After a few years break, the project picks up right where version 1.4 left off. With that, i am proud to announce the mod's next iteration: Q2HM 2.0: Technosphere. For all the merits that the previous build had, it also had a few issues. For starters, the use of placeholder FX: specifically, - for the Strogg machineguns. Back then, when i was thrilled with my success in creating the Strogg laser SFX, (and there are 6 of them), i didn't realize that remaking the machine guns was actually going to be three times tougher than the lasers. So, i failed to make those in time, thus resorting to placeholders. That part is addressed in the version 2.0. All Strogg machineguns have been rebuilt from scratch and now sound as good as they should. I've made a cute little trailer to showcase that, and some more assorted new FX (in the end):
The other noticeable letdown was a mixed decision on the basic shotgun FX. For some reason, i believed that it had to be more of a low-res sound, "to bridge between Quake II and Q2HM". That was a mistake, it resulted in a mediocre effect, which marred the mod's impression. By the time i realized that, it was too late, as i was already working full speed on Doom-3-Bravo, where having learned my lesson -i didn't let things like that happen. Despite Q2HM 1.4 having many excellent FX, a lot of them encounter somewhat later in the game, while the questionable single shotgun and the placeholders - are popping up right at the start. This was another element that did not play in the mod's favor. And it was the first thing on my list to amend, and now - it has been fixed as well.
Also, quite a few of the previous version's FX were either remade from scratch, or improved in Q2HM 2.0. Such as the Single Shotgun (full sequence), Medium Health, Large Health, Health Bonus, Item Pick-up, Player Jump, Player Land, Player Damage (that's right: no more whimpering!) and more. Beyond the improvements of the previous build - there are now dozens of new SFX. These relate mostly to the Strogg. I have remade all the Strogg enemy voices, attack/pain/death screams and everything in between. More on that in the mod's upcoming launch article. I have a little preview demonstration of the mid-development build. It does not show everything (that'll be in the launch trailer), but it gives a pretty solid idea of the overall soundscape:
The mod also delivers a new music set, this time going for the electronic-atmospheric downtempo kind, as i have found through experimentation, that it compliments the game far better than any other. And it brings the sound FX closer to the player. The metal set from version 1.4 is retained, but the mission pack alternative tracks are temporarily removed. This release focuses on the original campaign, though you still get the mission pack gun FX from the previous build. In the next version of the mod, i will address the mission pack enemy FX, revise some of the guns there and will add the alternative soundtracks as well. Launch the version 2.0 is planned to be within the next 10 days.
This is it. The ultimate polish. No shortcuts, no placeholders, no skip-steps or questionable decisions. No effort was spared to match the top-notch sound quality of Doom-3-Bravo. The thunder of Quake II is near. Current compatibility status is: KM Quake2 II, The Ultimate Quake II patch, or vanilla with the 3.24 patch.
