| Hexen II | |
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| Developer(s) | Raven Software |
| Publisher(s) | id Software |
| Distributor(s) | Activision |
| Composer(s) | Kevin Schilder |
| Engine | Modified Quake engine |
| Version | 1.11 |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Macintosh |
| Release date(s) | Microsoft Windows
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| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | |
Hexen II is a first-person shooter developed by Raven Software from 1996 to 1997, published by id Software and distributed by Activision. It was the third game in the Hexen/Heretic series, and the last in the Serpent Riders trilogy. It was made available on Steam on August 3, 2007.[1] Using a modified Quake engine, it featured single player and multiplayer game modes, as well as four character classes to choose from, each with different abilities. These included the offensive Paladin, the defensive Crusader, the spell-casting Necromancer, and the stealthy Assassin.
Improvements from Hexen and Quake included destructible environments, mounted weapons, and unique level up abilities. Like its predecessor, Hexen II also used a hub system. These hubs were a number of interconnected levels; changes made in one level had effects in another. The Tome of Power artifact made a return from Heretic.
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Thyrion is a world that was enslaved by the Serpent Riders. The two previous games in the series documented the liberation of two other worlds, along with the death of their Serpent Rider overlords. Now, the oldest and most powerful of the three Serpent Rider brothers, Eidolon, must be defeated to free Thyrion. Eidolon is supported by his four generals, themselves a reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. To confront each general, the player has to travel to four different continents, each possessing a distinct theme (Medieval European for Blackmarsh, Mesoamerican for Mazaera, Ancient Egyptian for Thysis, and Greco-Roman for Septimus). Then, finally, the player returns to Blackmarsh in order to confront Eidolon himself.
The gameplay of Hexen II is very similar to that of the original Hexen. Instead of three classes, Hexen II features four: Paladin, Crusader, Assassin, and Necromancer, each with their own unique weapons and play style.
Hexen II also adds certain role-playing video game elements to the mix. Each character has a series of statistics which increase as they gain experience. This then causes the player character to grow in power as his or her HP and Mana increases.
An expansion pack called Hexen II Mission Pack: Portal of Praevus was released in 1998 featuring new levels, new enemies and a new playable character class, The Demoness. It focuses on the attempted resurrection of the three Serpent Riders by the evil wizard Praevus, and takes place in a fifth continent, Tulku, featuring a Sino-Tibetan setting.
The expansion features new quest items, new enemies, and new weapons for the Demoness. She is the only player class to have a ranged starting weapon, whereas all other characters start with melee weapons.
It also introduced minor enhancements to the game engine, mostly related to user interface, level scripts, particle effects (rain or snow), and 3D objects.
Portal of Praevus also features a secret (easter egg) skill level, with respawning monsters. The only released patch for the expansion added respawning of certain items (such as health and ammo) in Nightmare mode, so that it would be slightly easier for playing.
A modification entitled Siege was created and released by Raven Software in 1998 using updated QuakeWorld architecture, aptly dubbed HexenWorld. The production concept was to eliminate a normal deathmatch environment in favor of a teamplay castle siege. The basic premise was to divide the players into two teams—attackers and defenders—with each side either assaulting or protecting the castle respectively. At the end of the time limit, whichever team controlled the crown was declared victorious.
The mod featured appropriate objects used in the single-player portion of the game, namely catapults and ballistae. The classes, however, were drastically altered with new weapons and abilities, reflecting the departure from the normal deathmatch experience presented in HexenWorld.[2]
Hexen II, by way of the Quake engine, uses OpenGL for 3D acceleration. However, due to the prevalence of 3dfx hardware at the time of release, the Windows version of the game installs an OpenGL ICD (opengl32.dll) designed specifically for 3dfx's hardware. This driver acts as a wrapper for the proprietary Glide API, and thus is only compatible with 3dfx hardware. Custom OpenGL drivers were also released by PowerVR and Rendition for running Hexen II with their respective (and also now defunct) products. Removal of the ICD allows the game to use the default OpenGL system library.
http://www.raven-games.com/essential.php Following the tradition from Hexen and Heretic, Raven released the source code to Hexen II in 2000. This time the source was released under the GNU General Public License, allowing source ports to be made to different platforms like Linux and the Dreamcast.[3]
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