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The Heavens
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Mission Name: The Heavens Level Authors: Nirvana and Sirian Number of levels: 7 Number of Secret levels: 2 Date Completed: September 7, 1998 Modes of Play: Anarchy Single Player Cooperative Team Flag Hoard Custom Textures: 29 signs Custom Robots: 2 minor adjustments, nothing noticable Custom Polymodels: none Nirvana's level editor: DMB2 Sirian's level editor: Devil 2.2h Other misc editors: DTX2, Yahoma 2.0, PSP 5.0, Photoshop --------------------------------------------- Contents of this Text File 1) First Heaven 2) Second Heaven 3) Third Heaven 4) Fourth Heaven 5) Fifth Heaven 6) Sixth Heaven 7) Seventh Heaven 8) Secret Levels 9) Background Info 10) Nirvana's Commentary 11) Sirian's Commentary 12) Credits and Appreciation --------------------------------------------- First Heaven - "Nirvana" Keys: Red Layout: Nirvana Weapons: Nirvana Robots: Nirvana Bot Producers: Nirvana Textures: Nirvana Lighting: Nirvana Hostages: Yes Anarchy: Optimized for 2 or 3 players. First Heaven is small, and is designed for small games. Players wishing to play a head to head match (such as a ladder game) will find this level cozy. It plays fast, and has design elements that allow a variety of strategic approaches. Large anarchy games are possible here, and will provide nonstop action. First Heaven was designed exclusively by Nirvana. The name for this level was taken from the Bhuddist religion, and their concept of heaven. (Oh, and it happens to be Nirv's nick too) --------------------------------------------- Second Heaven - "Paradise" Keys: Blue, Red Main Layout: Sirian Blue Area: Nirvana Red Area: Nirvana Weapons: Sirian Robots: Sirian and Nirvana Bot Producers: Sirian and Nirvana Textures: Nirvana and Sirian Lighting: Sirian Hostages: Yes Anarchy: Optimized for 2 to 4 players Second Heaven has a flow and tempo quite different from First Heaven. There are more weapons, including two fusion cannons and a pack of proxbombs. Secondaries play a larger role here, and players can gain an advantage by figuring out where the missiles tend to respawn. This level should be ideal for three and four player games on the net, and extra weapons can be obtained by starting the game in First Heaven and then advancing to here. Second Heaven is named for the most common description of what people think a heaven would be like. :) --------------------------------------------- Third Heaven - "Happy Hunting Grounds" Keys: Blue, Yellow, Red Main Layout: Nirvana Blue Area: Sirian Yellow Area: Sirian Red Area: Nirvana Weapons: Sirian and Nirvana Robots: Sirian Bot Producers: Sirian and Nirvana Textures: Nirvana and Sirian Lighting: Nirvana and Sirian Hostages: Yes Anarchy: Optimized for 2 to 4 players Third Heaven is ideal for anarchy, and offers players plenty of strategic possibilities. This level has a pack of smart mines, which can be particularly brutal if placed well. Weaponry may appear light in this level, but that is because several of the items are tucked into secret tunnels and closets, which should not be difficult to find. You will likely bump into several of the secret doors just by moving around the level or paying attention to the architecture. This level is Sirian's favorite, both for its looks and the way it plays. The name for this level comes from mythology. --------------------------------------------- Fourth Heaven - "The Elysian Fields" Keys: Blue, Yellow, Red Main Layout: Nirvana Blue Area: Sirian Yellow Area: Nirvana Red Area: Sirian Weapons: Sirian Robots: Nirvana and Sirian Bot Producers: Sirian and Nirvana Textures: Sirian and Nirvana Lighting: Sirian Hostages: Yes Anarchy: Optimized for 3 to 5 players This was originally going to be First Heaven, but it turned out to be way too large for that. :) So we shuffled it around until we found it a home, and we decided Nirvana would do a really small level to kick off the set while Sirian would do a very large level for the finale. Fourth Heaven sits right in the middle, and it is indeed the middle range for size in this mission set. Action gravitates to the main dogfight room, and plasma dogfights are the mainstay here. This is the first level in the set to carry any homing missiles (two) while the smart mines add an element of heightened alertness because while they are very easy to avoid in this level, you have to do a lot of flying blind if you retreat at all, and it's embarassing when you back into a smart mine in a dogfight. :) This is also the first level in the set to have distinctive missile respawn locations. Be careful of becoming trapped if you go for missiles often, tho. This level also provides quad 4s instead of super lasers, for a change of pace. The name for this level comes from mythology. --------------------------------------------- Fifth Heaven - "Bliss" Keys: Blue, Yellow, Red Main Layout: Sirian Blue Area: Nirvana Yellow Area: Nirvana Red Area: Sirian Weapons: Sirian Robots: Sirian and Nirvana Bot Producers: Sirian Textures: Nirvana and Sirian Lighting: Sirian and Nirvana Hostages: Yes Anarchy: Optimized for 4 to 7 players Fifth Heaven is somewhat large, and the only weapons in abundance here are quad 4s and fusion. This keeps the level from becoming cluttered if weapons are brought in from Fourth Heaven, but still gives everyone in the game a usable weapon. This level feels a lot like the Muses First Half, and plays much like one of those fine levels. The fusion theme of this level extends to the robots as well as anarchy, and in single player this is the first really difficult level in the set. Expect to die some in here. As for anarchy, this level should be ideal for use on LAN and play well on the net, also. The name for this level comes from what many people hope to find in their heaven. :) --------------------------------------------- Sixth Heaven - "Valhalla" Keys: Blue, Yellow, Red Main Layout: Nirvana and Sirian Blue Area: Sirian Yellow Area: Nirvana Red Area: Sirian Weapons: Sirian Robots: Sirian Bot Producers: Sirian Textures: Nirvana and Sirian Lighting: Sirian and Nirvana Hostages: Yes Anarchy: Optimized for 4 to 8 players on LAN Sixth Heaven is the most integrated of all the levels, in terms of collaboration on the layout. We each modified areas created by the other because the main area is more than half of the level, and it is extremely interconnected. Doing the lighting on this level was a particular whore. :) This is the third and final of the seven levels to carry smart mines. There are two packs on this level, so the mines play a significant tactical role here. This level also has the greatest number of gauss cannons in the set (three) and the greatest number of plasma cannons. This level is optimized for LAN, and though it gives good overall fps, the frame rates here are the lowest in the set (meaning fps is REALLY good in all the other levels, and just PRETTY good here. :) Robot fighters will find this level a particular challenge. Sixth Heaven takes its name from mythology. --------------------------------------------- Seventh Heaven - "Seventh Heaven" Keys: Blue, Yellow, Red Layout: Sirian Weapons: Sirian Robots: Sirian End Boss: Sirian Bot Producers: Sirian Textures: Sirian Lighting: Sirian Hostages: No Anarchy: Optimized for 8 players on LAN The finale of The Heavens mission is Seventh Heaven. This level is very large, but plays extremely fast with many players due to the level's interconnectedness and small number of rooms. Players will be able to locate the action quickly. There are 5 LARGE dogfight rooms connected by a few short tunnels, and at least two ways in or out of each room. The weapon load is heavy. ALL guns are present in this level, including the helix, phoenix, and omega. At least two of each gun are present, except for the lone vulcan cannon. There are four plasmas, seven fusions, eight burners, and a whopping ten spreadfire cannons, which are the "base" guns for this level, and what many players will be using while fighting to acquire better hardware. Energy is fairly accessible, but players will also find it very easy to run out if they are not careful; and in team games, killing your teammates by mistake is a serious danger. There are no megas or shakers accessible in anarchy at any point in The Heavens set, and neither are there cloaks or invuls. No smart mines are found in Seventh Heaven, but there is a goodly supply of proxbombs, as well as flash and mercury missiles, four homings, and a healthy supply of smart missiles (which won't play a large role in dogfights, but may get some nasty kills in tunnel areas). For single player this is also the big finale with the boss. This level is easily the most difficult, and inexperienced players will have a hard time making it through. Because much of this level's threat comes from bot producers, which can malfunction and fail to produce in coop mode, this level is considerably tamer in coop than single player mode. We hope that players will give it a try in single player, to get the full robot experience. Extra care was taken to up the ante when playing The Heavens mission on insane, by making the robot producers go through extra production runs. Seventh Heaven was made exclusively by Sirian. Its name comes from many traditions, wherein seven is the divine number and therefore the Seventh Heaven would be the highest, best of all possible heavens. --------------------------------------------- Secret Levels - "Secret Garden" and "Secret Grove" Keys: None Layout: Sirian Puzzles: Sirian Robots: Sirian Textures: Sirian Lighting: Sirian The Secret levels offer players an additional incentive to give single player mode a try. The only way to experience these two levels is to play the mission in single player; and since the game does not allow players to save and restore while on a secret level, players will HAVE to wing it and hope they can prevail. ;) Secret Garden is the first secret level. It should be easy to find if players pay attention, because there is a HUGE clue to its location built into the level where its entrance can be found. This level is very light on threat, and presents modest puzzles, some of which will require skilled use of guided missiles. There are three extra life powerups on this level. See if you can find them all! Rewards are granted to those who are thorough. Secret Grove is a bonus level, with challenging bots and a very particular tactical setup that will require a lot of thought and may take several attempts to master. This level is CLEARLY not designed for anarchy: it is strictly a puzzle level, and it will demand a very different approach than what is required in the rest of the mission. This level has two extra life powerups as well as an earthshaker missile. See if you can figure out how to get all three! Oh, and don't take ALL the guns and missiles Sirian has stored up in his "Secret Cache" please. He may need some of those in his IDL ladder matches. ;) Finding the entrance to Secret Grove may be a challenge. It is very well hidden and not likely to be triggered open by accident. You may have to actively search to find it. There IS a clue in the rest of the level's architecture, on the level where the entrance is hidden, if you pay attention and notice the right things. :) The secret levels were designed exclusively by Sirian. ALL items in the secret levels are accessible, so if you see an item, you can get that item if you can figure out how. Enjoy the challenge. --------------------------------------------- Background Info Nirvana is: Anthony Galica Email: agalica@ix.netcom.com Sirian is: Bob Thomas Email: sirian23@earthlink.net As of the release of The Heavens mission set for D2, Nirvana has completed and released nearly 100 anarchy levels for Descent. He has collaborated with other level designers more than any other designer ever, and has also made more custom levels upon request than any designer. Some of his best works include Vamped, TheDojo, Bow to Phoenix, Repressed UsuL, Kiln's Fusion Farm, and the massive mission set Vertigo Dementia. Sirian has not made levels for two years, but his works include Laserdeath, Pro Laserdeath, Gunfight, and Pro Lightning, as well as several D2 adaptations of classic D1 levels from First Strike. Sirian also has extensive experience with all game modes in Descent, including single player and cooperative modes. Sirian founded the Descent Rangers league, and wrote the rules system that is still used, largely unmodified, by the Rangers to this day. He is also part of the staff for the Invitational Descent Ladder, and this combined experience gives him a unique grasp on the elements of what makes a good level for both head to head play and anarchy, as well as bot hunting. The level designers first worked together on the Bow to Phoenix mission set, which Nirvana made at Sirian's request. Sirian provided specs for number and size of rooms for both levels, as well as the weapon loads. Nirvana designed the layouts, and Sirian requested three changes on level 1, and an even dozen structural changes on level 2, as well as specifying the number and placement of energy bays. Nirvana did the texturing and item placement, as well as the custom polymodels and effects for the black fusions in level 2. Despite having grave reservations about some of Sirian's requests, Nirvana gave them all a try, and he was suprised at the quality of the results. So when it came time for Nirvana to complete a level he was making at Kiln's request, and Kiln was unavailable due to family concerns, Nirvana turned to Sirian for advice. Once again he was leery of some of the suggestions he got, but he tried them out and was pleased with the outcome. Result: Kiln's Fusion Farm. So it really came as no surprise to either designer when, one day, Nirvana asked Sirian, "Hey, do you still know how to use Devil?" --------------------------------------------- Nirvana's Commentary This set is definately a rocking experience. Although it started out shaky, and there were many conflicts with ideas, I think it came out awesome. I don't think that ever before anyone has been able to make a level/set that *properly* included anarchy, co-op, and single player modes. But we did, and its DEFINATELY worth trying out in all modes. Horse (oops.. hoard ;) and flag are included, but the levels have not been designed specifically for those modes in mind. It was fun working with Sirian on this set, and I wouldn't have reservations about doing it again. Have fun with it, we had fun making it! ;) Thanks to: Sirian (you know why), #300baud and the IDL, and all the Rangers, Wildcards, and ->descent<- folk that I talk to on a regular basis ;) -Nirvana (The Cannibal Level Builder) (The Cannibal Level Builder is ©1998, Prescience) --------------------------------------------- Sirian's Commentary Thanks go to Nirvana for talking me into doing this project. :) I hadn't worked on any levels for Descent in an actual level editor since Pro Lightning! Long time to be away, and now I remember why I quit making levels back then. It takes a LOT of work to make a good level! Ah, but I did enjoy it: a labor of love. I have no idea how Nirvana can crank out level after level after level and get such good results. I'm exhausted after this project. The levels were made in the following order: Fourth, First, Seventh, Second, Sixth, Third, Fifth, Secret Two, Secret One. I think that Third and Fifth are the most architecturally pleasing, and perhaps there is no coincidence in the fact that we completed these last. :) Seventh Heaven is the first all-new Descent level I have produced in over two years. I learned a lot in the making of The Heavens, and am certainly at my most enlightened stage in terms of designing. How many more projects I may do in the future, if any, is yet to be determined, but "the itch" can strike at any time. We shall see. If this mission set gets a good amount of play and there is demand, we will port it to D1 and do up a version with D1 robots. Whether or not we do this will depend on the kind of support and usage this set gets in D2, so if you like what we've accomplished here, then pass the word around, and also let us know of your interest in further development on these ideas. If you have any memorably enjoyable experiences in this mission, in any play mode, feel free to drop us an email and tell us all about it. We'd love to hear from you. :) - Sirian --------------------------------------------- Credits and Appreciation Custom Textures: Nirvana (Nirv put a LOT of work into them) Sign Placement: First Heaven, Nirvana; rest of set, Sirian HXM file: Nirvana POG files: Nirvana Text file: Sirian Debugging: Sirian (With shared lighting, Devil MUST save last) IR Heaven pic: http://www.phy.mtu.edu/apod/ap980128.html Dog Kennel pic: http://www.frenchbulldog.org Rat Haven pic: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/5521/rats.html Anarchy Beta Testers: Sekmu, Kufyit, SoniC, ZappaFan, Grax, VaiN, Glock21 Coop Beta Testers: Gwar, ZappaFan, Sup, VaiN Thanks, guys, for all your help. --------------------------------------------- Copyright The Heavens mission set for Descent II, along with all its contents including layouts and customs textures, are Copyright 1998 by Anthony Galica and Bob Thomas, all rights reserved. You may NOT use these levels to build upon, or as a macro, or modify the design in any way, without express written permission from both authors. All comments and suggestions are welcome. You MAY distribute this mission, provided you include this file, with no modifications. You may distribute this file in any electronic format (BBS, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include this file intact. --------------------------------------------- We hope you enjoy the mission! :)
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