It all began over 10 years ago, with a newcomer mapper Jean "El Chicoverde" Rochefort releasing a pack of three maps entitled ShamuQuest. Planned to have been the first in a series of four such packs, ShamuQuest features monumental, grandiose architecture unrivalled to this day. Sadly, it was never finished.
A year later, Chicoverde did it again, by releasing another three of the ShamuQuest maps. It was never stated absolutely clear, whether these three were to be treated as a prequel to the previous three, a sequel to them, or a reboot of the series overall. Much like before, the maps featured monumental, grandiose architecture, a trademark of all Jean's works. This is the last thing that the world has seen in the ShamuQuest franchise up till this day.
Some time in 2005, I, Victor Delacroix have begun to closely examine the differencies with various release versions of Unreal Tournament. By comparing the leaked March 1999 beta and the retail version I have observed a series of differencies worth preserving: different maps, player skins, HUD, and so on. The project of exporting these resources was dubbed Forgotten Classics Bonus Pack.
Some time later the development process of the pack has been halted.
In late 2009 a breakthrough has come.
RoninMastaFX, one of the brightest stars in the UT scene has joined me on this project of recovery and FCBP was expanded. With plans on standarizing, including and fixing the custom flyby maps floating around, with a scheme to restore the console-exclusive content to the PC platform, with frontends to make this all work in a user-friendly way, FCBP is a grand project.
I felt there was something missing.
A single-player campaign.
I asked myself, does it make sense to add a single-player campaign into such a huge project as it is?
And then I saw the UT99.org Community Map Pack 2, or UTR. Being a multi-player map pack down to it's very core, it does include a single-player campaign of its own, namely Unforchers. And still, it is fully successful.
Thus, it has been decided, that FCBP *is* going to have a single-player expansion of its own.
The choice was clear as day. ShamuQuest, a pack forgotten even by it's author, the great El Chicoverde, was to be completed by our crew. Spanning even more huge maps than initially planned by the original author, featuring the original six maps completely debugged, an expanded epic storyline and new unseen features, the pack is to be crown jewel of the Forgotten Classics project.
There is already a large developing team, however we still lack people so offers of cooperation are welcome.
Developing Team:
Supervision: Victor Delacroix
Concept and storyline: Victor Delacroix, based on and including the works of Jean 'El Chicoverde' Rochefort
Mapping: Rob 'Doublez-Down' Collins (Mines of Dralgir Pur), RoninMastaFX (debugging), Jean 'El Chicoverde' Rochefort (original six maps), Creavion (Antalius unfinished map, used with permission, Eastern Swamp), editor Dave (the two mountain levels).
Music mixing: Myth
Modelling: GenMoKai
Coding: gopostal, Shadow
Sound Engineering: DougieFreshh
Featuring the voices of: Victor Delacroix as James Cavanaugh
Status: Developing
Recruitment: Positions OPEN
Positions:
- coders
- animators
- modellers
- texture artists
- voice actors
- sound engineers
- mappers
Here's the full list of planned maps with the authors and status.
1. sentry.unr. Author: Doublez-Down. Status: nearing completion. Description: a flyby level.
2. sintro.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: an intro level. Vortex Rikers crashing. Player passing through Chizra temple. Player passing through svalley2.unr.
3. svalley2.unr. Author: El Chicoverde. Status: undergoing debugging.
4. sancient1.unr. Author: El Chicoverde. Status: undergoing debugging.
5. svalley1.unr. Author: El Chicoverde. Status: undergoing debugging.
6. smines1.unr. Author: Doublez-Down. Status: developing. Description: a mine level joining svalley1 with the swamp level. The Mines of Dralgir Pur.
7. sswamp1.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: the Black Swamp level.
8. sancient2.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: a ruined temple city, stylized after Wheel of Time's Shadar Logoth, but larger.
9. scaverns2.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: caverns joining the temple with second mine level
10. smines2.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: mine joining the caverns level with sbegin.unr.
11. sbegin.unr. Author: El Chicoverde. Status: undergoing debugging.
12. sbegin2.unr. Author: El Chicoverde. Status: undergoing debugging.
13. sbegin3.unr. Author: El Chicoverde. Status: undergoing debugging.
14. scaverns1.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: caverns joining stemple.unr with another new level, sswamp2.unr. This area is referred to as "Underground Temple".
15. sswamp2.unr. Author: Creavion. Status: developing. Description: the Eastern Swamp that was referred to in the stemple level. This will utilize the Antalius unfinished map.
16. sdesert.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: a desert level that is joining the swamp with the mountains. Armakeris, the Citadel of the Desert is located there and is a part of the level itself.
17. srocks.unr. Author: editor Dave. Status: developing. Description: the tallest part of the Shamutanti Range, the player will find himself over the level of unmelting snow.
18. speak.unr. Author: editor Dave. Status: developing. Description: The very tallest mountain of the Shamutanti Range, a dormant volcano with the Citadel of Ice at the very top of it.
19. sicefort1-8.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: the Citadel of Ice interior maps.
20. siceboss1-4.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: the Citadel of Ice boss fight arenas.
21. sicetemp1-3.unr. Author: classified. Status: classified. Description: the Citadel of Ice annex temples that are located in the SkyTown segment (floor 4).
22. soutro.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: an outro cinematic.
23. scredits.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: a credits map :)
New enemies are being made, including the Nali Dark Gods, the Dark Priests, sword-wielding Skaarj and some more surprises.
More information will be added in the news!
Articles
My name is James Cavanaugh, but recently I was referred to only as Prisoner 853. I was sentenced to death by electrocution but the Vortex Rikers crash has allowed me to avoid this fate. Another prisoner, I believe her number was 849, has also survived the crash. Well, this makes two of us. Anyway... she didn't free me, but she didn't fry me either. I got out myself... somehow. To be honest, I consider myself lucky she didn't push the ****ing button. That electric chair was one of the few things still operational on this damn ship.
Anyhow, I reckoned that I should follow her trail. It wasn't hard to trace her, all I needed to do was follow the stench of death and those bodies left behind. Kinda impressive, 849 seems a tough lady. She survived where many others didn't. I followed her down to the mines of Rrajgar and further, into the temple of Chizra. After that, I lost track of her.
After leaving the temple, I headed into the mountains. I figured that mountain areas provide more places to hide from the invaders and I would be able to survive there. Much like those Afghan people during the Soviet invasion centuries ago, I would be able to live out a fairly normal life. The life of a hunted man, but at least not a dead man. I never intend to go back to Earth, unlike 849, I did a lot to deserve my punishment and I'd rather NOT part with life just yet.
Anyway, the nearest mountains were Shamutanti so I headed there. Eventually, I reached a Nali village. Much to my surprise it was so remote and secluded that it seemed as if the Skaarj would never reach the place. So, I considered that a chance to live out a normal life, without fear or tension. Days have passed. I spent nights in the local tavern and farmed my own fruit. I started getting used to it.
Bad idea. One should never get used to a peaceful life on a planet under invasion. Sooner or later you will be found. I realized this the hard way. One day, the Shamutanti Village was attacked by a batalion of Skaarj. When one of them found me in the tavern, he stabbed me and left for dead. Lucky for me, he did not make sure I was dead.
After going back to my senses, I explored the tavern, carefully eliminating the patrolling invaders. When I got to the roof, I was shocked: before my eyes was a Nali Arch Priest. Alive, in the middle of this hell.
The story he told me was equally shocking. It seems that every benevolent Nali god, be it Chizra, the God of Water, Novana, the God of Nature, or Vandora, the Goddess of Thunder, every single one of the entire pantheon has their own reflection in the Shadow Pantheon. One of the most powerful gods in the Shadow Pantheon, perhaps even THE most powerful is Soquatre, the God of Night. His priests have struck a deal with the Skaarj: they are to rule Na Pali hand in hand and the price would be the Crown of Kings, a Nali artifact of extreme power that would allow Soquatre to tread the planet in a physical form if he obtained it. Of course, the Skaarj had no idea about the full scope of Soquatre's power, otherwise they'd known that the demonic deity would never keep his promise and seize the planet for himself. But they are unaware of Soquatre's plan to betray them and they have scattered around the area in search of the four Runes required to activate the Crown of Kings. Each Rune is not only guarded by a powerful sentinel but also taken care of by one of the Arch Priests, such as the one that I was talking to. To maintain the balance, two of the Runes were in the temples of the Shadow Pantheon, whereas the other two were secured in the temples of the benevolent deities. Terrific. If *I* do not help them, all is lost...
So, four temples to search through. To top it off, the Crown of Kings was already stolen from the Tower of Shamutanti and taken to a place the call the Citadel of Ice. Already guarded by Soquatre's minions... My luck is pure shit as it seems...
Well, I don't have much of a choice. If I don't help the Nali, I'm going to have to escape the planet, because there will be no place for me to hide if the Shadow Pantheon takes over. All will be enslaved, forced into backbreaking labor, malnourishment and indoctrination by Soquatre, no one will be able to live here normally. Be it Terran, Nali, Krall or Skaarj - Na Pali will become hell for all, regardless of species. Even worse than it is now.
Ironic as it may be, in order to save myself, I need to save everyone, and in order to save everyone, I have to fight everyone: brutes, Krall, Skaarj, Nali dark priests, demonic deities. Two words: suicide mission. But it's still better than giving up. Soquatre, time for you to write down your last will and testament, because I am coming for your head.
Files
Shamuquest
DemoSynopsis: Two words: suicide mission. But it's still better than giving up. Soquatre, time for you to write down your last will and testament, because...
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Is this still in the works?
Both this project and the FCBP are dead. I think RoninMastaFX and Delacroix had some kind of falling out, and none of their projects have had any updates since. It's not really surprising when you see how many projects they were taking at once.
No, it's not dead!!!!!!!!!
Unrealsp.org
Indeed ShamuQuest is revived, many thanks to Dozey for assisting me.
News?
Up!
Any news for a 2011 release?
UT Community SDK is ready and released (as beta), so this remake of Shamuquest maps is going to be released soon?
PLEASE!