================================================================
Title                   : The Sky Shard
Episode Title           : The Underground Temple, The Great Abyss, The Skaarj Ship, Time and the Sky Shard	
Version                 : 1.0
Release Date            : 30/9/99
Filename                : Temple.zip
Author                  : Edd 'EddX' McRobbie
Email Address           : ed@casuk.com
Description             : Unreal single player adventure    
Where to get this map   : Nalicity and its mirrors 
                          
Other levels by author  : These are the first!
  
Additional Credits to   : Epic Megagames (http://unreal.epicgames.com/)
                          for making a great outlet for creativity.
                          The Testers.  
                          All the editing sites I visited, everyone had something to offer.
                          You, for playing this level. Thanks a lot!

================================================================
--- Play Information ---
Game                    : Unreal 
Level Name              : The Underground Temple, The Great Abyss, The Skaarj Ship, Time and the Sky Shard
Single Player           : Yes
Cooperative             : No
Difficulty Settings     : No
Deathmatch              : No
Dark Match              : No
New Sounds              : No
New Graphics            : No
Known bugs              : Detailed below by level (not so much bugs as rare events Unreal decides to do)

--- Construction ---
Editor(s) used          : UnrealEd Beta
Base                    : New level
Construction Time       : I'd be afraid to know - or tell my wife!


Installation
------------
   Unzip the files and place them into your maps directory under the unreal
   directory. Double click Temple1.unr to start or from the console type 
   in "open Temple1" to run the map from the game.


Story:
------

... it is a time of expansion and exploration.  The human sphere of influence and occupation is spreading, and operating beyond the outermost fringes of this sphere are the United Federation Exploratory Ships.  Small, fast and carrying a crew of four, they push beyond the limit of known space in the name of progress...


******************** UFES - 0108 - ESC3 ***************************
********************    Personal Log    ***************************
********************    Chris Daniels   ***************************

Entry 108

We've picked up a signal trace from a ship operating at Side-C velocoties!  Trace indicates an engine type not previously encountered.  This could be the biggest prize of all!  The bonus for first contact with a technologically advanced species is life settlement and unlimited creditation!  We're all too excited to sleep.  Trace is faint but it looks like the ship headed for a small system about 3.5LY from our present location.  By the book says caution so we're heading in carefully with our engines operating below trace level.  If this pans out the names Chris Daniels, Lyster Morton, Kane Zander and Janie Wilkes are going into the history books for all time!

Entry 109

In high orbit around third planet from central sun of system.  Lost trace but the Side-C wake is all around the planet.  We think they must have landed but want to take it slowly so no obvious scanning.  We have picked up indiginous life and the planet is easily habitable (0.93 Earth rating!) so we're already in the big money as it is!  Kane keeps trying not to check the currently posted bonus scheme.  Janie and Lyster are as high as kites and I think I'm up there with them.

Entry 110

Only a little later but there's intelligent life on the planet!  Thing is they haven't got equivilent level technology - tech level seems about 0.33; roughly equivalent to ancient myan times.  The natives have four arms but are otherwise suprisingly human like!  Now we'll never have to work again.  If we can only locate the other aliens - who must be explorers like ourselves - we will have attained ever possible honour and monetary reward possible!

Entry 110

We've landed by some old ruins in a large mountain range.  Lyster - who's the archeology nut of the crew, officially and unofficially - is going to take a translator and see what he can pick up.  Once he's back we'll take off, check for the other ship again, then send back a Side-C one shot beacon with our report.  Then we keep looking until we find the ship or a full blown survey ship gets here.  We'd have about eight months to wait - plenty of time to find another ship.

Entry 111

Lyster signalled from within the ruins that he's going to investigate a passage that looks in pretty good shape.  He hasn't reported back since - over and hour - so we'll have to check it out.  Lyster's just too nosy and naive for his own good.  We've got the co-ords from his last signal so here we go.  LATER: Guess what, I've drawn the short straw to go look for Lyster - first bad luck I've seen since we picked up the signal trace in the first place.  Oh well.  At least I get to check out a dispersion pistol as well as a flashlight and a translator.  Maybe I'll get to have a few sneaky pot shots at some rocks or something before finding Lyster.  Anyway, time to get to it.

********************     Log Ends     ***************************


... you emerge from your exploratory ship and look around the small courtyard.  Strange paintaings mark the walls and overhead stars twinkle in a sky marked by a great swirling nebula.  The passage Lyster must have entered is obvious.  Besides, you can just make out his boot marks heading into the passage.  The passage itself is well lit by the ship's landing lights so you walk in without bothering to use the flashlight.  Just as you near the first turning you trip and drop your flashlight and stumble forward.  You manage to stop yourself falling, but at the expense of dropping your translator now.  Annoyed for looking like a fool, and annoyed at Lyster for getting himself lost you turn around to retrieve your equipment.  Stranglely the dusty passage, which would be dark indeed without the landing lights of your ship, doesn't bother you.  You reflect it should really, as you look out to the portion of your ship you can see beyond the end of the passage; shaking your head you conclude you've just explored too many strange, desolate worlds to really feel the unkown anymore.  But there's no time for such introspection, and you move to retrieve your fallen equipment...


Author's Notes
--------------
I hope anyone who tries these levels enjoy them in the manner I intended.  The aim was not so much to try and push the engine (I'm way to inexperienced at editing right now anyway) as to try and fashion a story that fit into the Unreal universe in terms of the creatures and textures provided that would be fun to play and hopefully make the player feel like they're really the star in an action movie.  As such try and read every book, writing or terminal you come across.  Some messages will contain hints, other's won't but I think I've managed to provide a meaningful message at every point to make it seem you're there.  I think creating a real story is the main thing - often overlooked for shooting matches - and hope I've managed to provide one.

The levels themselves are based around the following goals:

The Underground Temple is an attempt to evoke a lost world of temples and strange artifacts full of distant chanting, ancient tomes and great, soaring ceilings.  (Note at one point you need a Nali to help you.  He is safe until you open the door he's behind (so far as I can test) and can't be killed.  However, sometimes he decides to vanish!  If he does then GHOST through the locked door of the room adjacent to the one where the Nali are imprisoned to continue - GHOST out as well)

The Great Abyss is an attempt to evoke a real sense of scale and mysterious activities.  I wanted the player constantly to get glimpses of other areas of interest and to have to think - how do I get there!  Also I wanted to really imply a sense of purpose for the Skaarj, that they're actively engaged in a purpose.  Also, I've kept the walls of the abyss really straight as you rarely get to see them much in the dark.  Comments on whether you can see them enough to warrant the floor lofter would be welcome.  (Sometimes the moving car stops and won't re-start!  Just walk on instead)

The Skaarj ship is fairly straight forward except that there are really two ways though it - one easier than the other but requiring some lateral thinking (I think!  I need feedback on this!)  Also I've tried to make a more realistic ship environment where a wrong move will set off alarms and bring extra enemies running, and with an exciting climax.  (No glitches I'm aware of)

Time and The Sky Shard is a flyby like that at the end of Unreal itself.  I wanted to try and end the story cinematically and in a manner that is satisfying to the player and provides some payoff for all their hard work (or easy if they shoot better than me, which wouldn't be hard!) (No glitches I'm aware of)


Additional: Oh, the Slith Lair cannot be accessed in The Great Abyss - the enterance is for atmosphere only and to fit them into the plot.  Maybe another time...


Feel free to send any comments, questions, or notices if you review this level.

I've got another three stories underway, but don't hold your breath altough I am getting quicker with UnrealED.  For the curious one is on a research outpost, one is a tribute to the movie Aliens set in an abandoned colony - well, abandoned by anybody friendly that is - and the other is set completely underwater (wait and see!)

Cheers!


Copyright / Permissions
-----------------------
These are my levels, writing by me during 1999 and copyright - I would hope!

Authors may NOT use these levels as a base to build additional levels - but if by some small chance there's something to learn then by all means check out all you want in UnrealED

You are NOT allowed to commercially exploit this level, i.e. put it on a CD
or any other electronic medium that is sold for money without my explicit
permission!

You MAY distribute this UNR through any electronic network (Internet,
FIDO, local BBS etc.), provided you include this file and leave the archive
intact.

----------------------
UNREAL (c)1998 Epic Megagames, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.  Distributed by
GT Software, Inc. under license.  UNREAL and the UNREAL logo are registered
trademarks of Epic Megagames, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are
properties of their respective owners.
