About This File
Ten level episode for the game engine, ZDOOM. This episode fully accomodates ZDoom's enhancements of free-look, jumping and the Boom/ZDoom enhanced set of line specials. It also has areas of complexity and grandeur of archetecture and settings not previously possible under DoomII. EarthZD also has a custom sky specifically designed for ZDoom. It is based upon the Earth.wad episode for DoomII by the same author.
Story Line You arrive home in Earth's planetary system exhausted from enduring vicious combat that started on Phobos and led to the Gates of Hell. You are on your way to sun, surf, and fishing for a spell of well earned vacation. However, upon arrival in low Earth orbit, you learn the terrible truth--Earth is not free. You study your options and decide to insert upon a remote and rocky coastline. Levels: The Ruins (MAP01): You stand at your point of arrival, facing out to sea with rolling breakers splasing on the rocks. This looks like it should have been your vacation site. But behind you are the ruins of civilization, haunted with alien hellspawn... The Tomb (MAP02): To have hope of freeing the world, you must take back the one place the enemy considers special. It is located under the great pyramid... Mines of Moria (MAP03): Like its Lord of the Rings namesake, it is crawling with evil things... The Chasm (MAP04): The enemy is bivouacked in rugged coastal terrain. You mission is to clear them out... Strategic Defense Command (MAP05): A deep underground command and control center, one of the last great hopes for mankind in repelling the alien invasion. However, it seems to be off line, You need to find out why... Observation Station (MAP06): This place has seen some action before it fell to the enemy. Beware!... The Emerald Tower (MAP07): The Enemy has established a command post in a giant ornate emerald green tower. Your mission is to disrupt their communications by taking it back... Ammo Pit (MAP08): This is the domain of the arch-vile. Trick him into helping you... Islands (MAP09): You arrive on an rocky island in a rugged fjord. Out to sea and somewhat up the coast is another, larger island that you must somehow reach... The Hill (MAP10): You must capture a heavily defended fortress on a hill...
Combat These levels contain a wide variety of combat situations requiring different strategies. To win these levels, especially at the more difficult skill settings, requires thinking in terms of fields of fire, planning your cover, looking out for your flanks and backside, and keeping open your lines of retreat. Most of the monster placement is randomized so that their location and response are different each time these levels are played. Hence, you will be unable to count on finding specific monsters at specific locations. (And there will not be many opportunities for blasting monsters in their sleep.) The monsters occasionally show sneaky behavior due to features in the level designs. Setting: This episode is set on a rocky coastline. with spectacular outdoor views. These include high vistas and overlooks, live surf crashing onto the rocks, scenic elevator rides on the outside of tall buildings, spectacular bridges and a spectacular hilltop fortress new to EarthZD. General: Secrets generally have some clue that the thoughtful and observant player can spot. These levels are designed to be winnable at the easier skill settings without finding the secrets, but to win the more difficult settings requires locating most of the secrets. There are no totally hidden hazards or traps; there will always be some visual or audio cue to warn of there presence. Some of the pools and slime pits have depth, ie, you will sink into them, sometimes up to your eyeballs. Remember, though, this is ZDoom with free-look and jumping that plays more like Quake than the original Doom. Objects like trees, barrels, etc., are not infinitely tall and the player can jump up onto objects as tall as 56 units; this will be an important factor in navigating some places and finding some secrets. One final note; cliff edges at most of the high vistas are lethal to fall off of (one cannot expect to survive a fall of several hundred feet in real life).
Story Line You arrive home in Earth's planetary system exhausted from enduring vicious combat that started on Phobos and led to the Gates of Hell. You are on your way to sun, surf, and fishing for a spell of well earned vacation. However, upon arrival in low Earth orbit, you learn the terrible truth--Earth is not free. You study your options and decide to insert upon a remote and rocky coastline. Levels: The Ruins (MAP01): You stand at your point of arrival, facing out to sea with rolling breakers splasing on the rocks. This looks like it should have been your vacation site. But behind you are the ruins of civilization, haunted with alien hellspawn... The Tomb (MAP02): To have hope of freeing the world, you must take back the one place the enemy considers special. It is located under the great pyramid... Mines of Moria (MAP03): Like its Lord of the Rings namesake, it is crawling with evil things... The Chasm (MAP04): The enemy is bivouacked in rugged coastal terrain. You mission is to clear them out... Strategic Defense Command (MAP05): A deep underground command and control center, one of the last great hopes for mankind in repelling the alien invasion. However, it seems to be off line, You need to find out why... Observation Station (MAP06): This place has seen some action before it fell to the enemy. Beware!... The Emerald Tower (MAP07): The Enemy has established a command post in a giant ornate emerald green tower. Your mission is to disrupt their communications by taking it back... Ammo Pit (MAP08): This is the domain of the arch-vile. Trick him into helping you... Islands (MAP09): You arrive on an rocky island in a rugged fjord. Out to sea and somewhat up the coast is another, larger island that you must somehow reach... The Hill (MAP10): You must capture a heavily defended fortress on a hill...
Combat These levels contain a wide variety of combat situations requiring different strategies. To win these levels, especially at the more difficult skill settings, requires thinking in terms of fields of fire, planning your cover, looking out for your flanks and backside, and keeping open your lines of retreat. Most of the monster placement is randomized so that their location and response are different each time these levels are played. Hence, you will be unable to count on finding specific monsters at specific locations. (And there will not be many opportunities for blasting monsters in their sleep.) The monsters occasionally show sneaky behavior due to features in the level designs. Setting: This episode is set on a rocky coastline. with spectacular outdoor views. These include high vistas and overlooks, live surf crashing onto the rocks, scenic elevator rides on the outside of tall buildings, spectacular bridges and a spectacular hilltop fortress new to EarthZD. General: Secrets generally have some clue that the thoughtful and observant player can spot. These levels are designed to be winnable at the easier skill settings without finding the secrets, but to win the more difficult settings requires locating most of the secrets. There are no totally hidden hazards or traps; there will always be some visual or audio cue to warn of there presence. Some of the pools and slime pits have depth, ie, you will sink into them, sometimes up to your eyeballs. Remember, though, this is ZDoom with free-look and jumping that plays more like Quake than the original Doom. Objects like trees, barrels, etc., are not infinitely tall and the player can jump up onto objects as tall as 56 units; this will be an important factor in navigating some places and finding some secrets. One final note; cliff edges at most of the high vistas are lethal to fall off of (one cannot expect to survive a fall of several hundred feet in real life).
