Arboretum

1. Installation

1. Create a new folder in your Shock2 base directory called res.
2. Move all files of type .crf from your Shock2 base directory into your new res folder.
3. Open up the file install.cfg in your Shock2 base directory. Change the resname_base line to point to your new res folder.
   My line looks like this: resname_base C:\fun\Sshock2\res+E:\shock. This way Shock knows to check for custom sounds/textures/text/etc. before using the original game information.
4. Rename the file earth.mis in your Shock2 base directory to something else, like oldearth.mis, this way you avoid overwriting it when you unzip a file with the same name later.
5. Also rename the files cs1.avi and cs3.avi in your cutscenes subdirectory to something else, accordingly.
6. Unzip arboretum.zip into your main Shock2 directory making sure to include folder names. New folders should now appear: snd, snd2 and strings. If you followed the above steps it should not ask you to overwrite any files.

2. How to Uninstall

1. Delete the subfolders snd, snd2 and strings.
2. Delete earth.mis, cutscenes\cs1.avi and cutscenes\cs3.avi and replace them with their backed up counterparts.

3. The Story

4. Information to Read Before You Play

5. Concluding Thoughts

1. There is not a single crate in this level. Yes, that's right, not a single crate, the crutch used by the level designing community since the days of Wolfenstein. I wanted to make sure the editing world out there knew it could be done. :)
2. There are 10 Toxin Hypos hidden throughout the map. They have no realistic function other than a "game" element to see if you can find them.
3. There are 4 secret areas to be found.
4. Chronological time to build was about 6 weeks. A third of this time was probably experimenting with different issues in test levels to get things to work right.
5. One of the hardest parts to build was the central courtyard area. It went through many revisions and with lots of extras chopped off, still chugs hard on the frame rate. A good learning lesson for you all "don't put a centralized hub in your level that is large, full of objects, and sees most other parts of the level".
6. Some elements that happen in the game have to be taken with a grain of salt when it comes to the story. Hybrids, ok, but a midwife in this setting? Areas blocked off yet have some bad guys still inside. I know, I know... :)
7. While building the level, it was really nice to be caught by surprise once. I entered the Operations room and entered the left section after adding the lights to the screens there. Before I flipped on the switch to turn on the white lights, I looked at the greens and oranges lighting up the area in a nice glow and was caught off guard. I liked it so much that I disabled the switch to turn on the main lights so that all you get are the screen colors. I just wasn't expecting such interesting lighting.
8. The mission is comprised of 722 brushes, 938 objects, 64 lights, and lists a build time of 4:20:33:52
9. If you have ANY comments at all please email them to gumby202@gmail.com. This was my first Shock level and knowing what worked and what didn't can be of help on my next endevor. Was there something you hated? Something over done? Something you appreciated? Something you really liked? Let me know. I want all the feedback I can get.

6. Credits