Difference between revisions of "Aliens TC"

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[[Image:Atcud20.jpg|thumb|Aliens Total Conversion title screen]]
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'''Aliens TC''' is a [[total conversion]] based on the movie [[Wikipedia:Aliens (1986 film)|Aliens]], created in 1994 by [[Justin Fisher]].
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{{wad
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|author=Justin Fisher
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|type=e
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|iwad=Doom
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|year=1994
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|screenshot=Aliens TC title.png
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|link=http://www.doomwadstation.net/main/aliens.html
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|top=1994
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}}
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<div style="clear: right;"></div>
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{{Top100 1994}}
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</div>
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'''Aliens TC''' is a [[total conversion]] based on the movie ''{{wp|Aliens (film)|Aliens}}'', created in 1994 by [[Justin Fisher]].
  
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It was the first total conversion and is one of the most famous. In the week following the release of [[Doom II]], there was more discussion in the [[Doom newsgroups]] related to Aliens TC than Doom II. The popularity of the Aliens TC even reached outside the Doom community, for instance providing inspiration for the 1998 Dreamworks game Trespasser. Fisher was offered employment by various game developers (including Dreamworks for the team that would later make Trespasser), but declined in order to finish his university degree.
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It was the first total conversion and is one of the most famous. In the week following the release of [[Doom II]], there was more discussion in the [[Usenet|Doom newsgroups]] related to Aliens TC than to Doom II. The popularity of the TC even reached outside the Doom community, for instance providing inspiration for the 1998 {{wp|DICE Los Angeles|Dreamworks}} game {{wp|Trespasser (video game)|Trespasser}}. Fisher was offered employment by various game developers (including Dreamworks for the team that would later make Trespasser), but declined in order to finish his university degree.
  
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The Aliens TC is noted for its suspenseful atmosphere. The first level is devoid of enemies, a surprising feature considering the fast-paced action of Doom. Later on, however, the players faces the aliens and even gets to use the powerloader from Aliens as a weapon.
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The original version of the mod was for Doom v1.666, with [[Ultimate Doom]] compatibility added later. Jason Mezzacca eventually created a version for use with [[Doom II]]. In addition to the replacement maps, [[texture]]s, and [[sound]]s, the mod uses extensive [[DeHackEd]] modifications to create new [[weapon]]s and [[monster]]s.
  
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Fisher had gotten the idea to create the Aliens TC within his first five minutes of playing Doom in late December 1993, noting the similarity in atmosphere of Doom and the movie. Incidentally, it has later become known that id Software originally planned to base Doom on an Aliens license, but abandoned the idea in the early stages of development in order to retain creative freedom.  
+
The Aliens TC is noted for its suspenseful atmosphere. The first level is devoid of enemies, a surprising feature considering the fast-paced action of Doom. Later on, however, the player faces the aliens and even gets to use the powerloader from ''Aliens'' as a weapon.
  
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There was also an attempt to make a Aliens total conversion mod using the Quake engine, but 20th Century Fox owned the rights and sold them to Sierra Entertainment to make the Aliens versus Predator for the PC, finally released in 1999.
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== Story ==
  
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==Levels==
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The locations in the main levels (E2M1-E2M8) correspond more or less to the plot progression of the film, although it is not clear whether the large-scale geography is intended as a faithful reproduction. Players familiar with the film will immediately notice certain landmarks, such as:
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The original mod was for [[Doom]] 1.666 and had to be patched over the game, replacing the second episode [[The Shores of Hell]]. Fisher later adapted Aliens TC for [[Doom II]].
 
  
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The load screen retains that of Shores of Hell. A new load screen was among the numerous improvements never implemented, as Fisher had worked on the project for around six months and was sick of it at the end.
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* Entering the installation via completely deserted corridors and noticing one or two holes etched through the floor.
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* Finding an overgrown area with human victims embedded in the walls.
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* Sealing thick doors to stop pursuing aliens, then escaping by crawling through a long pipe.
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* Being locked in a medical lab as an alarm rings.
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* Aliens ambushing the protagonists by dropping through the ceiling.
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* Ascending a tall elevator to reach the landing platform, then having to go back down again.
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* Confronting the alien queen in the landing bay of the carrier.
  
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Most of the textures are [[STAR|techbase]]. Fisher also used hellish textures, colouring them green, to make them look like wall slime. The background uses [[Knee Deep in the Dead]]'s misty, mountainous skyline.
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Movie voice clips (see below) are often heard at times when the character in question would be dead or otherwise not present, in order to add to the already tense atmosphere.
  
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E2M5 "Escape from the Atmospheric Processor" was suppose to be after after E2M2 "Atmospheric Processor". However, Fisher had to shift it so that the secret level would work properly, as E2M5 leads to the secret level in Shores of Hell.
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== Levels ==
  
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E2M5 and E3M1 are designed for deathmatch, as they have proximity indicators that lower and flash when a player walks by. Most of the levels, however, are generally non-linear with the exception of E2M3 (sealing off the MedLabs and getting to the transmitter).
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All maps were designed by Justin Fisher, except E2M9 which was contributed by Fisher's friend Richard Love.
  
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"Escape from the MedLabs" was split up into E2M4 and E3M1, the later being a bonus level. E3M2 (the Alien Ship) is another bonus level which was made by Fisher's friend Richard Love.
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The [[intermission screen]] remains that of [[The Shores of Hell]]. A new background image was among the numerous improvements never implemented, as Fisher had worked on the project for around six months and was sick of it at the end.
  
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==Aliens==
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The background uses [[Knee-Deep in the Dead]]'s misty, mountainous skyline.
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The "regular" aliens are based on the [[Demon]]s and take approximately 2 shotgun shells or 14 bullets to bring down. This was a key reason why AliensTC was difficult, as it took much (scarce) ammunition to kill these common enemies, which could run fast and could do significant melee damage.
 
  
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Aliens that spit acid use [[Imp]]s. While no member of the species does so in the actual Aliens universe, Fisher said he wanted to add variety.
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Most of the textures are [[STAR|techbase]]. Fisher also used hellish textures, colouring them green to make them look like wall slime. To show cocooned human victims, Fisher took the textures showing pinned-up corpses and melded them with the hellish textures that he changed to the green colour.
  
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Aliens that explode and release corrosive acid were made by using a [[Spectre]] and exploding barrel, which several reviewers considered very innovative. Consequently, due to the limited damage frames in Doom, there are no regular exploding barrels in the TC. The only clue that an Alien would burst is that it makes no sound.
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In the Hive part of the maps, there are numerous [[false wall]]s to conceal alien ambushes, as well as numerous slime columns that give the feeling of claustrophobia. Some slime columns are destructible, which players may have to break through in order to progress through the level or find powerups.
  
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To implement the hatching eggs that release face huggers, Fisher had the [[Cacodemon]] release a Sergeant, not unlike how the [[Doom II]] [[Pain Elemental]] releases [[Lost Soul]]s. 
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* [[E2M1: Landing Pads (Aliens TC)|E2M1: Landing Pads]]
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* [[E2M2: Atmospheric Processor (Aliens TC)|E2M2: Atmospheric Processor]]
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* [[E2M3: Med-Labs and Operations (Aliens TC)|E2M3: Med-Labs and Operations]]
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* [[E2M4: Med-Labs and Operations (Aliens TC)|E2M4: Med-Labs and Operations]]
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* [[E2M5: Atmospheric Processor (Aliens TC)|E2M5: Atmospheric Processor]]
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* [[E2M6: Atmospheric Processor (Aliens TC)|E2M6: Atmospheric Processor]]
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* [[E2M7: Alien Hive (Aliens TC)|E2M7: Alien Hive]]
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* [[E2M8: The Sulacco (Aliens TC)|E2M8: The Sulacco]]
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* [[E2M9: Alien Host Ship (Aliens TC)|E2M9: Alien Host Ship]]
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* [[E3M1: Bonus Level (Aliens TC)|E3M1: Bonus Level]]
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* [[E3M2: Bonus Level (Aliens TC)|E3M2: Bonus Level]]
  
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The Queen Alien (replacing the Cyberdemon) graphic was a poorly digitized version of a model, as Fisher conceded. While Ripley uses a Power Loader against it in Aliens (1986), in Aliens TC it is much safer and quicker to use guns.
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There are no enemies in [[E2M1: Landing Pads (Aliens TC)|E2M1: Landing Pads]].
  
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==Weapons==
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There are also no enemies in the initial part of [[E2M2: Atmospheric Processor (Aliens TC)|E2M2: Atmospheric Processor]], save for a narrow grate where the player may shoot Aliens without being attacked, until the player descends into the hive.
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* 1. Fists
 
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* 1. Power Loader - uses the Chainsaw
 
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* 2. Pistol
 
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* 3. Shotgun
 
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* 4. Pulse Rifle - uses the Chaingun
 
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* 5. Grenade Launcher - Rocket launcher
 
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* 6. Smartgun - Plasma Rifle
 
  
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The Power Loader, while cool looking, was otherwise essentially the Chainsaw. It is too weak to be used against the Queen Alien and is virtually useless if the parameters are set to [[Fast monsters]].
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[[E2M2: Atmospheric Processor (Aliens TC)|E2M2: Atmospheric Processor]] and [[E2M4: Med-Labs and Operations (Aliens TC)|E2M4: Med-Labs and Operations]] were reportedly the most difficult, due to the high number of enemies and few powerups, so players were in poor health and low on ammo when they reached the exits.
  
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The Pulse Rifle was the most common weapon in Aliens (1986), while the shotgun only makes one appearance, being carried by Corporal Hicks "for close encounters" during the Marine's first incursion in the atmospheric processor. However, the shotgun tends to be the most widely used in Aliens TC due to the availability of shells, and because the Pulse Rifle ammo is too weak against most of the aliens.
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[[E2M4: Med-Labs and Operations (Aliens TC)|E2M4: Med-Labs and Operations]] was intended to have aliens drop from the ceiling, like the movie. However due to a bug, the aliens were still be stuck at the top of the ceiling shaft, nonetheless if the player walked underneath these, they would take damage.
  
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The Grenade launcher is underslung on Pulse Rifle, so both weapons are acquired with one pickup. Both also have the same first-person graphic, save for the LED counter which is green to indicate the Pulse Rifle and red for the Grenades. (In the movies, the ammo indicator is located on the side of the gun.)
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E2M5, "Escape from the Atmospheric Processor" was intended to follow E2M2, "Atmospheric Processor". However, Fisher had to shift it so that the secret level would appear in the correct place, as E2M5 contains the secret exit in Shores of Hell. In the film the Marines were rescued by Ripley who drove in with the APC, however E2M5 envisions the escape as if the Marines had to make it out on foot.
  
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Fisher describes the Smartgun as a "2 meter electric monster carried by Drake and Vasquez", and has it firing small yellow energy pulses. In the movies, the Smartgun is merely just the squad's machine gun, with its only "electronics" being its limited auto-aiming capability.
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If Aliens TC is patched over Doom 1.666 or Doom 1.9, it happens that E2M6: Atmospheric Processor shares the same music as E2M6: Halls of the Damned in Doom (1993). That music track "Sinister" was inspired by the track "Going After Newt" by James Horner (Aliens soundtrack), which is coincidentally the player's objective in E2M6: Atmospheric Processor where Newt's location is represented by a square (and the player retrieves a yellow keycard there to progress).  
  
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Fisher designed Weapon #7 to punish cheaters, so it will simply show images of the Power Loader but not do anything.
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[[E2M6: Atmospheric Processor (Aliens TC)|E2M6: Atmospheric Processor]] was a clever level design, as it gave the appearance of a continuous network of ceiling ventilation shafts above the warehouse. It was not actually possible to actually have floors on top of each other, due to the limitations of the vanilla [[Doom engine]]. The only shafts that the player or Aliens could crawl through had to be placed between rooms.  Nonetheless the running of an indented ceiling in the middle of the room (textured as a horizontal shaft), followed by a vertical shaft with grates at the edge of the room, gave the impression to players that the ventilation ducts were continuous. Also as the player walked under one of these "fake" ceiling ducts, a trigger of the bug tracker sound effect got them to think that aliens could be hiding up there.
  
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==Sounds==
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E2M6: Atmospheric Processor, E2M5: Atmospheric Processor, and E3M1: Bonus Level also feature the illusion of the catwalk atop a crate maze, even though the Doom engine does not actually allow suspended structures such as catwalks and bridges.  From the catwalk the player will be able to look at both sides of the warehouse below, while at the bottom of the warehouse the player will see a stack of crates dividing the room, even though the catwalk is just an extremely narrow raised floor with railings.
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Fisher took many sounds from the Aliens (1986) film, including doors, weaponry, and explosions.
 
  
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At the completion/load screen, the pulse rifle gunfire culminated into an explosion of the dropship/APC crash, followed by Hick's "We are leaving!".
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The entrance in [[E2M6: Atmospheric Processor (Aliens TC)|E2M6: Atmospheric Processor]] was similar to the exit in [[E2M7: Alien Hive (Aliens TC)|E2M7: Alien Hive]], replicating Ripley's incursion and escape at the landing platform. [[E2M7: Alien Hive (Aliens TC)|E2M7: Alien Hive]] was also known for a nasty twist in the level progression, where the player could drop back into the main alien lair if they accidentally went through a shaft.
  
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"Looks like hits from small arms fire." Sergeant Apone commenting on the bullet holes on the walls.
+
E2M5 and E3M1 are designed for [[deathmatch]], as they have proximity indicators that lower and flash when a player walks by. Most of the levels, however, are generally non-linear with the exception of E2M3 (sealing off the Med-Labs and getting to the transmitter).
  
−
"Check those corners. Check those corners!" Sergeant Apone as the team carefully inspects the premises.
+
During development, [[E2M5: Atmospheric Processor (Aliens TC)|E2M5: Atmospheric Processor]] became so large that it was split in two, [[E3M1: Bonus Level (Aliens TC)|E3M1: Bonus Level]] being the second part. Justin Fisher states in the readme that it is the most difficult level in the project, and even he finds it challenging.
  
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"Remember, short controlled bursts." As the Aliens are breaking into the MedLabs, Corporal D. Hicks reminds the Marines that they don't have much ammo.
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[[E3M2: Bonus Level (Aliens TC)|E3M2: Bonus Level]] is essentially [[E2M1: Landing Pads (Aliens TC)|E2M1: Landing Pads]] with Aliens populating the map.
  
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"We are leaving!" Cpl D. Hicks, used at the load screen before starting a level.
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== Weapons ==
  
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==Other Alien WADs==
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Aliens TC includes the following new weapons.
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Orin Flaharty, who would later contribute to the two [[Memento Mori]] megawads and [[Requiem]], made four add-on levels for Aliens TC, which were released in mid-1995. This followed the basic storyline of the film, compressed down to four maps. There were also two other less well-known Aliens-themed WADS, AliensDoom (also known as AliensDM) and AliensX. Both of them featured power loaders as enemies (yellow in AliensDM, black in AliensX). AliensDM had a new intro screen and made frequent use of Pvt Hudson's quotes.
 
  
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The story in AliensDM is that the Colonial Marines are investigating a Weyland-Yutani' planet where the employees have gone rogue with their research on aliens. While the Marines initially beat off an attack by power loaders, the entire team is soon killed, save for you.
+
* '''Pulse rifle''': Uses bullets and replaces the [[chaingun]].
 +
* '''Grenade launcher''': Replaces the [[rocket launcher]], with new sprites for the grenades as well.
 +
* '''Smart-gun''': Replaces the [[plasma gun]]. Fisher describes this as a "2 meter electric monster carried by Drake and Vasquez", and has it firing small yellow energy pulses. In the movies, the Smart-gun is just the squad's heavy machine gun, with its only "electronics" being its limited auto-aiming capability. The [[ammo]] pickups are called ''batteries'' and use the stock graphics.
 +
* '''Cargo bay loader''': Replaces the [[chainsaw]] and (usually) gives protection equivalent to [[combat armor]]. Although this looks cool, it is essentially equivalent in power to the chainsaw; it should never be used against the alien queen as Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) does in the film, and it is virtually worthless with [[fast monsters]] set.
  
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The first level in AliensDM is the APC drop site. The second level is a circular/hexagonal map, designed to represent the alien ship; this featured a teleportation bug that made it impossible to finish the game. Most of the regular STAR textures are used, with few modifications. The alien eggs are exploding barrels. The chainsaw has been replaced with a welder (used by Hicks and Ripley to try to rescue Newt), and the BFG9000 is the flamethrower.
+
The [[fist]]s, [[pistol]], and [[shotgun]] are unchanged. The pulse rifle was the most common weapon in the movie, while the shotgun only makes one appearance, being carried by Cpl. Hicks (Michael Biehn) "for close encounters" during the Marines' first incursion in the atmospheric processor where it is also borrowed by Pvt. Hudson. However, the shotgun tends to be the most widely used in Aliens TC due to the availability of shotgun shells. Furthermore the pulse rifle ammo is very weak against most of the aliens, as it is equivalent to the chaingun against Pinky demons, and as Pinky-based aliens are the most numerous enemies in Aliens TC this frequently means that players have to conserve ammo very carefully (similar to the part in the film when the characters escape the med labs).
  
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AliensX was the least well-developed mod. It was a [[Vanilla Doom]] megawad that replaced E1M1 through to E3M9, although the levels were actually already-existing maps that had simply been compiled into a single WAD. AliensX also included several sci-fi themed sprites and sounds taken from other resources - including a Probot from ''Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'' - although these were not specifically matched to the levels.
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The grenade launcher is underslung on the pulse rifle, so both [[Thing|pickups]] are always found together (with the rocket launcher sprite made transparent), although on E2M3 they are not quite coincident and can be acquired separately. Both also have the same first-person graphic, save for the {{wp|Light-emitting diode|LED}} counter which is green to indicate the pulse rifle and red for the grenades. (In the movies, the ammo indicator is located on the side of the gun.)
  
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Other Alien&nbsp;WADs&nbsp;are&nbsp;for&nbsp;example, AliensDM 3 - AVP, AVP Theme Patch, and&nbsp;Aliens: The Second Nukage.
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Fisher designed weapon #7 to punish cheaters, so it will simply show images of the powerloader but not do anything.
  
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Aliens&nbsp;TSN has&nbsp;players&nbsp;onto&nbsp;a&nbsp;colonial&nbsp;marine&nbsp;ammo&nbsp;depot, which&nbsp;has&nbsp;been&nbsp;overrun&nbsp;by Aliens.
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== Monsters ==
  
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For&nbsp;more&nbsp;information on&nbsp;AVP Theme&nbsp;Patch, [[Aliens TC|click here]].
+
Aliens TC includes the following new monsters:
  
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And&nbsp;for&nbsp;more&nbsp;info&nbsp;about&nbsp;Aliend DM 3 - AVP, [[Aliens Doom 3 - ALIENS VERSUS PREDATOR|click here]].
+
* '''Egg''': Hatching eggs release face huggers. Fisher accomplished this by using DeHackEd to make the [[cacodemon]] release a [[sergeant]], not unlike how the Doom II [[pain elemental]] releases [[lost soul]]s.
  
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==External links==
+
* '''Egg''': Non-hatching eggs are made from several stock [[Thing types#Decorations|obstacles]] to vary their appearance slightly; though inert can take damage and be destroyed.
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* [http://www.doomwadstation.com/main/aliens.html Aliens TC]&nbsp;: the 3 versions at ''Doom Wad Station''
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* '''Face hugger''': If initially present in the level, these replace [[lost soul]]s. The face hugger's "lunge" when it tries to snare a host is similar to the flying ramming attack of the lost soul.
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* [http://5years.doomworld.com/interviews/justinfisher/ Interview with Justin Fisher] at Doomworld
+
* '''Alien warrior''': Based on the [[demon]], these take approximately 2 shotgun shells or 14 bullets to bring down. This is a key reason why Aliens TC is difficult, as it takes much (scarce) ammunition to kill these common enemies, which can run fast and do significant [[melee]] damage.
−
* {{idgames|id=1040|title=Aliens TC (Doom2 converted)}}
+
 
 +
* '''Alien warrior''' that explodes and released [[Blast damage|corrosive acid:]] There were made by combining a [[spectre]] and [[Barrel|exploding barrel]], which several reviewers considered very innovative. (Consequently, owing to the limited number of damage frames in Doom, barrels do not explode in this TC.) The only clue that these type of Aliens would burst is that they make no sound.
 +
* '''Alien drone''': Replaces the [[imp]]. While no member of the species spits acid in the actual ''Alien'' universe, Fisher said he wanted to add variety.
 +
* '''Alien queen''': Replaces the [[Spiderdemon|spider mastermind]]. The graphic here is a poorly digitized version of a model, as Fisher concedes in the readme file.
 +
 
 +
== Sound effects ==
 +
 
 +
Fisher extracted many sounds from the film, including doors, weaponry, and explosions.
 +
 
 +
* At the intermission screen, the pulse rifle gunfire culminates into the explosion of the dropship/APC crash, followed by Hicks shouting "We are leaving!".
 +
 
 +
* "Looks like hits from small arms fire." Sgt. Apone (Al Matthews) commenting on the bullet holes on the walls.
 +
 
 +
* "Check those corners. Check those corners!" Apone as the team carefully inspects the premises.
 +
 
 +
* "Remember, short controlled bursts." As the Aliens are breaking into the Med-Labs, Hicks reminds the Marines that they don't have much ammo.
 +
 
 +
== Technical information ==
 +
 
 +
None of the three types of egg is [[Kill percentage flag used for -nomonsters and respawning|flagged as a monster]]. This makes it fairly easy to exceed 100% kills in a max run, and usually causes the player to be attacked by face huggers in [[no monsters mode]].
 +
 
 +
The "sleeping" frames for the [[zombieman]] and [[shotgun guy]] are also mapped to the alien drone and exploding warrior, respectively, to implement a specific trick on E2M4 where monsters appear in the center of a room without teleporting.
 +
 
 +
Fisher takes a strong stance against [[Doom cheat codes|cheat codes]] in the readme, saying that they will "destroy" any meaningful experience for the player. Entry of most codes in-game is greeted with invective in the form of replacement [[HUD]] messages and [[status bar]] graphics.
 +
 
 +
== Inspiration and development ==
 +
 
 +
Fisher had gotten the idea to create the Aliens TC within his first five minutes of playing Doom in late December 1993, noting the similarity in atmosphere of Doom and the movie. Incidentally, [[Development of Doom|it has later become known]] that id Software originally planned to base Doom on an ''Aliens'' {{wp|Option (filmmaking)|license}}, but abandoned the idea in the early stages of development in order to retain creative freedom.
 +
 
 +
== Trivia ==
 +
 
 +
As the powerloader is combined with a [[megaarmor]], walking across a powerloader with less than 200% armor causes the powerloader's status message to appear even if the player already has a powerloader and cannot pick it up.
 +
 
 +
== Other Alien WADs ==
 +
 
 +
There were two other less well-known Aliens-themed WADs, AliensDoom (also known as AliensDM) and AliensX. Both of them featured powerloaders as enemies (yellow in AliensDM, black in AliensX). There are also many gameplay modifications that not only add Aliens, but Predators as well.
 +
 
 +
===AliensDM===
 +
 
 +
The story in AliensDM is that the Colonial Marines are investigating a {{wp|Aliens (film)#Plot|Weyland-Yutani}} planet where the employees have gone rogue with their research on Aliens. While the Marines initially beat off an attack by powerloaders, the entire team is soon killed, save for the player.
 +
 
 +
The first level in AliensDM is the APC drop site. The second level is a circular/hexagonal map, designed to represent the Alien ship; this featured a teleportation bug that made it impossible to finish the game. Most of the regular STAR textures are used, with few modifications. The Alien eggs are exploding barrels. The chainsaw has been replaced with a welder, used by Hicks and Ripley to try to rescue Newt (Carrie Henn), and the [[BFG9000]] is the flamethrower. Additionally, the WAD has a new intro screen and it makes frequent use of Pvt Hudson's quotes.
 +
 
 +
===AliensX===
 +
 
 +
AliensX was the least well-developed mod. It was a [[vanilla Doom]] megawad that replaced E1M1 through to E3M9, although the levels were actually already-existing maps that had simply been compiled into a single WAD. AliensX also included several sci-fi themed sprites and sounds taken from other resources - including a Probot from ''{{wp|The Empire Strikes Back|Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back}}'' - although these were not specifically matched to the levels.
 +
 
 +
<br />
 +
[[Orin Flaharty]], who would later contribute to the two [[Memento Mori]] megawads and [[Requiem]], made four add-on levels for Aliens TC, which were released in mid-1995. This followed the basic storyline of the film, compressed down to four maps. Other WADs include [[Aliens Doom 3 - Aliens versus Predator|Aliens Doom 3: AVP]], [[Aliens versus Predator Theme Patch|AVP Theme Patch]], and Aliens: The Second Nukage. The latter has players exploring a colonial marine ammo depot, which has been overrun by Aliens. There is also a [[ZDoom]] TC known as [[Colonial Marines]] made by Oriol Comerma (Deimos Anomaly).
 +
 
 +
== External links ==
 +
* {{idgames|id=1038|title=Aliens TC (original version, part 1)}}
 +
* {{idgames|id=1039|title=Aliens TC (original version, part 2)}}
 +
* {{idgames|id=1036|title=Aliens TC (original version, part 2 bug fix for Doom v1.2 users)}}. These three files are Olivier Montanuy's package, which includes some batch files to simplify installation and prevent permanent alteration of the user's [[IWAD]]
 +
* [http://www.doomwadstation.net/main/aliens.html Aliens TC downloads] at ''Doom Wad Station'': the Ultimate Doom version, the "v2.0" package by [[Quasar]] including compatibility revisions and some bug fixes (mislabeled as "original version"), and the Doom II version
 +
* {{dsda2|wad=aliens_1994|title=Aliens TC (1994)}}
 +
* {{dsda2|wad=aliens_2000|title=Aliens TC (2000)}}
 +
* [https://5years.doomworld.com/interviews/justinfisher/ Interview with Justin Fisher] at [[Doomworld]]
 +
* {{dwforums|41341|How do I get Aliens TC to work}}, thread at the [[Doomworld forums]]
 +
* {{dwforums|32080|How to get Aliens T.C. to work properly in Doom2 version 1.9}}, thread at the [[Doomworld forums]]
 +
* {{idgames|id=1040|title=Aliens TC (Doom2 conversion)}}
 +
* {{onemandoom|page=2011/06/alitcwadwad-aliens-tc.html}}
 +
 
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{{featured article}}
 +
[[Category:Aliens PWADs]]
 
[[Category:Total conversions]]
 
[[Category:Total conversions]]
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[[Category:Megawads]]
 
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[[Category:1994 WADs]]
 
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[[Category:PWADs by name]]
 

Revision as of 14:05, 20 November 2020

Aliens TC is a total conversion based on the movie Aliens, created in 1994 by Justin Fisher.

It was the first total conversion and is one of the most famous. In the week following the release of Doom II, there was more discussion in the Doom newsgroups related to Aliens TC than to Doom II. The popularity of the TC even reached outside the Doom community, for instance providing inspiration for the 1998 Dreamworks game Trespasser. Fisher was offered employment by various game developers (including Dreamworks for the team that would later make Trespasser), but declined in order to finish his university degree.

The original version of the mod was for Doom v1.666, with Ultimate Doom compatibility added later. Jason Mezzacca eventually created a version for use with Doom II. In addition to the replacement maps, textures, and sounds, the mod uses extensive DeHackEd modifications to create new weapons and monsters.

The Aliens TC is noted for its suspenseful atmosphere. The first level is devoid of enemies, a surprising feature considering the fast-paced action of Doom. Later on, however, the player faces the aliens and even gets to use the powerloader from Aliens as a weapon.

Story

The locations in the main levels (E2M1-E2M8) correspond more or less to the plot progression of the film, although it is not clear whether the large-scale geography is intended as a faithful reproduction. Players familiar with the film will immediately notice certain landmarks, such as:

  • Entering the installation via completely deserted corridors and noticing one or two holes etched through the floor.
  • Finding an overgrown area with human victims embedded in the walls.
  • Sealing thick doors to stop pursuing aliens, then escaping by crawling through a long pipe.
  • Being locked in a medical lab as an alarm rings.
  • Aliens ambushing the protagonists by dropping through the ceiling.
  • Ascending a tall elevator to reach the landing platform, then having to go back down again.
  • Confronting the alien queen in the landing bay of the carrier.

Movie voice clips (see below) are often heard at times when the character in question would be dead or otherwise not present, in order to add to the already tense atmosphere.

Levels

All maps were designed by Justin Fisher, except E2M9 which was contributed by Fisher's friend Richard Love.

The intermission screen remains that of The Shores of Hell. A new background image was among the numerous improvements never implemented, as Fisher had worked on the project for around six months and was sick of it at the end.

The background uses Knee-Deep in the Dead's misty, mountainous skyline.

Most of the textures are techbase. Fisher also used hellish textures, colouring them green to make them look like wall slime. To show cocooned human victims, Fisher took the textures showing pinned-up corpses and melded them with the hellish textures that he changed to the green colour.

In the Hive part of the maps, there are numerous false walls to conceal alien ambushes, as well as numerous slime columns that give the feeling of claustrophobia. Some slime columns are destructible, which players may have to break through in order to progress through the level or find powerups.

There are no enemies in E2M1: Landing Pads.

There are also no enemies in the initial part of E2M2: Atmospheric Processor, save for a narrow grate where the player may shoot Aliens without being attacked, until the player descends into the hive.

E2M2: Atmospheric Processor and E2M4: Med-Labs and Operations were reportedly the most difficult, due to the high number of enemies and few powerups, so players were in poor health and low on ammo when they reached the exits.

E2M4: Med-Labs and Operations was intended to have aliens drop from the ceiling, like the movie. However due to a bug, the aliens were still be stuck at the top of the ceiling shaft, nonetheless if the player walked underneath these, they would take damage.

E2M5, "Escape from the Atmospheric Processor" was intended to follow E2M2, "Atmospheric Processor". However, Fisher had to shift it so that the secret level would appear in the correct place, as E2M5 contains the secret exit in Shores of Hell. In the film the Marines were rescued by Ripley who drove in with the APC, however E2M5 envisions the escape as if the Marines had to make it out on foot.

If Aliens TC is patched over Doom 1.666 or Doom 1.9, it happens that E2M6: Atmospheric Processor shares the same music as E2M6: Halls of the Damned in Doom (1993). That music track "Sinister" was inspired by the track "Going After Newt" by James Horner (Aliens soundtrack), which is coincidentally the player's objective in E2M6: Atmospheric Processor where Newt's location is represented by a square (and the player retrieves a yellow keycard there to progress).

E2M6: Atmospheric Processor was a clever level design, as it gave the appearance of a continuous network of ceiling ventilation shafts above the warehouse. It was not actually possible to actually have floors on top of each other, due to the limitations of the vanilla Doom engine. The only shafts that the player or Aliens could crawl through had to be placed between rooms. Nonetheless the running of an indented ceiling in the middle of the room (textured as a horizontal shaft), followed by a vertical shaft with grates at the edge of the room, gave the impression to players that the ventilation ducts were continuous. Also as the player walked under one of these "fake" ceiling ducts, a trigger of the bug tracker sound effect got them to think that aliens could be hiding up there.

E2M6: Atmospheric Processor, E2M5: Atmospheric Processor, and E3M1: Bonus Level also feature the illusion of the catwalk atop a crate maze, even though the Doom engine does not actually allow suspended structures such as catwalks and bridges. From the catwalk the player will be able to look at both sides of the warehouse below, while at the bottom of the warehouse the player will see a stack of crates dividing the room, even though the catwalk is just an extremely narrow raised floor with railings.

The entrance in E2M6: Atmospheric Processor was similar to the exit in E2M7: Alien Hive, replicating Ripley's incursion and escape at the landing platform. E2M7: Alien Hive was also known for a nasty twist in the level progression, where the player could drop back into the main alien lair if they accidentally went through a shaft.

E2M5 and E3M1 are designed for deathmatch, as they have proximity indicators that lower and flash when a player walks by. Most of the levels, however, are generally non-linear with the exception of E2M3 (sealing off the Med-Labs and getting to the transmitter).

During development, E2M5: Atmospheric Processor became so large that it was split in two, E3M1: Bonus Level being the second part. Justin Fisher states in the readme that it is the most difficult level in the project, and even he finds it challenging.

E3M2: Bonus Level is essentially E2M1: Landing Pads with Aliens populating the map.

Weapons

Aliens TC includes the following new weapons.

  • Pulse rifle: Uses bullets and replaces the chaingun.
  • Grenade launcher: Replaces the rocket launcher, with new sprites for the grenades as well.
  • Smart-gun: Replaces the plasma gun. Fisher describes this as a "2 meter electric monster carried by Drake and Vasquez", and has it firing small yellow energy pulses. In the movies, the Smart-gun is just the squad's heavy machine gun, with its only "electronics" being its limited auto-aiming capability. The ammo pickups are called batteries and use the stock graphics.
  • Cargo bay loader: Replaces the chainsaw and (usually) gives protection equivalent to combat armor. Although this looks cool, it is essentially equivalent in power to the chainsaw; it should never be used against the alien queen as Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) does in the film, and it is virtually worthless with fast monsters set.

The fists, pistol, and shotgun are unchanged. The pulse rifle was the most common weapon in the movie, while the shotgun only makes one appearance, being carried by Cpl. Hicks (Michael Biehn) "for close encounters" during the Marines' first incursion in the atmospheric processor where it is also borrowed by Pvt. Hudson. However, the shotgun tends to be the most widely used in Aliens TC due to the availability of shotgun shells. Furthermore the pulse rifle ammo is very weak against most of the aliens, as it is equivalent to the chaingun against Pinky demons, and as Pinky-based aliens are the most numerous enemies in Aliens TC this frequently means that players have to conserve ammo very carefully (similar to the part in the film when the characters escape the med labs).

The grenade launcher is underslung on the pulse rifle, so both pickups are always found together (with the rocket launcher sprite made transparent), although on E2M3 they are not quite coincident and can be acquired separately. Both also have the same first-person graphic, save for the LED counter which is green to indicate the pulse rifle and red for the grenades. (In the movies, the ammo indicator is located on the side of the gun.)

Fisher designed weapon #7 to punish cheaters, so it will simply show images of the powerloader but not do anything.

Monsters

Aliens TC includes the following new monsters:

  • Egg: Non-hatching eggs are made from several stock obstacles to vary their appearance slightly; though inert can take damage and be destroyed.
  • Face hugger: If initially present in the level, these replace lost souls. The face hugger's "lunge" when it tries to snare a host is similar to the flying ramming attack of the lost soul.
  • Alien warrior: Based on the demon, these take approximately 2 shotgun shells or 14 bullets to bring down. This is a key reason why Aliens TC is difficult, as it takes much (scarce) ammunition to kill these common enemies, which can run fast and do significant melee damage.
  • Alien warrior that explodes and released corrosive acid: There were made by combining a spectre and exploding barrel, which several reviewers considered very innovative. (Consequently, owing to the limited number of damage frames in Doom, barrels do not explode in this TC.) The only clue that these type of Aliens would burst is that they make no sound.
  • Alien drone: Replaces the imp. While no member of the species spits acid in the actual Alien universe, Fisher said he wanted to add variety.
  • Alien queen: Replaces the spider mastermind. The graphic here is a poorly digitized version of a model, as Fisher concedes in the readme file.

Sound effects

Fisher extracted many sounds from the film, including doors, weaponry, and explosions.

  • At the intermission screen, the pulse rifle gunfire culminates into the explosion of the dropship/APC crash, followed by Hicks shouting "We are leaving!".
  • "Looks like hits from small arms fire." Sgt. Apone (Al Matthews) commenting on the bullet holes on the walls.
  • "Check those corners. Check those corners!" Apone as the team carefully inspects the premises.
  • "Remember, short controlled bursts." As the Aliens are breaking into the Med-Labs, Hicks reminds the Marines that they don't have much ammo.

Technical information

None of the three types of egg is flagged as a monster. This makes it fairly easy to exceed 100% kills in a max run, and usually causes the player to be attacked by face huggers in no monsters mode.

The "sleeping" frames for the zombieman and shotgun guy are also mapped to the alien drone and exploding warrior, respectively, to implement a specific trick on E2M4 where monsters appear in the center of a room without teleporting.

Fisher takes a strong stance against cheat codes in the readme, saying that they will "destroy" any meaningful experience for the player. Entry of most codes in-game is greeted with invective in the form of replacement HUD messages and status bar graphics.

Inspiration and development

Fisher had gotten the idea to create the Aliens TC within his first five minutes of playing Doom in late December 1993, noting the similarity in atmosphere of Doom and the movie. Incidentally, it has later become known that id Software originally planned to base Doom on an Aliens license, but abandoned the idea in the early stages of development in order to retain creative freedom.

Trivia

As the powerloader is combined with a megaarmor, walking across a powerloader with less than 200% armor causes the powerloader's status message to appear even if the player already has a powerloader and cannot pick it up.

Other Alien WADs

There were two other less well-known Aliens-themed WADs, AliensDoom (also known as AliensDM) and AliensX. Both of them featured powerloaders as enemies (yellow in AliensDM, black in AliensX). There are also many gameplay modifications that not only add Aliens, but Predators as well.

AliensDM

The story in AliensDM is that the Colonial Marines are investigating a Weyland-Yutani planet where the employees have gone rogue with their research on Aliens. While the Marines initially beat off an attack by powerloaders, the entire team is soon killed, save for the player.

The first level in AliensDM is the APC drop site. The second level is a circular/hexagonal map, designed to represent the Alien ship; this featured a teleportation bug that made it impossible to finish the game. Most of the regular STAR textures are used, with few modifications. The Alien eggs are exploding barrels. The chainsaw has been replaced with a welder, used by Hicks and Ripley to try to rescue Newt (Carrie Henn), and the BFG9000 is the flamethrower. Additionally, the WAD has a new intro screen and it makes frequent use of Pvt Hudson's quotes.

AliensX

AliensX was the least well-developed mod. It was a vanilla Doom megawad that replaced E1M1 through to E3M9, although the levels were actually already-existing maps that had simply been compiled into a single WAD. AliensX also included several sci-fi themed sprites and sounds taken from other resources - including a Probot from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - although these were not specifically matched to the levels.


Orin Flaharty, who would later contribute to the two Memento Mori megawads and Requiem, made four add-on levels for Aliens TC, which were released in mid-1995. This followed the basic storyline of the film, compressed down to four maps. Other WADs include Aliens Doom 3: AVP, AVP Theme Patch, and Aliens: The Second Nukage. The latter has players exploring a colonial marine ammo depot, which has been overrun by Aliens. There is also a ZDoom TC known as Colonial Marines made by Oriol Comerma (Deimos Anomaly).

External links

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