Hi guys, the Addict's writing here! I thought I'll collectively say some words on these demos, why they were made and stuff like that. Just read on... ;) But first off some statistics for all my recordings: The Ultimate DOOM ----------------- version required: v1.9 (also works with normal DOOM) filenames: ULTIDM##.LMP (the demo itself) ULTIDM##.TXT (accompanying description of the demo file) description file: ULTIDOOM.TXT DOOM II: Hell On Earth ---------------------- version required: v1.9 filenames: DOOM2_##.LMP (the demo itself) DOOM2_##.TXT (accompanying description of the demo file) description file: HELL_ON.TXT DUKE NUKEM 3D ------------- version required: v1.3D (registered only) filenames: DUKE#_##.DMO (the demo itself) DUKE#_##.TXT (accompanying description of the demo file) description file: - batch files used: DUKE#_##.BAT (used to simplify playing the demos) QUAKE ----- version required: v1.06 (most demos work with a different version though) filenames: QUAKE#_#.DEM (the demo itself) QUAKE#_#.TXT (accompanying description of the demo file) description file: - batch files used: QUAKEDEM.BAT (used to simplify playing the demos) I think all my recordings of 3D games started with The Ultimate Doom. The reason was simple, as an avid and very good Doom player I was sick of all the complaints that the fourth episode of Ultimate Doom is too hard. So I started recording all the Thy Flesh Consumend levels from scratch with just a pistol and fifty bullets. Of course, I played in Ultra Violence skill, well, I know I wanted to show off and I think I've done a pretty good job on this.:) Many people were quite impressed by my demos and so I went on to record the rest of the Doom levels the same way. The first three episodes were quite easy and not a big challenge. But I didn't knew that once I'll get to Doom II that things will change so significantly... I've recorded them in July 1995 (I didn't remember this, I've looked at the file stamps). It took me only six days (24th to 30th) to finish all recordings and to revise the one or another (E4M9 was one I needed to do again). This was my first major contribution to Compuserve, I've been CIS member since May 1st the same year. Those Doom demos and my numerous contributions caught the attention of the Action Games Forum sysop and so I became a Staffer just a couple of weeks later. By the way, the same contributions for Duke Nukem 3D in the Apogee forum got me a suprisingly offer to become sysop in the Apogee forum about half a year later. Only God (or Satan if you prefer) knows what comes next. :) Due to the reason that my major intention was to proove my Doom skills and to show off I also killed each monster, collected every item and found every secret level of every level. Because of that these demos are a very good reference if you can't find that one secret or just to sit back and watch them. From time to time you will see that the view is trembling, this was intentional: I did so every time when funny things happened. Someone described this as laughing and with a little phantasy it really looks like the Space Marine is laughing out loud. However, you may find some demos very long for a plain walkthrough because I virtually visited every single spot of each level and killed every monster. Since my newer records were done with the idea of creating a walkthrough in mind (rather than mainly showing off and because I have had less free time) I played in easier skills and showed only the secrets that I knew about at the time of recording. This applies to both the Duke Nukem 3D recordings as well as those for Quake. But I'm sure you'll find them all amusing because my desire was to make them visually attractive, to make watching them as good as watching an action movie. Some kills are really *cool* to look at and there's about one very special kill or move in each of the demos. Oh, and I have to add that in all the Doom records I also played the next level but with a different aim. Sometimes to go berserk, sometimes to kill myself most impressively, sometimes just running stupidly in a room full of monster and accidentally placing a rocket right in the wall in front of me. Oh well, maybe not so accidentally at all. :) Back to Ultimate Doom for a moment, there's only one thing left I wanted to mention. All the demos will work for normal Doom v1.9 as well with the exception of E1M1 because this is the only level in the first three episodes that has changed. If you don't have Ultimate Doom yet download the upgrade patch from FTP.IDSOFTWARE.COM or some other gaming site. You need to have Doom v1.9 in order to upgrade, so make sure you also download the upgrade patches. For all the (Ultimate) Doom and Doom 2 recordings you need to have v1.9. The Doom II records took noticably longer because they were harder (keep in mind that I played them all from scratch!) and I had to struggle with MAP19 which always recorded perfectly but the playback on that level always became erradically. I had to remove some errors from the map with a Doom editor and load it but I had to be careful because the demo needed to run with the original MAP19. Besides some levels were awfully hard played from scratch, especially MAP08 and MAP23. Due to some HD crash (bye, bye, Win '95! ) I also lost all my Doom II recordings so I had to download them all again! Actually, as I write this I haven't downloaded them yet. ... Ok, I have them all back now. :) I've started recording Doom II levels right after I've finished the Ultimate Doom demos. This time it took me exactly one month until August 30th 1995 to record all the demos and as I found out later I had to to something about MAP19 (see above). For some reason I can't remember I re-recorded MAP01 through MAP07, probably because I just got better in playing Doom. That was in mid-november. I haven't made any more records then until Duke3D came out and one of the very first things I did with Duke3D was to make a demo of the first level in the shareware. I was especially impressed by the cameras which I think are a great bonus for demo-makers like me. The first recordings for Duke Nukem 3D where made with the same scheme as the Doom records, hardest skill, killing every monster and finding as many secrets as I knew at that time. I only had the shareware back then and had to re-record the demos as v1.3D came out. Some time later I figured out that the records I made for the shareware won't work with the registered. I wanted to make some recordings for Duke3D, at least the hardest levels because I get a lot of messages saying "I can't solve this and that level". But time was short and I invested most of it to make the BUILD FAQ, so I decided to wait with the recordings until 3D Realms releases the long awaited v1.4 patch (which turned out to be the "Plutonium PAK" add-on). But since I got the deal with this book I'll be making them earlier and I don't have any better to do right now anyway. As I write this I yet haven't recorded any level but I will begin in a few minutes. I don't even now the deadline yet but I better hurry now. :) Just some words on Quake recordings and I'll be ready for action! I did record all the shareware levels in Quake because I found all the secrets in the first episode by myself, except one. Unfortunately the demo of E1M4 won't play and I can't say if this has changed in the latest version 1.01 and whether there will be other levels that won't record. Maybe you won't even see a single Quake record from me, so I'll probably didn't had enough time. Duke3D comes first because I consider it to be more important for single players. As of now version v1.06 is the latest Quake version and it DOES record E1M4. But it does no longer play demos recorded in Map START for some reason. I'm hoping to get me v0.92 again and see if it allows me to record Map START and hopefully it plays flawless in the current version. You might have already figured that since I'm now doing Quake recordings I've finished my recording job for Duke Nukem 3D. I began recording them on September 9th and the last one was recorded October 4th. These demos are all for version v1.3D but since the "Plutonium PAK" add-on will upgrade the registered version v1.3D to the Atomic Version (v1.4) which has a fourth episode I'll probably also make demos for this version, at least demos of the fourth episode. Note that due to the patches' size and many many changes it will be a retail-only product, there will be no patch available online. Ok, that's all for now. I may add some stuff later but note that I won't delete outdated stuff in this text because although I have the ability using an editor program that lets me delete parts without anyone noticing that doesn't mean I will take use of it. I prefer to let it as it is because it shows how things developed. I think this is more fun to read anyway. Well, have fun and leave me a message if you like. Mail to 100606,2141 if you're a Compuserve user or mail to 100606.2141@Compuserve.com from anywhere else (with the exception of the Phobos Base, for some strange reason all connections broke, I'm sure someone's already investigating...). See you and good bye for now! :) -Steffen "Duke Addict" Itterheim (formerly known as Doom Addict). Compuserve E-Mail: 100606,2141 Internet E-Mail: 100606.2141@compuserve.com