Chaos mode in Arcane Dimensions 1.8+ is a new system that will randomize all monsters and change some items or powerups to give positive or negative benfits on pickup. The Chaos system was designed by @Markie , coded by @sock and had extra code support from Spike for the random seed generator stuff.
The Chaos system is designed for maps with only ID1 Quake monsters and will do nothing with new AD monsters. Please remember that the system is NOT designed to be balanced or fair, but instead a fun challenge of random surprises! Obviously this game system is not for everyone, but is designed to spice up old / existing maps and is perfect (probably) for twitch streamers who want greater interactive events.
The Chaos system is a gameplay modifier, It is designed to work with any skill level, not replace them!
How to enable Chaos mode?
There are two touchable pillars in the AD start hub which can be switched on or off (keep touching them) to give different predefined Chaos levels. Chaos mode will be active until the engine is closed down or reset. Once Chaos mode is active, all maps loaded afterward will be changed.
How to tell if Chaos mode is active?
The AD start hubs do have monsters (lying down zombies) and items (small health packs) that can be changed. Chaos mode is designed to keep working regardless of which map is loaded or which skill level has changed.
How to turn off Chaos mode?
* Completely shut down and then restart the Quake engine
* Type into the console 'scratch3 0' and reload any map
* Touch (toggle) a chaos mode pillar in the AD start map
What different Chaos modes exist?
There are 5 predefined modes to pick from :-
1 = Monsters have default HP and randomized within family/type
2 = Monsters have default HP and randomized by bounding size
* Modes 1/2 are designed to keep the original balance of a map by not changing the monster HP, so that weapon/ammo balance will be the same.
17 = Monsters HP matches new type and randomized within family/type
18 = Monsters HP matches new type and randomized by bounding size
* Modes 17/18 are designed to be closer to a complete randomization and all monsters having the correct HP values. Can cause ammo shortages!
666 = is a special mode with complete (crazy) monster randomization and HP changed to match new types.
* Please be aware that quickload / load functionality does not work if using skill (evil) 4!
Creating custom Chaos modes
Other modes can be created by changing the 'scratch3' console variable with different values. The variable is broken down into bits (^2 values) that are added together and each bit represents a function of Chaos mode.
Please note that bits 1 or 2 have to be set otherwise no randomization will occur.
Example bit values:-
33 = family, NO rotten HP changes [1 + 32]
49 = family, HP is reset, NO rotten HP changes [1 + 16 + 32]
66 = bbox, NO poison monsters [2 + 64]
98 = bbox, NO rotten HP change and NO poison monsters [2 + 32 + 64]
How can I share Chaos mode?
Each time a map is loaded or changed a random seed is generated and displayed (use impulse commands to show details) on the console. If you set the console variable 'scratch2' to a specific seed number, the system will then start with the same random number setup each time. Changing the console variable to a specific seed number is the perfect way to setup challenges with friends and multiple twitch channels!
New Chaos related Impulse commands
190 = Display current random seed
192 = Display current settings (scratch3)
194 = Display weapon upgrade progression
196 = Reset seed for Chaos system
What are the best maps for Chaos mode?
Any map that has lots of ammo / health items, plenty of powerups and plenty of monster variety. The best id1 (vanilla) episode for Chaos mode is The Elder world, where your worst nightmares come true! Episode 4 can be endless amounts of fun with the large quantity of powerups and different monster types wanting to be randomized!
What is different about Chaos mode?
Most items are randomized with positive or negative options to create further chaos and unpredictabilty.
Health Pack (HP) changes
Rotten (15) HP have a 33% chance on spawn to be swapped for a monster and further chance of it being Tarbaby (66%) or Boil (33%). The monsters will have the ambush (spawnflags=1) option set by default to prevent rooms turning into bouncing nightmares.
Once the monster (tarbaby/boil) is killed the original HP item will be spawned like a backpack and can be picked up again. Just imagine the monster swallowed the item and then vomited it on death! Obviously the downside to this, is that spawned items on death can fall into places that cannot easily be accessed by the player.
The mega health (+100hp) on pickup can give either positive or negative benefits. The positive chance (>66%) is the player will get an Env Suit for 30s and the negative chance (<33%) is the Mega Health rotting (fading away) effect (default = 1 per second) will be faster at 5 HP per second instead.
Ammo Pack changes
Large ammo (shell/cells) boxes when picked up can be used to gain the Widowmaker and Plasma Gun early. To help the player get the weapon upgrades early, there is a <33% chance that small SHELL ammo boxes will be upgraded to large and <66% chance that small CELL ammo boxes will be upgraded to large.
The percentage for CELL ammo is greater than shell ammo because generally cells are more rare. This change is really aimed at ID1 maps, however new Chaos maps should be aware of this feature. It can be a cool way to give the WM/PG through map progression instead of a fixed location.
Armour changes
The green and yellow armours can have negative (<33%) or positive (>66%) spawn benefit which can change the item up or down the scale below:
(lowest) Backpack > Green > Yellow > Red (highest)
The red armour does not change on spawn and is only checked when the item is picked up for any positive (<33%) benefit that can give the player the Blast Belt for 30s. This can cause problems if the player has the Blast Belt already because the timer will be reset. If a map contains a Blast Belt then it might be better to give the special armour backpack for red armour only.
Powerup changes
Some powerup/artifacts on spawn can be swapped for another item based on positive/negative random chance, which can create an interesting puzzle/problem if the item is required in some way for its surroundings ...
When a powerup/artifact is picked up there is a >66% chance that the player will recieve a second powerup benefit. If the player has the second powerup (eg jump boots) already then its likely they will lose them after 30s.
When the player has two or more powerups at the same, some of these combinations give extra benefits.
Top 10 mapping Chaos tips! (in no particular order)
1. Use all ID1 monster types regardless of theme!
It's generally recommended to keep the monster types consistent with base and medieval separate, however in Chaos mode it's a benefit to have as many different types of monster as possible. The army/enforcer types can create great opportunities.
2. Add plenty of different powerups for combo surprises!
Many of the powerups are randomized and can have extra temporary positive affects when picked up. Also when the player has multiple powerups they can be combined to give extra affects, for example the blast belt + quad will reduce incoming player damage by 50%.
3. Rotten HP can randomly become spawn/boils monsters.
When adding HP to a map, try to use the Rotten versions because there is a 33% chance they will be turned into a monster. The HP item is not lost, it's dropped when the monster is killed.
4. Large Shell/Cell ammo boxes can give weapon upgrades.
In order to give the player the chance of getting the Widowmaker or Plasma gun in old ID1 maps, large ammo (shell/cells) packs when picked up can give the player the weapons as well. The quantity of ammo pickups required depends on skill level.
5. Armour/Megahealth can have positive/negative changes.
Green and yellow armour pickups can be changed on spawn to be upgraded or downgraded. When the red armour is picked up there is a 33% chance the player will be given the Blast Belt for 30s. If a map contains the Blast Belt powerup as a permanent item, the timer will be reset and the item will be lost. To avoid any armour randomness use armour shard backpacks instead.
6. Setup monster patrols to create more randomness.
Monster patrol points are a classic way to introduce randomness to encounter designs by having the player find them in multiple positions on different play throughs of the same map. Besides adding character to a map with dynamic placement, it does bring more randomness to the layout.
7. Deathmatch map style layouts offer more route choices.
Typically Single Player layouts are linear and do NOT offer many alternative routes to bypass or engage an encounter. Deathmatch layouts are designed to create alternative choices and the chance for the player to retreat and find more supplies. Chaos maps are often like puzzles, where some encounters are best dealt with once more firepower or items have been collected.
8. Avoid lock in arena fights with monster triggers.
Arena fights generally don't work with Chaos maps because they are unbalanced and often lack the right amount of resources. There is nothing wrong with monster wave setups, however always give the player the chance to retreat and find more supplies!
9. Allow the player the chance to skip encounters.
Chaos mode is often regarded as a puzzle mode where encounters are just so unbalanced that its often better to move on and come back once more resources have been found. Try to avoid locked progression and allow the player to pick and choose when to engage encounters.
10. Oops! It seems I forgot the last one!
How does Chaos randomness work? (tables and percentages)
The random setup used in Chaos mode is very much like an encryption system with a private and public key used to create the exact numbers each time.
The system generates a random seed (public key) first using four random numbers combined. This starting point can be specified exactly by the player or generated by the system. Once the starting point is known all the other systems (like monsters, items, poison etc) use an offset so that they can all be switched on/off without affect each other.
Each time a random number is required the start seed plus an offset is bitshifted by three numbers (private key) to create the final random result. As more random numbers are required the offset is increased over time to give the system a possible 8 million random number combations.
The random number table can always be generated exactly if the private keys are the same on multiple systems and the starting seed (public keys) is declared at the beginning.
The monsters are randomized by two different systems depending on how much chaos the player wants. The family system is aimed at being more fair and balanced because the monster types are similar, while the bounding box method is pure randomness with extreme monster type combinations.
FAMILY spawning system
Arcane Dimensions has so many different monsters that they can be arranged into families of similar types. Like for example there are multiple types of ogres and knights that look similar and have slightly different attacks, but essentially are the same.
Family spawning is randomizing monsters within a close range and similar types that it maintains some of the original setup. In a strange way, this type of randomness keeps the balance of the original encounter/map design.
BOUNDING BOX spawning system
Quake maps are often limited with spawning space and to reduce spawning errors the original entity size (bounding box) can be used as a maximum guide for randomization. Vanilla Quake only has two bounding box sizes for all monsters and everything can be broken down into two groups (hull 1 or 2) allowing for a simple setup to randomize monsters within.
Once each monster is sorted into the relevant bounding box group, they are randomly mixed up and then pushed through the family system for extra randomness. The fly/swim monsters have to be done separately because of map placement issues.
The final exception is that all army monsters (shotgun grunts) are only randomized within their family type because they are often used at the beginning of episodes and would make the start impossible to get into without ammo shortages or better firepower.
* swimming / flying monster positions cannot be randomized easily without monsters falling of the sky or drowning. These types of monsters have limited chances of randomization because of their positions.
The Chaos system is designed for maps with only ID1 Quake monsters and will do nothing with new AD monsters. Please remember that the system is NOT designed to be balanced or fair, but instead a fun challenge of random surprises! Obviously this game system is not for everyone, but is designed to spice up old / existing maps and is perfect (probably) for twitch streamers who want greater interactive events.
The Chaos system is a gameplay modifier, It is designed to work with any skill level, not replace them!
How to enable Chaos mode?
There are two touchable pillars in the AD start hub which can be switched on or off (keep touching them) to give different predefined Chaos levels. Chaos mode will be active until the engine is closed down or reset. Once Chaos mode is active, all maps loaded afterward will be changed.
How to tell if Chaos mode is active?
The AD start hubs do have monsters (lying down zombies) and items (small health packs) that can be changed. Chaos mode is designed to keep working regardless of which map is loaded or which skill level has changed.
How to turn off Chaos mode?
* Completely shut down and then restart the Quake engine
* Type into the console 'scratch3 0' and reload any map
* Touch (toggle) a chaos mode pillar in the AD start map
What different Chaos modes exist?
There are 5 predefined modes to pick from :-
1 = Monsters have default HP and randomized within family/type
2 = Monsters have default HP and randomized by bounding size
* Modes 1/2 are designed to keep the original balance of a map by not changing the monster HP, so that weapon/ammo balance will be the same.
17 = Monsters HP matches new type and randomized within family/type
18 = Monsters HP matches new type and randomized by bounding size
* Modes 17/18 are designed to be closer to a complete randomization and all monsters having the correct HP values. Can cause ammo shortages!
666 = is a special mode with complete (crazy) monster randomization and HP changed to match new types.
* Please be aware that quickload / load functionality does not work if using skill (evil) 4!
Creating custom Chaos modes
Other modes can be created by changing the 'scratch3' console variable with different values. The variable is broken down into bits (^2 values) that are added together and each bit represents a function of Chaos mode.
Please note that bits 1 or 2 have to be set otherwise no randomization will occur.
| Bit value | Bit Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Turn ON randomizer (family selection) |
| 2 | Turn ON randomizer (bbox selection) |
| 16 | Turn OFF health reset for spawning monster |
| 32 | Turn OFF Health Pack Item monster replacement |
| 64 | Turn OFF poison monster selection process |
| 128 | Turn OFF ability to quickload/load on skill 4 |
| 4096 | Turn OFF seed reset on NEW level |
| 8192 | Turn OFF seed reset on CHANGE level |
| 16384 | Turn OFF seed reset on DEATH |
Example bit values:-
33 = family, NO rotten HP changes [1 + 32]
49 = family, HP is reset, NO rotten HP changes [1 + 16 + 32]
66 = bbox, NO poison monsters [2 + 64]
98 = bbox, NO rotten HP change and NO poison monsters [2 + 32 + 64]
How can I share Chaos mode?
Each time a map is loaded or changed a random seed is generated and displayed (use impulse commands to show details) on the console. If you set the console variable 'scratch2' to a specific seed number, the system will then start with the same random number setup each time. Changing the console variable to a specific seed number is the perfect way to setup challenges with friends and multiple twitch channels!
New Chaos related Impulse commands
190 = Display current random seed
192 = Display current settings (scratch3)
194 = Display weapon upgrade progression
196 = Reset seed for Chaos system
What are the best maps for Chaos mode?
Any map that has lots of ammo / health items, plenty of powerups and plenty of monster variety. The best id1 (vanilla) episode for Chaos mode is The Elder world, where your worst nightmares come true! Episode 4 can be endless amounts of fun with the large quantity of powerups and different monster types wanting to be randomized!
What is different about Chaos mode?
Most items are randomized with positive or negative options to create further chaos and unpredictabilty.
Health Pack (HP) changes
Rotten (15) HP have a 33% chance on spawn to be swapped for a monster and further chance of it being Tarbaby (66%) or Boil (33%). The monsters will have the ambush (spawnflags=1) option set by default to prevent rooms turning into bouncing nightmares.
Once the monster (tarbaby/boil) is killed the original HP item will be spawned like a backpack and can be picked up again. Just imagine the monster swallowed the item and then vomited it on death! Obviously the downside to this, is that spawned items on death can fall into places that cannot easily be accessed by the player.
The mega health (+100hp) on pickup can give either positive or negative benefits. The positive chance (>66%) is the player will get an Env Suit for 30s and the negative chance (<33%) is the Mega Health rotting (fading away) effect (default = 1 per second) will be faster at 5 HP per second instead.
Ammo Pack changes
Large ammo (shell/cells) boxes when picked up can be used to gain the Widowmaker and Plasma Gun early. To help the player get the weapon upgrades early, there is a <33% chance that small SHELL ammo boxes will be upgraded to large and <66% chance that small CELL ammo boxes will be upgraded to large.
The percentage for CELL ammo is greater than shell ammo because generally cells are more rare. This change is really aimed at ID1 maps, however new Chaos maps should be aware of this feature. It can be a cool way to give the WM/PG through map progression instead of a fixed location.
| Weapon Upgrade | Ammo Pickup | Easy Skill Qty | Normal Skill Qty | Hard+ Skill Qty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widowmaker | Shells | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Plasma Gun | Cells | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Armour changes
The green and yellow armours can have negative (<33%) or positive (>66%) spawn benefit which can change the item up or down the scale below:
(lowest) Backpack > Green > Yellow > Red (highest)
The red armour does not change on spawn and is only checked when the item is picked up for any positive (<33%) benefit that can give the player the Blast Belt for 30s. This can cause problems if the player has the Blast Belt already because the timer will be reset. If a map contains a Blast Belt then it might be better to give the special armour backpack for red armour only.
Powerup changes
Some powerup/artifacts on spawn can be swapped for another item based on positive/negative random chance, which can create an interesting puzzle/problem if the item is required in some way for its surroundings ...
| Powerup | Positive (>66%) | Negative (<33%) |
|---|---|---|
| Invisibility Ring | MegaHealth | Quad Damage |
| Enviroment Suit | MegaHealth | Pentagram of Prot |
When a powerup/artifact is picked up there is a >66% chance that the player will recieve a second powerup benefit. If the player has the second powerup (eg jump boots) already then its likely they will lose them after 30s.
| Powerup | Time Available | Pickup Bonus (>66%) |
|---|---|---|
| Enviroment Suit | 30s | Jump Boots |
| Pentragram of Prot | 30s | Lava Shield |
| Quad Damage | 30s | Blast Belt |
When the player has two or more powerups at the same, some of these combinations give extra benefits.
| Powerup 1 | Powerup 2 | Extra Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Pentragram of Prot | Lava Shield | Armour is not damaged |
| Quad Damage | Blast Belt | Damage taken -50% |
Top 10 mapping Chaos tips! (in no particular order)
1. Use all ID1 monster types regardless of theme!
It's generally recommended to keep the monster types consistent with base and medieval separate, however in Chaos mode it's a benefit to have as many different types of monster as possible. The army/enforcer types can create great opportunities.
2. Add plenty of different powerups for combo surprises!
Many of the powerups are randomized and can have extra temporary positive affects when picked up. Also when the player has multiple powerups they can be combined to give extra affects, for example the blast belt + quad will reduce incoming player damage by 50%.
3. Rotten HP can randomly become spawn/boils monsters.
When adding HP to a map, try to use the Rotten versions because there is a 33% chance they will be turned into a monster. The HP item is not lost, it's dropped when the monster is killed.
4. Large Shell/Cell ammo boxes can give weapon upgrades.
In order to give the player the chance of getting the Widowmaker or Plasma gun in old ID1 maps, large ammo (shell/cells) packs when picked up can give the player the weapons as well. The quantity of ammo pickups required depends on skill level.
5. Armour/Megahealth can have positive/negative changes.
Green and yellow armour pickups can be changed on spawn to be upgraded or downgraded. When the red armour is picked up there is a 33% chance the player will be given the Blast Belt for 30s. If a map contains the Blast Belt powerup as a permanent item, the timer will be reset and the item will be lost. To avoid any armour randomness use armour shard backpacks instead.
6. Setup monster patrols to create more randomness.
Monster patrol points are a classic way to introduce randomness to encounter designs by having the player find them in multiple positions on different play throughs of the same map. Besides adding character to a map with dynamic placement, it does bring more randomness to the layout.
7. Deathmatch map style layouts offer more route choices.
Typically Single Player layouts are linear and do NOT offer many alternative routes to bypass or engage an encounter. Deathmatch layouts are designed to create alternative choices and the chance for the player to retreat and find more supplies. Chaos maps are often like puzzles, where some encounters are best dealt with once more firepower or items have been collected.
8. Avoid lock in arena fights with monster triggers.
Arena fights generally don't work with Chaos maps because they are unbalanced and often lack the right amount of resources. There is nothing wrong with monster wave setups, however always give the player the chance to retreat and find more supplies!
9. Allow the player the chance to skip encounters.
Chaos mode is often regarded as a puzzle mode where encounters are just so unbalanced that its often better to move on and come back once more resources have been found. Try to avoid locked progression and allow the player to pick and choose when to engage encounters.
10. Oops! It seems I forgot the last one!
How does Chaos randomness work? (tables and percentages)
The random setup used in Chaos mode is very much like an encryption system with a private and public key used to create the exact numbers each time.
The system generates a random seed (public key) first using four random numbers combined. This starting point can be specified exactly by the player or generated by the system. Once the starting point is known all the other systems (like monsters, items, poison etc) use an offset so that they can all be switched on/off without affect each other.
Each time a random number is required the start seed plus an offset is bitshifted by three numbers (private key) to create the final random result. As more random numbers are required the offset is increased over time to give the system a possible 8 million random number combations.
The random number table can always be generated exactly if the private keys are the same on multiple systems and the starting seed (public keys) is declared at the beginning.
The monsters are randomized by two different systems depending on how much chaos the player wants. The family system is aimed at being more fair and balanced because the monster types are similar, while the bounding box method is pure randomness with extreme monster type combinations.
FAMILY spawning system
Arcane Dimensions has so many different monsters that they can be arranged into families of similar types. Like for example there are multiple types of ogres and knights that look similar and have slightly different attacks, but essentially are the same.
Family spawning is randomizing monsters within a close range and similar types that it maintains some of the original setup. In a strange way, this type of randomness keeps the balance of the original encounter/map design.
| Monster Type | Health Points (Can be varied) | % chance of choosing a different monster type |
|---|---|---|
| Dog | 25 | <10 Scorpion, <30 Voreling, <70 Spider, 70+ Dog |
| Fish | 25 | <10 Tarbaby, <20 Zombie, <60 Eel, 60+ Fish |
| Army (Grunt) | 30 | <10 Plasma, <50 Grenade/Jim, <70 Rocket/Jim, 70+ Army |
| Zombie | 60 | <10 Tarbaby, <40 Boil, <70 Zombie Knight, +70 Zombie/Mummy |
| Knight | 75 | <10 Quoth_DGuard, <40 DCrossbow, <70 AD_DGuard, +70 Knight |
| Enforcer | 80 | <5 Deflector, <40 Eliminator, <60 Centurion/Defender, +60 Pyro/Enforcer |
| Wizard (Scrag) | 80 | <5 Wraith, <40 Gargoyle, <70 Gaunt, +70 Wizard |
| Tarbaby (Spawn) | 80 | <10 Fumigator, <30 Sentinel, <50 Boil, +50 Tarbaby |
| Ogre | 200 | <30 Hammer, <60 Mace, <80 Hunter, +80 ID Ogre Grenade/Nails |
| Hell Knight | 250 | <10 DarkPrince, <30 DeathLord, <70 Fury, +70 DeathKnight |
| Demon1 | 300 | <10 Golem, <30 Minotaur, <60 Drole, +60 Demon1 |
| Shalrath (Vore) | 400 | <30 SkullWizard, <70 DeathSergeant, +70 Shalrath |
| Shambler | 600 | <30 Boglord, <60 Justice, <70 Nour, +70 Shambler |
BOUNDING BOX spawning system
Quake maps are often limited with spawning space and to reduce spawning errors the original entity size (bounding box) can be used as a maximum guide for randomization. Vanilla Quake only has two bounding box sizes for all monsters and everything can be broken down into two groups (hull 1 or 2) allowing for a simple setup to randomize monsters within.
Once each monster is sorted into the relevant bounding box group, they are randomly mixed up and then pushed through the family system for extra randomness. The fly/swim monsters have to be done separately because of map placement issues.
The final exception is that all army monsters (shotgun grunts) are only randomized within their family type because they are often used at the beginning of episodes and would make the start impossible to get into without ammo shortages or better firepower.
| Monster | MINS | MAXS | Hull Type | % Range | % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army | -16 -16 -24 | 16 16 40 | 1 | 00 - 10 | 10 |
| Enforcer | -16 -16 -24 | 16 16 40 | 1 | 10 - 30 | 20 |
| Zombie | -16 -16 -24 | 16 16 40 | 1 | 30 - 45 | 15 |
| Tarbaby | -16 -16 -24 | 16 16 40 | 1 | 45 - 65 | 20 |
| Knight | -16 -16 -24 | 16 16 40 | 1 | 65 - 85 | 20 |
| Hell Knight | -16 -16 -24 | 16 16 40 | 1 | 85 - 100 | 15 |
| Dog | -32 -32 -24 | 32 32 64 | 2 | 00 - 20 | 20 |
| Ogre | -32 -32 -24 | 32 32 64 | 2 | 20 - 40 | 20 |
| Demon1 | -32 -32 -24 | 32 32 64 | 2 | 40 - 70 | 30 |
| Shalrath | -32 -32 -24 | 32 32 64 | 2 | 70 - 85 | 15 |
| Shambler | -32 -32 -24 | 32 32 64 | 2 | 85 - 100 | 15 |
| Fish* | -16 -16 -24 | 16 16 24 | Unique Size | ||
| Wizard* | -16 -16 -24 | 16 16 40 | 1 |
* swimming / flying monster positions cannot be randomized easily without monsters falling of the sky or drowning. These types of monsters have limited chances of randomization because of their positions.
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