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Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders
Frequently Asked Questions / Guide
Version 1.5
April 14, 2006
Written by: ICE (Pritesh Mistry)
Contact:
[email protected]
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INDEX
1.0 Disclaimer
2.0 Permissions
3.0 Trademarks
4.0 Credits
5.0 Introduction To The FAQ/Guide
5.1 Covered in the FAQ/Guide
5.2 Not Covered in the FAQ/Guide
6.0 Heretic Version Guide
7.0 Where To Get Heretic?
8.0 Running Heretic / System Requirements
9.0 Episodes and Levels
9.1 Episode 1: City of the Damned
9.2 Episode 2: Hells Maw
9.3 Episode 3: Dome of D’Sparil
9.4 Episode 4: The Ossuary
9.5 Episode 5: The Stagnant Demesne
9.6 Episode 6: Fate's Path (Bonus Little Episode)
10.0 Skill Level Guide
11.0 Items Guide
12.0 Weapons Guide
13.0 Hazards In Heretic
14.0 Enemies
15.0 Source Ports
16.0 Cheat Codes
17.0 Editing Heretic
18.0 Ice’s Section
19.0 Final Thoughts
20.0 FAQ Revision History
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[1.0] DISCLAIMER
This FAQ/Guide was written as a contribution to the Heretic community. If there
are things in this FAQ that are inaccurate, let me know so that I may change
it. This FAQ and Guide were also written as a tribute to Heretic. I do not
guarantee that this FAQ is 100% accurate. If there are concerns with this FAQ,
notify me.
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[2.0] PERMISSIONS
This FAQ may not be posted on websites without my permission.
Please do not copy this FAQ and claim it as your own.
Do not distribute this FAQ commercially.
You may backup this FAQ on floppy or optical media for personal use, and you
may send this FAQ electronically to friends or colleagues who may also wish to
read it. You may print this FAQ for easier reading as well.
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[3.0] TRADEMARKS
Heretic, Hexen, Hexen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, and Raven are trademarks
of Raven Software Inc. Doom, Ultimate Doom, Final Doom, and Quake are
trademarks of id Software. Duke Nukem is a trademark of 3D Realms. Dark Forces
is a trademark of Lucas Arts. Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
All other trademarks are copyright by their respective owners, and are hereby
assumed.
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[4.0] CREDITS
Heretic was a joint creation by Raven Software and id Software. It was
developed by Raven using the Doom technology from id Software. Some of the
levels in the final version of Heretic were made by id. At the time, Heretic
was distributed by GT Interactive. GT Interactive was bought out by Infogrames,
which has now since assumed the Atari name.
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[5.0] INTRODUCTION
I decided to write this FAQ simply because I love this game, I first played
Heretic back in 1994, and now 11 years later, I still find myself playing this
game every once in awhile. It is by far one of the most under rated games, and
back during the golden days of DOS first person shooters, Heretic was awesome.
but it did not have the popularity of Doom, Dark Forces, or Duke Nukem.
Heretic though is still a great game, its innovative, and under the Doomsday
engine, Heretic takes on new life. Honestly, I am just sick of all the people
who claim Heretic sucks, or is too hard, or is a Doom knock off, etc.
I also wrote this FAQ/Guide, because I love the game, and therefore you get
some real information, rather than just tidbits of someone whining about the
game, but still decided to write a FAQ.
[5.1] COVERED IN THE FAQ
This FAQ/Guide will cover tactics on defeating the enemies, and give
information on weapons. It will also include a guide to the levels, and
give information on secret levels, various tidbits, and other things that
I have uncovered for this game over the past 11 years.
[5.2] NOT COVERED IN THE FAQ
Secret areas and a step by step walkthrough will not be outlined in this
FAQ, simply because they have been done so already, and have been done in
an excellent manner. Paul Falstad has extensively outlined all of the
secret areas in each level for each episode and thus provides an excellent
guide. A walkthrough is available at
http://www.ravengames.com.
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[6.0] HERETIC VERSION GUIDE
Here we have the various versions of Heretic that came out.
Heretic Shareware: This version of Heretic only gives you access to the first
episode, The City of the Damned. You can freely distribute this version to your
friends who may also want to play Heretic.
The Heretic shareware can be either version v1.0, or v1.2.
Heretic v1.0 or v1.2: These versions are the registered versions of the game,
that include the original 3 episodes. This version cannot be distributed! The
v1.2 fixes many bugs found in v1.0.
Heretic v1.3: This is Heretic with all 5 excellent episodes + a bonus 3 level
episode. You can upgrade to this version for free by upgrading your Heretic
v1.2, if you have Heretic v1.0, simply upgrade to v1.2 and then to v1.3. The
v1.3 cannot be distributed, and is known as Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent
Riders.
To download Heretic updates or the shareware version, simply search the web, or
try 3D Gamers, at
http://www.3dgamers.com.
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[7.0] WHERE TO GET HERETIC?
Its probably safe to assume that retail stores may not carry Heretic anymore
due to its age. However, the game is still available for sale! Head over to
http://www.idsoftware.com and you can still buy a download of the full game.
Also eBay has copies for sale from time to time, usually brand new sealed
copies as well. I managed to snag copies of Hexen and its expansion Deathkings
of the Dark Citadel off of eBay for less than 10 bucks. For those that do not
know, Hexen is a spin off of Heretic, but both Heretic and Hexen are part of
the same gaming series.
Other online stores may carry Heretic, and who knows, maybe your local EB Games
may have a copy in the pre-owned PC games section.
I also found Heretic at various flea markets as well.
The point is, is that Heretic is still out there. I often get asked where to
download Heretic for free, and people use the argument that Heretic is
abandonware. Abandonware is a gray area in PC software. Just because the game
is not publicly available, the copyrights are still owned by the creators, and
besides Heretic can still be bought today. Plus Heretic is so cheap as it is.
My personal recommendation is to head over to eBay and snag a new clean copy.
Heretic is available on CD-ROM. I am not sure if the Shadow of the Serpent
Riders pack was made available in a floppy disk version.
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[8.0] RUNNING HERETIC
Heretics system requirements are not a big concern today. Back then you needed
a 486 class processor, 4 MB RAM, Sound Blaster or compatible sound card,15
megabytes of hard disk space, and DOS version 5.0 or higher. A 14.4k modem was
minimum for modem play, and Heretic supported the IPX protocol over the LAN.
Because computers have evolved quite nicely since then, running Heretic today
on a Windows XP system can be a bit difficult and getting sound to work is
tough as well. Although Microsoft did patch some DOS sound support into XP, the
results still suck. Get DOS Box, and you should be able to get better results,
or EVEN better, use a source port listed under the source port section of this
document. DOS Box helps run this game under Windows NT and Windows 2000 as
well. Also if you can find VDMS Sound, it can help get sound in Windows
NT/2000. The homepage link to VDMS Sound is now dead, but the package might be
available for download somewhere. Windows 95/98/ME can run Heretic without a
problem since DOS support is good in those operating systems.
VDMS Sound:
http://ntvdm.cjb.net
DOS Box:
http://dosbox.sourceforge.net
Other operating systems like Linux, Mac OS, Be OS, etc, I have no experience
with. But the source ports described later may support other OSes.
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[9.0] EPISODES and LEVELS
The real way to play these levels is to kill every enemy, find every secret,
and grab every item. This guide assumes you are playing on the hard skill
settings. For an even more hardcore experience, use the idkfa cheat and start
each level with no weapons.
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[9.1] Episode 1: The City of the Damned
This is the original shareware episode of Heretic. As the name depicts, this
episode is themed after a city, and actually is where Corvus (hero of Heretic)
is from. This episode is a mixed bag in terms of difficulty, but are generally
challenging. In Episode 1 you will only get access to the ethereal crossbow,
dragon claw, and the gauntlets of the necromancer as additional weapons. Also
more challenging enemies will not be here as well. Although all of the maps are
great, I like the graveyard and the crypts as the two best.
Note: Level ratings are based on a 5 point scale.
E1M1 The Docks
This is a pretty easy level. Straightforward and not hard at all, a good
starting point. Be careful when you step onto the secret teleporter, a golem is
standing there waiting to smack yah.
Design: 3
Appearance: 4
Difficulty: 1
Overall: 3
E1M2 The Dungeons
Much more challenging than the first level. Be careful when going for the
Dragon Claw underneath the red ceiling, the ceiling is actually a crusher.
Design: 4
Appearance: 4
Difficulty: 4
Overall: 4
E1M3 The Gatehouse
Another standard level, while not the most detailed, it does introduce wind and
other hazards like slime.
Design: 3
Appearance: 3
Difficulty: 3
Overall: 3
E1M4 The Guard Tower
Very nice design in this level, by the way there is a secret right behind you
when you start. You will also meet disciples for the first time.
Design: 4
Appearance: 3
Difficulty: 5
Overall: 4
E1M5 The Citadel
This level is very detailed and quite challenging. It is safe to assume that
this level took quite a bit of time to construct as there are lots of sectors
inside sectors. Lots of enemies and a ton of secrets as well.
Design: 5
Appearance: 3
Difficulty: 5
Overall: 4
E1M6 The Cathedral
I think the music in this level has been borrowed by many people! Even Raven
Software put this music track into Hexen 2. Again a nice concept for a level,
also this level has 2 exits, the regular exit is in the main room after the
yellow door, but the secret exit is up top after going up the stairs. After you
pull a switch to get these stairs to build up, and then follow the path along,
you will enter a gray wall corridor with tiny windows along the left side.
Continue on until you have to drop back down to the main floor, however, do not
drop down, approach the edge as closely as you can and you will hear a secret
door open behind you. Consult Paul Falstad’s FAQ if necessary.
Design: 5
Appearance: 5
Difficulty: 3
Overall: 5
E1M7 The Crypts
Another well designed level, lots of corridors and rooms, and multilayered
paths. Many paths to explore and some pretty nifty secret areas as well.
Design: 5
Appearance: 5
Difficulty: 3
Overall: 5
E1M8 Hells Maw
The end level for the first episode. You will meet the Iron Liches here. Watch
out for the wave of enemies after you defeat them!
Design: 2
Appearance: 2
Difficulty: 4
Overall: 2
E1M9 The Graveyard
This is a very challenging secret level, and can only be reached via the secret
exit in E1M6. There are a lot of Undead Warrior ghosts here, so watch out for
those bloody red axes. The room after the green key impressed me the first time
I saw it.
Design: 5
Appearance: 4
Difficulty: 4
Overall: 5
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[9.2] Episode 2: Hell's Maw
The second episode in Heretic, is set in a world of fire and ice. You will
traverse pits, lava engulfed lands, frozen landscapes, and other outdoor themed
maps. In terms of difficulty, the episode is more challenging in terms of
environmental hazards like lava, ice, and slime. Also, you will meet new
enemies, as sabreclaws and were-dragons are introduced. All of the maps get the
job done, however, out of all the episodes in Heretic, Hells Maw is my least
favorite, but even then it is still good. Best maps are the river of fire, and
the glacier.
E2M1 The Crater
Simple level, get ready to meet some were-dragons. You can also snag a hell
staff in the level.
Design: 1
Appearance: 2
Difficulty: 2
Overall: 2
E2M2 The Lava Pits
This level introduces sabreclaws. Other than that it is a pretty normal map,
not the greatest though.
Design: 2
Appearance: 1
Difficulty: 3
Overall: 1
E2M3 River of Fire
This level has catchy music, and has an excellent concept. You will have to
traverse in fire here every so often, especially if you want new weapons. The
phoenix rod and firemace can be had here for the first time. This level also
has no official secrets.
Design: 4
Appearance: 3
Difficulty: 4
Overall: 4
E2M4 Ice Grotto
This level introduces ice to the world of Heretic. You will have to traverse
carefully on ice as it is quite slippery. This level contains the secret exit
for this episode, the secret exit is behind the yellow door, and then straight
ahead behind the gray demon face. The regular exit is behind the blue door. To
open the secret door, you have to trigger an invisible line behind the blue
door. Basically just clean out the area behind the blue door all the way up to
the exit door and then head back to the yellow door.
Design: 4
Appearance: 3
Difficulty: 3
Overall: 3
E2M5 The Catacombs
The catacombs is an average map in terms of quality, but I never truly liked
this map much. It does have quite a few secrets though, some of which are tough
to find, also you will face many enemies in tough spots.
Design: 2
Appearance: 3
Difficulty: 4
Overall: 3
E2M6 The Labyrinth
Interesting design for this level, the music is kind of annoying, but it is a
pretty easy map to navigate despite the name.
Design: 2
Appearance: 3
Difficulty: 3
Overall: 3
E2M7 The Great Hall
Wide open lava themed map, very barren looking. There are some pretty
interesting secrets in this one.
Design: 3
Appearance: 3
Difficulty: 3
Overall: 3
E2M8 Portals of Chaos
The battle with the maulotaurs ends off this episode. This map also makes a
great deathmatch map. You will face 1 maulotaur on the easy skill levels, 2 on
the regular skill level, and 3 on the harder ones.
Design: 4
Appearance: 3
Difficulty: 5
Overall: 3
E2M9 The Glacier
This is the secret level for this episode and can be accessed by taking the
secret exit in E2M4. Excellent map, as it is colorful, well constructed, and
gives a good challenge.
Design: 5
Appearance: 5
Difficulty: 3
Overall: 5
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[9.3] Episode 3: The Dome of DSparil
Hands down, this is my favorite episode of Heretic. All of the maps are well
done, as they are very colorful, well constructed, nicely themed, and provide
an excellent challenge. You will face many maulotaurs, and will meet the
ophidians for the first time. This episode is themed after a large crystal dome
that represents DSparil’s stronghold. Even though I like every map, the
cesspool and the confluence are amazing.
E3M1 The Storehouse
Compared to E1M1 or E2M1, this level is a bit harder for a first level. To kill
all the enemies, and get every secret, requires lots of patience, and
conserving of ammo.
Design: 3
Appearance: 3
Difficulty: 5
Overall: 3
E3M2 The Cesspool
Love this level, excellent music track as well. I just like the way the map is
constructed as well. I remember when I first played it so many years ago, it
still has that same atmosphere.
Design: 5
Appearance: 5
Difficulty: 3
Overall: 5
E3M3 The Confluence
After I beat the cesspool for the first time, I then entered this map, and
again I was amazed, another amazing idea for a map. Great outdoor/indoor map
with lots of areas to explore, and a bunch of secrets as well.
Design: 5
Appearance: 5
Difficulty: 4
Overall: 5
E3M4 The Azure Fortress
This fortress level, is quite nice as well, the circling staircase area has
great lighting effects. This map also has the secret exit for this episode, to
get it, just follow the left path behind the green door. Follow it until you
see the phoenix rod, then go back, but the area right after where the
were-dragons are but before the area with the iron liches, has a small path
with a sabreclaw on the right. Hit the switch there, and go back to where the
phoenix rod was, the secret exit is there.
Design: 5
Appearance: 5
Difficulty: 4
Overall: 5
E3M5 The Ophidian Lair
As the name suggests there are a bunch of ophidians in this level, and they
will be shooting at you constantly.
Design: 4
Appearance: 3
Difficulty: 4
Overall: 4
E3M6 The Halls of Fear
Again another nicely designed level. This level has many paths to explore and
you will square off against foes in tough areas in this one.
Design: 4
Appearance: 5
Difficulty: 4
Overall: 5
E3M7 The Chasm
This level has a small little maze and a segment where you must cross a windy
bridge. You will also need the help of the wings of wrath power up in this
level.
Design: 4
Appearance: 4
Difficulty: 4
Overall: 4
E3M8 D’Sparil’s Keep
The final level in episode 3. You will face D’Sparil and his chaos serpent in
this level. The exit will only be revealed after you defeat D’Sparil. In the
main area there is a secret door marked with wood at the bottom, also remember
to use a chaos device to teleport back to the main room to load up on ammo and
armor if you have left some behind.
Design: 4
Appearance: 4
Difficulty: 5
Overall: 5
E3M9 The Aquifer
The secret map of episode 3, lots of secrets, and very challenging at some
parts. Has the same annoying music as E2M6 though.
Design: 3
Appearance: 3
Difficulty: 4
Overall: 4
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[9.4] Episode 4: The Ossuary
The first of the Serpent Riders only episodes. The Ossuary is a good challenge,
but E4M1 is really tough if you are playing on harder skill settings and are
attempting to get all secrets, item, and kills. These maps are very
challenging, the blockhouse and sepulcher stand out in this episode.
E4M1 The Catafalque
If you are new to Heretic, most players will agree that the best way to really
complete a level is to kill all monsters, get every item, and find every
secret. If you are doing this then E4M1 will the first really hard level to do
so. It is not impossible, but it will require you to be resourceful. Use ammo
sparingly, use your gauntlets, and use the red crusher in the middle of the
main area in this level. It is easily done, but requires patience, and maybe
save your game a few hundred times.
Design: 5
Appearance: 4
Difficulty: 5
Overall: 4
E4M2 The Blockhouse
This level has a really nice theme to it, and is fairly tough as well. There a
couple of maulotaurs, and several iron liches as well. One of my personal
favorites. You can snag the phoenix rod in this level.
Design: 5
Appearance: 5
Difficulty: 5
Overall: 5
E4M3 The Ambulatory
I never really liked this level much, its just seems like it has 3 or 4
different themes to it. There are some pretty tough secrets in here though.
Also when you start the map, follow the shaded path to the key doors. There is
also a secret door along the left wall of the shaded path (near torches), use
it to take out a bunch of iron liches easily. You can grab a firemace in this
level.
Design: 1
Appearance: 1
Difficulty: 3
Overall: 1
E4M4 The Sepulcher
Dark and nicely decorated, this level has the secret exit for this episode. The
lighting is exceptionally well done in this level, and there are a large number
of golems in this level. Another one of my favorites. The secret exit is in the
tomb behind the regular exit. To open it you have to pull a switch behind a
silver colored door (in the yard where you start) that will not open until
later on in the level. Its probably better to consult the secrets FAQ. But
there is a teleporter in this tomb area that leads to the secret level, you
will find it easily while walking through the corridors, since those parts of
the corridors are darker. The exit is behind a fake wall.
Design: 3
Appearance: 5
Difficulty: 4
Overall: 4
E4M5 The Great Stair
Interesting and varied level design makes this is a pretty nifty level. The end
of the map has a challenging battle with a maulotaur and many disciples, and
sabreclaws. There are some clever secrets to uncover as well. This level has a
particularly nice corridor with stain glass windows that open up after you
shoot them with your weapon. I believe this is the only level in Heretic that
makes use of this functionality.
Design: 3
Appearance: 4
Difficulty: 3
Overall: 4
E4M6 Halls of the Apostate
This level is quite detailed and features an excellent layout and architecture.
The one thing about this level is that it keeps you busy since you will be
caught in many enemy ambushes.
Design: 5
Appearance: 3
Difficulty: 4
Overall: 4
E4M7 Ramparts of Perdition
I never liked this level, its bland, a bit ugly, and large. There are a few
neat areas including the underground waterfall, and the secrets are a bit tough
to find at first. But on the whole, I never cared for this level.
Design: 3
Appearance: 1
Difficulty: 4
Overall: 2
E4M8 Shattered Bridge
The last level in episode 4 features a tough battle with lots of iron liches.
There are a lot of enemies in this level and you will be constantly bombarded.
There is also a strong wind in this level, and you will have to get the bridge
working to get across and progress in the level. I will leave figuring out how
the bridge works to you.
Design: 4
Appearance: 3
Difficulty: 4
Overall: 3
E4M9 The Mausoleum
This is by far the most frustrating level in Heretic. The mausoleum is very
dark, very long, and very difficult to navigate. You will most likely get lost
at first. I know I did. There are many corridors and many secrets, and there
are quite a few iron liches in this level too. Use the map, and to think you
only need 1 key to finish it too.
Design: 3
Appearance: 3
Difficulty: 5
Overall: 2
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[9.5] Episode 5: The Stagnant Demesne
The last episode of Heretic, by the way if you thought E4M1 was tough, think
again. E5M1 is probably one of the hardest levels in the entire game. In my
opinion anyways. This episode is extremely challenging, and you will face off
against more of the tougher foes, and if you come across weaker foes, they are
usually in big clusters, for example having to fight 12 gargoyles at once. In
this episode, my favorites are the hydratyr and foetid manse.
E5M1 Ochre Cliffs
A rough way to start episode 5, although the map is great looking, the level is
very difficult to beat if you are attempting to get all kills, secrets, and
items. Conserve ammo, get enemies to fight each other, use your gauntlets for
weaker foes, etc. It is a tough level, but you can grab every weapon in this
level.
Design: 3
Appearance: 3
Difficulty: 5
Overall: 3
E5M2 Rapids
Excellent concept for a map, although I do not understand the need for a lava
area in a map really focused on water. You will have to traverse cumbersome
water currents in this map.
Design: 4
Appearance: 4
Difficulty: 3
Overall: 3
E5M3 Quay
This is one of my favorites for episode 5, the level also has the secret exit
for this episode. It is a simple level to navigate, however, you will battle
more of the difficult enemies in this one. To get the secret exit, first get to
the regular exit, once there head back to the central area with all 3 doors,
beside the blue door is a newly opened passage that will take you up top where
all the ophidians were. Hit the switch and drop down, the black bars behind the
ophidian tower, will now drop. There is a fake wall with gargoyles coming out
on the left. The secret exit is in there.
Design: 4
Appearance: 4
Difficulty: 3
Overall: 4
E5M4 Hydratyr
A very refreshing and unique idea for a map, essentially you are in a large
water basin. This map has a variety of challenges including a lava pit near the
green key. There are many monster ambushes in this level, and throughout the
level you will be bombarded from attacks from the upper parts of the levels.
There are lots of nitrogolems and undead warrior ghosts in these spots.
Design: 5
Appearance: 4
Difficulty: 5
Overall: 5
E5M5 Courtyard
Not the best level in the episode. I have always felt that this level is bland
and uninspired. There are some heavy winds in the last area of this map.
Design: 2
Appearance: 1
Difficulty: 3
Overall: 2
E5M6 Colonnade
Again not a super map but better than the courtyard. This level has some
difficult secrets to uncover. Although not a large map, it takes a long time to
progress through.
Design: 3
Appearance: 2
Difficulty: 3
Overall: 3
E5M7 Foetid Manse
Large, castle like map, with lots of areas to explore. Although the music gets
annoying on this map, it is well constructed, and tough. One of my favorites
for this episode. Watch out for the disciple ambush near the blue key door.
Design: 5
Appearance: 4
Difficulty: 3
Overall: 5
E5M8 Field of Judgment
The last showdown with several of D’Sparil’s protectors. Relax they are not new
monsters. Just maulotaurs, but lots of them.
Design: 2
Appearance: 4
Difficulty: 5
Overall: 4
E5M9 Skein of D’Sparil
The secret level of episode 5. It is a maze like level with many intricate
passages. It is also quite colorful with lots of ammo, brighter textures, and
lots of items. Its not a bad level.
Design: 5
Appearance: 4
Difficulty: 3
Overall: 4
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[9.6] Episode 6: Fate's Path
This is a bonus episode in Heretic, originally slated for deathmatch only. But
by using the engage 61 cheat, you can play these levels in single player mode.
They are pretty tough, and it is too bad that they were not part of a complete
episode, because they are pretty damn good levels. By the way, the names of the
episode and maps were given by a person by the name of Sailor Scout. A Heretic
and Doom map creator from way back. If you come across some of his levels, give
them a shot, they are quite good. If you use the wHeretic source port, episode
6 is available off the game menu.
E6M1 Offices
This map has a really nice concept to it, I think it was supposed to be a part
of a real episode 6. The map seems unfinished as some textures and structures
seem like they needed another run through, but on the whole, its pretty decent.
Design: 3
Appearance: 3
Difficulty: 4
Overall: 3
E6M2 The Water Shrine
This one really shines. Very large and detailed level. Why was this map not in
the original game???
Design: 5
Appearance: 4
Difficulty: 5
Overall: 5
E6M3 American Legacy
An old Doom 2 deathmatch map. It really is not that great, but it does service
as a good deathmatch map.
Design: 3
Appearance: 2
Difficulty: 2
Overall: 2
Note: E6M3 has no exit. If you have Heretic v1.2 or Heretic v1.0 registered,
you can access E6M3, by typing engage 41. E6M3 was originally a free deathmatch
map designed for Doom 2, by American McGee.
It is a damn shame that Raven Software never finished this as an episode.
Actually in an interview, Raven Software originally planned Heretic to include
8 episodes, but due to time constraints and publisher demands, it never came to
be. Just our luck I guess.
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[10.0] SKILL LEVEL GUIDE
In Heretic there are five different skill settings. They are described below.
thou needeth a wet nurse (Very Easy)
Playing on this skill level makes the game way too easy. Not only are there
very few enemies, but when you pick up ammo, you will get a few more rounds.
For example, picking up a wand crystal in any other skill setting will give you
10 shots, but on this skill level you will get 15 shots.
Also dying is difficult in this skill level, when your health reaches 0, the
game will automatically start using quartz flasks to restore your health, once
you run out of those, it will use any mystic urns in your inventory. Also many
of the monsters on higher skill settings are quartz flasks in this setting.
Deathmatch note: If you play deathmatch and set the skill level to this, the
game will again automatically use flasks and urns to replenish your health.
Also it will use a chaos device, if you are about to die from a powered up mace
sphere. (I am pretty sure of this fact.)
yellowbellies are-us (Easy)
This skill level is identical to the Thou Needeth A Wet Nurse setting. However,
your health will not be replenished, and you will not receive extra ammo
rounds.
bringest them oneth (Normal / Default)
This is the default skill level for the game, and provides a good challenge, as
there are a few more enemies in the levels, and some of the weaker enemies have
been replaced with stronger ones. However, Heretic veterans will find it easy
still.
thou art a smite-meister (Hard)
This is a good skill level for Heretic veterans and shooter fans. It will
provide an excellent challenge. Not only are there more enemies, but there are
more of the stronger foes.
black plague possess thee (Very Hard)
This setting has the same number of enemies as thou art a smite-meister.
However, each enemy moves a lot quicker!
****************************************
[11.0] ITEMS AND INVENTORY GUIDE
Heretic was the one of the first shooters to introduce an inventory system.
Unlike games like Doom or Duke Nukem, Heretic allowed you to carry items in
your inventory, so you could use them whenever you wanted. In Heretic, some
items are instant use though, and once you pass over them, you will
automatically use the item. You can carry a maximum of 16 of each item,
however, once you finish a level, you will lose all multiples of that item. For
example, if you had 4 tomes of power, and you finish the level, you would start
the next level with just 1 tome of power.
Healing Items
These items will restore your health obviously.
Crystal Vial: This is an instant use item that will restore 10 health points,
up to a maximum of 100.
Quartz Flask: Inventory item, the flask will restore 25 health points.
Mystic Urn: Using the urn will restore ALL of your health, it is an inventory
item.
Armor
Armor helps reduce the damage done by enemies. As you get hurt, your armor
points will decrease. The more armor points you have, the less damage you will
take. All armor pickups are instant use.
Silver Shield: Gives you up to a maximum of 100 armor points.
Enchanted Shied: Gives you up to a maximum of 200 armor points.
Armor Notes: If you have 150 armor points, and try to pick up a silver shield,
nothing will happen, since the silver shield will only be picked up once you
are under 100 points, and then it will only give back up to a 100.
Keys
Keys are scattered throughout the maps, and you will need them to gain deeper
access in the levels. In the standard Heretic game, the keys will usually be
required in this order, Yellow, Green, and Blue. You will find statues with
color orbs on them, indicating what key you will need to open that door. If you
try to open the door without the key, you will get a message telling you what
key you need.
Weapons
Time Bomb of the Ancients: The only inventory weapon item you can carry is the
time bomb. This item allows you place a bomb in mid-air that will detonate
after a few seconds. Once you set it, make sure you are clear of the area, as
the detonation can harm you.
Tips: The time bomb is useful in dispatching or weakening a cluster of enemies.
Use a combination of strafing and running to weave in and out of enemies and
dropping bombs. In deathmatch, the time bomb is great at warding off foes who
are chasing you.
Power-Ups
The power-ups in Heretic should be used as the situation warrants, however,
keep in mind that at the end of the level you will lose all multiples, so try
not to waste any items either. Power-ups will give the player new abilities.
Wings of Wrath: This excellent inventory item, will allow you fly in the game.
Yes, Heretic was one of the first games, that took the player off the ground.
Note: Unlike other items in the game, you CANNOT carry the Wings of Wrath into
the next level. For example, if you had 2 Wings of Wrath in your inventory and
finished the level, you will not have any in your inventory on the next level.
Shadow Sphere: This handy inventory item renders you partial invisibility, and
makes you immune to, as the game calls it, man made weapons. Basically you are
immune to the axes hurled by Undead Warriors, the axes will go right through
you. In deathmatch, you would be immune to the wooden staff, regular phoenix
rod shots, and mace spheres. Also the partial invisibility confuses enemies
about your exact location, thus their projectiles are usually not on target. If
you walk into a room with enemies waiting in ambush, they will not attack until
you reveal yourself, by shooting.
Ring of Invincibility: Pretty self-explanatory inventory item. Simply use the
ring, and you will be invulnerable to ALL attacks and environmental hazards.
The duration of the rings power will depicted by the gold haze on your screen.
Spells and Artifacts
Like power-ups, use artifacts when you need them most, but also be aware not to
waste them either.
Tome of Power: Probably the most useful inventory item in the game. This nifty
little book, that once cast, will temporarily upgrade ALL of your weapons that
you are carrying. Its handy when you are overwhelmed with enemies, trapped, or
near death. Using the right weapon at the time, can get you out of a lot of
jams.
Morph Ovum: This cool spell, is an inventory item, and once used, will shoot
out 5 tiny eggs that once it touches an enemy (or another player in deathmatch)
will turn them into a chicken. Once they are a chicken, they are an easy kill.
The morph ovum will not work on boss characters.
Note: If you manage to get away in deathmatch as a chicken, you will turn back
into your regular self with full health after a short time.
Chaos Device: This inventory item will teleport the player back to the
beginning of the level. It is very useful if you get lost, or if you are near
death and are being bombarded by enemy attacks. In deathmatch, the chaos
device, will randomly teleport you at any deathmatch starting point.
Other Items
Torch: Simple inventory item. Use this item when you want to brighten the area
up. Its effect wears off after a short period of time.
Map Scroll: This item will show you the complete map of the area. To access the
map, press TAB. Any grey lines on the map, are places you have not visited
before. The colored dots (green, yellow, and blue) are the key locations. Keep
in mind that a level designer can choose what can be shown on a map.
Essentially until you get the map scroll for a level, the regular map only
shows places you have visited or places that the designer chooses to show.
Bag of Holding: This item, once picked up will allow you to carry more
ammunition for your weapons. If you already have a bag of holding, picking up
another bag of holding will just give you a bit of ammo for each weapon.
Note: You can collect ammo for weapons you do not have.
****************************************
[12.0] WEAPON GUIDE
Wooden Staff
This is your fallback weapon, a very weak melee weapon, that is only useful
when you need to conserve ammo.
Powered Up Staff
When used with a tome of power, the wooden staff is encased in blue energy,
even though it is slightly stronger, I still think its useless. In fact, I can
not remember the last time I actually used a powered up wooden staff.
Strengths:
- at least you have a weapon when you are running around without ammo!
Weaknesses:
- useless against all enemies except maybe gargoyles.
Gauntlets of the Necromancer
This is a much better fallback option compared to the wooden staff. The
gauntlets emit an electrifying green charge from your hands, and allows you to
suck enemies in and drain their life.
Powered Gauntlets of the Necromancer
When used with a tome of power, the gauntlets become quite handy. The default
green energy charge is now red, and the range at which you can suck enemies is
much better. The real kicker is that when you drain the health of an enemy it
will get transferred to you, thus healing you.
Strengths:
- better than the pointy stick.
- does not require any ammo.
- powered version is a life saver when you are near death.
- good for dispatching easy enemies like gargoyles and golems.
Weaknesses:
- limited range.
- useless against tougher enemies, unless powered up.
- most enemies will continue to attack you while you are draining them. Still
better than the stick though.
Elvenwand
This is the weapon you start off with in the game. It is a simple wand that
shoots small golden crystal fragments.
Powered Elvenwand
When powered up, the Elvenwand shoots streams of fiery crystals. When using it
in powered mode, try and shoot a stream at an enemy. Surprisingly, a powered
Elvenwand can eliminate packs of weaker enemies quite swiftly.
Elvenwand Ammo
Wand Crystal: 10 fragments
Crystal Geode: 50 fragments
Capacity: 100 fragments, 200 with bag of holding.
Ammo Usage
Regular: 1 fragment
Powered: 1 fragment
Strengths:
- lots of ammo available.
- only really effective against weaker enemies like gargoyles and golems.
- useful when finishing off tougher enemies after you have weakened them with
other weapons.
- powered up version can be useful in many situations.
Weaknesses:
- weak against tougher enemies.
- generally not a strong weapon.
Ethereal Crossbow
Your first real weapon, this is the weapon you will probably use the most. The
crossbow shoots out 3 dispersed arrows, with the middle one being the
strongest.
Powered Ethereal Crossbow
When used in conjunction with the tome of power, the crossbow shoots out 5
dispersed arrows, with the 3 in the middle being the stronger ones. This
attacks allows you to cover an amazing amount of width.
Ethereal Crossbow Ammo
Ethereal Arrows: 5 arrows
Quiver of Ethereal Arrows: 20 arrows
Capacity: 50 arrows, 100 with bag of holding.
Ammo Usage
Regular: 1 arrow
Powered: 1 arrow
Strengths:
- versatile, hard hitting damage up close, but also has good range, and
coverage.
- lots of ammo available.
- powered version also only takes up 1 unit of fire.
Weakness:
- not powerful if all of the arrows do not hit a single target.
- the dispersed arrows can be inaccurate.
- because of inaccuracy sometimes it might take a few extra shots to finish an
enemy off.
Dragon Claw
This hand claw hurls a barrage of energetic magic at your enemies at high
velocities.
Powered Dragon Claw
Also known as The Ripper. When powered up with a tome of power, the powered
dragon claw, shoots a spiked ball at your enemy which then splits into a
devastating 4-way attack of spiked balls.
Dragon Claw Ammo
Claw Orb: 10 energy points
Energy Orb: 25 energy points
Capacity: 200 points, 400 with bag of holding.
Ammo Usage
Normal: 1 energy point
Powered: 5 energy points
Strengths:
- best used when standing behind objects like braziers and barrels, since the
dragon claw can shoot behind it, you can use the objects as shields from enemy
fire. This is a very handy tactic!
- excellent in tight corridors.
- accurate up close.
- dispatches weaker enemies quickly.
- fast.
Weaknesses:
- weak against stronger enemies.
- ineffective at long range, unless you aim well and shoot slow.
- can run out of ammo quickly.
Hell Staff
A fast and accurate weapon, that shoots a stream of red stars (runes) at a very
rapid pace.
Powered Hell Staff
I like to call this Shower Time. When powered up, the hell staff, shoots a
stronger projectile, that upon detonation, will cause a brief shower of rain to
fall from the sky. Any enemy under it, will be rained upon, and die pretty
quickly.
Hell Staff Ammo
Lesser Runes: 20 shots
Greater Runes: 100 shots
Capacity: 200 stars, 400 with bag of holding.
Ammo Usage
Normal: 2 shots
Powered: 5 shots
Strengths:
- really fast.
- accurate.
- effective against weak and strong enemies.
- can cover wide range if you use it as if you were watering your rose bush.
- excellent at taking out charging enemies.
Weaknesses:
- difficult to see when firing upon enemies close to you.
- eats ammo quickly.
- powered up version can become wasted if the enemies do not pass under the
produced shower.
Phoenix Rod
Strong and incredibly powerful. Shoots a single fiery projectile that upon
detonation looks like a phoenix.
Powered Phoenix Rod
When juiced up, the phoenix rod, turns into a flamethrower, that shoots a
continuous stream of fire, as you hold down the fire button.
Phoenix Rod Ammo
Flame Orb: 1 shot
Flame Orb dropped by enemies: 5 shots
Inferno Orb: 10 shots
Capacity: 20 shots, 40 with bag of holding.
Ammo Usage
Regular: 1 shot
Powered: Holding the fire button for 10 seconds will take 1 unit. If you let go
before 10 seconds, you will lose whatever was left in that shot.
Strengths:
- really powerful.
- excellent at taking out a cluster of enemies.
- has splash damage, so the area around the detonation can also harm enemies.
- powered version CAN conserve ammo and deal out a ton of damage.
- excellent range.
Weakness:
- limited carrying capacity.
- ghost enemies are immune to regular attacks, but not powered attacks or the
splash area effect.
- the splash damage can hurt you if you are too close when firing.
- when firing the phoenix rod, you will move slightly back, be extra careful if
you are close to a ledge.
- take care when using the powered version, since its more effective up close,
but if the tome of power runs out, it will switch back to normal operation, and
firing that too close is not a really good thing!
Firemace
Functions like a machine gun. The spheres it shoots out are fast, heavy, and
strong and can punch through almost anything.
Powered Firemace
The big balls of death! When powered up, the firemace launches a huge ball that
will bounce around and seek out an enemy, and will kill most enemies in 1 shot,
excluding bosses of course.
Firemace Ammo
Mace Spheres: 20 spheres
Pile of Mace Spheres: 100 spheres
Capacity: 150 spheres, 300 with bag of holding.
Ammo Usage
Regular: 4 spheres
Powered: 5 spheres
Strengths:
- fast.
- excellent weapon in deathmatch
- powered version is deadly.
Weaknesses:
- eats ammo!
- rare weapon, the firemace is more difficult to find, and in any map that it
is available, its location can be at different spots. I believe there is a
maximum of 6 or 8 spots in a level.
- not accurate.
- not very effective against flying enemies.
- ghost enemies are immune to it.
****************************************
[13.0] HAZARDS
Lava: Basically just stay off lava, or hot rocks. The damage you take depends
on the strength of the heat and how much armor you have.
Note: It is possible that some lava areas can not hurt you because the map
designer did not designate the area to be harmful, sounds silly, but in E4M9,
this is true.
Slime: Same basic idea as lava, most slime areas in the original Heretic game
do not dish out too much damage, but again its up to the map designer.
Ice: Most ice areas in the game are very slippery. Be careful as the ability to
dodge incoming attacks is much more difficult.
Wind: Depending on the strength of the wind, it can make movement difficult.
Especially when crossing a bridge like in E3M7.
Water Currents: Currents function like wind, generally makes it difficult for
you to get where you want to go. Currents are usually put in a map to make you
go places that you otherwise do not want to go too.
Crushers: Ah crushers are usually dormant until you pass a line underneath or
grab an item underneath one. If you see the ceiling come down, do move away.
The speed of the crusher can vary.
Pods and Pod Spawners: Pods are green and brown colored balls, they only appear
in certain maps. When you shoot a pod, it will explode and do area damage to
whoever is near it, including you. Its like a bomb. If there is a pod spawner
point then pods will reemerge after you shot them. You cannot get rid of a pod
spawn point.
****************************************
[14.0] ENEMIES
One interesting and useful tactic in Heretic is getting enemies to fight each
other. This happens when you dodge enemy fire but the attack hits another
enemy. This will cause the 2 enemies to fight each other. This tactic works
great with undead warriors, ophidians, and maulotaurs since you can get them to
shoot from behind other enemies in front of you, thus causing battles between
foes. This tactic is useful for E5M1. Also do not forget that enemies take
damage underneath crushers, however, lava and slime do no damage. Also some
enemies appear in ghost form. In ghost form, enemies are immune to man made
weapons, which includes the wooden staff, phoenix rod, and the firemace.
Although ghost enemies are immune to the direct fire from the phoenix rod, they
are not immune to the splash damage.
Gargoyle: The gargoyle is a simple enemy. Its main attack is getting up really
close to you and scratching you with its claws.
Difficulty: Easy
Hostility: Moderate
Stamina: Low
Item Drop: None
Rare Item: None
Fire Gargoyle: These creatures are identical to gargoyles with the exception
that from far away they can throw fireballs. You will only know if it is a fire
gargoyle, if it hurls a fireball at yah.
Difficulty: Easy
Hostility: Moderate
Stamina: Low
Item Drop: None
Rare Item: None
Golem: These rock based creatures are pretty easy to beat, their main method of
attack is getting up close and greeting you with nice hammer like punches.
Golems can appear in ghost form as well.
Difficulty: Easy
Hostility: Moderate
Stamina: Low
Item Drop: Wand Crystal
Rare Item: None
Nitro-Golem: These are identical to normal golems except that they can shoot
flaming skulls at you. The skulls have a slight homing ability to them, and can
be difficult to evade. Nitro-golems and can appear in ghost form as well. When
serveral nitro-golems launch flaming skulls at you, you can die easily.
Difficulty: Moderate
Hostility: High
Stamina: Low
Item Drop: Wand Crystal
Rare Item: None
Undead Warrior: These walking dead warriors, are covered with chain armor, and
throw glowing green axes. Be careful though, every once in awhile, they will
throw a bloody red axe which really packs a wallop.
Difficulty: Easy
Hostility: Moderate
Stamina: Moderate
Item Drop: Ethereal Arrows
Rare Item: None
Undead Warrior Ghost: These are identical to a regular undead warrior, except
that they have partial invisibility, and they throw bloody axes all the time!
Difficulty: Moderate
Hostility: High
Stamina: Moderate
Item Drop: Ethereal Arrows
Rare Item: None
Sabreclaw: These robot like demons, remind me of pinky demons in Doom. They are
incredibly fast and will charge up at you and slice and dice away. Dangerous in
packs, if you are surrounded by them, they will drain your health fast. Use the
ethereal crossbow to hit them hard and move them out of the way.
Difficulty: Moderate
Hostility: Extreme
Stamina: Moderate
Item Drop: Lesser Runes
Rare Item: None
Were-Dragon: Big and slow, but their fireball attacks can dish out some serious
harm. The biggest problem with Were-Dragons, is their size, they are difficult
to dodge in tight corridors.
Difficulty: Moderate
Hostility: Moderate
Stamina: High
Item Drop: Ethereal Arrows
Rare Item: None
Disciple of D’Sparil: The disciples are difficult enemies and are very
dangerous in packs, they have the ability to shoot 3 spread out purple energy
balls, and also have the ability to render partial invisibility (ghost form),
thus making them immune to some of your weapons.
Difficulty: Hard
Hostility: High
Stamina: High
Item Drop: Claw Orb
Rare Item: Tome of Power
Note: Nothing pisses me off more than aiming a nice phoenix rod round at a
Disciple, only having him render partial invisibility and having the shot go
right through him!
Ophidian: These belly crawling snake creatures, wield crossed tridents as
weapons, and are very accurate at shooting. The crossed tridents, fire a stream
of purple fireballs, and an extra more powerful red fireball after it.
Difficulty: Hard
Hostility: Moderate
Stamina: High
Item Drop: Flame Orb
Rare Item: None
Iron Lich: Big, huge, ghost like floating skulls. They are very loud and
consume a large amount of space, making them tough in tight corridors. They
have 3 attacks, they can hurl whirlwinds at you, so stay out unless you like
going for a painful ride. Or they can fire a blue energy ball that will split
into fragments once its hits a wall or object. And finally they can shoot a
fire wall at you, that will only stop once it hits a wall or object.
Difficulty: Hard
Hostility: High
Stamina: High
Item Drop: Claw Orb
Rare Item: Morph Ovum
Maulotaur: Tough warriors. Can pound the ground with its mallet to deliver a
wave of fire at you, or charge at you with its horns, and can shoot 6 fireballs
at once!
Difficulty: Extreme
Hostility: High
Stamina: Extreme
Item Drop: Flame Orb
Rare Item: Mystic Urn
Chaos Serpent: Only found in the last battle with D’Sparil. It is very fast and
shoots a fast large fireball. When its starts to get hurt more, it will shoot 3
fireballs.
Difficulty: Moderate
Hostility: High
Stamina: Extreme
Item Drop: None</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
Rare Item: None
D’Sparil: The final boss and leader of the army. Very tough wizard. Can shoot a
deadly fireball, summon disciples, and teleport at whim.
Difficulty: Extreme
Hostility: High
Stamina: Extreme
Item Drop: None
Rare Item: None
****************************************
[15.0] SOURCE PORTS
Since the release of the source code for Heretic. People in the Heretic
community have decided to improve an already great game. Source port
modifications are enhancements to the original DOS Heretic engine, which itself
is a modified Doom Engine. By enhancements, I mean modern day things that
gamers are accustomed to, for example, OpenGL and Direct3D support, EAX sound,
enhanced multiplayer, full mouse support, custom textures, 3D models, etc.
Doomsday Engine
By far the best source port for Heretic, which also supports Hexen, Hexen:
Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, Doom/Ultimate Doom, Doom 2, and Final Doom.
The Doomsday engine features support for custom textures, 3D models, OpenGL and
Direct3D rendering, upgraded special effects, HUD improvements, upgraded sound
effects, Quake like multiplayer system, MOD/MP3 music support, particle
effects, and a whole bunch of other cool little things, like having the tome of
power circling in the corner of the screen while you are using it.
For more information about Doomsday including downloads, head over to:
http://www.doomsdayhq.com
wHeretic
While not as flashy as the Doomsday Engine. wHeretic was the first port to get
Heretic running under Windows natively. Also wHeretic improved the engine by
allowing deeper sectors and things of that sort. This allowed for some really
big levels. If you find any maps by Ken Phipps, they take advantage of this
feature. It was the first big source port on the scene, and its good if you are
running an older PC without 3D rendering.
For information about Wheretic with download links, go here:
http://www.raven-games.com/hosted/wheretic/
eHeretic
This source port was meant to be a small, lean, enhanced, DOS port for Heretic.
It was abandoned after awhile.
For information about eHeretic, head here:
http://www.raven-games.com/hosted/eheretic/
WinHeretic and GL Heretic:
These 2 ports were made by the same author, and were first impressive attempts
at getting OpenGL and Windows support running for Heretic. If you are feeling
venturous, they could be fun to check out.
Check out the information here:
http://www.raven-games.com/hosted/kokak/Heretic.shtml
Zdoom and Doom Legacy
While these 2 ports were originally made for Doom, they do work with Heretic as
well. Zdoom itself supports some really cool editing features like slopes,
mirrors, and camera effects. Both of them run under Windows, Linux, DOS, and
probably other operating systems as well.
Zdoom:
http://zdoom.org
Doom Legacy:
http://legacy.newdoom.com/
Vavoom
This is an under rated port. It is quite capable, and I find it to be
comparable to the Doomsday Engine, it is a very committed project, and supports
OpenGL, Direct3D, 3D models, Dehacked patches, and a bunch of other things.
http://www.vavoom-engine.com
****************************************
[16.0] CHEAT CODES
Type these in during a game to gain access to the cheat.
quicken - invulnerability
rambo - all weapons and ammo
skel - all keys
kitty - walk through walls
engage[episode number][level number] warp to a specific level
ponce - full health
shazam - instant tome of power
massacre - instantly kill every enemy in the level
cockadoodledoo - morph into a chicken
ravmap (on map screen, to access map, press Tab) - changes map mode
ravpic (at title screen) - [F1] creates screenshot
gimme [letter of item, see below][number of items 1-9]
eg. to get 6 torches, type gimmef6
a - ring of invincibility
b - shadowsphere
c - quartz flask
d - mystic urn
e - tome of power
f - torch
g - time bomb of the ancients
h - morph ovum
i - wings of wrath
j - chaos device
noise - sound debugger
ticker - ticks counter (its like an FPS counter)
iddqd - suicide
idkfa - no weapons and ammo (try beating each level starting like this)
****************************************
[17.0] EDITING
One of the great things about the games based off the Doom Engine, is being
able to create your own levels. Since Heretic is essentially a 2D game, making
maps is a snap. Here are some of the tools I used.
Map Editors:
Doom Construction Kit (DCK): Now this is one heck of an editor. A breeze to
use, and offers line based editing. Essentially you can draw lines and map that
way, I find this to be the easiest way to build maps. Also DCK has great mouse
support, and once you get the hang of it, its pretty nice. DCK is great, but it
only works under DOS, and it must be pure DOS, it will not run under Windows
since it uses a Borland DPMI (DOS Protected Mode Interface). However, I did get
it to run under Windows by installing Microsoft Virtual PC, emulating Windows
95 and booting into the command prompt. Save often as it could crash.
Wad Author: This is a Windows based editor, however, it only offers sector
based editing. So to build your maps you have to attach sectors together and
manipulate them that way, rather than draw lines. Some people prefer this, so
use whatever works for you. I used Wad Author for putting in items, since it
offers picture displays of items.
Doom Builder: A modern day Windows based editor. It supports, line based
drawing. Although I have not used it much before, it seems like a great choice
for today.
Tools:
WinTex: This gem of a program lets you modify WAD files for use with new
textures, sounds, etc. It can add and extract from WAD files as well.
Zennode: Although most map editors come with node builders, I have found
Zennode to be extremely fast and reliable. A node builder is necessary to make
a map work, without it, the map will not load in the game engine.
GL BSP / GL BSP X: This is a node builder that builds GWA, which is OpenGL data
for maps. Use this when running maps under Doomsday for optimal map
performance. Doomsday comes with a version of GL BSP.
****************************************
[18.0] ICE’S SECTION
These are just tidbits and things that I have learned from Heretic, over the
past 11 or so years.
When playing under the original DOS engine, be careful with maps E2M4 The Ice
Grotto and E5M2 Rapids, these levels have a tendency to crash once in awhile.
If you are using the Doomsday Engine, I find that performance is better under
OpenGL. But this depends on your hardware of course. For me though I have used
a Riva TNT, GeForce 2 MX, Radeon 8500 LE, GeForce 4 Ti4400, and Radeon 9800
Pro, and all seem to have run better with OpenGL...just my thoughts.
Also with the Doomsday Engine, modify the Heretic shortcut to give the game
more memory, by using the maxzone command line parameter. If will help
alleviate buffer under runs, and game crashes.
For example to give Heretic an extra 64 megs of memory, do this to the
shortcut.
D:\Doomsday\jHeretic.exe -d3d -maxzone 64m
If you are new to making levels in Heretic, there is a special tag number of
666 that you can assign to a sector on a boss level (map 8 of any episode) to
make a floor lower to reveal an exit. For example in E3M8, the switch area is
not revealed until after you defeat D’Sparil. This is because sector tag 666 is
used. When you defeat a boss character on map 8 it will allow you to lower an
area to so that you can hide an exit and make sure that the boss does get
beaten on a level 8.
For E1M8 and E4M8, the boss character is the iron lich, the trigger will only
activate after the LAST iron lich is dead, it will not activate if you just
kill the first one.
For E2M8 and E5M8, the boss character is the maulotaur. Same rule applies for
multiple maulotaurs on the level, the tag will not activate until the last
maulotaur is dead.
For E3M8, it is D’Sparil. The rule does not apply here, I tried making a level
with a bunch of D’Sparils, it did not work because once you beat D’Sparil all
the monsters on the level die.
****************************************
[19.0] FINAL THOUGHTS
Well that sums up this FAQ/Guide, if I find other things to add, I will add
them in future versions of this document. I hope you found it an interesting
read.
****************************************
[20.0] FAQ REVISION HISTORY
v1.5 [April 14, 2006
-added some information on sector tag 666 in Ice’s section.
- fixed some grammar errors along with some spelling errors.
- reworded some sentences, adjusted sentence structure.
- I probably did not catch all the grammar and spelling issues.
v1.0 [March 27, 2005]
- first release.
