Damn, couldn't finish it. I got to the 5min countdown after overloading the core but it wouldn't let me load the previous map. Tried both level changes, both just crashed q2. Also tried just loading the start map and that crashed as well so there's definitely something on the core level that crashes the game. Then tried just noclipping past the bridge but it's setup so that you can't continue unless you've completed everything. Oh well, maybe I only missed the boss fight?

Great levels though, I really liked the design. Definitely up to Q2's high standards. I wish there was more levels released like this.

BTW where was the sg or ssg? I found neither which meant playing most of it with the mg and hyperblaster. 

Actually this time just went straight to smd7 and did giveall. Glad I did that because the last level looks great, probably the best. Not sure if there was supposed to be a commander in the large arena where you get the RL, it seemed to be empty. I went straight through to the boss anyway since I had to do giveall. 

There's another door in the room with the medical station, opened by a somewhat missable button next to it. Takes you back to the artrium where you took out the two turrets.

I found a shotgun in the secret stash in the caves level, and I'm pretty sure I came across another one later on. The SSG is on top of some crates in the level where you first encounter those chest tentacle enemies IIRC. Unfortunately, I never found a rocket launcher, though. 

Thanks again for taking the time to play through it � I appreciate the feedback.

Jay � I got your email; did you get mine?

negke � Points taken! Medium skill is about the right level for me; one of my beta-testers found that Hard was �nicely balanced� for him� guess it all depends :) And I�d love to see the demos if you could upload them� thanks for recording them. The lightmap error in SMD3 � damn, I thought I�d fixed that. (GrOWL found it whilst testing, too).

For the yellow forcefield, you need to shoot the glowing blue control unit that�s on the wall just beside/inside it once you�ve deactivated it (during the few seconds you have before the forcefield goes up again). I found that the SG was the best weapon for this.

Kona � thanks! Sorry about the crash � no idea why :( None of the testers had that issue. Are you using the standard Q2 v3.20 client & engine? Past the bridge and boss fight you could noclip through the tunnel and then access the elevator to finish that level, even if you haven�t killed the boss. It takes you to the final level via SMD5, which is a short cutscene of the Power Core exploding whilst you escape to the surface (type 'map smd5' in the console to see it).

The SG is in the first level (Caverns), in the hidden equipment cache. The entrance is round a bit, to the right of the waterfall (and its second exit is over the waterfall). The SSG is in the third level (Bridge Control). In the central chamber, there�s a storage area on the ground floor in the corner with ammo, armour, turret stands, pipes and crates. The SSG is on top of one of the crates. In the RL arena, there should be some Iron Maidens, and a few Icari will appear when you enter through the ground-level door. Good suggestion, though � it could probably do with a Tank, too :) 

negke - one of the Iron Maidens in the outdoor arena in the final level drops an RL. There's some rockets on top of a nearby crate, too. 

setting aside some time. 

Maybe after the current project I can dust off the q2 skills. Lazarus is very fun to map with. 

I'm playing this on the Oculus rift when it arrives. Crazy nostalgia 

I guess this does not support Linux as it uses a dll? I tried playing it with Yamagi but gave up after my first death as I had no hyperblaster ammo and had to fight with the stupid pistol thing. Probably due to the engine using the stock baseq2 code instead of yours. :( 

a code release would allow interested people to compile their own Linux version. 

included in the download.

Have an error when compiling in Linux: "_MAX_PATH" undeclared. I'm slowly "fixing" errors. Fixing is in quotes because I'm not that great of a programmer. :D 

loved it, real sense of place to all the levels and I was happy most were non-linear. Agree with negke on lighting being a little flat but there was some seriously good detailing and brushwork here. The first cavern level is way better than that lone screenshot for it shows, use of ambient sound and interconnection was terrific.

Gameplay wise, I had a blast on normal, the new enemies and enemy behaviour seemed to be fine, not nehahra like but just slight upgrades which were not unbalanced.

Thanks for finishing this Musashi. 

played in aguire's unreleased engine, no bugs encountered. 

nitin - thanks, glad you enjoyed it after all that waiting :)

For Linux users - Knightmare has kindly modified the source to make it easier to compile under Linux by disabling the FMOD/target playback and fog code. Added: DISABLE_FMOD and DISABLE_FOG macros in the source to disable them under Linux.

He has also released a new game DLL so that the unit can be played using his KMQ2 engine. Source and new DLL are here:
smd_kmq2.zip

Many thanks to Knightmare for doing that. 

Played this mission a few days ago - seeing a new Q2SP unit is a real treat, and it's even better when it's pulled off so marvelously. The whole experience is extremely atmospheric, with excellent use of ambient sounds, lighting, detailing, and architecture. I even went back to explore the maps after completing the mission just to marvel at their craftsmanship. The layouts allow for plenty of exploration and alternative paths, and everything is compact and connects with each other so well.

Gameplay is tough but not unbearable, and definitely requires you to conserve your ammunition and not rush blindly into things. The enemies were noticeably more challenging and accurate, so taking cover is more important - assuming your surroundings allow it, that is. Those new dodging animations for the Enforcers / Iron Maidens are quite kickass!

I especially appreciated the utilization of the Lazarus entities, such as the cameras, movable crates, the medical stations, and most of all, that rotating monster hologram viewer - that has to be one of the coolest things I've ever seen in a Quake 2 map, period. In addition, I can tell they weren't used just because they could - there was real thought and purpose behind their implementation, and they contributed greatly to the map's replayability.

I did find a few bugs though - one time there was a light guard (can't remember if it was a regular one or the red laser version, I'm guessing the former) being crushed by a door, and as soon as he was gibbed by the door, the game froze and crashed. This happened at the door you come to after ascending the stairs near the yellow forcefield, and of which takes you next to that grate which you can use to look down at the turret room. I haven't encountered this since, but that was because I got paranoid and so I gibbed every corpse that was in the way of a door. Oh, and because of medics.

Another bug I found was that, when fighting one of the iron maidens in the water hallways at the lower levels of the Surface Facility, the Iron Maiden performed a dodge jump and disappeared into the ceiling (luckily, it wasn't the one carrying the RL). Though you could not see her or kill her anymore, she could still see you and fire rockets at you. This, again, has not happened anywhere else.

Both of these bugs occurred on R1GL Quake 2, btw.

Other than a few minor issues, this is a truly outstanding single player mission, and anyone who still plays this game needs to have a copy on their hard drive. It is now one of my personal favourites - major props for all of your hard work, Musashi! 

Has anyone had a chance to try this with Q2PRO?

http://skuller.net/q2pro/

I need to get my computer online again so I can play some Q2 and give this a try. 

Thanks EmeraldTiger, I appreciate the detailed feedback and comments :)

I think the gibs bug might be due to the client used - has never been seen yet, although I'll do some more testing around there to confirm.

The Iron Miaden bug will probably be due to the custom animation code I added. I think I've forgotten to do a solid trace check before shifting the entity up... 

Demos

Turns out my initial thought was right and Q2 demos, just like in Q1, don't play back correctly after level changes and reloads. This affects at least one demo in this bunch (the last one). It can be fixed by manually hex editing and splitting the file, obviously a pain in the ass - or you could watch it in a port that supports it, e.g. BJP's enhine - although I expect it's unreleased. Sorry about that.

To watch the 12 files in sequence, you can create and execute a config with corresponding aliases that play one after the other. It should look like this (courtesy of BJP):

alias d1 "demomap smd_negke1.dm2 ; set nextserver d2"
alias d2 "demomap smd_negke2.dm2 ; set nextserver d3"
alias d3 "demomap smd_negke3.dm2 ; set nextserver d4"...

Also, remember I accidentally overwrote one demo (part 9, I believe) so it'll feel somewhat disjointed at one point.

About the yellow forcefield, yeah, it totally makes sense in retrospect. I noticed the control unit but didn't really try to shoot it, only haphazardly threw a grenade at it which, of course, failed. Derp.

I found the Iron Maidens and killed them, but still managed to miss the rocket launcher. Either I was blind or it dropped out of the map. 

1) I don't know if it's higher HP or armor or both, but I don't like the tougher enemies. It seems pointless to me. It just takes more time and ammo and makes them tedious to kill.

2) I'm only a little ways past the first shield you have to shoot out, so maybe it gets better, but I have found very little ammo laying around and the enemies don't drop much. I've had to take down most with nothing but the blaster and it's getting old quickly.

Because of these two problems, I can't seem to keep interested enough to play for more than 15-30 minutes or so at a time.

The actual maps though, really look nice. 

what skill level? I honestly had no issues on medium. 

BJP was so kind as to fix the demos in question for vanilla compatibility. I've updated the archive with the new files; it also includes his demo config. Thanks a lot! Just download it again for hassle-free viewing. 

That's awesome - thanks. Looking forward to watching them at the weekend :) 

gonna check it

is it possible to upload somewhere that Bengt's unreleased engine? 

Soooo... why there was not a single word in the readme about all the new sounds? They don't add anything, some of them are much worse than original, and you didn't change that low-quality "computer updated" (or something) sound.

I'm playing on Hard and having zero fun, because the shotgun is disgustingly weak and i think the pellet pattern is different, simple soldiers eat a shitload of ammo while bigger enemies fall quick, everything hurts more. What's with the 3 Gladiators (i think that's the name of those railgun dudes) at the end of the first map? I didn't have ammo for them, had to jump over. Also, i crashed 3 times when some of the monsters tried to cross the bridge (the one before the map exit). I think the crash is caused by Gladiators, but who knows.

I don't like encounters, they seem random and sloppy. Shooting Berserkers with machinegun is not fun, and there's a shitload of them. Yeah, encounters repeat to much, like the pares of, ugh, what's the name of those suckers, and the berserkers + enforcers.

I think the skybox doesn't look Stroggos-like enough, needs more red. Didn't like very simple white lamps in the cave, while the cave was pretty good looking.

I'm not sure i want to continue with all the new sounds and balance, i was in the mood for more vanilla action. 

>some of them are much worse than original
By that i mean that they don't fit the game, the visuals.