Killing Time: Resurrected

Key art for Killing Time: Resurrected.

Killing Time: Resurrected is a remastered version of Killing Time using the KEX Engine developed by Nightdive Studios and published by Ziggurat Interactive on October 18, 2024 for Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Sony PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, as well as the Nintendo Switch. Although primarily based on the 1996 PC version that was derived from the Jaguar Doom codebase, the remaster also restores content, much of it enhanced, from the original 1995 3DO version of the game. One such part of the restored content is the knife weapon, which is able to take down enemies with just one hit if the player goes unnoticed. It also restores details and regions, such as the shipwreck and pool house, that were cut from the original PC version. Similar to Doom + Doom II, it features a vault of concept art and other development artifacts. The players can change the options, separate between weapons, textures, and enemies, to use either the high-quality, restored sprites and textures or the low-quality, original ones.

All levels are converted into the UDMF format, and were modified for the remaster by Matt Tropiano (MTrop). In the PC version, players can also opt to play the original, unmodified levels (also converted to the UDMF format, being the only significant change for the levels) by using either the -file ogpcmaps.kpf or the -kpf ogpcmaps.kpf command .

A modding software development kit, consisting of a configuration file for Ultimate Doom Builder, a PK3 file that acts as a resource file for it, sprites and textures in original resolution from the 3DO version, and level format converters based on the 3DO version, the original PC/Macintosh version, and the vanilla Doom format, as well as documentation files on the game's formats, including but not limited to the AngelScript system used to define the actors, weapons, and more, were also released for the project. The set also includes the raw level data for the original campaign of the 3DO version, including .scrpt files used internally to convert all the Doom-related things into the internal ZX engine format.

Quirks and differences to 3DO and Windows/Macintosh versions

• Swinging doors are reimplemented from the 3DO version. However, in Resurrected, these doors are only opened if the player pushes them by movement, instead of pressing Use.
  • In addition, these doors cannot be closed once opened and are not available in locked variants, unlike the 3DO version.
• Crawlers from the Windows/Macintosh version (equivalent to the 3DO version's dung balls) now have their rolling form restored, making their behavior identical enough across actors mode.
• Two-headed dogs retain their leaping attack in the 3DO version. However, they do not teleport back to their spawning point once their leap attack animation is finished. Instead, they will keep chasing and leaping at the player until dead.
• The engine's sprite limits are now capped at 1024, instead of 128 from the Jaguar Doom engine.

Trivia

• The remaster utilized the Calico project for "correcting symbol names and reverting some bad changes", according to developer James Haley (Quasar).
• Design of internal components is also influenced by portions of Doom64 EX (renderer, automap, culling, etc.) and Strife: Veteran Edition (save game system) where the code is entirely owned by the programmers or by Nightdive itself.
• The ghost visions in Resurrected utilize a blue halo effect, inspired by the 1996 movie The Frighteners.
  • In addition to making them readily identifiable as ghost apparitions, this also doubles as a means to mask up the imperfections of the original footage.
• Ioan Chera (printz) consulted on the implementation of ZNODES and is credited under "special thanks".
• Similar to other modern re-releases, the cross on the medical bag held by Angela Conway in one vision (GHOST15.webm) is turned from red to green.

External links

• Nightdive Studios page
• Ziggurat Interactive page
• Steam store page
• GOG store page
• Xbox store page
• PlayStation store page
• Switch store page
• Killing Time Resurrected SDK at Doomworld/idgames
• Discussion thread at the Doomworld forums
• Gaming Assistant
• Walkthrough
• Encyclopedia Diabolica of Killing Time: Resurrected
• Remastered version playthrough by Pedro Arturo Gomez Blanco (PAGB666)
• Remastered version review by Gmanlives

References

Source code genealogy
Based on	Name	Base for
Killing Time (3DO)	Killing Time: Resurrected	None
Killing Time (PC)
KEX Engine