Ashes: Hard Reset

From DoomWiki.org

Ashes: Hard Reset
Title screen
Author Vostyok, ReformedJoe
Port GZDoom
IWAD Doom II
Year 2024
Link Mod DB

Ashes: Hard Reset is a total conversion for the GZDoom engine developed by Vostyok and ReformedJoe. Chronologically taking place before the events of Ashes 2063 (specifically in the year 2060), this episode sees the player take control of the Scavenger known as Walker, who was an NPC the Scav meets in MAP14: The Flooded District in Ashes: Afterglow.

In this episode, Walker goes from scavenging seemingly random locations to joining up with General Isais Gray of the New National Guard (a faction the Scavenger met at the very end of the final map of Ashes: Afterglow, MAP28: Missile Gap) and is hired on as a "guide" to get the General and his soldiers to the city to find the infamous Spire building.

Ashes: Hard Reset's story and concept were largely designed by NolFelix.34, who also contributed to the first two maps alongside established Ashes mappers Vostyok and ReformedJoe. This episode was released on June 10, 2024,[1] and acts as a kind of "filler" episode to get players prepared for the sequel to Ashes: Afterglow, which is currently only known as "Episode 3", as there is no official title yet. It aims to provide players a better understanding of Walker's character, and what he's been through before his meeting with the Scav in The Flooded District three years later.

Like all previous entries in the series, Ashes: Hard Reset contains a full custom soundtrack by John Weekley (PRIMEVAL).

Content[edit]

Enemies[edit]

Vulture Thug
Replacing Doom's zombieman, this green-haired human enemy has the lowest hit points and damage output. Uses the police pistol, dropping ammo for it upon death.
Vulture Outlaw
Replacing Doom's shotgun guy, this red-haired human enemy is slightly stronger and shoots a pump-action shotgun. Can kill you in no time, if not careful and without armor.
Black Water Collector
The weakest of the Black Water Bandits. Sports a grey-colored outfit and attacks with a police pistol; can take multiple shots without pause if Walker remains in their field of view while they're attacking. Drops light bullets upon death.
Black Water Bully
The middle rank of the Black Water Bandits. Sports a red-colored outfit and attacks with a lever-action shotgun. Extremely dangerous up close, as with the Vulture Outlaw. Should be a priority target at close range so as not to have a few extra holes put in you. Drops 12-gauge shells upon death.
Black Water Assassin
The highest and deadliest member of the Black Water Bandits. Sports a green-colored outfit and attacks with a Boltcaster. In addition to being the sniper of the group, they also by far deal the most damage. On Apocalypse difficulty especially, it will only take a few bolts to bring Walker from 200 health & armor down to nothing. If you cannot see them immediately, listen for their firing sound and look for them as carefully as you can. They are a bit easier to deal with than their lower-ranked variants, mainly due to the fact that their firing animation takes the longest to complete; it takes roughly a full second for them to aim their Boltcaster at you before firing. In addition to that, similarly to how Walker can pick up bolts from his own Boltcaster if he missed a shot, the same can be done for the Assassin's missed shots, allowing him to restock on Bolts if he's low. Should be the highest-priority target and dealt with before anyone else, if at all possible. Drops a cluster of standard bolts upon death.
Black Water Boss
The insane and extremely dangerous head honcho of the Black Water Bandits who acts as the mini-boss at the end of MAP06: Cordon. Is not much faster than the his lower-ranked henchmen, but tends to move around more often, is much more tanky, and is also armed with the modular rifle, which will absolutely make mincemeat out of Walker if he is not careful. It would be wise to use the provided cover during the fight (along with some extra help at the end if the optimal path through the map is taken, involving a type of "murder mystery" side quest). Drops two magazines of rifle rounds upon death. Be wary of his three Black Water Assassin henchmen who guard him; it is heavily suggested to take them out first so you don't have to worry about their extremely deadly Boltcaster attacks while trying to focus on the Boss at the same time.
Pitfiend
Also known informally as "Bugdog"; replacing Doom's imp, this mutant dog has big glowy eyes, and a close- and far-ranged attack. It will either bite you, or spit poisonous acid globs at you that completely defy the laws of physics as they will keep flying forever in a straight line until they hit a solid object. A little bit tougher to kill than the human enemies, the best weapons to deal with these beasts are the pump-action shotgun, or the sawed-off shotgun. Can also be effectively dealt with using the crowbar's alt attack when timed correctly with the Bugdog's attack frames.
Cannibal
Replacing Doom's pinky demon, this bulky humanoid is noticeably quicker on his feet than the other basic enemies. He will run towards you in a zig-zag pattern, then attack you with his crowbar when close enough -- all of that in order to eat you. Fight them using the jackhammer, in case you manage to find one. Else, use the crowbar, or shotgun.
Cannibal Overseer
More intelligent and tougher than the regular cannibals, they are often found leading smaller packs of savages or pit-fiends. His cleaver is easy to avoid but he usually prefers to pelt enemies at range with his explosive crossbow. Replaces the Hell knight and in this episode, drops a cluster of explosive bolts for the Boltcaster weapon upon death (only in Hard Reset).
Cannibal Gladiator
A new, never-before-seen variant of Cannibal encountered by Walker first at the end of MAP05: Outskirts. A giant, hulking, huge-mouthed Cannibal wearing very primitive clothing and wielding a giant melee weapon on his right arm. His only attack consists of bashing Walker with said weapon, however that isn't too hard for him to do, as he is incredibly fast and cannot be outrun nearly as easily as the other enemies. Best to use the Proto Blaster against them if you have the fuel to spare.
Trash-Hag
Disguised as piles of scrap and rubble, trash hags will often lay ambushes using junk or other items as bait. They can jump a fair distance as well, allowing them to clear obstacles or platforms to reach or disorientate their prey. Their melee attacks are also extremely deadly, but they are easier to bring down than a cannibal. Replaces the spectre.
Gasbag
Essentially floating organic landmines, gasbags can do heavy damage if they can get close to an enemy and explode. Keep your distance if you plan on taking one out. Fortunately, they are slow unless charging, and have a very limited range within which they can detect a threat unless attacked, meaning that they can be avoided entirely. They do not react to sound at all. Replaces the lost soul.
Gasbag Colony
A more advanced gasbag form, colonies are more aggressive and will use seeking spore projectiles to chase down a target. They also explode on death with more potency than a regular Gasbag. However, they are very slow and hard to miss. Replaces the pain elemental.
Haunt
Floating, ghostly enemies which announce their presence with a distorted wail. They take a lot of firepower to bring down and can damage and thrust back enemies who attempt to close into melee range. Their projectiles also do heavy damage and can temporarily slow a target for a short duration. Although they aren't particularly difficult to hit when stationary, they tend to phase about during a fight, meaning that a shot can miss entirely if poorly timed. Replaces the cacodemon.
Wendigo
Extremely tall, black-furred, bipedal demonic creatures with digitigrade legs, wispy black hair, and the skull and antlers of a deer. Extremely fast and deadly, their only attack is to close distance and use their flesh-rending claws to quickly dispatch of whatever poor soul currently has their attention. In addition to being very fast and dealing out tons of damage, they are also quite tanky, and require a good bit of firepower to bring down. Usually a combination of two explosive bolts from the Boltcaster and an alt-fire from the hunter shotgun (which fires both barrels) will do the trick. If one does not have any explosive bolts, then one or two standard bolts will work, but it will require some extra 12-gauge to bring one down. Or, if Walker possess it, use the Proto Blaster against them. First encountered in MAP05: Outskirts.
Possessor Worm
Giant worms that are capable of possessing and domineering nearby clothes mannequins, which will they will then use to run towards you and swipe you with the mannequins' plastic arms. Once their mannequin "host" is destroyed, the worm itself will drop to the ground and attempt to either attack Walker or look for a new "host". Very weak, but very shifty and can be hard to hit due to their size and shape. Not overly deadly alone, but can be troublesome in a swarm. First encountered in MAP09: The Mall.
Choka-Tom
A unique mini-boss found only at the end of the secret level, MAP13: Chokaworld, he looks and acts very much like the Laughing Toms from Ashes: Afterglow, albeit having more hit points and wielding a crossbow instead of a junker musket. Use cover and take pot shots at him, lest he knocks off a large portion of your health with his explosive bolts.
Turret
Found only in MAP14: Hard Reset, these machine gun turrets activate after Walker starts up the pumps. Once you step close enough into their line of sight, you have about a second to take cover or destroy them before they unleash a hail of bullets. Two explosive bolts will do the trick.
The Hammer
A gravelly-voiced Cannibal Warlord who, for some reason, seeks to destroy Walker, all in the name of honor. Walker will fight him twice: once at the end of MAP09: The Mall and the second and final time at the end of MAP14: Hard Reset. In the first fight, The Hammer is armed with, true to his name, a crude yet powerful hammer that is made from what looks like a lamppost and the remains of a crumpled-up car, along with a "grappling chain" of sorts that, if it hits, will pull Walker immediately towards him in order for him to follow up with a devastating hammer blow. In the second fight, he gains a new attack: a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher which explodes into three bouncing fireballs once the rocket hits a surface (which is exactly the same as the alt-fire of the Proto Blaster). In addition to being very tanky and powerful, is also quite fast despite his large size. Do not take him lightly, or you will not last long against him. Potentially related in some way to the Mutant Leader that was seen in Afterglow's INT2: It Got Worse, but this is currently just speculation.

Weapons[edit]

Crowbar (slot 1)
The default melee weapon. Has a longer range and more damaging attack than Doom's fist. Can be upgraded via the Metalsmith in MAP07: Somerville Station by putting a hammer head on one end of the crowbar, increasing its damage output.
  • Alt-Fire: Delivers a slower, yet much more powerful, heavy swing capable of killing certain lower-tier enemies with a single hit.
Police pistol (slot 2)
The default pistol that Walker starts with on his journey; a Smith & Wesson 5906 chambered in 9mm that fires as fast as he can pull the trigger. Effective against most low-tier enemies and can also help with higher-tier enemies when used in tandem with more powerful weapons. Can be upgraded at a workbench by installing a 25-round drum magazine, which permanently replaces the standard, 10-round stick magazines (requires 150 scrap).
  • Alt-Fire: Switches from standard (presumably FMJ) 9mm rounds to hollow-point (HP) 9mm rounds, which deal more damage to organic targets. Visible in-game as a magazine with a red band around the middle.
Lever-action shotgun (slot 3)
A Winchester-style lever-action, single-barrel shotgun chambered in 12-gauge buckshot. Decently fast fire rate and above-average range make this weapon a viable option for nearly every enemy type in the game. Can be upgraded via Rigs in MAP11: Michonne Five Points for 60 scrap; he will clean up the gun, giving it a more refined finish, and will also allow Walker to "slamfire" the gun.
  • Alt-Fire: Slamfires the gun by simply holding down the alt fire mouse button (RMB by default)
Hunter shotgun (slot 4)
A double-barreled boomstick also chambered in 12-gauge buckshot. Literally the sawed-off shotgun from previous Ashes installments, but with full-size barrels, allowing for much better range, potentially on par with the lever-action shotgun. Primary fire discharges one barrel at a time. Can be upgraded at a Workbench by installing a shell saddle, which speeds up the reload time of the weapon (requires 50 scrap)
  • Alt-Fire: Discharges both barrels at the same time.
Modular rifle (slot 5)
A pristine, pre-war rifle discovered by Walker off the body of a deceased Scavenger (who was murdered by Haunts) at the end of MAP03: Anderson Homestead. A Stoner 63A-style machinegun that comes with its own set of parts/accessories, allowing you to upgrade it at a Workbench and change its configuration as often as you like, for no cost. Can also be upgraded via Rigs at MAP11: Michonne Five Points for 50 scrap; he will give you a much bigger box magazine (90 rounds instead of 30) and install a scope on top, which will still let you fire it full-auto, even if you previously used the barrel attachment that doesn't allow for it. Depending on which barrel you choose, you can either opt for a more accurate setup, or a faster fire rate setup.
  • Alt-Fire (laser sight attachment): Activates/deactivates the laser sight attachment, which (when turned on) increases your accuracy at longer ranges;
  • Alt-Fire (scope attachment): Zooms in with the scope allowing for more precise sniping shots.
Pipebomb (slot 6)
Pipebombs are thrown like grenades after a short "lighting the fuse" animation, with a longer thrown range being achieved by holding down the fire key. This also reduces the bounce time and life of the projectile, with predictably fatal results if the player forgets to throw before the fuse runs out.
  • Alt-Fire: Places the weapon as a tripwire trap which activates when attacked or a monster contacts it. These do not explode when Walker walks over them, and just like enemy trip bombs, can be defused and collected by "using" them when close by.
Boltcaster (slot 7)
A crossbow that is capable of slinging tiny, yet powerful, metal darts at Walker's opponents. Missed shots with standard bolt ammunition can be picked up afterwards. Normally reloads after every shot, but can be upgraded at a Workbench to double the amount of shots you can fire before needing to reload (requires 50 scrap).
  • Alt-Fire: Changes ammo type from standard bolts to explosive bolts.
Proto Blaster (slot 8)
A crudely-built, yet still very powerful, flamethrower-type weapon (described by some NPCs in-game as a "glorified blowtorch") that is capable of immolating Walker's enemies with relative ease. Can be upgraded twice: once via the Metalsmith in MAP07: Somerville Station, where he will allow an alt-fire attack, and once again by Rigs in MAP11: Michonne Five Points, where he will attach some parts to the weapon to increase its range and damage output, allowing less fuel to be used per kill.
  • Alt-Fire: When the red light is on, the alt-fire may be used. This releases built-up residue inside the weapon in the form of three bouncing fireballs which do heavy damage to whatever they hit (including you, so be careful!).
Grenade launcher (slot 9)
A Thumper-style explosives launcher. Can only be fired once before needing to reload. Extremely rare; only found at the end of MAP13: Chokaworld after the fight against Choka Tom, located on his "soda throne" along with a box of HE grenades for it. Grenades require a minimum arming distance before they can explode, presumably to help prevent the user from blowing themselves up, so try to put some distance between Walker and his target so that the grenade will be most efficient; otherwise the projectile will simply bump into them for a second or two before exploding, at which point the target may have put some distance between themselves and the grenade.
  • Alt-Fire: None

Items[edit]

Objects[edit]

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ ReformedJoe (31 May 2024). "Ashes: Hard Reset Released." Mod DB. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
Ashes series
  • v · 
  • t · 
  • e
Ashes 2063 • Ashes: Afterglow • Ashes: Hard Reset
Retrieved from "https://doomwiki.org/w/index.php?title=Ashes:_Hard_Reset&oldid=519408"