Saint Lucia: Difference between revisions

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[[Image:sl_splash.png|right]] Welcome to the second demo mission of [[The Dark Mod]]: '''''The Tears of Saint Lucia'''''. If you liked the first teaser demo [[Thief's Den]], you'll absolutely ''love'' Saint Lucia. It's a full-sized mission demonstrating the current state of The Dark Mod's development, packed into jdude's stunning world design.
[[Image:sl_splash.png|right]] Welcome to the second mission release of [[The Dark Mod]]: '''''The Tears of Saint Lucia'''''. If you liked the first teaser demo [[Thief's Den]], you'll absolutely ''love'' Saint Lucia. It's a full-sized mission demonstrating the current state of The Dark Mod's development, packed into jdude's stunning world design.


The map for this mission is at least five times larger than our previous demo, [[Thief's Den]], and is on par with the map sizes of Thief: Deadly Shadows. It showcases many features that were not present in our first demo, including the purchase menu, flashbombs, swimmable water and AI conversations.
The map for this mission is at least five times larger than our previous demo, [[Thief's Den]], and is on par with the map sizes of Thief: Deadly Shadows. It showcases many features that were not present in our first demo, including the purchase menu, flashbombs, swimmable water and AI conversations.
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This map demonstrates the progress that has been made on The Dark Mod over the past eight months or so since our last demo. Although the mod itself is still not ready for release, I think you will be impressed with how beautiful and immersive this map is. Although there are still some bugs and unfinished features, it is an excellent example of what fan missions for The Dark Mod will be like.
This map demonstrates the progress that has been made on The Dark Mod over the past eight months or so since our last demo. Although the mod itself is still not ready for release, I think you will be impressed with how beautiful and immersive this map is. Although there are still some bugs and unfinished features, it is an excellent example of what fan missions for The Dark Mod will be like.


{{Important|headline=Important|text=We recommend you start the download then please read through the [[Gameplay|GamePlay Guide]] while downloading. You might not be able to complete the mission without being aware of new features described on that page.}}
{{Important|headline=Important|text=We recommend you start the download then please read through the [[The Dark Mod Gameplay]] while downloading. You might not be able to complete the mission without being aware of new features described on that page.  You may also want to look at [[Custom Settings for Players]].}}


__TOC__
__TOC__
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'''Torrent:'''
'''Torrent:'''
* [http://bloodgate.com/mirrors/tdm/pub/tdm_saintlucia_v1.0.exe.torrent tdm_saintlucia_v1.0.exe.torrent] (thanks to everybody helping to distribute)
* [http://bloodgate.com/mirrors/tdm/pub/tdm_saintlucia_v1.0.exe.torrent tdm_saintlucia_v1.0.exe.torrent] (thanks to everybody helping to distribute)
:'''Note:''' The old tracker broke when Kolya updated his server, so if you can't complete the download or connect to the tracker, please redownload the torrent file and start over. Sorry for the inconvience!
'''Mirrors:'''
'''Mirrors:'''
* [http://bloodgate.com/mirrors/tdm/pub/tdm_saintlucia_v1.0.exe bloodgate.com] (North America, thanks to Tels)
* [http://www.shadowdarkkeep.com/missions/tdm_saintlucia_v1.0.exe shadowdarkkeep.com] (thanks to Komag)
* [http://bloodgate.com/mirrors/tdm/index.html bloodgate.com] (North America, thanks to Tels)
* [http://www.darklurker.com/DarkMod/tdm_saintlucia_v1.0.exe darklurker.com] (thanks to Moghedian)
* [http://www.southquarter.com/fms/data/tdm_saintlucia_v1.0.exe southquarter.com] (thanks to Brethren)
(mirrors will be updated constantly)
(mirrors will be updated constantly)


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# Windows or Linux
# Windows or Linux
# Slightly more than '''1 GB''' of free disk space
# Slightly more than '''1 GB''' of free disk space
# At least '''512 Mbyte''' system memory, better are '''1024 Mbyte''' or more
# A minimum of '''1024 Mbyte''' system memory, '''1536 Mbyte''' or more is recommended
# A graphics card with at least '''64 Mbyte''' video memory, better are '''128 Mbyte''' or more
# A graphics card with a minimum of '''64 Mbyte''' video memory, '''128 Mbyte''' or more is recommended
# A working Doom 3 installation
# A working Doom 3 installation
# Doom 3 must be patched to 1.3.1. You can download the correct patch (20 Mbyte) here:
# Doom 3 must be patched to 1.3.1. You can download the correct patch (20 Mbyte) here:
Line 36: Line 42:
#* '''Linux''': Doom v1.3.1 for Linux: [ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/doom3/ FTP] [http://zerowing.idsoftware.com:6969/ BitTorrent]
#* '''Linux''': Doom v1.3.1 for Linux: [ftp://ftp.idsoftware.com/idstuff/doom3/ FTP] [http://zerowing.idsoftware.com:6969/ BitTorrent]


Already patched Doom 3 before reading this? Make sure you have the correct version of the 1.3.1 patch. See the [[#FAQ|FAQ]] below.
Already patched Doom 3 before reading this? Make sure you have the correct version of the 1.3.1 patch. See also the [[FAQ (Demo Releases)‎]].


=== Windows ===
=== Windows ===
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## Copy the existing Doom 3 shortcut on your desktop. Rename the copy "Saint Lucia".
## Copy the existing Doom 3 shortcut on your desktop. Rename the copy "Saint Lucia".
## Right-click, choose Properties and edit the command line. It should read  
## Right-click, choose Properties and edit the command line. It should read  
  C:\games\doom3\DOOM3.exe +set fs_game saintlucia
  "C:\games\doom3\DOOM3.exe" +set fs_game saintlucia


You're done! All you need to do is double-click the shortcut to run the demo. But if you're new to The Dark Mod, '''please take a minute to read [[The Dark Mod Gameplay]] for information on how to actually play The Dark Mod''' (many features will be familiar to Thief players, but there are important differences).
You're done! All you need to do is double-click the shortcut to run the demo. But if you're new to The Dark Mod, '''please take a minute to read [[The Dark Mod Gameplay]] for information on how to actually play The Dark Mod''' (many features will be familiar to Thief players, but there are important differences).
Note: If you are using the Steam version of Doom 3, try <tt>C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\doom 3</tt> as the path to your Doom installation.
In case of problems, please refer to the [[FAQ (Demo Releases)‎]].


=== Linux ===
=== Linux ===
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* Copy the existing Doom 3 shortcut on your desktop to a new one and rename it to "Saint Lucia".
* Copy the existing Doom 3 shortcut on your desktop to a new one and rename it to "Saint Lucia".
* Right-click, open the properties of that shortcut, go to the "Application" or "Launcher" tab and edit the command line. It should read:
* Right-click, open the properties of that shortcut, go to the "Application" or "Launcher" tab and edit the command line. It should read:
  /usr/local/games/doom3/doom.x86 +seta com_allowConsole 1 +set fs_game saintlucia
  /usr/local/games/doom3/doom +seta com_allowConsole 1 +set fs_game saintlucia
* Install the packages '''libmng''' and '''libdevil1c2''' (or '''libdevel1''', depending on distribution)
* Install the packages '''libmng''' and '''libdevil1c2''' (or '''libdevel1''', depending on distribution)
* Double-click the shortcut to run the game.
* Double-click the shortcut to run the game.
** If it doesn't start, please see the [[#FAQ|FAQ]]
* Open the Doom 3 console using the key below the Escape key ({{key|~}} on US keyboards), and compile the map by typing: <tt>dmap thiefs_den</tt>
* Click "Start Mission" to start the game.
* Click "Start Mission" to start the game.
In case of problems, please refer to the [[FAQ (Demo Releases)‎]].


== Playing Saint Lucia, Settings ==
== Playing Saint Lucia, Settings ==
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'''Please read before posting feedback!'''
'''Please read before posting feedback!'''


The Dark Mod is not slated for release until the mid-2009, so this demo has plenty of known issues/bugs. In addition, some AI behaviour might not be fully fleshed out yet. Here are a few of the more common issues you may encounter:
The Dark Mod is not slated for a beta-release until some time in 2009.  While the map demonstrates just about all the major features that will be present in our beta-release (the exceptions being combat and lockpicking), we have not entered a dedicated bug-fixing phase yet.  You will definitely encounter incomplete features and known issues/bugs. Here are a few of the more common ones:
 
'''AI WIP issues:'''  Many of the AI animations are placeholders (though not as many as our last demo) and we plan to have more animations than are demonstrated in this demo.  One particularly noticable omission is the lack of 'turning' animations--AI currently spin around when standing or searching.
 
AI intelligence has come a long way from our last demo, but is still not perfect.  If you are interested in specifics, highlight the text below, but we recommend playing the mission first--knowing the limitations of the AI up front might spoil the fun.


'''AI WIP issues:'''  The vocalizations for the AI are partially placeholders. Some of the animations are also placeholders, and many animations are not yet included.
[spoilers]
<span style="color: white">The "go get help" behaviour AI exhibit when hurt or weaponless does not always work properly. Rarely, one AI will block another's path and they'll walk into each other endlessly. </span>


AI intelligence is far from perfect.  They still have problems pathfinding sometimes, and may get stuck.
<span style="color: white">AI do not currently respond to collision sounds, so if you drop a bucket behind them or knock a chair over they won't hear it. </span>


AI do not react to some environmental factors (like getting a crate thrown at them or hearing an elevator) that they should.
<span style="color: white">AI don't notice bodies reliably.  They don't currently get tactile alerts from them, so they will happily kick a dead body out of the way in a dark area without noticing.  The code that tells AI whether a body is in the dark or not is currently erratic, and may indicate a body is in darkness when it is actually well lit. </span>


'''AI Shadow:''' The shadows of AI occasionally get cut-off, usually at the head, making the shadow look weird.  This is particularly noticeable with characters carrying or standing near a lightsource.
<span style="color: white">AI notice arrows if you leave them stuck into walls. However, they also will react to them up to two minutes after you remove them.  </span> [/spoilers]


'''Sounds:'''  Some sound effects are placeholders.  Collision sounds (where things bump into other things) are especially poor.
Occasionally when AI put away their weapons, they get attached in the wrong spot, with sometimes humorous results.


'''Bow Aiming:'''  The lack of a bow-sight is intentional.  However, the bow currently is offset slightly—the arrow actually goes up a bit from where you are aiming, as if you were ‘lobbing’ your shot.  This is a known (minor) issue that needs to be fixed, but it shouldn't cause too many problems in the meantime.
'''AI Shadow:'''  The shadows of AI occasionally appear cut-off at the head or feet, making the shadow look weird.  We're not entirely sure why this happens.


'''Subtle Highlighting:''' The "froblight" effect that highlights an object is occasionally difficult to see, especially on bright-coloured objects.  This needs to be tweaked individually, eventually.
'''Sounds:''' Many sound effects are still placeholders.  Collision sounds (where things bump into other things) are especially poor.   


'''Objects Not Moving:'''  Not really a mod issue, but in the map there are objects that look like they should probably move if you bump them (like the boots or the wine-bottles), but they don't.  Many objects have intentionally been left as static for this map.
'''Bow Aiming:'''  The lack of a bow-sight is intentional.  However, the bow currently is offset slightly—the arrow actually goes up a bit from where you are aiming, as if you were ‘lobbing’ your shot.  This is on our list of things that need to be fixed, but it shouldn't cause too many problems in the meantime.


'''Particle effects cut off:''' Sometimes particle effects (like splashes from water arrows or gas clouds) are cut off or flicker when they occur at particular angles to the player.  This is a purely cosmetic issue we have yet to track down.
'''Subtle Highlighting:''' The "froblight" effect that highlights an object is occasionally difficult to see, especially on bright-coloured objects and candles.  This needs to be tweaked individually, eventually.


'''Menu issues:'''  Changing certain graphic settings, like the resolution, requires a restart of Doom 3. However, there is not yet a message that tells you to do so.
'''Particle effects cut off:'''  Sometimes particle effects (like splashes from water arrows) are cut off or flicker when they occur at particular angles to the player. This is a purely cosmetic issue we have yet to track down.


More importantly, occasionally navigation breaks down and you might get 'trapped' in a blank menu background. Rather than delay launch further we had to leave that unfixed. If this happens to you then Alt+F4 will exit the program (in Windows.)
'''Menu issues:'''  Changing certain graphic settings, like the resolution, requires a restart of Doom 3. However, there is not yet a message that tells you to do so.


'''Saved Game issues:''' Loading saved games works well during a single play session. If you quit Doom3 and then run the game later, however, you may experience some strangeness when attempting to load saved games.
<div style="padding: 3px; background: #DEB887;">'''Note:''' The menu is known to occasionally freeze after loading a saved game.  The background is visible but no menu options appear (quickload and quicksave still work).  Some people never experience this and others experience it regularly when they load a saved game. The menu will eventually load (after 2 or 3 minutes), or you can call the console (Ctrl + Alt + ~) and type 'exit'.  This is caused by a hardcoded Doom3 issue that we have not yet been able to fix.  You can use the console to save or load a named game by typing "saveGame MySave" and "loadGame MySave".</div>


'''Keyboard mappings:'''  They default mapping of keys is for American/English keyboards. This means that some keys are inaccessible when you use a different keyboard layout. For instance "[" cannot be reached on a German keyboard as the required pressing of {{key|ALT GR}}+{{key|8}} will toggle crouch instead due to Doom not making a difference between the two {{key|ALT}}-keys.  
Sometimes when you resume a game from the menu, the mouse click is carried over to the game, causing you to swing your weapon or throw a carried object.


The used fonts do not contain any special characters beyond ASCII. This means if you for instance have a German keybord and bind the key "ü" to a function, it will show up empty in the settings menu. The key will still work in game, though.
'''Save/Restore Game issues:''' Crouching information is not currently saved when you save your game. You will be standing when you reload the game.


== Troubleshooting ==
== Troubleshooting ==
Line 119: Line 134:
'''If''' (and only if) you're experiencing problems, here are some things to try:
'''If''' (and only if) you're experiencing problems, here are some things to try:


# Make sure Doom 3 is patched correctly. You need the correct version of the 1.3.1 patch. See the [[#FAQ|FAQ]] below.
# Make sure Doom 3 is patched correctly. You need the correct version of the 1.3.1 patch. See the [[FAQ (Demo Releases)|FAQ‎]].
# Make sure that the install path for Doom 3:
# Make sure that the install path for Doom 3:
#* is in all lowercase (e.g. <code>/usr/local/lib/doom3</code> is ok, <code>/home/username/MyDoom</code> is not). This is especially important for Linux.
#* is in all lowercase (e.g. <code>/usr/local/lib/doom3</code> is ok, <code>/home/username/MyDoom</code> is not). This is especially important for Linux.


=== Performance Tweaks ===
== Performance Tweaks ==
 
In case you experience slowdowns, see [[Performance Tweaks]].
In case you experience slowdowns, see [[Performance Tweaks]].


== FAQ ==
== FAQ ==
; Can I use the Demo version of Doom 3?
See this article: [[FAQ (Demo Releases)‎]]
: Almost certainly not.


; How can I check whether my Doom 3 is correctly patched?
== Ok, I've finished the mission. Now what? ==
: Open Doom 3 and hit {{key|Ctrl}}+{{key|Alt}}+{{key|~}} (tilde, {{key|^}} on German keyboards) to open the console. You'll see the version printed in the lower left corner of the console. It should read '''1.3.1.1304'''. If your version is ending on 1302, you've got the wrong patch installed.
It's probably occurred to some of you eager mappers out there that with Saint Lucia and [[Dark Radiant]] (our Dark Mod editor), it is possible to start mapping for The Dark Mod.  Although we stripped a number of unnecessary files out of the demo release, it does have a large number of models, textures, and code that can be used as a starting point for mapping.
 
; Where can I get the right patch?
: We have the patch hosted on our FTP. See [[#Installation|above]] to find a link to it.
:
: If you have version 1.3.1.1302, you may need to uninstall and reinstall before patch 1.3.1.1304 will let you apply it.


; What's that issue with the 1.3.1 patch?
Feel free to start experimenting now. Although there is no promise that maps made using the demo assets will be 100% compatible with the mod when it is released, it's unlikely there will be any major changes at this point. It's also an excellent way to earn a spot as a beta-mapper with the team, which gives you access to the full mod.
: When the 1.3.1 patch was released by Id, they released it a bit too early. Some download sites picked it up quite fast though and started to distribute it. The problem is, that Id replaced that patch with a different one, and, probably thinking that it hadn't spread yet, didn't bother to change the version number. However, you can still find "wrong" 1.3.1 patches and these will not work with the mod. That's why it is important to check the version number in the console to make sure that the right 1.3.1 patch is installed if the mod doesn't work. The link provided here on our own page points to the correct patch, so if you downloaded it from here you don't need to worry about it.


; Does it run with the Steam version of Doom 3?
== Gallery ==
: Yes :)


; Which Windows versions can I use?
<gallery>
: Doom 3 needs at least Windows XP or Windows 2000. Saint Lucia was successfully run under Windows XP and Vista. Support for 64 bit Windows or Windows 2000 was not tested.
File:Sl splash.jpg|Title card
The Tears of Saint Lucia (demo) promo 1.jpg|Promotional screenshot
The Tears of Saint Lucia (demo) promo 2.jpg|Promotional screenshot
The Tears of Saint Lucia (demo) promo 3.jpg|Promotional screenshot
The Tears of Saint Lucia (demo) promo 4.jpg|Promotional screenshot
The Tears of Saint Lucia (demo) promo 5.jpg|Promotional screenshot
</gallery>


; Does it run in Linux?
== See also ==
: Yes, Linux is supported. You may need:
:* the package '''libdevil1''',
:* either Wine or p7zip to extract the contents from the EXE file
:* recompile the map via the console, or the pathfinding of the AI is broken
:* use your package manager to install '''libdevil1''' or '''libdevil1c2'''


; Does it run in 64 Bit Linux?
'''Current version'''
: Yes, Linux 64 bit is supported. In addition to the steps above, you need 32 bit compatibility libraries, since Doom3 is 32 bit only:
* ''[[The Tears of Saint Lucia (OM)|The Tears of Saint Lucia]]'' - The current version, one of the game's official missions, based on this initial demo.
:* On '''SuSE''', they should be included.
:* On Ubuntu/Kubuntu, install the package '''ia32'''.
:* Since you cannot install 32 bit libraries on a 64 bit system with the normal package manager, you should use [http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=474790 getlibs] to install '''libdevil''' and '''libmng''':
::<code>getlibs libIL.so.1</code>
::<code>getlibs libmng.so.1</code>
 
; Does it run in MacOS?
: No. Or at least not yet. The Doom 3 game itself is supporting MacOS, but The Dark Mod is not - mainly because we don't have anyone developing on Macs. If you can help us getting it to run on MacOS, please [http://modetwo.net/darkmod/index.php?showtopic=7082 apply at the forum].
 
; Changing the screen resolution/aspect ratio does nothing!?
: These changes require a restart of Doom to work. Currently, our GUI does not warn you about this. You can enter <b>vid_restart</b> in the console to restart the renderer without quitting the game.
 
== Ok, I've finished the mission.  Now what? ==
It's probably occurred to some of you eager mappers out there that with Saint Lucia and [[Dark Radiant]] (our Dark Mod editor), it is possible to start mapping for The Dark Mod.  Although we stripped a number of unnecessary files out of the demo release, it does have a large number of models, textures, and code (not to mention the great tutorial on the wiki that explains how much of the map was made) that can be used as a starting point for mapping.


Feel free to start experimenting now.  Although there is no promise that maps made using the demo assets will be 100% compatible with the mod when it is released (as many things will no doubt be added/updated by then), you certainly can get a good start. It's also an excellent way to earn a spot as a beta-mapper with the team, which gives you access to the full mod.
'''Discussions on the demo'''
*[ TDM forums thread] (2008)
*[https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=123556 TTLG forums thread] (2008)


{{installation}}
[[Category:Initial demos]]

Latest revision as of 14:35, 25 March 2019

Sl splash.png

Welcome to the second mission release of The Dark Mod: The Tears of Saint Lucia. If you liked the first teaser demo Thief's Den, you'll absolutely love Saint Lucia. It's a full-sized mission demonstrating the current state of The Dark Mod's development, packed into jdude's stunning world design.

The map for this mission is at least five times larger than our previous demo, Thief's Den, and is on par with the map sizes of Thief: Deadly Shadows. It showcases many features that were not present in our first demo, including the purchase menu, flashbombs, swimmable water and AI conversations.

This map demonstrates the progress that has been made on The Dark Mod over the past eight months or so since our last demo. Although the mod itself is still not ready for release, I think you will be impressed with how beautiful and immersive this map is. Although there are still some bugs and unfinished features, it is an excellent example of what fan missions for The Dark Mod will be like.

Important

We recommend you start the download then please read through the The Dark Mod Gameplay while downloading. You might not be able to complete the mission without being aware of new features described on that page. You may also want to look at Custom Settings for Players.

Download

Choose a download mirror below. The download is about 450 Mbyte and works for both Windows and Linux. It's a self-extracting 7-zip archive, not a fully-fledged installer.

Important
When the downloaded file does report errors during extraction, your download got corrupted, and you MUST download the file again. A package extracted only half or with errors will NOT run properly.

If you are unsure whether you got the right file, either use the torrent (it checks the file to be correct), or compare the md5sum of the download to cfa79dc83d5cfa8997a5e0888c893c1d.

Torrent:

Note: The old tracker broke when Kolya updated his server, so if you can't complete the download or connect to the tracker, please redownload the torrent file and start over. Sorry for the inconvience!

Mirrors:

(mirrors will be updated constantly)

Installation

Summary:

Don't be put off - all you need is Doom 3 installed with patch, extract our download into the Doom folder, then make/modify a desktop shortcut and you're playing!

You'll need the following to play the Tears of Saint Lucia:

  1. Windows or Linux
  2. Slightly more than 1 GB of free disk space
  3. A minimum of 1024 Mbyte system memory, 1536 Mbyte or more is recommended
  4. A graphics card with a minimum of 64 Mbyte video memory, 128 Mbyte or more is recommended
  5. A working Doom 3 installation
  6. Doom 3 must be patched to 1.3.1. You can download the correct patch (20 Mbyte) here:

Already patched Doom 3 before reading this? Make sure you have the correct version of the 1.3.1 patch. See also the FAQ (Demo Releases)‎.

Windows

Now proceed with the following steps. Substitute your own Doom 3 path for C:\games\doom3.

  1. Download tdm_saintlucia.exe and copy it to C:\games\doom3.
  2. Run tdm_saintlucia_v1.0.exe. A saintlucia folder will be created.
  3. Now you'll need to create a shortcut to the Saint Lucia demo mission:
    1. Copy the existing Doom 3 shortcut on your desktop. Rename the copy "Saint Lucia".
    2. Right-click, choose Properties and edit the command line. It should read
"C:\games\doom3\DOOM3.exe" +set fs_game saintlucia

You're done! All you need to do is double-click the shortcut to run the demo. But if you're new to The Dark Mod, please take a minute to read The Dark Mod Gameplay for information on how to actually play The Dark Mod (many features will be familiar to Thief players, but there are important differences).

Note: If you are using the Steam version of Doom 3, try C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\doom 3 as the path to your Doom installation.

In case of problems, please refer to the FAQ (Demo Releases)‎.

Linux

  • Download tdm_saintlucia_v1.0.exe and copy it to the .doom3 folder in your home directory. This directory might not be visible if you use a file manager like Konqueror, so use a console, Midnight Commander, or type ".doom3" into the location bar in Konqueror to navigate there.
  • Either:
    1. Right-click on tdm_saintlucia_v1.0.exe and select "Open with Wine Windows Emulator" from the menu. Click OK and wait for the package to extract.
  • Or:
    1. Install the package p7zip
    2. In a console, type:
    3. cd ~/.doom3
    4. 7z x tdm_saintlucia_v1.0.exe
  • Copy the existing Doom 3 shortcut on your desktop to a new one and rename it to "Saint Lucia".
  • Right-click, open the properties of that shortcut, go to the "Application" or "Launcher" tab and edit the command line. It should read:
/usr/local/games/doom3/doom +seta com_allowConsole 1 +set fs_game saintlucia
  • Install the packages libmng and libdevil1c2 (or libdevel1, depending on distribution)
  • Double-click the shortcut to run the game.
  • Click "Start Mission" to start the game.

In case of problems, please refer to the FAQ (Demo Releases)‎.

Playing Saint Lucia, Settings

For information on changing settings, and on unique features of The Dark Mod and stealth gaming in general, see The Dark Mod Gameplay.

Note that you shouldn't expect The Dark Mod to run at the same framerate as Doom3. TDM does far more processing and uses higher resolution graphics than Doom3 did. If your computer is close to the minimum specs to play Doom3, you will unfortunately have a laggy experience (or will have to turn your video settings down) with the demo. In this case, please refer to the Performance Tweaks article.

Feedback

Of course we're anxious to hear your impressions about our Saint Lucia Pre-Release. There is a public feedback & discussion thread open in our forums: The Dark Mod Forum. Please drop by and let us know what you think.

That being said,

don't rush into the forums and spend an hour writing up detailed bug lists of what's working and what you think needs fixing. It's very likely that we are already aware of these problems. The list below is only a small sampling of things we have yet to address.

Crashes and installation help requests are of course something different, feel free to contact us, but be sure to check the FAQ on this page first.

Known Issues and Bugs

Please read before posting feedback!

The Dark Mod is not slated for a beta-release until some time in 2009. While the map demonstrates just about all the major features that will be present in our beta-release (the exceptions being combat and lockpicking), we have not entered a dedicated bug-fixing phase yet. You will definitely encounter incomplete features and known issues/bugs. Here are a few of the more common ones:

AI WIP issues: Many of the AI animations are placeholders (though not as many as our last demo) and we plan to have more animations than are demonstrated in this demo. One particularly noticable omission is the lack of 'turning' animations--AI currently spin around when standing or searching.

AI intelligence has come a long way from our last demo, but is still not perfect. If you are interested in specifics, highlight the text below, but we recommend playing the mission first--knowing the limitations of the AI up front might spoil the fun.

[spoilers] The "go get help" behaviour AI exhibit when hurt or weaponless does not always work properly. Rarely, one AI will block another's path and they'll walk into each other endlessly.

AI do not currently respond to collision sounds, so if you drop a bucket behind them or knock a chair over they won't hear it.

AI don't notice bodies reliably. They don't currently get tactile alerts from them, so they will happily kick a dead body out of the way in a dark area without noticing. The code that tells AI whether a body is in the dark or not is currently erratic, and may indicate a body is in darkness when it is actually well lit.

AI notice arrows if you leave them stuck into walls. However, they also will react to them up to two minutes after you remove them. [/spoilers]

Occasionally when AI put away their weapons, they get attached in the wrong spot, with sometimes humorous results.

AI Shadow: The shadows of AI occasionally appear cut-off at the head or feet, making the shadow look weird. We're not entirely sure why this happens.

Sounds: Many sound effects are still placeholders. Collision sounds (where things bump into other things) are especially poor.

Bow Aiming: The lack of a bow-sight is intentional. However, the bow currently is offset slightly—the arrow actually goes up a bit from where you are aiming, as if you were ‘lobbing’ your shot. This is on our list of things that need to be fixed, but it shouldn't cause too many problems in the meantime.

Subtle Highlighting: The "froblight" effect that highlights an object is occasionally difficult to see, especially on bright-coloured objects and candles. This needs to be tweaked individually, eventually.

Particle effects cut off: Sometimes particle effects (like splashes from water arrows) are cut off or flicker when they occur at particular angles to the player. This is a purely cosmetic issue we have yet to track down.

Menu issues: Changing certain graphic settings, like the resolution, requires a restart of Doom 3. However, there is not yet a message that tells you to do so.

Note: The menu is known to occasionally freeze after loading a saved game. The background is visible but no menu options appear (quickload and quicksave still work). Some people never experience this and others experience it regularly when they load a saved game. The menu will eventually load (after 2 or 3 minutes), or you can call the console (Ctrl + Alt + ~) and type 'exit'. This is caused by a hardcoded Doom3 issue that we have not yet been able to fix. You can use the console to save or load a named game by typing "saveGame MySave" and "loadGame MySave".

Sometimes when you resume a game from the menu, the mouse click is carried over to the game, causing you to swing your weapon or throw a carried object.

Save/Restore Game issues: Crouching information is not currently saved when you save your game. You will be standing when you reload the game.

Troubleshooting

If (and only if) you're experiencing problems, here are some things to try:

  1. Make sure Doom 3 is patched correctly. You need the correct version of the 1.3.1 patch. See the FAQ‎.
  2. Make sure that the install path for Doom 3:
    • is in all lowercase (e.g. /usr/local/lib/doom3 is ok, /home/username/MyDoom is not). This is especially important for Linux.

Performance Tweaks

In case you experience slowdowns, see Performance Tweaks.

FAQ

See this article: FAQ (Demo Releases)‎

Ok, I've finished the mission. Now what?

It's probably occurred to some of you eager mappers out there that with Saint Lucia and Dark Radiant (our Dark Mod editor), it is possible to start mapping for The Dark Mod. Although we stripped a number of unnecessary files out of the demo release, it does have a large number of models, textures, and code that can be used as a starting point for mapping.

Feel free to start experimenting now. Although there is no promise that maps made using the demo assets will be 100% compatible with the mod when it is released, it's unlikely there will be any major changes at this point. It's also an excellent way to earn a spot as a beta-mapper with the team, which gives you access to the full mod.

Gallery

  • Title card

    Title card

  • Promotional screenshot

    Promotional screenshot

  • Promotional screenshot

    Promotional screenshot

  • Promotional screenshot

    Promotional screenshot

  • Promotional screenshot

    Promotional screenshot

  • Promotional screenshot

    Promotional screenshot

See also

Current version

Discussions on the demo

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