I tried to play Strife couple of times with Vavoom, but something happened all the time and I put game aside. Now I decided to finally make it to the end <!-- s;) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orc9.gif" alt=";)" title="Wink" /><!-- s;) --> and the first thing I wanted to investigate is how to get to Sanctuary without setting alarm off. A guy who gives you the quest in the very beginning tells you he will pay 50 gold if you silence some bad guy in Sanctuary and possibly more if I won't "set all alarms in town". I am not quite sure what he means; does he mean not setting alarm on map 02 (which is the town itself), or not setting alarm in Sanctuary? Anyway, I decided to find out is it even possible to get to Sanctuary without making alarm ring. The most common and well-known way to Sanctuary is through a small pier on the river that leads to back door, however if you enter it you will be blocked by alarm-toggling field, and there's no obvious way to disable it. However, I managed to find a way to bypass the field! If you swim (or rather walk) in the river along the wall, pass the pier and futher, you'll find a translucent wall, which leads to a secret passage to Sanctuary. I was surprised, because I never saw it before, and thought it is an actual way to get in, but upon entering the map I met another problem. This secret passage leads to a large pool inside Sanctuary. You can see guards on the tower, and they can see you, but they don't shoot, unless you do it first, and no alarm is sounded. However, there seem to be no way to get out of the pool <!-- s:( --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orc10.gif" alt=":(" title="Sad" /><!-- s:( --> - no ladder nor elevator. But... there was one thing. If you go around guard tower, you will see some kind of platform in the corner, with few ammo clips on it. The plate really stands out there, and first I thought it will rise as soon as I step on it, but it didn't, no matter I do. I checked the map in map editor, and saw no line specials there, no secret buttons and such. But still I cannot loose the feeling that this platform was supposed to rise to get player from the water to guard's tower (I've got this idea because of its convenient position). Can it be designer's mistake? Or maybe first they wanted to allow this path, but then disabled it, but didn't remove platform completely...

I think that platform was supposed to go up (maybe), but it doesn't... <!-- s:( --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orc10.gif" alt=":(" title="Sad" /><!-- s:( -->. AFAIK, there's no way to disable the alarm, it's there on purpose, since it's supposed to be an 'action' map IMO <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orc2.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->. As for the first quest conditions, yes, he means not setting off the alarms in town <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orc2.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->. Strife is a good game, but I feel that towards the end the story is solved in very short time, IMO it would be better that it was a bit longer and had more quests, but it's a good game to pass the time <!-- s:D --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orc6.gif" alt=":D" title="Very Happy" /><!-- s:D -->.

Oh well, I used noclip to get to the target without setting alarm, killed him silently (using dagger) and quest-giver still gave me only 50 gold. Looks like this opportunity is closed in game anyway...

It's been too many years since I last played Strife so don't remember whether there really was a second secret way in (there are several secret areas in town). Also, since Strife played on any source port is reverse engineered, there is no 100% guarantee the original game didn't have some functionality here and there that no ports allow. Not to mention a couple of bugs in the original game (mostly with the sewers). BTW FB if you think the game is too quick towards the end, you either chose the wrong way in whom to eliminate, or you played in a too low difficulty setting. I once did the whole game on Nightmare setting, where humans stay dead but all robots and machines respawn after a short time, since there are a lot of humans in the beginning and nearly only robots towards the end, this made for a progressively more and more difficult game, which made it doable since towards the end you could buy 25 of each type of medpack from the money you had and burn a dozen during a single one on one fight with the big robots.

Maybe that's the thing, that I'm taking an incorrect path in the game. I remember that the game was difficult as hell, to kill the bosses in the game is a big task if you ask me <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orc2.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->.

There are some bugs in Vavoom that won't let me progress in game <!-- s:( --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orc10.gif" alt=":(" title="Sad" /><!-- s:( --> This really pissed me off so I am going to debug engine myself <!-- sorcpoursuite --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orcpoursuite.gif" alt="orcpoursuite" title="orcpoursuite" /><!-- sorcpoursuite -->

Good luck finding the problem with the monsters dropping player sprites or as they are known 'voodoo dolls' <!-- s:P --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orc4.gif" alt=":P" title="Razz" /><!-- s:P -->.

[quote="Firebrand":1aet264s]Good luck finding the problem with the monsters dropping player sprites or as they are known 'voodoo dolls' <!-- s:P --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orc4.gif" alt=":P" title="Razz" /><!-- s:P -->. Hmm.. so you DID found an origin of this problem? I am not aware of what these "voodoo dolls" are. Actually I was much more bothered by the fact that Alien Entities caused game crashes. I could detect where in code it happens and when, but still do not know why, to know that I would have investigate really deep into how engine works (which I really don't won't to do <!-- s:P --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orc4.gif" alt=":P" title="Razz" /><!-- s:P --> ). By the way, I was making a small Strife map to make a monster test and found out you can kill one really tough robot called "Bishop" using a dagger! <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orc2.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) --> It's because his rocket launcher shoots too high and if player stands close Bishop can never hit him.

He wasn't using his full arsenal then, and the map he is on in the game might have specifics as well.

[quote="RambOrc":19cdbpmc]He wasn't using his full arsenal then, and the map he is on in the game might have specifics as well. No, it appears to be a bug in Vavoom <!-- s:P --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orc4.gif" alt=":P" title="Razz" /><!-- s:P -->

Here's the explanation of what vodoo dolls are, it seems that support for them has just begun on Vavoom and there are some bugs left there <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orc2.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->. [url:35fqt1x0]http://doom.wikia.com/wiki/Voodoo_doll

Ha! Now I understand (I don't understand what makes 'em pop out from dead corpses though; can it be they are int DropItem list?). I remember I found out this effect myself very long ago when I was making maps for original Doom, I even used it to create a visibility of "taskforce" in the beginning of a level, like it's your companions who hold perimeter while you enter the base <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orc2.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->

I don't really know what's going on there, my guess is that the DropItem lists need some checks, but I'm not sure...

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Why is it that some of the voice samples are extremely cut-down in volume in ZDOOM? This includes all the chapter intermissions and exit messages. Am I the only one with this problem?

[quote="VikingBoyBilly":3q59h4fl]Why is it that some of the voice samples are extremely cut-down in volume in ZDOOM? This includes all the chapter intermissions and exit messages. Am I the only one with this problem? I never used ZDoom; but why won't you ask on Zdoom forums? I guess people they should know Zdoom better than anyone else.

Finished the game finally <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orc2.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) --> Strange thing, there was still one map I didn't see, named "Factory: Forge" (simply was too lazy to seek for the entrance <!-- s:P --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orc4.gif" alt=":P" title="Razz" /><!-- s:P --> ). I wonder if there was anything important.

It's for one of the alternate storylines.

While not entirely related, I once made an attempt to play the game though but got hopelessly stuck with the first piece of the sigil... no idea where to go next and the like... I guess I'll have to try again from start and actually pay attention. That last try was years ago when i was a young, dumb fella using nasty cheats <!-- s[-X --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/eusa_naughty.gif" alt="[-X" title="Shame on you" /><!-- s[-X --> I'll certainly try doing all possible endings, where is the point that determines the way the game will continue, and is there only one or more points that could alter the ending?

[quote="Dancso":2lz6cldy]While not entirely related, I once made an attempt to play the game though but got hopelessly stuck with the first piece of the sigil... no idea where to go next and the like... After you get 1st Sigil piece you appear in the captured castle which is remade into new Rebel's base. If you return back to the Town, there should be a new passage opened, leading to the Borderlands. Passage is just before Castle entrance, previously closed by iron bars. [quote="Dancso":2lz6cldy] I'll certainly try doing all possible endings, where is the point that determines the way the game will continue, and is there only one or more points that could alter the ending? AFAIK there's only one real roadfork at the point when you have to decide whom to trust, Oracle, who tells you to kill Macil (rebel leader) or Macil, who tells you to kill Oracle.

[quote="Crimson Wizard":2e5jka55]AFAIK there's only one real roadfork at the point when you have to.... yata, yata! Thanks for the GIANT spoiler CW! <!-- sorccensured --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orccensured.gif" alt="orccensured" title="orccensured" /><!-- sorccensured --> (j/k)

[quote="Firebrand":16mpqesl][quote="Crimson Wizard":16mpqesl]AFAIK there's only one real roadfork at the point when you have to.... yata, yata! Thanks for the GIANT spoiler CW! <!-- sorccensured --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orccensured.gif" alt="orccensured" title="orccensured" /><!-- sorccensured --> (j/k) Ok, I removed the description of what path is best. <!-- s:) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/orc2.gif" alt=":)" title="Smile" /><!-- s:) -->