ShamuQuest revival - RECRUITING!

[Delacroix]

Developing Team:
Supervision: Victor Delacroix
Concept and storyline: Victor Delacroix, based on and including the works of Jean 'El Chicoverde' Rochefort
Mapping: Rob 'Doublez-Down' Collins (Mines of Dralgir Pur), RoninMastaFX (debugging), Jean 'El Chicoverde' Rochefort (original six maps), Creavion (Antalius unfinished map, used with permission, Eastern Swamp), editor Dave (the two mountain levels).
Music mixing: Myth
Modelling: GenMoKai
Coding: gopostal, Shadow
Sound Engineering: DougieFreshh
Featuring the voices of: Victor Delacroix as James Cavanaugh

Status: Developing
Recruitment: Positions OPEN
Positions:
- coders
- animators
- modellers
- texture artists
- voice actors
- sound engineers
- mappers

Links: ModDB, UnrealSP.org thread, BeyondUnreal thread, UT99.org thread.

~AND THE DARKNESS CONSUMES YOU (April 18, 2010)~

editor Dave is on board! His task is the two mountain maps! Chilling!

~AND THE DARKNESS GROWS (April 12, 2010)~

We are almost everywhere. We've infected ModDB too. All english-spoken thread links added to startpost along with the ModDB link.

~ANOTHER UPDATE (April 08. 2010)~

Myth has withdrawn from mapping, but still mixes the music. Thanks for sticking with us!
DougieFreshh has joined up as a sound engineer! Thanks!

~NEWS REPORT (April 04, 2010)~

Shadow has contributed his Unreal Tournament SDK for the ShamuQuest project. Many thanks to you!
Creavion has officially joined up as a mapper! His task is to create the Eastern Swamp level, utilizing his unfinished Antalius map.

~BREAKING NEWS (March 26, 2010)~

GenMoKai has joined up as a modeller. Blades are coming!
Myth has agreed to participate in the project. His job is to change some music tunes to UMX. Another role he'll play is creating the Citadel of Ice segment that has been extended from the planned 1 map to a way larger edifice.
gopostal and Shadow have offered their services as coders! Welcome on board!
Creavion has allowed his unfinished Antalius map to be used as part of the ShamuQuest project! Thanks!

Hi, y'all.
Some of you might know that I am the head of the Forgotten Classics Bonus Pack project for Unreal Tournament. In this project, I am supported by my right hand man, RoninMastaFX, who is turning into a more and more important figure as days pass. By now, he would be perfectly able to lead the project himself, BTW Yes, he is nearly the same rank as me on the project
Anyway... We have come to a conclusion that much like UT99.org Community Map Pack 2, our project could also use a single player map pack. Due to the pack's general purpose (bringing back the forgotten classics), the choice was clear from the very beginning.
ShamuQuest, a pack forgotten even by it's author, the great El Chicoverde, was supposed to span 12 huge levels divided into 4 sections. As we all know, only six were made and, more interestingly, the second section that is available, seemed like a reboot of the series. After carefully examining the translator events, I have concluded that it is possible to form a single, complete and interesting storyline out of what we have. It just needs more levels (clear as day, innit?) and a bit of invention.
I have managed to enlist rmcollins3 on the project, as well as RoninMastaFX. Whereas Ronin is responsible for debugging the levels - EUGH! we all know how much pain this can cause - RMCollins is to create some new ones.
16 new levels are planned, including a flyby, a credits map, intro and outro cinematics and areas hinted in the readme documents or in the maps themselves. This will make ShamuQuest an immense pack with 22 HUGE maps, six of which are Rochefort's debugged originals, playable under UT OldSkool. An Unreal port will be created later, if I find volunteers for this.
RMCollins3 has already prepared a flyby level and is currently working on The Mines of Dralgir Pur, but thing is, more mappers will be required if the pack is supposed to be finished fairly quickly.
We also require UScript coders as well as modellers for the new boss pawns and the artifact items. More voice actors and someone fluent with sound engineering are also required.
My role is general quality control, main protagonist voice acting and storytelling. The final ShamuQuest story is based on the original SQ story, yet expanded and enhanced. Here it is.

My name is James Cavanaugh, but recently I was referred to only as Prisoner 853. I was sentenced to death by electrocution but the Vortex Rikers crash has allowed me to avoid this fate. Another prisoner, I believe her number was 849, has also survived the crash. Well, this makes two of us. Anyway... she didn't free me, but she didn't fry me either. I got out myself... somehow. To be honest, I consider myself lucky she didn't push the ****ing button. That electric chair was one of the few things still operational on this damn ship.
Anyhow, I reckoned that I should follow her trail. It wasn't hard to trace her, all I needed to do was follow the stench of death and those bodies left behind. Kinda impressive, 849 seems a tough lady. She survived where many others didn't. I followed her down to the mines of Rrajgar and further, into the temple of Chizra. After that, I lost track of her.
After leaving the temple, I headed into the mountains. I figured that mountain areas provide more places to hide from the invaders and I would be able to survive there. Much like those Afghan people during the Soviet invasion centuries ago, I would be able to live out a fairly normal life. The life of a hunted man, but at least not a dead man. I never intend to go back to Earth, unlike 849, I did a lot to deserve my punishment and I'd rather NOT part with life just yet.
Anyway, the nearest mountains were Shamutanti so I headed there. Eventually, I reached a Nali village. Much to my surprise it was so remote and secluded that it seemed as if the Skaarj would never reach the place. So, I considered that a chance to live out a normal life, without fear or tension. Days have passed. I spent nights in the local tavern and farmed my own fruit. I started getting used to it.
Bad idea. One should never get used to a peaceful life on a planet under invasion. Sooner or later you will be found. I realized this the hard way. One day, the Shamutanti Village was attacked by a batalion of Skaarj. When one of them found me in the tavern, he stabbed me and left for dead. Lucky for me, he did not make sure I was dead.
After going back to my senses, I explored the tavern, carefully eliminating the patrolling invaders. When I got to the roof, I was shocked: before my eyes was a Nali Arch Priest. Alive, in the middle of this hell.
The story he told me was equally shocking. It seems that every benevolent Nali god, be it Chizra, the God of Water, Novana, the God of Nature, or Vandora, the Goddess of Thunder, every single one of the entire pantheon has their own reflection in the Shadow Pantheon. One of the most powerful gods in the Shadow Pantheon, perhaps even THE most powerful is Soquatre, the God of Night. His priests have struck a deal with the Skaarj: they are to rule Na Pali hand in hand and the price would be the Crown of Kings, a Nali artifact of extreme power that would allow Soquatre to tread the planet in a physical form if he obtained it. Of course, the Skaarj had no idea about the full scope of Soquatre's power, otherwise they'd known that the demonic deity would never keep his promise and seize the planet for himself. But they are unaware of Soquatre's plan to betray them and they have scattered around the area in search of the four Runes required to activate the Crown of Kings. Each Rune is not only guarded by a powerful sentinel but also taken care of by one of the Arch Priests, such as the one that I was talking to. To maintain the balance, two of the Runes were in the temples of the Shadow Pantheon, whereas the other two were secured in the temples of the benevolent deities. Terrific. If *I* do not help them, all is lost...
So, four temples to search through. To top it off, the Crown of Kings was already stolen from the Tower of Shamutanti and taken to a place the call the Citadel of Ice. Already guarded by Soquatre's minions... My luck is pure **** as it seems...
Well, I don't have much of a choice. If I don't help the Nali, I'm going to have to escape the planet, because there will be no place for me to hide if the Shadow Pantheon takes over. All will be enslaved, forced into backbreaking labor, malnourishment and indoctrination by Soquatre, no one will be able to live here normally. Be it Terran, Nali, Krall or Skaarj - Na Pali will become hell for all, regardless of species. Even worse than it is now.
Ironic as it may be, in order to save myself, I need to save everyone, and in order to save everyone, I have to fight everyone: brutes, Krall, Skaarj, Nali dark priests, demonic deities. Two words: suicide mission. But it's still better than giving up. Soquatre, time for you to write down your last will and testament, because I am coming for your head.

Planned maps:
The current maps: svalley2, sancient1, svalley1, sbegin, sbegin2 and stemple by El Chicoverde are undergoing heavy debugging. As for the new additions, there aleady is a flyby map nearing completion, filename is sentry.unr. RMCollins3 is responsible for the new mappage (I hope to bring more mappers on board with this post). Here is the total list of all maps, old and new:

1. sentry.unr. Author: Doublez-Down. Status: nearing completion. Description: a flyby level.
2. sintro.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: an intro level. Vortex Rikers crashing. Player passing through Chizra temple. Player passing through svalley2.unr.
3. svalley2.unr. Author: El Chicoverde. Status: undergoing debugging.
4. sancient1.unr. Author: El Chicoverde. Status: undergoing debugging.
5. svalley1.unr. Author: El Chicoverde. Status: undergoing debugging.
6. smines1.unr. Author: Doublez-Down. Status: developing. Description: a mine level joining svalley1 with the swamp level. The Mines of Dralgir Pur.
7. sswamp1.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: the Black Swamp level.
8. sancient2.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: a ruined temple city, stylized after Wheel of Time's Shadar Logoth, but larger.
9. scaverns2.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: caverns joining the temple with second mine level
10. smines2.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: mine joining the caverns level with sbegin.unr.
11. sbegin.unr. Author: El Chicoverde. Status: undergoing debugging.
12. sbegin2.unr. Author: El Chicoverde. Status: undergoing debugging.
13. sbegin3.unr. Author: El Chicoverde. Status: undergoing debugging.
14. scaverns1.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: caverns joining stemple.unr with another new level, sswamp2.unr. This area is referred to as "Underground Temple".
15. sswamp2.unr. Author: Creavion. Status: developing. Description: the Eastern Swamp that was referred to in the stemple level. This will utilize the Antalius unfinished map.
16. sdesert.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: a desert level that is joining the swamp with the mountains. Armakeris, the Citadel of the Desert is located there and is a part of the level itself.
17. srocks.unr. Author: editor Dave. Status: developing. Description: the tallest part of the Shamutanti Range, the player will find himself over the level of unmelting snow.
18. speak.unr. Author: editor Dave. Status: developing. Description: The very tallest mountain of the Shamutanti Range, a dormant volcano with the Citadel of Ice at the very top of it.
19. sicefort1-8.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: the Citadel of Ice interior maps.
20. siceboss1-4.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: the Citadel of Ice boss fight arenas.
21. sicetemp1-3.unr. Author: classified. Status: classified. Description: the Citadel of Ice annex temples that are located in the SkyTown segment (floor 4).
22. soutro.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: an outro cinematic.
23. scredits.unr. Author: unassigned yet. Status: in plans. Description: a credits map

Here are some screenshots of the flyby level:




Here are the screenshots for the Mines of Dralgir Pur (smines1.unr)


Here are renders of GenMoKai's work:

1. Dagger for SkaarjTrooper class.

[[did]Madis]

Developing Team:
Supervision: Victor Delacroix
Concept and storyline: Victor Delacroix, based on and including the works of Jean 'El Chicoverde' Rochefort
Mapping: Rob 'Doublez-Down' Collins (new areas), RoninMastaFX (debugging), Jean 'El Chicoverde' Rochefort (original six maps)
Featuring the voices of: Victor Delacroix as James Cavanaugh

Do you have El Chicoverde's permission to use his work in this project?

[Delacroix]

No, but this can't be helped. I have made every attempt to contact Chicoverde - sent emails (address is nonexistent), snail mail, asked people around... I did EVERYTHING. No trace of Chico whatsoever.

[Feralidragon]

No, but this can't be helped. I have made every attempt to contact Chicoverde - sent emails (address is nonexistent), snail mail, asked people around... I did EVERYTHING. No trace of Chico whatsoever.

I think (not sure) there's a law somewhere that says that if you ask permission to use something open source to its author, and you don't receive any answer whatsoever during a certain time, you're free to use it as you want (as long you don't sell it, give the original credits and stuff like that, of course). So basically, you just had to send an email and a few PMs to him, and if he didn't answered by then, you don't need anything more to use it, and even if Chico becomes active again, he can't say anything, since you tried to contact him, and he didn't answer, and so that means a yes.
Again, not sure, but I guess I read or heard about that "law" somewhere, I can be mistaken though.

But at least I have been guided by that rule, and what happenned is that some people asked me permission to use certain stuff of mine, and from those people a few I only answered about 2 or 3 months later, and although I give permission all the times (it's friggin OPEN SOURCE for some reason for god's sake, otherwise I would encrypt them like some coders do), I wouldn't complain at all if I saw a work of mine being used without my permission, as long as the person in question tried to contact me asking permission weeks ago and I didn't answer. At least I follow that basis, which is kinda logic since not you, me or anyone else will wait years or even decades for an answer that won't ever come most of the times lol

[Creavion]

I fully agree with Ferali. You tried from what I read everything to contact him over a longer time. Since you credit him you do not claim this as all your own work. I see no problem there.

[Delacroix]

I believe you are fully right, Feralidragon, and that is precisely why we're proceeding with the project: RoninMastaFX, Doublez-Down and I. Thanks for the support, Creavion.

The fact that Chico is nowhere to be found, well... he left this pack unfinished and I always wanted to see how it ends. Well, because he disappeared, I decided to write the ending myself. I need people though.

I need mappers. First and foremost, I need mappers.
I need modellers. There are plans for unique bosses and modellers are required for that.
I need coders. Someone has to code the fricking pawns.
I need texture artists - who else is going to skin the models?
I need voice actors - there are several lines that will be recorded. I already took one role, but besides that...
I need a sound engineer - some voice samples are to be changed BEYOND recognition, plus some music tracks will be imported.

I myself am a voice actor, I retconned and finished the storyline also.
I have two mappers on board already, one being the bugfixer, another one creating new content.
Oh, and Creavion has given clearance to include his Antalius map within the pack - it will be HEAVILY reworked in terms of gameplay and will become a part of a larger environment.

The project is SHORT on PEOPLE, ladies and gentlemen. ShamuQuest cannot be finished without PEOPLE.

[Shadow]

Hmm.. sounds interesting, but 16 NEW maps ? are you serious ? I mean yeah you may get 2-3 more mappers, but still a lot of work, however, since your coding request only involves pawn coding I would make the first step for new recruiting members and take up that part, well but I have a question right away: will there be completely new creatures or just modified ones ?
I'm kinda curious..

I finally have to find my way back into active UE development community

[Delacroix]

Well, the plans are: a Skaarj wielding a big sword, a floating-in-the-air Nali Goddess, a phoenix and a long uroboros-like dragon. So as you can see, fifty fifty

[Myth]

As much as I'd like to help whit mapping and everything I'm really busy and I barely have any time to reopen unrealed once in a while. But I'm interested in taking the sound engineer position. I have basic understanding of how sound works in general along whit basic composing sampling and tracking skills. In other words I can apply effects to sound samples and import anything to umx and even remix the old unreal songs and write and arrange songs for cinematic sequences, all in umx friendly formats.

[Delacroix]

Very well then. I would ask you to PM me with your e-mail or MSN (preferable is MSN) and I'll fill you into details

[[did]Madis]

No, but this can't be helped. I have made every attempt to contact Chicoverde - sent emails (address is nonexistent), snail mail, asked people around... I did EVERYTHING. No trace of Chico whatsoever.

I think (not sure) there's a law somewhere that says that if you ask permission to use something open source to its author, and you don't receive any answer whatsoever during a certain time, you're free to use it as you want (as long you don't sell it, give the original credits and stuff like that, of course). So basically, you just had to send an email and a few PMs to him, and if he didn't answered by then, you don't need anything more to use it, and even if Chico becomes active again, he can't say anything, since you tried to contact him, and he didn't answer, and so that means a yes.
Again, not sure, but I guess I read or heard about that "law" somewhere, I can be mistaken though.

I'm pretty sure there's no law like that in existence. I'm just saying because there was some issue about using others' work a while ago on unrealsp.org and when it came out it became a huge scandal.

[Delacroix]

Yes, I am aware of this situation. Project Xenome, original release, had brushes taken from multiple maps: WITHOUT THE AUTHORS BEING EVEN MENTIONED... such behavior is plagiarism - it should be noted that after being publically crucified, JazzyB has begun reworking the pack, replacing the "borrowed" stuff and the First Day release is free of the plague. I on the other hand have been unable to contact Chico for permission, but I *DID NOT* present his work as my own.

[gopostal]

It's all open source. Someone uses my stuff in their release? I'm freaking stoked man! If you asked and got no answer, then that part is behind you.

I'll help with the pawn coding if you want. I'm not in for a major commitment, but send me some stuff and I'll do it for you.

[Delacroix]

So we got a coder. Good. Good, gopostal.. I still need a modeller for the models to code. But, you could start by enabling Skaarj Warriors (yes, I do mean Warriors/Lords/Scouts) to carry weapons like Troopers do. Start with that, a sword can be found later.

[Creavion]

...by enabling Skaarj Warriors (yes, I do mean Warriors/Lords/Scouts) to carry weapons like Troopers do. Start with that, a sword can be found later.

Although this idea is really originally and cool the Skaarj warriors normally differs from the troopers in this respect that the troopers use the player weapons while the warriors just shoot projectiles and are using their metal claws. I dont know WHAT, but I think something is missing there to give that idea the right kick of awesomeness.

edit: aaah swords... so thats it... ok ^^ *next time read post more careful*