Blogs - ZikShadow

So some of you might have noticed a jump in my modding scene recently with a few number of mods of mods (hence why it was called Remods) that was released around this time.

As of the date this blog is released, i think i have like, 8 remods released, some of them are at the addons section, the others in actual mod pages.

Reason for that is that sometimes the original mod locked their addons page, so i had to make my own to upload the damn thing.

Except ToD:Redux, that was just me being stupid and forgetting to check.

Now i have a couple of friends asking me why didn't i try to do level designing again, like when i did those maps like the Psycho maps for the Memories campaign of Cry of Fear.

Or you know, the 2 mods i have with the CoF logo as the icon.

I like to apologize first and foremost for no longer doing SP-based maps like i used to do for Cry of Fear, the explanation is obnoxiously long and probably boring to read, so if you feel that old tl;dr feeling then i guess the quick thing is that i kinda lost my level designing imagination halfway through my age.

Anyway, the obnoxiously long version.

During my earlier days in elementary, me and my friends would make random maps to play a "pencil racer" kind of thing where you have to use the pencil, take turns, and mark paths as you race each other, it would often just be basic squiggly lines of roads to make the race more longer and challenging.Later in those days, i "revolutionized" it into a full fledged "pencil action/adventure game" kind of deal by adding in dice rolls and then manually moving through it while using the older technique that was used for moving and re-using it as weapon usage, with different weapons using different techniques (shotgun means using 5 pencils at the same time to fire, machinegun means you shoot more than once, rocket means a crayon explosion, that kind of silliness).

It even got cutscenes, if you can believe it. In stick comic forms, with me showing it to my friends after we finish a level together.

I would then make a bunch of maps, ripping off my workbook again-and-again in order to make those.

Even in my Junior High i would still make maps for them even when nobody really wanted to play, because i really feel like doing it and was having fun doing it.

Who knew that some of them would actually take part in my actual level designs?

These images were taken during the development process of The Scrolls of Shaimoon, back then, i still had them, and had the specifically ones set on old ancient places as the things that i would take pictures of.

I regretted this decision.

I have a bloody scanner. I should have scanned all of them.

Stupid.

Literally the first map of The Scrolls of Shaimoon, sans the horror element.

This map had a prequel, in which you had to stop a convoy carrying hostages from reaching this very place, it took place in a desert canyon area, with you and your team given sniper rifles to shoot out the convoy vehicles.

Destroying the convoy and capturing the one-in-command would then lead you to this location, where you will need to save the rest of the hostages and stop the evil renegades from stealing the gold and unleashing an ancient evil, they succeeded in unleashing the evil, but you and your team would be able to seal it and escape as the pyramid crumbles behind you.

I was about 12 at the time, so sorry if it is childish.

Excerpts of c_egypt3's early plans, as something made half a dozen years ago.

This one was from an entirely different series actually, a sequel to another one too. This was the second level.

You and your friend tries to stop the (generic used) Nazis from resurrecting spirits in the first part, but the both of you fail this time around.

The whole world collapses in darkness, and you both are trapped in the underground areas of the temple.

The main objective in this part is to gain 3 items of ancient mcguffin scattered around Earth, after which a final showdown will occur with you + your friends against the king of the dead, obviously, you will win.

Parts of c_egypt4, same thing as above, 3rd level in the old series.

Of course, the old "suck comes with time" law applies here too.

In my High-School days (at my later mapping days), i lost pretty much all of them, accidentally dumped them during a spring cleaning or something.

Dozens of maps spanning multiple series, taking my elementary school days all the way up to my High-School days to make.

Gone.

Because i was dumb and forgot where i put them all last time.

And when i started doing levels again, i didn't have them as my ally this time.

Everything started falling apart.

The Escape, a mod combining the elements of Cry of Fear, SCP, and Aliens.

It was never finished.

After a while, i just don't know what to map next.

Doing the old thing with the pen and paper didn't help, as i no longer had the imagination of a young kid.

Every thing just looks the same, corridor after corridor starts to repeat, set pieces getting less and less.

It's all gone.

Nostalgia 2, combining elements from games, movies, and TV shows this time around.

I even had managed to release a Suicide MP map based of Godfather and Mafia, and these particular screenshots was based off Sonic SatAM's design.

It was never finished.

Even things based from other things suffer from this.

Even the ones with actual designs already put there, and what i have to do is to merely add to them.

Nothing.

Lost Hope, in which you travel through random horror-based maps trying to find items to proceed.

You can even select maps at your own leisure with systems set ala' Reissues.

It was never finished.

I can't even scare myself anymore.

And that's it.

Why i kinda stopped most of my map projects in favor of this model packs and translations (that to be honest, aren't 100% faithful. Survive in Catacombs did not originally have those "diary" pages at the chapter names).

I kinda lost my level designing imagination halfway through my age.

So i went back to my roots, rigging and compiling stuff for other people's games/mods.

I hope it clears things for people asking.

I'll try my best to return.

But no promises.

I have no idea where to put this, might as well just place it here.

Anyway...

DESCRIPTION :

Some of you guys may have played a game named The Stalin Subway.

With my small abilities, i managed to improve :

- The average sound effects of the weapons.

- Some music that doesn't really fit the game (Personal taste? But still.)

- Some texts (Subtitles, HUD elements, such.)

- The horrid translation on the loading screens/normal gameplay.

I am unable to fix the famous "Black Textures" or the "Audiere.dll" problems, i'm guessing they're the developers job rather than mine.

I could attempt to fix the voice acting, and try to reinterpret the subtitles so that some stuff would makes more sense (With the cost of "not a true translation", but a reinterpretation of what is said.), but i need the Russian voice acting, which i don't have because i'm using the disk version rather than the Steam version.

DOWNLOADS :

The Stalin Subway 1 - Improved

The Stalin Subway 2 - Improved

The Stalin Subway 1 - Improved Video

The Stalin Subway 2 - Improved Video

INSTALLATION :

Installation is simple, just overwrite the folders in the .rar to the installation folder.

1. Open the .rar
2. Go to the "The Stalin Subway" folder.
3. Extract the folders (txt, sounds, music, textures) to the installation folder where you installed The Stalin Subway to, and click OK when asked to overwrite.
4. Use the icon incase you decide to make a shortcut.
5. Enjoy!

NOTES :

- The crosshair in TSS1 is replaced, i dislike it since it was really huge, and blocks view during long range combat, TSS2's crosshair is not-changed because of the opposite, more close range stuff.

- TSS2's difficulty was changed from Easy, Normal, Hard.

To Normal, Hard, Impossible.

Seriously, playing TSS2 on actual Normal is going to tear your hair out by the end of the game, Easy was really the way to go on TSS2.

- The additional music that replaced the godawful (IMO) dubstep-ish music in TSS1 is made by the guys from the Ispitatel 4 mod for Half-Life.

From the credits i think it's "Alexander Grig", kudos to him.

- TSS2 music is unaltered for personal reason, i don't know, i just liked the music, your opinions may vary.

One that doesn't go to the CoF forums sometimes are missing out on some other custom work for it, particularly models.

Here's just a list of other stuff i did for CoF besides mapping :

Winchester Rifle - Replaces Hunting Rifle
US SOCOM/Mk.23 - Replaces P345
Doctor Vader - Replaces Doctor
Lightsaber - Replaces Switchblade
M9 Beretta - Replaces Glock
Walther PPK - Replaces P345
CoF Beta M76 - Replaces MP5
Flamethrower - Replaces BOOKLAZER
GUI Fixes - Replaces some item descriptions and such
STARS Beretta - Replaces Glock
FG-42 Rifle - Replaces FAMAS
Missing Memories Map - A map i made for Memories that wasn't included in the final release.

Hopefully, one can find some more enjoyment out of those bunch of stuff.

That's all for now, bye!