Empyrion

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===========================================================================
Advanced engine needed  : Boom format, but works best in ZDoom and its spinoffs
Primary purpose         : Single + coop play
===========================================================================
Title                   : Empyrion
Filename                : empyrion_b24a.wad
Release date            : February 20, 2012
Author                  : Empyre
Email Address           : [email protected]

Description             : Nine single-player/coop maps, and three really
                          old versions for comparison.

Additional Credits to   : the unknown creators of the midis used
===========================================================================
* What is included *

New levels              : 12
Sounds                  : No
Music                   : Yes
Graphics                : No
Dehacked/BEX Patch      : No
Demos                   : No
Other                   : MAPINFO and ZMAPINFO lumps
Other files required    : None


* Play Information *

Game                    : Doom 2
Map #                   : EMP01 - EMP08, EMP32, OLD01 - OLD03
Single Player           : Designed for
Cooperative 2-4 Player  : Designed for
Deathmatch 2-4 Player   : No
Other game styles       : None
Difficulty Settings     : Yes


* Construction *

Base                    : New from scratch
Build Time              : many many hours, over the span of more than a
                          decade
Editor(s) used          : DoomCad, Doom Builder, XWE
Known Bugs              : none known, but please tell me of any you find
May Not Run With...     : non-ZDoom-based ports


* 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.  I have
received permission from the original authors of any modified or included
content in this file to allow further distribution.

* Changelog *

Howdy, everybody!

Every time I release another beta, I say "This will likely be the final beta." Then I find a bunch of things to improve. If you ever see empyrion, with no _bXX at the end, then you'll know I am finally calling it finished.

As always, I am open to ideas to improve the maps.  Please send suggestions to [email protected]

Changes in empyrion_b24a.wad:

Fixed a problem with ZDaemon not processing the MAPINFO lump.
In EMP08, Hypercube, set the sky to use SKY3 instead of the default SKY1 because it looks better as the floor of the exit. Widened the openings into the teleports leading up to the cube above.

----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b24.wad:

Renamed the maps. Now they are EMP01 - EMP08, EMP32, and OLD01 - OLD03.
Added a new map, EMP08, Hypercube
In EMP05, Castle, and EMP06, Dungeon, replaced a texture that was causing tutti-fruitti effect.
In EMP07, Temples, added a second spawn to reduce the bottleneck that the cave entrance was causing. Removed the inactive elevator button at the spawn that was confusing players.
In EMP08, Hypercube (changed from hypercube_b1.wad), added lots of ammo and health to make it playable in single-player.
In EMP32, You Gotta Be Kidding, added a midi, instead of using the default MAP32 music.

----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b23.wad:

In MAP01, Spaceport, it was possible to jump out the window of spawn room and then find yourself locked out. Made the outside of spawn room door usable to open the door.
In MAP02, Basement, there were some texture alignment errors on some crates. Fixed them.
In MAP05, Castle, there were 2 megaspheres stacked together. Fixed it. Made the exit from MAP05 transitoin into the beginning of MAP06 better.
In MAP06, Dungeon, I added more stacked bonuses for health and armor, and got rid of the teleports to the doors "back" to last map, which were confusing players.
In MAP07, Temples, there were problems with the monsters teleporting into the octagonal temple incorrectly. Fixed it.
In MAP32, You Gotta Be Kidding, I didn't change anything. There's nothing to see here. Move along.

-----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b22a.wad:

Deleted embarrassing Doombuilder 3D mode start thing from MAP07.

-----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b22.wad

In MAP04, Lava Cave, I added a new secret.
In MAP07, Temples, I made the exit a little bit fancier.
In MAP32, You Gotta Be Kidding, I made platforms for the ammo and spheres that were submerged in slime and hard to see before.
I may have made some other minor tweaks that I don't rememeber. As far as I know, there are few or no changes yet to be made before I release the final version.

------------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b21.wad:

I fixed a few glitched textures. I added some ammo to some areas where ammo was scarce. I changed some archviles into mancubi in areas where there is no cover. In other areas, I added some more (mostly coop-only) monsters to make a fight tougher, including some that teleport in behind you when you open the door to the exit in MAP07, Temples. In MAP05 and MAP07, there were some simple steps that were set to block monsters, which is necessary for gameplay but looked odd, so I added "force fields" that look like they should block monsters. There may be some other bug or gameplay fixes that I don't remember.

------------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b20a.wad:

I added more to the MAPINFO lump, especially specifying the next map for each map, because in single-player, it was going back to the same map every time.  I named this ending with _b20a instead of _b21 because it is a quick hotfix, and no changes were made to the maps themselves.

A couple changes I forgot to mention in empyrion_b20.wad:I added impassable lines next to the doors into the jail cells in MAP03 and MAP06, so you should no longer get stuck against the door frame when leaving a cell.  I also made sure every map has a berserk pack because some mods use them.

-----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b20.wad:

I fixed a missing texture on a door frame in MAP06, and fixed some misaligned detailing in MAP05.  I changed the behavior of almost all of the doors and many of the lifts to make gameplay better.  Last, but not least, I added a MAPINFO lump to give the maps names, and added total infighting in MAP32.  If I did anything else, I don't remember it.

-----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b19.wad:

The problem with working on the wad once in a while over the period of several weeks is I tend to forget what changes I made.  The changes are mostly small things you might not notice.  Here's what I do remember:I reduced the number of sound-blocking lines because they were causing problems.  I made the ammo appear in coop once again, in case I want to run this with a wad that won't work with infinite ammo.  I made it possible to get out of the channels that drain the lava lakes in maps 05 and 07 without jumping.  I added ammo backpacks in a couple maps.  I added puddles of water to map07, and did some minor texture changes.

-----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b18.wad:

There are three words for the changes in this version: detailing, detailing, detailing!  Here is a partial list of the detailing I added.  I made sure every room has an apparent light source, be it a light fixture, torches, a skylight, or a combination of these.  In order to leave the gameplay unchanged, most of the added details are on the ceiling, like beams, skylights, light fixtures, and cracks.

I did make a few gameplay tweaks, too.  Some of the mods I have run on my Skulltag server replace the monsters in such a way that they do not inherit flags, like deafness, so when you shoot a gun in map07, all the monsters all over wake up.  I put in lots of blocks-sounds lines in most of the maps to combat that problem.  In map05, I replaces a megasphere in one location with a soul sphere and a blue armor, so there could be something to pick up in a place where there was nothing in coop before.  In map07, I rearranged the rooms in the octagon temple to more closely resemble the corresponding pyramid or temple location in the map (rotated 90 degrees), and I changed the monsters in the star and ankh rooms in octagon temple.

-----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b17.wad:

I made lots of small changes to several maps, mostly fixing errors.  I don't even remember what all I changed.The only change worth mentioning is in the castle, MAP05.  Leading to the armor room was a lift and a short space and then a door.  This proved to be awkward for gameplay, so I moved the lift to where the door and small space were, so the lift itself now serves as the door.

-----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b16.wad:

In the spaceport, MAP01, I did a whole lot of vertical adjustments and squeezing the stretching the panels (both inside and out) so that the windows and doors no longer cut through the middle of them

In the spaceport's dungeon, MAP02, I did a lot of texture alignment and other texture changes.

In the castle, MAP05, I put a green armor that appears only in coop when the blue key is revealed in the spawn room.

In the castle's dungeon, MAP06, I fixed a bug that allowed players to exit without opening the yellow door, by adding another door behind it that has the other actions on it that were on the yellow door.   I also polished up the texturing in that room.

In the valley of temples, MAP07, I fixed a bug where it was possible to lower the first switch in the star without activating the switch.

-----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b15.wad:

I converted all maps, except the early prototype version, from Doom2 format to Boom format.  Boom format is almost as portable as Doom2 format, and allows me to do things I can't do in Doom2 format.  Most, but not all, of the changes I made in the maps are to take advantage of the capabilities of the Boom format.

I flagged virtually all the ammo as "not coop", because I was told that the strange behavior when loading the maps are because of the huge number of "things" in the map being sent to the player all at once, and coop is almost always infinite ammo anyway.  Unfortunately, infinite ammo is now a must in coop.  I hope this helps with that problem.

All the BFGs are now "not coop", so I don't have to block anything.  In each case, something nice is there instead in coop.

In the spaceport, MAP01, I changed some floor textures to better show the light effects, and so the floors are not all the same.  I made the light shining in the windows hit the floor and not the ceiling, using a Boom format feature.

In the spaceport's basement, MAP02, I changed the floor textures to better show the light effects.  I used another Boom feature, linedef pass-through, to make it possible to get rid of those awkward triangle-shaped doors.  The slime in the slime pit is now about knee deep.

In the Nazi fortress, MAP03, the walls that lower and the doorways that close to become pillars, will do so at the same time, not several seconds apart as frequently happened until now.

In the lava cave, MAP04, the brightly glowing lava no longer makes weird bright areas on the ceiling and walls (also in the copies of the cave in MAP01 and MAP03). The lava is now about ankle deep.

In the castle, MAP05, the lava in the moat is about waist deep, and the lava lake gradually goes from no depth to waist deep.  You can no longer jump through the windows into the little nooks in the gate house where the chaingunners are.

In the castle's dungeon, MAP06, all the lifts now work in a more intuitive way.  The stairs in the towers are now easier to raise, with only one switch involved in raising each set of stairs, instead of two.

In the valley of temples, MAP07, both secrets are marked as such now.  The first switch in the star lowers right away when you use it, instead of waiting until you enter the first point of the star.

In You've Got to be Kidding, MAP32, the slime is about knee deep.  The powerups are more neatly arranged in the supply room behind where you spawn.

--------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b14.wad:

In the spaceport, MAP01, I fixed an embarrassing error where I had an armor bonus and a health bonus on the same spot.

In the spaceport's basement, MAP02, in empyrion_b13.wad, I fixed the diagonal walls on the outer edge so that you won't get stuck on them as badly, but I forgot to mention that change before.

In the valley of temples, MAP07, I moved the area from which the monsters teleport into the octagon so hopefully the player won't hear them through the wall, and I added teleport shortcuts, but you (or a coop teammate) have to visit the destination of the teleport before you can use it.

--------------------------

Big changes in empyrion_b13.wad!

I added an all-new map, Temples, MAP07!

As an extra bonus, I threw in the prototype versions of the maps as they were over ten years ago, so you can see how much they have changed since then. At the time, I thought they were done. The early versions of maps 1-4 were originally all 1 map, now map 21, followed by the early versions of maps 5 and 6 in slots 22 and 23. I got 
the music from heroes2.wad, just like all the rest of the music, but they were never before used for these maps.

In most of the maps, I stacked most of the armor and health bonuses, so when you pick one up, you get two.

In the lava cave, MAP04, I moved the Invulnerability out from behind the lowering wall in front of the switch, so you can get it while you still need it to fight monsters, and I improved the stepping stones to make them easier to use.

In the castle's dungeon, MAP06, I changed the final area at the exit to make it better match the starting area of the new MAP07 by making it a little bit darker and changing the earth texture on the walls outside the door.

Changes in Temples, MAP07, since temples_b1.wad:

All the signs on the ground are now also floating in the air overhead so they won't be obscured by monster corpses. 
Players were getting confused by the sighs that show what is down the path, so I added arrows to make the signs more clear.
I added monsters that spawn into the octagon as you hit each switch.
The plasma gun is now in the open outside the entry cave, in the fountain I copied from my castle map.
I added the ammo inside the star, which I had forgotten before.
I made it easier to grab a weapon once the wall was lowered, and impossible to grab it before.
I moved a tree that was in the way.

------------------

Changes in empyrion_b12.wad

In the spaceport, MAP01, I tried again to fix the problem of health and ammo floating in the middle, correctly marked the secret areas, and made all the lifts lower when you use them, rather than when you step onto them, to make them more coop-friendly.

In the spaceport's basement, MAP02, I modified several lifts to make them more coop-friendly, better marked the secret area, and added medikits to the prison switch room.

In the Nazi fortress, MAP03, I made the only lift more coop-friendly.

In the lava cave, MAP04, I turned the spawn point so you're facing right at the zombie in front of you, and made a couple more rad suits appear in single-player. In the previous beta, b11, I added a couple more stepping stones, but forgot to mention them in the txt file, so I am mentioning them now.

In the castle, MAP05, I made several lifts more coop-friendly, move the nook with the red key and plasma gun in front of you as you respawn, marked several secret areas, made certain medikits and armor easier to grab, made the raising stairs easier to trigger, and made the front gate notched into the wall to look more secure.

In the castle's dungeon, MAP06, I made a lift I overlooked before more coop-friendly, made some secret doors undetectable in Skulltag's automap, marked some more secret areas, moved a couple lift switches, made the final lift look a little bit better, and changed when a certain lift is revealed to make it easier to see where to go next.

In You've Got to be Kidding, MAP32, I made it so you have to enter the supply room behind you before you can get to the door leading outside.

------------------

Changes in empyrion_b11.wad:

Changed the name of the final wad from empyre2 to empyrion, and reflected this change in the beta's name.

In the spaceport, MAP01, I fixed the problem of the health and ammo still "floating" next to the central column in some ports, made it so you can't crouch and jump through the windows into the cave in ports that allow crouching, and made the yellow and blue keys easier to grab.

In the spaceport's basement, MAP02, I made the red key easier to grab.

In the Nazi fortress, MAP03, I made it so you can't crouch-jump through the windows into the cave, and made the yellow and red keys easier to grab.

In the lava cave, MAP04, I made it so you can crouch-jump through the windows out of the cave, and made the "timer" wall the blocks the switch a little bit shorter.

In the castle, MAP05, I added a soul sphere as a consolation prize for being unable to get the BFG in coop mode, similar to what I had already done in MAP03 and MAP06.

In the castle's dungeon, MAP06, I made it so you can't crouch-jump through the windows from the balcony, and made several lifts lower from the top with switches instead of walking over the edge to avoid player being stranded.

In You've Got to be Kidding, MAP32, I made the "timer" column with the exit on top a little bit shorter.

------------------

Changes in emp2b10.wad:

In the spaceport, MAP01, I fixed the problem of the health and ammo "floating" next to the central column.

In the spaceport's basement, MAP02, I made the color doors blocking the regular doors into an odd triangle shape. This was necessary because with the flat door in empyr2b9, you could not click through to open the regular door without the key after all. I am not so wild about the triangle-shaped doors, but it works, and in this case, it has to be function over form.

In You've Got to be Kidding, MAP32, I made it so you can see the entire height of the column that becomes the exit as it descends, and added exit signs.

------------------

Changes in empyr2b9.wad:

In the spaceport, MAP01, I made the light coming in from the windows look more realistic, hid the "caves" the pinkie demons come out of, and made it impossible to get the blue key early by rocket jumping.

In the spaceport's basement, MAP02, I set it up so that whenever anybody opens any locked door, that key is no longer needed by anybody, and tossed in a few multiplayer-only monsters in the computer room.

In the Nazi fortress, MAP03, I made the keys available in the spawn room whenever somebody gets them, and made the "North" arrow easier to see.

In the lava cave, MAP04, I blocked the early exit by rocket jumping, and fixed the arrow not lowering with the lift at the switch.

In the castle, MAP05, I moved the moat flush with the castle, which makes the castle look taller, made the red and blue keys available at spawn when unlocked, made several lifts easy to see, unhid the hidden hallways, added more ammo outside, and added more monsters inside the castle. I added detailed shadows that looked great in local mode, but the map wouldn't load in client-server mode, so I had to lose the shadows.

In the castle's dungeon, MAP06, I unhid the hidden hallways, made the red key easier to see, put a yellow key in the opposite window, added more monsters, and made the final lift not lower when you walk off of it, which was stranding other players until the slow lift eventually got back up again.

In You've Got to be Kidding, MAP32, I blocked the BFG from rocket jumping, and made the exit delayed to prevent an early exit before players have time to  kill all the monsters.

----------------

Changes in empyr2b8.wad:

In the spaceport, MAP01, I made 8 better-looking, easier-to-find exits, eliminated the hard-to-find switch that was needed to get the red key, added lots more monsters, and added lighting and detailing.

In the spaceport's basement, MAP02, I re-purposed a switch, un-hid the prison's back door, added more monsters, added a hidden weapon stash in the spawn room, added lots more monsters, and added lighting and detailing.

In the Nazi fortress, MAP03, I added lots more monsters, added a hidden weapons stash in the spawn room, and added some lighting.

In the lava cave, MAP04, I blocked the switch so you have to stay and fight all the monsters before you can get out.

In the castle, MAP05, I only added a hidden weapons stash in the spawn room.  I plan to make many changes to this map in the next version.

In the castle's dungeon, MAP06, I didn't make any changes, until next version.

In You've Got to be Kidding, MAP32, I didn't make any changes, until next version.  Map32 is not meant to taken seriously.  The idea is to enjoy making the monsters fight each other. It is actually playable, and it does have an exit.

Empyre_wad walkthrough.txt is increasingly out-of-date with each new beta of empyre2.wad, so I finally decided to leave it out.  I am trying to make the maps easier to navigate so a walkthrough will no longer be needed anyway.

- Empyre

===========================================================================
Advanced engine needed  : Boom format, but works best in ZDoom and its spinoffs
Primary purpose         : Single + coop play
===========================================================================
Title                   : Empyrion
Filename                : empyrion_b24a.wad
Release date            : February 20, 2012
Author                  : Empyre
Email Address           : [email protected]

Description             : Nine single-player/coop maps, and three really
                          old versions for comparison.

Additional Credits to   : the unknown creators of the midis used
===========================================================================
* What is included *

New levels              : 12
Sounds                  : No
Music                   : Yes
Graphics                : No
Dehacked/BEX Patch      : No
Demos                   : No
Other                   : MAPINFO and ZMAPINFO lumps
Other files required    : None


* Play Information *

Game                    : Doom 2
Map #                   : EMP01 - EMP08, EMP32, OLD01 - OLD03
Single Player           : Designed for
Cooperative 2-4 Player  : Designed for
Deathmatch 2-4 Player   : No
Other game styles       : None
Difficulty Settings     : Yes


* Construction *

Base                    : New from scratch
Build Time              : many many hours, over the span of more than a
                          decade
Editor(s) used          : DoomCad, Doom Builder, XWE
Known Bugs              : none known, but please tell me of any you find
May Not Run With...     : non-ZDoom-based ports


* 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.  I have
received permission from the original authors of any modified or included
content in this file to allow further distribution.

* Changelog *

Howdy, everybody!

Every time I release another beta, I say "This will likely be the final beta." Then I find a bunch of things to improve. If you ever see empyrion, with no _bXX at the end, then you'll know I am finally calling it finished.

As always, I am open to ideas to improve the maps.  Please send suggestions to [email protected]

Changes in empyrion_b24a.wad:

Fixed a problem with ZDaemon not processing the MAPINFO lump.
In EMP08, Hypercube, set the sky to use SKY3 instead of the default SKY1 because it looks better as the floor of the exit. Widened the openings into the teleports leading up to the cube above.

----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b24.wad:

Renamed the maps. Now they are EMP01 - EMP08, EMP32, and OLD01 - OLD03.
Added a new map, EMP08, Hypercube
In EMP05, Castle, and EMP06, Dungeon, replaced a texture that was causing tutti-fruitti effect.
In EMP07, Temples, added a second spawn to reduce the bottleneck that the cave entrance was causing. Removed the inactive elevator button at the spawn that was confusing players.
In EMP08, Hypercube (changed from hypercube_b1.wad), added lots of ammo and health to make it playable in single-player.
In EMP32, You Gotta Be Kidding, added a midi, instead of using the default MAP32 music.

----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b23.wad:

In MAP01, Spaceport, it was possible to jump out the window of spawn room and then find yourself locked out. Made the outside of spawn room door usable to open the door.
In MAP02, Basement, there were some texture alignment errors on some crates. Fixed them.
In MAP05, Castle, there were 2 megaspheres stacked together. Fixed it. Made the exit from MAP05 transitoin into the beginning of MAP06 better.
In MAP06, Dungeon, I added more stacked bonuses for health and armor, and got rid of the teleports to the doors "back" to last map, which were confusing players.
In MAP07, Temples, there were problems with the monsters teleporting into the octagonal temple incorrectly. Fixed it.
In MAP32, You Gotta Be Kidding, I didn't change anything. There's nothing to see here. Move along.

-----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b22a.wad:

Deleted embarrassing Doombuilder 3D mode start thing from MAP07.

-----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b22.wad

In MAP04, Lava Cave, I added a new secret.
In MAP07, Temples, I made the exit a little bit fancier.
In MAP32, You Gotta Be Kidding, I made platforms for the ammo and spheres that were submerged in slime and hard to see before.
I may have made some other minor tweaks that I don't rememeber. As far as I know, there are few or no changes yet to be made before I release the final version.

------------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b21.wad:

I fixed a few glitched textures. I added some ammo to some areas where ammo was scarce. I changed some archviles into mancubi in areas where there is no cover. In other areas, I added some more (mostly coop-only) monsters to make a fight tougher, including some that teleport in behind you when you open the door to the exit in MAP07, Temples. In MAP05 and MAP07, there were some simple steps that were set to block monsters, which is necessary for gameplay but looked odd, so I added "force fields" that look like they should block monsters. There may be some other bug or gameplay fixes that I don't remember.

------------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b20a.wad:

I added more to the MAPINFO lump, especially specifying the next map for each map, because in single-player, it was going back to the same map every time.  I named this ending with _b20a instead of _b21 because it is a quick hotfix, and no changes were made to the maps themselves.

A couple changes I forgot to mention in empyrion_b20.wad:I added impassable lines next to the doors into the jail cells in MAP03 and MAP06, so you should no longer get stuck against the door frame when leaving a cell.  I also made sure every map has a berserk pack because some mods use them.

-----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b20.wad:

I fixed a missing texture on a door frame in MAP06, and fixed some misaligned detailing in MAP05.  I changed the behavior of almost all of the doors and many of the lifts to make gameplay better.  Last, but not least, I added a MAPINFO lump to give the maps names, and added total infighting in MAP32.  If I did anything else, I don't remember it.

-----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b19.wad:

The problem with working on the wad once in a while over the period of several weeks is I tend to forget what changes I made.  The changes are mostly small things you might not notice.  Here's what I do remember:I reduced the number of sound-blocking lines because they were causing problems.  I made the ammo appear in coop once again, in case I want to run this with a wad that won't work with infinite ammo.  I made it possible to get out of the channels that drain the lava lakes in maps 05 and 07 without jumping.  I added ammo backpacks in a couple maps.  I added puddles of water to map07, and did some minor texture changes.

-----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b18.wad:

There are three words for the changes in this version: detailing, detailing, detailing!  Here is a partial list of the detailing I added.  I made sure every room has an apparent light source, be it a light fixture, torches, a skylight, or a combination of these.  In order to leave the gameplay unchanged, most of the added details are on the ceiling, like beams, skylights, light fixtures, and cracks.

I did make a few gameplay tweaks, too.  Some of the mods I have run on my Skulltag server replace the monsters in such a way that they do not inherit flags, like deafness, so when you shoot a gun in map07, all the monsters all over wake up.  I put in lots of blocks-sounds lines in most of the maps to combat that problem.  In map05, I replaces a megasphere in one location with a soul sphere and a blue armor, so there could be something to pick up in a place where there was nothing in coop before.  In map07, I rearranged the rooms in the octagon temple to more closely resemble the corresponding pyramid or temple location in the map (rotated 90 degrees), and I changed the monsters in the star and ankh rooms in octagon temple.

-----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b17.wad:

I made lots of small changes to several maps, mostly fixing errors.  I don't even remember what all I changed.The only change worth mentioning is in the castle, MAP05.  Leading to the armor room was a lift and a short space and then a door.  This proved to be awkward for gameplay, so I moved the lift to where the door and small space were, so the lift itself now serves as the door.

-----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b16.wad:

In the spaceport, MAP01, I did a whole lot of vertical adjustments and squeezing the stretching the panels (both inside and out) so that the windows and doors no longer cut through the middle of them

In the spaceport's dungeon, MAP02, I did a lot of texture alignment and other texture changes.

In the castle, MAP05, I put a green armor that appears only in coop when the blue key is revealed in the spawn room.

In the castle's dungeon, MAP06, I fixed a bug that allowed players to exit without opening the yellow door, by adding another door behind it that has the other actions on it that were on the yellow door.   I also polished up the texturing in that room.

In the valley of temples, MAP07, I fixed a bug where it was possible to lower the first switch in the star without activating the switch.

-----------------------------

Changes in empyrion_b15.wad:

I converted all maps, except the early prototype version, from Doom2 format to Boom format.  Boom format is almost as portable as Doom2 format, and allows me to do things I can't do in Doom2 format.  Most, but not all, of the changes I made in the maps are to take advantage of the capabilities of the Boom format.

I flagged virtually all the ammo as "not coop", because I was told that the strange behavior when loading the maps are because of the huge number of "things" in the map being sent to the player all at once, and coop is almost always infinite ammo anyway.  Unfortunately, infinite ammo is now a must in coop.  I hope this helps with that problem.

All the BFGs are now "not coop", so I don't have to block anything.  In each case, something nice is there instead in coop.

In the spaceport, MAP01, I changed some floor textures to better show the light effects, and so the floors are not all the same.  I made the light shining in the windows hit the floor and not the ceiling, using a Boom format feature.

In the spaceport's basement, MAP02, I changed the floor textures to better show the light effects.  I used another Boom feature, linedef pass-through, to make it possible to get rid of those awkward triangle-shaped doors.  The slime in the slime pit is now about knee deep.

In the Nazi fortress, MAP03, the walls that lower and the doorways that close to become pillars, will do so at the same time, not several seconds apart as frequently happened until now.

In the lava cave, MAP04, the brightly glowing lava no longer makes weird bright areas on the ceiling and walls (also in the copies of the cave in MAP01 and MAP03). The lava is now about ankle deep.

In the castle, MAP05, the lava in the moat is about waist deep, and the lava lake gradually goes from no depth to waist deep.  You can no longer jump through the windows into the little nooks in the gate house where the chaingunners are.

In the castle's dungeon, MAP06, all the lifts now work in a more intuitive way.  The stairs in the towers are now easier to raise, with only one switch involved in raising each set of stairs, instead of two.

In the valley of temples, MAP07, both secrets are marked as such now.  The first switch in the star lowers right away when you use it, instead of waiting until you enter the first point of the star.

In You've Got to be Kidding, MAP32, the slime is about knee deep.  The powerups are more neatly arranged in the supply room behind where you spawn.

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Changes in empyrion_b14.wad:

In the spaceport, MAP01, I fixed an embarrassing error where I had an armor bonus and a health bonus on the same spot.

In the spaceport's basement, MAP02, in empyrion_b13.wad, I fixed the diagonal walls on the outer edge so that you won't get stuck on them as badly, but I forgot to mention that change before.

In the valley of temples, MAP07, I moved the area from which the monsters teleport into the octagon so hopefully the player won't hear them through the wall, and I added teleport shortcuts, but you (or a coop teammate) have to visit the destination of the teleport before you can use it.

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Big changes in empyrion_b13.wad!

I added an all-new map, Temples, MAP07!

As an extra bonus, I threw in the prototype versions of the maps as they were over ten years ago, so you can see how much they have changed since then. At the time, I thought they were done. The early versions of maps 1-4 were originally all 1 map, now map 21, followed by the early versions of maps 5 and 6 in slots 22 and 23. I got 
the music from heroes2.wad, just like all the rest of the music, but they were never before used for these maps.

In most of the maps, I stacked most of the armor and health bonuses, so when you pick one up, you get two.

In the lava cave, MAP04, I moved the Invulnerability out from behind the lowering wall in front of the switch, so you can get it while you still need it to fight monsters, and I improved the stepping stones to make them easier to use.

In the castle's dungeon, MAP06, I changed the final area at the exit to make it better match the starting area of the new MAP07 by making it a little bit darker and changing the earth texture on the walls outside the door.

Changes in Temples, MAP07, since temples_b1.wad:

All the signs on the ground are now also floating in the air overhead so they won't be obscured by monster corpses. 
Players were getting confused by the sighs that show what is down the path, so I added arrows to make the signs more clear.
I added monsters that spawn into the octagon as you hit each switch.
The plasma gun is now in the open outside the entry cave, in the fountain I copied from my castle map.
I added the ammo inside the star, which I had forgotten before.
I made it easier to grab a weapon once the wall was lowered, and impossible to grab it before.
I moved a tree that was in the way.

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Changes in empyrion_b12.wad

In the spaceport, MAP01, I tried again to fix the problem of health and ammo floating in the middle, correctly marked the secret areas, and made all the lifts lower when you use them, rather than when you step onto them, to make them more coop-friendly.

In the spaceport's basement, MAP02, I modified several lifts to make them more coop-friendly, better marked the secret area, and added medikits to the prison switch room.

In the Nazi fortress, MAP03, I made the only lift more coop-friendly.

In the lava cave, MAP04, I turned the spawn point so you're facing right at the zombie in front of you, and made a couple more rad suits appear in single-player. In the previous beta, b11, I added a couple more stepping stones, but forgot to mention them in the txt file, so I am mentioning them now.

In the castle, MAP05, I made several lifts more coop-friendly, move the nook with the red key and plasma gun in front of you as you respawn, marked several secret areas, made certain medikits and armor easier to grab, made the raising stairs easier to trigger, and made the front gate notched into the wall to look more secure.

In the castle's dungeon, MAP06, I made a lift I overlooked before more coop-friendly, made some secret doors undetectable in Skulltag's automap, marked some more secret areas, moved a couple lift switches, made the final lift look a little bit better, and changed when a certain lift is revealed to make it easier to see where to go next.

In You've Got to be Kidding, MAP32, I made it so you have to enter the supply room behind you before you can get to the door leading outside.

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Changes in empyrion_b11.wad:

Changed the name of the final wad from empyre2 to empyrion, and reflected this change in the beta's name.

In the spaceport, MAP01, I fixed the problem of the health and ammo still "floating" next to the central column in some ports, made it so you can't crouch and jump through the windows into the cave in ports that allow crouching, and made the yellow and blue keys easier to grab.

In the spaceport's basement, MAP02, I made the red key easier to grab.

In the Nazi fortress, MAP03, I made it so you can't crouch-jump through the windows into the cave, and made the yellow and red keys easier to grab.

In the lava cave, MAP04, I made it so you can crouch-jump through the windows out of the cave, and made the "timer" wall the blocks the switch a little bit shorter.

In the castle, MAP05, I added a soul sphere as a consolation prize for being unable to get the BFG in coop mode, similar to what I had already done in MAP03 and MAP06.

In the castle's dungeon, MAP06, I made it so you can't crouch-jump through the windows from the balcony, and made several lifts lower from the top with switches instead of walking over the edge to avoid player being stranded.

In You've Got to be Kidding, MAP32, I made the "timer" column with the exit on top a little bit shorter.

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Changes in emp2b10.wad:

In the spaceport, MAP01, I fixed the problem of the health and ammo "floating" next to the central column.

In the spaceport's basement, MAP02, I made the color doors blocking the regular doors into an odd triangle shape. This was necessary because with the flat door in empyr2b9, you could not click through to open the regular door without the key after all. I am not so wild about the triangle-shaped doors, but it works, and in this case, it has to be function over form.

In You've Got to be Kidding, MAP32, I made it so you can see the entire height of the column that becomes the exit as it descends, and added exit signs.

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Changes in empyr2b9.wad:

In the spaceport, MAP01, I made the light coming in from the windows look more realistic, hid the "caves" the pinkie demons come out of, and made it impossible to get the blue key early by rocket jumping.

In the spaceport's basement, MAP02, I set it up so that whenever anybody opens any locked door, that key is no longer needed by anybody, and tossed in a few multiplayer-only monsters in the computer room.

In the Nazi fortress, MAP03, I made the keys available in the spawn room whenever somebody gets them, and made the "North" arrow easier to see.

In the lava cave, MAP04, I blocked the early exit by rocket jumping, and fixed the arrow not lowering with the lift at the switch.

In the castle, MAP05, I moved the moat flush with the castle, which makes the castle look taller, made the red and blue keys available at spawn when unlocked, made several lifts easy to see, unhid the hidden hallways, added more ammo outside, and added more monsters inside the castle. I added detailed shadows that looked great in local mode, but the map wouldn't load in client-server mode, so I had to lose the shadows.

In the castle's dungeon, MAP06, I unhid the hidden hallways, made the red key easier to see, put a yellow key in the opposite window, added more monsters, and made the final lift not lower when you walk off of it, which was stranding other players until the slow lift eventually got back up again.

In You've Got to be Kidding, MAP32, I blocked the BFG from rocket jumping, and made the exit delayed to prevent an early exit before players have time to  kill all the monsters.

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Changes in empyr2b8.wad:

In the spaceport, MAP01, I made 8 better-looking, easier-to-find exits, eliminated the hard-to-find switch that was needed to get the red key, added lots more monsters, and added lighting and detailing.

In the spaceport's basement, MAP02, I re-purposed a switch, un-hid the prison's back door, added more monsters, added a hidden weapon stash in the spawn room, added lots more monsters, and added lighting and detailing.

In the Nazi fortress, MAP03, I added lots more monsters, added a hidden weapons stash in the spawn room, and added some lighting.

In the lava cave, MAP04, I blocked the switch so you have to stay and fight all the monsters before you can get out.

In the castle, MAP05, I only added a hidden weapons stash in the spawn room.  I plan to make many changes to this map in the next version.

In the castle's dungeon, MAP06, I didn't make any changes, until next version.

In You've Got to be Kidding, MAP32, I didn't make any changes, until next version.  Map32 is not meant to taken seriously.  The idea is to enjoy making the monsters fight each other. It is actually playable, and it does have an exit.

Empyre_wad walkthrough.txt is increasingly out-of-date with each new beta of empyre2.wad, so I finally decided to leave it out.  I am trying to make the maps easier to navigate so a walkthrough will no longer be needed anyway.

- Empyre