Orb of Dilaaria
From WinWolf3D/WDC
Contents |
Story
The Land of the Seven Kingdoms was once the peaceful creation of Eilior, the Great Being. There were nine lesser beings who served as council to Eilior called the Nonacyclus. Among them was Wersin, the deceiver, who left the council to descend upon the world thus shattering its peace. For protection, Eilior gave man the gift of the Orb, which strengthens the weapons of the Seven Kingdoms. However, as a weapon becomes further from the Orb, its power wanes. The elders of the Seven Kingdoms met and declared that the Orb be kept within the castle of Dilaaria, since it was nearest the center of all the lands. However, this left the southern-most land, Drami-on, without the power of the Orb.
The dark clouds of war covered the land as Wersin's henchmen swarmed the countryside. For many years the Seven Kingdoms have kept the lands safe, but recent sightings suggest that a great army is rising against them from the south. According to scouts, Wersin has ravaged the lands of Drami-on and stolen their enchanted weapons to equip a massive army.
As a royal guard for King Hylorn, ruler of Dilaaria, you have been ordered to guard the Orb's chamber. From deep within the castle, you only hear muffled sounds as they echo down the hallways toward you. One voice cuts through the jumbled mess: "The enemy approaches!" You listen as the soft murmur rises to the panicked chatter of war. The Dark Army of Wersin has arrived.
Torches dot the fields around the castle. Soon arrows are loosed from all directions. Ladders spring from the ground and the twisted deformities of the Dark Army have soon breached the wall. The knights of the Seven Kingdoms fight valiantly but to no avail. You prepare for battle as you hear the main gates burst open.
Thirty or more demonic beings charge down the hallway toward you and the other royal guards and you are soon surrounded by them. The ten of you are no match for the constant flow of demons and the other guards soon fall dead at your side. A sharp blow to the back of your head sends you sprawling to the ground. As your vision begins to dim, you see the demons smash the door leading to the Orb's chamber...
You awake surprised to see that you're still alive. You look around and discover that you are in a small dungeon cell littered with bones and fleshly debris. This can only mean that you are trapped deep within Zaehylos' dungeon, the vile prison of the ancient stories. Many heroes have been held inside its walls, but none have escaped.
You try to stand, but your head is still spinning with pain and you fall upon a pile of bones. A strange snort echoes outside the door to your cell. Ignoring the pain, you stand again and grab a broken bone from the floor. Within seconds there is a snarl right outside the door and you hide in a darkened corner of your cell. The door slides open and a foot soldier enters the room. You lunge at it, knocking it to the ground. A surprised scream pierces your ears as you shove the shattered end of the bone into its body.
Convinced that it is dead, you release your grip and stand. You grab its mace and brace yourself for what lies ahead. Your only hope is to escape or leave the mark of your presence in the hearts of your enemies...
Features
- Multi-texture and animated floors
- High resolution parallaxing skys
- Ripper's atmospheric sky/rain
- Distance shading
- Rain and shading that only occurs inside
- Teleports
- Original music
- More than 60 maps with multiple gameplay paths
- ... and much more
Screenshots
Getting Started
Setup
Simply double click ORB.EXE to start the game. It runs just like the original Wolfenstein 3-D. It has been optimized in hopes of providing an enjoyable experience on a variety of computers. By default, all options except "Show FPS" are enabled. If the game performs poorly, try disabling "Shading/Fog" first, then try disabling "Sky", "Clouds", and "Textured Flats" one at a time until gameplay is acceptable.
Sound
If you have Windows 2000 or XP, the Adlib sound effects and music won't run properly. In order to hear these, you'll need to use the VDMSound 2.1 Public Beta (2.0.4 should also work). I would also mention DOSBox but problems have been reported with DOSBox 0.63 and 0.65 so its use is not recommended.
New Quick Keys
- F11 - Display the current map's name
- F12 - Take a screenshot
GAMEERR.EXE
Should the game happen to crash, it will produce a file called GAMEERR.TXT. This EXE file simply translates the given error code into English. Hopefully you will not need to worry about this file.
Trivia and Other Information
Map List
The engine has the ability to give a level multiple exits that do not necessarily lead to secret levels. The game has a total of 65 maps, but the player only plays through 30 of them plus any secret levels (one per act) along the way. The maps are divided into six acts, each of which has five scenes. I've made this map list for those who are completists and want to be able to play every map in the game.
All maps are by ack, except A1S1, A1S2b, and A1S5, which are by Adam.
Note: 'S' denotes a secret map.
Act I - The Catacombs
| Scene | Name | Scene | Name | Scene | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Dungeons | 3 | The Pit of Despair | 5 | Zaehylos' Lair |
| 2a | The Catacombs of Anguish | S | Metamorphosis | ||
| 2b | The Tunnels | 4 | The Keep |
Act II - Demonic Cathedral
| Scene | Name | Scene | Name | Scene | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Death Knell | Sa | Forget-Me-Not | 4b | Infestation |
| 2 | The Inner Sanctum | Sb | Touchplate Torture | 5a | Malice |
| 3 | The Demonic Cathedral | 4a | The Oratory of Decay | 5b | What Lies Beneath |
Act III - Dreko's Fortress
| Scene | Name | Scene | Name | Scene | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Tower Gates | 2 | Ring of Torture | 4b | The Devil's Library |
| Sa | The Hidden Fortress | 3a | Curious Corridors | 4c | Will-o’-the-Wisp |
| Sb | Demon's Breath | 3b | The Forbidden Halls | 5 | Babel |
| Sc | Witching Hour | 4a | Hidden Shrine |
Act IV - The Watch Tower
| Scene | Name | Scene | Name | Scene | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Point of No Return | 3a | Hell Creep | 4 | Maelstrom |
| 2a | Eidolon | 3b | Passage of the Doomed | 5a | The Watcher of the Forest |
| 2b | The Forbidden Temple | S | Dour Predicament | 5b | Yserbnira's Fortress |
Act V - The Forest of Death
| Scene | Name | Scene | Name | Scene | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Dark Forest | 3 | Forest of the Damned | S | Subterfuge |
| 2a | Paishkyn’s Underworld | 4a | Thunderclap | 5a | In Spite |
| 2b | Murmurs through the Trees | 4b | The Great Divide | 5b | Unholy |
Act VI - Wersin's Lair
| Scene | Name | Scene | Name | Scene | Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lasciate Ogne Speranza | 3d | Disciples of Pain | 5a | Fatum Nefas |
| S | Looking Glass | 3e | Last Gasp | 5b | Nevermore |
| 2a | The Roaring Silence | 3f | The Pendulum | 5c | Asunder |
| 2b | Realm of Hate | 3g | Descension | 5d | Cornered |
| 3a | Basso Loco | 3h | Shrine to a Lesser God | 5e | Thy Will Be Done |
| 3b | The Unforgiven | 4a | Saint Elmo | 5f | Journey's End |
| 3c | The Nemesis Within | 4b | Rancor |
Music List
The game includes twenty-six original compositions. Some were written specifically written for the game while others are modified and shortened mixes of previously composed songs.
| Game Area | Song Title | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Title Screen | In the Night #2 | 2003 |
| Menus | The Reaper Stalks | 2003 |
| Read This | Testign (sic) | 2004 |
| Intermission | Home Sick | 2003 |
| High Scores | Jam | 2004 |
| You Won | Final Glory | 2000 |
| Act 1/4 | Song Title | Year |
| Scene 1 | Impending | 2003 |
| Scene 2 | Sneak Attack | 2000, 2003 |
| Scene 3 | Comin' to Get You | 2003, 2006 |
| Scene 4 | One Step Ahead | 2001 |
| Act 1 Boss | Caverns | 2005 |
| Act 4 Boss | Still Night Air | 2004 *Also in MedEvil |
| Secret | Drive | 2003 |
| Act 2/5 | Song Title | Year |
| Scene 1 | Slow Strings #2 | 2004 |
| Scene 2 | Dilemma | 2001 |
| Scene 3 | Melodie in Fm | 2003 |
| Scene 4 | Death Camp | 2000 |
| Act 2 Boss | The Final Hour | 2005 |
| Act 5 Boss | Caverns | 2005 |
| Secret | Groove | 2003 |
| Act 3/6 | Song Title | Year |
| Scene 1 | Full Speed Ahead | 2000 |
| Scene 2 | Doom Ya Later | 2003 |
| Scene 3 | Ghosts of the Past | 2001 |
| Scene 4 | Within the Shadows | 2003, 2006 |
| Act 3 Boss | The Torment Within | 2005 |
| Act 6 Boss | Dark | 2005 |
| Secret | Darkness Overcomes | 2000 |
Manual
An online manual has been made for the game. It will contain spoilers for those who have not finished the game.
Links
Thanks
- id Software - releasing Wolfenstein 3-D and then the source
- Team:
- Majik Monkee - tweaking boss and guard graphics
- Ringman - most of the walls, floors, ceilings, and object graphics are his original work
- Ack - map maker extraordinaire plus some graphic and sound offerings
- Arielus - testing, perspective, and suggestions
- AReyeP - testing, perspective, and suggestions
- Liza Walley - testing, perspective, and suggestions
- Mirela - providing the text and voice for the monks
- Everyone was a tremendous help. I could not have hoped for a better team!
- Additional graphic, sound, and inspirational sources:
- The ZDoom Monster Resource WAD
- Doom, Doom II, Quake by id Software
- Heretic, Hexen by Ravensoft
- Blood by Monolith
- Witchaven by Capstone
- PowerSlave by Lobotomy Software
- Arthur's Quest by ValuSoft
Release Information
- Version 1.00 - June 11, 2006
- Version 1.01 - June 12, 2006
- Version 1.02 - July 7, 2006
- Version 1.03 - July 10, 2006
