Me Want Some Mori

By Jacqui Kramer
reeltime@voicenet.com
http://www.voicenet.com/~reeltime/

Perk up, riot boys and grrrls! We've got a lot of ground to cover today. You may (or may not) have noticed this column was absent in the last issue. Well, it's because I was knee deep in the dead, and the dead have a helluva lot of vengeful friends. At least they do in what may be the greatest WAD ever made, memento mori: 32 levels (30 plus two secret ones) of sheer hell. You'll love it.

But back to reality.

This month's Tricks and Traps will cover just a few of the tortures that await you in MM, which more than rates an entire column.  Oh, and as always, remember -- there are more than a few potential SPOILERS strewn throughout this page. If you prefer not to know, move on to the next page. I will say this, though: No matter how many tips I manage to cram into this column, you will still find plenty of heart attacks that won't be mentioned here.

Still here? Great. Grab your cheat codes kids -- we're heading for the abyss.

GENERAL TIPS:

As of this writing, Level 8 does not appear to work on either 68K Macs or Power Macs. We've tried it on both, and here's what happens: You can arrive in the level and look around for a few seconds, but as soon as you try to advance the program freezes and shuts down, in some cases freezing the machine all together. As far as we know, there is no way to get around this, short of quitting as soon as you finish Level 7 and warping to Level 9 (skipping 8 altogether). If anyone out there knows the secret to making Level 8 work, please fill us in. Otherwise, don't say we didn't warn you.

Also, in general keep an eye out for the type of dominant ammunition left in hallways, walkways, and rooms. In many cases, the ammunition is there for a reason -- in other words, if there are a dozen huge plasma cells between you and a room, consider switching to the plasma gun, or maybe even the BFG.

Save early... and often. Forget the macho thrill of just going for it -- no matter how good you are, you will die. A lot. Trust me on this.

Stop, look, and listen. Quite often, you will hear the familiar roar of various baddies before you even finish warping to a new level or location. If you don't already know what sound each alien makes, you are about to find out. Your best defense is to know how to figure out who (or rather, what) is around before you see it because you may not have time to switch weapons otherwise. Also, ALWAYS know how to exit, whether it be by running backwards, taking an elevator, or backing back into a transporter. There are rooms that you will not be able to finish off without retreating at least a few times, but more on that later.

memento mori is designed for cooperative play. That means there are an ungodly number of aliens (even when playing "I'm Too Young To Die"), and at least one level appears to be impossible to complete without two friendly commandos on duty. Worse, it appears that you cannot get to the second secret level without two people (at least, that is my theory -- believe me, I tried). More on the secret levels later, however.

There are some not-so-secret codes that can help you survive and/or get around the levels that don't seem single-player friendly. Here are a couple that I used to get me through the night (hint: pause the game before using any of these codes to avoid wasting ammo or unnecessary movement):

IDDT: Reveals the full map, with unvisited areas traced in a sort of grayish-brown. Doors, including secret doors, are in yellow. Type IDDT twice, and you will also see monsters, both dead (immobile) and alive (trotting around). You won't be able to tell if these moving dots are Imps or Cyberdemons (yes, plural), however.

IDCLIP: This turns "no clipping" mode on and off. In other words, type it once, and you will be able to walk through walls, doors, and anything else that gets in your way. When you get to the other side, type it again to turn clipping off.

IDKA: You may need this to catch up after skipping Level 8, or just in general as you advance. This code gives you every weapon and full ammo, but no keys.

 
                    Tricks

LEVEL 4 (THE STAND): After you enter the blue door, go all the way to the left and through the next door (ignore the blue sphere -- you will get it later). Immediately upon exiting, you will be facing a red gate. Turn right, and go up one flight of stairs. Turn to the left and kill the chaingunner at the top of the stairs. You should be standing on a landing with an arrow pointing to the wall. Go in and have fun. This will lead you to the blue sphere as well as the red key.

LEVEL 9 (HIGH TECH GRAVE): Deep into this level, you will come across a blue and yellow gate (integrated). There are two Revenants and a few other minor "friends" on the other side. If you open only one gate, you will have enough room to nail the Revenant (even with rockets), but their rockets will shatter against the gate.

LEVEL 14 (AQUADUCT): Lots of fun stuff, ending with the first of (sigh) many Cyberdemons. Don't worry about nailing him here -- just run like hell past him to the exit. You will have time to fight it out later on.

LEVEL 15 (KARMACOMA): This level contains the key to getting to the secret level. It has the usual assortment of bad guys, but is not particularly rough until the end. You have a choice here: stay and fight the teeming masses, or jump to Level 31, the best level in this WAD, bar none. To get there, you have to wait until you get to the war room. This is the room filled with health, cells, rockets, and other stuff you will need if you complete the level. Go to the window facing the brown sphere (it is outside on a small platform). Jump to the platform -- it may take a few tries -- and grab the sphere. Take the transporter next to the sphere. This will zap you to the secret level.

LEVEL 28 (FORT HADES): This level is just a taste of the nightmare to come, with too many traps to mention. But here is my favorite: In one building, you will go upstairs (facing Imps and chaingunner) and exit onto an outside sidewalk. Ahead you will see a transporter on the right and a door to the left. Before you open the door, pull out the BFG and pull the trigger. Once your shot is on its way, open the door. You will be facing a Hell Knight and an Arch-Vile. One BFG shot will take them both out, if your timing is right. (Watching the Arch-Vile escape and run for the transporter is a scream, though.)

LEVEL 31 (TECHNOLOGY BASE): To get to the second secret level, you may have to cheat. I tried backtracking (after cheating), and all I can figure is that it takes two players to do it legitimately. Anyway, the first key is to not exit the level after fighting the Demons in the crusher room. Instead, go back and clip your way through to the area you have not visited (use the map). Wander around until you find the lava pit that leads to a Mancubus. Depending on what you have done to this point, there may be a pathway blocking the lava -- just keep an eye out for the Manci. Either way, dive into the lava (if the path is up, drop off to the left). You should see a door with a transporter. This takes you to Level 32.

                     Traps

LEVEL 8 (AND THE DEAD SHALL RISE): ... but not if you have a Mac. As mentioned before, this level crashes a few seconds after you arrive. It is possible that movement triggers the shut down. You can almost here the aliens laughing their butt off at you while you reboot your computer.

LEVEL 9 (HIGH TECH GRAVE): Remember when we opened one part of the blue/yellow gate and took out the Revenants? Well, they still have a chance to get the last laugh. The first room you will enter is a series of boxes which rise and fall. The next room contains the exit door. When you enter (facing the exit), the right wall will open. Shortly after, you will be joined by at least four Revenants and a Demon or two.

LEVEL 30 (ISLAND OF DEATH): This level is an absolute nightmare, and this is just one of the reasons: When you arrive in the cavernous room with an invisible transporter (e.g., it's green with decoration, not white), you will be sent straight to a room with more Imps than you ever knew existed. They can kill you -- and will, if you let them. Once you empty the room, there will be more in the hallway and in the next room over. After you throw the switch, there will be Revenants waiting for you back home. You can run out of the room without killing them, however.

Well, that is all for now. So long and remember, when they scream "Meat!" they mean you.

Jacqui will be back next month, assuming she can find someone to help her get out of Level 31. Send your tricks and traps to reeltime@voicenet.com.