===========================================================================
Advanced engine needed  : Limit-removing port
Primary purpose         : Single+Coop play
===========================================================================
Title                   : Courtyard Escape
Filename                : courtesc.wad
Release date            : 12.20.2004
Author                  : Lars Thomas Boye aka Larsboy
Email Address           : ltboye@broadpark.no
Other Files By Author   : Gladiator (gladiatr.wad) - try it if you like big battles
Misc. Author Info       : I like Doom

----- IMPORTANT -----   : This level uses the gothic texture pack, so you need to
                          load gothictx.wad with courtesc.wad. You can get it at:
                          ftp://archives.3dgamers.com/pub/idgames/graphics/gothictx.zip


Description             : I like the kind of non-linear levels where you have a large open space with various structures scattered around - like Mt.Erebus in Doom and Suburbs in Doom 2. The kind of level you can replay many times. So I wanted to do something like that myself. But I also wanted the level to look good, with plenty of details and a nice theme. I decided to use the gothic texture pack rather than the overused original textures, and give it a medieval style. So this is a castle. Since there's a lot of open space, I ended up with a lot of monsters, so gameplay is rather Hell Revealed-styled. Play on skill 2 for a less overwelming experience. You start in a jail, where you have just managed to slay a guard and take his pistol (sounds familiar :-). You want to escape the castle, but to do this you'll need to find three keys for the gate. The best, most challenging way to play this is without saving, that's what I had in mind when designing it, so it should be fun for demo-recording. But you'll need some practice to do this on skill 3 and above, you'll need to know where everything is and get the strategy right. Ration the powerup spheres, and try getting the keys in different orders. Happy dooming!


Additional Credits to   : Pascal vd Heiden for Doom Builder - I couldn't have
                          made this level without such a great editor.
                          The makers of the gothic texture pack.
                          Mr. Chris for darkhard.wad, where I got the music.
===========================================================================
* What is included *

New levels              : 1
Sounds                  : No
Music                   : Yes, a midi tune based on Alexander the Great by
                          Iron Maiden, taken from darkhard.wad
Graphics                : Not included, uses gothictx.wad
Dehacked/BEX Patch      : No
Demos                   : No
Other                   : No
Other files required    : gothictx.wad


* Play Information *

Game                    : DOOM2
Map #                   : MAP01
Single Player           : Designed for
Cooperative 2-4 Player  : Yes, lots of extra stuff added (but not tested)
Deathmatch 2-4 Player   : Player starts, should work ok
Other game styles       : No
Difficulty Settings     : Yes, see notes below


* Construction *

Base                    : New from scratch
Build Time              : Two months. Maybe about 150 hours, many of which I spent
                          testing and tweaking.
Editor(s) used          : Doom Builder
Known Bugs              : Possibly a rare slimetrail
May Not Run With...     : Too detailed for Doom2.exe


Notes on difficulty settings:

To make one thing clear: this map is meant to be very challenging, and even the easiest skill level is meant to be used. It's no shame playing this on skill 2. That said, here's a description of the different levels:

1-2: The casual doomer should get a good challenge here, and even if you're good, you might want to try this, to get to know the level or to have some fun without worrying too much about health and ammo. I love playing on this level when I just want to have some fun.
3 (HMP): I've balanced this for me to have a good, hard challenge playing without saving. There's a lot of monsters, but there's plenty of health as well. It's meant to be hard but fair.
4 (UV): This skill is hard. And when I say hard, I mean HARD. I have to save a lot to play this, and even so, you better get your strategy right to survive. This should make a nice challenge for the best demorecorders. I've even removed the zombies at the start so it's faster to get to the real action. The invulnerability is replaced with a soulsphere. More arch-viles.
Coop is also supported, and should be very fun. Recording a fast maxkill demo in coop could be interesting, as the players can split up and get the different keys in parallell.


Technical notes:

This map doesn't use any port-specific features, and should run with any modern Doom engine. It is a large, open area with a lot of details, and it has a lot of monsters, so it won't run with Doom2.exe. But it's meant to be played the old way, without mouse-look or jumping. I've tested it with ZDoom and PrBoom. ZDoom, without actors being infinitely tall, is recommended. As for performance, I should think you'd be fine unless you have a very old machine. It runs great for me (1.7 GHz). UV will definitely be more demanding on your hardware than the easier levels, as there can be a lot of sprites on-screen at once. The map has some fences made with blocking two-sided linedefs, so flying monsters can't cross these fences even when they are above them. This might be slightly unrealistic, but I decided to do it like this anyway, and you can use it to your advantage.


* Copyright / Permissions *

Authors may NOT use the contents of this file as a base for
modification or reuse.  Permissions have been obtained from original 
authors for any of their resources modified or included in this file.

You MAY distribute this file, provided you include this text file, with
no modifications.  You may distribute this file in any electronic
format (BBS, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include this file 
intact.


* Where to get the file that this text file describes *

The Usual: ftp://archives.3dgamers.com/pub/idgames/ and mirrors
