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Fathers‘ Sins, Chapter 2: Jack Wolverine
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| Author |
File Description |
| AZ ViTrAzhAs |
Posted on 12/16/07 @ 06:10 AM
| File Details |
|---|
| Map Size: |
400x400 (Large) |
| Difficulty: |
Hard |
| Made with version: |
1.1 |
And the sins of the fathers shall be visited
upon the heads of the children,
even unto the third and fourth
generation of them that hate me.
Stephen Crane
Preamble:
Time has witnessed many events, when young ones had to suffer from their own fathers’ faults and misdeeds; sons and daughters needed to correct the old mistakes, glorify their families once more and expunge the old sins from everybody’s memory, what was often too hard to do. This is the second part of the series, and I hope You will like this mission, which is very unusual in every aspect...
Chapter 2
Jack Wolverine
Level: Very hard
Type: Stronghold Crusader invasion;
Map size: 400x400 (big);
Playing style – 3rd person action game;
Starting date: 16th, June, 1350;
Objectives – kill enemy lord.
Version - 1.0
Most of the kings dreamt about peace, racional income and glory; King Victor wasn‘t an exception. Wealth helped the king to firm pax in his lands, but Victor was a very kind-hearted person, who cared about every resident despite his age, riches and social order. Soon rumours were spreading throughout the country that the ruler has started a construction of a new castle, which is going to be a revolution in both architecture and inhabitation aspects. It was said that king Victor had a dream about the new fortress (no wonder it was called “The Dream Castle”) and spend most of his wealth on the prophetical structure (You can download the Dream Castle, the link is in the end of the story). Thousands of workers plodded day and night; with the lapse of time swamps were drained (only narrow channels were left) the castle was rising on the foundations. Years have passed and the legendary structure was finally completed. People became speechless when they saw that Victor’s wish came true: the most beautiful and insuperable castle worldwide has opened its gatehouses. It was a paradise on Earth, where everyone could feast their eyes on various fountains, monuments, bridges, extraordinary structures, visit the zoo, park, the baths, new docks, even a dancing school, enter various competitions, ride a medieval train and take part in other activities.
Later, random kings, lords and vassals started travelling from different countries just to make sure that this heaven on Earth really exists. It is known that human nature is sinful, mixed with grudge and anger, therefore the travelers were far from happy or pleased. Some of them were jealous, others tried to slander Victor and most furious threatened to destroy the most beautiful fortress stone after stone. King’s kind heart couldn’t stand such intolerance, it was just too much for him and soon Victor went mad. In the beginning the ruler started hearing random voices, which blackmailed and terrorized him, later horrible visions started to emerge: he was surrounded by traders and villains; the whole country was up against him. Victor’s sick thoughts and images frightened the inhabitants; they tried to help the madman in all possible ways, but it seemed the more they tried, the more Victor was maddened. Soon he started exiling and even sentencing the poor and innocent people to death. The “Sweet Dream Castle” became the worst nightmare.
Caliph the Camel, ruler of the Arabian Caliphate, got wind of the terrible situation in Victor’s lands and soon started a vast war campaign to free the people from the madman. To everybody’s astonishment king Victor’s army fought against the invaders with valour and devotion, however, it was only a matter of time when the country would lay down their weapons – soon the Caliph slew king Victor, who didn’t even resist.
It seemed that peace finally came to the land – the new ruler will probably be just and honest, but to their greatest regret, the Caliph turned out to be an inhumane, merciless, blood-thirsty creature. The beautiful fortress was soon transformed into a huge, horrible, structure with traps, mazes, dungeons and other cruel constructions. The only object which remained from King Victor’s castle was the channel, which later helped the whole country.
Years passed, the land was in the cold, fierce and bloody grip of the Caliph. People were more dead than alive because of the horrible torments, merciless punishments, and constant persecution. When few people saw horrible sacrificial ceremonies, whispers started spreading, that Caliph was the devil’s incarnation. Villagers noticed that Caliph got sick during the long summer days, later a couple of witnesses spotted strange, sparkling creatures at night; the witnesses’ heads were soon stuck on spikes… The poor inhabitants didn’t even think about resisting the cruel, outrageous tyrant, except one - Jack Wolverine, the son of King Victor, who has been preparing an incursion for a long time. When Jack’s father went mad, he was only a boy; childish eyes saw the horrible misery, injustice and death. During the incredibly hard years he had grown into a strong, fearless, tough young man. He knew that time has come to bring justice to these lands. It seemed that God heard his thoughts and will, when the local river burst the banks and flooded the huge fortress with the surrounding domains. Lots of inhabitants drowned, others ran away, most of the troops were disturbed and alarmed, only the Caliph’s elite warriors were dispassionate and unresponsive, while the tyrant was still sick. Jack Wolverine realized that he couldn’t waste this nascent situation and needed to strike immediately…
Jack Wolverine’s Diary (Extracts)
June 12th, Monday
Approximately two hundred men agreed with my plan to charge suddenly and siege the parricide’s manor. Their armament is weak, but courage and desire will be our deadliest weapon. The castle is still far away, but I expect to reach its walls in two days. We took the old, oblique trail - it will help us to avoid Caliph’s spies.
June 13th, Tuesday
We keep going. In a small village, we saw rotten bodies, crows feeding on them. A young boy ran out of the ruins, we shared our food, gave some water, but he died in a couple of minutes; I could hear him whispering “They butchered my family… They butchered…”
June 14th, Wednesday
Where were You, God?! Why did You leave us?!
How could I know that they followed us? They knavishly cut everyone’s throats, at night, when everybody was sleeping. I’ve found parts of guards’ bodies – no wonder they didn’t warn us. I was just lucky to survive, a simple thirst made me leave the camp. I’m the only one who’s left, I’m the only hope. No time to eat, or drink – I have to travel further. Rest in Peace my poor friends.
June 15th, Thursday
A huge storm began in the morning, I had to stop and rest. My clothes were completely wet; I went to a nearest cabin and lit a fire to dry them. I couldn’t keep the fire for too long, they could spot the smoke. The rain has finished, and now I am moving onward. I can feel the evil spirit, I’m getting closer with every step.
June 16, Friday
Dawn. I constructed a small tent behind high trees, I hope they won’t notice it. I can see blazing creatures in the distance, they’re probably seeking for my flesh. Come and get me, you fuc*ing cockroaches! The air is filled with specific scent – death approaches, I can feel it. My father’s jail for outlaws and vermin… Now it is used for torturing innocent people. I know that there are people, who could help me get inside the castle, the front gate is flooded and well defended, so I have to sneak quietly, using the side wall. Great! I can see a couple of mechanics or engineers trapped in that boat. But it’s flooded too. I must think of a way to get inside the castle...
God, please help me…
 Hints:
Firstly, I would like to forwarn everyone, that the extra files, which You’ll find in the archive, are necessary: in order to play this mission, the original files must be replaced with the new ones. This action won’t do any harm, but it will help to reveal the idea, map design and playability factors.
Step 1: Find your Stronghold Crusader folder (Usually the directory is C:\ Program files\Firefly Studios)
Step 2: Find a folder, named gm, open it.
Step 3: Replace the original files(first extract them from the archive named GM, which is in the downloaded folder with the map) with the new ones.
What is more, whenever You’ll want to play with the original files, they are in the miscellaneous files section (Click here to download). You will also download the detailed walkthrough.
The playability and scenario of this map are very different in comparison with other missions. While playing, You will actually control only one person, this aspect allows to name the mission as a third person action game. The map is very tricky, a lot of thinking and luck will be required, so expect to spend a lot of time. I don’t want to spoil all the fun by revealing secrets, but here are a few basic hints:
• I’d advice changing 1024x768 resolution to 800x600 for a more detailed view.
• Remember, that the jail was Your father’s so You know everything about it: this allows You to open the gatehouses, see traps, etc.
• The blue troops are elite warriors and will spot You from distance, while the yellow ones will fight only if You get close to them.
• Be very careful and attentive – a simple mistake won’t kill You, but in the end You won’t be able to defeat Your enemy. A lot of clues, which help to overcome obstacles, are hidden.
• Rotate the map, lower the landscape frequently – this might help to have a better a view or find a solution to an obstacle.
• Save as often as possible, You will avoid restarting.
• DO NOT RESTART THE MISSION! This will lead to Stronghold Crusader .exe shut down, if You want to start the mission all over again, quit it and launch it once more from the “play a map” section.
Please note, that you have no gold (don’t mind the starting 2000 in the upper left corner)
Things to notice:
The map contains various themes and objects, which were created with a bit of modding and the map editor. The story tells us, that the land was flooded, and so it is. The buildings are built on “Hades”, this circumstance creates the impression of spate (view image)
I’ve also added custom tunnels, which are hardly noticeable, and people can walk over them (view image)
The landscape is mixed with Stronghold terrain objects (view image)
Strange, sparkling creatures, which were also mentioned, are haunting the lands(view image)
Caliph’s throne is created using “higher than highest plain” (Himalayas)(view image)
You will find other minor details while playing, like a refuse collector in jail (view image), fighting with a ghost(view image)and much more!
Final thoughts:
While creating a map, I always try to add something new and original in every aspect. The idea of creating a mission that would be similar to an action game came a long time ago, but I just couldn’t find a way to mix thrilling playability with original map design features and other aspects. I’ve worked almost a year on this map, there were long pauses while trying to find solutions for emergent mistakes and problems, mostly with AI actions. Months of playtesting and experimenting finally came to good. Sad, but I wasn’t able to add eyecandy, which is created with 1000 stone trick, due to modding. Excluding the new type of playability, I’ve also tried to create a distinct theme in map design and terrain aspects (a huge flood). What is more, the main character, which You control, is a bit similar to action movie heroes. I know, that some of You will find the mission rather boring, as walking through submerged domains, fighting, solving puzzles and mysteries, overcoming traps and obstacles may linger. However, I expect that patient and ingenious players will have fun playing my map; there are some barriers, where You will have to trust Your luck, though…
Related work:
1. Fathers’ Sins, Chapter 1; Beyond Good and Evil
2.A Sweet Dream (King Victor’s castle)
3.Fathers’ Sins, Chapter 2; Jack Wolverine (Trailer)
4.Original files and the walkthrough
Don’t forget to replace the gm files before launching the mission!
Have fun playing!
Sincerely,
AZ ViTrAzhAs |
| Pages: [1] 2 3 4 » Last » | | Author | Comments & Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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| Lord William1234 |
Posted on 12/18/07 @ 01:58 PM |
AZ ViTrAzhAs
File Author |
Posted on 12/18/07 @ 02:43 PM |
| Lord Tanthos |
Posted on 12/18/07 @ 07:40 PM
When I placed it in the "gm" folder or whatever, and started the mission nothing happened.
Is this because I'm running v1.1 or because I did something else wrong? |
AZ ViTrAzhAs
File Author |
Posted on 12/19/07 @ 08:52 AM [Edited on 12/19/07 @ 08:54 AM]
|
| Lord Tanthos |
Posted on 12/19/07 @ 11:38 PM |
AZ ViTrAzhAs
File Author |
Posted on 12/20/07 @ 01:26 PM [Edited on 12/20/07 @ 01:30 PM]
|
AZ ViTrAzhAs
File Author |
Posted on 01/03/08 @ 05:51 AM |
| Dougleass |
Posted on 01/03/08 @ 05:52 PM
And come to think of it, the gameplay is similar to my Ghost map. I haven't won yet, it's a very hard map, and some things are hard to understand first, like what to do with some units. I'll manage though... I hope. |
AZ ViTrAzhAs
File Author |
Posted on 01/04/08 @ 05:11 AM [Edited on 01/04/08 @ 05:58 AM]
|
| The Hitman |
Posted on 01/09/08 @ 03:33 PM |
| Pages: [1] 2 3 4 » Last » |
HGDL v0.8.2 |
| Rating |
|---|
| 4.9 | | Breakdown |
|---|
| Playability | 4.7 | | Balance | 4.7 | | Creativity | 5.0 | | Map Design | 5.0 | | Story/Instructions | 5.0 |
| Statistics |
| Downloads: | 3,530 |
| Favorites: [] | 1 |
| Size: | 5.90 MB |
| Added: | 12/16/07 |
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