Hexen II Demo (v.1.11)
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Special Demo Notes
* This demo will allow you to play Multiplayer games with anyone who
has a comparable code level (v1.11). Note, however, that if you
are connected to a non-demo server (either the full, retail
version or a Hexen II: Continent of Blackmarsh bundle version),
you will be disconnected if the server advances to a level that is
not included in the demo. Additionally, if you log into a non-demo
server that is currently playing a map that is not included in the
demo, you will not be able to enter the game and will remain in
the menu system seemingly doing nothing. At this point, you can
either leave the multiplayer game or wait for the active server to
load a map contained in the demo.
* The executables in this demo will not work only with this demo.
In order to use modified or custom levels, you will need to
purchase the full, retail version of the game.
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Table of Contents
The Chronicle of Deeds
* Legacy of the Serpent Riders
* The Serpent Riders
* The Lands of Thyrion
* The Servants of Eidolon
* Artifacts and Armor
* The Crucader
* The Paladin
* The Assassin
* The Necromancer
* A Bitter Farewell...
Technical Help
* Minimum System Requirements
* Getting Started
* The Basics of Play
* Your Environment
* Commands, Menu, & Console
* Multiplayer Games
Trouble-Shooting and Reference Guide
* Hexen II Software Engine (H2)
* Common Problems and Workarounds
* Hexen II 3D Accelerated Engine (GLHexen)
* DirectX 3a
* The Hexen II Team
* Important Legal Information
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The Chronicle of Deeds
[INLINE] It was precisely one year ago that Eidolon came to our world
of Thyrion. On the evening before his arrival, a rain of fire streamed
down from the sky, scorching citizens and buildings alike on the four
continents of our fair planet. By dawn the populace was fearful and
demoralized, and they fell quickly before the march of Eidolon’s
vile Golems. The attack was bold and carefully executed. All four
continents had fallen by midday: a sad tribute to the withered
resistance of our four mighty nations. Even now I am shamed to think
of it.
Now, a full year after the conquest, Thyrion still huddles in a state
of constant fear and dread. The conquest has ended, and many humans
yet survive–but in these times of trouble, life itself is a
meager blessing. Eidolon’s minions overrun the land and kill its
populace for sport. The cleverest humans make themselves unobtrusive,
avoiding Eidolon’s creatures and attempting little more than to
survive. It is under these dreary conditions that I write the
manuscript you now hold in your hands.
Legacy of the Serpent Riders
[INLINE] Several hundred years ago, in the time we now call the Age of
Dreams, there were rumors of the Serpent Riders. The Serpent Riders
were a trio of horrifying demons, wielding powerful magic and
commanding vast, formidable armies. They possessed the power to travel
from world to world–and everywhere they went, they spread chaos
and despair. Their motives were unclear, but their goals were obvious:
they wished to possess. That which they could not possess, they strove
to destroy. No world was immune, not even our beloved Thyrion.
So went the rumors, but few took heed. Some dismissed them as the
ravings of a madman, or as fairy tales told to frighten children.
Others disputed the very foundation of the stories, denying the
existence of worlds beyond our own. And still others took comfort in
obscurity: if other worlds did indeed exist, why should the Serpent
Riders trouble themselves with Thyrion?
How naïve, in retrospect, were our great civilizations. The portents
were numerous and easily read, but none–not even I, Sage of
Mur–gave them more than a cursory glance. And now we have paid
for our ignorance, as all that was prophesied has come to pass. The
four great continents of our world have been overrun by demonic
hordes, their denizens crushed, scattered, and cruelly enslaved.
Our world is, by any measure, utterly lost–and yet I cannot bring
myself to believe it. Despite all that I have seen, I assure myself
that salvation is yet possible. To this end I write the volume you now
see before you. It is a history of the Serpent Riders’ assault on
our world, and, hopefully, the counterattack that will free us of
their dominion.
At present time, the populace has little fuel for hope. None have
risen to challenge the dark armies of Eidolon. Still, I continue to
maintain my faith. In dreams and visions I have seen a band of
unlikely saviors, a defiant flicker in the darkness that cloaks our
world. Who these heroes are, I cannot say–but I shall present my
visions in the pages of this chronicle.
My visions, in fact, are our only reason for hope. They suggest an end
to Eidolon’s reign, and the possibility of our world’s
restoration. Instead of calling this history The Fall of Thyrion,
therefore, I have named it The Chronicle of Deeds, after the deeds of
unknown warriors that will hopefully save us all. These deeds may
never be realized, but I steadfastly maintain that they must–for
I shudder to think of the alternative.
- Themedes, Sage of Mur
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The Serpent Riders
[INLINE] In ages past, the steppe dwellers of Kazul-Mokh prophesied
the coming of Eidolon and his brethren. But to understand their
stories, one must first understand their view of the universe.
In the steppe dwellers’ eyes, Thyrion is just one of many worlds.
The other worlds of our universe appear as stars in the evening sky.
By the steppe dwellers’ reckoning, there are precisely one
thousand worlds besides our own, each appearing a single brilliant
star. But this view of the universe posits many questions. What lies
between the stars? What holds each world in place?
According to the steppe dwellers, the universe is filled with a clear
but viscous gas known as Aether. The Aether is to the universe what
water is to the ocean; it holds the stars in place, and fills the void
between them. A great crystal sphere encircles the Aether, preventing
it from escaping. Beyond this celestial sphere lies darkness: the very
darkness we see when the sun sinks below the horizon. This darkness is
an uncharted land of powerful demons and evil spirits, each slavering
to crush our petty worlds, but prevented by the great crystal barrier.
The steppe dwellers tell of a brilliant magician who, seeking to
travel to distant worlds, fashioned a ship of ironwood and silver to
journey through the Aether. When the ship was complete he climbed
aboard and sailed into the night, just as a mariner would take to the
seas. The journey proceeded smoothly for countless days, but then
disaster struck: the ship’s gossamer sails were torn in a great
storm of Aether. Unable to steer or otherwise control his craft, the
helpless magician watched his ship glide past the brilliant stars he
had hoped to visit. Closer and closer loomed the celestial sphere, and
the darkness beyond; the magician watched it approach with a mixture
of dread and fascination.
Finally, the magical ship collided with the barrier. The vessel’s
silver prow punctured the crystal sphere and cracked it open, allowing
a trio of demons from the darkness beyond to slip into our universe.
Horrified at the tragedy he had caused, the magician worked a final,
mighty spell to close the rift, exchanging his life for the power to
seal the cosmic barrier. He died quietly in the darkness between
worlds, wondering if our universe would survive the terror he had
unleashed. He would never know the answer, and neither, yet, do we.
So goes the story. Whether truth or fiction, it remains our best guess
as to the origin of the Serpent Riders. Many have dismissed this tale
as mere superstition, but I choose to believe it. Why? Just as the
steppe dwellers foretold the arrival of the Serpent Riders, they also
foretold the trio’s demise. For this reason alone, I fervently
hope their prophecies are correct.
[INLINE] D’Sparil
According to the texts of Yavenar the Astromancer, the Serpent
Riders’ first attack occurred two thousand years ago, on a remote
world whose name is forever lost. This world was a place of dense
population and seven mighty nations. The Serpent Riders subjugated the
world’s seven great leaders by trickery and guile, for they had
not yet attained their full power in this universe, and could not
crush the world through forthright aggression. One by one the nations
fell, as if by clockwork; their corruption and decayed traditions had
left them vulnerable to the Serpent Riders’ deception.
When the seven great nations had been subverted, they were left to
fight amongst themselves. D’Sparil, the youngest and weakest of
the Serpent Riders, was left behind to act as puppeteer. He gleefully
pulled the strings of each nation, pitting former allies against each
other, and sending peaceful nations to battle. He planned to continue
this cruel game until every nation had collapsed under the weight of
war and famine. The two elders, meanwhile, departed. It was their
intention to wreak havoc in new and unsuspecting worlds.
Only the Sidhe, a race of heretical elves hiding in the secret places
of the world, were left untouched by the Serpent Riders’ poison.
Recognizing the threat to their world, the Sidhe elders contrived a
mighty spell that crushed the greatest of the Serpent Riders’
armies, leaving behind only a fraction of the mighty horde. But
D’Sparil, sensing the source of the magic, retaliated with a
storm of pure energy that killed the elders to a man.
In the wake of this great magical battle, with the world apparently
withered beyond salvation, a single nameless Sidhe assaulted
D’Sparil’s stronghold: The City of the Damned. Using the
Sidhe elders’ Tomes of Power, mighty artifacts that enhanced the
properties of his weapons, this lone elf scored an improbable victory
against the forces of evil. D’Sparil was crushed and his minions
killed or scattered. Though merely a shadow of its former self, the
world was finally free of the Serpent Riders’ poisonous
influence.
[INLINE] Korax
The next target of the Serpent Riders’ wrath was Cronos, a
populous human world. Cronos was a land of unification and oppression,
where all of humanity bowed to the triumvirate of Legion, Arcanum, and
Church. These three institutions controlled every aspect of Cronos,
each exerting power over a meticulously defined sphere of influence.
As such, Cronos was both disciplined and fragile: by subverting the
leaders of these three institutions, the Serpent Riders instantly
gained control of the entire world. Zedek, Marshal of the Legion,
Traductus, Grand Patriarch of the Church, and Menelkir, Arch-Mage of
the Arcanum succumbed quickly to the Serpent Riders’ promises of
immortal life.
As before, a single Serpent Rider was left behind once the world was
largely enslaved. This time it was Korax, the second most powerful
Serpent Rider.
On Cronos there was no such thing as the Sidhe, no secret conclave to
expunge Korax’s grand army. But there were three brave souls who
fought against Korax’s might: Baratus of the Legion, Parius of
the Church, and Daedolon of the Arcanum. Together, these three
adventurers fought their way through the twisted realms of Cronos,
ultimately defeating the chitinous horror that was Korax. Their
victory marked a grand day for all of humanity, once again signaling
the vulnerability of the dreaded Serpent Riders.
Eidolon
Eidolon’s power is immense, his grip on our world absolute. Some
citizens believe his hellish reign must come to an end, and look to
the improbable victories against D’Sparil and Korax for
inspiration. But for most, the future is uncompromisingly bleak.
Eidolon, the oldest and strongest of the Serpent Riders, is reputedly
many times more powerful than his vile brethren. He is certainly aware
of the weaknesses that led to the downfall of D’Sparil and Korax,
and will do his best to guard himself against similar circumstances.
Indeed, he has already taken such measures: in addition to his own
troops, he has surrounded himself with the remnants of Korax’s
and D’Sparil’s broken armies.
The task at hand is formidable. Whoever challenges Eidolon must
destroy his minions on all four continents, then challenge Eidolon
himself within his ebon stronghold. The dangers are great, from
beginning to end. The dank jungles of Mazaera seethe with giant
Scorpions and Spiders, while the pyramids of Thysis are replete with
Mummies and dreaded Stone Golems. No less formidable are the horrors
lurking in the ruined cities of Septimus, or behind the crenelated
walls of Blackmarsh.
Despite all these travails, there is yet another peril: the Four
Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who serve Eidolon as generals. Each
governs one of the four great nations, and each must be defeated to
end Eidolon’s infernal dominion. Can any hero, however powerful,
face all these perils and emerge victorious? Only time will tell.
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The Lands of Thyrion
What challenges and perils await those who would strive against
Eidolon’s might? Aside from Eidolon’s ravening armies, the
land itself presents formidable challenges. For those unfamiliar with
Thyrion, I will now present a brief introduction.
Continents
Any hero wishing to clear the land of Eidolon’s minions must
visit all four of Thyrion’s great continents: Blackmarsh,
Mazaera, Thysis and Septimus. These lands all possess their own unique
perils and challenges, many of which are unknown even to me.
Blackmarsh
A land of cold rain and dark, decaying castles, Blackmarsh appears
harsh and uninviting to the casual visitor. It has become even less so
since the coming of Eidolon: once-quaint villages and fortresses have
now been overrun with Golems, Fallen Angels, and a host of other vile
creatures.
Any hero wishing to rid Blackmarsh of evil would have to fight his or
her way through several distinct locales: the Grand Cathedral, the
Underhalls, the Mage’s Tower, and more. Eidolon’s minions
have also infested the sewers beneath Blackmarsh’s greatest
cities–and these, too, must be expunged of their evil denizens.
Eidolon’s inner sanctum is rumored to lie somewhere within the
lands of Blackmarsh, though none can attest to this with any
certainty.
Mazaera
Mazaera is a land of lush rain forests and nomadic tribesmen. A few
scattered centers of civilization have been carved from the heart of
Mazaera’s steamy jungles, but the remainder of the continent
remains largely untouched by man.
Mazaera is filled with the ruins of ancient civilizations, many of
which have now been claimed by Eidolon. The legendary Plaza of the
Sun, Court of 1,000 Warriors, and Tomb of the High Priest are all
famous sites long since overrun by vile beasts. Perhaps the most
formidable of these creatures is the lithe and deadly Were Jaguar,
which makes its home exclusively in Mazaera’s warm climate.
Adventurers beware!
Thysis
Thysis is a continent dominated by desert: only the land adjoining the
coast shows signs of abundant vegetation. Within this barren desert,
several great empires have risen and crumbled–despite the
apparent hardships of living in such a hostile climate.
The distinctive culture of Thysis has always seemed unusual to
denizens of other continents, and is shrouded with even more mystery
since the coming of Eidolon. The great pyramids of Thysis, both whole
and ruined, have been conquered by hordes of Mummies and Golems. The
fantastical Palace of Horus and the forbidding Temple of Set have
likewise fallen to Eidolon’s inexorable onslaught. Only the
mightiest of heroes will succeed in this strange, hostile land, where
Scorpions run rampant, and sealed tombs conceal horrors beyond mortal
imagination.
Septimus
The most heavily populated of Thyrion’s four continents, Septimus
is a land of urban decadence. Its citizens are cosmopolitan, sampling
the best that Thyrion has to offer from the comfort of their richly
appointed palaces.
Unfortunately, the wealth and comfort of Septimus bred complacency and
sloth. Aside from the ascetic devotees of Kravnos, Septimus’
citizens were ill prepared for the coming of Eidolon. Septimus’
grand structures fell within hours of Eidolon’s initial assault:
the grand Forum, the multitudinous temples, the famous bath houses and
hanging gardens. All these grand locales were conquered in record
time, and Septimus’ citizens were forced to watch their carefully
built cities reduced to ruins overnight.
Eidolon’s minions keep a particularly strong vigil over Septimus,
due to its wealth and importance in the workings of Thyrion. Led by
deadly Medusas, these armies will present a formidable challenge to
even the mightiest champion.
Hazards and Peculiarities of Thyrion
As the reader may not be familiar with the lands of Thyrion, I shall
endeavor to describe the perils and peculiarities that are found
throughout our lands. Monsters are not the only challenge to face a
would-be hero; the land itself is replete with untold dangers.
Precipices
Thyrion is a land of steep precipices and narrow gorges. In many cases
Eidolon’s minions have used this feature to their advantage,
occupying fortresses riddled with dangerous drops, and forcing
would-be heroes to brave these perils before challenging the
fortress’ occupants.
Rivers and Lakes
Rivers and lakes are scattered across the world of Thyrion. Just as
Eidolon’s minions have chosen to take residence near dangerous
heights, so too have they staked out lairs where water is close at
hand. Thanks to the swarms of deadly Hydrae inhabiting Thyrion’s
murky waters, the presence of lakes or pools is often of great
defensive value to Eidolon.
Lava
Though uncommon, volcanic eruptions have been known to strike all
across Thyrion. In certain cases, daring architects have sought to
funnel molten lava through their palaces and tombs, either for
decorative or defensive value.
Even the hardiest of adventurers cannot withstand the heat of this
lava; falling into a pit of the stuff is almost certain death.
Traps
Eidolon’s creatures have devised any number of diabolical traps
and snares to catch the unwary adventurer. Many of these traps involve
falling sections of ceiling, magical fire that gouts from the walls,
or floors that give way to sheer drops or superheated lava. These
traps are so varied that I cannot list every sort: suffice it to say
that a hero must be cautious when infiltrating Eidolon’s
strongholds, for all manner of traps are likely to abound.
Teleporters
There is a final feature of Thyrion that bears mentioning. Unlike the
others, it is not a hazard.
I refer, of course, to the network of teleporters erected by
Thyrion’s mages many years ago. These teleporters connect
important points on each of the four continents, and in some cases,
connect the continents themselves. Using these teleporters is as
simple as walking through a door.
Teleporters will be crucial to the fight against Eidolon, for they
allow free movement among his most pivotal strongholds. Any adventurer
seeking to destroy Eidolon would do well to locate nearby teleporters
and use them to best effect.
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The Servants of Eidolon
In the year since Eidolon’s first conquest, many strange and
deadly creatures have stalked Thyrion’s shores. So that the
reader might comprehend the might of Eidolon’s army, I shall
spare a few brief pages documenting the nature of these creatures.
[INLINE] Scorpion
Eidolon has bent a race of giant Scorpions to his will. These
creatures are truly horrific: their deadly sting, combined with their
variable size, force the citizens of Thyrion to continually watch
their step.
There are two known varieties of Scorpion: the pale Sand Scorpion,
which fights viciously but lacks the strength of its darker cousin,
and the glossy black Bog Scorpion, whose attacks are notoriously
deadly. Both are best avoided.
[INLINE] Spider
Just as Eidolon has turned Scorpions into his footsoldiers, his race
of giant Spiders is a plague upon the land. Like Golems, they come in
many different sizes. There are two distinct varieties of spider, each
with its own color scheme. One sports a black and yellow coloration,
while the other is a muddy brown or red. The black spider is reputed
to be the deadlier of the two, but the red variety is still a
dangerous foe.
[INLINE] Imp
Among the weakest of Eidolon’s minions, Imps are nevertheless
vicious adversaries. Imps have been sighted in both the coldest and
hottest of Thyrion’s climes. There seem to be two distinct
varieties, each best suited for a particular extreme of temperature:
the Fire Imp and Ice Imp. They are quite similar in physiognomy,
though the Ice Imps’ bodies are a frosty blue, and the Fire Imps
exhibit a ruddy coloration.
Imps fly upon leathery bat wings and attack their hapless victims with
magical projectiles of ice or fire–or with vicious, swooping
dives. They are fragile but extremely quick, and thus quite difficult
to kill.
All four continents of Thyrion are currently plagued with Imps.
[INLINE] Knight Archer
Eidolon’s minions include a number of human and semi-human
followers. In particular, Eidolon seems to favor the cadres of deadly
archers who heed his beck and call. The continents of Thyrion
veritably swarm with roving Knight Archers, each seeking to prove his
worth by slaying a foe of Eidolon’s empire.
Knight Archers occupy the middle range of Eidolon’s minions, both
in terms of commonality and power. Their swift arrows can be deadly,
while at close range these archers are forced to punch at their
opponents.
Knight Archers fire enchanted arrows of two varieties. The standard
Archer arrow emits a greenish glow and deals considerable damage to
its target. The alternate type of arrow glows luminous red, and knocks
the archer’s foes backward with great force while causing an
equal amount of damage as the green arrows. These red arrows are
deadly tools, as they allow the Archer to buffet nearby foes back to
long range–thus maintaining the optimum distance for successful
archery.
Occasionally the traveler may encounter commanders of Knight Archer
regiments. These men, known as Archer Lords, are considerably more
skilled (and therefore deadlier) than their common minions.
[INLINE] Hydra
Even as the lands of Thyrion were being subverted by Eidolon’s
minions, the waters were likewise undergoing a horrific change.
Sinewy, tentacled Hydra now prowl the dank waters surrounding
Eidolon’s strongholds, promising violent death for the unwary
swimmer.
Hydra can rip a victim to shreds with their wickedly barbed tentacles.
When their prey is too far to grapple with, they spit a corrosive bile
that sears the skin and even tarnishes metal.
It’s a common misconception that Hydra can harm people on land.
While all agree it is true that Hydra cannot leave the water, some
claim they can rear above the water line and spit their bile at humans
near the water’s edge. The truth of this frightening story
remains to be seen.
[INLINE] Golem
Golems were the mainstay of Eidolon’s first assault on Thyrion.
These colossal automatons are both durable and formidable, winning
many battles through sheer intimidation. The typical Golem stands
twice the height of a man, and moves with measured, ponderous steps.
Golems come in many sizes, however.
There are reports of several distinct types of Golem. Though different
varieties may appear on several continents, there are definite
concentrations of particular types on each continent. The mid-sized
Iron Golem, a ponderous creature of iron and lead, plagues the castles
of Blackmarsh and jungles of Mazaera. Deadly and massive Bronze Golems
tread the paved streets of Septimus, while the relatively diminutive
Stone Golems prowl amongst the pyramids of Thysis.
All Golems love hand-to-hand combat, where they can crush opponents
under their massive, nerveless feet. Additionally, the larger Iron and
Bronze Golems fire a deadly blast from magical gems set in their
foreheads.
The main challenge in fighting Golems is to deal enough damage to
destroy them. There are tales of agile warriors who evaded
Golems’ attacks with ease, but eventually grew tired of hacking
at their durable opponents, and were forced to give up and run.
[INLINE] Skull Wizard
No one knows the origin of the Skull Wizards. What is known, however,
is that they posses immense magical power. Skull Wizards serve as
generals and councilors to Eidolon, advising him in arcane matters and
overseeing the gradual destruction of Thyrion.
Skull Wizards are masters of summoning. Instead of directly attacking
their foes, they like to summon lesser creatures to do battle in their
stead. Spiders are reputedly their favorite subjects.
When pressed, however, a Skull Wizard is not incapable of defending
itself. It can summon a magical skull to fire at enemies, and it
teleports short distances whenever it feels genuinely threatened.
Even in death, the Skull Wizard is deadly. It is said that a dying
Skull Wizard does not truly die, but instead is transmuted into a host
of giant spiders.
Finally, it is said that the Skull Wizard is merely a lesser form of
an even mightier creature, the Shadow Wizard. None have seen a Shadow
Wizard and lived to tell of it, but the rumors are so persistent that
its existence seems likely.
[INLINE] Fallen Angel
Fallen Angels haunt the decaying castles of Blackmarsh. Ghostly and
ethereal, they possess a surreal, deceptive beauty. But beware! Fallen
Angels rank among Eidolon’s most deadly minions, and harbor no
love for humans despite their charming appearance.
Fallen Angels use magic to harm their foes. Common attacks include
magical bursts that seem to originate from the Angel’s
translucent wingtips, and a crimson, spiraling bolt of magic that
rends everything in its path.
When attacked, the Fallen Angel is more than capable of protecting
itself. Naturally hard to see due to their ghostlike transparency,
Fallen Angels further confound their opponents by flying to and fro.
When seriously threatened, the Angel can enfold itself in its own
wings to ward off damage.
[INLINE] Medusa
Medusa roam the great cities of Septimus, inspiring fear in all who
tread those flagstoned streets. A startling combination of woman and
snake, the Medusa is capable of turning her prey to stone with a mere
glance. Her head is crested with snakes instead of hair, and these
snakes spit venom that sears the unwary target.
Little else is known of Medusa, for very few humans have seen one and
lived to tell of it.
[INLINE] Mummy
Travelers in the deserts of Thysis must constantly be wary of Mummies.
These desiccated tomb dwellers are slow of foot but remarkably hardy.
In the narrow confines of their decaying tombs, speed is less
important than power. Wielding long scepters to good advantage,
Mummies tend to have the upper hand when fighting in their natural
environs. When their foes retreat to greater distances, however, the
Mummy is by no means helpless. By stamping their scepters upon the
ground, Mummies are capable of summoning flames from the earth itself,
scorching hapless foes who try to run away.
One cannot make the mistake of assuming that a Mummy is dead when its
limbs have been severed. So powerful is its spirit that the Mummy will
continue to attack after vital pieces of its body have been hacked
off. Destroying a Mummy, therefore, is often a slow and painful
process that requires the utmost diligence. Only when the Mummy has
been thoroughly dismembered can an adventurer rest easy.
[INLINE] Were-Jaguar
The steamy jungles of Mazaera are home to a particularly deadly foe:
the Were Jaguar. Brandishing serrated swords, Were Jaguars look like a
combination of great cat and conventional footsoldier, but they are
considerably more deadly than either. Were Jaguars are extremely adept
with both sword and shield, hacking and slashing at medium range, and
bashing with their shields when an opponent draws too close.
Were Jaguars are also incredibly fast and agile. They are known to
leap and dive at their foes, and roll nimbly from side to side in
order to dodge attacks. Occasionally they use their great shields to
reflect incoming projectiles, sometimes even turning these projectiles
back upon their originator.
An even tougher race of Were Jaguar has recently been sighted in
Mazaera. Dubbed the Were Panther, these beasts are supposedly even
stronger and faster than their common Jaguar cousins.
Riders of the Apocalypse
Four grim generals carry out Eidolon’s decrees upon the four
continents of Thyrion. The origin of these dread beings is unknown,
but none questions their power: Eidolon himself, it is rumored, cannot
fully control them.
These four abominations are known as the Riders of the Apocalypse.
Mounted on dire steeds, these riders are known by the names War,
Famine, Pestilence and Death. Who can say what dire magic they
command, or what deadly powers they possess? The only certainty is
this: should a wandering hero encounter one of these four beings, his
life is in great peril.
Eidolon
Any man or woman who tries to free Thyrion must do battle with Eidolon
himself. Reports of Eidolon’s appearance and powers are wildly
conflicting, though all agree that he is potent beyond all human
reckoning, and that he bears great resemblance to a creature from a
nightmare.
Nothing else is known of Eidolon’s powers or physiognomy. When
the time comes for a hero to challenge Eidolon’s dominion, we can
only hope that he does not despair at the sight of this horrific
fiend.
_________________________________________________________________
Artifacts and Armor
The world of Thyrion has always been magical. Aside from the mundane
trappings of everyday society, it is relatively common to encounter
relics of great power. Here is a brief catalogue of such items, from
the mundane (such as torches and armor) to the fantastical. Any hero
who attempts to defeat Eidolon will be forced to make good use of
these resources.
Armor
Several types of armor are widely available in Thyrion. Armor slowly
wears away as it sustains blows, becoming less and less effective
until disintegrating entirely.
Each piece of armor is designed for a particular body shape and style
of fighting. Hence, some armor is of extra value to certain heroes.
[INLINE] Amulet
Amulets are a magical sort of armor that greatly benefit spellcasters
such as the Necromancer, but are of considerably less use to brawny
warriors such as the Paladin.
[INLINE] Breastplate
The Paladin prefers to wear sturdy breastplates, and gains great
benefits when doing so. However, breastplates do not fit well upon the
Necromancer’s slight frame, and confer fewer benefits upon him
than any other hero.
[INLINE] Bracers
Bracers fit over the forearm and are used to deflect enemy attacks.
The deadly Assassin is highly trained in the use of bracers. Other
heroes gain some benefit from bracers, though the Crusader, who knows
little of their use, is least affected.
[INLINE] Helmet
The Crusader is accustomed to wearing helmets, and therefore gains
most value from their use. The Assassin rarely uses this armor type,
though, and as such gains the least benefit from wearing a helmet.
Artifacts
A sharp-eyed adventurer is wont to aquire items that aid in the
deliverance of our people. A quick wit and strong arm can only be
aided by valuable found objects.
[INLINE]
Torch
The least of any adventurer’s supplies, torches are nonetheless
valuable when exploring the shadowy places favored by Eidolon’s
minions. They produce light for a brief span, then slowly fade. It is
wise to save them for truly black areas, rather than expending them in
locales where the gloom is merely a nuisance.
[INLINE] Healing Vial
Healing Vials are used by Eidolon’s minions to repair minor
wounds. The availability of these potions helps make up for the
grievous lack of medics in Eidolon’s ragged armies. An
adventurous hero could steal any number of these vials, and thereby
keep himself in good health over the course of his travels.
Unfortunately, however, these glass beakers are typically too fragile
to carry: they must be quaffed on the spot.
[INLINE] Quartz Flask
Quartz Flasks are a more substantial variety of Healing Vials. Unlike
Vials, which are fragile and impossible to transport, Quartz Flasks
are sturdy containers that can be ported from place to place. This
portable quality, plus the fact that they’re substantially more
potent than Vials, makes them a handy resource in battle.
[INLINE] Mystic Urn
The Mystic Urn is a treasured but unfortunately rare artifact in
Thyrion. Mystic Urns are portable, and are capable of restoring a
grievously wounded hero to complete health or beyond. Their value,
therefore, is self-evident.
Mana Crystals
Magic of all kinds is powered by an intangible essence called mana.
Mana suffuses the earth and flows in the wind, but humans are
incapable of tapping into this mana directly. To harness this mystical
energy, magi capture it in specially designed crystals. Anyone who
wishes to cast magical spells or utilize magical weapons must collect
a number of these crystals. Mana crystals shatter as soon as they are
touched, infusing the recipient with raw magical power.
As with Healing Vials, Mana Crystals are extremely fragile and cannot
be transported, for they would shatter the instant an adventurer
placed them in his pack.
[INLINE] Blue Mana
There are two distinct varieties of mana in Thyrion: blue and green.
Magi trap mana in different-shaped crystals, the better to easily
distinguish what type of mana is stored therein. The blue mana crystal
is a rare jewel indeed.
[INLINE] Green Mana
Green mana crystals are no less rare than blue mana crystals. They are
used to power any spells or weapons that the blue variety cannot
affect.
[INLINE] Combined Mana
On some occasions, mages capture mana of both sorts in a single
crystal. These crystals are invariably red, and somewhat larger than
the vessels containing blue or green mana individually.
[INLINE] Krater of Might
The ultimate container of mana is called a Krater of Might. Unlike
mana crystals, these vessels may be carried from place to place and
used when necessary. They contain sufficient power to fully infuse a
single human to maximum mana capacity.
[INLINE] Chaos Device
Allegedly the fruit of a mad wizard’s experimentation, the Chaos
Device teleports its user to another part of the world. This effect is
not always predictable, but it’s useful when the user finds
himself trapped in a room with deadly foes.
Clever uses of the Chaos Device have been reported. For example,
adventurers have been known to trigger these devices as they fell to
certain death, or as they struggled for air underwater. The value of a
Chaos Device, therefore, cannot be underestimated.
[INLINE] Boots of Speed
Boots of Speed are created by secretive, unknown craftsmen. While
their original purpose is not apparent to the average human, one thing
is clear: by donning a pair of these boots, it is possible to attain
speeds not otherwise possible. This extra speed is extremely handy in
combat.
[INLINE] Disc of Repulsion
The Disc of Repulsion is a defensive artifact. When used, it blasts
aside projectiles aimed at its user, and hurls nearby opponents back
to a manageable range. These discs are extremely valuable for
deflecting damaging spell effects.
[INLINE] Icon of the Defender
Perhaps the most potent artifact in all the land, the Icon of the
Defender is a tremendous boon to its user. When activated, this
artifact renders its bearer invulnerable for a short period of time.
Legends abound of mighty heroes who used Icons of the Defender to slay
their mightiest enemies, using the protection of the Icon to best
effect by approaching their foes and attacking at close range.
The Icon’s effects vary slightly when used by different
individuals. The Paladin appears to turn to stone when he uses the
Icon; the Necromancer is shrouded in darkness; the Assassin phases in
and out of existence; and the Crusader glows with an unearthly light.
[INLINE] Tome of Power
The Tome of Power is a staple of all warrior guilds. Tomes such as
these bestow a supercharging effect upon both mundane and magical
weapons, augmenting their natural strength, and in some cases
producing new effects altogether. Tomes’ effects are extremely
limited in duration, and are therefore best used when dealing with
particularly deadly foes.
[INLINE] Seal of the Ovinomancer
Perhaps the most dreaded artifact of all is the Seal of the
Ovinomancer. This terrible creation transforms an ordinary human (or a
lesser monster) into a brainless sheep! Mages’ guilds have long
denied the existence of these artifacts, but all evidence points to
the fact of their existence.
Sadly, the Seal of the Ovinomancer is useless against the most potent
of foes. Thus, a hero with this Seal could not merely approach Eidolon
and transform him into a lowly sheep. Were this the case, our beloved
planet would already be free of the Serpent Rider’s blighting
presence.
[INLINE] Glyph of the Ancients
The Glyph of the Ancients is a curious artifact that behaves
differently in different heroes’ hands. When activated by the
Crusader, the Glyph acts as a slow-moving mine that slides across the
ground toward its target–and explodes. The Necromancer drops the
Glyph in place and hurries away from the spot, as it detonates in just
a few short moments. The Paladin throws the Glyph like a rock and
watches as it explodes into a fireball. Finally, the Assassin drops
the Glyph and watches as it sprouts a magical chain that attaches to a
nearby wall. The Glyph automatically explodes when anyone touches the
chain.
[INLINE] Force Cube
The Force Cube, sometimes known as the Magical Square, is a small
object that flies up to circle its owner’s head when activated.
As it circles, it attacks its owner’s enemies with magical beams
of light.
The Force Cube lasts for only a short while, and is therefore best
activated in difficult situations.
[INLINE] Stone of Summoning
The Stone of Summoning allows its user to summon a giant Imp that
smites his foes. This Imp cannot be directly commanded, and only
remains for a short while. Therefore, as with the Force Cube, the
Stone of Summoning is best used when fighting multitudes of foes.
[INLINE] Invisibility Sphere
The Invisibility Sphere renders its user ghostly and ethereal for a
short while, thus making him or her much harder to see and attack.
This Sphere does not render its owner completely invisible, but is
nevertheless an asset in many combat situations.
Rings
Rings are a special class of magic item unlike all others. Whereas
some items (such as Healing Vials) cannot be carried to and fro, and
other items can be carried and used at their owner’s leisure,
rings fall somewhere in between. They can be taken from place to
place, but the user cannot decide when or where to use them: their
effects are triggered automatically, and last until the magical power
supply has been exhausted.
[INLINE] Ring of Flight
The Ring of Flight was originally commissioned by King Yasvim the
Unruly as a "gift" for his bothersome son. When the ring was complete
he presented it to his son, but neglected to mention that its effects
were limited, thus endangering a user that flew too high for too long.
Yasvim was notorious for his cruel pranks.
Later the ring was copied by magicians throughout the land, and while
not exactly common, the Ring of Flight can be found in many secret
places throughout the lands of Thyrion.
As the name suggests, the Ring of Flight bestows the power of flight
upon its wearer. Flight begins as soon as the ring is picked up, and
lasts for a limited time. The wearer cannot "turn on" or "turn off"
this effect to conserve power, so effective use of the Ring is not
always easy.
[INLINE] Ring of Water Breathing
The Ring of Water Breathing allows its wearer to breathe freely
underwater. The ring automatically comes into use when the wearer is
underwater, and stops being used when the wearer surfaces. The
ring’s magical energy is only drained while the ring is actually
being utilized.
[INLINE] Ring of Regeneration
The Ring of Regeneration slowly restores its wearer to full health
whenever he or she is injured. The ring does nothing when the wearer
is at full health; its magical energy is only drained while the ring
is busy healing its owner.
[INLINE] Ring of Reflection
The Ring of Reflection occasionally reflects projectiles that have
been fired at its wearer. This effect is not guaranteed: sometimes the
ring works, and sometimes it doesn’t. Magical energy is only
drained from the ring when it successfully deflects a projectile.
[INLINE] The Crusader
In my visions, I have seen four mismatched heroes who seek to destroy
Eidolon. The following pages chronicle my visions, imparting what I
have seen of each. I know none of their names, but by observing them
time and again in my dreams, I have come to know the heart of each.
The first figure of my visions is a Crusader.
The Crusader is a holy man and a healer. Armed with both his faith and
an array of mystical weapons, he is a staunch opponent of Eidolon. His
superb defensive skills and mystical powers make him extremely hardy
and resistant, and will serve him in good stead on his upcoming quest.
Profile of the Crusader
Raised in a small, wind-swept monastery in the southern hills of
Blackmarsh, the Crusader is familiar with hardships of all kinds. He
was taken into the monastery at an early age, after being abandoned by
unknown parents at the monastery’s stone gates. With only the
most barren of surroundings to distract his attention, the Crusader
attacked his studies with the utmost fervor. This singular lack of
distractions has molded a distinct, earnest and intense personality;
few can match his single-minded pursuit of knowledge, or his
remarkable force of will.
The Crusader was not taught to destroy, but rather to heal. Healing,
however, is sometimes a painful process: the canker that resists
salves and balms must be burned or excised. As the first year of
Eidolon’s reign drew to a close, the Crusader realized the nature
of Thyrion’s blight: it could not be quelled by peaceful means,
but rather must be driven from the land. To this end he increased his
already rigorous regimen of study, practicing martial skills in
addition to the skills of the healer.
One day, as the Crusader drilled in the monastery yard with his great
Warhammer, the looming figure of a Golem trudged past the ancient
stone gates. Never before had Eidolon’s minions ventured so far
into the countryside. The Crusader realized that Eidolon had started a
new campaign: he sought to rein in the wayward country folk, driving
home his point by force of arms. The Crusader donned his armor and put
aside his healer’s herbs, knowing the time for action had finally
arrived.
The Crusader’s Abilities
Though not the most formidable of adversaries, the Crusader has
several abilities that greatly aid his chances of survival. Indeed,
the Crusader is perhaps the hardiest of the four heroes, armed only
with the favor of his god to protect him.
The Crusader has the power to periodically heal himself, though this
power is not completely under his own control. As he fights the
enemies of Thyrion, he is constantly learning and gaining insights. It
is during his most intense combats, and hence his most intense periods
of learning, that his body is apt to be completely restored. In this
way, the Crusader’s god rewards action over sloth.
Occasionally, when the Crusader slays an enemy, a magical sphere
appears over the corpse of his foe. This sphere represents the
vitality and power of the enemy. By collecting this sphere the
Crusader is able to partake of his opponent’s power and add it to
his own. For a brief time his strength is superhuman, and he can
perform feats of unlikely heroism. Eventually this power fades,
however, and the Crusader returns to normal strength.
The Crusader’s Weapons
Though his skills are those of a healer, the Crusader is nevertheless
a formidable opponent. In my visions I have seen him wielding a wide
array of weapons, and always to good effect.
Warhammer
The Warhammer is a powerful weapon, and particularly effective in the
Crusader’s capable hands. He swings it with both speed and power,
laying low the minions of Eidolon who dare to venture close.
When augmented by the Tome of Power, the Warhammer is more formidable
still. Under the spell of the magical book, the Crusader can hurl his
Warhammer a great distance, smiting enemies from afar and enshrouding
them in a storm of lightning. The hammer returns to his hands after
every cast, be it hit or miss, passing through obstacles that would
appear to block its return path.
[INLINE] Ice Mace
At times I have seen the Crusader bearing an Ice Mace, a curious
weapon indeed. This weapon fires small, jagged ice projectiles that
can harm enemies at a great distance. Enemies slain by the Ice Mace
are frozen solid.
The Tome of Power completely transforms the Ice Mace’s function.
Instead of firing an ice projectile, the Mace instead causes a
blizzard of frozen shards to pelt its target from above. This attack
is extremely powerful, and difficult to avoid as well.
[INLINE] Meteor Staff
Another weapon in the Crusader’s fascinating arsenal is the
Meteor Staff. In its unpowered state it fires a torrent of boulders.
When it hits its target, these rocks explode into smaller, but equally
damaging fragments.
Augmented by the Tome of Power, the Meteor Staff produces
extraordinarily powerful whirlwinds that can pick up a victim and send
him flying in any direction. These whirlwinds are heavily laden with
rocks, which fly out from the vortex now and again without warning.
The Meteor Staff is hardly a subtle weapon, but it makes up for this
deficiency with its overwhelming power.
[INLINE] [INLINE] Lightbringer
Lightbringer is a holy relic, and the most powerful of the
Crusader’s weapons. Even in its normal state, the relic is
deadly: it issues forth a ray of holy light that sears and dissolves
everything in its path. This ray burns evil and corruption. While some
might aspire to holiness, no man or creature is true enough to stand
in its path unscathed.
Like each adventurer’s most powerful weapon, the Lightbringer
cannot be found fully intact. Instead, two separate parts must be
gathered together after they are located on his travels. Only then
will the Crusader be able to harness the full power of this weapon.
The Tome of Power does not change the fundamental effect of the ray,
but rather, augments it. Instead of a single beam of light, the
powered Lightbringer generates three.
[INLINE] The Paladin
The Paladin, like the Crusader, is a holy man. But while the Crusader
is principally a healer, and his skills emphasize defense, the Paladin
is a true warrior. The favor of his warlike god protects him, but also
gives him strength to smite his foes.
Few can match the Paladin in single combat. He lacks stealth and
subtlety, instead relying on his mighty weapons and divine favor.
Profile of the Paladin
The Paladin is a devotee of Kravnos the War God. The Paladin makes his
home in the Great Temple of Kravnos, in the city of Mur on Septimus.
He blesses the warlike citizens who seek Kravnos’ aid, and like
his holy brothers, he rides with the army of Mur whenever the city is
threatened by external forces.
At the first coming of Eidolon, Mur was among the first cities to
fall. Realizing a quick counterstrike would not succeed, the devotees
of Kravnos took refuge in their temple. They bided their time and
looked for an opportunity to strike, meanwhile honing their martial
skills to a razor-sharp edge. A fortnight before their attack,
however, their secret was betrayed. An army of Golems and Imps stormed
through the temple at midnight, slaughtering unprepared devotees and
destroying the holy relics of Kravnos. Only the Paladin, meditating in
the bell tower atop the temple, was overlooked.
Cursing the informant who gave them away, and doubly cursing his
brothers’ lack of preparation, the Paladin decided to act
immediately. Casting aside the temple’s carefully-laid plans, he
grabbed his mighty sword and marched on Eidolon’s stronghold.
Without a clear plan of attack, his odds of success seem lean–but
as the sole survivor of his temple, Kravnos will certainly be guiding
his steps from afar.
The Paladin’s Abilities
During endless hours of training, the Paladin has pushed his abilities
to new levels. Invoking the power of his god, he has developed magical
powers unknown to the common human.
Kravnos the war god has an affinity for water. As a minion of Kravnos,
the Paladin is capable of moving underwater without the same
restrictions as a normal human. While others are forced to laboriously
swim, the Paladin traverses the depths as if they were air instead of
water. When engaged in battle with a river or lake nearby, he prefers
to carry the battle underwater, where he can use this ability to great
advantage.
When brought to the brink of death by his enemies, the Paladin
sometimes receives a great boon from Kravnos. As the lethal blow
lands, the Paladin does not die. Rather, he enters a mystical state:
he grows in strength and stature and becomes a holy scourge, seeking
to avenge the evildoers who tried to lay him low. In this state the
Paladin cannot be killed, and his powers grow to otherwise impossible
heights.
The Paladin’s Weapons
The Paladin’s weapons emphasize close-range power over long-range
projectiles. This lack of range is sometimes a nuisance, but he often
makes up for this deficiency by closing the gap quickly, and
conducting most combat at comfortably close range.
Gauntlets
The Paladin is a true fighter, and often likes to use his armored
fists as weapons.
Though his Gauntlets may seem a puny substitute for sword or axe, the
Paladin nonetheless is capable of felling mighty opponents with
nothing more than these humble weapons.
The Tome of Power has a supercharging effect on the Paladin’s
mailed fists, allowing him to knock foes hither and yon like stuffed
playthings, and making it difficult for them to counterattack.
[INLINE] Vorpal Sword
The Paladin employs a powerful sword during most combats. This sword
can be used without mana to power its magic, but its damage
correspondingly decreases when there is no such power source.
When the Tome of Power is employed in conjunction with the Sword, both
range and power are magically increased by a bolt of magical
lightning. The Paladin can cleave an enemy in twain at fifty paces or
more with the Sword thusly powered, and damage several foes in one
mighty swing.
[INLINE] Axe
The Paladin’s axe is a mighty weapon. In addition to its brutal
close-range power, the axe casts a projectile that ricochets from
walls and obstacles. This projectile does not stop when it impacts the
Paladin’s foe, but cuts right through and continues flying at
lesser strength, potentially damaging several foes at once.
The Tome of Power turns the Axe’s projectile into a razor-sharp
wall of blades that issue forth from the Axe at various angles and
explode upon hitting their targets.
[INLINE] [INLINE] Purifier
The Purifier is the Paladin’s ultimate weapon: it breathes a
stream of glittering shards. These shards issue forth in a deadly twin
stream, rending anything that breaks its brilliant path. The two
halves of the Purifier must be found and joined together before the
Paladin is able to devastate foes with this holy lance.
The Tome of Power utterly changes the Purifier’s effect. Instead
of firing a stream of small projectiles, the powered Purifier shoots a
flaming fireball that unfalteringly seeks its target and explodes upon
impact.
[INLINE] The Assassin
The Assassin is a master of stealth, disguise, and trickery. Whereas
the Paladin rushes into combat with a mighty roar, the Assassin sneaks
up from behind. Many of the Assassin’s weapons and skills are
geared toward trickery and concealment. From her devastating ability
to backstab an opponent to the deadly Hand Crossbow, it is clear the
Assassin is always ready for an unfair fight.
Profile of the Assassin
The Assassin hails from Khitar, one of the few true cities in the
jungles of Mazaera. As a child she watched her parents toil as
farmers, reaping a meager harvest from the unforgiving jungle soil. A
farmer’s life is always difficult, but even more so in Mazaera,
where the land is particularly unsuited to the task. The Assassin
learned this by observation, and she learned even more as she prowled
the streets of Khitar–against her parents’ wishes. Wealthy
folk of all description wandered those unpaved streets: gem merchants
with stout bodyguards, proud mercenaries bearing gold-hilted
scimitars, and slavers in ivory-trimmed palanquins. None spared a
second glance for an urchin in dirty rags.
As days and years went by, the Assassin became scornful of her
parents. Rich folk gained their wealth by treading upon the weak, and
only weak fools would till the accursed, clay-filled soil of Mazaera.
Vowing never to become a fool like her parents, she ran away at the
age of fifteen and took up the dark career of the assassin. First
preying upon drunkards and the unwary, she gradually learned the
tricks of her bloody trade, and began to aim for wealthier victims.
Her skills grew by leaps and bounds. Nobody, it seemed, was safe from
her depredations.
With a small fortune accumulated in her secret lair, the Assassin soon
realized she had become bored with her trade. She required ever richer
victims, more and more danger, to sustain the thrill of the hunt. Who
remained that could pose a challenge? Kings? Emperors? With a crooked
smile, she decided upon her next victim: the richest and most powerful
being on all of Thyrion. Armed with Katar and Crossbow, she set forth
on her quest to rid the world of Eidolon.
The Assassin’s Abilities
The Assassin is a master of stealth and deadly strikes. The first
noteworthy ability the Assassin gains is that of stealth: she can
render herself invisible when standing perfectly still in a shadowed
area. It takes a few seconds for her to achieve this invisibility, but
once attained, the illusion is perfect. It is rumored that Assassins
can master this skill in broad daylight when their skills are all but
perfected.
The Assassin makes very little sound when moving, and is often able to
surprise her victims. Creeping up from behind, she strikes before her
foes acknowledge her presence. When attacking in this fashion, she is
capable of dealing much more damage than she otherwise would. This
ability also comes into play when the Assassin strikes a foe who knows
of her existence, but allows her to get behind him. This is a rare
occurrence, but occasionally significant when she fights sluggish
opponents such as Golems.
The Assassin’s Weapons
The Assassin’s weapons are excellent for trickery and deception:
the Katar is ideal for vicious backstabbing, her small incendiary
Grenades can be lobbed down at unsuspecting passersby, and her deadly
Hand Crossbow is excellent for picking off foes from afar.
Katar
The vicious Katar (or "punch dagger") is the Assassin’s first
weapon. It is the least of her weapons, but deadly nonetheless. It
deals moderate damage at limited range, and can be wielded very
effectively in close quarters.
The Tome of Power imbues the Katar with a viscous nerve toxin and
allows the Assassin to knock back her enemies with great force.
[INLINE] Hand Crossbow
The Hand Crossbow is a trademark weapon of the Assassin. Light and
portable, yet deadly, the Hand Crossbow fires three iron bolts for an
added measure of destruction. The Assassin likes to employ this weapon
against distant foes, switching to Katar before closing to short
range.
The Tome of Power magically multiplies the Hand Crossbow’s
projectiles. Instead of three bolts, five flaming bolts are fired from
the Hand Crossbow. These bolts stick in their target for a moment
before exploding for additional damage.
[INLINE] Grenades
The Assassin wields small incendiary devices that only she knows how
to construct. These clusters of Grenades tend to roll and bounce for a
moment or two before detonating, and therefore require careful aim and
a measure of foresight from the Assassin.
When used in conjunction with the Tome of Power, the grenades increase
in size. Instead of hurling a single, small incendiary, the Assassin
throws a bigger Grenade, which then detonates into many smaller
explosions.
[INLINE] [INLINE] Staff of Set
The Assassin possesses a magical staff with a special power. It fires
a scarab of concentrated magical energy. The Assassin may increase the
potency of this staff by hesitating before firing it, and allowing
magical energy to build up within.
This weapon contains power that must be earned. There are two pieces
that must be joined together before it can be unleashed.
The Tome of Power imbues the Staff with a different ability. In its
powered state, the restless spirits imprisoned in the staff vent their
rage upon its hapless victims, wrapping them in a cocoon of
razor-sharp chains and violently stripping flesh from bone.
[INLINE] The Necromancer
The Necromancer is a self-styled lord of the dead. Though physically
weak, his potent magic and dark talents make him a formidable
combatant. He likes to fight from a distance, where his powerful
ranged weapons can decimate even the most formidable of enemies.
Profile of the Necromancer
The Necromancer spent his early years in a small village of Thysis,
huddled in the shadow of a monolithic pyramid. His people were lean
and wiry, but the Necromancer was thinner and weaker than most. He
lived in a great, cavernous house with only his aunt to mind him, his
parents having died in a plague not long after his birth.
An unattractive appearance and the lack of a family conspired against
the Necromancer, robbing him of confidence and making him morbidly
self-conscious. His days and nights were spent inside his aunt’s
decaying mansion, and very rarely did he emerge. He longed for a
power—any power—that would increase his stature in village
society. He wished to be handsome, or strong, or wealthy, or clever in
conversation. But as time wore on, and he grew from a lad to a young
man, it became clear that he possessed none of these skills.
Bitter and alone, the Necromancer’s desire for acceptance slowly
withered into hatred. He no longer wished to impress the villagers,
but rather, to frighten and punish them. His thoughts turned to the
ancient pyramid that overshadowed the village. For the villagers, this
monument was an object of superstitious dread. Seeking to partake of
that power and dread, the young Necromancer entered the pyramid.
Within, he found what he sought: a set of ten crumbling papyrus
scrolls, each inked with runes of great power. Through study and
diligence he learned the magic scribed therein, and soon began to
terrorize the village with legions of undead servitors.
But the coming of Eidolon quickly ended his reign of terror. No longer
was the Necromancer dreaded by the villagers; Eidolon and his minions
were now the focus of their dread. The Necromancer, it seemed, was no
longer all-powerful.
Bitter and enraged by the helplessness welling up from within, the
Necromancer came to a desperate conclusion. Eidolon must not be
allowed to steal his precious power. Eidolon must be destroyed!
The Necromancer’s Abilities
The Necromancer’s skills are truly unique, and most of them
revolve around Soul Spheres. When the Necromancer slays an opponent, a
Soul Sphere is left behind. This sphere is invisible to all but the
Necromancer. It represents the life force and vitality of the
recently-slain foe. The Necromancer may collect a Soul Sphere simply
by touching it, thus collecting the energy in the form of mana or
healing. As the Necromancer gains skill, his chances of benefiting
from a Soul Sphere slowly increase.
Soul Spheres quickly lose their potency, so the Necromancer must be
swift!
The Necromancer’s sickle is also a source of power. Whenever the
Necromancer strikes a foe with this sickle, he has a chance to drain
vitality from his opponent and add to his own health. This is not a
common or predictable occurrence, but it is often helpful when the
Necromancer enters precarious situations.
The Necromancer’s Weapons
The Necromancer’s weapons are, for the most part, geared toward
long-range attacks. When used with skill and discretion, they are
extraordinarily effective.
Sickle
The Necromancer’s hand weapon is an iron Sickle. This is not the
most effective of arms, but the Necromancer favors it as a symbol:
like a farmer harvesting wheat, he relishes the act of harvesting
souls with his Sickle. The Sickle’s power is not entirely
symbolic, either: occasionally the Sickle does harvest vitality from
its target, transferring that vitality to the Necromancer.
The Tome of Power lends both potency and augmented range to the
Necromancer’s Sickle. A fully powered Sickle knocks enemies from
their feet, making it difficult for them to recover and counterattack.
[INLINE] Magic Missiles
The Necromancer is fragile, and prefers to do his fighting at long
range. Magic Missiles are his spell of choice, especially at lower
levels of skill. These fiery missiles gain potency as the Necromancer
himself gains potency. They’re swift and not too strong, but they
explode on impact for a bit of extra damage.
A Tome of Power allows the Necromancer to fire three fireballs
simultaneously. These missiles lazily home in on their target, making
it easy for the Necromancer to smite his foes.
[INLINE] Bone Shards
As the Necromancer advances his skills, he learns the powerful spell
of Bone Shards. This spell projects a hail of sharp bone fragments at
incredibly high speeds. These fragments shatter into yet smaller
pieces upon impact. Bone Shards are particularly devastating to nearby
enemies, who take the full brunt of the spell.
Used with the Tome of Power, these Bone Shards concentrate into a
single projectile. This projectile is potent and damaging, and bursts
into an unpredictable spray of shards upon hitting its target.
[INLINE] [INLINE] Raven Staff
As the Necromancer’s most cherished weapon, the Raven Staff fires
a potent blast of pure energy that forks and splits as it travels
forward. Anything caught in this blast is cut and seared beyond
recognition. But only after the two halves are brought together can
this prize be discharged to annihilate the forces of Eidolon.
When used in conjunction with the Tome of Power, the Raven Staff acts
in a completely different manner: it summons a swarm of deadly Ravens
that fly forth to attack their target.
A Bitter Farewell
It is with heavy hand and heavy heart, dear reader, that I lay down my
pen. I had hoped to write a full chronicle of the attack on Eidolon,
documenting these four unlikely heroes’ quest to banish him from
our world. But now I must abandon my work, for my hiding place has
been discovered. Golems and Fire Imps will soon swarm through this
place, destroying all that they find here. There is no help for it; I
must flee for my life.
The future is uncertain. I have seen it in scattered visions, but the
play’s final act has not been performed. Perhaps it is not yet
written. Whatever the case, I pray that one of these four heroes
succeeds in their quest. If not, this history–and the world that
it chronicles–will be forever lost to darkness. I pray it is not
so.
–Themedes, Sage of Mur
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Hexen II Technical Help
MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
* Windows® 95 or NT 4.0 with 100%-compatible computer system
* Pentium® 90 MHz processor (120 MHz recommended)
* Windows 95: 16 MB RAM (24 MB recommended);
Windows NT: 24 MB RAM
* Dual-Speed CD-ROM drive (300k/sec. sustained transfer rate)
* Hard disk drive with at least 120 MB of uncompressed space
available
* 100% Sound Blaster-compatible sound card
* Joystick and mouse-supported (3-button mouse recommended)
* Supports network and Internet play via IPX and TCP/IP
GL Hexen Additional Requirements
* 24 MB RAM
* GLHexen supports some OpenGL 3D accelerator cards. Consult your
hardware manufacturer to determine compatibility.
NOTE: Hexen II uses Microsoft DirectX 3a technology, and requires that
your system have the most updated drivers that fully support DirectX.
In order to play Hexen II for Windows 95, the CD must be in your
CD-ROM drive at all times.
Hexen II may have trouble working with some 1993 or earlier Matsushita
CD-ROM drives. These CD-ROM drives have trouble reading beyond 63
minutes on CDs, and Hexen II uses the full CD. These drives were sold
under the names of Panasonic, JVC, Reveal, Creative Labs and Plextor.
Gameplay may occasionally slow down and the CD-ROM drive will be
accessed constantly. We highly recommend that you upgrade to a newer
CD-ROM drive to avoid problems with other programs in the future.
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GETTING STARTED
In the Main menu, you can start a new single-player game by selecting
the Single Player option (press Enter), then selecting New Game and
choosing a player class.
You can play any of four different characters in Hexen II, each with
his or her own special set of weapons, abilities, and attributes. Each
character will be able to combat enemies and solve puzzles with
varying degrees of difficulty. For instance, the Paladin may be a
strong fighter but lacks magical powers, while the Assassin can kill
easily but can be killed just as easily.
Playing each character requires slightly different gameplay styles,
but that’s the fun of Hexen II. Experiment and explore.
You’ll be surprised with the variety between the characters. For
more information on each of the characters, refer to the Chronicle of
Deeds.
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THE BASICS OF PLAY
The goals in Hexen II are simple: stay alive, solve the puzzles, and
defeat your enemies. Ultimately, you will face your greatest enemy,
Eidolon, but your journey along the way will be far from easy.
Staying Alive
Walking: Using the up and down arrow keys will move you forward or
backward at a steady pace. Turn left or right with the left or right
arrow keys or by sliding the mouse in the desired direction.
Running: Hold down the shift key while pressing the arrow keys to
increase your speed.
Jumping: Press the space bar to jump. You jump farther if you’re
moving forward and you jump higher if you’re moving up a slope.
You’ll be surprised at the spots you can reach in a jump. You can
even avoid some attacks this way.
Swimming: When underwater, aim yourself in the direction you wish to
go and press the forward (up arrow) key. You have full
three-dimensional freedom, so use your look-up and look-down keys to
swim up and down. As in real life, you may lose your bearings while
underwater. Use the jump (space) key to kick straight up toward the
surface.
Once on the surface, tread water by holding down the jump key. To get
out of the water, swim toward the shore and use the jump key to hop
out. If you’re down a well or can’t get a grip, you may not
be able to climb out. There is always another way out, but you may
have to submerge to find it.
Crouching: Press the apostrophe key (‘) to squeeze into tight
areas or small openings.
Flying: Certain powerups allow you to fly. In addition to your normal
movement keys, use the ‘D’ key to fly up and the
‘C’ key to fly down.
Shooting: Press the Ctrl key or the left mouse button to fire. Hold
shoot down to keep firing.
Use: The Hexen II key has an automatic "use" function. To push a
button or open a door, walk up to it, or, in some cases, shoot at it.
Remember, some walls can be pushed or pulled. To move these blocks,
simply walk up to them and push in the desired direction. If a door
won’t open or a platform won’t work, you may need to do
something special to activate it.
Picking up Items: To pick up items, weapons, power-ups, or armor,
simply walk over them. If you can’t pick something up, it means
you already have the maximum number of that item possible.
Inventory: Throughout the game, you will pick up various powerups and
inventory items. To use an item in your inventory, use your bracket
keys ([ and ]) to toggle between your items and then press the Enter
key to use the selected item.
Solving Puzzles
Inventory: Throughout the game, you will pick up various puzzle pieces
key to advancing through the game. When you hit the TAB key, you see
small icons of any puzzle pieces you have picked up along the way and
are still carrying. If you need a more detailed description of your
inventory, hit the Q key to show the icons with descriptions.
Buttons and Floorplates: Buttons activate with a touch, and
floorplates must be stepped on. If you see a distinctive looking
button in a spot you cannot reach, it’s probably a shootable
button.
Hints: Throughout the game, there are books, plaques, and signs that
can help you with puzzles. To read these items, simply walk up to them
and read the text that appears on-screen.
Doors: Most doors open at your approach. If one doesn’t, seek a
button, floorplate, key, or inventory item.
Secret Doors: Some doors are camouflaged. Look for irregularities in
the walls, protruding edges, cracks along the walls, etc. Most walls
can be pushed, shot, or triggered with a nearby switch. Likewise, a
switch may be more obvious than the secret door.
The Secret of Secrets: All secrets in Hexen II are indicated by clues.
Don’t waste your time hacking at every wall. It’s much more
productive (and fun) to use your brain and your eyes. Look up. An
angled texture, a light shining under a wall, a strange sound,
anything might be a clue. Something prominent in a room may be a
decoration, or it might be a clue.
Defeating your Enemies
There are a wide variety of enemies in Hexen II that attack in many
ways. Some fly, some crawl, some just swing at you with their stubby
arms, but each requires a slightly different attack to defeat it. If
you can’t hit it with your hands, come back later and defeat it
with a projectile weapon. If you can’t get near it, shoot it from
afar. And when you meet the Four Horsemen and the last of the Serpent
Riders, be sure to have plenty of ammo and health saved up.
You’ll need it!
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YOUR ENVIRONMENT
The Screen
The large upper area of the screen is the view area. You can adjust
the size of this view area by hitting the ‘-’ or
‘+’ keys. Increasing or decreasing your view area will have
a direct effect on game performance.
The Status Bar
Immediately below the view area is the Status Bar. Press the Tab key
at any time during the game, and the status bar pops up to reveal much
more information.
The Hub Level System
Hexen II uses a non-linear hub level system. Each hub consists of
several levels. When you enter a hub, you will solve the various
puzzles and defeat the enemies that lead you to the Hub Room. From
this room, you access any of several teleporters that take you to
other levels of the hub. Solve those levels and return to the Hub
Room. Once all the levels in a hub are complete, you can move on to
the next hub.
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COMMANDS, MENU & CONSOLE
Keyboard Commands
Press F1 (the Help key) or select the Help option from the Main Menu
to get a list of keyboard commands.
By using the key configuration option from the Main menu, you can
customize the keyboard to suit your fancy, except for the function
keys, the Escape key, and the ~ (tilde) key.
Function Keys
F1= Help F6 = Quicksave
F2 = Save F9 = Quickload
F3 = Load F11 = Zoom
F4 = Options F12 = Screenshot
F5 = Multiplayer
Weapons
Key Paladin Crusader Necromancer Assassin
1 Gauntlets War Hammer Sickle Katar
2 Vorpal Sword Ice Mace Magic Missiles Grenades
3 Axe Meteor Staff Bone Shards Crossbow
4 Purifier Light Bringer Raven Staff Staff of Set
Movement
Move Arrow Keys
Turn Mouse Left and Right
Jump/Swim Space Bar
Run Shift
Sidestep Left . or >
Sidestep Right , or <
Strafe * Alt
Swim Up D
Swim Down C
Inventory Toggle '[' or ']' (bracket keys)
Inventory Use Enter
Crouch ‘ (apostrophe)
Other Controls
Main Menu Escape
Console ~ (tilde)
Look Up A or PgDn
Look Down Z or Del
Center View X or End
Mouse Look ** \ or center mouse button
Keyboard Look *** Ins
* With the Strafe key pressed, your turning keys or mouse movements
move you sideways rather change the direction you’re facing.
** Sliding your mouse forward and back looks up and down while the
Mouse Look key is pressed.
*** When the keyboard Look key is pressed, the walk forward/ backpedal
arrows will let you look up.
More Advanced Commands: Impulses
Although you can easily customize your controls, some players prefer
to set key bindings manually. There are hundreds more commands
available in the console. Some of the new items to Hexen II are:
Detailed Inventory Description (Single Player)
Toggle Frag Count (Multiplayer) +showdm
Crouch +crouch
Lift Object impulse 13
Inventory Toggle Left invleft
Inventory Toggle Right invright
Use Inventory Item invuse
Drop Inventory Item impulse 44
Status Bar +showinfo
Frag Count +showdm
Toggle Frags toggle_dm
Torch impulse 100
Quartz Flask impulse 101
Mystic Urn impulse 102
Krater of Might impulse 103
Chaos Device impulse 104
Tome of Power impulse 105
Summoning Stone impulse 106
Invisibility Sphere impulse 107
Glyph of The Ancients impulse 108
Boots of Speed impulse 109
Disk of Repulsion impulse 110
Seal of the Ovinmancer impulse 111
Ring of Flight impulse 112
Force Cube impulse 113
Icon of the Defender impulse 114
Customize Controls
Your keyboard commands are highly customizable. To change the default
commands at any time, go to Main Menu> Options>>Customize Controls.
Use your up and down arrow keys to toggle between the various choices.
Press Enter to activate your choice, and then press the key or mouse
button you wish to bind to the command. Your configuration is
automatically saved.
Menu
The Menu system can be accessed at any time during a game. Simply
press the Esc key to activate the menu during the game.
Use the arrow keys to move the Hexen Glyph up and down the menu. Place
Hexen II the glyph before the desired option, and tap the Enter key.
To return to Hexen II the Main Menu, tap the Esc key again. To exit
the menu and return to the game, press the Esc key when you are in the
Main menu.
SINGLE PLAYER:
NEW GAME: Discards the game being played, and starts anew.
CLASS: Choose one of the four character classes (see the Chronicle
of Deeds for more detailed information):
Class Key Attributes
Paladin Strong fighter
Crusader Fighter, some magic
Necromancer Strong magician
Assassin Stealth, kills easily, but physically weaker
DIFFICULTY: Choose one of four difficulty levels.
LOAD: Highlight the desired slot, and press the Enter key.
SAVE: Highlight the desired slot, and press the Enter key. Each
saved game is identified by the level's name, plus the proportion
of kills achieved so far in that game.
MULTIPLAYER: Controls multiplayer game starting and details.
JOIN A GAME: Join a pre-existing network game.
IPX and TCP/IP: Both network protocols share the same options
below. IPX works better on Local Area Networks and TCP/IP is used
for internet play.
Address: Your network address. This is automatically entered.
Port: The port at which you will connect to the server. This is
automatically entered.
Search for Local Games: Trolls the network for Hexen II servers.
Join a Game At: If you know the name of a server on the network,
type it in here.
New Game: Launching a new game will make you a host. Be sure your
Setup options (see below) are correct before launching a new game.
IPX and TCP/IP: Both network protocols share the same options
below. IPX works better on Local Area Networks and TCP/IP is used
for internet play.
Address: Your network address. This is automatically entered.
Port: The port at which you will connect to the server. This is
automatically entered.
OK
Begin Game: Starts a multiplayer game.
Max Players: The maximum number of players in a game. The Max
allowed in any game is four unless you are running a dedicated
server from a command line.
Game Type: Deathmatch (you against your buddies) or Cooperative
(everyone works together to get through the level).
Teamplay: Determines if your teammates’ health is affected
when you shoot them.
Skill: Choose one of four difficulty levels.
Frag Limit: Maximum number of kills one player can get in one
level.
Time Limit: Maximum amount of time of a game; zero to 60 minutes.
Episode: Selects the hub in which you start unleashing your fury.
Level: Selects the level within the hub.
Setup: Establishes the parameters that identify you and/or your
server.
Host Name: The name of your server.
Your Name: Your name or nickname.
Character: The character class (see above) you wish to play as.
Shirt Color: Pick the color of your shirt.
Pants Color: Ditto.
OPTIONS: Miscellaneous game options.
Configure Keys: Permits you to customize Hexen II so every action
is linked to the button or key that you prefer. First, move the
cursor (via the arrow keys) to the action you wish to change. Then
press the Enter key. Now press the key or button you want to bind
to that action. For instance, if you wish to use the Alt key for
Jump, move the cursor to Jump/Swim, press the Enter key, then press
the Alt key.
Each action can have two different keys assigned to it. If you
already have two keys in an entry, you cannot add more from this
menu. To clear the keys bound to an action, move the cursor to that
action and press Backspace or Delete instead of Enter. This will
clear the keys formerly bound to that action, leaving it blank.
You can bind any key to an action except Function keys, the Escape
key, and the ~ (tilde) key. “Weird” keys such as Scroll
Lock, Print Screen, etc. may or may not work, depending on your
machine, but why bother?
For a list of impulses and manual commands, go to the Impulses
section.
Attack: Fires your weapon.
Change Weapon: Switches the next weapon in your inventory.
Jump/Swim Up: If you're on land, jumps. If you’re underwater,
kicks you towards the surface. If you’re right at the
water’s edge, pops you up out of the water, if you combine it
with forward movement.
Walk Forward
Backpedal
Turn Left
Turn Right
Run: Press this while moving, and you move at double speed.
Step Left: Sidesteps left.
Step Right: Sidesteps right.
Sidestep: Press this when using turn left or turn right and you
sidestep (strafe) instead.
Crouch: Lets you fit into tight places.
Look Up: Lets you angle your view upward. Your view returns to
horizontal when you start walking forward.
Look Down: Lets you angle your view downward. Your view returns to
horizontal when you start walking forward.
Center View: If you're looking up or down, returns your view to
dead center.
Mouse Look: Press this to allow your mouse to look up or down (by
sliding it forward and back), and to remain looking up or down even
if you move forward.
Keyboard Look: Press this to use your movement keys to look up or
down.
Swim Up: Use to swim up toward the surface of the water (also used
to fly up).
Swim Down: Use to swim down (also used to fly down).
Lift Object: Pick objects up.
Use Inv Item: Use an item in your inventory.
Drop Inv Item: Drop an item in your inventory. Most useful in Coop
games where you can share resources.
Full Inventory: Pressing this key will bring up the status bar.
Frag Count: In multiplayer modes, this key will display the score.
Toggle Frags: Will turn frag counting on or off.
Inv Move Left: Pressing this key will toggle inventory items left.
Inv Move Right: Pressing this key will toggle inventory items
right.
Torch: Lights your way in dark places.
Quartz Flask: gives you a health boost.
Mystic Urn: completely replenishes your health.
Krater: The Krater of Might replenishes your Mana.
Chaos Device: Teleports you out of trouble. Where you respawn, no
one knows.
Tome of Power: Imparts special powers on your weapons.
Summoning Stone: Summons some help from a giant imp.
Invisibility:
Glyph: The Glyph of Ancients is a magical item used differently by
each character class.
Boots: The Boots of Haste double your speed.
Disk of Repulsion: Provides a modicum of protection.
Bo Peep: The Seal of the Ovinmancer. One word: Lambination.
Flight: Ring of Flight provides momentary weightlessness.
Force Cube: Attacks your enemies for you.
Icon of the Defender: Provides invincibility.
Go To Console: Brings down the Console. Also possible by pressing
the ~ (tilde) key.
Reset To Defaults: Everything you've changed in the options menu is
reset by this option. Consider it an "Oops" key.
Screen Size: A slider which enlarges or shrinks your view area. All
of the sliders use the right and left arrow keys.
Brightness: Pretty much self-explanatory. Choose a brightness which
doesn't strain your eyes.
Mouse Speed: Adjusts mouse sensitivity. The farther you set the
slider to the right, the quicker your mouse reacts.
Music Volume: Self-explanatory.
Sound Effects Volume: Self-explanatory.
Always Run: When this is selected, you do not need the Run
key—you are always at double speed.
Invert Mouse Up/Down: This gives your mouse
“airplane-style” controls. This means that pushing the
mouse forward “noses down” and pulling it back
“noses up.” Some people prefer this control technique.
Lookspring: Returns your view immediately to straight ahead when
you release the look up/down key. Otherwise, you must move forward
for a step or two before your view snaps back. Lookspring does not
work while you are underwater.
Lookstrafe: If you are using the look up/down key, then this option
causes you to sidestep instead of turn when you try to move left or
right.
Video Options: This screen allows you to change the resolution of
your screen while playing Hexen II. Resolution has the greatest
impact on game performance.
Use Mouse: This option is available only when you are in a Windowed
mode (see Video Options above). When turned on, Use Mouse allows
you to use your mouse as an input device in the game itself (to
turn left or right, for instance). However, you will not be able
use your mouse to control your cursor in this mode. Turning Use
Mouse off lets you use your mouse in Windows, but not in Hexen II.
HELP: An abbreviated, in-game version of this document.
QUIT: Exits Hexen II at once.
Console
The console is a command line interface that gives you access to many
functions in the game engine. Although it is not necessary to access
the Console to play Hexen II, many environmental and gameplay settings
can be configured through this interface. To access the console, press
the tilde (~) key or go to Main menu>Options>>Go To Console. For a
complete list of console commands, please refer to the online
documentation installed with Hexen II.
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MULTIPLAYER GAMES
Equally as much fun as the single player game is the multiplayer
environment. Whether on a LAN or on the Internet, there are several
types of multiplayer action available.
Cooperative
In a co-op game, you and your friends work together to finish each
level. Each player can play any of the four character classes, and
combining the strengths of each class can substantially enhance
puzzle-solving ability.
Save Cooperative Game
If you are running a listen server, you can save your current game as
you would any single player game. Simply access the Save Menu under
Multiplayer options in the menu system to save a game (or hit F5).
NOTE: Only the server can save a cooperative multiplayer game; players
attached to the server will not be able to access the save option.
Loading a Cooperative Game
Please note that loading a cooperative multiplayer game has some basic
rules that you must follow.
1. Pay special attention to the order in which specific players join
the game. The server saved game remembers this order and repeats
it when clients connect back into the restarted game. In order to
retain the same character class, level, and inventory, a client
must join the restarted game in the same order as he or she did
when the game was originally started.
For example, let's say three people play a multiplayer coop game.
Player 1 launches the listen server and joins the game first as an
Assassin. Player 2 joins the server as a Paladin, and Player 3
joins third as a Crusader. They play through the first hub. Player
1 saves the game at this time, and they all go to bed.
The next day, Player 1 launches Hexen II, loads the saved Coop
game and waits for Players 2 and 3 to join. Player 2 jumps in
first and is the Paladin again. However, if Player 3 jumped in
second, he would take over Player 2's character.
This may be slightly confusing here, but just try it in the game.
It will be obvious.
2. No more than the same number of characters saved in the game can
join at any time. If additional players try to join, their
character will enter the game dead and frozen in the world until
they quit out.
Deathmatch
In this all-out melee, the sole object is to stay alive long enough to
kill everyone else. The player with the most kills wins. No enemies
exist in Deathmatch mode, just your so-called friends. Each player
starts in a random spot in the level, and various weapons and
power-ups are randomly spawned throughout. Items and player re-spawn
points are randomized in Hexen II to allow an even playing field.
Team Games
Similar to Deathmatch, Team mode allows players to band against each
other in groups. The team with the most kills wins.
Multiplayer Detailed Information
A comprehensive guide to multiplayer action is provided in the online
documentation installed with Hexen II.
Console
The console is a command line interface that gives you access to many
functions in the game engine. Although it is not necessary to access
the console to play Hexen II, many environmental and gameplay settings
can be configured through this interface. To access the console, press
the tilde (~) key or go to Main menu>Options>>Go To Console. For a
complete list of console commands, please refer to the online
documentation installed with Hexen II.
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HEXEN II SOFTWARE ENGINE
Trouble-Shooting and Reference Guide
The Engine
Hexen II (H2) is based on the WinQuake, the a native Win32
application, and will run on either Win95 or Windows NT 4.0 or later.
Note that this engine is different from the GL version, "Glh2.exe,"
included with this game, and that the references in this section of
the Tech Help document do not apply to Glh2.
H2 is designed to take advantage of whatever enhanced video, sound,
and input capabilities (such as DirectX or VESA VBE video modes) are
present, but has fallback functionality so it can run on any Win95 or
NT 4.0 or later system, even if neither DirectX nor VESA VBE is
available. You may experience problems running H2 on some systems,
because video driver and operating-system support for game
functionality are not yet mature under Win32, and many bugs and
incompatibilities remain in those components. If you encounter what
seems to be a bug, first please check through the list of known
problems, below, and check to see that your problem is not covered in
this manual. If your problem doesn't appear in this documentation,
please contact Activision’s customer support at
http://www.activision.com/.
Hexen II Modes
Hexen II supports several modes. Double clicking the H2.exe icon will
launch the game in normal mode. To launch the game in a special mode,
you need to execute a batch file called "H2B.bat" found in the Hexen
II directory from a MS-DOS prompt. To do this, go to your Start Menu,
open the Programs folder, and select the MS-DOS Prompt icon. Switch
directories ("cd.." to go up a level, "cd hexeni~1" to go into the
Hexen II folder [DOS truncates the folder name to 8 characters with
the "~1"]) to the Hexen II folder, and type any of the commands below.
The first special mode Hexen II supports is
H2B fast
(The "b" stands for Batch) This is the same as typing "h2"; this runs
Hexen II in an aggressive configuration that is likely to yield the
best performance if it runs successfully on your system, but which has
a risk of causing Hexen II or even your system to crash if there are
bugs or incompatibilities in your video or sound drivers.
Alternatively, you can use
H2B safe
to run Hexen II in a conservative configuration, likely to run on
almost all machines with no problems, but possibly with slower
graphics, fewer high-resolution modes, and delayed sound. Or you can
run
H2B verysafe
to run Hexen II in a very conservative configuration that is pretty
much guaranteed to run, but will probably have slow performance, and
will have no sound. Two other options are
H2B fastvid
which has maximum video performance, but greater sound latency (delay
until the sound is heard), and
H2B fastsnd
which uses more conservative video modes, but low-latency sound.
(One odd note is that DirectSound has much lower-latency sound than
wave sound, but is currently quite a bit slower overall. Thus you may
find that "H2B fastvid" is actually faster, by as much as 5-10%, than
"H2B fast"; however, it may not feel faster, because the sound will
lag.)
Finally, you can use
H2B max
which is the same as H2B fast, but turns on DirectInput, which
provides more responsive mouse control, but does not work properly on
all systems.
By default, Hexen II will install DirectX 3a on your system. Note,
however, that DirectX is not required for H2 to run, but H2 will
automatically take advantage of DirectSound and DirectDraw if they are
present. If DirectSound is no longer present for some reason, there
will generally be considerable sound latency (sound will become
audible several hundred milliseconds after the event that caused it).
Note also that there are currently no true DirectSound drivers for
Windows NT, so H2 will always run using wave output on NT, and will
consequently have lagged sound. See below for information about
obtaining DirectX if you do not have it.
Note that VESA VBE modes aren't required for H2 to run, but H2 will
automatically make VESA modes available if they're present. Your BIOS
may already have VESA VBE 2.0 support built in, but most BIOSes don't.
Worse, some BIOSes do have VESA VBE 2.0 built-in, but have buggy
implementations, which may prevent you from being able to run the
faster configurations of H2.
Heapsize (Memory Allocation)
Hexen II normally uses half the physical memory in your system for its
heap, but not less than 12 Mb and not more than 22 Mb. You can
override this with "-heapsize n", where n is the amount of memory to
allocate for the heap, in Kb. For instance, you would type "-heapsize
16000" to use 16 Mb of RAM.
Joysticks
To use the joystick, you must bring down the console by pressing the
tilde ('~') key, and type "joystick 1<enter>"; you can disable the
joystick with "joystick 0<enter>" at any time. The joystick setting
remains in effect for subsequent Hexen II sessions until changed, so
you only need to do joystick 1 once to enable the joystick. If the
joystick somehow causes problems that keep you from being able to run
Hexen II at all, you can start Hexen II -nojoy to complete disable the
joystick for that session.
Common Problems and Workarounds
General
H2 crashes or won't run
Serial/modem menu is missing
Playdemo fails across multiple levels
Alt-Tab fullscreen only works sometimes
System with Packard Bell sound card III crashes on CapsLock
Dedicated server runs very slowly while typing at console
H2 crashes while switching modes or Alt-Tabbing
Many fast Alt-Tabs on Win95 sometimes disable H2 input
In-game message boxes "stick" on screen
Video Modes
How do I select fullscreen or windowed H2 operation?
Gee, I wish I could use a mouse to play H2 with in a window
H2 sometimes runs pretty slowly fullscreen
The color black doesn't change with palette flashes sometimes
Sometimes Permedia boards crash unless -nowindirect is used
H2 doesn’t work in a window in 16-color mode
Some DirectDraw modes flicker badly and look wrong
My default mode is windowed, but H2 goes fullscreen first
Palette goes bad periodically on #9 Imagine card
Windows95 & Environment
Problems can result if Office shortcut bar is running
H2 doesn't have quite the right colors when it’s not the
active app
Desktop is weird colors when H2 runs windowed
Right-click on H2 button in task bar to close doesn’t work as
expected
Screen saver never kicks in when running H2 fullscreen
Can't minimize window while mouse active
Mouse sometimes vanishes in system menu on Win95
H2 behaves oddly if Scandisk starts defragmenting
MS-DOS windows get scrunched on Alt-Tab
Dprint in progs doesn't work
The Windows key doesn't do anything fullscreen on Win95
Right-click doesn't work right on minimized WinQuake
The screen briefly blanks when you exit H2
QBENCH doesn't work with H2
Desktop doesn't reset to proper resolution on H2 exit
Dvorak keyboard mapping ignored
Cursor messed up after running H2
Windows NT
Problems running H2 on NT 3.51
Sound is sluggish on NT
Window controls don't work on NT when mouse enabled
H2 runs very slowly when it has the focus under NT
Ctrl-Alt-Del on NT sometimes doesn't allow return to H2
Sound
Sound breaks up or gets choppy, especially in menus
Other apps fail to play sound while Hexen II is running
Hang reported with zero sound volume
MWAVE sound loses focus
Joysticks
Joystick worked fine with earlier versions of Quake but not with
Hexen II
Joystick doesn't seem calibrated properly
H2 crashes or won't run
If H2 refuses to run or crashes on your system, try running it using
"H2 safe" or "H2 verysafe". Or you can use command-line switches:
H2 -nodirectdraw -nowindirect -wavonly
This will almost certainly solve your problem; however, it may result
in lagged sound (a long delay from action to hearing the sound), may
result in fewer or slower high-res video modes, and the mouse may be
somewhat less responsive. If this does work, you can try removing each
of the command-line switches until you identify the one that fixes the
problem, thereby sacrificing as little functionality as possible.
If the above command line does not fix your problems, try:
H2 -dibonly -nosound
which forces H2 into silent operation with bare-bones video support
and no use of DirectInput for mouse input (the normal Windows mouse
APIs are used instead). Again, if this works, try removing switches
until you identify the needed one.
Both of the above command lines are quick fixes. Often, the problem is
caused by incompatible or buggy DirectX drivers or code (later
installations of DirectX could cause this), and can frequently be
fixed completely simply by reinstalling the supplied version of
Microsoft DirectX 3a which can be found on your game CD in the DirectX
folder. Also, you can find these drivers on the Microsoft's DirectX
website, although the availability and location of the DirectX file
changes periodically; note that at last check, this is a 3.4 Mb file.
(Be aware, though, that sometimes Microsoft's DirectX drivers don't
support features that the manufacturers' drivers do support, such as
display refresh rate control.) For more information on DirectX 3a,
click here.
One known problem of this sort involves the current SB16 drivers from
Creative Labs, which cause H2 to crash on some machines. The
DirectSound drivers from Microsoft, available via the above-mentioned
URL, fix this problem.
It can also sometimes help to get the latest Windows drivers for your
video adapter or sound card (although as the SB16 example indicates,
this is not always a good idea), and for video boards that have flash
BIOSes, it can sometimes help to get the latest BIOS upgrade.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
In-game message boxes "stick" on screen
There are many text messages throughout the game that provide hints or
story fragments. From time to time, especially in co-op, these boxes
will "stick" to your screen and not disappear. This is a known bug
that we are working on, but you can easily make the message box
disappear by bumping up against the trigger.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Serial/modem menu is missing
H2 currently does not support direct connect serial or modem play.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
How do I select fullscreen or windowed H2 operation?
H2’s video options are accessible from the Options menu. There
are two types of modes listed, windowed and fullscreen. You can make
any of these modes the current and/or default mode. If you make a
windowed mode the default, H2 will still briefly start up in
fullscreen mode, then switch to windowed; if this is a problem, use
the -startwindowed command-line switch. More complete video control is
available through the console, as described in the "A bit about how H2
video works" section, below.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Gee, I wish I could use a mouse to play H2 with in a window
You can! While in a windowed mode, go to the Options menu. At the
bottom, you'll find a new selection that lets you choose to have the
mouse active when you're in a window. Of course, if you do this,
you'll have to use the keyboard (Alt-Tab, the Windows key, Ctrl-Esc,
Alt-Esc, or Shift-Alt-Tab) to switch away from H2.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Problems running H2 on NT 3.51
NT 3.51 isn't supported by H2.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
H2 crashes while switching modes or Alt-Tabbing
So far, all cases of this seem to be tied to Creative Lab's SB16 sound
drivers, and have been fixed by getting the latest DirectX drivers, as
described above. Alternatively, you should be able to fix this either
by not switching modes or Alt-Tabbing, or by running -wavonly to
disable DirectSound support.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
H2 sometimes runs pretty slowly fullscreen
There are several possible reasons for this, starting with "You have a
slow computer." Assuming that's not the case, you can sometimes get a
faster 320x200 mode on Win95 by doing vid_describemodes, then using
vid_mode to select a non-VGA 320x200 mode, as described in the "A bit
about how H2 video works" section.
You can also try using a primary sound buffer on Win95 (this doesn't
work on NT) by using the -primarysound command-line switch; this can
improve performance by several percent, but does not work on all
systems, and can result in odd sound effects on some systems when
minimizing H2 or switching the focus away from it. Finally, you can
use -wavonly to select wave sound; this will increase your sound
latency (sounds will be heard later than they should), but allows H2
to run 5-10% faster on some systems. That's about all you can do to
speed up fullscreen H2 on Win95, other than shrinking the active area
of the screen with the screen size control in the Options menu.
NT 4.0 comes with DirectX installed, but doesn't have any resolutions
lower than 640x480. In order to support a lower-resolution 320x240
mode, H2 has NT double each pixel in both directions to get enough
pixels for 640x480. The extra stretching costs some performance, the
result being that NT can seem sluggish on all but high-end Pentiums
and Pentium Pros. (In fact, depending on the quality of your driver's
stretching code, it can sometimes be faster to run H2 at 640x480 than
320x240-stretched on NT.) One thing that can help on NT is switching
to 640x480, then using the Options menu to shrink the active area of
the screen.
A common cause of slowness running in a window is having the desktop
run in 16- or 32-bpp mode. H2 is an 8-bpp application, and it slows
things down if pixels have to be translated from 8-bpp to 16- or
32-bpp. (Note that this is generally a problem only when running in a
window; fullscreen apps rarely suffer from this.)
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Sound is sluggish on NT
NT doesn't have any real DirectSound drivers yet, so there's no way to
do quick-response sound on NT. When DirectSound drivers for NT appear,
H2's sound should automatically be snappier.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Sound breaks up or gets choppy, especially in menus
This is generally a sign that H2's frame rate is too low on your
system. Try reducing resolution or shrinking the active area of the
screen. In some circumstances, it may help to set the console variable
_snd_mixahead to a larger value.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
The color black doesn't change with palette flashes sometimes
Normally, DirectDraw lets H2 change all 256 colors, so when a palette
flash happens, we can change all the colors, including black. However,
on NT DirectDraw currently doesn't allow changing black; likewise, on
both NT and Win95, black can't be changed in a window, either a normal
window or fullscreen. Consequently, in some modes and in a window,
some parts of the H2 screen stay black when the palette flashes. There
is no workaround.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Problems can result if Office shortcut bar is running
Various odd behaviors, especially with sound, have been reported if
the Office shortcut bar is running while H2 is running. If you
experience odd problems, you might try shutting down the Office
shortcut bar and see if that fixes anything.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Other apps fail to play sound while Hexen II is running
The sound hardware is currently not a fully shareable resource on
Win32. Consequently, while H2 is running, it always has the sound
hardware allocated to itself, to make sure that sound is never lost to
another app. This means that normally (when H2 is using DirectSound),
apps that use wave sound (most non-game apps) will not be able to play
sound while H2 is running, even if H2 is minimized or not the active
app, although other DirectSound apps will be able to play sound when
H2 is not the active app. If H2 is using wave sound rather than
DirectSound (either because -wavonly is used on the command line, or
because there is no DirectSound driver, as is always the case on NT),
then no other app will be able to play any sound while H2 is running,
period.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
H2 doesn't have quite the right colors when it’s not the active
app
We're working on fixing this. But H2 puts everything back again as
soon as it is reactivated, and anyway, when it’s not active, you
can’t actually do anything in H2, so it doesn’t really
matter anyway, right?
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Desktop is weird colors when H2 runs windowed
H2 needs all 256 colors to look right and run fast, which causes it to
have to change some of the 20 colors used to draw the desktop.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Sometimes Permedia boards crash unless -nowindirect is used
It looks like this is probably a Permedia driver bug, so it might help
if you get the most recent drivers.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Right-click on H2 button in task bar to close doesn’t work as
expected
In some modes, right-clicking on the H2 task bar button doesn't work
the way you'd expect. We're trying to fix this, but if it's a problem,
don't right-click.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Screen saver never kicks in when running H2 fullscreen
It does work windowed, but when Hexen II is fullscreen, it completely
owns the screen and doesn't share it with anyone, even the
screensaver. If you use Alt-Tab to minimize H2, the screensaver will
then be enabled, so Alt-Tab away from H2 if you're leaving your
computer alone for a while and want the screensaver to be able to kick
in.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
H2 doesn’t work in a window in 16-color mode
That’s 16 *colors*, not 16-bpp. If you’re still running a
16-color desktop, run H2 fullscreen.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Can't minimize window while mouse active
When running in a window with the mouse active as a H2 input device,
there is no easy way to minimize the window, because the system menu
can't be brought up from the keyboard (because some of you use Alt and
Spacebar for playing the game), and the mouse can't be used to
manipulate the window because it's controlling H2. To minimize, you
can disable the mouse for H2 and use it to minimize the window. Or on
Win95 you can Alt-Tab away from H2, then use the mouse to minimize
(this doesn't work on NT, where clicking on the window controls just
reactivates H2). Or you can bind a key to the vid_minimize command, as
in
bind m "vid_minimize"
and press that key to minimize the window.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Window controls don't work on NT when mouse enabled
When running in a window on NT with the mouse enabled (so you can use
the mouse to play H2), if you Alt-Tab away from H2, then use the mouse
to click on the H2 system menu control, or the minimize, maximize, or
close controls, the controls are ignored and H2 just reactivates.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Mouse sometimes vanishes in system menu on Win95
On Win95, if H2 is running in a window with the mouse enabled (so you
can use the mouse to play H2), if you Alt-Tab away, then click on the
system menu, the menu comes up, but the mouse vanishes. However, you
can still use the keyboard to select system menu items, or to exit the
system menu.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
H2 behaves oddly if Scandisk starts defragmenting
If H2 is running fullscreen on Win95 when Scandisk starts an automatic
defragging, H2 is forced to minimize, and when it is brought back up,
may either be in a strange mode where it runs one frame for each
keystroke (in which case Alt-Tab generally fixes things), or may hang
the system. We don't know what the problem is right now, but you may
want to make sure you don't leave H2 sitting there fullscreen
overnight if you have automatic defragging.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Hang reported with zero sound volume
When sound is turned all the way down via the H2 menus, hangs have
been reported.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Joystick worked fine with earlier versions of Quake but not with Hexen
II
The joystick was enabled by default in earlier versions of WinQuake
(the engine Hexen II is based upon), but quite a few people reported
serious problems that forced them to disable the joystick--even some
people who didn't have a joystick attached. Since most people don't
have joysticks, we've decided to disable the joystick by default, and
let people who do want to use it set joystick 1 in the console (Hexen
II remembers this setting, so this only needs to be done once).
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
H2 runs very slowly when it has the focus under NT
In one case, H2 ran very slowly when it had the focus, but fast when
it didn't (obviously this is only visible in windowed modes). The
problem turned out to be that NT had a Sidewinder 3D Pro joystick
driver installed; when the driver was removed, things were fine. If
you see a similar problem, check whether H2 is detecting that your
system has a joystick when you don't think it should; if so, try doing
"joystick 0", or -nojoy on the command line, and see if that fixes it.
If so, there's something flaky in your system joystick setup.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Joystick doesn't seem calibrated properly
H2 relies on the information about your joystick stored in the system
registry. If the joystick seems miscalibrated, run the joystick applet
and recalibrate and see if that fixes things.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Playdemo fails across multiple levels
If "record" is used to record a client-side demo, bad things will
happen on playback via playdemo if a level change is recorded.
(Timedemo works fine.) This is unfortunate, but Hexen II internals
make this not fixable without a good chance of breaking something more
important, so it'll have to stay this way.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Alt-Tab fullscreen only works sometimes
I know it seems that way, but actually the trick is that on Win95 it
only works if you let go of Tab before you let go of Alt. This is due
to a Windows quirk involving what key sequences are passed along, so
you'll have to work around it by remembering to let go of Tab first.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
MS-DOS windows get scrunched on Alt-Tab
This is a quirk of Windows; when you run Hexen II in a low-res mode,
sometimes when you exit Hexen II or Alt-Tab back to the desktop, any
open MS-DOS windows will be scrunched down to the size of the low-res
mode. There is no known workaround.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Dprint in progs doesn't work
Dprint means "developer print," so it only works if the developer
console variable is set to 1. It was a bug in earlier versions that it
worked even when developer was set to 0.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
The Windows key doesn't do anything fullscreen on Win95
True. This is a minor bug we haven't figured out how to fix yet.
You'll have to use Ctrl-Esc, Alt-Tab, or Alt-Esc to switch away.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
My default mode is windowed, but H2 goes fullscreen first
For internal reasons, H2 has to pick a single mode to always
initialize when it starts up, before it sets whatever default you've
selected. We've chosen fullscreen mode, because that's the way most
people will play. If this is a problem for you, however, you can run
H2 with the -startwindowed command-line parameter.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Some high-resolution video modes flicker or fail to initialize
We think these problems are all fixed, but if not, they have to do
with triple-buffering in some modes on some DirectDraw drivers. If you
encounter this problem, either don't use the problem modes or try
using the -notriplebuf command-line parameter to turn off triple
buffering. Note, though, that turning off triple-buffering can reduce
performance in some modes, so do this only if needed.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Right-click doesn't work right on minimized WinQuake
If you right-click on minimized Hexen II on the task bar, the Close
selection in the right-click menu doesn't work; you have to restore H2
before you can exit it. Also, the cursor vanishes over the right-click
menu, although it still works.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
The screen briefly blanks when you exit H2
We're trying to fix this, but it's not harmful, just a mite ugly.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
QBENCH doesn't work with H2
We've had a report that QBENCH doesn't work with H2, but haven't had a
chance to look into it yet.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
MWAVE sound loses focus
We've had a report that on a ThinkPad with MWAVE sound, H2 loses sound
focus (and thus sound) every few seconds.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Desktop doesn't reset to proper resolution on H2 exit
We've had a report that on exiting H2, the desktop didn't reset to the
proper dimensions. This may be a bug with the Matrox drivers, but
we're not sure. If it's a problem and newer drivers don't fix it, you
can run -dibonly, which solves the problem but can cost some
performance.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Palette goes bad periodically on #9 Imagine card
There's only one report of this, so maybe it's a flaky board, or maybe
it's a driver bug. Newer drivers might help.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
System with Packard Bell sound card III crashes on CapsLock
This appears to be the result of buggy DirectSound drivers; -wavonly
makes the problem go away.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Dvorak keyboard mapping ignored
H2 is hardwired for QWERTY.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Cursor messed up after running H2
This is a Windows driver bug; the driver isn't restoring the cursor
properly on return from fullscreen H2 to the desktop. Try newer
drivers.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Dedicated server runs very slowly while typing at console
When you type at a dedicated server's console, the game runs very
slowly for everyone who's connected.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Ctrl-Alt-Del on NT sometimes doesn't allow return to H2
This happens on some machines while running H2 fullscreen. If you
experience this problem, the only workaround is not to press
Ctrl-Alt-Del while fullscreen; Alt-Tab away first.
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
Many fast Alt-Tabs on Win95 sometimes disable H2 input
If you Alt-Tab fast lots of times on Win95 with H2 running fullscreen,
sometimes you end up in fullscreen H2, with the game not accepting any
keyboard input (so there's no way to exit). The only workaround is to
not do lots of fast Alt-Tabs (why you'd want to, I'm not sure).
[INLINE] Back to Common Problems and Work Arounds
A bit about how H2 video works
H2 has the built-in ability to draw into windows (both normal, framed
desktop windows and fullscreen, borderless windows). It also has
built- in support for VGA 320x200 graphics, and supports DirectDraw,
VESA VBE 2.0 and VESA VBE/AF (Accelerator Functions) graphics modes,
if those are available.
H2 does not require VESA VBE, but in order for VESA VBE modes to be
available, your graphics card must be VESA VBE 2.0 or VBE/AF
compliant; a VESA driver can either be built into the BIOS of your
graphics card, or loadable via software. Contact the original
manufacturer of your video card to obtain software updates containing
these drivers.
Video modes supported in Win95
What all this means is that on Win95, H2 will always be able to run in
the following modes:
1) in a window
2) fullscreen 320x200 VGA mode 0x13
3) fullscreen high-resolution of some sort
Category #3 can be any of several configurations. On Win95, if either
DirectDraw or VESA VBE modes are available, then all the DirectDraw
and VESA modes will be presented as high-res choices. (320x200 will
always default to VGA mode 0x13.) In the case that a given resolution
is supported by both DirectDraw and VESA, the VESA mode will be used.
(However, the command-line switch -nowindirect can turn off VESA modes
entirely.) If neither DirectDraw nor VESA modes are available, then
high-resolution modes will be provided by using fullscreen, borderless
windows in whatever resolutions the Windows driver supports, usually
starting at 640x480 and going up.
Video Modes Supported in Windows NT
NT is similar but not identical, because neither VESA VBE modes nor
VGA mode 0x13 are available. On NT, H2 will always be able to run in
the following modes:
1) in a window
2) fullscreen high-resolution of some sort
On NT, category #2 can be one of two configurations. If DirectDraw
modes are available, then those will be the high-res choices;
otherwise, fullscreen, borderless windows will be used in whatever
resolutions the driver supports, usually starting at 640x480 and going
up. Because there is normally no low-resolution mode such as 320x200
or 320x240 on NT, a pseudo low-res mode is created by rendering at
320x240, then stretching the image by doubling it in each direction
while copying it to a 640x480 screen. However, stretching performance
depends on the driver, and can be slow, so sometimes 640x480 is
actually faster than 320x240 on NT.
The bottom line here is that you can generally just use the Video menu
and pick one of the modes and be happy. In some cases, though, you may
need to use command-line switches (described next) to get the types of
modes you want. One useful tip is to go into the console and do
vid_describemodes, which lists all the modes H2 makes available on
your machine given the command-line switches you've used. Each mode is
followed by the name of the internal H2 driver that supports it, so
you can tell which modes are DirectDraw, VESA, and so on, as follows:
WINDOWED: H2 runs in a normal window
FULLSCREEN DIB: fullscreen borderless window
FULLSCREEN VGA8.DRV: VGA 320x200 mode
FULLSCREEN DDRAW8.DRV: DirectDraw mode
FULLSCREEN LINEAR8.DRV: VESA VBE 2.0+ mode
FULLSCREEN ACCEL8.DRV: VESA VBE/AF (Accelerator Functions) mode
(note that H2 does not take advantage of VBE/AF acceleration; so far
as H2 is concerned VBE/AF is the same as normal VBE)
You can use vid_mode from the console to set any of these modes. So,
for example, if you see that there are two 320x200 modes (such as one
VGA mode 0x13, normally mode 3, and one VESA mode, normally mode 4),
you can choose the VESA mode, which will often be faster, with
vid_mode 4. (You can make it the default by setting
_vid_default_mode_win to the mode number.)
There's more to the windowed modes than you might think. 320x240 is
just what you’d expect, but 640x480 is actually rendered at
320x240 and stretched up to 640x480, because most machines can’t
handle the performance demands of real 640x480 rendering. Likewise,
800x600 is a stretched 400x300. Actually, though, vid_mode 2 (the
800x600 mode) is a user-configurable mode. By setting the following
console variables, you can change the characteristics of vid_mode 2:
vid_config_x: width of mode 2 window
vid_config_y: height of mode 2 window
vid_stretch_by_2: whether to render at half-resolution in each
direction and stretch up to the specified size in mode 2, or render at
full resolution.
After setting these variables in the console, do a vid_forcemode 2,
and you’ll have the window you specified. Note that after making
these changes, the new resolution will show up as the third windowed
mode in the Video menu.
You can turn off page flipping by setting the console variable
vid_nopageflip to 1, then setting a new mode. (Note that the
vid_nopageflip setting does not take effect until the next mode set.)
Some systems run faster with page flipping turned off; also, page
flipping does not work properly on some adapters, and vid_nopageflip
is a workaround for this. Note that vid_nopageflip is a persistent
variable; it retains its setting until it is explicitly changed again,
even across multiple Hexen II sessions.
The vid_forcemode console command sets the specified mode, even if
it's the same as the current mode (normally the mode set only happens
if the new mode differs from the current mode). This is generally
useful only if you've modified the characteristics of video mode 2
(the configurable window) while you're in mode 2, and want to force
the new characteristics to take effect.
Whenever you switch to running Hexen II in a window, the window is
placed at the same location it was in the last time Hexen II ran in a
window. You can reset the window position to the upper left by using
the -resetwinpos command-line switch. The window position is stored in
the vid_window_x and vid_window_y console variables.
Video command-line switches
The full list of video-related command-line switches is:
-dibonly: H2 will use only windows (both normal, framed windows on the
desktop and fullscreen, borderless windows), not any direct hardware
access modes such as DirectDraw or VESA modes, or even VGA 320x200
mode. This is the closest thing to a guaranteed-to-run fullscreen mode
H2 has.
-nowindirect: H2 will not try to use VESA VBE 2.0 modes, or VBE/AF 1.0
or later modes. Note that if there are both DirectDraw and VESA modes
for a given resolution, H2 will normally use the VESA mode;
-nowindirect allows DirectDraw modes to be the preferred choice for
all resolutions except 320x200. This can be useful if H2 is crashing
because of a buggy VESA driver.
-nodirectdraw: H2 will not try to use DirectDraw modes. This can be
useful if H2 is crashing because of a buggy DirectDraw driver.
-novbeaf: H2 will not try to use VBE/AF 1.0 or later modes.
-startwindowed: H2 will come up in a windowed mode, without going
fullscreen even during initialization.
-noforcevga: normally, H2 uses VGA mode 0x13 for the default 320x200
mode, even if a DirectDraw or VESA 320x200 mode exists. However,
DirectDraw and VESA modes can be considerably faster than mode 0x13,
because they can set up a linear framebuffer with higher memory
bandwidth. If you specify -noforcevga, the default 320x200 mode in the
menu will be a DirectDraw or VESA mode if one exists. This has no
effect on modes selected via the console variable vid_mode, and if
320x200 is already your video mode, -noforcevga doesn't do anything
until you use the menu to select another mode, then select 320x200
again. (So if your default mode is 320x200 and you then specify
-noforcevga, switch away to some other mode and then back to 320x200
to get the potentially faster 320x200 mode.) The downside to this
switch is that DirectDraw and VESA modes can cause problems in some
systems, due to driver bugs or hardware incompatibilities; if you
experience problems with this switch, don't use it.
-noautostretch: don't stretch windowed modes selected with
-startwindowed to double resolution.
-nofulldib: don't use fullscreen, borderless windows, even if there
are no DirectDraw or VESA modes available.
-allow360: allow listing of 360-wide modes in the video mode menu.
These are normally filtered out to make sure the menu doesn't get too
full, which could cause high-res modes not to be displayed.
A bit about how H2 sound works
H2 can use either DirectSound or Windows wave output to generate
sound. If DirectSound is available, it is used; if not, if wave sound
is available it is used; and if neither is available, there is no
sound. DirectSound results in the best sound quality, and also the
lowest-latency sound; use it if you can, because you will be happier
with the results. (Note, though, that no NT sound drivers yet support
DirectSound.) Wave sound will often have high latency, lagging the
events that generate sound by hundreds of milliseconds on some
machines.
You can tell what kind of sound H2 uses on your system by looking at
the startup portion of the console; you will see either "DirectSound
initialized" or "Wave sound initialized" (neither message is printed
if there's no sound). Any sound failure messages will also be printed
in the startup portion of the console.
Note that H2 generates sound only when it is the active app, the one
with the input focus.
Sound command-line switches
The full list of sound-related command-line switches is:
-wavonly: don’t use DirectSound, but use wave sound if available.
Note that wave sound is generally faster than DirectSound, but has
considerably greater latency. This switch is redundant on NT, because
all sound output on current NT drivers is wave sound.
-nosound: don’t output any sound.
-primarysound: use DirectSound primary buffer output. This is
generally faster than normal secondary buffer output, but does not
work in some systems, and produces odd sound glitches on minimization
and focus switching in other systems. Use it at your own risk, and
please do not report sound bugs if you're using this switch.
-snoforceformat: H2 will not try to force the sound hardware to 11
KHz, 16 bits per sample. This may be useful if DirectSound is failing
for no apparent reason, but generally H2 will produce better sound and
better performance if this switch is not used.
Notes on networking
The winsock TCP/IP driver will not cause a dial-up internet connection
to automatically start up when Quake is started. If you start Quake
with it inactive, the connection will be activated when you either try
to connect to a server or search for local servers.
The local IP address will not always be known at startup. If it is
currently unknown the menu will display "INADDR_ANY". This will be
replaced with the real address when it is known. The IP address will
become known when you try to connect to a server, you search for local
servers, or you start a server.
For multi-homed machines (machines with more than one network adapter
and IP adress), you can force Hexen II to bind to a specific IP
address. There is a command line option "-ip" that takes an IP address
as its parameter.
Notes on the mouse
If DirectInput is installed and functioning, Hexen II can use it for
mouse input, but does not do so automatically because DirectInput does
not work properly on all systems. DirectInput can be enabled via the
command-line switch -dinput. If DirectInput is not available or is not
enabled, Hexen II uses the normal Windows mouse APIs instead.
DirectInput provides slightly smoother motion; also, it tends to be
more responsive to fast spinning motions, and we recommend that you
use it if it works properly on your system. You can determine if H2
uses DirectInput on your system when you use -dinput by checking for
"DirectInput initialized" in the startup console text. If not, you
might try installing DirectX 3 (note, though, that as I write this
there is no released DirectInput support for Windows NT, only Win95).
Special thanks
Special thanks for help with WinQuake to:
Michael Abrash, John Carmack, James Barnes, Kendall Bennett,
Raymond Chen, John Colleran, Andrew Goossen, Mike Harrington, Chris
Hecker, Todd Laney, Scott Ludwig
...and all the beta testers!
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_________________________________________________________________
HEXEN II 3D ACCELERATED ENGINE
3D ACCELERATORS
The hardware world is changing so fast that it is impossible for us to
test, or even list, every 3D accelerator card with GLHexen. While some
cards work extremely well, we cannot guarantee that your card will
work as expected.
How GL Works:
The executable relies on the OpenGL library created by 3Dfx to support
their Voodoo graphics cards. If you have a non-Voodoo graphics board
that fully supports OpenGL, you can try removing the file Opengl32.dll
from the Hexen II directory. This will force the program to use the GL
library installed with your card's drivers. However, there are no
guarantees that this will work.
If you are using a Voodoo graphics board and are still having trouble
getting GLHexen working, we suggest reinstalling your manufacturer's
run-time Glide drivers (not the Direct3D drivers if there is an option
between the two). Click here to go to the 3Dfx driver page. Other
popular manufacturer's driver pages are Diamond Multimedia's driver
page, and Orchid's driver page.
Special thanks to Gary McTaggart at 3Dfx for helping us write GLHexen!
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_________________________________________________________________
DirectX 3a
Upon completion of the Hexen II setup, the installation process will
continue by determining if Microsoft DirectX 3a needs to be installed
on your computer. If so, the Microsoft DirectX 3a setup program will
install the appropriate files on your computer. If you choose not to
install DirectX 3a, and you find that later you need to install
DirectX 3a, follow these directions. With the Hexen II disc in your
CD-ROM drive, install Microsoft DirectX 3a by right mouse clicking on
the Hexen II CD icon to get the Context menu. From that menu, select
Install DirectX.
Who makes DirectX and how can I contact them?
Microsoft created DirectX. If the answer to the question you are
looking for is not found on this page, you may want to contact
Microsoft via mail at:
Microsoft Customer Sales and Service
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-6399, USA
Microsoft can also be reached in the USA at (800) 426-9400, or
internationally at +1(206) 882-8080.
What is DirectX and why do I need it?
Microsoft's DirectX 3a is an API (Application Programming Interface)
set that increases the speed at which games play under the Windows 95
operating system. These APIs allow direct access to the enhanced
features of hardware under Windows 95. With DirectX 3a, a program has
instant access to the hardware, allowing for great advances in
graphics, sound, video, 3-D, and network capabilities of games.
Since Windows 95 and DirectX 3a are relatively new in the computer
world and have not achieved compatibility with some older video cards,
many manufacturers are releasing updated drivers for Windows 95 to
meet the DirectX standard. If you are not sure about your video card's
compatibility, consult the company that makes your video card.
If the Microsoft DirectX Installer does not detect DirectX 3a on your
computer, it can install DirectX 3a for you. After installation is
complete, you will need to restart your computer in order for DirectX
3a to take effect.
If you have other Windows 95 games on your computer, chances are you
already have an earlier version of DirectX installed on your computer.
In this case, the Microsoft Installer will overwrite that version with
DirectX 3a. The DirectX installation process will then be complete.
You will need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
If you already have DirectX 3a installed on your computer, the
Microsoft DirectX 3a installer will detect it and not overwrite any
DirectX 3a files. You will not need to restart your computer after
installation in order to run Hexen II.
DirectX 3a should not affect any titles designed for the original
version of DirectX. Should you encounter difficulties with DirectX 3a,
please contact Microsoft for further information.
How do I check to see if my computer supports DirectX?
1. Place the disc in the CD-ROM drive and exit from any AutoPlay
screens.
2. Double-click on "My Computer".
3. Right-click on your CD-ROM drive and choose Install DirectX.
If any of the components of DirectX are not certified, please call
your hardware manufacturer for the updated drivers that support
DirectX.
I am having problems with running Hexen II and think it might be
related to my Direct X installation. What should I do?
If you experience problems running Hexen II, try turning off the
"Enable 3D Acceleration" option in the DirectX setup program. To
disable 3D Acceleration, double click on the dxsetup icon located in
Program Files\DirectX\Setup. Uncheck the option for 3D acceleration in
the middle of the DXSetup window.
I have heard DirectX is not compatible with some video cards. What can
you tell me about that?
Windows 95 and DirectX are relatively new in the computer world and
have not achieved compatibility with some older video cards. Many
manufacturers are releasing updated drivers to meet the DirectX
standard. If you are not sure about your video card's compatibility,
consult the Vendor List for the company that makes your video card.
If I don't have DirectX, will Hexen II install it for me?
Yes. If the Microsoft DirectX Installer does not detect DirectX on
your computer, it will install DirectX for you. After installation is
complete, you will need to restart your computer in order for DirectX
to take effect.
If the DirectX Installer copied over a previous version, will the
UnInstaller remove DirectX 3a? How will this affect my other Windows
95 games?
DirectX 3a will remain on your computer and you will be able to run
other Windows 95 games that use Microsoft’s DirectX libraries.
DirectX 3a should not affect any titles designed for the original
version of DirectX. Should you encounter difficulties with DirectX 3a,
please contact Microsoft for further information (address and phone
number listed above).
How do I restore my video and/or audio drivers once DirectX has been
installed?
1. Place the disc in the CD-ROM drive and exit from any AutoPlay
screens.
2. Double-click on "My Computer".
3. Right-click on your CD-ROM drive and choose Install DirectX.
Choose the button that satisfies your need (e.g. Restore Audio
drivers). This process will install your previous drivers and prompt
you to restart Microsoft Windows.
The following manufacturers suggest running DirectX 3a with their
products using the configurations listed below. If you need further
assistance, please contact your video card manufacturer directly.
Diamond Multimedia
Stealth SE
Stealth 64 Graphics 2000
Stealth 64 Video 2000
Stealth 64 Video 3000
Stealth Video 2001
Stealth Video 2001\TV
Stealth Video 2500
Stealth 3D 2000
If problems are encountered with the above Diamond Multimedia video
cards, we recommend that you restore your video card drivers.
Instructions are as follows:
1. Place the game disc in the CD-ROM drive and exit from any AutoPlay
screens.
2. Double-click on "My Computer".
3. Right-click on your CD-ROM drive and choose Install DirectX.
4. Click on the button labeled “Restore Video drivers.”
STB Powergraph64 with Vision 95
We have experienced numerous problems with STB video cards running the
STB Vision 95 set of display tools. Please uninstall your STB Vision
95 display tools by reinstalling the STB drivers without the STB
Vision 95 display tools if you experience any problems playing Hexen
II.
ATI Mach 64
If you experience problems running with an ATI Mach 64, click on your
Start Button and select Run, then type SYSTEM.INI. Click OK.
Locate the section within the file labeled
[Display]
and add the line STRETCHENGINE=0
Example:
[Display]
STRETCHENGINE=0
Click on File, then choose Save. Click on File then choose Exit to
leave your System Configuration editor. Reboot the system and try
playing Hexen II again.
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_________________________________________________________________
THE HEXEN II TEAM
Raven
Project Director: Brian Raffel
Programming
Lead Programmer: Rick Johnson
Programmers: Ben Gokey, Bob "The Doctor" Love, Mike Gummelt
Additional Programming: Josh Weier
Design
Lead Design: Eric Biessman
Designers: Brian Raffel, Brian Frank, Tom Odell
Art
Art Director: Brian Pelletier
Artists: Shane Gurno, Jim Sumwalt, Mark Morgan, Kim Lathrop, Ted
Halsted, Rebecca Rettenmund, Les Dorscheid
Animators: Mike Werckle, Brian Schubart
Cinematics: Jeff Dewitt, Jeffrey P. Lampo
Audio
Music: Kevin Schilder
Sound: Kevin Schilder, Chia Chin Lee
Activision
Producer: Steve Stringer
Localization Producer: Sandi Isaacs
Marketing Product Manager: Henk Hartong
European Marketing Product Director: Janine Johnson
Marketing Associate: Kevin Kraff
Senior Quality Assurance Lead: Tim Vanlaw
Quality Assurance Lead: John Tam
Quality Assurance Team: Steve Rosenthal, Mike Spann, Steve Elwell,
Igor Krinitskiy, Ian Stevens, Winnie Lee, Kelly Wand and David Baker
Additional QA and Support: Tony Villalobos, Marilena Wahmann, Jason
Sullivan, Kip Stolberg, Dale Son, David Santos, and Daniel McDonald
Documentation: Mike Rivera, Sylvia Orzel, Belinda Vansickle
Chronicle of Deeds written by: Joe Grant Bell
Localization: Nathalie Dove, Lucy Morgan, Alex Wylde, Nicky Kerth
Installer by: Steve Stringer, Adam Goldberg, Tanya Martino, Eric
Schmidt, Ronnie Lane
Video Services: Chris Hepburn, Brian Bright, Kenny Ramirez
Art Assistance by: Carey Chico and Franz Boehm
Production Assistance by: Jonathan Eubanks
Special Thanks To: E.H.S., JKay, & Lairdo
BizDev Babe: Jamie Bafus
And...
Deal Guru: Mitch Lasky
id
Thanks to Id software:
John Carmack
Adrian Carmack
Kevin Cloud
Barrett "Bear" Alexander
American McGee
Published by:
Id Software, Inc.
The Id Software Technology used under license in Hexen II™ ©
1996, 1997 Id Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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_________________________________________________________________
Hexen II™ ©1997 Raven Software Corporation. All Rights Reserved.
Id Software, Inc. software code contained within Hexen II™ © 1996
Id Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Raven Software
Corporation. Published by Id Software, Inc. Distributed by Activision,
Inc. under sublicense. Hexen® is a registered trademark and Hexen
II™ is a trademark of Raven Software Corporation. The Id Software
name and the id logo are trademarks of Id Software, Inc. Activision®
is a registered trademark of Activision, Inc. All other trademarks and
trade names are the properties of their respective companies.
All images contained in this document are the property of Activision,
Inc., and may not be used in any form without written consent from
Activision, Inc.
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PACKAGE, INSTALLING, AND/OR USING THE PROGRAM, YOU ACCEPT THE TERMS OF
THIS SUBLICENSE WITH ACTIVISION, INC. ("ACTIVISION").
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