Mission Name:             The Heavens
Level Authors:            Nirvana and Sirian
Number of levels:         7
Number of Secret levels:  2
Date Completed:           September 7, 1998

Modes of Play:            Anarchy
                          Single Player
                          Cooperative
                          Team
                          Flag
                          Hoard

Custom Textures:          29 signs
Custom Robots:            2 minor adjustments, nothing noticable
Custom Polymodels:        none

Nirvana's level editor:   DMB2
Sirian's level editor:    Devil 2.2h
Other misc editors:       DTX2, Yahoma 2.0, PSP 5.0, Photoshop

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Contents of this Text File

1) First Heaven
2) Second Heaven
3) Third Heaven
4) Fourth Heaven
5) Fifth Heaven
6) Sixth Heaven
7) Seventh Heaven
8) Secret Levels
9) Background Info
10) Nirvana's Commentary
11) Sirian's Commentary
12) Credits and Appreciation

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First Heaven - "Nirvana"

Keys:          Red
Layout:        Nirvana
Weapons:       Nirvana
Robots:        Nirvana
Bot Producers: Nirvana
Textures:      Nirvana
Lighting:      Nirvana
Hostages:      Yes
Anarchy:       Optimized for 2 or 3 players.

First Heaven is small, and is designed for small games. Players 
wishing to play a head to head match (such as a ladder game) will 
find this level cozy. It plays fast, and has design elements that 
allow a variety of strategic approaches. Large anarchy games are 
possible here, and will provide nonstop action.

First Heaven was designed exclusively by Nirvana.

The name for this level was taken from the Bhuddist religion, and 
their concept of heaven. (Oh, and it happens to be Nirv's nick too)

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Second Heaven - "Paradise"

Keys:          Blue, Red
Main Layout:   Sirian
Blue Area:     Nirvana
Red Area:      Nirvana
Weapons:       Sirian
Robots:        Sirian and Nirvana
Bot Producers: Sirian and Nirvana
Textures:      Nirvana and Sirian
Lighting:      Sirian
Hostages:      Yes
Anarchy:       Optimized for 2 to 4 players

Second Heaven has a flow and tempo quite different from First 
Heaven. There are more weapons, including two fusion cannons and 
a pack of proxbombs. Secondaries play a larger role here, and 
players can gain an advantage by figuring out where the missiles 
tend to respawn. This level should be ideal for three and four 
player games on the net, and extra weapons can be obtained by 
starting the game in First Heaven and then advancing to here.

Second Heaven is named for the most common description of what 
people think a heaven would be like. :)

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Third Heaven - "Happy Hunting Grounds"

Keys:          Blue, Yellow, Red
Main Layout:   Nirvana
Blue Area:     Sirian
Yellow Area:   Sirian
Red Area:      Nirvana
Weapons:       Sirian and Nirvana
Robots:        Sirian
Bot Producers: Sirian and Nirvana
Textures:      Nirvana and Sirian
Lighting:      Nirvana and Sirian
Hostages:      Yes
Anarchy:       Optimized for 2 to 4 players

Third Heaven is ideal for anarchy, and offers players plenty of 
strategic possibilities. This level has a pack of smart mines, 
which can be particularly brutal if placed well. Weaponry may 
appear light in this level, but that is because several of the 
items are tucked into secret tunnels and closets, which should 
not be difficult to find. You will likely bump into several of 
the secret doors just by moving around the level or paying 
attention to the architecture. This level is Sirian's favorite, 
both for its looks and the way it plays.

The name for this level comes from mythology.

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Fourth Heaven - "The Elysian Fields"

Keys:          Blue, Yellow, Red
Main Layout:   Nirvana
Blue Area:     Sirian
Yellow Area:   Nirvana
Red Area:      Sirian
Weapons:       Sirian
Robots:        Nirvana and Sirian
Bot Producers: Sirian and Nirvana
Textures:      Sirian and Nirvana
Lighting:      Sirian
Hostages:      Yes
Anarchy:       Optimized for 3 to 5 players

This was originally going to be First Heaven, but it turned 
out to be way too large for that. :) So we shuffled it around 
until we found it a home, and we decided Nirvana would do a 
really small level to kick off the set while Sirian would do a 
very large level for the finale. Fourth Heaven sits right in 
the middle, and it is indeed the middle range for size in this 
mission set. Action gravitates to the main dogfight room, and 
plasma dogfights are the mainstay here. This is the first level 
in the set to carry any homing missiles (two) while the smart 
mines add an element of heightened alertness because while they 
are very easy to avoid in this level, you have to do a lot of 
flying blind if you retreat at all, and it's embarassing when 
you back into a smart mine in a dogfight. :) This is also the 
first level in the set to have distinctive missile respawn 
locations. Be careful of becoming trapped if you go for missiles 
often, tho. This level also provides quad 4s instead of super 
lasers, for a change of pace.

The name for this level comes from mythology.

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Fifth Heaven - "Bliss"

Keys:          Blue, Yellow, Red
Main Layout:   Sirian
Blue Area:     Nirvana
Yellow Area:   Nirvana
Red Area:      Sirian
Weapons:       Sirian
Robots:        Sirian and Nirvana
Bot Producers: Sirian
Textures:      Nirvana and Sirian
Lighting:      Sirian and Nirvana
Hostages:      Yes
Anarchy:       Optimized for 4 to 7 players

Fifth Heaven is somewhat large, and the only weapons in abundance 
here are quad 4s and fusion. This keeps the level from becoming 
cluttered if weapons are brought in from Fourth Heaven, but still 
gives everyone in the game a usable weapon. This level feels a 
lot like the Muses First Half, and plays much like one of those 
fine levels. The fusion theme of this level extends to the robots 
as well as anarchy, and in single player this is the first really 
difficult level in the set. Expect to die some in here. As for 
anarchy, this level should be ideal for use on LAN and play well 
on the net, also.

The name for this level comes from what many people hope to find 
in their heaven. :)

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Sixth Heaven - "Valhalla"

Keys:          Blue, Yellow, Red
Main Layout:   Nirvana and Sirian
Blue Area:     Sirian
Yellow Area:   Nirvana
Red Area:      Sirian
Weapons:       Sirian
Robots:        Sirian
Bot Producers: Sirian
Textures:      Nirvana and Sirian
Lighting:      Sirian and Nirvana
Hostages:      Yes
Anarchy:       Optimized for 4 to 8 players on LAN

Sixth Heaven is the most integrated of all the levels, in terms of 
collaboration on the layout. We each modified areas created by the 
other because the main area is more than half of the level, and it 
is extremely interconnected. Doing the lighting on this level was 
a particular whore. :)

This is the third and final of the seven levels to carry smart 
mines. There are two packs on this level, so the mines play a 
significant tactical role here. This level also has the greatest 
number of gauss cannons in the set (three) and the greatest 
number of plasma cannons. This level is optimized for LAN, and 
though it gives good overall fps, the frame rates here are the 
lowest in the set (meaning fps is REALLY good in all the other 
levels, and just PRETTY good here. :)

Robot fighters will find this level a particular challenge.

Sixth Heaven takes its name from mythology.

---------------------------------------------
Seventh Heaven - "Seventh Heaven"

Keys:          Blue, Yellow, Red
Layout:        Sirian
Weapons:       Sirian
Robots:        Sirian
End Boss:      Sirian
Bot Producers: Sirian
Textures:      Sirian
Lighting:      Sirian
Hostages:      No
Anarchy:       Optimized for 8 players on LAN

The finale of The Heavens mission is Seventh Heaven. This level is 
very large, but plays extremely fast with many players due to the 
level's interconnectedness and small number of rooms. Players will 
be able to locate the action quickly. There are 5 LARGE dogfight 
rooms connected by a few short tunnels, and at least two ways in or 
out of each room. The weapon load is heavy. ALL guns are present in 
this level, including the helix, phoenix, and omega. At least two 
of each gun are present, except for the lone vulcan cannon. There 
are four plasmas, seven fusions, eight burners, and a whopping ten 
spreadfire cannons, which are the "base" guns for this level, and 
what many players will be using while fighting to acquire better 
hardware. Energy is fairly accessible, but players will also find 
it very easy to run out if they are not careful; and in team games, 
killing your teammates by mistake is a serious danger.

There are no megas or shakers accessible in anarchy at any point in 
The Heavens set, and neither are there cloaks or invuls. No smart 
mines are found in Seventh Heaven, but there is a goodly supply of 
proxbombs, as well as flash and mercury missiles, four homings, and 
a healthy supply of smart missiles (which won't play a large role in 
dogfights, but may get some nasty kills in tunnel areas).

For single player this is also the big finale with the boss. This 
level is easily the most difficult, and inexperienced players will 
have a hard time making it through. Because much of this level's 
threat comes from bot producers, which can malfunction and fail to 
produce in coop mode, this level is considerably tamer in coop than 
single player mode. We hope that players will give it a try in 
single player, to get the full robot experience. Extra care was 
taken to up the ante when playing The Heavens mission on insane, 
by making the robot producers go through extra production runs.

Seventh Heaven was made exclusively by Sirian.

Its name comes from many traditions, wherein seven is the divine 
number and therefore the Seventh Heaven would be the highest, best 
of all possible heavens.

---------------------------------------------
Secret Levels - "Secret Garden" and "Secret Grove"

Keys:          None
Layout:        Sirian
Puzzles:       Sirian
Robots:        Sirian
Textures:      Sirian
Lighting:      Sirian

The Secret levels offer players an additional incentive to give 
single player mode a try. The only way to experience these two 
levels is to play the mission in single player; and since the 
game does not allow players to save and restore while on a 
secret level, players will HAVE to wing it and hope they can 
prevail. ;)

Secret Garden is the first secret level. It should be easy to find 
if players pay attention, because there is a HUGE clue to its 
location built into the level where its entrance can be found.
This level is very light on threat, and presents modest puzzles, 
some of which will require skilled use of guided missiles. There 
are three extra life powerups on this level. See if you can find 
them all! Rewards are granted to those who are thorough.

Secret Grove is a bonus level, with challenging bots and a very 
particular tactical setup that will require a lot of thought and 
may take several attempts to master. This level is CLEARLY not 
designed for anarchy: it is strictly a puzzle level, and it will 
demand a very different approach than what is required in the rest 
of the mission. This level has two extra life powerups as well as 
an earthshaker missile. See if you can figure out how to get all 
three! Oh, and don't take ALL the guns and missiles Sirian has 
stored up in his "Secret Cache" please. He may need some of those 
in his IDL ladder matches. ;)

Finding the entrance to Secret Grove may be a challenge. It is 
very well hidden and not likely to be triggered open by accident. 
You may have to actively search to find it. There IS a clue in 
the rest of the level's architecture, on the level where the 
entrance is hidden, if you pay attention and notice the right 
things. :)

The secret levels were designed exclusively by Sirian. ALL items 
in the secret levels are accessible, so if you see an item, you 
can get that item if you can figure out how. Enjoy the challenge.

---------------------------------------------
Background Info

Nirvana is: Anthony Galica     Email: agalica@ix.netcom.com
Sirian is:  Bob Thomas         Email: sirian23@earthlink.net

As of the release of The Heavens mission set for D2, Nirvana has 
completed and released nearly 100 anarchy levels for Descent. He 
has collaborated with other level designers more than any other 
designer ever, and has also made more custom levels upon request 
than any designer. Some of his best works include Vamped, TheDojo, 
Bow to Phoenix, Repressed UsuL, Kiln's Fusion Farm, and the 
massive mission set Vertigo Dementia. Sirian has not made levels 
for two years, but his works include Laserdeath, Pro Laserdeath, 
Gunfight, and Pro Lightning, as well as several D2 adaptations 
of classic D1 levels from First Strike. Sirian also has extensive 
experience with all game modes in Descent, including single player 
and cooperative modes. Sirian founded the Descent Rangers league, 
and wrote the rules system that is still used, largely unmodified, 
by the Rangers to this day. He is also part of the staff for the 
Invitational Descent Ladder, and this combined experience gives 
him a unique grasp on the elements of what makes a good level for 
both head to head play and anarchy, as well as bot hunting.

The level designers first worked together on the Bow to Phoenix 
mission set, which Nirvana made at Sirian's request. Sirian 
provided specs for number and size of rooms for both levels, as 
well as the weapon loads. Nirvana designed the layouts, and 
Sirian requested three changes on level 1, and an even dozen 
structural changes on level 2, as well as specifying the number 
and placement of energy bays. Nirvana did the texturing and item 
placement, as well as the custom polymodels and effects for the 
black fusions in level 2.

Despite having grave reservations about some of Sirian's requests, 
Nirvana gave them all a try, and he was suprised at the quality of 
the results. So when it came time for Nirvana to complete a level 
he was making at Kiln's request, and Kiln was unavailable due to 
family concerns, Nirvana turned to Sirian for advice. Once again 
he was leery of some of the suggestions he got, but he tried them 
out and was pleased with the outcome. Result: Kiln's Fusion Farm.

So it really came as no surprise to either designer when, one day, 
Nirvana asked Sirian, "Hey, do you still know how to use Devil?"

---------------------------------------------
Nirvana's Commentary

This set is definately a rocking experience.  Although it started
out shaky, and there were many conflicts with ideas, I think it 
came out awesome.  I don't think that ever before anyone has been 
able to make a level/set that *properly* included anarchy, co-op, 
and single player modes.  But we did, and its DEFINATELY worth 
trying out in all modes.  Horse (oops.. hoard ;) and flag are 
included, but the levels have not been designed specifically for 
those modes in mind.  It was fun working with Sirian on this 
set, and I wouldn't have reservations about doing it again. Have 
fun with it, we had fun making it! ;)

Thanks to: Sirian (you know why), #300baud and the IDL, and all the
Rangers, Wildcards, and ->descent<- folk that I talk to on a regular
basis ;)

-Nirvana (The Cannibal Level Builder)


(The Cannibal Level Builder is 1998, Prescience)

---------------------------------------------
Sirian's Commentary

Thanks go to Nirvana for talking me into doing this project. :)

I hadn't worked on any levels for Descent in an actual level editor 
since Pro Lightning! Long time to be away, and now I remember why I 
quit making levels back then. It takes a LOT of work to make a good 
level! Ah, but I did enjoy it: a labor of love. I have no idea how 
Nirvana can crank out level after level after level and get such 
good results. I'm exhausted after this project.

The levels were made in the following order: Fourth, First, Seventh, 
Second, Sixth, Third, Fifth, Secret Two, Secret One. I think that 
Third and Fifth are the most architecturally pleasing, and perhaps 
there is no coincidence in the fact that we completed these last. :)

Seventh Heaven is the first all-new Descent level I have produced in 
over two years. I learned a lot in the making of The Heavens, and am 
certainly at my most enlightened stage in terms of designing. How 
many more projects I may do in the future, if any, is yet to be 
determined, but "the itch" can strike at any time. We shall see.

If this mission set gets a good amount of play and there is demand, 
we will port it to D1 and do up a version with D1 robots. Whether or 
not we do this will depend on the kind of support and usage this set 
gets in D2, so if you like what we've accomplished here, then pass 
the word around, and also let us know of your interest in further 
development on these ideas. If you have any memorably enjoyable 
experiences in this mission, in any play mode, feel free to drop us 
an email and tell us all about it. We'd love to hear from you. :)


- Sirian

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Credits and Appreciation

Custom Textures:  Nirvana (Nirv put a LOT of work into them)
Sign Placement:   First Heaven, Nirvana; rest of set, Sirian
HXM file:         Nirvana
POG files:        Nirvana
Text file:        Sirian
Debugging:        Sirian (With shared lighting, Devil MUST save last)
IR Heaven pic:    http://www.phy.mtu.edu/apod/ap980128.html
Dog Kennel pic:   http://www.frenchbulldog.org
Rat Haven pic:    http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/5521/rats.html

Anarchy Beta Testers:    Sekmu, Kufyit, SoniC, ZappaFan, Grax, VaiN, Glock21
Coop Beta Testers:       Gwar, ZappaFan, Sup, VaiN

Thanks, guys, for all your help.

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Copyright

The Heavens mission set for Descent II, along with all its contents 
including layouts and customs textures, are Copyright 1998 by 
Anthony Galica and Bob Thomas, all rights reserved.

You may NOT use these levels to build upon, or as a macro, or modify
the design in any way, without express written permission from both 
authors. All comments and suggestions are welcome.

You MAY distribute this mission, provided you include this file, with
no modifications.  You may distribute this file in any electronic
format (BBS, Diskette, CD, etc) as long as you include this file intact.

---------------------------------------------

We hope you enjoy the mission! :)
