King REoL proudly presents...

REoL TOUGH: InSaNiTy! A new level to play with, for Quake II!
Level Design by George J. Fiffy II.
HTML FORMAT! MAKES EVERYTHING EASIER AGAIN! Also note, some parts of this document WILL NOT WORK if you're not connected to the 'net. THIS DOESN'T AFFECT THE ENTIRE DOCUMENTATION!

If you're trying this with the Test Version, IT WON'T WORK! JUST BUY THE WHOLE GAME!
Will work with ANY version of REGISTERED Quake II (Used 3.05).

Since REoL TOUGH is an International favorite everywhere (whatever), and some people complain about the way things are typed, Here are some things you'll need to know:
* This doc is typed using US English, and bad grammar/spelling. :)
* Things IN CAPS highlight important info, among other things.

HOW TO PLAY:

(1) Put the level in your C:\QUAKE2\BASEQ2\MAPS directory. If you don't have that directory, make it. Maps won't run without it.
(2) Start a game of Quake II as normal.
(3) As the game starts up, hit ESC. Now you'll see the Quake Option Menu.
(4) Hit the ~ key and enter a SKILL level, by entering SKILL X. X is the skill you want: 0 for EASY, 1 for NORMAL, and 2 for HARD. Skip the SKILL process if you want to start on NORMAL Skill, and go to Step 5.
(5) Now, enter MAP 5FIFFY4 and LEAVE OFF THE.BSP EXTENTION! Enjoy!

Supports Single Play, and up to 4 in Multiplayer and 8 in Deathmatch. 16 was just overwhelming for REoL TOUGH fans playing these levels of the Quake Generation. :) I also learned Quake II doesn't do more than 4 in Multiplayer.
SORRY, NO CTF SUPPORT! Get a BSP TO MAP CONVERTER and put them in if you want it. No knowledge of this game variation whatsoever. :(

Cool Sites & Stuff (This part requires connection to the 'net, to visit any of these areas):

Come visit the home of REoL TOUGH, at the:

TONS of add-ons for games like DooM, DooM II, HeXeN, Quake, and Quake II!

Have comments, especially after playing this map? E-MAIL ME HERE!

Mark Klem's DooM (II) Site!
If it wasn't for Mark Klem, I'd never be inspired to start level editing! Check this out!

Planetquake
Most popular Quake site! News, Add-ons, you name it, they have it!

Quake2.COM
Another great Quake page!

Talon's Strike!
Level Review Site. Gave ARMEGEDDON an award!

Lt. Dan's Quake Page (...where YOU rate the levels!)
ARMEGEDDON started 17'th on the TOP 50 LIST! Long gone now! :D

Another Stupid Story:

You made it through the Prison grounds, now you sneak onto a delivery truck that will take some needed goods to a factory you were getting a ride to. Unfortunately, along the route, they hit a nasty bump, and you screamed your head off from the pain. Damn. You're bleeding from the hit. That's not the worst of it, as they pull the delivery over and look at the freight, looking for stowaways. Furtunately, the first guard missed your presence, but as the second guard went through, he remembered that there's one package too many, in fact, one that was slighly shaking. Needless to say, you were discovered and you were thrown off the truck.

Something else was going on you didn't like. The drivers are calling someone. Right then and there, you figure you should try and make a dash for the hills, but it was too late, as help arrives, in the form of a heavily armed Strogg Army. Then and there, you figured it out. You were on board a government truck with secret supplies and equipment going to a secret weapons factory of some sort. The Strogg shoot at you, as you run as hard as you can in a random zig-zag pattern towards this building nearby. The doors open as you're almost there, then shut quickly once you made it inside. Apperently safe, at last....or are you?

Your "Safe Haven" turns out to be a strange Strogg outpost of some sort. You are instantly fired upon by Light Guards, but you take care of them easilly. There is one problem, and it involves you with the lead command of your platoon from Earth.

"Come in Marine" You hear on your radio. "I'm still alive, over." you said. "There's a slight problem here. We noticed you went off course, and now we can't pick up your signal. We need to reestablish a link to your HUD, so we can communicate a bit better. What we need you to do is find an area outside of where you are so we can pick up the signal again."
"But Sargent," you said: "there were hundreds of Strogg just outside of where I came in. There's no fucking way I'm going back out there to become target practice for them!"
"Marine, do as your told, and head right back out there!"
"Fuck you! I'm staying here! I'm gonna' run through this place. Maybe I'll find a way out, some open space, equipment, whatever, to get back into full contact!"
"Fine! Drop dead for all I care. Get killed. I'll enjoy it!"
"Suck my WHAT?!"
"I'm telling you, FOLLOW MY GOD DAMN ORDERS!"
"You can take your fucking orders and stick them up your fucking ass for all I care! I'm going my way. Don't like it, tough shit!"
"Screw you. If you make it, good, if not, good riddance!"
You head on your way through the complex, wondering if you'll ever see the sky ever again, or leave the asteroid to go back home once again....

BUT WHY? (Section dedicated to awkward operation and other stuff.)

Q: I have OpenGL support, and I noticed some lights vary slightly in color in spots. Why is this?
Q: I have OpenGL, ad I noticed a lack of colored light. Don't you use colors?

A: If you look at real lights closely, not all of them burn the exact same color. Various types of light were simulated using points of light (NOT using Surface Properties). For example, there are typical FLOURESCENT LIGHTS, which basically give off white light, but different manufacturers or bulbs don't give the exact same hue. Look around a real building. Some of them appear more redish or greenish in nature. This was captured here, just like last-minute bulb replacement, or a ceartain type of bulb were used in other areas. Some colors represent different TYPES of lights. The lightly reddish-yellow ones represent INCADESCENT, or HALOGEN, and the bluish-purple ones are SODIUM based. Since I DO have OpenGL this time around, so I know the colors are what I want :) Of course, like real places, strong(er) colors may be used as well. To sum it all up, I went for REALISM (how typical of me). How many authors go through this trouble, or just use Surface Properties instead?

Q: With Quake II's capabilities, many authors make GIANT levels. Why are you making yours intimate in nature?

A: If you played my Quake 1 maps, they were mostly too intimate because I didn't have the memory or HD space to make huge levels. Quake II, on the other hand, has a very efficient BSP (map) structure, so memory and HD space are no problem. However, these intimate settings, you must admit, are not as close and personal as Quake 1. Once again, it's all in realism. If in real life, we made these big structures id and other authors made, they would be CONDEMNED on the spot by Building Inspectors, if they didn't COLLAPSE already! My structures more or less represent what can be built in real life, and aren't so over whelming either. This map, however, does have some bigger areas, and is a fairly large map. A P2/450 with 128MB O' RAM and 12GB drive space can help. :)

Q: In your Quake 1 maps, you had 16 player support for Deathmatch. Why only 4 in Multi's, and 8 for Deathmatch?

A: Got WAY too many complaints from Deathmatchers that the level was WAY OVERCROWDED to enjoy a 16 player fight. Keeping realistic size in account, chopping the headcount in half should make everyone happy. As for the Multiplayers, Quake II only allows a mere 4 starting spots.

Q (Player): I have a P3/550 and OpenGL support. I get 8,500FPS playing at 1600x1200. I get to a door, and it drops to a mere 7,000! Why?
Q (Designer): Areas with doors go slow. Why no FUNC_AREAPORTALS?

FUNC_AREAPORTALS have been known to gray out/HOM when closing, or cause general Hall of Mirrors problems, and they're a bitch to use. Screw it. :)

Q: I get error messages (*something* is not a field, monster stuck in wall, etc.) when the map loads. Is this bad?

A: These levels are playtested for problems, AND DOABILITY (HARD setting). If messages appear when you start up the map, they will not affect the outcome of the game, they are just bullshit. I'll TRY to remember to prevent them before release. :)

Q: Why do those trams have no interiors? Where's the tram sounds?

A: The track and the tram bodies themselves cause flickering, due to too much polygons being on screen at once. To rid this problem, the track has a few kinks put into it, as well as a few cuts so optimization tools will draw fewer polys. Interiors would just cause flicker problems to happen. I would try to rid a few details, but my editor didn't let me remove them. :) Oh well, they still look good.
The trams were to make sounds, but they don't make them, because I didn't know the trams had to be placed at the 0,0,0 postition in the map (which is in the courtyard). Otherwise, I could've used entities to help make it happen, but lighting would look like hell, and the amount of work involved is pointless at the stage things have evolved, therefore, no choo-choo noises. Sorry kiddies.

Hints and Tips:

(1) For added realism, nearly all guns aquired are from the enemies who drop them when you (or anoter foe) kill them. This also goes for needed keys too.

(2) Take advantage of any protruding areas the buildings may provide for cover. Be careful, as these can also provide a way to trip up and become a VICTIM of an attack!

(3) This level is not the most linear in the world, so it is very likely you will go the wrong way at times (take a corridor you're not ready for, for example). If you get creamed easilly, chances are, that path was not yet ready to be taken.

(4) This level provides you with SQUAT for ammo. Use your BLASTER as often as possible.

(5) There's THREE secrets. They're not needed, but they can help in places.

(6) Be warned, some areas are heavilly fortified with mosters, so be very prepared! Usually what's there is usually Blaster fodder.

(7) Spare those rockets. You can really need them is a spot or two.

Known Boo-boos:

(1) Low memory systems: IT JUST WON'T LOAD AT ALL!!!
Uhh, I unintentionally went over the 3MB limit for low-end PC's. If you go above this filezise for a .BSP, machines with minimum RAM and HD space may not be able to play this. OOPS! Oh well, it's my first (and last?) large map.

(2) 4 BUILDS TO GET THIS RIGHT! Bad texturing, monsters facing the wrong way, one was stuck (Ain't Q2 suposed to mention that upon loading, like Quake did?), and one opened a door it shouldn't.

Miscelaneous:

Editor used for building: Worldcraft 1.6 Winbugs95/98/No Thought
Nodebuilder for BSP making: QBSP3, QRAD3, QVIS3, Winbugs95/98/No Thought
WAD2 file for textures: The ones WC came with.

     Build Times (Using a Compaq Presario (P2/450):
     Megs O' RAM: 128    Free HD Space to compile: Over 10GB
     QBSP3: 30 seconds. (WOAH!)
     QVIS3: 42 minutes, 42 seconds, fill VIS. (Excellent!)
     QRAD3: 13 minutes, 07 seconds. (-Bounce 40   -extra)
     
     Single Player: Yes.      Multi: 4      Deathmatch: 8
     CTF: NONE
     Difficulties Supported: Easy, Medium, Hard
     Additions: None

Thanks for trying REoL TOUGH: InSaNiTy! You read enough crap, so close up the browser and start playing my level! C-ya'

King REoL
TODAY'S MORAL: By the time you've played this map, you'll be the oldest you've ever been.