Over at the Zdoom forums Vostyok has been working for a couple of years now on a story/mission driven Doom TC conversion called Ashes 2063, a mod that will take the player to a near future Earth that has been devastated by a nuclear holocaust.
Here the player has to eke out a living by going through the ruins of the old world, looking for useful things and sell-able scrap while avoiding or fighting various gangmembers, human mutants and mutant creatures who have staked claims in this devastated land.
The story line:
“Some time in the next century, governments and world leaders embarked on the greatest and most terrible war in our history. Although brief, what started as a local war of attrition soon raged out of control. The weapons the armies of that time wielded were incredibly powerful, reducing much of the planet to cinders. People, cities, even whole continents ceased to exist in a mere few hours.
Not content with a life of toil working the desiccated soil, or a short one fighting in the militia, you are a scavenger, junker, Stalker. The names are many, but the profession remains the same - searching the lost remnants of the old world for whatever valuables you can find. The people around you fear you for what you are and what you may someday bring back. You are a thief, a scoundrel. Without you, humanity would starve. But remember that the old world will not give up it's treasures easily. Bringing back something worth the risk is a miracle. Coming back alive is a success. Everything else is fate.”
As one can grasp from the storyline and the earlier description Ashes 2063 shares story elements and setting elements with post-apocalyptic computer games such as the Fallout games, the Wasteland games as well as the Stalker games.
Vostyok's project was also inspired by 80s PA media such as movies, books and comics from which Fallout and Wasteland also drew ideas and concepts for their settings.
Gameplay wise it draws up on Doom and other 90s FPS games such as Strife and Duke Nukem 3D, but this is not just a “dumb” shooter and the player has to manage their resources such as ammunition, medical kits, and other equipment well while exploring the ruins of old factories, stores, motels, military bases, and what other locations the developer has in mind for the future for supplies and sell-able scrap.
Weapons range from various pistols, shotguns, pipe bombs, sub-machine guns, and weapons wasteland survivors have put together from various parts such as flame throwers.
Should ammunition run out the player can always rely on their trusty crowbar or boot knife in close quarter combat.
Assets such as NPCs and textures have been replaced to turn Doom into a PA wasteland, replacing zombie marines and demons with members from the Vultures gang, pit fiends, and mutated humans that are now called Cannibals. (the complete game will feature even more enemy types)
Music and sound has also been replaced and Ashes features a couple of atmospheric tracks of its own to help set the mood, new sound effects, and voices for both the player character and NPCs that can talk.
Recently the second demo of this project-in-progress came out which includes both a tutorial level to make players familiar with the gameplay and setting and the first two levels of the first campaign which will help the player get started in the storyline that will run through this TC and is expanded upon between levels.
If you are interested in giving this demo a try, get yourself a copy of gzdoom and head over to the Ashes 2063 project page on zdoom forums: https://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=47573
Vostyok is also looking for people to assist him with his project such as mappers, so if you are interested in helping him out you can contact him on the forum as well.
Here the player has to eke out a living by going through the ruins of the old world, looking for useful things and sell-able scrap while avoiding or fighting various gangmembers, human mutants and mutant creatures who have staked claims in this devastated land.
The story line:
“Some time in the next century, governments and world leaders embarked on the greatest and most terrible war in our history. Although brief, what started as a local war of attrition soon raged out of control. The weapons the armies of that time wielded were incredibly powerful, reducing much of the planet to cinders. People, cities, even whole continents ceased to exist in a mere few hours.
Not content with a life of toil working the desiccated soil, or a short one fighting in the militia, you are a scavenger, junker, Stalker. The names are many, but the profession remains the same - searching the lost remnants of the old world for whatever valuables you can find. The people around you fear you for what you are and what you may someday bring back. You are a thief, a scoundrel. Without you, humanity would starve. But remember that the old world will not give up it's treasures easily. Bringing back something worth the risk is a miracle. Coming back alive is a success. Everything else is fate.”
As one can grasp from the storyline and the earlier description Ashes 2063 shares story elements and setting elements with post-apocalyptic computer games such as the Fallout games, the Wasteland games as well as the Stalker games.
Vostyok's project was also inspired by 80s PA media such as movies, books and comics from which Fallout and Wasteland also drew ideas and concepts for their settings.
Gameplay wise it draws up on Doom and other 90s FPS games such as Strife and Duke Nukem 3D, but this is not just a “dumb” shooter and the player has to manage their resources such as ammunition, medical kits, and other equipment well while exploring the ruins of old factories, stores, motels, military bases, and what other locations the developer has in mind for the future for supplies and sell-able scrap.
Weapons range from various pistols, shotguns, pipe bombs, sub-machine guns, and weapons wasteland survivors have put together from various parts such as flame throwers.
Should ammunition run out the player can always rely on their trusty crowbar or boot knife in close quarter combat.
Assets such as NPCs and textures have been replaced to turn Doom into a PA wasteland, replacing zombie marines and demons with members from the Vultures gang, pit fiends, and mutated humans that are now called Cannibals. (the complete game will feature even more enemy types)
Music and sound has also been replaced and Ashes features a couple of atmospheric tracks of its own to help set the mood, new sound effects, and voices for both the player character and NPCs that can talk.
Recently the second demo of this project-in-progress came out which includes both a tutorial level to make players familiar with the gameplay and setting and the first two levels of the first campaign which will help the player get started in the storyline that will run through this TC and is expanded upon between levels.
If you are interested in giving this demo a try, get yourself a copy of gzdoom and head over to the Ashes 2063 project page on zdoom forums: https://forum.zdoom.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=47573
Vostyok is also looking for people to assist him with his project such as mappers, so if you are interested in helping him out you can contact him on the forum as well.
