Mod Information

Backstory

Every millenium or so, the gods select the mightiest of the times' men to push back the actions of the demonic forces. These times are usually at a climax of demonic activity, when their influence becomes so obvious as to call for a holy war by the higher people. Many of such holy wars have been kept secret throughout history as to prevent panic and mania, and while some know of these holy wars and speak publically on them, many remain skeptical, often laughing these speakers away from behind the pulpits.

The one chosen by the gods is known as the Cebil.

The Cebil carries out tasks commanded by the gods. They are granted powers beyond a normal human's comprehension and are able to produce amazing results through grandeur feats. The source of the Cebil's power is not within themselves, however. They must gain their powers through the slaughtering of demons and lowly mortals. With each murderer and demon soul they collect, their power grows. Because they once were mortals, they may harness dark energy as well as the light energy provided to them from the start, as long as it brings them to their goal.

Ultimately, however, every Cebil that has existed has become corrupted by the power they wielded, going as far as to challenge the gods, threatening to capture their souls, as well. A tragic end to a glorious trial of aptitude, as the gods were left no choice but to remove the essence of the Cebil's power- the anchor- leaving him a powerless mortal once again, subject to brutality from the demons he'd once fought off so valiantly.

The times now call for another Cebil. A cult exercises their plans to raise a great demon who had slumbered for millenia, away from the captures of his brethren by past Cebil. The threat of another warring against the heavens grows with each passing day, but can the gods trust another Cebil after the long and drawn-out pattern shown by predecessors? Their hesitation to decide leaves the fate of the one who would be chosen open to the demons, guided by a mortal oracle.

The would-be Cebil is assassinated.

Mechanics

Along with about 11 weapons, some including an alternate fire, the player will be able to cast various spells, ranging from a small health boost to calling down a beam of lightning that destroys most enemies in the vicinity.

Spells are cast by collecting scrolls as you progress through the game. Each scroll you pick up is tucked away in the player's scroll book, which replaces the HoloDuke. Spells are powered by Soul Ether from captured Essences held in your Anchor. Since an Essence (a soul) has endless Soul Ether, your Soul Ether will replenish itself in a given time; however, you must collect more Essence to be able to hold more Soul Ether in your Anchor. If you have too low of a maximum Soul Ether level, you will not be able to perform a spell.

If you want to be able to cast better spells, then defeat more enemies and gather more Essence. Different types of Essence will raise your Soul Ether cap by differing amounts. You start off with a cap of five points, which isn't enough to cast any spell, but you will gain strength eventually. As for differences, a lowly suit will give you a slight boost, but a robed occultist or demon will bring you to a worthwhile cap quicker, where zombies have no essence to begin with and, thus, leave nothing for you once put down. Of course, you can't suck the Essence right out of living foes (or at least not at the start), so killing your enemy is vital. Death leaves the Essence ready for the taking. Press the use key near an Essance to absorb it. There is no maximum cap.

This is not the only effect of Essence, either. A normal man can be killed by a single gunshot, and you will start off with a slight advantage over a normal man, 25 points of health. Each Essence you acquire can also raise your standard health range. As with Soul Ether, different Essences will give different levels of improvement. You won't become superhuman in no time, though, as to reap the cap-raising benefits of Essence, you must be at your present cap, else, it will only breathe life back into you instead of raising your health cap. For this reason it's wiser to hunt down medical supplies when you can before absorbing Essence. Soul Ether is only useful when drawn from enemies.

Features

-Utilizing EDuke32, the latest incarnation of the Build toolset, the mod will feature full OpenGL, 3D models, and detail textures for a rich level of grittiness and atmosphere not experienced in Duke mods of old.
-HUBs, though not quite advanced, will exist. The early part of the game is set in modern times in a small town not far from a desert in the western US with a major highway running through it.
-The aforementioned HUBs will be reminiscient of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, except it will feel like you're actually in a town instead of a small group of skyscrapers.
-Simulated traffic in the towns.
-There may or may not be dialogue, and any dialogue would be text dialogue.
-The player will earn higher Soul Ether (mana) point and health level caps. Will be detailed later.
-Will use MBlackwell's new coding template for ambient effects and passive details.
-Inventory items will be revamped. The goggles will be recycled into a divine device that will point you to secret areas and items, help you whenever you're lost on a mission, and will reveal invisible entities.
-References to actual occult practices.
-Gore, and lots of it!
-Latter HUB areas will be full of random firefights, and things won't be held back.
-No weapon slots will be left empty, and some will have two weapons, some alt-firing.
-Down on your luck with low health and ammo? Use spells to destroy enemies or pick yourself back up. Your Soul Ether, albeit slowly, will always refill.
-Use a spell to catch bullets and throw them back at will, or to suck the Essence right out of an enemy.
-Kick ass in cemeteries, in sewers, on airplanes, in underwater research plants, on a snowy occult island, and in the Void.