*** Scragbait's Estate *** 07 May 2000 by Scragbait Email: jmeacher@wescam.com Game: Quake 1 Single Player: Yes! 81 Baddies on Hard and Nightmare 69 for Normal 42 in Easy Coop: No, but if I get requests I'll compile a version with coop starts. Deathmatch: No, but if there is interest, I'll see what I can do. I think rocket fights in the turret would be cool. Description: Scragbait's Estate is a large single player level that was designed with atmosphere and gameplay in mind. A small start level launches you into the complex that is Scragbait's Estate which in turn leads down into the secret mines held by Quake's forces. Note! The end level is unfinished. Keep your saved game so when the finished ending is released in June, you don't have to enter cheats or play through SBE again to get the needed weapons and ammo. A small placeholder level is included so that you can see my logo =). This level is best played with a good PC and graphics card but is tolerable in most areas on slower PCs. If you play in a dark room, the mood and detail will be much better >:). The Story: Kneeling in the garden, hacking up weeds with your hatchet, the clouds casting a shadow over your corroded armour, you recall pensively your fullest days of glory. It seemed like only last year that the hot acid smell of Chthon's electrocuted flesh filled your nostrils and the warm gelatinous hug of Shub's telefragged meat embraced you as a hero through destruction. The adventures you described; the insatiability of the audiences eager for stories and films of your battles; the never-ending demand for your fighting skills. Those were truly wonderful times. Days forced into the past by time's indifferent tyranny. Now instead of raining gibs and gurgling screams, all you hear are little birds and the occasional lawn mower. It seems as though Quake is defeated, judging from the lack of calls you get. Retirement doesn't suit you. Suburban neighbours don't like you for stupid reasons such as wearing yellow armour in full sun, starting the barbeque with grenades and for always having that damn axe in your hand wherever you go. Perhaps they would have been happier as crucified zombies in the magma rich chambers of the runic halls you cleaned out just so that they could treat you as a misfit. You leave the vegetable garden and are just about to log into Planetquake to read Crash's abandoned reviews of age old battles when the special pager goes off. The pager whose batteries you thought were dead since it never chirped these days. Pushing the dinky buttons, the LCD backlit display shows just one word; QUAKE. Your eyes go squinty. Your lips pull back. Your teeth clench. What appears to be a pained grimace is in fact a broad smile. "We've encountered an isolated compound that appears to show Quake infestation," speaks the commander. "The building complex has been abandoned by the mining company that owned it and if it wasn't for a couple scouts trespassing in search of training grounds, we never would have known that Quake forces have overtaken it. Judging from the number of occupants, we believe that something significant is going on. Intelligence believes that a slipgate is somewhere on the property but any platoons we send in don't return. We hate to ask you back because we know how much you enjoy the simpler life but no one has your experience at single marine penetration and extermination. The compound is known as Scragbait's Estate and many of its passages are barricaded by Quake's minions. Even if you reject this mission, you can't speak of it. All information regarding Quake related security matters are top secret." You tell the commander that your automatic sprinkler will tend to the tomato patch and into three bags go all your weapons, ammo and armour. Your first setback occurs after corrupt baggage handlers from the discount charter airline sell your weapons to a country shunned by the UN Security Council, leaving you with one rusty boomstick and 25 shells; all that could fit into your carry-on bag. You sigh but starting missions with a T-shirt and bunny popper are pretty routine and your keen eye will have to do until you recover armament from neutralized enemies. Unfolding the secret map and checking your handheld GPS, you gulp down a Powerbar and head for Scragbait's Estate. By sundown, you reach the gates. The rest of the story is yours to finish. Good luck brave Quaker. How to Play: Unzip the files into your \Quake\id1\maps folder. Create it if it doesn't exist. If you are playing dos Quake, type 'quake +map sbe_strt -winmem 28' without quotes. Use a higher number than 28 if you have the RAM to spare. You have to force more memory for Quake or else it bombs with a heapsize error. In GLQuake, bring down the console with the ~ key and type 'map sbe_strt'. Comments and Hints: This level was designed and beta tested to be played on hard. If you want the best gaming experience, that is the only setting to play. You don't have to make every shot count but you do need a good batting average. Secrets aren't needed to finish. Don't pick up ammo crates unless you can use all of the rounds in it (i.e. don't have 99 shotshells and than walk into another large crate.) There is at least one combat in which getting the monsters to fight one another is a good idea. Easy is made speedrun friendly by providing convenient zombie gatekeepers who will open doors after you reduce them to carrion scented rubble. There is one easy secret in the start level and there are eight of varying difficulty in the main SBE.bsp. The explorer is rewarded. Don't bother hacking or shooting at lights, grills or sconces unless they are totally unique. There are no secrets in unlit areas on the ground (that should save you some time.) Secrets are not boring; you'll get to see some nice areas in the map if you find them. Editors Used: I used Qoole V2.5 Registered to build the entire map (over 2100 brushes, 800 entities) but it wouldn't vis. Qoole has floating point round-off errors that makes precision construction impossible. I rebuilt the entire level in Worldcraft V1.6. If you want to map, test your editor with tricky geometry first. Wads Used: Quake 101, Armagon, Dissolution and some from Zerstor. Thanks to id, Ritual (formerly Hipnotic), Rogue and the talented Zerstorer team. Construction Time: I started late in the summer of '99. That was ten years ago. Don't ever tease me about actual hours put into this ;). Known Bugs/Problems: Don't worry, it sounds worse than it is: 1) Lots of greyflash on software Quake. SBE is playable where it counts. 2) r_speeds over 700 in some areas. If you have a PII/Voodoo2 combo or better, you have nothing to worry about. Slower machines will get chunky. 3) There are two bad guys who don't move about properly. You likely won't notice which ones they are. I like their placement. 4) During Beta testing, an essential enemy didn't teleport in. This only happened once and has not occurred since. 5) On 3D accelerators, some of the open doors can be seen through walls from afar. Z-buffer bummer. Usually a player will miss this due to dim lighting or by standing in close proximity to the affected doors. Thanks and Credits: Id Software: From Wolf 3D to Quake 2, they have the magic of atmosphere, gameplay and gothic horror. Can't beat that combo. Shambler: www.planetquake.com/TEAMShambler/ For supporting SPQ1 and for maintaining a central repository of fresh quality SPQ1 levels by the post Sefton-Crash generation of level building artists. For upgrading my hardware =). For keeping screenpics of SBE in his Visuals section for what felt like an eternity while I struggled to keep my commitment, missing deadline after deadline. Ben Morris: For Worldcraft. I've played a lot of maps and most of the best level builders use it. I regret not starting with it sooner but that's a sore spot with me ;). Mike Woodham: For support and advice and for letting his machine run for days vising the first successful compilation of SBE. The day he sent me the vised BSP was the day I knew this map could succeed. Vondur: For help with vis and for blunt but honest comments on an early build. Tim Elek: www.planetquake.com/tertiary For interest and enthusiasm about this project. For breaking the bad news that Qoole was the main cause of the technical problems with my map. For helping me make a very successful transition to Worldcraft. For providing very useful and entertaining demos and comments on the Beta version of SBE. Map quality was greatly improved. Sid 'Pvt Gerpsnot' Davis: For excellent beta testing reports and feedback on SBE_Beta. For interest in the project and for sticking with SPQ1 mapping. For fun email dialog on mapping, Qoole and life. Phil: For kicking Scragbait's lazy ass. For putting true emotion into playing SBE's beta (I sat beside him as he played.) For having a remarkably sharp eye for picking out the little flaws in the Beta. Linda: For being my sweetheart and for putting up with my obsessive compulsive mapping disorder. No, I don't know why I can stare at a grid for so long but I'm lucky you accept me for the Quake nut that I am. ;) Tom Grandgent/Woofer: For Enhanced QBSP 29 (Rel 3) Tim Wright (Argh!): For Arghlite V2.0 Antony Suter and Tyrann: For Rvis+ - It has a progress indicator =0). You: For downloading and playing this level. * Copyright / Permissions * Authors may NOT use this level as a base to build additional levels. It must not be sold without my permission. You MAY distribute this BSP, provided you include SBE.txt with no modifications. You may distribute this file in any electronic format (BBS, Web, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include this file intact. --- You Read this Far? --- Good for you. If you email me I'll send you a demo of the secret locations but search well for them first =).