---------------------------------------------------------------- *RADIX: INTO THE VOID* By: Neural Storm Entertainment & Union Logic Software, INC. Distributed By: EPIC MEGAGAMES "Official" pre-release FAQ, v3.0 Written by: Greg MacMartin July 1995 ----------------------------------------------------------------- ================================================================= ================================================================= I. Introduction 1. Preliminary Info. [1-1] A note from the author, Greg MacMartin [1-2] About the RADIX Faq version 3.0 [1-3] Game creation progress II. General Game Information 2. What is RADIX: INTO THE VOID? [2-1] So, what is it? [2-2] What is "shareware"? [2-3] What will the episodes be? 3. What will make RADIX different than any other "3D Shooter"? [3-1] Sloping walls, ceilings and floors. [3-2] Fast, furious gameplay. 4. What features does the RADIX engine have? [4-1] Non-orthogonal walls. [4-2] Texture mapped walls, ceilings and floors. [4-3] Multiple lighting variations (diminishing/fog effects) [4-4] Looking up and down. [4-5] Multiple heights. [4-6] Parallaxing Background. [4-7] Analog Movement. [4-8] Complex event system. [4-9] Auto Detail (with 5 settings). [4-10] Full Stereo digital music system 5. What kind of gameplay features will RADIX have? [5-1] What kind of enemies will be in RADIX? [5-1-1] Extra-dimensional aliens. [5-1-2] Alien fighter craft. [5-1-3] Miscellaneous alien defence systems. [5-2] What kind of weapons will RADIX have? [5-3] Any other neat things? [5-4] How does this game compare to DESCENT? [5-5] Will RADIX have Network/Modem support? 6. Who is creating RADIX: INTO THE VOID? [6-1] Neural Storm Entertainment Inc. [6-2] Union Logic Software Inc. [6-3] Epic MegaGames Inc. 7. What will be needed to run RADIX? [7-1] REQUIRED Hardware [7-2] What sound cards will be supported? [7-2-1] Will the PC speaker be supported? [7-3] What game controllers will be supported? [7-4] Will RADIX be found on other gaming platforms? III. Ordering Info / Release Dates 8. When will I be able to get RADIX? [8-1] Current Release Date. [8-2] Where can I get some screen shots? 9. How and Where will I be able to get RADIX? [9-1] Shareware release. [9-2] Mail-order release. [9-3] How do I contact Epic MegaGames? [9-4] OK, so where will I get the thing? IV. Conclusion. 10. Revision History. [10-1] Version 1.0 [10-2] Version 2.0 [10-3] Version 2.1 [10-4] Version 3.0 ================================================================= I. ================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Preliminary Info. ----------------------------------------------------------------- [1-1] A note from the author, Greg MacMartin This version is a complete revision of the old 2.1 version which is now vastly out of date. This version is now very definitive and fully correct. The game is almost ready for release, so this will probably be the last version of the pre-release Radix FAQ. Feel free to E-mail me with questions. (gmacmart@chat.carleton.ca) [1-2] About the RADIX faq version 3.0 This version uses the same layout as previous versions, however the information given will be vastly altered from the 2.1 version. [1-3] Game creation progress The shareware version is DONE, and is now undergoing beta testing. Registered levels are also being completed, and small programming glitches are being ironed out. There has been some other small changes as well, the most notable being the change in publisher which will be discussed later. ================================================================= II. ================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------- 2. What is Radix: Into the Void? ----------------------------------------------------------------- [2-1] So, what is it? Radix: Into The Void is a 3-D perspective action game. The player is the pilot of an experimental fighter, the Radix-class Inter-Dimensional Starfighter, in the year 2148. The player has complete control of the plane's movements, including speed, and lateral / horizontal movement. The ship is heavily armed and has the capability to incorporate new technologies into it's systems if they are found. Many aliens, alien craft, missiles and mines await the Radix fighter at every turn. Not only does one playing this furious game have to deal with these nasties, but one also has to keep the fighter from flying into walls, getting sucked down by gravity wells, getting seeked by missiles... You get the picture. Why would one want to put themselves through something like that? Well... In the 22nd century, after centuries of global strife and tyranny, the people of the Earth united into a sovereign world government. The United Earth Space Alliance (UESA) launched a dynamic plan to expand the reaches of the human race beyond that of our solar system. This effort resulted the launching of the first of two colony ships, in the year 2147. These massive vessels were destined to colonize an asteroid on the outskirts of our solar system, designated Theta-2. After 5 months, the first ship safely arrived and initiated the colony. Soon after, the second of the two ships departed from earth with 10,000 colonists to place the Theta-2 base into full operation. Once the colony was fully established, mankind was to finally have the opportunity to leave the confines of the Solar system. It happened on October 24th, 2148. While the second ship approached the colony, something unnatural occurred. A dark shape began to form of out nothingness, blacking out the starscape and eating away at a small portion of our reality. The commander of the colony vessel "Salvation" barely managed to communicate to Earth that there were dozens of alien ships emerging from this void when the largest of these ships tore the Salvation apart with an immensely powerful particle beam. The gigantic alien craft then somehow dragged both portions of the Salvation into a huge hangar bay, sealing the fates of the 10,000 human beings aboard... According to the information collected from the destruct beacon (the "black box") that reached the Titan colony orbiting Saturn, there were 45 alien vessels. The one that destroyed the Salvation, the largest one, started on a slow (8-9 month) flight to Earth. The remaining 44 ships attacked the tiny Theta 2 base (with only 300 personnel) and set up what looked to be a base of their own. Almost immediately after the incident, UESA went on alert status and began assembling a fleet to counteract this alien force. Our fleet reached the huge enemy craft well before it had even entered the inner solar system. Although the 3 battlecruisers, 10 frigates and 15 destroyers fought well, all were destroyed by the massive vessel. Although the attack was a devastating failure, it confirmed the fact that these aliens were out for blood. It also allowed Earth Command to realize that large ships did not stand a chance against this vessel. One small, fast, deadly ship armed to the teeth just might be able to slip by the defences of the vessel and cause some serious damage. Meanwhile, Earth scientists combined their knowledge and pooled their ideas, and eventually concluded that the black space, dubbed "The Void", is in fact some sort of inter-dimensional portal; a tear in the structure of our universe. Using the current knowledge of multi-dimensional physics and quantum mechanics, they were able to develop a device that would allow a small spacecraft, preferably a fighter of some sort, to enter The Void and successfully leap into a different universe. Three months after the incident at Theta 2, the Radix-class inter-dimensional starfighter was built. Considering the unimaginable costs involved and the time required to build this powerful fighter, only one was able to be built. Loaded onto the "Defiance", a battlecruiser, Operation Vengeance commenced. Although the Radix class had just barely begun the experimental stage of it's development, there was no more time left. The Defiance had to leave, and the Radix, the last desperate hope for humanity, was going with it... [2-2] What is "Shareware"? Shareware is a popular method of distributing software in which the possible buyer gets to "try it out" before buying it. It the case of games, the first episode, usually out of three is the one that is freely distributed for people to try. This game is no exception. RADIX: INTO THE VOID will be a shareware game separated into 3 episodes, the first of which will be distributed freely. As usual, many features will only be found in the second and third episodes, which must be purchased. [2-3] What will the episodes be? Episode One: Vengeance The Radix class starfighter's first mission: Save Earth from destruction by destroying the massive earthbound enemy ship. Once you penetrate the ship's shielding system, there is no turning back! Will you be able to stay alive long enough to make your way to the main engine core and destroy it? Episode Two: Theta 2. After an amazingly successful campaign against the enemy's lead ship, the Earth forces move to the offensive. After plotting out a strategy, it is decided that the Radix class fighter will fly offensive missions against the Enemy's gruesome Theta 2 base, with the aim to destroy it so that the Earth colony once residing there can be rebuilt! Episode Three: The Void. The mastermind of the Enemy's conquest has escaped into the void, and you must follow it in. This is the ultimate test for the Radix fighter. What awaits you on the other side? Will you be able to seal the Void closed and still get out of it alive? ----------------------------------------------------------------- 3. What will make RADIX different than any other "3D Shooter"? ----------------------------------------------------------------- [3-1] Sloping walls, ceilings and floors. Almost all of the 3-D games out there at this point are games with straight floors with no sloping at all. Take the shareware blockbuster Doom; a game highly acclaimed for it's feeling of immersion and fluid action...Imagine Doom if it was the same speed but it had sloping surfaces. No longer would stairs be necessary to change heights; there could be a hill. All sorts of unique effects can be produced using sloping surfaces, including a greater feeling of immersion. Radix has such slopes, and they are used throughout the game on ceilings, walls and floors. [3-2] Fast, furious gameplay. Some games strive to use the newest technology and techniques to create a virtual world. Although these techniques may be neat, you need a Pentium-90 to play them so they are not agonizingly slow. The creators of Radix have picked and chosen the techniques that will make the game as real an experience as possible, and yet not slow the engine down. In Radix, you are constantly moving and constantly having to be aware of your surroundings, as your ship is vulnerable to the floors and walls of the surrounding 3D world. This creates an extremely intense and challenging game environment. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 4. What features does the RADIX engine have? ----------------------------------------------------------------- [4-1] Non-orthogonal walls. This feature is fast becoming the standard among 3-D games, although there are still some that aren't implementing it. Basically, this means that the walls can be at any angle to one-another. For instance, in WOLFENSTEIN 3-D all the walls are at 90 degrees to one another, so that every locale was rectangular in shape. RADIX, DOOM and others no longer have this problem. Areas can be created that look much more real than before and increase the feeling of realism and immersion in the gaming world. [4-2] Texture-mapped walls, ceilings, and floors. This feature allows all surfaces to have full VGA 256 colored graphics on them. This is another standard feature that is common with most 3-D games. There are still, however, some games that use it very sparingly or not at all. [4-3] Multiple lighting variations (diminishing/fog effects) RADIX has 120 different shades of lighting built into it's engine. This allows for a more realistic depiction of light in the game. The lighting also has a diminishing effect similar to that of DOOM, but there is also a cool fog effect that sort of reminds me of the one used in THE ELDER SCROLLS: ARENA (an RPG). [4-4] Looking up and down. This feature allows the player to see up and down. It is, of course, a required feature for a game like Radix because the player is right behind the plane, and the player's view must stay behind the plane if it moves up or down. [4-5] Multiple heights. Radix allows the player to fly at different altitudes, depending on the level that is being flown. Some missions have staggering height differences, in which there are deep chasms and crevices that one can fly into. Others have sloped tunnels and shafts that require some heavy climbing or diving to navigate. Whatever the case, height differences are certainly one of the key features of Radix. [4-6] Parallaxing Background. This feature means that the background graphics move up with the player's view to look more realistic. Also, there are actually two different bit-maps used for the front and for the back view to simulate how a true world would look like. This prevents a "wraparound" effect that can make background graphics look cheap. [4-7] Analog Movement. Analog movement is a kind of movement that automatically adjusts for the speed of the CPU, which means that the player will move at the same RATE on a 386-33 as on a 486-50. Obviously, the FRAME rate would be (significantly) slower, but the rate that one MOVES is not effected. [4-8] Complex events and event system. Radix employs a very complex event system that allows for the activation of many events at once. Events could be things such as lighting effects, moving surfaces, teleportation, super speed boosters, gravity wells, scrolling bitmapped surfaces, among others. For example, triggers could deactivate one event and activate two others simultaneously. [4-9] Auto Detail (with five settings). Radix has an auto detail option. This allows the player playing on a slow computer to fly around in complex areas and keep a steady frame rate. The game also has 5 (count 'em) FIVE detail settings (High, Medium, Low, Super Low, and G.A.N.C). [4-10] Full Stereo digital music/sound system Radix: Into The Void uses an 8 channel digital music and sound effect system that produces crystal clear music and sound. All sounds, including the music, use digitally sampled instruments and sound effects instead of the more limited FM synthesis emulation. Recent releases which use this newer sound system are JAZZ JACKRABBIT and ONE MUST FALL 2097. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 5. What kind of gameplay features will RADIX have? ----------------------------------------------------------------- [5-1] What type of enemies will be in Radix? Radix's enemies consist of many different types of alien ships, like the Skyfire Assault Fighter, which flies around spewing red laser bolts and the defence drone which is considerably weaker and easier to kill. There is also a couple of walking aliens, the most notable being the alien "fodder" which is not too difficult to kill but can be an annoyance if there are many of them. There will be a detailed list of all enemies included here once the game is released. [5-2] What kind of weapons will RADIX have? There are seven different weapons that are in the game. Three of these will only be usable if the player has the registered version. The weapons are listed below. Some of the weapons will have multiple power levels. As in DESCENT, the player simply has to find a weapon a second time (or a third time) to increase the power level of that weapon. There are also two types of weapons in this game; weapons that require ammunition and weapons that take energy to fire. The ammo weapons will generally be the most powerful (with the exception of the Gravity Wave device). --> Neutron cannon * 2 levels This is the basic weapon system equipped with the Radix class fighter. The different weapon levels increase the damage of the lasers and also increase the rate of fire. --> Explosive Projectile Cannon (E.P.C) This is a rapid fire weapon that causes much more damage than the neutron cannon, but is a little more difficult to aim with. --> Plasma Cannon * 3 levels This weapon is a powerful wide-spread energy weapon that packs a serious punch at level 3. --> Seeking Missile System This system shoots out two powerful enemy seeking missiles that cause serious damage. The most powerful weapon in the shareware version of the game. --> Nuclear Missiles (REGISTERED ONLY) These are dumb fire missiles that will require skill to use very successfully. However, the explosion caused by these things is very large and powerful. --> Phase Torpedo (REGISTERED ONLY) This will fire out a small cluster of torpedoes that will stay together and then split apart, each one homing in onto enemies. This one kind of reminds on the torps fired by the Enterprise D on Star Trek. --> Gravity Wave Device (REGISTERED ONLY) This is a mega powerful weapon that sends out a potent wave of destruction. Anything that hits the wave gets blasted away at a random direction, thereby clearing a path in front of you of those pesky aliens. [5-3] Any other neat things? There are many neat power-ups and technologies that the player can collect throughout the game. These usually aid the player in doing certain things easier, such as turning faster or destroying all visible enemies :). There is one really neat system, called the "Automated Laser Defence System", or ALDS. Whenever enemies get near, this thing automatically fires out lasers at them. [5-4] How does this game compare to DESCENT? It is difficult to make a good comparison with DESCENT because they are so different. I realize that many elements in this FAQ seem to make RADIX seem very similar to DESCENT, but there are many fundamental differences between RADIX and DESCENT. The most major one is the fact that RADIX is much more fast and furious. You have no time to stop and ponder what to do next. RADIX has a much wider variety of enemies and environmental sprites than DESCENT, giving the player a little more to see and do. Also, RADIX has an added danger that the player has to keep track of; in RADIX if your plane flies into a wall, it will explode. In DESCENT, the player can ram into walls all he/she wants to and not worry. However, RADIX is not a true 3D game like DESCENT, and the designers have made no contrary claims saying otherwise. To be honest, if RADIX was true 3D, it would lose one of the aspects that makes it fun; speed. [5-5] Will RADIX have Network/Modem support? YES!!! Radix did not originally have multiplayer support, but the demand (Internet bashing) was so great that the designers decided to work overtime and put it in. There are the two standard options of cooperative and dogfight ("deathmatch"), but Radix also has a "capture the flag" multiplayer game. This is where each player carries a flag and each player must shoot at each other to get all the flags. Once one player has them all, the level can be finished. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 6. Who is creating RADIX: INTO THE VOID? ----------------------------------------------------------------- [6-1] Neural Storm Entertainment, INC Neural Storm Entertainment is a brand new company formed in Ottawa, Canada in late 1993. It is one dedicated to producing the games of the highest caliber, and will stop at nothing to do so. These guys are almost too dedicated. One might even call them paranoid perfectionists. In the end, though, this dedication will be evident in the final game. RADIX: INTO THE VOID will be their FIRST game, believe it or not. [6-2] Union Logic Software, INC. Union Logic is an Ottawa, Canada based software publisher and developer that is currently working with Epic Megagames for their next few games. [6-3] Epic MegaGames, INC. As many might have noticed, there has been a change of publishers for Radix. Union Logic was going to publish it themselves but an agreement was struck with EPIC that would benefit everybody. Epic MegaGames is a 3 year old leading shareware game developer and publisher based in Rockville, Maryland. They have produced many recent shareware hits such as Epic Pinball, Jazz Jackrabbit and One Must Fall 2097. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 7. What will be needed to run RADIX? ----------------------------------------------------------------- [7-1] REQUIRED hardware. RADIX: INTO THE VOID has been developed to be played on a 486-33 with 4 megs ram, standard VGA. It plays well on a 486 DX2-66 local bus, and if you have a Pentium, you MUST get this game. Now, the game might run on a 386SX-16, but I wouldn't want it to. - Minimum requirements: 386DX-40 4 Megabytes RAM Standard VGA [7-2] What sound cards will be supported? Currently, RADIX has native support for: 1) The Sound Blaster family (SB/SBPRO/SB16 and compatibles) 2) Gravis Ultra Sound NOTE: There is no support for the original Adlib sound card, as RADIX uses pure digital music and sound effects which are not possible to reproduce on the FM synthesis based Adlib card. [7-2-1] Will the PC speaker be supported? Hell no. [7-3] What game controllers will be supported? There is support for the keyboard, mouse, joystick and Gravis Game Pad. [7-4] Will RADIX be found on other gaming platforms? RADIX is currently written under DOS for 386 and above PC's and compatibles. Radix will be ported eventually to run natively under Win95 (or is it Win96? ). ================================================================= III ================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------- 8. When will I be able to get RADIX? ----------------------------------------------------------------- [8-1] Current Release Date. There is no release date set. There has been much happening in the past month, and the release keeps getting pushed back. It is safer to simply say it will be out "soon". [8-2] Where can I get some screen shots? Thre are some shots available on the EPIC MEGAGAMES World Wide Web site. (See below). ---------------------------------------------------------------- 9. How and Where will I be able to get RADIX? ---------------------------------------------------------------- [9-1] Shareware release. The first Episode, "Vengeance" will be put onto FTP sites and major BBSs so it can be downloaded. It will be able to be freely distributed, so you'll probably be able to get it from your friends. It may also be distributed to retail stores, where you could buy a copy for a little more than the price of the disks. [9-2] Mail-order release. There will be a toll free '800' number that you will be able to call to order Episodes 2 and 3 ("Theta 2" and "The Void"). The price is currently tagged at $34.95 U.S. [9-3] How do I contact Epic MegaGames? Mailing Address: 3204 Tower Oaks Blvd. Suite 410 Rockville, Maryland 20852 USA Telephone Numbers: (800) 972-7434 (Orders) (301) 983-9771 (Questions and technical support) (301) 299-3841 (Fax) Electronic Mail: Internet: unlogic@globalx.net [9-4] OK, so where will I get the thing? (1) Exec-PC BBS: (414) 789-4360 (2) Compuserve: GO EPIC (3) World Wide Web: http://www.epicgames.com (4) Internet FTP: ftp.execpc.com /pub/epic EPIC's titles and demos can be accessed via anonymous FTP at their FTP site. The site is "ftp.execpc.com", and the directory is "/pub/epic". ================================================================= IV. ================================================================= Please keep in mind that this FAQ is preliminary and most of the information is subject to change. However, as stated before, much work has gone into this to ensure that it is as accurate as possible. Please don't hesitate to send any comments, suggestions and questions you might have regarding this FAQ or RADIX itself. ----------------------------------------------------------------- 10. Revision History ----------------------------------------------------------------- [10-1] Version 1.0 (October 1994) This version was a VERY preliminary FAQ that was written with a large amount of (official) speculation. It dealt mainly with the technical aspects of the game's engine and very little on gaming aspects. Limited slopes, multiple heights, tilting, among most of the other technical attributes of RADIX were talked about. [10-2] Version 2.0 (February 1995) This version addressed more gaming aspects of RADIX, and clarified some stuff. It is version 2.0 and not 1.1 because it was done so much later than the original FAQ was. Auto detail, enhanced slopes, and explanations about the delaying of RADIX were also talked about. [10-3] Version 2.1 (March 1995) This version is identical to 2.0 save for tiny changes to : Intro statements, weapons, the comparison to DESCENT and the release date. [10-4] Version 3.0 (July 1995) This is the final pre-release version FAQ. Everything in it is accurate and none of it is conjecture. Much irrelevant stuff has been deleted from earlier versions, and this one is more concise. ================================================================= ================================================================= This article is Copyright 1705 by Greg MacMartin. All rights reserved. The following rights have been granted to the public: I. To make copies of this work in original form, so long as (a) you rewrite the whole thing on a typewriter; (b) the copies include the copyright notice and these paragraphs in their entirety; (c) the copies give obvious credit to the author, Greg MacMartin; (d) the copies are in electronic form. (e) You sing "MY SHARONA" while copying the material. II. To distribute this work, or copies made under the provisions above, so long as (a) you do not charge a fee for copying or for distribution; (c) you ensure that the distributed form includes the copyright notice, this paragraph and credit to the author; (d) the distributed form is not in an electronic magazine or within computer software (prior explicit permission may be obtained from Greg MacMartin); (e) the distributed form is the NEWEST version of the article; (f) the distributed form is electronic. (g) you get some Besterd Insurance while distributing it. (h) You sing all the contents of this FAQ to "MY SHARONA". (i) Never read this FAQ. You may not distribute this work by any non-electronic media, including but not limited to books, newsletters, magazines, manuals, catalogs, animals and audio. These rights are temporary and revocable upon written, oral, or other notice by Greg MacMartin or my Sharona. This copyright notice shall be governed by the laws of the Canadian Federal Government and the besterd insurance company. If you would like additional rights beyond those granted above, write to the author at "gmacmart@chat.carleton.ca" on the Internet. ***************************************************************** *********** Greg MacMartin ************ *********** Email address: gmacmart@chat.carleton.ca ************ *****************************************************************