DeathMatch Manifesto/DEATHMATCH.ISO/walkthru/duke13/demos.txt

Text File | 1996-10-08 | 10KB | 186 lines

                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! <eg>) 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. <g>

...

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! <g>
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 re