Apogee Releases Blake Stone Source Code

Does this mean people will now make Blake Stone mods?

Hi Jared!

It's only been 20 years, lol. Wonder why it takes them so long.

Are there any features in the Blake Stone source code that Wolf3d doesn't have? If so, then maybe someone should try a pure Wolf3d mod under the Blake Stone engine and compare it to a Blake Stone mod under Wolf4SDL.

WolferCooker wrote:Are there any features in the Blake Stone source code that Wolf3d doesn't have? If so, then maybe someone should try a pure Wolf3d mod under the Blake Stone engine and compare it to a Blake Stone mod under Wolf4SDL.

 
I haven't played Blake Stone in a long time.  This is what I remember that's different from Wolf3D:

-You start out the levels in an elevator, need to find an elevator key, and then you need to go back to the start point to go to the next level.
-You get to go back to earlier levels.  I don't know of any mod besides "All This and Wolf3D" where you get to do this.
-Episode 1 shareware ends with a full screen animation of Blake leaving in some sort of spaceship.  So you get to animate endings, unlike in Wolf3D before the Spear of Destiny.
-There's an animated heart monitor that changes when you have low health and you then can hear your heartbeat.
-Maybe there are laser walls that need to be deactivated like in Absence for Wolf3D, but I don't remember the details.
-Any other differences?

Notes:
-Blake Stone has secret levels.
-Mr. Ling Yan Li or somebody made a Wolf3D mod with Blake Stone graphics.

Then the source code is definitely useless now. Why Apogee decided to release it now I don't know.

Maybe they just found it recently? I recall reading something about old floppy drives...

Even so, the source code is useless. You guys already recreated Blake Stone atmospheres under the Wolf engine.

Differences and enhancements?  Sigh...

-        You have four keys.  If you have the blue key, as an example, you can open only one door that needs the blue key.  If you have two blue key doors then you need to place two blue keys in the map.  Adds a HUGE dimension to game play.
-        Keys can be transported from floor to floor (this is good and bad – especially if your beta-testers are morons).
-        Keys can be held/dropped by almost any enemy (PS only).  Why only some enemies?  I think there is a social status issue at work here, but I could be wrong
-        Players can return to previously completed floors to get ammo or health.  This is providing of course that the opening elevator is accessible when you need it most (a diabolical laugh is welling in my stomach).
-        One-way doors.  AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-        Standard doors can be blown up (PS only) with the right weapon (I’d like to see BJ replicate that little trick).
-        Food machines where the designer chooses how much food can be dispensed based on tokens available in the game.  BIT coins are NOT accepted.
-        Informants come in three flavours (polite/impolite (he will kill you) and homicidal).  They also provide tokens for the food machines and also give you their charge packs.  I once created a secret level consisting only of informants with no open health or ammo to be found.  Kind of trippy to play from the beginning with no tokens or charge packs – jmo.
-        The ability to choose what informants say in a given area.  Very helpful and kinda fun.
-        Turrets that can only be destroyed using certain guns.  It’s interesting if you place a player in a situation where he/she will want to be using more than one kind of a weapon at a time.
-        Barriers operated by switches.  Great way to have enemies storm the player after the switch is hit (especially if you tie it in with floor coding/guard activation).  Switching on/off repeatedly can also electrocute or impale enemies that cross paths with the barrier.  Is impaling an art or a science?  It must be an art because if it was a science they would have tried it on animals first.
-        Barriers can be controlled by the death of a guard.  That is, a barrier can be opened/lifted by killing a specifically tagged guard.
-        Barriers can be electric that will cause damage if touched or they can be harmless/static.
-        Cloaking (partial invisibility) any enemy (PS only).
-        Enemies who shoot from a distance and will only punch you if you are close (as in close proximity and not close as in best friends).
-        Enemies that become shootable and then unshootable (fluid aliens).  I love the fluid aliens.  I would marry one – seriously – huge impact on game play.
-        Enemies that go only in straight paths and only hurt on contact (spheres).  Also come in diagonal models to allow more fun and frolicking while trying to save your hairy ass.
-        Enemies that explode (drones/transports) that can kill surrounding enemies and have the possibly of leaving toxic sludge in their wake.  Especially useful around the informants as you can kiss your 50000 point bonus good-bye if one of them blows up a scientist (and why you are kissing your bonus is beyond me, but whatever you do in the privacy of your own home…).
-        Multiple teleporters (placement is much easier in PS than AOG – just saying).
-        Goldfire warping in an out of areas.  Yeah, that adds to the fun.
-        Statues that morph into enemies.  Also a great trick for parties (PS only).
-        Morphing can be timed, like eggs hatching, zombies a-waking, lords-a-leaping, statues and pillars morphing, swans a-swimming and so on.
-        Guards that play dead (troopers), or awaken (zombies on the lab tables). 
-        Find the detonator! Find the cube! (PS only).  Find the red key! (AoG only).  Both are better than merely finding the elevator (as in Wolf3d/SoD).
-        Overhead map (PS only) that can be magnified temporarily with illuminators (forget the actual term) and these are pick-up objects.
-        Gun that can blow up loose ammo (PS only).
-        The six different guns in PS that use varying amounts of ammo per shot can add a huge element to game play providing the mapper creates the proper scenario.  It is VERY easy to get a player to run out of ammo in PS if the bigger guns are constantly used.
-        Crates that can be blown up containing treasures or supplies.  Seriously… who doesn’t like blowing things up?  Can also be an effective use of helping the player to waste ammo (there’s that concept – AGAIN!!!).  Hey, place enemies behind a bunch of crates, which the enemies can shoot over, but the player can’t.  The player needs to destroy the crates before he can get to the enemies beyond, all the while the enemies will be shooting the player.  NASTY! (but fun in a twisted ack-like way).
-        Hot door markers… step on a spot and a door opens in the distance.  Also works for raising and lowering barriers.  Provides a killer visual (double entendre definitely intended).
-        Multiple door openers.  Tag one door to open when another door opens.  Soon you too can breed chaos in your very own living room!!!
-        A stealth zapper (and like the informants say… use wisely, or use stupidly for all I care).
-        The animated red ceiling light that alerts all guards that an intruder (that would be YOU) is in their midst.
-        Would the world be the same without plasma generators?  Imagine a portal where the enemies continue to be produced forever!  Imagine that you as the designer can control the spawn rate!  Imagine all the people living for today…
-        Using the powerball cheat prevents your high score from being recorded.

Is that enough?
note - anything unique to Planet Strike is marked with a (PS) or Aliens of Gold (AoG). Otherwise consider all of the above to apply to both games.

Yes, some of these of these features have been incorporated into mods, but how many have and how many have been added effectively is anyone's guess

Thank you, ack.  You've really done research.

Some of the features were already recreated in Wolf4SDL. Like the one-way doors

WolferCooker wrote:Some of the features were already recreated in Wolf4SDL. Like the one-way doors

 I must be missing out on some info.  Can you name a few Wolf3D mods with one-way doors?

I've never played Blake Stone. I'm not really a fan of it. What features it had I actually don't know.

stathmk wrote: I must be missing out on some info.  Can you name a few Wolf3D mods with one-way doors?

There's only one. Totenkopf SDL.