===========================================================================
Primary purpose         : Single play
Advanced engine required: ZDoom 2.6.1 or newer, and/or Zandronum 3.0+
===========================================================================
Title                   : Necrodoom
Filename                : xa-necro.pk3
Release date            : 12/31/2017
Version                 : 1.0.0
Author                  : Xaser Acheron
Email Address           : [redacted]

Description             : Gameplay modification for Doom(2).

                          You're the pilot of the experimental AS-66K
                          Necrosuit, an assault exoskeleton developed for heavy-
                          duty military operations. Asskicking and name-taking
                          are your daily duties, so when the Union Aerospace
                          Corporation wisely decides to open a gateway to Hell
                          one fateful day, you decide to do what you do best:
                          suit up and kick some demon ass!

                          The mod serves as a 'conversion' of sorts of
                          the arsenal from Raven Software's obscure car-combat
                          shooter "Necrodome," featuring a stylish set of 
                          suit-mounted guns loosely inspired by their
                          Necrodome counterparts. Melt the competition with
                          laser cannons, heat-seeking missiles, twin
                          chainguns, and rocket scatter pods. Kablooey!

                          See the "Gameplay Notes" section below for a
                          breakdown of the mod's more subtle features, like
                          entering/exiting the Necrosuit and inventory basics.

Additional Credits to   : Kate: love and sanity
                          Raven Software: Necrodome and CyClones (where I
                           snagged the sabre glove and rocket sprites from).
                          amv2k9: the lion's share of Raven/Strife support. 
                          combinebobnt: multiplayer balancing n' LMS support
                          Bouncy: improved shotgun and suit-voice sounds.
                          Jute: posting the original Necrodome rips.
                          Blox: some sprite edits (clawless gloves)
                          Carlcyber: ACS stuffage (quick sqrt function)
                          Cory Whittle: those oh-so-famous casing sprites.
                          Rogue Entertainment for Strife (where I stole the
                           radar-map graphic from ;)
===========================================================================
* What is included *

New levels              : No
Sounds                  : Yes
Music                   : Yes
Graphics                : Yes
Dehacked/BEX Patch      : Does DECORATE count? This template's out of date!
Demos                   : No
Other                   : Probably.
Other files required    : None


* Play Information *

Game                    : Doom/Doom2
Map #                   : N/A
Single Player           : Designed for
Cooperative 2-4 Player  : Designed for
Deathmatch 2-4 Player   : Yes! Weapon balance in DM is tweaked slightly for
                          optimal balance and whatnot. Give it a whirl!
Other game styles       : See above.
Difficulty Settings     : Yes! A new difficulty, "Man and a Half!", has been
                          added to the menu, which is functionally equivalent
                          to UV -fast. Give it a whirl if you find you're
                          blazing through things too easily on UV.


* Construction *

Base                    : Resources from Necrodome by Raven Software,
                          ripped by Xaser. Code from-scratch by Xaser.
                          Exceptions noted in "Additional Credits" above.
Build Time              : Two-ish weeks for release #1, followed by years
                          of endless tweaking and idling. Word.
Editor(s) used          : SLADE, PSP7
May Not Run With...     : Versions of Doom prior to 1.9


* Gameplay Notes *


 ARSENAL
 -------
  What good is a military-grade exoskeleton without massive
  weapons? Thankfully, the Necrosuit has this niche covered:

 * H-V Guns: This standard-issue fully-automatic cannon fires
    50-caliber rounds and comes equipped with internal recoil
    stabilizers and heatsinks, resulting in one mean
    no-nonsense killing machine.
 * Twin Chainguns: A fan favorite, these 7.62mm Miniguns will tear
    through anything in its path in quick (but not so accurate)
    succession. Technically, the term "chaingun" is a misnomer as it
    sports multiple barrels, but the designers of the Necrosuit played
    video games more often than they used actual military hardware.
 * Rocket Pod: Like explosions? How about twenty? This self-loading
    rocket rack fires a swarm of explosive bundles of joy in a
    diamond pattern, ensuring maximum coverage and room-clearing
    potential. When everything in your way just needs to go boom,
    the Rocket Pod is a fine choice.
 * Laser Cannon: This sci-fi monstrosity fires beams of superheated
    plasma at high speeds that rip through opponents and leave behind
    a cool neon-green trail. Self-cooled and with zero recoil, this
    weapon is an instant classic. Why negotiate with the enemy when
    you can melt 'em?
 * Heavy Cannon: When drafting the plans for the Necrosuit, the
    original designers all agreed on one thing: what better thing to
    do than to mount a 120 mm tank gun to it? Even with its impressive 
    recoil stabilization system, this bad boy sports a wicked kick
    that can be felt from here to Kansas... and leave holes in
    every poor sucker along the way.
 * Missile Launcher: A cardinal rule shared among the Necrosuit's
    engineers is that one can never have too many explosions. The
    pinnacle of explosive technology, the infrared-homing HE Scorch
    Missile, can now be yours with the purchase of this forward-
    mounted missile launcher. Fire, forget, and watch the fun unfold!


 INVENTORY
 ---------
  The Necrosuit comes equipped with an internal storage bay
  for military hardware, which can be deployed asynchronously at the
  pilot's command. The types of hardware available are as follows:

 * Napalm Bomb (NAPL): Sometimes one just wants to watch the world burn.
    Drop this puppy and RUN, then look back to enjoy the barbecue.
 * Smokescreen (SMOK): The latest in cloaking technology, this device
    envelops the user in a fine mist of nanoparticles that mask their
    visual profile, making the suit appear translucent and difficult to
    spot. Up to three can be stacked for maximum invisibility.
 * Oxygen Tank (OXYG): Although the Necrosuit comes complete with a
    life-support system, air isn't free. This simple disposable unit
    will not only allow the user to breathe underwater but also
    protects one against radioactivity and toxins as well.
 * Force Field (FORC): The latest in military defense technologies,
    this device will completely shield the user from harm. Its internal
    fusion core will only last for approximately thirty seconds, so
    it is imperative to make the most of it. Technology isn't cheap.
 * Radar System (RADR): An advanced sonar mapping prototype that will
    scan the immediate area and update the Necrosuit's internal automap
    with a complete reading of unvisited areas. A must-have for all
    cautious explorers.
 * Rage Battery (BATT): This nifty little device provides a jolt of
    power that will not only activate the Necrosuit's power-hungry auto-
    repair system (thus restoring the suit to 100% health) but also
    provide a massive power boost to the suit's arm units, greatly
    increasing the damage dealt by melee attacks. Knock 'em out
	
  Heretic, Hexen, and Strife include a few more pieces of hardware:
  
 * Grenade (GREN):  Simple thrown bouncy explosive device that replace
    Time Bombs and Flechettes. Compatible with "useflechette" keybind.
 * Fusion Bomb (FBOM): A good ol' BFG shot, complete with quirks, in a
    convenient, portable form. Replaces various offensive artifacts
    such as Morph Ova and Banishment Devices.
 * Booster (BSTR): Jetpack! Though the Necrosuit is far too heavy to
    lift, but you'll get plenty of mileage from this doodad after
    exiting the suit.
 * Shock Coil (COIL): Electromagnetic repulsion device that blasts
    enemies away with violent force. Totally not a reskinned Disc of
    Repulsion or anything.
 * Lightning Oil (LOIL): It's like WD-40 on crack! This stuff
    lubricates the engines or something and allows you to move a lot
    faster. Nobody really knows why. Replaces the Boots of Speed; an
    "OIL" sprite was all I could find. :P
 * Shotgun Silencer (SILC): Nifty device that renders the runner's
    Shotgun weapon silent for 20 shots. Once applied, the silencer
    cannot be taken off until used up because this is a videogame
    and that would be really hard to code.


 ENTERING/EXITING THE SUIT
 -------------------------
  In addition to the above, an inventory item labeled
 'EXIT' can be utilized to exit the Necrosuit and run around a bit.
  As a Runner, you are more vulnerable to enemy fire and are unable to
  heal but come equipped with a shotgun and a practically limitless
  supply of explosive slug ammunition, allowing you to stand your ground.

  As an emergency procedure, unmanned suits can be remotely detonated
  (via the 'DETO' inventory item), reducing anything around it to ashes.
  Be warned, however, that excessive gunfire can cause an empty suit to
  enter self-destruct mode as well, so watch your aim when exiting
  the vehicle.

  If stranded without a suit, a new one will be beamed in at the start
  location after a short period of time (although the military holds
  no responsibility for a marine finding themselves unable to reach said
  spawn point), much to the dismay of the guys who run the budget.

  Exiting the Necrosuit should usually be considered a last resort, but
  ejecting from the suit when its hull integrity is low can very well
  save your life. And possibly end a few others as well.


 HERETIC NOTES
 -------------
  To best match Heretic/Hexen's style of gameplay, several new inventory
  items have been added that replace somewhat-equivalent-ish Raven
  artifacts. Additionally, Major Repair Kits, which replace Quartz
  Flasks, are usable from the inventory in Heretic/Hexen.

  Ammo balance should in theory be better than in Doom, since each weapon
  in Heretic happens to run on its own ammotype, just like Necrodoom.
  It's probably not perfect, of course, but it's nice n' playable.

  The Wings of Wrath have been replaced by a "Booster" device that
  levitates the player, but only when outside of the suit. The idea is
  to provide more incentive for leaving the suit, though it's maybe
  a bit tricky to figure out.

  In Heretic, the flight powerup will be instantely canceled if the
  player re-enters the suit, so keep this in mind.

  The Missile launcher spawns in place of the Firemace, unconditionally
  (i.e. no gimmicky random appearance like in the vanilla game).

  POSSIBLE ISSUE: The Chaos Device replacement artifact is not a
  teleporter; as such, if there are any maps out there that rely on
  this for game progression, you'll probably get stuck. Welp.


 HEXEN NOTES
 -----------
  Just like the base game, this mod only has two ammo types when run
  with Hexen: Ballistic and Explosive, which correspond to Blue and
  Green mana respectively. A third "combined" ammo pickup exists that
  gives both. The HVGun, Chaingun, and Laser Gun use Ballistic ammo
  while the Rocket Pod, Cannon, and Missile Launcher opt for Explosive.

  As per Hexen's original behavior, the flight powerup lasts for the
  duration of a hub. You will still only be able to fly when outside
  the suit, but the flight power will be restored upon exit.

  In order to place the full roster of weapons, items for all classes
  will spawn. This allows weaponry to replace each of Hexen's unique
  weapons for all classes, but as a result, you might run into a few
  more beasties than you're normally used to.

  POSSIBLE ISSUE: As a side effect of the above point, in some wads,
  you may encounter overlapping creatures or an excess of items; this
  can't be helped unfortunately, but shouldn't be too destructive
  since ZDoom handles overlapping monsters pretty gracefully nowadays.
  
  KNOWN ISSUE: Puzzle items are not shown anywhere on the UI, since
  they didn't fit properly in the inventory screen. Lame, but if
  you have 'em, you can still use them. Just keep an eye out.


 STRIFE NOTES
 -----------
  IMPORTANT: Strife support is in theory all good, but testing beyond
  the Programmer is extremely limited, so it's possible something's broke.
  Apologies in advance if so, but Strife's notoriously janky and this
  mod is a bit of an odd fit with it anyway. Nevertheless...

  For simplicity's sake, the Sigil no longer exists (though game
  progression should be unaffected thanks to dummy items), so just
  ignore the strangeness of the player never actually wielding it
  despite the story saying it's there. It's not any weirder than the
  Acolytes ignoring the suspicious guy in a mech suit stomping around
  everywhere. :P

  For balance purposes, Most enemies in Strife are doubly-resistant to
  general attacks (except melee). This should hopefully make the game
  semi-balanced-ish, though don't be surprised if you're rolling in
  ammo early on.

  Melee attacks (both in- and out-of-suit) are silent and will not
  raise alarms, though Acolytes will be alerted if they see you.
  A silent ranged weapon is available in the form of a silencer item
  (replacing Crossbow pickups) that will make the runner Shotgun
  noiseless for 20 shots. It's rare, so pick your shots wisely.

  A few modified conversation scripts are included so that vendors
  sell Necrodoom ammo types now. Very basic edits, but better than none.

  As in Strife proper, all healing and armor items are carried in
  the inventory, and behave pretty much the same as Strife's.

  Minor Issue: Though dialogue text has been updated where necessary,
  there is at least one case (Harris's "Here's a Crossbow...") where
  the voice acting will not match the text. Can't really be fixed
  unless we can track down Harris's original voice actor and bribe
  him into recording a new line. ;)


* Copyright / Permissions *

Authors MAY use the contents of this file as a base for modification or
reuse.  Permissions have been obtained from original authors for any of
their resources modified or included in this file (excluding Necrodome's
resources, I suppose :P ).

You MAY distribute this file, provided you include this text file, with no
modifications.  You may distribute this file in any electronic format (BBS,
Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include this file intact.

* Where to get the file that this text file describes *

ZDoom forum thread: https://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=31741

Download link: Same place you found this text file, one would hope. ;P
