HEXEN: Cyrgoth's Manor - 7 Level Hub + Deathmatch WAD

[PWAD Pete]

Cyrgoth's Manor is a 7 level singleplayer WAD for HEXEN, designed for GZDoom and Zandronum. It is compatible with any Hexen gameplay mod because it uses no new resources. Cyrgoth's Manor was also designed with Co-op in mind and the maps are also optimized for deathmatching modes as well. It contains 1 secret level in addition to the 6 mandatory levels. There are secrets in this WAD, however, like in Hexen, they are unmarked, so good luck finding all of them!

 

 

Screenshots:

Spoiler

 

 

Download: https://www.dropbox.com/s/sdpzebhtl6scban/CYRGOTH2.zip?dl=0

 

Due to leaving the ZDoom Forums, I will also post a WAD that I never uploaded on Doomworld called Realm of Carnage.

 

Realm of Carnage is a Deathmatch Mappack that consists of 13 levels. Each level is unique in it's own way, whether it be with item re-population, map hazards, secret rewards, etc. The level aesthetics in Realm of Carnage attempt to not stray far from that of original Hexen so you get a classic 1995 feel while playing.

As an added bonus, I created Serpent Arsenal, a small weapon pack for Hexen specifically designed for deathmatch. I didn't spend a whole lot of time on this mod, which is why it doesn't have it's own thread. If you want to learn more about that mod look in the dedicated spoiler below. Serpent Arsenal is included in the .zip file with Realm of Carnage.

All maps made by Seidolon except MAP06 and MAP11 which are designed by auratoostronk and touched up by Seidolon.

 

Screenshots:

 

Spoiler

 

MAP01 - River Village

 

MAP02 - Forest of Suffering

MAP03 - Iceberg Cove

MAP04 - Dark Chasm

MAP05 - Misty Ravine

MAP06 - Swiftwater Canyon

MAP07 - Serpent Chapel

MAP08 - Hidden Mortuary

MAP09 - The Whirlpool

MAP10 - Eye of Chaos

MAP11 - Secluded Grotto

MAP12 - Tower of the Sentinel

MAP13 - The Sentinel's Throne

 

 

 

- Serpent Arsenal -

 

What this mod does:
    - This mod replaces each ultimate weapon piece for each player class with a new weapon entirely. This means that there are two new weapons for each character. The final weapon piece is replaced by the ultimate weapon itself but it is completely assembled. Due to the fact that the ultimate weapons is much easier to obtain, each one has some stat debuffs to make them more balanced.
    - This mod also changes some existing features to make them more deathmatch friendly. 
      Currently, these are what have changed:
          - Mage's Sapphire Wand has decreased speed and smaller hitbox.
          - Porkelator artifact now only porkifies players/enemies for 10 seconds.
          - Fighter's Flechettes bounce on water instead of disappearing.
          - Each weapon now has a colorful glow around it (if needed) to make it more visible as well as appropriate GLDefs glow effects too.

The Weapons:

    Mage:
        - Hellstaff, Same as from Heretic but recolored to green since the mage has no green weapons. :( SLOT 2 Uses Blue Mana.
        - Phoenix Rod, Same as from Heretic. SLOT 3 Uses Green Mana.

    Cleric:
        - Ethereal Crossbow, Same as from Heretic, but with a pretty trail of sparks for added effects. SLOT 2 Uses Blue Mana.
        - Meteor Staff, Not the same one from Hexen 2. Summons meteors to fall in 3 straight lines in front of you. SLOT 3 Uses Green Mana.

    Fighter:
        - Throwing Spears, Fires very fast enchanted spears that can insta-kill a player. They can be tricky to hit a moving target with though. When no Blue Mana is present, throws regular spears that still can hurt a lot. SLOT 2 Uses Blue Mana.
        - Voltaic Gauntlets, Fires 4 (2 from each hand) slow moving balls of powerful electricity. SLOT 3 Uses Green Mana.

 

Realm of Carnage + Serpent Arsenal DOWNLOAD: https://www.dropbox.com/s/kmk7fkzwtz61icu/RealmOfCarnageV1.75.zip?dl=0

Edited June 6, 2019 by Seidolon

[Emmanuelexe]

Awesome, thank you! More Heretic & Hexen stuff!
Downloaded!

[WhiteMagicRaven]

Excellent work!!!

[Vermil]

Yay, more Heretic and HeXen stuff :)

[Ichor]

Played it, found the secret map. I liked it. It had plenty of action, though there were a few minor issues:

 

1. I went to the wrong map first, and ended up going through most of Black Valley with no hammer (on hard), not realizing that it was in another map. Maybe you could add the 3rd weapon at the start of that map too, so you will get it regardless of what map you go to first.

 

2. There needs to be a bit more mana and health in some places, like Black Valley. Of course, it could be because I was running around with just an axe, but I was seriously lacking in health all throughout that map. In the ice map, I was running low on mana in a few places, and the enemy respawns didn't help either.

 

3. I don't see much of a reason why you have the emerald key blocked off by a castle key door, while also being on that pillar. By the time you lower the emerald key, you would already have the castle key, making that locked door kind of redundant.

 

4. That rusted key puzzle was a bit on the annoying side. It might be better if those bookshelves weren't there to get in the way.

 

5. If you have more than one death wyvern in an area like that, there is a good chance that they will collide with each other and get stuck in midair. That happened to me and I was able to kill one and almost kill another while they were just floating there, not even firing. Maybe if you had two of them, and both use different mapspots that are at different altitudes, it should minimize the chance of them colliding.

[Caleb13]

I finished it today and I agree with all Ichor's points, beause I also played as Fighter on hard difficulty. I want to particularly stress the ammo shortages - after a while, it became really annoying to melee-fight most monsters with unpowered axe. Eventually, I used "kill monsters" on two maps and then used them as spare ammo source. The shattering portal to the secret level was a bitch move, becuse it's the only one with oversupply of ammo. Also, some puzzles took me very long to figure out, because there are simply lots of switches, bars and locked doors and it's not apparent which switch opens what. You should add more puzzle messages and make existing ones more specific.

Edited May 23, 2019 by Caleb13

[PWAD Pete]

Thanks for playing it guys! Much appreciated! I will update this and fix the things you guys mentioned in V2 of this WAD. It is weird that you were both lacking in mana for the Fighter, since I remember having an over abundance of it more than any of the other classes when playing through. I can add the 3rd weapons to both of the maps on hard difficulty to make it easier. I'll fix the castle key door by the emerald key. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I was adding that. The rusted key puzzle is kinda annoying I agree, I'll maybe remove some of the bookshelves to give the player an easier passage through. For the death wyverns, I do actually have them all on different map spots, it is just a cramped area and they tend to collide. I thought I minimized it for the most part in testing, but I'll see what I can do to improve it. The shattering portal to the secret map is supposed to prevent you from exploiting the map too much while giving you full mana during your visit, but when I fix the mana problem, hopefully that won't be too annoying anymore. I did add a lot of messages to the switches throughout the hub, at least I feel I did a better job than the original game did at that. Mostly, the ones without messages are for secret or optional areas that take more effort to find. Again though, I'll see what I can do to improve this.

 

Thank you for your time playing my WAD and your helpful and constructive criticism!

Edited May 24, 2019 by Seidolon

[Caleb13]

At what difficulty did you play? My first run was at Berserker and there was simply not enough mana. I tried playing on Warrior yesterday and I still run into a few shortages, even though I used flechettes and Dark Servants on groups of monsters, pushed them into deep pits, turned into pigs etc. Maybe it's because you know all the secret mana caches since you designed the maps? Or do you rely on monster infigting?

Edited May 24, 2019 by Caleb13

[PWAD Pete]

I tested it out on all difficulties for each class. The problem might be that I mostly resorted to using my first weapon on weak enemies like ettins, even when I had mana. That is how I always played the original game. Also, you mentioned earlier using the unpowered axe when out of mana. Surprisingly, the gauntlets are actually more powerful than an unpowered axe, so knowing that might make it easier. Either way, there will be more mana in V2.

[PWAD Pete]

Updated to Version 2.

 

- More mana.

- Changed castle key door in the Emerald Key room to a normal door.

- Removed some bookshelves in the Rusted Key puzzle room.

- Added some more Health items.

- Added 3rd weapons to both the Black Valley and The Northlands.

- Adjusted the Death Wyvern's path points. Should be less likely to collide now.

 

Download link in the OP!

 

If you continue to have mana or health troubles, I would just choose an easier difficulty.

[PWAD Pete]

Just added my Hexen Deathmatch WAD Realm of Carnage and the addon Serpent Arsenal to the OP, since I never posted them on Doomworld, and won't be posting any more mods on ZDoom Forums. They will be updated in this thread from now on.

[Razumen]

Hey, maybe I'm daft, but I'm stuck. I have the first key, and a bunch of the gems, but so far I haven't seen any place to use them. I've been to (and completed as much as I could in) the canyon & ice levels, then I went back the the start map which opened up a new area with another gem inside, but from then on I've been at a standstill.

[PWAD Pete]

Someone is making a let's play of this wad on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcVIwpcrexCfDInryR6Ds3QpkC-56bJ_7

 

If you haven't been to the delta level, you probably haven't found the rusted key yet. To unlock that, you need to solve a puzzle on the Manor level.

 

If you want to know what the gems are for...

Spoiler

...they're for the secret level.

 

 

If you continue to have trouble, you can PM me for some help.

[Razumen]

Thanks! It turned out that somehow the bars to the puzzle room didn't raise, even though I had pressed the switch in the other level. But I ALSO realized I was playing an earlier release, so maybe that affected it somehow. Anyways, I played through it again using the up-to-date version on the weekend with no issue. Though I must admit I used the Wrath of Cronos mod, so not quite vanilla.

 

Quite fun levels. I liked how the higher difficulties were significantly harder in terms of monster count, and the final battle was satisfying.

Spoiler

The secret level was nice as well, though I wonder if it was really necessary to hide it behind a locked door? With the gems the player knows that they're going to be use *somewhere* anyways, so maybe having the portal being hidden in a regular secret area would've made more sense; so when they find that secret, they at least know the gems are for that, and not regular map progression.

Glad to see that people are still making fun, quality levels for Hexen :)

[PWAD Pete]

Hmm that's weird that it wouldn't open the first time. I don't recall changing anything with that script in the second version. Wrath of Cronos is a great mod btw. I play tested this WAD with it before releasing it and it was fun. The only problem is the final battle with the Death Wyverns is too hard because there's nowhere to hide from them since they now just fly straight towards you. I am glad to hear you like this WAD. There will be more similar Hexen content coming from me in the future so stay tuned!

[Impie]

Took it for a quick spin with Karnak. The amount of monsters is a tad kooky, but the map layouts are pretty well done.

 

 

Edited August 26, 2019 by Impie

[waverider]

I'd also like to say thanks for making this, I had a great time with it!

 

Also...

 

Spoiler

I'm glad to see that you're planning some kind of sequel, according to the final ingame text! Could one hope for a complete megawad? ;) In other cases, more Hexen is always a good thing!

 

[PWAD Pete]

Glad to hear you enjoyed my WAD! I sure enjoyed making it.

 

Spoiler

In regards to the sequel WAD, it is actually almost done with it. I am currently putting some finishing touches on it and am balancing out items/mana. It will then undergo some thorough testing before release. I have a planned release date for the 30th of October this year, which will be the 24th anniversary of Hexen's release. I might make a Hexen megawad some day, however, for now I do like making single hub WADs. The sequel is bigger with a total of 8 maps in it. If I make a third installment in the series, perhaps I would go even further with a 9 or 10 map hub.

 

[maulosiarch]

I have been running around for several hours now, having completed all of the sections available in Cyrgoth's Manor, Northern Icelands and Black Valley, and have not found a single key to make me go further. I also keep collecting planets, but have not seen the planet puzzle piece to put them on. And I'm playing version 2. Help?

[waverider]

@Seidolon:

 

Spoiler

Is the new episode on track for release on the 30th?

 

[PWAD Pete]

On 10/27/2019 at 3:57 PM, maulosiarch said:

I have been running around for several hours now, having completed all of the sections available in Cyrgoth's Manor, Northern Icelands and Black Valley, and have not found a single key to make me go further. I also keep collecting planets, but have not seen the planet puzzle piece to put them on. And I'm playing version 2. Help?

Have you solved the switch puzzle on the Manor level? That should lower the rusted key on the Black Valley. If you haven't found the puzzle area, it's to the south of the map. It should be behind a stone door. If that is closed, there should be some switches you have to hit in the sewers area.

On 10/27/2019 at 10:02 PM, waverider said:

@Seidolon:

 

  Hide contents

Is the new episode on track for release on the 30th?

 

Yup. Been losing power here in Northern California lately, so if there's a power outage when I plan on uploading it (in about 22 hours now), it might be postponed a bit, but it seems like there should be power here in time for the release.

[waverider]

@Seidolon: Sounds great, can't wait!

[Nihlith]

Just downloaded the Wad. I really haven't found very many good Hexen wads and this one looks like a beauty. I'm looking forward to it. Thank you Seidolon!

[Jimmy]

I'm playing this now (I started playing before Cyrgoth's Revenge, then moved onto that one). I must admit I'm horrendously stuck. Navigation isn't quite as intuitive here as it is in the sequel set. But that only means you've improved!

 

Spoiler

I see a key on a tall pillar in the Black Valley, along with a couple of locked doors I can't open, and there's a Heart of D'Sparil on a ledge I can't access in the Northlands (I have none of the hearts yet). I've collected two planet gems now, and judging from the posts in this thread it looks like I'm closer to finding the secret level than I am to regular progression. Rather stumped as to where to go now. I haven't found the planet chart yet.

 

[PWAD Pete]

Spoiler

There's a switch on the main hub level that should lower that key on the Black Valley. You must complete a switch puzzle in order to gain access to said switch, however. If you have trouble with the switch puzzle, try observing the room in which you are in.

 

[Jimmy]

I've played through this twice now, once on hard, once on medium. It's good stuff!

 

The monster count does seem a bit excessive on hard, so dropping the difficulty down certainly helped things flow better for me. Mana and item balance also felt fair.

 

Further feedback in spoiler:

 

Spoiler

Lots to explore, lots of secrets to find, and many cool moments like the ice crumbling into lava in that room in the Northlands, and the walls exploding on the Sacred Crossing. I'm glad I played through twice as I wouldn't have remembered the optional Emerald door being in the Sacred Crossing if I hadn't. :P

 

I found the secret map a bit of a disappointment, but I think the secret portal shattering was probably my favorite effect in the whole set.

 

I had a few navigability issues, many of which stemming from the hub map and how there seemed to be many switches on it dedicated to opening up locked doors, and locked bars behind locked doors - at times it felt a little excessive. The rusted key being lowered in Valley via a switch in the Manor, and then having to backtrack to the Manor  to use the key, also felt a little overly backtrack-y, particularly since the rusted door is quite deep into the map. I felt like opening up the map layout in just a few respects couldn't have gone amiss, such as allowing the player to jump over the turrets by the Sirix Delta portal, etc. That type of thing. I will always champion open layouts that allow multiple routes to the same destination, and certainly you have that in no small capacity in the levels themselves, I think it's mainly just a complaint I had with the hub.

 

Again though, really cool set, very pleased to see quality Hexen content being put out. :)

 

Edited November 8, 2019 by Jimmy

[rivendor]

I had played Doom 2 back in the day, but I had never played Hexen. I had heard about its hub design and puzzles, and that it was called difficult and unfriendly. However, I finally decided to give it a shot earlier year. I played through the whole thing and loved it. There isn't really a nostalgia factor for me, since I didn't play it as a kid/adolescent. But the gameplay held up really well.

 

That said, months later I was itching for more Hexen and found this wad. I'm playing through it right now with Brutal Hexen RPG and Neuro 4k textures, and it is amazing. I love your level design, and it's hard as hell with the brutal mod.

 

I just had to make an account and say thanks for your hard work. I'm loving these levels, I can't wait to get to Cyrgoth's Revenge.

[PWAD Pete]

Cyrgoth's Revenge is released already. Judging by how you worded that I assumed you didn't know this already, but I could be wrong.

 

Hexen has a huge nostalgia factor for me since it was the first game I ever played. That is partly why I stick to vanilla assets, as well as being compatible with weapon and enemy mods.

 

I also made that Brutal Hexen RPG mod you're using. I based it off Sergeant Mark IV's Brutal Hexen mod. I unfortunately abandoned it because I had too many ideas and not enough time and resources to make them. I could perhaps continue it one day, but I would like to seperate the Brutality from the RPG-ness, possibly resulting in two seperate mods.

[rivendor]

Yeah, I saw it was released. I only meant how I can't wait to get through both hubs. But life has a way of limiting my time available to play.

 

 

Its awesome how well this game holds up. I missed the feeling of being lost in the hubs, I couldn't really find that feeling in other games, so I just tried to find some more hexen levels.

 

I feel like the most satisfying games I've played recently have been hexen and the quake arcane dimensions. Neither of which I played back in the day. But there's something about the gameplay experience from those engines thats simplistic and engrossing.

 

Anyways I'm rambling.

 

Great work man.

[rivendor]

anyone got a hint on how to lower the emerald key?