Blogs - Payload4367

Hello all!

The newest build of ALIENS: ERADICATION TC with many improvements and additions is here. After testing and tweaking the Eradication mapset, my attention turned to improving gameplay with the Doom/Doom2 iwads and custom maps/pwads.

The original goal of this project was to simply make a set of maps using assets from Kontra Kommando's Aliens: Trilogy/Ultimate Doom mod. While making these maps I would get an idea or two and edit the original Mod to implement the idea. A few ideas turned into dozens and the result is what I present to you today. This latest update focuses mostly on the Total Conversion when playing with the original Doom and Doom2 maps and custom maps that use mostly vanilla assets. The edits made to the mod in order to implement the ideas used in the Eradication mapset kinda broke the balance in these other maps/wads. After many hours of playtesting I am very happy with the game play experience. After testing wads like Scythe, Base Ganymede, Doom and Doom2 the way id did, Lunar catastrophe, and many others (see readme for a comprehensive list of wads that work well with ALIENS: ERADICATION TC) on all difficulty settings, I felt it was time for an update release. Enjoy and Thank you.

Hello, All!

Here are some thoughts and decisions concerning various changes/improvements for the FINAL release version of ALIENS: Eradication. This is not a comprehensive list.

• After hearing suggestions, I will be adding a Motion Tracker sound that is closer to the Trilogy game and Aliens movie.
• The monster spawns while playing with iwads/pwads will be lessened slightly. After testing with Dozens of mapsets, it feels entirely too hard. The quick melee nature of the aliens makes tipical Doom closets and traps an absolute nightmare. Had to play most of them on the easiest setting. Will be adding the colonist to the roster as easy fodder for the player among other fine tuning.
• More brightmaps and correction of some texture alignments for switches, etc.
• Under a certain set of circumstances (usually involving in-fighting) an enemy won't show on the Motion Tracker. Must fix this.
• After unequipping the Loader, the players' speed does not return to full when playing with iwads/pwads. This will be fixed.

Just a few things I've run into while continuing testing. Let me know what you've found and what you liked and didn't like. Thanks!

Have a safe day All!

Hello all!

Coming soon with the next update.

Remember this?

You will…

That's right, the face-huggers will climb onto your face. Its game over. You will need to kill these pesky aliens before they get too close. If you're lucky their attempt may fail, but if successful, you're dead.

I've been toying with the idea of a 180 motion tracker instead of the 360 one. Below are some proof of concept tests. It really helps build tension and keeps you on your toes. You will be able to choose from the full-screen hud, a info-free hud, or the classic style hud with the + or - keys.

I'm also ramping up the gore. I needed to ensure a solid fps with hordes of enemies on screen at times. Now I can add back much of the gore from Kontra Kommando's Trilogy TC, dialing in that sweet spot between performance and visuals.

Planning an update soon with all these new features. Likely will include 2 new maps for a total of 4. I'll save the final 2 maps for the first official beta.

Article on Exclusively Games: Aliens: Eradication on ExclusivelyGames.com

Have a great Halloween all!

Hello all!

After some seriously frustrating research and testing, I have added a new feature that was suggested to me by my friend and YT creator, KillsAlone.

The player now has some limited control over friendly NPCs. They can be instructed to stand-in-place by pressing the "use" key on them. Doing this a second time will instruct them to follow you. This new ability adds many new strategies for tackling the various encounters in the maps.

THIS FEATURE IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE IN DEMOv3. It will be added to the next update. Thank you for your patience.

Until then try the current version of Aliens: Eradication DEMOv3 here:

And here is a new video by KillsAlone. Check out his channel.

Have a great day!

TIPS FOR PLAYING *ALIENS:ERADICATION*

A few tips to help you get the most out of Aliens: Eradication

Get the demo and start playing now:

ALIENS: ERADICATION DEMOv3 - Mod DB

General tips:

-Keep your eye on the Motion Tracker. Not only during the "quiet" moments, but in the middle of combat to see if you are being flanked or attacked from behind.
-Exploration is the best way to prevent running out of health and ammo.

*ALL DIFFICULTY SETTINGS ARE AVAILABLE* - play on "A Few Aliens" for a more "Isolation" feel all the way up to "Hordes Of Aliens" for an extreme challenge.

IF PLAYING AS A COLONIST:
-Not recommended for a blind playthrough.
-This is a survival style class where the player faces challenges of resource management, minimal starting equipment, lack of armour and auto turrets.
-Heavy exploration is required to find weapons and items. Search areas thoroughly before moving to the next.
-Friendly NPCs can help in a gunfight but are not crucial to the gameplay. (they do not count towards the "monster count")
-Use fire and electrical hazards to destroy incoming xenos. Be careful though.
-If all you have is a pistol, you can lure an enemy to burst through a vent cover, allowing you access to the vent system.
-If you are lucky, an NPC will drop a red key card upon death (but not if you grenade them), allowing access to storage rooms. The card can also be found in a secret.

IF PLAYING AS A MERCENARY:
-Place your turrets wisely and protect them. The xenos will destroy them quickly if surounded. Some situations can required multiple turrets.
-Collecting INTEL folders in the map will allow you access to the exit or other areas (depending on the map). They are placed at randomn spots.
-"Use short, controlled bursts" with your pulse rifle to conserve ammo.

IF PLAYING AS A YUTANI-OPERATIVE:
-Your mission is to kill all colonist and mercenaries in the level. This will allow access to the exit.
-The flamethrower is best used on xenos and the pulse rifle on humans. But they will both do the job.
-Use cover tactics against the humans who, unlike early alien enemies, have a ranged attack.
-If you are lucky, a colonist or mercenary will drop a red key card upon death (but not if you grenade them), allowing access to storage rooms. The card can also be found in a secret.

IF PLAYING AS A COMBAT SYNTHETIC:
-Med kits will not work for the synths. They must find repair/replacement stations (use auto map and look for red crosses). So watch your health closely.
-The auto mode for the smart gun works by holding down the fire button and placing the crosshairs near your target. Press the alt fire to switch to manual.
-Even in auto mode, the smart gun has a slight recoil. Keep adjusting your aim to remain on target and keep a steady "lock" for the smart gun.
-Save the smartgun for larger engagements to conserve ammo.

Hello All!

Updated the DEMO to version 3 with 2 maps and lots of changes and improvements.

Now fully compatible with GZDoom 4.2.1 (as far as I am aware).

WHAT IS NEW IN DEMO 3:
-Map 2
-New flashlight added for compatibility concerns with newer GZDoom builds.
-Brightmaps added to select textures and sprites.

-Mercenary and Yutani-operative enemies fire grenades as a secondary fire.

-Visual improvements and effects.

Fixes from Demo 2:
-Hud scaling is fixed for all resolutions.
-Hatched eggs no longer count towards the total monster count.
-Flares no longer pass through unbroken vents and no longer break windows.
-Aliens behaviour is slightly more aggressive.
-Smart gun locked behaviour improved.
-The COLONIST has access to the colony's electrical and fuel systems creating opportunities to set fire and electrocution traps.
-The MERCENARY must fight colonist, conducting a raid to steal valuable research and material related to the xenomorphs (who have gotten out, of course).
-The YUTANI OPERATIVE must fight mercenaries, colonist, and xenos in a sweeping "Kill Them All, Leave No Witnesses" mission.
-The COMBAT SYNTHETIC must find repair/replacement stations located through out the colony to heal and cannot use the standard (human) health kits.
-Also has a data base of schematics for the colony compound, providing it with the full automap on start up.

Hello All!

Preliminary playtesting for Map 3 is complete for all four classes. Map 4 is done for the Combat Synth and Mercenary classes. Improved the visuals for both maps and even added a few underwater sections.

Try map 1 in the demo:

some screens:

Have a great day!

Hello all!

Rolling right along with all scripts for map 3 AND map 4 complete, for all 4 classes. Just need to playtest them a million times :) and they...…..are...………..done.

By map 3, one of the classes you can chose will encounter the first of the Predator enemy class and another one will face the first Alien Queen enemy class. Of course, if you chose an easier difficulty, you may not encounter either of them yet.

The story is more fleshed out with some twists and turns, but I don't want to spoil anything. Besides, ultimately, you can ignore the story and just blast away at enemies.

Map 5 is 80% complete geometrically. It still needs a lot of work. Realistically, I will likely make this 6 maps in total, with the possibility of releasing other sets in the future.

Have a great day all!

Aliens: Eradication Demo download:

Some new screenshots.

Hello All!

Map 2 is officially done. Playtesting and all. On to testing and tweaking Map 3. The map build is complete just needs some final polish.

Other changes/additions (not yet updated in demo version):

• The Aliens are more deadly with some small adjustments to their behavior. Often, it seemed they would thrust into you but not connect with an attack, so I shortened the response time between states. I felt the xenomorphs should be something you don't want to get next to...at all.
• The Mercenary enemy can now fire grenades (much like the player class) along with its pulse rifle attack. Unlike the player grenades, the enemy grenades bounce a few times before detonating. This gives the player a chance to move to safety.
• The Yuntani Operative enemy can employ a flamethrower (much like the player class). Once within range, the enemy will switch from the pulse rifle to the flamethrower. This enemy is not featured in the available demo and will appear in later maps in the game.
• Some Aliens can spit acid that can hurt the player on impact or by leaving a nasty pool of acid to be stepped on. This enemy is not featured in the available demo and will appear in later maps in the game.
• Optimized and cleaned up maps 1 and 2 to improve performance and maintain 60+fps.

Testing PC specs: IntelXeon CPU 2.13GHz Win10 64bit GeforceGTX960

Demo download:

My video capture software crapped out so I can't make videos at the moment, so here's some screens.

Screenshots of map 2:

Have a great day!

Hello all!

Playtesting the scripts for each class on map 02 and writing some of them for map03. All the mapping through map 04 is done. I'm sure there will be tweaks and changes but the maps are completely playable as is with at least 80% of the item/monster placement finished as well. Now it's all about the unique encounters and scripts for the separate classes and playtesting each of them...whew.

Anyway, it's closer to finished than not. :)

Took some screenshots while testing map 02:

Have a great day!