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Chapter II: The Dream of Blood


ATTENTION!

This map is now available as part of a larger, updated and enhanced Campaign file. The campaign includes the conclusion to this epic, so it is strongly recommended you play the Campaign instead of this slightly outdated version of the standalone Chapter.

You can find the campaign on Hiveworkshop here:
http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/maps-564/bitter-end-202289/


To the Bitter End
Chapter II: The Dream of Blood
Version: 0.7.05
(Beta release)

Single Player Action RPG/Campaign

Soul Reaver escapes Greyholm prison to emerge into something that may be even worse. An expanse of poisoned forest lies before him, and the smell of death is on the wind. Yet he can sense the spirit of one of his companions nearby. There can be no going back....

********


Map description:
----------------

Take control of Soul Reaver and traverse these blasted lands in search of your lost companion, as part of your greater quest take your revenge upon the evil sorcerer, Morganem.


Installation instructions:
--------------------------

Put the .w3x file into a folder named "To the Bitter End" (without quotation marks, obviously) in your Warcraft III "maps" folder.
You can play the game by starting The Frozen Throne, then selecting 'Single Player', 'Custom Game', and then navigating to the map and selecting it.
It helps to have your video settings for Warcraft III set to high quality, or some custom skins in some of the campaign might look a little... weird.


Difficulty:
-----------

To the Bitter End is supposed to be very difficult. However, for those finding it simply too tough, as of version 0.7.04, I have added in variable difficulty levels. Once in-game, press Enter to bring up the chat window, then type in "easy", "medium" or "hard" (without quotation marks) to change the difficulty of the current Chapter. The default difficulty is "hard". Note that the only thing this modifies is the HP of enemy units, and enemy hero units are less affected than normal units are.

Remember though: real heroes play on hard!


Other Notes:
------------

For further info and an extensive manual, check the 'official site' at www.familykrieg.com/tothebitterend

This is the second of a series beta releases, it is suggested you play this one after Chapter I: Dark Dawn and before Chapter III: Juggernaut.

The other releases in the series thus far are:
Chapter I: Dark Dawn
Chapter III: Juggernaut
Chapter IV: Heart of Ice
Chapter V: Reunion
Chapter VI: Harbingers of War
Chapter VII: Grim Harvest
They can all be found at the official site at http://www.familykrieg.com/tothebitterend/.

To check the version number of any of your TTBE maps, type "version" (without quotation marks) into the chat text in-game and it will display (or if nothing displays, then your version is definitely out-of-date). The newest versions are always available on the official site.

Although I am solely responsible for creating this map, the central characters featured in this campaign, as well as the Multiverse in which it is set, were envisaged by the writers at The Administorum (http://theadministorum.yuku.com/) and its newest incarnation, the Administorum 2.0 (http://nerdramblingz.com/starforums/index.php).

This was my first serious attempt at a campaign map, and my first release. I was going to wait until I had completed the campaign in its entirety before releasing anything, but at the request of one of my Administorum friends, I decided to release the completed Chapters here. Since the campaign itself not complete, this classifies the maps as beta releases. Unfortunately, with all my current commitments, it may be some time before I get all the maps done.


Some known bugs or issues (with suggested workarounds):
-------------------------------------------------------

- Does not automatically start Chapter III on completion (Workaround: start it manually - your characters from The Dream of Blood should transfer into it fine.)
- Some of the characters' textures look strange. (Solution: set the texture quality in the video settings to the highest available setting).
- The map does not appear in the map list in Warcraft III. (Solution: the cause of this is not certain, and I have not been able to reproduce the problem myself. Try renaming the file, moving it to a different folder, or re-downloading it.)


A word on cinematics:
---------------------

- It is possible to skip any of the cinematics, just press ESC.
- One 'bug' that occurs if you skip the cinematics is that any items or abilities that might have 'cooled down' and become available over the course of the cinematic will now not do this. This means that if you want to use those items/abilities often, you may have to wait around more... and if there's a timer counting down while you wait, that might not be advisable. This isn't a major thing, but it does mean that the game might be more difficult if you skip the cinematics.
- You are advised to watch the cinematics at least once. They will often give you instructions as to what to do next and offer clues as to what to expect. Making sense of the game plot without them would be pretty difficult.
- If you want to be sure to experience the game how it was meant to be played, then don't skip the cinematics. That's how I planned the level out and how I spent the most time testing it.


Hints/Notes:
------------

- You can play this map even if you haven't completed Dark Dawn. You'll start with a hero with an appropriate Experience level and unused skill points that you can spend as you see fit. But only Morganem's lackeys would play Chapter II without completing Dark Dawn first, and surely you aren't one of them?
- Use your quest log if unsure of what to do next... that's what it's there for.
- Read the tooltips if you want to know what an ability or item does. In fact, this is strongly recommended.
- Your items are re-usable. However, they have long cooldown times. Save them for when you need them, and then unleash hell.
- Your items are powerful, but don't underestimate your abilities. Especially your ultimates.
- Sphere of Annihilation is appropriately named, because it will pretty much obliterate ANYTHING in the target area. That includes things you might prefer to keep un-obliterated, such as yourself.
- Some foes may be smart enough to avoid the effects of some of your items.
- When you gain a level but your skill points don't seem to have increased... well, it's probably because your 'basic' skill has levelled up automatically. Don't worry, it's a point well spent.
- You will not reach your maximum experience level in Chapter II. Obviously.
- Your quest is likely to be quite tough. SAVE OFTEN.
- Don't expect to find Raziel from the Legacy of Kain series in this game. I've been using the name Soul Reaver for my RPG alter-ego since long before even the first Blood Omen came out. The Soul Reaver in this map is an original character.


Storyline FAQ:
--------------

Q: What is an 'Ancient Vampire Lord' exactly?
A: This is more or less self-explanatory - it's an extremely ancient vampire, amongst the first of their kind. Their powers have had a looong time to develop. As a result, they are greatly respected - or feared - by their younger, weaker kin.

Q: Wait, wasn't there once a character called 'Clutchfiend'? Why is he called 'Cameron Aileron' now?
A: Ah, retcons, the bane of my existence. The guy who invented the character of Clutchfiend recently retconned his background (and name). Since I liked the changes he made though, I incorporated them into To the Bitter End. Thus, all references to 'Clutchfiend' have been changed to 'Cameron Aileron' from version 0.7.04 onwards.

Q: What's the name of that cool song you used for this map?
A: "The Becoming", by "Nine Inch Nails". Buy the album, it's worth it.


Special Thanks/Credits:
-----------------------

- Me, for being insane enough to make this all by myself.
- Cameron, Kitharsis, Fei and all the other writers, past, present and future, at The Administorum. That place wouldn't be what it is without you guys.
- Larc for helping me with some weapon models. You were quick, efficient and extremely helpful in resolving a major map issue. Thank you!
- Thanks to all the folks at The War Center map making forums (http://www.thewarcenter.com/forums/index.php?showforum=11) for helping me in my early days and inspiring me to keep trying. Special thanks to 1)ragonspawn for helping teach me how to deal with memory leaks.
- Everyone who submits their custom abilities and spells freely for use at www.wc3campaigns.net. You helped teach me how to do this stuff and provided a lot of inspiration.
- Warnicro from war3.incgamers.com. You put a lot of work into getting my map links working and then even put them up as featured maps, not to mention all the other help and comments you've been prepared to offer. I really appreciate all your efforts.
- Filefront for offering me the chance to host my maps there.
- NIN for creating the music I used. I don't claim to have written this myself.
- Everyone who play-tested the maps and gave me feedback. Thank you for taking the time to play.
- All the fans. It means very much to me to know that you enjoy my work.
- Everyone who gives me constructive feedback or takes an interest here. Thank you in advance.


Screenshots:
------------

120812-albums4231-picture40051.jpg

120812-albums4231-picture40052.jpg

120812-albums4231-picture40053.jpg


******

Tell me what you think! E-mail me ([email protected]) if you have comments or questions about 'The Dream of Blood', the 'To the Bitter End' campaign, the Multiverse, or Soul Reaver.

******

Please do not redistribute or modify these files without my permission. These map files are not to be sold for profit.

Keywords:
Action, RPG, Single Player, SP, To the Bitter End, Multiverse, Soul Reaver, Fei Serumen, Cameron Aileron, Kitharsis, Sera Poi, Morganem
Contents

Chapter II: The Dream of Blood (Map)

Level 14
Joined
Jul 15, 2005
Messages
351
Here is Chapter II of the 'To the Bitter End' campaign. Make sure you play Chapter I: Dark Dawn first, and read the .txt file!

Finally, I must warn players - Chapter III: Juggernaut will not be ready for some time yet. Although Chapter I and Chapter II are basically complete and playable, the campaign as a whole is not finished. You'll have to wait it out before Chapter III is good to go... although once it is, I'll be sure to post it here too.

Edit: Since Chapter I: Dark Dawn has undergone a revamp, I will work on a newer version of this map too. The newer version will include skippable cinematics, a new button for Master of Battle, and a slight balance change. This will likely take a few days, so stay tuned.
 
Level 2
Joined
Oct 31, 2004
Messages
19
This is a great follow up from the first campaign, Chapter 1. :D

Very Difficult as well, but you put plenty of time on the clock before the army shows up.

After finally obtaining Fei Serumen, it kind of spoils you. Going through the whole game with 1 character and a few backups from chapter 1 made it very challenging. Enter in Hero #2 and its Nigh unstoppable!

The Celerity Power has to be the Coolest Special Attack i've seen in a campaign. I wonder what its like when leveled up!

And the Blood Corruption spell was cleverly thought up. A combination Power between using the sword and the final power makes for a devistating attack.

Just as Good as the first one, if not better. Chalked full of content and the spells are fun to use. When the character levels up you get a great feeling that he's gained much more power. Thats a good thing.

Looking forward to the 3rd one, and hopefully a new character to play as in this RPG.
 
Level 14
Joined
Jul 15, 2005
Messages
351
kumoblade: Thanks for all the praise! Oh, and the countdown timer isn't really meant to present a challenge - it's just there to make sure people don't waste massive amounts of time by being 'cheap' and waiting for their ultimates to recharge before every single battle. As for Chapter III... until it's done, my lips are sealed.

Edit: BUGFIX! The Celerity ability was apparently buggy, and sometimes wouldn't create the requisite number of images. This has now been addressed. This does not however count as the 'official' update... that one is still to come.

Edit: Finally, the Big Update is done. Cinematics are now skippable, and both the Master of Battle and Iron Will skills have buttons that reflect that they are passive and autocast skills, respectively. In terms of balance changes, the Ultimate Grace ability has been weakened slightly, while Celerity has been made more powerful. There are also various small bugfixes and the like that don't really need individual explanation. Enjoy!

Edit: Yet another update. Most of this stuff was in preparation for later chapters. However, a lot of significant balance changes have been made to the main characters and their skills, and there's now a new custom button for the Darkbolt Barrage skill. A number of other small changes have also been made, but they aren't all that important.
 
Level 14
Joined
Jul 15, 2005
Messages
351
Major news! Chapter III: Juggernaut is now complete!

Along with the release of Chapter III, this map has also been updated, with a few aesthetic changes including some new buttons, some balance fixes, and improvements to some skill triggers.

Make sure you download the other maps in this campaign:
http://www.wc3sear.ch/index.php?p=Maps&ID=5678 - Chapter I: Dark Dawn
http://www.wc3sear.ch/index.php?p=Maps&ID=6362 - Chapter III: Juggernaut

Please leave some comments - I would like to hear what people think about my maps.

Edit: Like Chapter I, a new version of Chapter II has been uploaded. The new version has only minor visible alterations, but the triggers have hopefully been made a lot more memory efficient.

Because a major revamp of the triggers was required to do this, it is possible that some bugs may have crept in despite my playtesting the map. If any of you see anything odd happening, please let me know.

Edit: Another update, including some small bugfixes and eliminating a possible exploit.
 
Level 22
Joined
Jan 10, 2005
Messages
3,426
Very nice map. Terrain is very good and variated. Nice soundtrack and very cool spells, but I found some bugs:
1) When u use mirror Image at the locked gate with the demonhunter and one image comes at the other side, a cinematic starts.
2) If u use that ulti attack - with 1200 dmg or sumthing that also kills allies - when the necromancer is almost dead and changes into a skeleton (Dunno what happens... went 2 fast) the skeleton dies in one time and thats very easy. The demon hunter dies 2 but U still have a victory (Because the demonhunter has a longer death animation and so the necromancer 'dies' earlier)

PS: I dont remember all those names so I use the unit names :p
 
Level 14
Joined
Jul 15, 2005
Messages
351
Cool, thanks Ramza. I actually found and fixed the problem with the Celerity images appearing on the other side of the gate in my most recent update - now the cinematic won't start and the mirror image won't be able to move 'past' the gate anyway before you finish the quest called 'The Tide'.

The other problem I hadn't actually thought of. I'll see if I can think of a solution for it. Thanks a lot for reporting these glitches!

By the way, he didn't turn into a skeleton - he summoned it. It's one of his Ultimates. ;)

Edit: The bug below is fixed, plus another one that, under circumstances, could cause an ability to do some strange things that could get you stuck.
 
Level 22
Joined
Jan 10, 2005
Messages
3,426
Glad I could help :)
Maybe I know a solution for the victory bug,
events: unit casts a spell
conditions: spell equal to hat 1200 dmg spell
actions:
wait 0.5 sec
if, then, else multiple functions
if conditions: and - multiple conditions:
The necro is dead equal to true
The demonhunter is dead equal to true
then actions: game - defeat
else actions: game - victory

Dunno for sure if this will work.
 
Level 14
Joined
Jul 15, 2005
Messages
351
UPDATE: There's an official site now, which includes tons of stuff including a huge manual with background on the setting and characters! Check www.familykrieg.com/tothebitterend/ Note that the site's bandwidth is limited but I'm not sure HOW limited, so please don't download from it unless necessary or I will have to take the downloads down.

Hello again Ramza. Thanks for the suggestion, but as you can see in the edit below, I've already fixed it. I just added a few conditions to the victory trigger and changed the death time for the necromancer. I tested it two or three times and it worked how it should every time. :)

Thanks again!

Edit: New update. Includes numerous bug fixes, enhancements to the Celerity and Blooddrinker Possession abilities, and balance fixes that improve the Celerity ability and the Abyssal Mass. The Abyssal Mass has had its armor improved but its Permanent Invisibility removed - the invisibility was actually more a hindrance than a help, since it prevented the Abyssal Mass from using its damage aura as effectively as it was supposed to.

Edit: The map has been updated! The newest version features various bugfixes and skill balance changes, as well as a really stylish new loading screen! As well as improvements to the Lightning Storm skill, the Blood Plague skill has also undergone major improvements, the Abyssal Mass has gained a useful new passive ability (but costs slightly more to summon) and the 'Fei dying but game not ending bug' at the end of the chapter has hopefully been stamped out.
 
Level 5
Joined
May 9, 2006
Messages
162
Soul Reaver Make friendship with Sound Forge or upload light version without music. Map size is 96*96 and the weight is 7,6 mb!!! :evil: If you have ADSL the others ain't guilty. Don't be evil genius!
 
Level 5
Joined
May 9, 2006
Messages
162
Terrain is very good and variated
Really? Did you see somewhere a forest where trees grow straightly in line? No? Me too. I know: this is another world and blah blah blah, but a bit of realism is what you need in your terrain.
 
Level 9
Joined
Sep 2, 2006
Messages
264
One thing down to say though...

Why does Fei have Strength as main attribute? I would have set it to Agility - as it has the most point in that attribute.

And one more... the icons of the 2 items Fei is carrying are too dark.
The blades are not that visible... the glows could have been more visible...

GJ, nevertheless!
 
Level 14
Joined
Jul 15, 2005
Messages
351
asam3: You're not supposed to kill Fei - he's an old friend of yours, so killing him isn't your mission - just reducing him to low enough health. If his health is very low, try to finish him off 'gently' with a spell (like Lightning Storm or Darkbolt Barrage) to avoid accidentally killing him.

Spo: These both require some custom maps settings, mostly laid out in the triggers. The World Editor lets you do all that stuff, but it's pretty difficult to cover such a large topic here. Your best bet is just to experiment with the Editor and look up some tutorials online - that's how I learned all this stuff.
 
Level 6
Joined
Feb 23, 2008
Messages
303
asam3: You're not supposed to kill Fei - he's an old friend of yours, so killing him isn't your mission - just reducing him to low enough health. If his health is very low, try to finish him off 'gently' with a spell (like Lightning Storm or Darkbolt Barrage) to avoid accidentally killing him.

Spo: These both require some custom maps settings, mostly laid out in the triggers. The World Editor lets you do all that stuff, but it's pretty difficult to cover such a large topic here. Your best bet is just to experiment with the Editor and look up some tutorials online - that's how I learned all this stuff.

that's what happened, i used a skill or something then he lost all his health. it was 1/4 something then he died. after the cutscene ended, it said you killed fei or fei died...
 
Level 14
Joined
Jul 15, 2005
Messages
351
that's what happened, i used a skill or something then he lost all his health. it was 1/4 something then he died. after the cutscene ended, it said you killed fei or fei died...

Maybe you were using a cheat code? Or hit him with a critical hit while using Blooddrinker at the same time? None of your skills at this point should be able to do enough damage to kill him in 1 shot (except maybe Sphere of Annihilation, but Soul Reaver won't use that during battle against him)...
 
Level 6
Joined
Feb 23, 2008
Messages
303
Maybe you were using a cheat code? Or hit him with a critical hit while using Blooddrinker at the same time? None of your skills at this point should be able to do enough damage to kill him in 1 shot (except maybe Sphere of Annihilation, but Soul Reaver won't use that during battle against him)...

i can't remember. all i can remember was a cutscene occured while we were fighting when he was almost dead, then he died after the cutscene.
 
Level 14
Joined
Jul 15, 2005
Messages
351
i can't remember. all i can remember was a cutscene occured while we were fighting when he was almost dead, then he died after the cutscene.

Could it be you were playing an older version of Chapter II? There was once a bug that could cause Fei to die if you cast Summon Daemons during his battle with him, but that was fixed quite some time ago... the version up here at the moment doesn't have that bug anymore.
 
Level 6
Joined
Feb 23, 2008
Messages
303
oh, ok. i just got the map on a map pack, and then i saw the chapters here. will download it now.
 
Level 1
Joined
Jul 1, 2015
Messages
1
i downloaded the first chapter and i played it
but when i downloaded the second chapter and put it in the same folder as the first chapter the game didnt find it , so i downloaded it again and i cant find it in warcraft
what should i do ?
help pls
 
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