The Secret Path - Doomworld /idgames database frontend

Title:	The Secret Path
Filename:	levels/doom2/s-u/thepath.zip
Size:	838.47 KB
Date:	12/15/96
Author:	John Graham
Description:	This is a huge wad that is set way under ground. It is totally futureistic and includes many clever effects. Even though this wad is massive, (over 6000 linedefs) it is not annoying in the sense that it is just one huge maze that take 5 hours to complete. The whole wad flows in one direction you never feel that you are not getting anywhere. So, the massive amount of linedefs have gone into brilliant, intricute and well thought out architecture .
Credits:	I would like to thank Micheal MacCana most of all for his
Base:	Heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy modified E1 M1 from Doom 1. It was only done for the story line, not for any architectural purposes. Actually, if you measured the lindefs that the extracted section of level is to the new parts I have made, they work out to about 1/100th!!
Build time:	This wad has been about a year in the making. Of coarse I didn't work on it for all that time. (Use your heads people!)
Editor(s) used:	DEU52GCC - The second best program ever invented for levels editing. This program allows you to create unlimited sized wads and NOT RUN OUT OF MEMORY!!! DETH - The BEST level editting program for DOOM, DOOM 2, HEXEN, HERETIC and STRIFE (quite a good little game with great textures just no game play.) If it wasn't for this program my wad wouldn't be!! Deep (original version), DeepBsp - the best nodes builder available today DShrink DMGraph DMaud Deu 2 - (shit, I ran out of memory at 1200 lindefs!) Deu53GCC Beta 9 - (this beta version did not allow me to insert textures so was only useful to build sectors, but I can see this is going to be a kick - ass program when it comes out. (Hopefully it will have unlimited memory like its younger brother.) Picture Publisher - (for modifying the textures) Doom2wad - easy way of changing Doom 1 map names to Doom 2 map names. Doom1-2.wad - This file lets you use Doom 1 textures in Doom 2. Deep835s - A newer version of Deep (orr derrrr) EdMap - Good zoom (1 by 1 detail), bit this program ran out of memory after I had made the first room! BSP 1.1 - Used in the early stages of development. NWT - good for inserting textures and sounds.
Bugs:	There is none except for slow game play on anything less than a 486DX250. A few magic lines here and there, and sometimes strange sound effects can be heard. They sound like little children whispering with a devil like tone. It is a sound defect in the DOOM engine but I like to think them as little demons trying to break free from you computer into the real world. Possesing your body and turning life as we know it into hell itself. :) When loading, the little blue disk might dissapear and everything looks like it has frozen. THIS IS NORMAL!!!! Don't reset the computer thinking it has crashed, the level is so big it takes ages to load. You cannot save, it crashes DOOM 2 and subsequently your computer. So, if you are very far in the level and are about to die (this next thing I'm going to say is to be a fisrt from any wad designer in the world) I DO permit you to pause and put GOD MODE ON! - until the offending monsters have been dispatched, after which I beg you to take the warm and comforting bliss of not being able to die off.
Rating:	(29 votes) Log in at the Doomworld forums to comment.

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View thepath.txt

THIS WILL BE THE BEST LEVEL YOU HAVE EVER PLAYED!! READ THIS AND PLAY IT!!

START UP NOTES: Pkunzip the level to your Doom2 directory
                then execute ThePath.bat. Or type the following
                doom2 -file thepath.wad

Title                   : The Secret Path   
Name of wadfile         : ThePath.wad   
Doom Version            : This wad is only playable in Doom 2, Doom 1
                          version may be released in the near future. 
Author                  : John Graham
Location                : Melbourne, Australia  
Time of release         : November 96 
Email Address           : dolphin@alphalink.com.au 
Micellanous Author info : Well you don't need to know this but I'll 
                          put it in for all those weirdo's out there.
                          I am 15 (But please don't let that put you off)
                          And think doing handstands ontop of sky-scrapers
                          is fun.
Description             : This is a huge wad that is set way under ground.
                          It is totally futureistic and includes many clever
                          effects.  Even though this wad is massive, (over
                          6000 linedefs) it is not annoying in the sense
                          that it is just one huge maze that take 5 hours
                          to complete. The whole wad flows in one direction
                          you never feel that you are not getting anywhere.
                          So, the massive amount of linedefs have gone into
                          brilliant, intricute and well thought out architecture
                          . 
Story                   : Your name is Nelson McFare. You've been sent in to
                          finish up where Fly Taggert left off. They have sent
                          you in to clean up any left overs that could be running 
                          around the base freely. Apperently, there is a secret under
                          ground community that leads directly from the hanger to 
                          the anomaly. Fly didn't know it was there and therefore 
                          missed it. The demons didn't though. Kill all remaining
                          monsters in the tunnel, leave no survivors, take no 
                          prisoners.

Gameplay                : This is best suited to co-op and single player.
                          Death match is not able. It is not that I didn't  
                          to include it, it just did not want to seem to work
                          when put in new death match rules mode.

* Play Information *
--------------------

PLEASE NOTE!!!!! When you see a large coloured square on the ground in one room
and then the same coloured square in another, it means that the two rooms or 
switches or doors are connected in some way! (ie a switch with a blue square next 
to it will open a sector or door with another bloor square beside it)

Map Numbers             : Map 07 
Version of level        : Well, this is the first but it is highly likely
                          that I will make another version for Doom one for
                          those 3 or 4 people in the computing world who
                          unfortunatly do not own Doom 2. (I suggest you
                          get out a bit more people). 
Single Player           : YES! This is mainly what the wad is designed for.
Cooperative 2-4 Player  : Most certainly.
Deathmatch 2-4 Player   : Nope
Difficulty Settings     : As if I wouldn't. :)
New Sounds              : Yes. The sounds were taken from the  movies, 
                          Total Recall, Aliens, Terminator 2, and 
                          Hellraiser 3. And yes they were actually recorded
                          modified and imported by myself. 
                          
New Music               :Maybe if I ever get round to writing it. 
                          
New Graphics            : Yes, well sort of. What I've done is import a 
                          waterfall texture which replaces the bloodfall
                          texture. I've also inserted a little texture I
                          whipped up for good looks. Also, there are Doom
                          1 textures that are also included.
                          
              
Demos Replaced          : None

* Construction *
----------------
Base                    : Heavy, heavy, heavy, heavy modified E1 M1 from 
                          Doom 1. It was only done for the story line, not
                          for any architectural purposes. Actually, if you
                          measured the lindefs that the extracted section
                          of level is to the new parts I have made, they
                          work out to about 1/100th!!
PC Used                 : 486DX33 8 megs ram.
Build Time              : This wad has been about a year in the making.
                          Of coarse I didn't work on it for all that time.
                          (Use your heads people!)
Editor(s) used          : DEU52GCC - The second best program ever invented for 
                          levels editing. This program allows you to 
                          create unlimited sized wads and NOT RUN OUT OF
                          MEMORY!!! 
                          DETH - The BEST level editting program for DOOM,
                          DOOM 2, HEXEN, HERETIC and STRIFE (quite a good 
                          little game with great textures just no game play.)
                          If it wasn't for this program my wad wouldn't be!!
                          Deep (original version), 
                          DeepBsp - the best nodes builder available today 
                          DShrink
                          DMGraph
                          DMaud
                          Deu 2 - (shit, I ran out of memory at 1200 lindefs!)
                          Deu53GCC Beta 9 - (this beta version did not allow
                          me to insert textures so was only useful to build
                          sectors, but I can see this is going to be a kick -
                          ass program when it comes out. (Hopefully it will
                          have unlimited memory like its younger brother.)
                          Picture Publisher - (for modifying the textures)
                          Doom2wad - easy way of changing Doom 1 map names
                          to Doom 2 map names.
                          Doom1-2.wad - This file lets you use Doom 1 textures
                          in Doom 2.
                          Deep835s - A newer version of Deep (orr derrrr)
                          EdMap - Good zoom (1 by 1 detail), bit this program
                          ran out of memory after I had made the first room!
                          BSP 1.1 - Used in the early stages of development.
                          NWT - good for inserting textures and sounds.
Features of this WAD    : Where to start......
                          False floor, yes thats right, a floor you can
                          fall into. If you find it you'll be in for a 
                           tasty suprise. At the end of this TXT file will
                          a spoiler telling you where it is so you can just
                          marvel at this incredible technology.
                          Deep water, aka water you can fall into. (With
                          regards to Michael MacCana who taught me this
                          fabulous use of invisible sectors.
                          Grates that can open. Has to be see to be believed!
                          Original use of lighting to capture a very clever
                          affect. Magnetic repulse lifts (ie invisible stairs  
                          that rise) Invisible lifts. Deep water with only 2
                          sectors. Play it and check it out.
                          Realistic eviroment design.
Known Bugs              : There is none except for slow game play on anything 
                          less than a 486DX250. A few magic lines here and 
                          there, and sometimes strange sound effects can be 
                          heard. They sound like little children whispering
                          with a devil like tone. It is a sound defect in the
                          DOOM engine but I like to think them as little 
                          demons trying to break free from you computer into the
                          real world. Possesing your body and turning life as we 
                          know it into hell itself. :) When loading, the little
                          blue disk might dissapear and everything looks like it
                          has frozen. THIS IS NORMAL!!!! Don't reset the computer
                          thinking it has crashed, the level is so big it takes
                          ages to load. You cannot save, it crashes DOOM 2 and 
                          subsequently your computer. So, if you are very far in the
                          level and are about to die (this next thing I'm going to 
                          say is to be a fisrt from any wad designer in the world)
                          I DO permit you to pause and put GOD MODE ON! - until
                          the offending monsters have been dispatched, after which
                          I beg you to take the warm and comforting bliss of
                          not being able to die off.
Slowdown                : Seeing as I made this level on a 486 33, you'd think
                          it run well on it, well it doesn't - in a way. At 
                          the beggining it runs slow but as you progress it runs
                          very well. On my computer it is acceptable on a medium
                          screen low detail, but it runs quite superb on
                          anything above a 486DX2 50mhz in high detail. So, play
                          it and judge for yourself.

Other wads by the Author: This is my first wad.

Additional credits: I would like to thank Micheal MacCana most of all for his
invaluable help. Without this one crazed DOOM fan, my level with not be as cool.
He got me into DOOM level building and provided me with the basic instructions
and programs to start me off. He has always been there for advice and support.
He is also my major beta tester.
Luke Porter for his testing and compliments - one of which goes along the lines 
of "this is the best wad I have ever played".

Authors comments: This level has been the centre of my attention in terms 
spare time for the last year. Many times have I stayed awake all night working
on it. I could have finished it months ago, but I wanted this wad to special,
to be ground breaking, something that has never been seen before. People, this
level is special, no other wad I know even comes close in terms of detail and
ideas defying DOOM's rather limited engine. This wad is class, and I am not
just saying it because I made it, I saying it because it is the truth. It is 
the biggest single level ever made, reaching over six thousand line defs and
exceeding 1 meg in size without textures and sounds included. You would get just
as much enjoyment by putting on the nomonsters parametre and walking through it
looking at the architecture which is awe inspiring; breathtaking. Please, don't
think I'm being cocky, I am merely stating the truth. over 3000 hours have gone into
the making. THIS WILL BE THE BEST WAD YOU HAVE EVER PLAYED.
Hope enjoy it, I know you will. :)

Spoilers: In the water tank is the false floor. You have to climb into the rim 
and then just diev in. A lot of nice treats lay underwater. The three paths
are meant to get progressivly harder. All weapons can be found in each, except
the first path in which you cannot aquire the plasma. At the beggining of the level
the good weapons are secrets but they become easily obtained as the level progresses.
In the first path to aquire the BFG you have to go and look inside the room 
where the two machine soldiers are waiting (you walk over a W1 fast open door 
linedef and they jump out at you). When scavaging for the ammo and health you
should notice a blinking red square. Remember this. When you see it again in another
room which is the small hectagonal room leading from the raising stairs room. 
Once entered that room go back to the previous red square room, a switch has been 
lowered. Flick it then go back to the hectagonal red square room, voila! the BFG
The plasma gun is in the second path. Go to the toilet, where the Revenent is and kill it.
Then flush the toilet, the plasma should appear before your eyes!!
In the final path, to get to that really helpful ledge that has everything, 
flick the switch to lower the lift, two lifts will lower, get on the FIRST one
and position yourself in the middle. Let it take you up. To one side there is a switch and to the other
there is a Invince Sphere. Flick the switch and go back down the lift, to your right
you will see that the barrier stopping you from getting to a door has temporarily
lowered. Quickly go in it and open the door. There you have it!
There are some more secrets that you will have to find yourself. Have Fun!!

Whether or not you can modify this wad: Look, there is no one stopping you from 
doing so, but I'd rather you didn't. The level is so big that the only modifying
you will really be able to do is things and textures. If you do modify it, I want to be known
as the creator of the level and I want you to distribute the original copy with the
the modified one. Thanx! Anyway you can't modify it, I have used to shrink, so
basically it is impossible now. Have a nice day.

mong