Crossing Acheron

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Title : CROSSING ACHERON
Author : John W. Anderson (aka Dr. Sleep)
E-mail Address : [email protected];CIS:74002,2157;AOL:DrSleep107

Additional Credits : Rapha‰l Quinet and Brendon J. Wyber for DEU 5.21;
: Colin Reed for BSP v1.1 (can't DEU without it);
: War Machine for endless Deathmatch tests (am I
getting any better?);
: Terry C. Ramey and Sebastian Kirke for BETA critiques
and other witty and useful suggestions (I didn't use
any of 'em <g>);
: Vanni Fucci and his figs;
: And, of course, those id guys. (You and Quinet owe
my wife a BIG apology. But you have MY regards.)

Description : As in my first level -- DANTE'S GATE -- I have tried
in CROSSING ACHERON to achieve a gaming atmosphere
that is not only fast-paced (once the fur starts to
fly), but just plain creepy. Once again, I went for
the aesthetics (you know: The Look); but this time,
I also tried to keep the game from being too
easy. I think once you get inside, you'll find that
CROSSING ACHERON has been fully optimized for
DEATHMATCH. But it's just as enjoyable (if I do say
so myself) in Single-player and Co”perative modes.

CROSSING ACHERON (pronounced 'ak eron) is a sequel
to DANTE'S GATE -- thematically, anyway. (It's an
E1M3 only because I thought the music was more
appropriate than M2.) For any of the two or three
of you out there who have read Dante Alighieri's
THE DIVINE COMEDY -- or even only "Inferno" --
I'm sure you've been able to appreciate the many
allusions to this work in DOOM. I have tried to
take a tack of my own along the same lines. (I do
this not only because I think the idea is neat, but
so that people will think that I'm very clever.)
I'm not so na‹ve as to expect everyone to rush out
and get a copy of "Inferno" (I mean, it IS pretty
tedious stuff, at times), but it's well worth the
read -- and a little patience is a virtue that is
often well-rewarded.

(By the way: Acheron is a river in Hell (basically).
But don't look for any rivers in here: I tried it
several different ways and just wasn't convinced.)

I thank those of you who sent me mail on my previous
effort, and I hope to hear from more of you about
this one. (Just a line would do: "It's great!"
or "It sucks!" or "Now I know what John Cormack
MEANT to do in "Unholy Cathedral.")

Thanks. Hope you like it.

Instructions : Put ACHERON.WAD in your DOOM directory, type
"doom -devparm -file acheron.wad -wart 1 3 -skill <#>"
(Or, to play moderately at first, also put the file
ACHE.BAT in your DOOM directory and type ACHE. And
you'll get one.)

Disclaimer : I assume no responsibility for anything of any sort
in any way, shape, or form -- now, then, henceforeward,
in this life (or the next several) for any screw-ups
or even minor inconveniences this PWAD causes you,
your family, your relatives, friends, ancestors,
associates, employers, pets, neighbors, lovers,
congressional representatives, nor any other person --
living, dead, or undead -- that you have or will ever
have any contact with in even the slightest form.
This PWAD has been tested and tested ad infinitum, so
it shouldn't mess with your computer or anything else
remotely associated with it. But if it DOES, then
that's the way the cookie crumbles. Don't come cryin'
to me. It must be something YOU did. If you don't
like it, lump it. (I ran out of clich‚s.)

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* Play Information *

Episode and Level # : E1M3
Single Player : Yes
Cooperative 2-4 Player : Yes
Deathmatch 2-4 Player : Yes
Difficulty Settings : All
New Sounds : No
New Graphics : No
Demos Replaced : None

* Construction *

Base : New level from scratch
Build Time : A really, really, really long time
Editor(s) used : DEU 5.1, 5.21, and 5.21GCC by Rapha‰l Quinet
& Brendon J. Wyber
DoomED by Renegade Graphics (only to print maps)
Known Bugs : Rush Limbaugh <g> (none that I know of)
Unknown Bugs : How would I know if they're unknown? Please tell me.

* Copyright / Permissions *

Authors MAY NOT use this level as a base to build additional levels. Please.

You MAY distribute this WAD, provided you include this file, with
no modifications. You may distribute this file in any electronic
format (BBS, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include this file
intact.

* Where to get this WAD *

CompuServe, Gamers+ Forum, Library 8 (Action Game Aids).

(This information form was provided as AUTH_WAD.TXT v1.2 with DEU 5.1.)