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Heretic + HeXen

Armenius

Armenius

Extremely [H]
Joined
Jan 28, 2014
Messages
53,933
Another Nightdive release. Still no sight of Heretic II...

https://www.gog.com/en/game/heretic_hexen

View: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3286930/Heretic__Hexen/

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View: https://youtube.com/watch?v=jnzow2f3Rt4
 
Nice. I'm with you on wishing there was a Heretic 2 remaster. That's the one I never played. I heard it's a PITA to get running on modern systems. I think Hexen 2 at least has a source port.
 
Bop said:
Nice. I'm with you on wishing there was a Heretic 2 remaster. That's the one I never played. I heard it's a PITA to get running on modern systems. I think Hexen 2 at least has a source port.
Click to expand...
HeXen II was a Win95 game and plays fine on Windows 11 without any workarounds. Heretic II is supposed to work fine, too. The Hammer of Thyrion port for HeXen II has some serious graphical issues the original doesn't have, so I refuse to use it.
 
Looks like it got the same kind of Nightdive treatment that Doom/Doom II did...nice.

Was also pleasantly surprised to find that the new version had been added to my library. Looks like there are some pretty lax eligibility requirements, as in...you only need to own one of the previous games on any one of three different platforms in order to get the entire new package for free:

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I saw this about an hour ago and immediately downloaded it on GOG. It was pretty hectic playing a couple of deathmatches in Heretic. I grinned when I hit a few people with the morph ovum and turned them into chickens. I haven't seen that in a long time.

There were way more co-op games being played compared to deathmatches. I tried a co-op session and a few people joined in. It was fun but this is a game where you really would have to use voice chatting to get the most out of it.

I haven't tried either of the new episodes added to these games. I haven't beaten all of the original Heretic episodes yet so I need to do that first. I've beaten both Hexen and Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, so hopefully Vestiges of Grandeur will be fun to play.

Next, I want to see Hexen II and its expansion remastered. Considering that Microsoft owns Activision, Bethesda, id, and Raven, I don't get why Portal of Praevus hasn't been released to Steam or GOG. I would have expected to see that released by now.
 
Cool stuff. I always liked those games.


Worth noting that the original Heretic II had multiplayer, 8 player deathmatch and 2 player co-op.

. .

I made this album awhile ago , for fun, comparing a few elements of Heretic II (1998) to some that showed up in dark souls game themes.


View: https://imgur.com/a/PEX0rW9

. . .

If you like 90's style mage style games like these, you might also like this retro single player one called "Wizordum" (Apogee 2025)


View: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1715590/Wizordum/
 
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elvn said:
Cool stuff. I always liked those games.


Worth noting that the original Heretic II had multiplayer, 8 player deathmatch and 2 player co-op.

. .

I made this album awhile ago , for fun, comparing a few elements of Heretic II (1998) to some that showed up in dark souls game themes.


View: https://imgur.com/a/PEX0rW9

. . .

If you like 90's style mage style games like these, you might also like this retro single player one called "Wizordum" (Apogee 2025)


View: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1715590/Wizordum/
Click to expand...

https://hardforum.com/threads/wizordum.2041228/
 
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Anyone know what the difference between original and "enhanced" game balance is? I can't find anything about it.
 
Armenius said:
Anyone know what the difference between original and "enhanced" game balance is? I can't find anything about it.
Click to expand...

This is what google's AI search generated when I asked:

  • Game Balance Toggle:
    The toggle allows players to switch between the original game's balance and the enhanced balance, which might include adjustments to enemy AI, weapon behavior, or item placement.

. . .

The enhanced version of Heretic + Hexen includes a "game balance toggle" that allows players to switch between the original gameplay and a modified, enhanced version. This toggle ensures that players who prefer the original experience can still access it while others can enjoy the new enhancements.



This video gives a detailed overview of the enhancements and changes in the new Heretic + Hexen release:
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  • Enhanced Features:
    The enhanced version includes features like 4K resolution support, widescreen display, up to 120 FPS, modern controls, and more.

  • Game Balance Toggle:
    The toggle allows players to switch between the original game's balance and the enhanced balance, which might include adjustments to enemy AI, weapon behavior, or item placement.

  • New Content:
    The remastered version also includes new content, such as two new episodes ("Heretic: Faith Renewed" and "Hexen: Vestiges of Grandeur") and a "Vault" containing concept art and assets from the original games, according to Yahoo! Tech and Windows Central.

  • Community Engagement:
    The enhanced version also supports community-published mods and includes online cross-platform multiplayer, according to TweakTown and Windows Central.

  • Accessibility:
    The enhanced release also features improved accessibility options, such as better legibility, contrast and FX adjustments, and text-to-speech features.
Click to expand...
 
Heretic was floppy disk IIRC. i think i still have a hexen cd, ill have to check.
 
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I have HeXen on CD, I never owned a box copy of Heretic.

Okay, figured out what enhanced balance is in HeXen, but not sure about Heretic. Heretic feels a little easier on skill 4 with the enhanced monsters, and some enemies I know didn't die from a concentrated hit from the Etheral Crossbow do now.

In HeXen the Crusader gets a shield to use with the mace, but it's pretty useless. The ice shards spell for the Mage is a lot more effective when the projectiles spawn rather than getting right up in the enemy's face like the original. Chaos Serpents can freeze from a single concentrated shot of the ice shards now, so it's a lot more effective. The hub now has a tome you can interact with that allows you to switch classes, and you also pick up each class's weapons through the levels. Despite what the description says, it seemed to me that Centaurs still use their shield as much as before, but maybe they don't keep it up as long? The map now marks where you need to go next to progress the hub with that option enabled. It's definitely interesting playing the game with all these changes.

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I remember Hexen on my Cyrix P166+ win95 machine.... along with 'expansion' deathkings, this was leading edge stuff! Played through twice until I got Warcraft II. Some of the best map designs... traps, secrets, loved it.
 
I remember buying this as a teenager at Best Buy (I'm pretty sure with Ozzy Osbourne - Ozzmosis CD). I have some boxes of old ass games in my basement but I have no idea what happened to the disks/discs.

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I remember the very early Linux versions.

SDL was developed partially for these IIRC.
 
I had to look where the heck the enhancement settings were. You need to press tab when you're selecting difficulty when you start a new game. Hope that helps anyone that's curious. Enhancements are on by default.
 
I am not sure why this needs to exist? what am I misssing from any other version I have?
 
Bigbacon said:
I am not sure why this needs to exist? what am I misssing from any other version I have?
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Why not? It's free if you own either original on GOG or Steam. Hulshult 's soundtrack also makes everything better.
 

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pANcjjPnzgw

They bring up Heretic 2 a few times so they're definitely aware of its absence. The first two games were apparently a simple project after the Doom 1 + Doom 2 release. I'd forgotten that the rights were all tangled up until the MS buyout of Activision. At one point it's mentioned that Nightdive wants to move on to games made after Quake 2.
 
Bop said:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pANcjjPnzgw

They bring up Heretic 2 a few times so they're definitely aware of its absence. The first two games were apparently a simple project after the Doom 1 + Doom 2 release. I'd forgotten that the rights were all tangled up until the MS buyout of Activision. At one point it's mentioned that Nightdive wants to move on to games made after Quake 2.
Click to expand...

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so i tried it an honestly, I hate the re-done music. it is awful. it made me stop playing it.

and if any of the above could get remastered like they did System Shock 2, I'd buy immediately.
 
Bigbacon said:
so i tried it an honestly, I hate the re-done music. it is awful. it made me stop playing it.

and if any of the above could get remastered like they did System Shock 2, I'd buy immediately.
Click to expand...
You can turn the original MIDI soundtrack on.
 
Bigbacon said:
so i tried it an honestly, I hate the re-done music. it is awful. it made me stop playing it.

and if any of the above could get remastered like they did System Shock 2, I'd buy immediately.
Click to expand...
I play the game with the Adlib soundtrack. I think that's how most old DOS games should sound. MIDI just doesn't sound as good to me.
 
I played these back in the mid 90's, but after playing some quality games (AA & AAA) it's hard to go back to these unless they were completely redone with better graphics.
 
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I didn't know until I saw Civvie point it out that you can parry attacks with the Cleric's shield and reposte to one hit some common enemies like centaurs and ettins. That makes it much more useful than originally thought.
 
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Armenius said:
I didn't know until I saw Civvie point it out that you can parry attacks with the Cleric's shield and reposte to one hit some common enemies like centaurs and ettins. That makes it much more useful than originally thought.
Click to expand...
Yra his review was the only reason i knew they had the menu to turn off the new stuff
 
Armenius said:
I didn't know until I saw Civvie point it out that you can parry attacks with the Cleric's shield and reposte to one hit some common enemies like centaurs and ettins. That makes it much more useful than originally thought.
Click to expand...
I wish I had know that before finishing Deathkings of the Dark Citadel. So many respawning centaurs. I was using the Cleric's poison flasks to take them out and it was such a time waster. Never played that expansion back in the day and I was not impressed by the end. Vestiges of Grandeur seems to be much better so far.
 
I finished the new Heretic episode yesterday on the 2nd to hardest difficulty. Overall it was very good. Large maps that were pretty well laid out. Only one map had a strange backtrack to a switch that I actually had to look up a walkthrough for because it was not done well. They don't go minotaur or giant skull dude heavy which is nice.

New enemies are kinda meh, except that rushing ogre thing.

Mummies are just worse golems with a non-homing attack. they die so easy. Not really a threat.
Serpent is more or less broken. Its fireballs go right over your head if you are on the same plane as them and they don't seem to be able to fire them up or down at you at all.
the ogre thing is pretty dangerous if you get in tight spaces and lose track of the map around you. they can pin you against things pretty easily and its either you or them who need to die. Chaos device saved me a few times from them.

Trying it again on the hardest difficulty but its way harder than the original 4 episodes.

I did notice a few differences in this vs the original that are both good and bad and I don't think t hey were meant to be like this. A lot of the weapons now have like a max range where they just won't hit things now. I noticed with with the wand. it would just hit WAY above a target after it was a certain distance away. this made things more difficult actually. the #4 weapon also seems stronger now, it seems to take out certain enemies way faster than it used to. I need to go back into the base game and see if that it true or not.
 
Bigbacon said:
I finished the new Heretic episode yesterday on the 2nd to hardest difficulty. Overall it was very good. Large maps that were pretty well laid out. Only one map had a strange backtrack to a switch that I actually had to look up a walkthrough for because it was not done well. They don't go minotaur or giant skull dude heavy which is nice.

New enemies are kinda meh, except that rushing ogre thing.

Mummies are just worse golems with a non-homing attack. they die so easy. Not really a threat.
Serpent is more or less broken. Its fireballs go right over your head if you are on the same plane as them and they don't seem to be able to fire them up or down at you at all.
the ogre thing is pretty dangerous if you get in tight spaces and lose track of the map around you. they can pin you against things pretty easily and its either you or them who need to die. Chaos device saved me a few times from them.

Trying it again on the hardest difficulty but its way harder than the original 4 episodes.

I did notice a few differences in this vs the original that are both good and bad and I don't think t hey were meant to be like this. A lot of the weapons now have like a max range where they just won't hit things now. I noticed with with the wand. it would just hit WAY above a target after it was a certain distance away. this made things more difficult actually. the #4 weapon also seems stronger now, it seems to take out certain enemies way faster than it used to. I need to go back into the base game and see if that it true or not.
Click to expand...
The Ethereal Crossbow (weapon 3) is also stronger, but shoots slower with the weapon rebalance turned on.
 
This game has received its first update. From the Bethesda website:

Update 1 introduces a variety of new features, gameplay changes, fixes, and modding improvements and is available on all platforms

🆕 Note to players in South Korea: Heretic + Hexen is now available on your regional Xbox and PlayStation digital stores and will soon follow on the Nintendo eShop
Click to expand...

✨New Features​

  • Heretic: Added original game's Firemace placement randomization (albeit with 100% spawn chance instead of the original's 75%)
  • Added option to disable cutscene subtitles in Accessibility menu
  • Added option to restore original two-button press behavior when selecting inventory items
  • Added option to restore original behavior where flying forward or backward will keep you at the same height, regardless of looking up or down
  • Added option to disable weapon animation smoothing
  • Added 'look up', 'look down', and 'center view' key bindings
  • Allow use of more buttons to advance through intermission text screens
  • Gameplay Modifiers menu is now accessible from episode and player class screens, instead of just difficulty selection

🔀Changes​

  • Hexen: Buffed Bloodscourge damage and adjusted autoaim behavior to work better with large crowds of enemies
  • Hexen: Slightly increased attack speed of Timon's Axe
  • Hexen: Decreased Quietus mana usage from 14 of each type to 10
  • Hexen: Slightly increased Wraithverge mana usage from 18 to 20
  • Hexen: Improved smoothness of weapon attack animations for the weapons: Timon's Axe, Hammer of Retribution, Mace of Contrition, Wraithverge, Sapphire Wand, and Bloodscourge
  • Improved smoothness of weapon raise and lower animations
  • Disable menu ambience if music soundtrack is set to None

🧑‍🏭Fixes​

  • Automap now scrolls at a consistent speed regardless of screen resolution
  • Automap now zooms more quickly when using a mouse wheel
  • Strafe left and right keys will now cancel each other out to match original game behavior
  • Monsters can no longer be pushed off ledges by player weapon attacks
  • Triggers can no longer be skipped in certain circumstances when sliding along walls
  • Enemy missiles will no longer fire slightly downward, preventing incorrectly exploding on certain windowsills
  • Monster melee attacks no longer have infinite height
  • Multiplayer scoreboards will no longer show zeroed out stats in certain cases
  • Fixed cases where disabling viewbob would cause weapon sprites to offset incorrectly
  • Locked door messages will no longer print if door is activated from back side
  • Fixed strafe modifier key not working for mouse or controller movement
  • Fixed missing accented glyphs in supported languages when using Classic typeface
  • Prevented messages at the top of the screen from being stuck after loading certain save games
  • Heretic: The Chaos Serpent in Faith Renewed will no longer shoot fireballs over the player’s head
  • Heretic: Gauntlets will no longer push enemies backward
  • Heretic: Fixed status bar not redrawing correctly on level transition if crossfade option is disabled
  • Heretic: Shadowspheres will now correctly penalize enemy aiming at the player
  • Heretic: Fix black box on Firemace sprite
  • Hexen: Fixed cases where weapon sprites for certain melee weapons (e.g. Cleric Mace) would occasionally jitter
  • Hexen: Fixed explosions having infinite height
  • Hexen: Messages for switch sequences in Deathkings will now print properly

🗺️🔀🧑‍🏭Level Changes & Fixes​

  • Heretic: Fixed inconsistent blood floor texture behavior; blood floors will no longer deal damage)
  • Heretic: Fixed inconsistencies between types of locked door textures to be consistent with original game
  • Heretic: E1M6: Fixed an instance of overlapping monsters on Hard difficulty
  • Heretic: E2M1: Removed a few Weredragons in singleplayer, for a bit less grind
  • Heretic: E2M2: Remove mid-air floating stalactite
  • Heretic: E2M5: Fixed non-damaging lava sector around yellow key
  • Heretic: E2M7: Remove unreachable enemies from disabled green key track on easier difficulty modes
  • Heretic: E3M5: Fixed gargoyles getting randomly stuck on hanging corpses
  • Heretic: E3M6: Remove out-of-bounds Quartz Flask which caused 100% items being unobtainable
  • Heretic: E4M2: Fixed softlock caused by skipping triggers for lowering the yellow key pyramid
  • Heretic: E5M1: Fixed unobtainable secrets; add additional Tome of Power to maze area
  • Heretic: E5M2: Fixed missing texture on waterfall steps after blue door
  • Heretic: E5M3: "Pod-walk" and "Barrel-walk" sections are no longer required to reach the non-secret exit
  • Heretic: E5M5: Fixed unobtainable secrets
  • Heretic: E5M6: Fixed sky-pillar cutoff when viewing the starting area from the secret ledge outdoors
  • Faith Renewed: E5M1: Fixed unobtainable secret
  • Faith Renewed: E1M3: Fixed softlock caused by progressing beyond the green doors without a green key
  • Faith Renewed: E1M6: Fixed non-lava damaging floor sector
  • Faith Renewed: E1M7: Fixed unintended skip to yellow key and softlock caused by leaping into firepits near start
  • Faith Renewed: E1M9: Fixed being able to escape beyond the playable bounds of the map in certain areas
  • Vestiges of Grandeur: Serpent Temple: Fixed portals to Garden of Medea and Korax's Domain only being usable one time
  • Vestiges of Grandeur: Korax's Domain: Fixed softlock when choosing incorrectly for the final puzzle switch
  • Vestiges of Grandeur: Korax's Domain: Fixed co-op shortcut teleporter only being usable one time
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

🪟Microsoft Store​

✨New Features​

  • Added support for using the Windows virtual keyboard for text inputs

🔀Changes​

  • Removed option for exclusive fullscreen to fix some issues with Game Bar overlays and to allow virtual keyboard to work
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

🛠️🔀Modding Changes​

  • Added warning that the mod uploader is not available when using a controller
  • Heretic: Added a new non-randomized Firemace actor that can be placed in custom maps
  • Heretic: Resolved issue where wand start option was not available when launching Heretic mods
  • Heretic: Removed ambient sound limit
  • Heretic: Removed D'Sparil boss teleport spot limit
  • Heretic: Sector type 4 will now visually scroll again
  • Added WF_AUTOAIMFARTHEST flag for weapons; instructs weapon to priortize the furthest available target for autoaim, rather than the nearest
  • Added A_MStaffAttackEX (customizable Bloodscourge attack) codepointer
  • Fix issue when setting playerclass flags in EXDEFS
  • A_RadiusDamage now has flags for customizing behavior
  • Added 'endpalette' and 'enddemon' UMAPINFO keys, allowing arbitrary maps to use finales for Heretic Episodes 2 and 3
  • Fix crash when loading certain old mods that utilize custom textures
  • Updated order of graphic lumps in IWADs to match the originals, to fix potential HUD display issues in community source ports
  • Moved UMAPINFO lump for Heretic to heretic_ex.wad, for better compatibility with community source ports
  • Only evaluate the -warp commandline option on first launch, not when switching games in the game selection screen
 
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