PreSenT PaST

Version 1.01
An ELM Production
Level mapped by SteelTalon
Music composed and sampled by Michiel van den Bos (botmca#10/botpck10 from the original Unreal Tournament)

Table of Contents

I.   Background Information
	 A. Storyline
	 B. Opening Comments
II.   Installation
	 A. Instructions
	 B. Troubleshooting
III.  Version History/Revision
IV.    Known Issues/Bugs
V.   Parting Comments
VI.  Screenshots
VII. Copyright Notice, etc.
	 A. Copyrights
	 B. Distribution Notice

I: Background Information

Storyline

After the triumphant defeat of Devan Shell, you and your buddies decide to celebrate with a gargantuan party. On the way there, your spaceship gets caught in what you think must have been a time rift, and "KAPLUNK!", you find yourself back in Colonius, of all places. A storybook situation, yes, but it happened nonetheless and you had to do something. You happen upon what seems like a bustling, advanced metropolis atop a hill, until you discovered to your surprise that all of the buildings were deserted, dilapidated or not. Where were all the townspeople? Could it be, that when you innocently mowed down all those baddies earlier, you were really committing genocide? Killing off a whole race of beings for the rest of existance? All the time you simply believed you were purging evil. But you lacked to anticipate if any of the "baddies" were rebels, or merely people under some sort of spell. Devan did have some strange powers. You simply assumed they were mindless idiots that had nothing better to do than just walk around until you killed them. Even though they were "baddies", the issue still weighed heavily on your mind. Your friends salvaged two flags from some of the buildings nearby and asked you if you were up for a game of capture the flag, in an attempt to break you out of your solemn serendipity. You responded that you did want to play, if anything to get your mind off of what you possibly could have done. In the back of your mind, you were also worried about how and why you were here, and more prudently how to get out of here, but hopefully all of those thoughts would get pushed out of your head for the time being.
Your friends roped off a particularly difficult to traverse section of the city and even a bit of the complex sewer system for the game. Unawaringly, you ventured forth, not knowing that not only were you in for the capture the flag game of your life, but that your fate was not yet sealed...

Opening Comments

Well, well. It's about time the co-founder of ELM did something. ELM has been producing top-notch titles like Happy CTF for years (Has it been years? My God...) and ironically its leader has not done a single thing since founding ELM except for perhaps bossing other members around. ;P
This is a CTF level designed for the hardcore CTF fans, and dedicated to my old clan, the Black Wolves. It's got extra-long routes, tough to attack and defend bases, perfect balance, and a whole lot of secrets; perfect Black Wolf territory! And in total Black Wolf fashion there are plenty of secrets. ;) This is not for the weak of heart! ;P
Also, I must add that I am extremely sorry that this isn't what it could have been. I have legitimate excuses, but I liken to think that a quote-sounding phrase coming from experience summarizes it best: "out of ambition comes mediocrity". Anyway, this is my way to "thank" the community for all the l33tness they've been and are. This is my first ELM level and likely my last, so savor the moment! ;P

II: Installation

Instructions

Just unzip into the root of your Jazz directory with "Use Directory Names" and "Extract All" checked. This readme will be installed into the Jazz2\Readme directory (you may have an older one in your Jazz2 directory, you can delete that if that is the case). Too bad life can't be this simple, huh? =)

Troubleshooting

Make sure you have the latest version of PreSenT PaST by "Overwriting File Names" (click "Yes to All" when they ask you to overwrite any files).

III: Version History/Revision

1.01 - Obscure Patch Release!
Added: Nothing
Fixed: A rare disappearing tile bug - corner tiles in the sewer in multiplayer (it could be a memory limitation error, as I was getting amnesia errors spontanenously and this is a 15k level), a Spaz start position that needed echo and needed to be a Red MP Start, a text string that was cut off, a bug where you could get out of a warp/start pos without it echoing/having the proper light, a warp that didn't take echo off at all, and a trigger that didn't work right in the sewer for unknown reasons

1.00 - Official Release!
Added: Now complies to "Free Jazz" standard, new custom music selection, echo added, a few text strings added
Fixed: An incorrect MP Start Point setting, the stuck under bridge bug, some route balancing issues, weakened the power of the upper right coin springs, fixed 2 instances of triggers that were using the same number, fixed seeker abuse bug

0.AB - Initial Public Release (Anniversary Bash 4 Special Edition)

IV: Known Issues/Bugs

Level issues: (issues presented in Q/A format)

Q: Ahrg! I keep running into these invisible walls at the side of the level and it is really irritating me. This must be a bug! Isn't this easy to fix?
A: Uh, yeah. That is, if I wanted to fix it. You see, the invisible walls are intentional. They are there mainly for storyline-type purposes; they're supposed to convey the sense of a continous city. A city isn't just surrounded by walls. See
here, I said that your friends roped off some of the city. The walls are necessary to prevent flag bug.

Q: I get stuck when walking (not running) up the diagonals in the sewer, some of the stairs outside, and even in one diagonal spot in a roof! How could such obvious errors escape your sight?
A: Actually, they didn't. I was planning on (and actually had a good bit done) remasking the Colonius tileset to eliminate all masking errors, and even keep the tileset's compatibility with old levels. But alas, my hard drive had the heart to die on me, so I lost all my work. I've already been working on this level for over a year, and I really didn't want to extend the trial any more. So basically, I'm attributing this problem to: 1, the tileset creator who screwed it up in the first place, 2, my hard drive, and 3, my laziness to redo the whole thing. There you have it. =P

Q: Why is this level so atrociously ugly? There are blatant tile mistakes everywhere!
A: Put it into High Detail, you CPU cycle hungry. ;P

Readme Issues:

HTML Readme Designed for 1024x768 or greater resolution, reccomended for use with Internet Explorer (make sure you've got a recent version!).

V: Parting Comments

I'm writing this because I genuinely hope that you can enjoy this level or at least appreciate it for what it's worth. It was a level mapped in the spirit of the old days, conforming to the ideals of my sole clan the Black Wolves. I wish for it to be a worthy representation of our undying passion for perfection and the pervading idea that effort is ultimately the most important thing. The level itself has been toned down from the original "master plan"; it was originally much harder and concieved even more difficult, but I was pursuaded (partially by other people, and partially by my own laziness ;P) to bring back the lofty specifications to earth. I still think it is a challenging competitor and I think it will prove a mighty test for those who think they can master it! This was also made to spearhead and compliment all other ELM levels (as I'm supposed to be the leader), to show our love for the enjoyment of all. For it all has been a long road... the road stretches out infinitely before and behind us, enveloping us in its infinite continuity. This is a small speck on the end of the already minor detour that was Jazz. Use this to remember, and perhaps innovate. Don't ever be afraid to stand and make your mark; because helping people is all you can do.

PEACE!

VI: Screenshots

Red Base Blue Base Sewer secret

Splash! Getting the blaster powerup Why are you still looking at screenshots? ;P

VII: Copyright Notice, etc.

Copyrights

Music used without permission. =( If there is an issue
contact me and I will remedy it shortly!
Music © 1999 MCA
Jazz Jackrabbit 2 and affiliated characters © 1997-1998 Epic Megagames Inc.

Distribution Notice

You may distribute this level without charge (electronically or by other means) as long as you keep all files in this zip file intact and unmodified. You may freely and without consent change the "nextlevel" tab to fit your server loop. You may not modify this level otherwise without consent from the author, SteelTalon! You also may not include this level in a level pack without my consent.