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version 2.0
Thank you very much for downloading Citadel, a mod-levelpack for Quake
II. These maps are the result of countless hours of planning, design and
headaches. I’d love to hear feedback on whether or not you liked them, and why,
so if you have any comments feel free to e-mail me (ilpinky@libero.it).
• THE STORY
• INSTALLATION
AND GAMEPLAY
• THE
LEVELS
• SPECIAL
FEATURES
New Monsters
New Weapons
New Military Supplies
New Items
• KEY
BINDINGS
• TECHNICAL DETAILS
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During routine sensor scanning of the Stroggos surface, a strong energy emission has been picked up, apparently emanating from a mountain region of the planet previously assumed of scarce strategic value. After scouting the area where the emission was detected, we have discovered a large, fortified complex built on the bottom of a wide valley. Data in our possession suggest that the stronghold is housing a Power Core very similar to the reactor which empowered the Big Gun, possibly even more powerful. Unfortunately the device is buried under the planet’s surface, thus rendering an air strike ineffective: it will be your task to infiltrate this notable example of self-sufficient Strogg settlement, codenamed Citadel, in order to locate and destroy its Power Core. A successful mission may be a critical blow to the Strogg, as this would remove any chance they have for reorganizing their war machine.
You will be dropped by a Viper ship to a relatively safe area just outside of the enemy base. As usual, your first objective is to establish a communication uplink between the Strogg computers and the command ship. This will enable updated intel support on your field computer during the whole mission. Once the link is made move to the Main Complex, a large, heavily guarded logistical depot storing abundant military supplies. Before you can reach the industrialized area where the Power Core is located, you will likely need some sort of pass or authorization: we believe that this can be retrieved in the Robotics Facility, an high-tech factory located at the outskirts of a wild region we refer to as Badlands. Faint human life signs have been detected there, so we must assume that the Strogg are still using captured troops as catalyst for their nightmarish cybernetic constructs. Once you have gained the pass, you will find yourself in the Switchyard, an energy shunting station from which the Power Core can be accessed. A timed laser grid is active throughout the Switchyard, so be careful - of course, there must be some way to permanently deactivate those lethal lasers, however we have no clue about where the grid control is located, so you will have to look for yourself. Much in the same manner, we have no precise data about the Power Core surroundings, apart from knowing that it lies under the ground, however be prepared for extreme environmental conditions as well as heavy Strogg resistance.
We don’t expect energy to
go immediately down after the Power Core destruction: its huge back-up
batteries will likely sustain the basic infrastructures of the Citadel long
enough for you to locate some mean of transport and evacuate the area, before
the remnants of the Power Core collapse and the ultimate chain reaction takes
place, spreading destruction for miles around. Good luck, soldier.
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First of
all, make sure you have patched Quake II to the current, final version 3.20:
Citadel will not work with the retail version of Quake II, so
download and install the patch if you haven’t done yet. To install and play
Citadel follow these steps:
1)
Create a new folder named citadel in the same directory where you
have Quake II (this is the same folder on your machine where you’ll find
QUAKE2.EXE) and extract all files contained in citadel.zip in it.
Do not create the citadel folder in the QUAKE2/BASEQ2 directory, or the
game will not work.
2)
Right-click on QUAKE2.EXE and select Create Shortcut. Right-click
on the newly created shortcut and select Properties. On the Properties
dialog box that appears, modify the command line in the Target field to
include +set game
citadel at the end
(preceded by one space), as in the following example:
"C:\Program Files\Quake2\quake2.exe" +set game citadel
3) Start Citadel using the
modified shortcut and select the skill level (easy, medium, hard) as in normal
Quake II.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: unlike most recent Quake II levelpacks,
Citadel is not compatible with Knightmare nor with other custom
engines. Being a mod in its own right, Citadel comes with a dedicated DLL,
gamex86.dll, which is needed to run these maps correctly. If you play Citadel
with any other DLL, certain special monsters won’t be recognized as valid
entities, some skins will be missing, strange errors will pop up, and the maps
will ultimately fail to work. If you have Knightmare or other custom
engines installed, then you don’t need to get rid of them, just make sure
Citadel is running the gamex86.dll provided with this levelpack: this is
achieved by following the above explained installation procedure.
Citadel is a single player game: it does not support deathmatch nor cooperative gameplay. Difficulty Settings are implemented, and they either affect the number of enemies per map, and their overall effectiveness. At this purpose, all monsters have enhanced AI compared to standard Quake II. Gunners, for example, use the correct elevation angle to launch grenades, while Tanks and Iron Maidens fire rockets at your last known position.
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The heavily fortified complex
codenamed Citadel is made up by six regular levels (External Base, Main
Complex, Badlands, Robotics Facility, Switchyard, Power Core), and a secret
level, which is up to you to discover. You start from the External Base, and
your primary goal is to locate the Power Core and destroy it. Much in the same
manner of a typical Quake II unit, gameplay in Citadel shifts from linear to
non-linear: some levels are dead ends which require to be visited only once;
other levels have multiple connections and you will need to visit them several
times to achieve all your goals.
Here you have the enemy count for each level on easy, medium and hard
skill. Please note that enemies created by monsters with spawning abilities
(Medic Commander, Carrier, Black Widow) are not added to this count, as well as
dead foes resurrected by medical Strogg.
|
|
Easy |
Medium |
Hard |
Secrets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
External Base
|
26 |
32 |
42 |
2 |
Main Complex
|
108 |
138 |
167 |
7 |
Badlands
|
82 |
126 |
148 |
5 |
Robotics Facility
|
88 |
120 |
135 |
2 |
Switchyard
|
70 |
83 |
100 |
4 |
Power Core
|
49 |
70 |
75 |
3 |
Secret Level
|
53 |
59 |
64 |
5 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
476 |
628 |
731 |
28 |
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Citadel
features a wide range of monsters and weapons from The Reckoning and Ground
Zero (two mission packs developed, respectively, by Xatrix and Rogue
Entertainment) and from Lazarus (a popular Q2 modification by David Hyde
and Tony Ferrara). There are also three new monster variations: Cobalt Guard,
Elite Gunner and Titan Hornet. Read this section carefully, as it will help you
to take familiarity with the special content.
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Sentry Turrets |
Placed on the walls and the
ceilings, these come in two deadly versions: Rocket Turret (yellow) and
Blaster Turret (red), with the latter being particularly accurate. Often
concealed behind explosive panels, these automated sentinels will test your
reflexes. Sentry Turrets can be nasty opponents, but you can take them down
rather easily: a well-aimed single rocket, most of times, will do the
job. |
|
Hyperblaster Guard |
These special troops have a modified
version of the Hyperblaster as a deadly augment. |
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Laser Guard |
They mount a laser gun on their
arms. Laser Guards have a keen eye and increased stamina. |
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Ripper Guard |
This dangerous guard is armed with
the Ion Ripper. Watch for its projectiles ricocheting off surfaces: they may
miss you the first time… but find their target on the way back. |
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Cobalt Light Guard |
The weak and
quickly assembled Light Guard now has a somewhat stronger alter ego outfitted
with a faint power screen. Do not waste powerful ammo against Cobalt Guards:
your shotgun should be enough, and you can even successfully take them down
with your standard blaster, provided there aren’t more dangerous enemies
chasing you… |
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Kamikaze Flyer |
They usually appear when the Carrier
shows up: upon a suicidal command sent by their big daddy, they will spin
toward you at very high speed, exploding on contact and causing extensive
damage. |
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Gekk |
An amphibious creature that lives in
the swamps of Stroggos. It’s still unclear if this is an indigenous breed
like the Barracuda Shark or a Strogg biological experiment. Commonly found in
packs, Gekks will patiently wait for you in the shadows. They are excellent
swimmers, so engaging them outside of water is strongly advised. They spit
acid spores from the distance, attempting to get closer to claw and bite.
When killed, the Gekk may explode in a shower of bio-luminescent gibs. |
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Stalker |
A vicious arachnoid-like
abomination. They rely on a lethal slash attack and an high-powered blaster.
Stalkers can make long jumps, and they can cling to the ceiling to evade your
attacks. For this reason you should use tac-scan weapons to counter them, as
they easily dodge projectiles such as Rockets, Flechettes, etc. Never
undervalue the Stalker, not even when it looks dead: it may be a fake! |
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Daedalus |
Enhanced version of the Icarus, the
Daedalus wears a power screen and mounts the same blaster used by the
Stalker. He has good strafing capacities, so the Railgun is the best weapon
to counter him. Alternatively, use Homing Rockets. Also, try to hit the
Daedalus on his back, where the power screen doesn’t protect him and where he
can take considerable damage. |
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Elite Gunner |
Equally as deadly as a standard
Gunner, but outfitted with a power armour, more strength, and more hate for
the Earth people. Use the ETF Rifle if you have it, but also energy weapons
will prove to be effective. The Elite Gunner can be considered the iconic
monster of Citadel. |
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Medic Commander |
Not only he can re-animate dead
Stroggs from eternal sleep, the Medic Commander also has the ability to
randomly spawn Guards, Enforcers and Gunners. If possible, take care of the
Medic Commander first, then shoot at the newly created foes. As you may
argue, the difficulty highly varies according to which kind of monsters the
Medic Commander is able to spawn. |
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Beta Class Iron Maiden |
She fires homing missiles which
pursue you up, down and around obstacles. Homing rockets are destroyable,
though, and somewhat slower than normal rockets, so all is not lost if you
find yourself in an open area and one of these bitches manages to use her
arsenal. For your relative luck, the Beta Class Iron Maiden will show up only
toward the late stages of the game. |
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Beta Class Gladiator |
Instead of the Railgun this guy
mounts a Phalanx Patricle Cannon, and his power shield is meant to endure
heavy attacks. Often you will need to develop particular tactics to beat
these tough opponents: try to lure them near explosive material, or find a
safe place and snipe on them. |
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Beta Class Brain |
If you think Brains are weak
opponents, then don’t be so overconfident with the Beta Class: they can grab
you with a long range tentacle, and fire scorching lasers from their eyes. |
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Gamma Class Supertank |
AKA the Administrator. Protected by
a massive energy armour and enhanced with homing rockets, this special
Supertank is the unquestioned master of the Robotics Facility. He can
manipulate force fields, and he will likely use this ability to hinder your
way or trap you within his dominion. Remember to plan your moves to elude his
lethal heat-seeking missiles. |
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Titan Hornet |
They are gifted with an in-built
warp field generator which grants them interplanetary flight, as well as
pseudo-teleporting abilities. They will attempt to catch you unprepared by
materializing at unexpected locations. Titan Hornets have a thick energy
armour, so a Quad Damage may find practical use. |
|
Carrier |
Armed with a serial rocket launcher,
double chainguns, railgun and grenade launcher, this hulkish flying arsenal
also carries Flyers for total annihilation, sending them into suicidal
missions if necessary. Quickly take cover when you see the Carrier! Do not
absolutely engage this juggernaught in open areas, unless you have suicidal
tendencies or an Invulnerability item in your pocket. |
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Black Widow |
The ultimate Strogg nightmare, armed
with the Plasma Beam and the fearsome Disintegrator. She can spawn starving
Stalkers, and the whole brood is longing for having you for dinner. Never get
close to this screaming terror, since the Black Widow can also grab you,
pulling you toward a painful death. Finally, avoid the temptation of using
the Quad Damage, or the Widow will likely activate her in-built damage
amplifier in retaliation. |
|
Chainfist |
Arm-mounted chainsaw. Good for
saving ammo when facing melee units, it will also come handy for gibbing dead
Stroggs which could be resurrected by erratic Medics, or unexploded bosses
which hinder your way with their large bodies. With some practice and the
right timing, you can successfully use the Chainfist to counter Berserks or
nearby Gladiators, provided there aren’t other enemies chasing you. |
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Ion Ripper |
The Ion Ripper is a versatile Strogg
weapon that fires blasts of glowing energy boomerangs capable of ricocheting
off walls (luckily you are invulnerable to your own shots). This weapon
allows to launch attacks around corners out of sight. The Ion Ripper
uses standard Cells, depleting two Cells per shot. |
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Phalanx Cannon |
The Phalanx Particle Cannon uses
magnesium slugs, or Magslugs, and fires two quantum accelerated torpedoes (a
single Magslug is used to generate two bolts). This weapon delivers heavy
firepower, causing extensive splash damage; for this reason the Phalanx
Cannon must be used with extreme caution, especially in narrow spots. |
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ETF Rifle |
This weapon fires explosive-tipped
Flechettes that can pierce armour. Since Flechettes detonates on contact the
ETF Rifle should not be used in close combat. If you thought the ETF Rifle
seen in Ground Zero did lack punch, then you’ll be amazed by its renewed
piercing power. Now, let’s nail ’em all! |
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Prox Launcher |
A modified Grenade Launcher that
fires proximity mines. These are able to attach themselves both on the walls
and the ceiling, and explode causing heavy damage when someone gets too close
to them – including you. You can make them explode remotely by toggling the
Prox Launcher with the Grenade Launcher: this is useful should you
accidentally misplace one or more proximity mines that hinder your way (if
you need to launch a grenade after placing proximity mines, then select
another weapon between the two launchers, or use hand grenades.) |
|
Plasma Beam |
By unleashing a constant flow of
scorching energy, the Plasma Beam can dispose of many Strogg enemies with
ease. This is a powerful tac-scan weapon, but it drains your cells very
quickly, so do not abuse it. |
|
Disintegrator |
An obscure Strogg weapon alimented
by dark matter spheres called Disruptors. These literally annihilate their
targets and have latent homing properties, but can be carried only in small
quantities due to their radioactive emanations. The consuming power of the
Disruptors slowly affects the weapon itself, so bear in mind that the
Disintegrator will melt sooner or later, becoming completely useless. |
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Magslugs |
These are the magnesium slugs that
are used in the Phalanx Particle Cannon. Each box contains 10 Magslugs. |
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Flechettes |
Munitions for the ETF Rifle. They
can pierce armour and detonate on contact with the enemy, causing minor
splash damage. You get 50 Flechettes per box. |
|
Prox |
Proximity mines for the Prox
Launcher. Each box contains 5 Prox. |
|
Homing Rockets |
When fired, homing rockets track
whatever target you were aiming at. If your inventory includes both standard
and homing rockets, you toggle between them by re-selecting your Rocket
Launcher. You won’t find many of these goodies, so use them wisely. |
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Disruptors |
Dark-matter spheres for the
Disintegrator: each box contains 3 Disruptors. You can carry only 15 spheres
at once, regardless if you have an Ammo Pack or not: that’s the actual limit
an human can tolerate, due to the radiations emanated by the spheres themselves. |
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Sniper Zoom |
The sniper zoom allows to smoothly
zoom between the default FOV and 5 degrees. Press <Y> to zoom in,
<U> to zoom out. Best used with the Railgun. This utility is available
by default. |
|
IR Goggles |
The IR Goggles help seeing entities
in dark areas by turning them full-bright orange for 60 seconds. They either
detect enemies and items. |
|
Defender Sphere |
The Defender Sphere floats over you
and fires at every enemy who hurts you. It is best used when you are facing
multiple enemies and you have few places to take cover. In Citadel the
Defender Sphere lasts for 90 seconds, thus giving some consistent assistance. |
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CBU-71 |
The Cluster Bomb Unit 71 is a
dispenser type munition consisting of a SUU-30H/B dispenser which stores BLU-86 bomblets with M224 fusing. Upon releasing this
bomb you have a few seconds to take cover before it detonates. According
to intelligence the Strogg have stolen three CBU-71 from a wrecked Viper and
have concealed them at secret locations. Due to its weight, you can carry
only one CBU-71 at once. |
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Steroids |
Steroids look like a green
Adrenaline. They have no healing effect, but each dose permanently extends your
health capability by 2 points. You can reach 125 health points by collecting
all Steroids & Adrenalines scattered through the maps. |
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These
are the default key bindings for Citadel. Each new weapon has been coupled with
an old one: they share the same numeric key, so you can toggle them. The Rocket
Launcher is used to fire both standard rockets and homing rockets. The
Disintegrator is the only new weapon which gains priority over an old one (the
BFG10K). The Chainfist can also be handled by pressing <H>.
|
1 |
Blaster / Chainfist |
|
2 |
Shotgun / Ion Ripper |
|
3 |
Super Shotgun / Phalanx |
|
4 |
Machinegun /
ETF Rifle |
|
5 |
Chaingun |
|
6 |
Grenade
Launcher / Prox Launcher |
|
7 |
Rocket Launcher |
|
8 |
Hyperblaster /
Plasma Beam |
|
9 |
Railgun |
|
0 |
Disintegrator /
BFG10K |
|
|
|
|
H |
Chainfist (alternate hotkey) |
|
|
|
|
G |
Hand Grenades |
|
B |
Rebreather |
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S |
Silencer |
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X |
IR Goggles |
|
E |
Environment Suit |
|
P |
Power Shield on/off |
|
D |
Defender Sphere |
|
Q |
Quad Damage |
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I |
Invulnerability |
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M |
CBU-71 |
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|
|
|
Y |
Zoom in |
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U |
Zoom out |
If you don’t like these settings, you can define your own key bindings. The easiest way to do so is by editing the file CUSTOM.CFG (you can use a normal text editor). Then, you will load this file from the console either by entering EXEC CUSTOM.CFG or with the short command MYKEYS. Please do not edit the file CONFIG.CFG - if you do so, the game may behave in unpredictable manner or not work properly, and you will have to re-install Citadel.
By default, CUSTOM.CFG contains the same above stated
key bindings, as well as comments on the available commands. The syntax for
setting up key bindings is bind
<key> <”command”>
You will notice that a slightly different syntax has been used for weapons, in order to have more than one weapon assigned to a numeric key, so they can be toggled. If you don’t like this layout and you prefer to have all weapons assigned to unique keys, then you should erase all weapon-related commands and redefine them (note: all the commands you need are listed in the comment remarks of CUSTOM.CFG, ready to be copied and pasted into your key bindings).
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Working time |
35 months (june 2006-may 2009) |
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Build/test machine |
Pentium 4 @ 1.8 GHz ~ 256 MB RAM ~ Inno3D GeForce2 ~ Win98 |
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Featured
maps |
base.bsp |
complex.bsp |
badlands.bsp |
robotics.bsp |
switch.bsp |
power.bsp |
secret.bsp |
ending.bsp |
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Polyhedrons
per map |
2970 |
4239 |
3508 |
5276 |
3804 |
3491 |
4736 |
57 |
|
Compiling
time per map |
22’ 43” |
53’ 58” |
40’ 26” |
47’ 08” |
51’ 17” |
59’ 19” |
30’ 15” |
18” |
|
Editor used |
QuArK v4.07 |
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Compiling utilities |
QBSP3, QVIS3, QRAD3 |
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Other programs used |
Adobe Photoshop, JASC Paint Shop Pro, Wally, Cygnus Hex
Editor, MapSpy, MPQ Viewer |
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Software requirements |
Quake II patched to version 3.20 |
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Single player |
Yes |
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Cooperative |
No |
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Deathmatch |
No |
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Difficulty settings |
Yes |
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New textures |
Yes (Unreal,
Ground Zero, Zaero, modified id textures) |
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New skins |
Yes (Ground
Zero, The Reckoning, modified id skins) |
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New models |
Yes (Ground
Zero, The Reckoning, Lazarus) |
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New sounds |
Yes (Starcraft,
O.R.B., Half Life, Ground Zero, The Reckoning) |
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Give
All
– In order to provide a lighter download, not all of Xatrix and Rogue extras
have been redistributed with this levelpack, but only the files related to those
entities which have been actually used throughout the levels. If you type
"give all", you will get many more extra items (without graphics and
sound) which were not meant to be found in Citadel (for example the JetPack).
Using "give all" may also lead to an index_overflow error and crash
the game, because the extra features included already push the Q2 engine to its
limits. Err… this was just a technical report, not an invitation for you to
cheat in my levels, did you copy?
The Disintegrator Issue – This was nasty, but luckily showed up during
early beta testing. Basically, if you used the Disintegrator against the Jorg
when the latter was about to die, this would have gibbed the Jorg along with
Makron, who is needed in his integer form to trigger a subsequent critical
event. As a result, there was a chance for players to end up permanently stuck.
This was worked around by simulating the Disintegrator’s meltdown before you
could use it in such context. Cheaters out there be aware that this bug may show
up again if you "give" yourself a new Disintegrator via cheat codes
and use it against the Jorg.
These
maps have been tested intensively, and I haven’t discovered any other bug, so
far. Should you find any, please contact me (ilpinky@libero.it), so I can fix
them and release an update on the Citadel
website. Thanks in advance for your help!
|
I started working on this
levelpack in April 2006, releasing version 1.0 in May 2007. The first version had
no Secret Level and no External Base, so the game started directly in the Main
Complex. Feeling that the levelpack could be expanded, I kept working
discontinuously on Citadel for two more years, creating two additional maps
while improving the overall gameplay; most changes from version 1.0 were made
following users’ feedback, and at this purpose a big thank goes to everyone out
there who e-mailed me with their comments and, often, with suggestions on how
to improve the game (see Credits.)
As you have probably
noticed, the design of Citadel was heavily influenced by The Powersphere
Quest by Cedar Kraus: explicit references to it can be seen in the Main
Complex, the Badlands and the Switchyard. The Robotics Facility was designed
following the architectural scheme of the Research Lab from the original Q2
levels, mixing it with environmental elements seen in Incarceration by
Greg Barr.
|
id Software for Quake II
Armin Rigo author of QuArK
Geoffrey DeWan for his compiling utilities based on code from id
Software
Ty Matthews and Metal White III for Wally
Xatrix for The Reckoning
Rogue Entertainment for Ground Zero
David Hyde and Tony Ferrara for Lazarus and MapSpy
Knightmare for the original version of gamex86.dll and needful
technical advises
Gunnar Olafsson for additional playtesting
HLR for construction consult
Korozive and Mark Shan for moral support
Cedar Kraus, author of The Powersphere Quest, which strongly influenced
the making of Citadel
|
This
levelpack can be redistributed freely, provided you leave the ZIP archive
unaltered. You can upload it on your website for free download, as long as you
credit me (Andrea Rosa) as the author. You can make as many copies as you want,
and share it with you friends. You cannot redistribute this levelpack for
profit in any way without my explicit permission: this includes, but is not limited to, inclusion in
commercially exploited compilations and/or magazines.
Andrea Rosa, Cittiglio (VA) Italy