SERENITY (successor to NATHRATH'S FAB FOUR)

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Title                   : SERENITY (successor to NATHRATH'S FAB FOUR)
                          A full replacement for the third episode of
                          Doom (which means there are 8 levels - sorry,
                          no bonus level in this one, but you won't miss
                          it...)
IMPORTANT               : Do NOT move this level to another episode,
                          since you can't finish our last level if it
                          isn't played as being E3M8!

Filename                : SERENITY.WAD (previously: NATHRATH.WAD)
Authors                 : Bjorn Hermans and Holger Nathrath
Email Address Hermans   : [email protected], or
                          [email protected]
Misc. Author Info       : Two guys with too much spare time...

Description             : This set of 8 levels has been made with the
                          word quality in mind. It's Mind here, not
                          Muscles! Many days and weeks have gone into
                          testing, designing and fine-tuning. Although
                          this isn't a hack&kill kind of level, you will
                          get your share of bloody action (especially
                          when playing "Ultraviolent").
                          Some of the levels may be a breeze, others may
                          be a real pain in the *ss. But remember one
                          thing: YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE THE CHEATS!!!
                          There are a few very though places, but they
                          can be done. When it seems you can't get
                          around them without using the cheats, you may
                          be doing it the wrong way and/or you may have
                          missed one or more (valuable!) hidden rooms
                          (which contain power-ups, weapons and/or ammo).
                          Hidden rooms, by the way, can always be
                          recognized in some way (different texture,
                          different light-level, etc.).
                          To give you a rough estimation of how long it
                          will take you to finish this level: it took
                          us more than half an hour to finish SERENITY on
                          "Hurt Me Plenty". But then again: we know them
                          inch by inch...

Additional Credits to   : DEU (5.2GCC and 5.21), BSP (1.2x) and their
                          many contributors; Id (no comment); all those
                          people who have been so kind to send us
                          remarks and feed-back about our previous
                          wad-file (NATHRATH); every WADmaker whose WAD
                          has been a source of inspiration for the rooms
                          in SERENITY;

                          And all those many others we have forgotten.

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* Play Information *

Episode and Level #     : E3M1 through E3M8, see below for descriptions
Single Player           : Yes
Cooperative 2-4 Player  : Yes (untested, please send comments)
Deathmatch 2-4 Player   : Yes (untested, please send comments)
Difficulty Settings     : Yes, there are three.
                          The "Ultraviolent" setting may be a bit to
                          easy for the real die-hards. On the other
                          hand (and with a lot of practice), someone who
                          normally plays "Hurt Me Plenty" might be able
                          to finish SERENITY in "Ultraviolent" too.
New Sounds              : No (See "Coming Soon"!)
New Graphics            : Yes, although must Wad-managers won't spot
                          them. We are especially very pleased with the
                          graphic-patches in the last level (you'll see
                          why).
                          All patches work just fine in both 1.2 and 1.666.
New Music               : Yes (a different song for each level)
Demos Replaced          : None


* Descriptions *

Level 1 Description     : "A Warm Welcome"
                          This first level is a warm welcome into the
                          mysterious world of Serenity. It gives you a
                          idea of what you might encounter in the
                          following levels.

Level 2 Description     : "Doom - The Movie"
                          This level includes some nice, spiffy looking
                          structures like a big archway, a plaza, and a
                          movie theater ("Aliens" seems to score
                          big-time at the Doom Box Office).

Level 3 Description     : "R You Lonesome?"
                          Hell isn't supposed to be fun, is it?

Level 4 Description     : "All The Marbles"
                          Here you will go through an underground
                          section that has more in it than meets the
                          eye... There is a maze also, but it has been
                          kept simple (?) enough to keep it from getting
                          boring.

Level 5 Description     : "Dungeons Of The Dark"
                          A level of considerable size. It's dark. It
                          scares. It puzzles.

Level 6 Description     : "I'm Here. I'm There. Stairs Are Everywhere"
                          If you hate lots of stairs & switches, this
                          level sure is Hell for you! You can finish
                          this one in lots of ways. Be smart: take but
                          one way, and that is the RIGHT way!
                          This level, just to reassure you, is the only
                          one that makes this heavy use of switches,
                          stairs and lifts. We just wanted one level
                          that had it, and this is it.

Level 7 Description     : "Big Time"
                          The name says it all!

Level 8 Description     : "Church of The Poisened Minds"
                          Bring enlightment to all those lost souls &
                          sinners that you encounter here. Stand firm,
                          and you will ultimately find there is a Heaven
                          in Hell...

                          **Spoiler**
                          The barrel-puzzle you will probably encounter,
                          may seem like it can only be solved by using a
                          cheat. This is however not necessary. You will
                          have to play around to get it (or perhaps
                          we're just overestimating this one, YOU tell
                          us!).


* Construction *

Base                    : 4 new levels from scratch, levels 2, 4, 5, and
                          7 have been releases previously under the name
                          of "Nathrath's Fab Four". These last four
                          levels have been re-edited and re-vamped with
                          the help of the comments that we received
                          about it. Level two is the one that has
                          undergone the most changes.
                          How long it took us?? Two months is probably
                          the most rough estimation we can make on that
                          one... We don't know that for sure, but than
                          again: we don't care 8-)) (it's fun!!)

Editor(s) used          : DEU 5.21 and 5.22GCC, plus BSP 1.2x and IDBSP.

Known Bugs              : There is one minor HOM in level 4. It can be
                          seen as you open the door that needs a red
                          key. Doom 1.666 may not have this, but we
                          are not 100% sure of that.

                          There is one Moire-effect when you go
                          'underground'. We can't do much about it. Doom
                          1.666 shouldn't have it, as it no longer poses
                          the limitations on ceiling height that cause
                          the Moire.

                          There are a few places where textures aren't
                          alligned, although - according to 'the'
                          allignment-rules they SHOULD be alligned...
                          Please don't flame us for it 8^)
                          In fact: if you know how to get rid of them,
                          please mail us! (we find it just as terrible
                          as you do)


* Philosophy *

Appearance/Design       : A lot of effort was put into making things look
                          good. Especially the last level deserves it to
                          be given a second look having killed all the
                          monsters (except THAT final one...).

                          Not everything has a purpose.  Some things are
                          just there for artistic or architectural interest.
                          We think that is one of the things that made the
                          original DOOM levels so good.  

                          We replaced Episode Three ("Inferno") because
                          it has the best ending, and the best sky
                          texture (at least for our needs).
                              
Traps                   : All levels have been designed in a way that
                          they do not contain places where you can get
                          trapped (at least not without providing you
                          with some kind of 'emergency exit').
                          Yet, should there be a place where you do get
                          stuck, and cannot get out except by using
                          'IDSPISPOPD', then let us know!

Secret Areas            : You do not have to get into the secret areas
                          to complete a level. Keys or switches to open
                          doors or areas are never located in secret areas.

                          All secret areas/doors are marked in some way
                          (for instance by giving it another light
                          level, or a slightly different texture).

Monsters                : We prefer quality over quantity, but on the
                          other we also want a WAD that offers lots of
                          action. We have tried to find a good balance
                          between quality and quantity.
                          We did make an exception though for
                          "Ultraviolence". Here there are an awfully lot
                          of monsters, and it should give those who like a
                          lot of fragging & fighting the challenge and
                          action you want (so we hope...).


* Copyright / Permissions *

Authors may use this level as a source of inspiration to build
new levels. Please don't copy large parts of this WAD, and leave us
unnamed in your description file...

You MAY distribute this WAD, provided you include this file, with
no modifications.  You may distribute this file in any electronic
format (BBS, Diskette, CD-ROM, etc) as long as you include this file
intact (free copies of a CD-ROM that contains this WAD are warmly
welcomed by the authors 8-)


* Where to get this WAD *

This WAD will be uploaded to infant2, so you will find it there, and on
the mirror-sites of infant2 (since the policy of infant2 is going to
change in the near future).
We will also upload it to wuarchive and a few other sites as soon as
possible.


* Coming Soon.... *

We are planning to release our own set of Doom sounds, as we think
that SERENITY is enjoyed at its best when played with these sounds.

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Bjorn Hermans & Holger Nathrath.