cracked open the sealed tomb
and enlivened its unholy occupants."
Prior release: 2018-04-27, single level, never reached idgames
Music: "Crusade of the Mage" by Darman Macray

This one was never sent to idgames because I was always waiting for it to
get polished up and become part of an episode.  Well, now it is.  There
are a few progression tweaks and the cave areas were largely made a notch
brighter to match with Raven Software's cave area lighting.

E2M5: Dark Spirits' Gulch
-------------------------
"The former inhabitants of these hot and desolate cliffside dwellings are
long since gone, and only demons and the evil dead remain."
Prior release: 2018-01-27, E1M4 of Heretic Speedmapping 1
Music: "Legions" by Jimmy

This one was an 8-hour speedmap, and probably a little too ambitious for
such. Now it's gotten some additional cleanup and detail, and with
Heretic-Plus as a minimum standard, Wings of Wrath have been added since
I no longer have to worry about visplane crashing in the main area.

E2M6: Mountain King's Domain
----------------------------
"The Mountain King built his fortress in the heart of a grim, snowy peak,
thinking it to be unassailable, but his pride was misplaced and his land
was overrun by horrible creatures, all the way to his mighty throne."
Prior release: 2015-02-06, single level
Music: "Talons" by mrgrimsdale & Jimmy

This one didn't change much, because it was already one of my favorites.
A couple notable things for those who played the first release are that
I made the green key a little more visible, and got rid of the secret
shortcut that let you skip the yellow key (I thought it was an interesting
idea, but it mostly ended up confusing people.)

E2M7: Valley of Saints
----------------------
"Watched by towering monuments to the greatest of D'Sparil's disciples,
the Valley of Saints is full of certain death to any heretic that dares
enter."
Prior release: 2013-10-06, single level
Music: "The Cadaver's Waltz" by mrgrimsdale & Jimmy

Like E2M6, I didn't change this too much because it was already one of
my favorites.  Aside from a bit of visual upgrading and minor tweaks,
I added a few more bads to befit a slot late in the episode.

E2M8: Chaos in Bloom
--------------------
"In D'Sparil's forgotten outpost, chaos blooms petal by petal, a blossom
of misery wafting the stench of tainted waters."
Prior release: 2017-10-18, E2M5 of HUMP
Music: "Liquidation" by Viscra Maelstrom

So named for the way the level opens up bit by bit off of the central room.
I rarely start maps with sketches on paper, but with this one I did.
A few areas were added to the new version; the "Coliseum of Chaos" is an
outtake from my unreleased Hexen project that I felt was better suited to
Heretic.

E2M9: Cavern of Earthblood
--------------------------
"Deep below lies the Cavern of Earthblood, where the world itself splits
and bleeds forth its fiery ichor.  The forces of darkness are establishing
a stronghold in the cavern that they may tap the powerful forces at work
here."
Prior release: 2011-01-27, single level, never reached idgames
Music: "Crushed Spirits" by pcorf

Originally a 10-day speedmap for the HeXentic birthday speedmapping event.
This one was an enormous mess, and took by far the most editing and
adjusting to make something I was satisfied enough with.  The Valley of
Saints had long since become its own map, so I removed that part and
kept just the cavern.  Fruitlessly trying to crunch the giant main area
into vanilla limits was part of what pushed me to go Heretic-Plus, but
I think that the added dividers I put in during that process changed the
map for the better.  I'd like to think I managed to salvage it, in the
end, but it's still an oddball, slaughtery map, so it made sense to stick
it in the secret slot.

===== DOS Installation =====

Playing the DOS version should be fairly straightforward for anyone who's
still enough of a DOS Heretic enthusiast to be playing that way.  For the
correct texts, you will need HHE, with the HHE.INI set up for Heretic v1.3
offsets, and the base EXE set to HERETICP.EXE (Heretic-Plus, not vanilla).
Some of the titles were abbreviated a little to fit the string constraints.
Flats were imported in a way that DEUSF WAD merging shouldn't be necessary.

Anyone who finds this too difficult to follow should probably just play
with ZDoom/Doomsday/Eternity, as there are episode/map definitions for
any of those ports without the need for the HHE utility.

mong