Quake: Nexus Aftermath

Note: This article needs to be cleaned up. Its information may be poorly-written, erroneous, incomplete, obsolete or irrelevant to the purpose of this wiki.

Quake: Nexus Aftermath
Authors	Ghastly Dragon, Captain Toenail
Port	ZDoom
IWAD
Status	WIP, mappers needed
Link	Demo released, ZDoom forum thread

About

Quake: Nexus Aftermath is a large single-player, cooperative and deathmatch megawad for ZDoom, GZDoom and Skulltag using large amounts of Decorate and ACS. It features 47 monsters, not counting weapon variants of certain monsters, 14 weapons and another for deathmatch only (not counting class tools), 3 player classes and several maps.

It will be fully compatible with all of Skulltag's deathmatch-based game modes, and a deathmatch and CTF map pack are planned. Resource packs containing just about everything this mod has will be released after the main mod is finished so that sub-mods can be made.

It was started in mid-June/mid-July of 2007 by Ghastly_dragon and Captain Toenail. It was announced in early-July of 2008 with all mapping resources, monsters and weapons completed.

Story

In 2060, the Strogg, a race of bio-mechanical nightmares, attacked Earth with unbridled ferocity. After a large war, the GDF (Global Defense Force), a conglomerate of all military forces on Earth, finally drove them off the planet. Later, after much research into Strogg weaponry and their techniques of space travel, the GDF launched a surgical attack on the Strogg homeworld of Stroggos and their capital city of Cerberon.

In the attack the human attack force destroyed the main air defense cannon (the Big Gun), along with the main reactor and the tectonic stabilizer of that region, shut down the largest Stroggification facility on the planet, destroyed a docked fleet on an asteroid base, bombed the entire city, and assassinated the Strogg leader, the Makron. Reinforcements came soon after and established a tentative beachhead on the planet and Cpl. Matthew Kane, a partially Stroggified marine, destroyed The Nexus, a massive relay that allows for near-telepathic communication between all Strogg.

Now, several attacks are underway to cripple the Strogg, and finally annihilate them once and for all.

The Strogg

The Strogg are a warlike race that seems to have culled technology and flesh from several sources. They have found uses for things that Humans would consider unthinkable, like using a massive brain as a communication relay, grinding up people for nutrients or using humaniod torsos for storing bio-electrical energy. They use a mix between high- and low-tech technology, once they seem to find something that works, they don't try to improve it themselves.

They appear to have a tribal society, led by warlords who constantly infight for position and stature and the strongest warlord is elected Makron (leader of the entire race). Some of their more impressive technological achievements are the ability to create inter-dimensional gateways known as slipgates for much faster-than-light travel, their near-mastery over a power source known as Dark Matter and the recycling of organic material for a nutrient substance called Stroyent. Five words to describe the Strogg are industrial, unethical, resourceful, warlike and adaptive.

Weapons

• Blaster: Standard issue sidearm, the blaster is weak compared to most other weapons. Due to its nuclear battery, which would be ill-equipped to suit other weapons, the blaster requires no ammunition. Good against weaker enemies if you don't want to waste ammo.

• Shotgun: Standard issue 20-gauge shotgun, it is quite well-rounded at close to medium range, but the spread renders it next to useless at long range. Use against lighter targets.

• Super Shotgun: Much like the standard issue shotgun, the super shotgun (also known as the assault shotgun) contains two barrels. As such, it uses double the shells, does double the damage with double the spread. It is useful at close quarters, but do not use it at medium to long range.

• Machinegun: The standard issue machinegun deals respectable damage with good accuracy. It doesn't have a massive punch, but it's a very well-rounded weapon. If used semi-automatically, it fires single shots with perfect accuracy.

• Chaingun: Fast, powerful and inaccurate, the chaingun can deal staggering damage against large targets or large masses of targets. Against small, lone Strogg, you'll just end up wasting ammunition.

• Nailgun: A powerful Strogg weapon, the nailgun fires small, sharp nails at high velocities which explode on contact. Advanced tracking technologies allow the nails to home in on enemies if the alternate firing mode is used, but they lose the explosive force. Best used against close range targets, and the alternate firing mode is good against quick air units. The alloy that composes the nails allow them to penetrate portable shields.

• Grenade Launcher: An explosive weapon best used against groups of enemies, or powerful lone enemies. Grenades can bounce off walls, so be careful with them.

• Rocket Launcher: A powerful explosive weapon. It has a moderate speed projectile dealing good damage with a respectable rate of fire and near-perfect accuracy. Use this against more powerful Strogg.

• Hyperblaster: Firing much like the blaster, the hyperblaster fires at incredibly high speeds. Unlike the blaster, however, the hyperblaster requires power cell charges because of the massive power requirements to fire the bolts so quickly. Overall, a very well rounded weapon used best against moderate and heavy enemies at close to medium ranges. Also very good against guided missiles and drop teleporters.

• Lightning Gun: An advanced and recently implemented Strogg design firing a spray of electricity dealing staggering damage over long periods of time. It's short range, low initial damage and large spray limits its use against more powerful Strogg, but it is very effective against large amounts of weaker enemies.

• Railgun: Firing large depleted uranium slugs at extremely high velocity, the railgun is powerful enough to puncture multiple enemies in a line with perfect accuracy, but has a slow rate of fire. It is good against slow air units and far away targets.

• Disintegrator: Using modified Dark Matter containment field technology, a Disintegrator blast actually tracks its target. The weapon fires slowly compared to lighter weapons, but doesn't do as much damage as the BFG10k or Dark Matter Gun. Best used against quick air units or lone powerful enemies.

• BFG10k: Fires a massive blast of plasma, the BFG10k can devastate most Strogg hit by it in a single shot. Focused radiation emitted by the blast damages nearby targets, and said radiation is released in a wide area when it strikes a target. Use only when you need to, as it uses up quite a few cells.

• Dark Matter Gun: An incredibly powerful Strogg creation, the Dark Matter Gun can destroy most things with one blast. The projectile can go through Strogg (dealing heavy damage), and explodes when it hits a wall. Be careful, though, one misfire and you will be compressed into an infinitely small size.

Powerups

• Power Shield: Power shields use power cells to create a force field to protect a soldier more fully than body armor.

• Silencer: Attaches to the barrel of most weapons, the silencer is capable is almost completely silencing your weapon for a limited number of shots. It is ill-suited to a few weapons, chaingun, disintegrator and lightning gun included.

• Enviro-Suit: The environment suit completely protects from acid or other similarly harmful liquids or gasses. It was originally created by the Strogg to protect their higher-tier infantry in toxic areas.

• Adrenaline: An advanced medical pack that can fully heal a marine, use only when you really need it.

• Megahealth: Utilizing a powerful steroid and adrenal supplement to increase the bodies ability to regenerate, the megahealth allows Strogg soldiers to fight long after they should have died. Apparently, it has the same effect on Human soldiers, as well.

• IR Goggles: Mimicking advanced Strogg night-vision technology which is common for even their infantry, the Human IR Goggles allow soldiers to see perfectly in any level of brightness. Their batteries only last a limited time, however.

• Tesla Mines: A Human weapon using limited lightning beam technology, the tesla mines attempt to roast any Strogg that enters its relatively limited range of fire. It has a limited battery, and it is quite easy to destroy.

• Bandolier: A band carrying a large amount of ammo for some of the more common Human weapons.

• Ammo Pack: A heavy pack allowing you to store more ammunition.

• Hoverpack: First seen during the Earth invasion, the hoverpack (of which the Icari and Daedali use variants of) allows quite a bit of mobility in the air. It has a pretty short fuel supply, however.

• Flares: A favoured Strogg tactic when Humans gain foot-holds in their facilities is to cut the power and invade with large numbers of quick ground units. Thus, flares have become standard issue to marine units entering Strogg installations. They only last a minute or two, but that is usually enough to counter any advantage.

• Shield Generator: When active, this Strogg device creates a powerful kinetic shield that blocks weapons fire, but slower-moving objects, such as marines and Strogg, pass through unhindered.

Strogg

• -Infantry: Usually used as shock troops and the general masses of the Strogg army, infantry aren't usually considered a threat unless in large numbers (except, of course, the more powerful and intelligent infantry). Don't get careless, however, the weaker infantry can still do damage.

• Light Guard: Light guards are weak soldiers used for defensive situations. They are usually posted as sentries or on patrols. If there is a lone guard or a pair, expect more powerful Strogg lying in wait. They use standard blasters grafted on their right arms to attack and have red and grey uniforms. Any weapon can be used effectively against them, so it is best to not waste more powerful ammo.

• Shotgun Guard: Much like light guards, shotgun guards are more powerful and are used protect more important areas. Their shotguns can deal severe damage at any distance. They look very much like light guards, but with tan/green uniforms. The weapon of choice is the machinegun at any distance, but the grenade launcher and dark matter gun both work very well against large masses. The chaingun does not work well against guards, as the spin-up and spin-down can cost you a lot of time.

• Machinegun Guard: The machinegun guards defend the most important areas en masse or supplement weaker guards in lower profile targets. Their machineguns are very damaging at any distance, and as few as three can kill you in seconds without cover. They wear black uniforms and the same tactics as the shotgun guards work well against them.

• Laser Guard: Advancing Strogg technology has enabled these guards to have a flesh-carving industrial laser mounted on their arm. Accurate and deadly, these black-clad troopers are a real menace to ground troops when strategically located.

• Ripper Guard: Found only in the deepest installations of Stroggos, these infantry are armed with Strogg ion rippers, a weapon originating from the Hyperblasters design, but with a difference. Those higher-cohesion projectiles can ricochet off hard surfaces and tear through soft targets. Identifiable by their elite black and green uniform, waste no time dispatching these cyborgs.

• Strogg Marine: Standard offensive infantry, the Strogg Marines use either blasters, machineguns, shotguns or lascerators. They are quite quick and usually attack in packs. Use light, rapid-fire weapons against groups of them and the blaster or shotgun against lone or pairs.

• Tactical Transfer: Used as elite security, attack and special ops teams, Tactical units nearly turned the tide of the war before Operation: Last Hope. Even now, they prevent squads from carrying out special orders far behind enemy lines. Tactical Transfers use railguns, machineguns, nailguns, hyperblasters and shotguns and now, after the Nexus was destroyed, usually travel in groups of ten (two of each weapon, in most cases). The hyperblaster is very effective against them, but the railgun and super shotgun work well also. Be warned, though, that they can carry Dark Matter Guns to use as fire support.

• Aggressor: Heavily armored and powerful, Strogg Aggressors are the second-highest tier infantry (behind Infiltrators). They can weild shotguns, chainguns, nailguns, rocket launchers, hyperblasters, lightning guns and BFG10Ks. By their choice of weapons, they obviously prefer straight-forward firefights, but can be surprisingly intelligent.

• Infiltrator: First seen during the Earth invasion, Infiltrators were a plague in both the front lines as snipers, and far behind the front as spies and saboteurs. They act in the same capacity on Stroggos, only in large squads. In addition to their accurized lascerators and railguns, they also use portable teleportation devices and a cloaking generator. They are the most powerful and intelligent Strogg infantry encountered yet, use extreme caution.

• -Assault: The Strogg assault classification consists of powerful ground units with usually large weapons and heavy armor. Use more powerful weapons against them.

• Enforcer: Enforcers are bulky warriors used mostly in large industrial areas for defense. They have a large chaingun on their right arm which can be quite damaging. Most weapons work well against them because they are large and fairly slow, but the machinegun works best.

• Grunt: Strogg Grunts are unique, in that they are the only known Strogg model that is made up of this specific (and, likely, extinct) race. Grunts prefer to rush the enemy using brute force and beat down on them, though it has a (rarely used) chaingun mounted on its shoulder. It also has small containers along its upper arms of a powerful steroid that boosts longevity and movement speed.

• Berserker: Often working in tandem with Gunners, Berserkers are basic melee foot soldiers. They have a large amount of armor, so killing them can be difficult, and they can do a lot of damage with their hammer and spike hands. Any rapid fire weapon works well against them, but the super shotgun is best.

• Gunner: Gunners are offensive warriors used as commanders of weaker soldiers. They have an automatic grenade launcher on their left arm and a chaingun on their right. Use more powerful weapons to avoid taking too much damage.

• Medic: Medics are very dangerous, in that they can repair most Strogg warriors, including other medics. They have a hyperblaster grafted to their right arm that can be fairly easily dodged. While they can only deal mediocre damage, it is recommended you use the most powerful weapons you have, especially when there is more than one of them, so they cannot repair other Strogg. They usually travel in groups of two or three and rarely without backup.

• Sentien: Essentially the brain and spinal cord of an unfortunate humanoid mounted in a robotic carapace, this abomination is armed with a lascerator and a laser and requires very little maintenance, perfect for defending key locations against intruders. It's tough armoured body ensures he can take a beating, but it's mechanical legs, more suited to withstanding the shock of weapons fire, means it isn't going anywhere fast.

• Gunner Commander: Commanding Gunners and other medium-low level Strogg, the Gunner Commanders are quite tough, and almost never alone. They wield a large nailgun with a built-in Dark Matter Grenade Launcher, which can vaporise a marine if he is hit directly. Use powerful weapons against it, and remember to take cover.

• Berserker Commander: Incredibly aggressive and deadly to lone, or even groups of, marines, the Berserker Commanders specialize in ambushing their targets. Dropping down from ceilings, hiding behind doors and rushing around corners are some of their more usual tactics. They use modified lightning gun technology to fire a small bolt at targets with a fairly short range, and they can even charge up and release a small shockwave. Fast, accurate weapons are your best bet against them.

• Juggernaut: Armed with a heavy claw and a Strogg phalanx cannon, the Juggernaut is a powerful sentry for otherwise undefended areas. They usually defend in pairs. The chaingun does very well, but make sure you dodge the blasts from the phalanx cannon.

• Gladiator: Used for defense, the Strogg Gladiator is armed with a personal shield generator, a blaster and a large railgun. They usually lead a group of Strogg Marines, Guards or Tactical Transfers, sometimes mixed in with other, more powerful Strogg. Their shield can absorb or reflect most firepower, but can be disrupted by the Lightning Gun, or bypassed with the Nailgun.

• Medic Commander: More dangerous than the more common Strogg Medics by far, the Medic Commanders can not only repair and heal dead strogg, but can also summon warriors though drop teleport technology to fight for it. It also wields a powerful heavy hyperblaster. The drop teleporters can be destroyed quite easily, but are hard to hit because of their small size. Use explosive weapons against the Medic Commander and to destroy the teleporters. Failing that, use the machine gun or nailgun to destroy the teleporters. The teleportation process may fail if there is not enough space for the summoned warrior.

• Tank: Tanks are massive humanoid war machines. They have no visible organic components but there is some encased in large amount of heavy armor. Tanks move very slowly, but take large amounts of damage. They use a heavy blaster, a machinegun and a three chambered rocket launcher to attack. Heavy rapid fire weapons work best against them, but the rocket launcher, grenade launcher and railgun do well also.

• Berserker Tank: While they resemble Tanks, the Berserker Tanks are in fact much more dangerous. They prefer to charge their opponents and attack with a large mace on their left arm, or use the flamethrower on their right arm. Before they charge, they soften up targets with ranged attacks. Use the super shotgun when they charge, and the railgun at long range. The hyperblaster works well at medium to short range. Keep in mind that the combustible material that powers the flamethrower arm might detonate if enough armor is destroyed, which is often the cause of death for these powerful soldiers.

• Heavy Hovertank: Used as defenders and against vehicular targets, the Heavy Hovertanks use very powerful homing rocket launchers and hyperblasters to decimate their targets. Use powerful weapons against them, such as the dark matter gun and rocket launcher.

• Tank Commander: Used as palace guards and field commanders, the Tank Commander wields a nailgun, a homing rocket launcher and a dark matter hyperblaster with more armor than a standard Tank. More powerful weapons are prefered against them, and there are always two Tanks, Berserker Tanks, or Heavy Hovertanks with them on the field.

• -Scout/Other: This classification consists of quick, quadruped units for security, scouting or other purposes.

• Parasite: Used as scouts and security forces (usually paired with enforcers), Parasites employ a powerful Dark Matter Hyperblaster against enemies. They are quite quick and quite annoying. Use the super shotgun or machinegun against them before they do too much damage.

• Stalker: Strogg Stalkers used are scouts, assassins and as guards in dark areas. They favour sneaking up on an enemy with their Strogg cloaking generators before leaping on them or clawing them. The super shotgun and machinegun work well against them.

• Teleport Dropper: Teleport droppers are alien, canine Strogg that are employed to transport Strogg to undefended areas, or to flank enemies. They are defenseless, by themselves, but they can teleport a small army through drop teleporters. Kill them quickly with explosive weapons (rocket launchers and nailguns are best) before they can teleport too much help in. They often travel alone, but can often travel in pairs.

• -Air: Strogg Air units are quite dangerous for Marine infantry units. Several are quick and not too easily destroyed, and can often make quick work of an unsuspecting marine.

• Flyer: Small aerial attackers used as patrols. They use light hyperblasters mounted on their wings and can be quite dangerous when they swarm. The shotgun and machinegun are preferred against few targets, but large numbers close together can be easily destroyed with a well placed rocket or even a grenade.

• Sentry: The sentries protect important installations from enemies. They use quick machineguns to lay their targets low, and are quite durable compared to the guards and flyers. Use quick, accurate weapons against them and remember to find cover.

• Icarus: Icari are anti-infantry medium strength air support. Usually used to lay suppressing fire with hyperblasters to cover their own infantry or more powerful air units. The machinegun and the railgun are preferred against them. The rocket launcher and other quick projectile attacks also work well. Be careful when they die, since a built-in failsafe makes them self-destruct.

• Iron Maiden: Unnerving in their appearance and with their almost ethereal, banshee-like screams, Iron Maidens are stroggified females of the race made into gunners, berserkers and others. They float on a hover-pad and have a rocket launcher grafted onto their arm with which they fire bursts of three homing rockets. They can also teleport at will, so fast weapons are preferred. Rockets, grenades and others are too slow to be of use. Their rockets can be shot down. The disintegrator can be quite effective against them if you time your shots properly.

• Daedalus: Daedali are advanced Icari with heavy hyperblasters and surprisingly maneuverable jetpacks. Used in the same capacity as Icari, Daedali can do more damage and are harder to destroy. Because of their speed, rockets and other projectiles are not recommended. Like Icari, they self-destruct when killed.

• Hornet: A flying vehicle resembling a giant nightmarish insect, piloted by a Strogg entity capable of interfacing directly with the vehicles controls, the Hornet is a tactical nightmare, armed with a heavy anti-infantry lascerator, anti-vehicle rocket pods and equipped with bombing capabilities, it is a threat to ground infantry and vehicles alike. Sometimes found to deploy sphere-like roller turrets to support Strogg infantry in the area, this vehicle should be destroyed as soon as possible with heavy, accurate weapons.

• -Specialized: These are Strogg that aren't meant solely for combat. They operate machinery, keep up with repairs and conduct research.

• Repair Bot: Repair bots conduct large scale repairs on Strogg facilities. After the destruction of the Nexus, they were outfitted with dual blasters and the ability to repair other Strogg. While not very dangerous individually, they always operate in swarms. Use the machinegun or shotgun against groups, and the blaster against lone bots.

• Technician: Technicians are used to repair Strogg installations. They cannot repair other Strogg, but they use a quick Hyperblaster for defense. Use projectile weapons to take advantage of their slow speed.

• Brain: Resembling alien frankensteins, Brains deal with research and development. They don't operate in great numbers and move very slow, but deal massive damage with their claws, can take a lot of punishment before going down and are usually guarded by other Strogg. Take them out with a chaingun and railgun before they can start clawing you.

• Scientist: While the Strogg Brains deal with research, the Strogg Scientists deal with stroggification. They perform the various detailed processes and operate the machinery. Wielding a nasty needle and poisonous grenades, they can be an annoyance, though not much of a major threat unless in massive numbers. The super shotgun is the preferred weapon, as is the machinegun.

• -Behemoth: The behemoth class is much like the assault class, but its members are much more powerful and often carry a wide range of weapons. Use extreme caution and the most powerful weapons you have.

• Carrier: The Strogg Carrier is often used to protect hanger-type facilities or to go covertly behind enemy lines in pairs to harass supply lines. While not as durable as the more powerful Tormentor, the Carriers carry more weapons. They mount a pair of chainguns, a rocket launcher, an automatic grenade launcher, and are capable of summoning flyers. Use explosives and more powerful weapons against them.

• Tank General: Used to spearhead large attacks or to protect critical targets, tank generals are large, tougher versions of their more humanoid counterparts. They use a three chambered rocket launcher, a large chaingun and a pair of heavy blasters. Like the Tank, heavy rapid fire weapons work best against it, but it's slow speed allows any weapon to be used effectively. It has large amounts of armor which necessitates the use of more powerful weapons, so the BFG10k or Dark Matter Gun is warranted.

• Tormentor: Heavy anti-infantry gunboats, tormentors can do significant damage with dual chainguns and a four chambered rocket launcher. It fires all four rockets at the same time for maximum damage. While it moves slowly, its mobility can get it to optimal positions to use its chainguns effectively. Use the heaviest weapons you have to bring it down quickly. They are sometimes accompanied by a swarm of flyers, or a few icari.

• Stream Protector: The vicious Stream Protectors defend data and communication facilities. They wield a flamethrower, four-chambered rocket launcher with slight homing capabilities and two shoulder-mounted hyperblasters.

• Black Widow: Black widows hold the line during major offensives, usually in pairs. Using a dark matter gun and a dark matter hyperblaster and capable of using drop teleporters to summon reinforcements, they do so quite effectively. The nailgun and rocket launcher work best against them.

• Network Guardian: The original Network Guardian was believed to be a unique Strogg used to guard the Nexus Towers. After those were overrun, they have started rarely appearing in other areas. Equally as effective against air, armor, or infantry squads, they can take large amounts of punishment from all of them. They have a multi-chambered blaster on one arm, a multi-chambered homing rocket launcher on the other, and have very powerful warhead launchers. The jetpack they use makes them even more mobile.

• Harvester: One of the most feared Strogg behemoths, the Harvester is incredibly powerful and surprisingly nimble. Primarily meant to fight enemy armor, it does so very well with a pair of heavy nailguns and dual homing rocket launchers. It can also spear a careless marine with its sharp legs. Another of its functions is to capture enemy soldiers for stroggification with its tentacles. Use the most powerful weapons at your disposal to destroy it.

• Centurion: Used to defend key choke points, usually cutting off retreats and blocking key access points, the Strogg Centurions were first encountered during the retreat from Operation: Advantage. The initial prototype, which was fought and destroyed by Matthew Kane, exceeded expectations, and has been widely used in it's primary capacity. It wields a lightning gun for close range, and a dark matter gun and rapid-fire homing rocket launcher. It can also summon reinforcements through drop teleporters, and are always escorted by two juggernauts or two gladiators. The prototype had a programming glitch that allowed the organic 'host' to control the organic components, but not the mechanical ones.

• Reclaimer: Strogg Reclaimers were created to lead the war against the Human forces who have established a beachhead on Stroggos. The original prototype was mistakenly believed to be the new Makron, but after it was destroyed, even more have been created. They have a multitude of very powerful, mostly dark matter-based weapons, and very heavy armor.

• -Turrets: Turrets aren't exactly Strogg in the traditional sense, since they don't have any organic components. They are used almost exclusively for defense.

• Fixed Turrets: Stationary, mechanical emplacements used for defense of Strogg installations. They wield blasters, nailguns, rocket launchers, hyperblasters, or railguns. Use powerful, accurate weapons against them.

• Roller Turret: Dropped by Strogg Hornets, Roller Turrets are little more than an annoyance for vehicles. For infantry squads, however, they can be deadly. They are incredibly maneuverable, and use a pair of light chainguns. Use extreme caution when engaging these on foot.

Todo List

There are still a few things, besides maps, that have to be finished before the final release. It's mostly spriting work, but there are a few code things.

• Player class color translations
• BFG10k Ball sprites*
• LasceratorShot sprites
• DMGBall sprites (at least explosion sprites)
• Blood sprite touchups*
• Gore effects
• Weapon muzzle flashes*
• Monster muzzle flashes
• Flare sprites*
• Teleport Fog sprites
• Carrier/Stalker sound remixes*
• Status bar

(* == optional)

Mappers are always welcome, learn more and join the team here:

• ZDoom forum thread