internet skeleton

so i've finally made my way through the entirety of alkaline. alkaline is a mod for quake that overhauls many things, in particular adding quite a few enemies. it really pulls from the deep tradition of quake overhaul mods to include the best of the best. supposedly. i haven't really played much of these quake mapsets. there's also an alkaline map pack that shows these things off, and as of version 1.2 it's up to 20 maps in total. each of these is its own standalone thing, and with a variety of different authors there's not really a lot of continuity in the types of experiences you can get from level to level. fortunately, even the worst of these levels are just okay and the best of them are really exceptional. i do think the variance hurts the experience a little, as the difficulty ranges from something that would be comfortable in a quake expansion (many of the levels) to incredibly difficult (tellus terminus, pipework-powered pillars), and the length runs from coffee break (head reattachment trauma redux, slipgate sickness) to low-budget movie from children (early bird get the 17-cm fromitz board, overengineering mania).

for what it's worth, i played through the map set on nightmare. in grand Quake tradition, access to the nightmare difficulty is concealed in the hub area, but it wasn't too hard to get. note that nightmare here preserves the original's modified enemy behavior, instead of capping your health to 50 like the remake and copper do. in certain cases this can make enemies easier because they're more predictable. in particular, ogres will always make ranged attacks in a predictable rhythm if they can see you which can be easy to circumvent. however, alkaline includes many monsters that are far more dangerous on nightmare than anything in vanilla quake, like the lieutenants with standard issue super nailguns, grunts with regular nailguns, scorpion robots with nailguns from scourge of armagon, and guys on flying discs with nailguns. all of these enemies start firing more or less immediately when they see you and the attacks are tough to dodge. there's also a number of new flying enemies, including one that launches pairs of grenades. they also fixed the shambler so it doesn't behave weridly on nightmare, which is nice. additionally the end of pipework-powered pillars is much, much harder on nightmare, and it's also much harder than the version included in sewer jam 2. consider yourself forewarned.

i've added the notes i took while playing each level below, along with the stats which i copied down by hand. they're sorted by the room they appear in, although note there are four secret levels tucked around the hub area in various places. you'll note that i didn't find anywhere close to the majority of the secrets - without the restriction of having to place a map in a 2d plane, like doom has, secrets can be hidden in truly devious ways, and if you wanted to find them all without a guide most levels will take far longer. there are videos out there showing off secrets for each level, i believe.

it's kind of hard to make comparisons between the level because they're so wildly different in scale and scope. but if i had to pick a level to be my favorite, it would probably be dancing under the golden sun for its striking visuals, complex but manageable combat design, and reasonable length, with honorable mentions going to head reattachment trauma redux for being made by @trashbang and being all killer no filler.

one final note before that: you can get the soundtrack for alkaline on bandcamp.

---

PRIMARY CHAMBER

• tellus terminus by zigi

  • time: 48:55 secrets 3/11 kills: 324/401
  • was this ever a rude introduction to alkaline. there are tons of nasty custom monsters in this level, and there are quite a few of them. especially annoying on nightmare are the infantry with nailguns and super nailguns. and in case you're worried that they weren't giving the centroids from scourge of armagon their due, don't worry; they've got plenty of those too. and since ogres tend to do sometimes do poorly on nightmare, there's some ogres that fire rockets instead of grenades. the level is fairly rigorous about locking you into potentially close quarters areas forcing a lot of difficult encounters. one particularly delicate encounter requires dealing with four hunters and four prowlers along with a few infantry in a tiny area with triggerable laser traps that cut the arena in half. this appears to require creative use of infighting and the nearby invisibility powerup, although there are laser traps you can activate that might help. also challenging are the outside areas; reaching these requires traversing a shield that hinders your visibility - but does not protect you in any way. and the outside areas have low gravity, as well as many places where a fall can kill you outright. you do get a laser gun and plasma rifle, which are nice tools, and a chainsaw that's pretty useless, but there are no non-secret rocket launchers or grenade launchers on the level. by the time i got to the end of the level i had no appetite to get the remainder of the secrets and kills.

• core meltdown by bloodshot

  • time 22:59 secrets 2/6 kills: 120/122
  • a much more approachable map than the previous one. it's got more of a survival horror feel, with a decent sprinkling of melee enemies, darkness, and collecting key items to repair things to make progress through the level. it also shows a few cases where the nightmare AI causes fights to be easier instead of harder - there's a few ogres who will just lob grenades impotently instead of advancing or repositioning. this map also gives you a rocket launcher among other things which greatly simplifies dealing with the centurions (the enemies on floating discs) as they only take a single rocket to eliminate. the finale involves triggering the titular core meltdown, and then heading outside on a surprisingly sunny day for an explosive showdown in a parking lot. a weird tonal shift, but a good fight, and it also features some respawning ammo boxes - those were present in the previous map as well, but i don't know how prevalent they'll be going forward.

• beneath a silicon eclipse by juzley

  • time 27:00 secrets: 0/4 kills: 176/247
  • this is definitely the most vanilla-feeling map so far, especially given alkaline's push towards a more sci-fi setting, as opposed to the fantasy and horror influences that predominate later levels in quake episodes. the layout is relatively cramped, and the level uses that to its advantage to spring several close-range ambushes - great stuff and generally preferable, in my opinion, to enemies flying or teleporting in. the music track here is also really, really nicely done, and adds a lot to the quake-like atmosphere. a lot of the level is mediated by crossing a large open space at various levels, and moving platforms up a shaft to reach higher and higher areas. unfortunately i didn't see a large chunk of the level as it's locked behind finding 5 circuitboards, and given that i wasn't able to find any of the secrets i didn't really have hope of unearthing the fifth one. the exit hallway is still a nice combat setpiece though and it's still a strong level overall.

• dancing in the golden sun by bal

  • time: 23:27 secrets: 2/10 kills: 151/157
  • oh, this one leaves a strong impression right from the start and it manages to deliver. the level is set on a floating station of some kind. the level has really strong interconnectedness, and a lot of the gameplay focuses on activacting or deactivating various features of the station to get where you need to go. two of them, elevators and jump pads, really add to the verticality of the level and allow attacks to come from a variety of different direction and additionally for you to move between the various level depending on what's the safest. there's a whole network of secrets to be unearthed, apparently, and i only got a whiff of a couple of them, both of which involved carefully maneuvering on narrow ledges. getting both keys allows to make a massive (and unfortunately kind of janky) jump to the top of station for one final rumble. then you turn off its antigravity and blow the whole level up, duke nukem style. great stuff. and the music track is great too.

• pipework-powered pillars by sze

  • time: 26:38 secrets: 2/6 kills: 190/190
  • this is absolutely the hardest quake level i've ever successfully completed. maybe the hardest fps level too. it starts innocently enough, swarming you with a few melee enemies that can't get out of their own way, but gets much harder very quickly, requiring precise and careful movement through lowering platforms over damaging liquid while under constant assault, and also sometimes needing to hit timed switches to raise and lower things appropriately. but my impression of this level is almost entirely contained in its finale where you're required to move around a set of raising and lowering platforms in a circle as ~70 enemies assault you in sequence from above. and halfway through a quad drops which must be made perfect use of or you'll be overwhelmed. an incredibly brutal yet undeniably well-crafted level.

• dire pipes by grome

  • time 47:10 secrets: 0/4 kills: 253/253
  • this is a significant palate cleanser from the previous level, but it probably goes on about 50% longer than it needs to. the first two thirds or so of the level have you collecting a number of circuit boards, and it's very cleverly laid out, with a lot of spaces that are used one way initially, and then have you go through them a different way, or on a catwalk above it, which gives some good "i'm back here???" moments. and the multiple levels on all the stages provide a lot of good combat opportunities, especially as it gives you the cluster mine launcher which is about as much fun as it sounds. there's a ton of ammo, including respawning nails and shotguns, and a lot of health and ammo, which keep things moving along. but somehow i lost track of the last circuitboard and had to run all over the level to find it, and that wound up being pretty frustrating, especially as it contains many, many doors that are cosmetic but look just like the functional ones. there's a solid battle on the other side of the door to with a laser rifle, quad damage and a ton of mooks, but it feels perhaps a little perfunctory, or maybe i'm just broken by the last level.

• derelict freighter by paul lawitzki

  • time 40:38 secrets: 4/15 kills: 206/206
  • boy, if you're a real Secrets Sicko this is your map. there's all kinds of hidden areas, tricky platforming, and general resource hunting that can give you a big advantage, even in things that don't count as official secrets. but even if you're not this is still a nicely built map. sometimes the triggers for traps can get a little weird, like walking up to a locked door, but mostly the combat is pretty straightforward. the atmosphere put forth complements the derelict base theme very nicely, and you'll need to watch your ammo somewhat closely to avoid getting stuck without the right tool for the job. presumably, if you went and found the other 11 secrets this would be less of a problem. this level does also introduce the grenade probe which is a total nightmare, firing pairs of grenades rapidly from a flying platform. fortunately there's only one spot, where you have to fight three at once, that is especially nasty.

• geothermal outpost by greenwood

  • time 32:27 secrets: 3/13 kills: 152/159
  • this map has you climbing some kind of ...lava ...derrick? it is pretty intensely vertical, but it's not as much of an uphill battle as it could be. the opening is pretty rough as you're only issued the standard shotgun and have to deal with a variety of enemies at range... but there's respawning health and ammo boxes, so you can take your time and don't have to excessively worry about preserving resources. navigating your way up the tower can be the biggest challenges, as there are a lot of switches to track down and elevators to take up. the keys are a little annoying to deal with too, as they require you to drop down and then navigate your way back up while additional enemies respawn. in a neat touch the respawning resources gradually thin out as you head further up, and the final battle on the roof can be pretty tough as you're repeatedly forced into disadvantageous positioning. with a bit of patience though you'll Get To Tha Choppa in no time.

• foundation for corruption by mista heita

  • time 15:55 secrets: 0/3 kills: 137/137
  • this is a pretty lightweight map, and i kind of wish it was the first one i played, instead of being buried in the middle. it takes place on a construction site of some kind and in a very cute touch you'll have to move suspended steel girders into place to proceed with the level. the enemy selection is on the flimsier side, with a lot of axe grunts to contribute to the already kind of small kill count. one odd touch is a number of chainlink fences that are treated like a regular wall and completely block attacks - it makes some sense but i think i would rather it didn't. after butchering a bunch of hapless scientists, the finale sends you to a roof (for at least the third time so far...) and sends a bunch of enemies your way. by far the greatest risk here is getting hit and flung off the roof, which is certain death. i found it best to hold my ground and fire grenades at the portal after dealing with the two initial prowlers.

• breakdown by bmfbr

  • time 25:50 secrets: 9/13 kills: 179/188
  • this map gives foreboding vibes from the start, needing to search for a way into a fortress where you're clearly not wanted, and also offering what seems to be a large number of choices at the start. but it boils down to be a lot more simple than that, as the map will take you around in a circle to activate four switches, which when complete will allow you to proceed to the next region of the level from the start. this is one of those levels where dead bodies are one of the key progress markers - the rooms are not quite as distinctive as i'd hope. the second area with the reactor is a nice setpiece, but enemies will keep spawning continuously so it behooves you to deal with the enemies as quickly as possible, aided by a pentagram of protection in a conveniently-located secret. once that's done you'll have to race out of the base as quickly as possible before the reactor melts down - a very nifty finale.

AUX CHAMBER

• logistics of chaos by emeraldtiger

  • time 29:16 secrets: 2/12 kills: 190/190
  • hmm, odd level to start this section off with. the first part is difficult to navigate - there's a lot of switches to hit, names of places to remember, and rooms to explore. it's all clearly signed but it's a lot to remember, and there's definitely a lot of wandering that is going to happen, especially as there's no automap or anything. opposition in this area is mostly relatively light, although ammo management is a major concern through a lot of this section. once you open the door to the second area, the gloves come off and it transitions into a mostly linear slugfest. it's well-built combat, but it feels like a completely different level than the first area. there's also a tricky platforming bit in the middle somewhere, although fortunately there aren't any enemies to speak of in this area. it does require careful management of momentum but it doesn't punish mistakes particularly harshly.

• the early bird gets the 17cm fromitz board by juzley

  • time 68:51 secrets: 7/20 kills: 376/449
  • this is an absolutely super-sized map. it's not actually that big - or even that hard - but completing it requires carefully exploring and re-exploring the same areas, dealing with monsters that respawn and keeping an eye on your resources. the map centers around collecting the titular 17cm fromitz boards. there are fifty boards to collect. you only need forty to exit, if that's any comfort. the reason why this can get pulled off in a relatively small space is the jump boots, an alkaline-specific item. collecting eight boards gets you the regular jump boots and a double jump, and collecting twenty five gives you the hyper jump boots and a triple jump. they take some getting used to - it's very easy to lose all your momentum, and you can't build momentum in the air easily either. the level builds on this progression with the better jump boots opening up access to more areas, weapons, and inevitably increasingly dangerous encounters, although none of the combat is too unmanageable. getting forty boards lets you go to the roof for a big throwdown, again. by the time that was over i was more than ready to get out of the map and left collecting the last few boards for another day.

• north central positronics by dragonsforlunch

  • time 21:33 secrets: 1/3 kills: 169/186
  • this one doesn't have too much going for it, unfortunately. the first half of the level is obsessively square and rectinilear and the progression winds up kind of strange as you sort of wind your way around the various chambers and wind up repeatedly revisiting rooms, raising and lowering various types of barriers, and fending off some reasonably well-stocked opposition. there's some of the spider mines as well - they've shown up a few times, and are pretty annoying due to not being shootable until you get close enough to wake them up. then you drop into the caves, which for some reason includes some pretty substantial underwater combat sections. i'm sure some people must like this, but i don't. there's also numerous ambushes at point-blank range where taking damage is virtually unavoidable, and by the time you're done it gets pretty old. the final room has some good combat and stiff opposition... but having the exit bridge crumble and drop you back to the ground, causing enemies to respawn everywhere is less than fun as well.

• dismal signal reforged by heresy

  • time 44:45 secrets 3/11 kills: 311/311
  • i can't say i had a huge amount of fun with this one either. there are a few problems that are persistent throughout: huge areas with relatively little opposition, lots of backtracking, confusing and opaque progression, and a supply of ammo that far outstrips any amount you could ever reasonably use. there are a few spicy bits, like ambushes that drop spider mines on top of you. there's a lot of nicely-designed, good looking spaces here, but i just wish more had been done with them. there's a puzzle that depends on bouncing the laser rifle shots, which is creative but incredibly aggravating, and will stock you with as many cells as you can carry, as often as you care to finish the room. the final key opens a massive door in a big setpiece room you visit a few times, revealing... one lieutenant. i feel like it's weird to say that i think doubling the number of enemies would improve the level. but i really think it would!

• overengineering mania by mazu and greenwood

  • time 79:32 secrets: 6/38 kills: 415/426
  • did you not get enough hunting for secrets three levels ago when there were 50 boards scattered all over the level? because this level has another 50 boards, both sets of jumpboots, and is overall bigger and somewhat meaner than early bird. if you're really overwhelmed, you can actually leave early after collecting 25 boards, but the level will shame you for it. getting the normal exit requires 37 boards and triggering a pretty hefty final round of combat. that is easily the best part of the level, so i'd try and make it out there if you could. but before that, you'll be duking it out with a limited set of low tier weapons for a long while, although the level takes it easy on you as well, staffing the first part of the level with dogs and other shotgun fodder. this level is significantly more vertical than early bird and requires carefully making your way up and down sets of platforms, and mastering the jump boots occasionally unintuitive movement mechanics. there are also a lot of laser traps, including one particularly nasty one where lasers are fired at you continuously as you shoot four switches directly overhead while also having to stand in damaging liquid. also like early bird, the level gets repopulated as you progress, and resource management is paramount to not getting stranded. obviously, if you're willing to do a bunch of secret hunting that'll blunt the effects of that, but by the time i made it to the end of the level i'd had more than enough.

• caustic preserve by jpal

  • time 19:24 secrets: 1/3 kills: 126/129
  • this one runs quite a bit shorter than many of the other levels, but it's still a fun ride and pretty tough in places. somewhat unusually, the level progression is mediated by shootable switches. their placement is generally pretty obvious but they're used in a bunch of creative ways. sometimes these deactivate forcefields that are a pale yellow that's less visible than i'd probably like. after the initial tight quarters encounters, you're led out into a huge vertical space and have to navigate various switch-activated elevators and gates to make your way up to the top, with lieutenants and other tough enemies and limited space over big drops. there's a good amount of nails, cells, and health however, so it stays pretty manageable. getting the final key lets you activate the massive portal all the way at the bottom of the structure you just climbed, and you are strongly encouraged to take the leap of faith. good level all around.

SECRET LEVELS

• mountains of more insanity by bmfbr

  • time 23:23 secrets: 1/9 kills: 194/197
  • this level is fast paced and pretty aggressive. the first part is a pretty standard brown techbase, but you'll get the idea that something is off when passing through an area with some of quake's more supernatural opposition trapped in test tubes. unsurprisingly they do manage to make it out. progress further and you'll find the secret the base is hiding - a whole demonic area, complete with the textures used in quake episode 3, which is a refreshing aesthetic choice. the opposition here is pretty stiff, including multiple shamblers and vores. jump down a pit, and it's a rumble in a black inky void with even more of the same. they tease you with a quad damage, but i have no idea how you are supposed to get up there. the fight ends with two vore and shambler pairs, and without much in the way of cover it gets hairy quickly. but when you're done it prints "you are worthy", and hopefully that's a deliberate nod to dusk. you love to see it.

• undead memories by scampie and greenwood

  • time 21:03 secrets: 2/9 kills: 158/158
  • this map runs with a pretty standard techbase theme and enemy selection. but there's not a lot to fend them off with - for most of the level you won't have anything better than a nailgun. it also will lock you in a room in a couple spots without much health to use. the first of these it not so bad, although it ran quite a bit longer than i was anticipating and kept adding progressively higher-tier enemies to the mix. eventually you find a portal that takes you to a hellish cave with the second such encounter. the initial round of knights and hell knights are totally fine... but eventually the vores come out, and i think they must have altered the way the projectiles work in alkaline as they are basically impossible to shake off, and can go around corners with ease. however, there's one safe spot where neither one can hit you, and one of them can be shot through a gap, allowing you to deal with the other one more easily. just save some nails as there's two shamblers and a fiend between you and the exit.

• head reattachment trauma redux by trashbang

  • time 8:36 secrets: 0/3 kills: 63/66
  • this is the shortest level in all of alkaline. and you know what? i think it's better for it. so many of these levels are SO long. in any case this level starts with a bang and doesn't let up from there, literally dropping you directly into the action. most of the rooms put you in extreme close quarters with the enemy, and there are some pretty mean traps. the room with the pistons is especially rude, as it's hard to see how to escape, and if you don't see it, the ogres will quickly fill the area with grenades, or you'll get crushed. the final area has a fight going up an elevator with laser traps, and requires acting quickly to avoid being overwhelmed... except for the shamblers, from whom it's better to hide and let infight with the cybervores on the top floor, as you probably won't have the ammo to deal with all of them.

• slipgate sickness by scampie and greenwood

  • time 10:22 secrets: 1/3 kills: 145/145
  • you have to go way out of your way in the hub area to find this one. but once you get there, you'll find that it's absolutely packed with monsters. you'll go through three different areas separated by the titular slipgates, each of which has a pair of keys, and basically all of those keys will spawn significant opposition when picked up. generally they tend to be heavier in numbers rather than in individual strength, and in particular a significant fraction of your ammo will come from backpacks dropped by the enemies. keep using those cells aggressively, as you are pretty unlikely to run out. health and armor are in shorter supply, however, so try and avoid facetanking too many projectiles - the super-enforcers in particular are likely to cause problems. the final room might have been very difficult... but i found a secret quad. so who can say.