INTRODUCTION:

"medEvil" Prologue/Story


In the far away kingdom of Rathgamel, there was a village called Wiesenheim.   For centuries, the village as well as the entire kingdom were protected by the Chosen Warriors.  The Chosen Warriors were a race of skilled warriors with the ability to wield magical weapons, and their strength and abilities were passed down from generation to generation.  For many centuries, the kingdom was at peace, confident in the strength of their protectors and the wisdom of their king, Prigar, who was himself one of the Chosen.

As it happened, at the edge of the small village of Wiesenheim, there was a great castle belonging to an eccentric aristocrat named Count Barcruel.  It was rumored that most of the countryside, as well as the village of Wiesenheim, was part of his property, though the Count himself never appeared to enforce his claim over any of it.  The castle had existed as long as anyone could remember, and oddly enough, so had the Count.  It was decided by most that the reason for his longevity was a question best unanswered, as it seemed to have no effect on the wellbeing of the people of the village or kingdom.

Seeminly without warning, the peace of Wiesenheim began to be disrupted.  Hideous sub-human creatures began to appear across the countryside under the cover of darkness.  The Chosen Warriors did their best to deal with the creatures wherever they appeared, but their numbers were many, and the creatures frequently found their way into the village, causing fear and chaos.  The Chosen Warriors determined the creatures were coming from Castle Barcruel, and wasted no time forming a band of their best to storm the castle.

The castle was filled with even more hideous beings than the ones previously encountered during the village invasions.  The Chosen were unprepared for the onslaught they faced, and many died in heroic combat searching for the Count.  Chosen reinforcements were brought in to assist with the effort, but after a brutal battle, only the king remained to finish the job.

King Prigar was, first and foremost, a Chosen Warrior, and as the last of his kind, his resolve to bring the Count to justice was stronger than ever.  When he finally confronted the castles evil ruler, the king discovered the awful truth - Count Barcruel was a vampire, an immortal creature of the night.  After a horrific battle, King Prigar emerged victorious, having beheaded the Count with his magic axe.  In order to prevent the Count from rising again, the king buried the head in a far away location only he knew, leaving the body in the depths of the castle with a stake through its heart.  Count Barcruel was defeated, and his remaining minions crumbled into dust without the power of their evil master to sustain them.


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Time has a way of making people forget things, even significant events of the past.  Having been free from Count Barcruel and his minions for decades, the people of Wiesenheim basically forgot he ever existed, in spite of the looming reminder of his enormous deserted estate and castle right outside town.  Though the Count has been gone for a long time, decay and stagnation seem to have settled over Wiesenheim ever since he first appeared, and the village has failed to grow or prosper since the appearance and death of the Count.  In spite of this, most of the villagers simply avoid the castle and accept all talk of the Count or his minions as superstitous foolery and fairytales.

Luckily for Wiesenheim, there are those more open minded types who understand that the legends are built on horrible reality, and accept the fact that one day, the evil of castle Barcruel could be resurrected.  When the king returned from his victory over the Count, he died shortly thereafter, ending the line of the Chosen Warriors, with one exception - a child named Addrynnyn, infant son of one of the Chosen.

Addrynnyn's father was slain while bravely battling the minions of Count Barcruel with the other Chosen, and his mother died shortly after of grief and illness.  The monks of Wiesenheim recognized that the child was the last of the Chosen bloodline, and took him in to protect him and raise him in the way of the warrior.  It was widely known that only the Chosen warriors could wield their magical weapons, and Addrynnyn was the last hope for a protector who could use this advantage in protection of Wiesenheim.

As the years went by, Addrynnyn grew to be a powerful warrior, strong of both mind and body.  Since Wiesenheim continued to lead a peaceful (though less than productive) existence, he determined that he would leave the village and seek challenges elsewhere with which he could test and prove himself.  And so, he ventured off into hostile lands, seeking wrongs to write and injustices to put an end to.  It was a journey of many years, during which he never returned to Wiesenheim.


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It was not uncommon for many types of traveller to pass through the village of Wiesenheim, and one had only to wait a few weeks to see a variety of merchants, travelling holy men, and entertainers make an appearance.  It seemed completely ordinary when a magician named Olrox stopped in the village and made himself at home in the local inn.  He wasn't the first of his kind to come to the village, though he drew more than a little interest, as his performances seemed to be the result of actual magical abilities, as opposed to the usual sleight-of-hand tricksters.

Olrox won over many of the residents of Wiesenheim with his wit and wizardry, including the village mayor.  Though it was restricted to most people he was granted permission to visit the abandoned castle Barcruel, as he claimed to have an interest in the supernatural as well as magic, and so it's rusty gates were unlocked for the first time in many decades.  The day Olrox entered the castle was the last day anyone in the village ever laid eyes upon him.

Many people suspected the worst had happened to Olrox, but few suspected what had actually occured.  Upon entering the ancient castle, Olrox revealed a grizzly trophy he'd long carried with him - the head of Count Barcruel.  He entered the castle's depths and exhumed the rest of the Count's body, and brought the two together.  Once this was done, he used his magical powers to open a portal to the netherworld from whence came the vampire's life force, and Count Barcruel was brought to life once again.

It wasn't long before the hordes of the Count's evil minions were respawned, and prepared to march across the face of the free world. A fearsome army of monsters tore into the village of Wiesenheim, and laid waste to the village and it's residents, except for a chosen few who managed to escape.

Among the residents who survived were the monks of Wiesenheim, who had placed a magical spell of holy protection around their small monastery at the edge of town.  There they remained, knowing that soon, the last of the Chosen Warriors would return to Wiesenheim to fulfill his destiny.

That Chosen Warrior was Addrynnyn, and it was no coincidence that he happened to be returning to Wiesenheim for the first time in many years, just as all hope for the village had been lost.  Upon entering the city gates, one of the monks quickly pulled him aside and sheltered him in the monastery.   There, they informed him of what had taken place, though the devastation throughout the streets of the village told the story quite well.

The monks decided it was time to present Addrynnyn with a magical weapon they had kept safe for many years, for most of them had been lost in the Count's dismal castle and never recovered.  They gave him a Wand of Magical Attack, a weapon only the Chosen could wield, which would surely prove useful in his quest to come.

And so, now, with his mighty sword, Alatas, and the magical wand, Addrynnyn prepares to fulfill his destiny and put a stop to the Count and his minions once and for all...good luck, brave warrior...you will most definitely need it!


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GAME INFO:

A lot of our previous mods gave away a lot of information about levels and enemies you'd face during the game, but we've been trying to avoid doing that so much these days.  As a result, you'll have discover pretty much everything about medEvil yourself as you play through the game.  You will be awarded with some tips and info about enemies you've met already after certain levels, as well as little bits of the story as it progresses, but you'll have to earn all of that.  We believe that discovery is part of the fun of playing a mod, and hope you feel the same way (if not, well, that's too bad...)


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CHANGES:

Where to begin?  The code has undergone a lot of changes since this project began, many of which I probably won't remember, and some of which it would spoil to tell, so here are just the basics that affect gameplay.  You'll probably notice some of the others as you play the game, but I won't mess with them here.

- the sword (knife replacement) is much stronger than it was in the original Wolfenstein games.  This allows you to use it not only when you're out of ammo, but as your primary weapon in a lot of situations.  Many of the enemies you'll encounter will only attack you at close range, which happens to be where you have the advantage in this game.  There are many situations where you'll need ammo for other things, so don't forget your sword.

- ammo limit (magic power) has been set to a max of 250 units instead of 99.  This is useful, since you will face a lot of tough enemies, and won't always have time to run around picking up magic power after you start fighting.  Be conservative, though...some weapons can still go through 250 units pretty quickly.

- much of the boss/enemy behavior etc has been changed.  The result is that there are several "mini boss" type enemies you may encounter throughout the game, who will drop various items.  Likewise, enemies that may be based on guards from the original Wolfenstein may not attack the way they did in the original game. The ghosts have been made stationary, and now serve another purpose in the game...

- levels are now seamless.  There are only ten of them, but you don't have to pick which episode you want to play.  This is good, since there are no levels after the first ten...trust me.  Oh...and there is no secret level... sorry, but secrets don't make friends... :)

- shading has been added to the game to create a greater sense of atmosphere.  Be warned that there is a slight pause at the start of shaded levels as the shading table loads, but this is normal.  The first couple levels won't do this, because they are not shaded.  There is, however, a weather effect in at least one of the levels.

- there are some other changes, but they are classified in nature.  Sorry, but to reveal much more about them would be to spoil some surprises, and where's the fun in that?


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BASIC SURVIVAL:

This is just the basics related to medEvil.  If you don't know the basics of the original Wolfenstein already, you'll have to find them elsewhere (they may or may not help you in this game anyway).

- pick up everything you can.  Ammo and health can be scarce.  If you don't need it at the moment, you might want to remember where you saw it.

-  if something is moving, it's probably harmful.  Health and ammo items never move, and can be seen from a long ways away.  Keep an eye out for obvious and not so obvious traps.

- use your sword.  It's been said before, but it can't be stressed enough.  There will not always be enough ammo to kill every enemy you need to if you don't save some of it.

- keys aren't always hidden in the levels where you can just find them.  Monsters sometimes carry keys, and will need to be dealt with in order to progress.

- explore your surroundings.  This may be obvious, but if ammo or health seem a little too hard to find, they may be hidden.

- not every creature that moves can be killed...nor can they always harm you.


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GETTING STARTED:

The game picks up where the story ends (if you didn't read the whole thing, at least read the last two paragraphs or so).  You (Addrynnyn) have just returned to Wiesenheim to find it in ruins, and are preparing to embark on a dangerous journey with nothing but your sword, Alatas, and a Wand of Magical Attack.  You have only a few magical "rounds" for the wand, so stick to the sword in the beginning (you won't find any enemies that attack from a distance early on).  Your first objectives are:

- get rid of any enemies blocking your path as you explore the ruined village, and collect the items they leave behind.

- find the keys to unlock the locked doors in the village (the Count's minions have "cursed" certain doors to prevent people from wandering freely throughout the village - these doors have a skull symbol on them).

- make your way out of the village and into the lost woods at the edge of Wiesenheim.

Once you've accomplished these goals, you'll be finished with the first level.  Don't start cheering yet, though.  Your next objective is to penetrate the lost woods, which border the Count's estate.  There, you'll find the gruesome commander of the invading forces.  Here's a tip - save your ammo, because you'll need it.

The Count's estate doesn't consist of his castle alone.  It's actually a huge, sprawling area of the countryside, with a variety of unpleasant locations to explore.  You'll have to go through all kinds of places to actually reach and penetrate the Count's castle, but you'll get there eventually (if you're lucky).  Good luck!  You're on your own for the rest of the game!


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WEAPONS AND ITEMS:

Without going into too much detail, here's some of the stuff you'll come across in the game, and what it's good for (and what it looks like, in case you really can't figure it out).

- Treasure:  there are four different kinds, and they should be pretty obvious.  The least valuable looks like some scattered coins on the ground, and most of the others look like money sacks.  Treasure can be easily seen, even in darkened areas.

- Potion of Magical Attack:  ammo for magical weapons can be found in the form of green bottles, usually dropped by enemies, but occasionally found just lying around.  Even enemies who don't use magical weapons can often be found carrying these potions (I guess it just makes them feel cool or something).  Grab them - you'll need them.

- Potion of Lesser Restoration:  these appear as small blue vials that will restore a small amount of your health.  They're better than nothing if you just need a little recovery, but if you're nearly dead, they won't be much help.

- Potion of Mid Restoration:  these appear as purple jars, and will restore a bit more health than the lesser potions (thus the name).  They are more helpful than the lesser kind as well, though still not the most powerful of the healing items.

- Potion of Greater Restoration:  these look like silver chalices with purple liquid in them, and will restore much more of your health than other kinds of potions.  Certain enemies will drop these if you kill them, so make sure to look twice when you kill a new type of enemy.

- Artifact of Maximum Restoration:  looks like a gold skull with wings, and will restore your health and grant you an extra life.  Obviously, they are hard to find, and should be collected if discovered.

- The Sword Alatas:  you begin the game with it.  A powerful double-edged weapon, ideal for laying waste to enemies who get too close to you.  It requires no magic power to use, and it's range is fairly decent for a hand to hand weapon (test it out - you may be able to hit enemies from further away than you think).  In a pinch, it can even be used to destroy powerful bosses, assuming you're good at dodging their attacks in the process.

- Wand of Magical Attack:  a single shot weapon that uses one unit of magic power per attack.  It is fairly effective against weaker enemies, especially the ones who only engage in hand to hand combat.  Of course, your most effective strategy is to save your magic ammo for enemies who shoot at you from a distance.  Keep in mind that a single accurate shot from the wand is much more effective than single shots from rapid fire shooting weapons.

- Staff of Expeditious Attack:  this is the first magical weapon you're likely to come across, and it's a step above the magical wand.  It gives you the ability to use rapid fire magical attacks, making it useful for dealing with stronger foes or groups of weaker ones.  The power of it's individual shots is slightly weaker than that of the wand, so take time to consider which weapon will be most effective as you encounter different foes with different behavior.  Some enemies carry these, though they cannot actually use them.

- The Vampire Slayer:  little is known about this mysterious weapon.  Its powers are incredible, but so is it's rate of magic usage!  Don't let the name fool you - it's capable of slaying a lot more than just vampires!

- Axe of Precipitous Hewing:  A mighty hand to hand weapon with incredible destructive power.  The power comes at a cost, though - it uses magic points with every swing, whether you hit your target or not!


This is all the info you get about weapons and items.  There may or may not be more to discover...you'll just have to keep looking if you want to find out.  Good luck!


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That's all the tips you get!  If you're still having trouble, send an email, and I'll try to help.  The game does get easier after the first couple levels, but then it gets tougher again...hang in there!


KREDITS:

HUGE thanks go out to everyone who helped with this project.  Even if you helped indirectly, your contributions are appreciated greatly!  Thanks to:

 - Adam Biser - for lots and lots and lots (and lots more) of code changes, even after I promised it was the last of them.  Also for contributing level 3, and some of the enemy sprites, and for composing the tunes for levels 1 and 8.

- Ian Summerfield (Little Cherub) - for the maps for levels 7, 8, and 9. Also for one of the digitized sounds used in the game, taken from Ian's Nazi Party.

- Tricob - for doing maps 4 and 5, and for converting and contributing most of the music for the game.  Also for contributing several sounds and other material to the project.

- ack - for contributing level 6, and for making adjustments to some of the other levels to help them fit the game better.  Also for submitting the par times for the levels.

- Brian Lowe - For hosting this mod on the Dome!  Your contribution to the Wolf community is invaluable!

- Majik Monkee - for the story idea, the graphics changes, the sounds, and for creating the maps for levels 1, 2, and 10.  Also for doing the title screen and the VGAGRAPH artwork.

- Dumscheissekopf - for the basic concept, putting some of the project material together, and suggesting some code changes.

- Credit for original music material goes to the following: Konami, Squaresoft, Ravengames, and ID Software

- Credit for original graphics material goes to the following: Konami, Ravengames, ID Software, GT Interactive, and Lobotomy Software

- Credit for original sounds goes to the following: ID Software, Ravengames, and original sources

- the original Wolfenstein crew (ID Software) for making the original Wolfenstein, releasing the source code, and for the graphics from the original game I kept and either changed very little or not at all.

- If I've forgotten anybody here, it was not intentional.  I appreciate all contrtibutions to the project, and thanks again to everyone who helped make it happen!


"Wow!  That's a lot of credits for a mod with only ten levels in it!"  :)


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MEDEVIL

That's all, folks!  Enough reading!  Go play!  If you like this game, and want to me an email, the address is dhw_majik_monkee@yahoo.com.  Thanks for playing!

- Majik Monkee-