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TombRaider IV.

Giza Level.

Game Plan Flow Chart.

Key Design.

Puzzle Design.

Set Pieces and NPC’s.

Required Lara Animations.

Key Descriptions.

Key A. – Found in the Sphinx area.

This single Silver key opens the padlock on the gate to the Sphinx Temple area.

Key B. – Found in the Sphinx Temple area.

This single Silver key opens the padlock on the gate to the Valley Temple area.

Key C. – Found in the Sphinx area and the Valley Temple area.

This key is a combination of two items; the Spade blade and Spade handle. When combined the resulting spade can then be used to dig through the floor whilst standing infront of the ‘Dream Stelea’ inbetween the Sphinxes paws. The player can then access the underground tunnels area.

Key D. – Found outside Khafres Pyramid area.

This large gold coloured key will open a set of worn steel gates allowing you access into the Eastern Cemeteries area.

Key E. – Found in the Underground tunnels area.

Throwing this switch will open the metal grating that blocks the players path through to Menkaures Mortuary Temple area.

Key F. – Found in the Underground tunnels area.

This single silver key will open the gates of Menkaures Mortuary temple allowing you access to Outside Menkaures Pyramid area.

Key G. – Found in the guardhouse area.

Using this group of three keys will allow you access to 1. The start of the Causeway.

2. Inside Menkaures Pyramid.

3. Outside Khafres Pyramid.

If Puzzle D is successfully completed the player will be rewarded with an extra key which will allow access to a secret bonus area found in one of Khufu’s Queens Pyramids.

Key H. – Found inside Menkaures Pyramid area.

This is a magical key that when placed in its correct position in an alcove in the Kings chamber allows you to open one of the four cosmic shafts found in the Great Pyramid.

Key I. – Found in Khafres Queen Pyramid area.

Throwing this switch opens the main entrance to Khafres Pyramid.

Key J. – Found inside Khafres Pyramid area.

This is a magical key that when placed in its correct position in an alcove in the Kings chamber allows you to open one of the four cosmic shafts found in the Great Pyramid.

Key K. – Found in the Eastern Cemeteries area.

This is a magical key that when placed in its correct position in an alcove in the Kings chamber allows you to open one of the four cosmic shafts found in the Great Pyramid.

Key L. – Found in the Western Cemeteries area.

This is a magical key that when placed in its correct position in an alcove in the Kings chamber allows you to open one of the four cosmic shafts found in the Great Pyramid.

Key M. – Found in the Boat Museum.

Using this large gold coloured key will allow you access to the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

Key N. – Found in the Western Cemeteries.

After finding the plastic explosive and detonator, these items must then be combined to form Key N. This item can then be used to blow a small rock fall that is blocking the entrance to Queen Mercerankh’s tomb.

Key O. – Found outside the Great Pyramid of Khufu area.

Using this small silver key will allow you access to the Boat Museum.

Item Descriptions.

Spade Handle. – Found in the Sphinx area.

This item is located in one of the guardhouses found within the Sphinx area. By itself it has no use but when combined with the Spade Blade item it becomes Key C, (A Spade.) And can be used to solve Puzzle A – when standing infront of the Dream Stelea.

Spade Blade. – Found in the Valley Temple area.

This item is located in one of the guardhouses found within the Valley Temple area. By itself it has no use but when combined with the Spade Handle item it becomes Key C, (A Spade.) And can be used to solve Puzzle A – when standing infront of the Dream Stelea found in the sphinx area.

Bag of Dirt. – Found in Menkaures Mortuary Temple.

A bag of dirt resembling a sand-bag with a tied top, this item can be found lying on the floor of Menkaures Mortuary Temple next to the wall which it used to be part of. This item shall be used together with other items inorder to solve Puzzle F.

Water Skins (x2). – Found in the guardhouse next to Menkaures Pyramid.

The Water Skins come in two different sizes; one can hold 3 litres of water and the other 5 litres. These items are necessary for the completion of two puzzles. The first being Puzzle F, where either skins can be used. And the second being Puzzle K where both skins must be used together inorder to solve Puzzle K.

Petrol Pump. – Found outside Khafres Pyramid.

Located outside one of the Guardhouses, (with a road running past it.) This item cannot be removed from the map – as it is intended only to serve as a source of petrol, and should be used together with the petrol can (from Andy’s level). When the petrol can is full it can be used in conjunction with other items inorder to solve Puzzle F.

Amulet. – Found in the Eastern Cemeteries area.

When examined this Amulet reveals to the player a map of the wall found in Puzzle J. Using the Amulet the player will be able to see which blocks he must remove inorder to solve this puzzle.

Explosives. – Found in Khafres Pyramid area.

This item is located in one of the dig sites found around the pyramid area. By itself it has no use but when combined with the Detonator it becomes Key N, And can be used to blow the rockfall blocking the players path into Queen Mercerankh tomb.

Detonator. – Found in the Western Cemeteries area.

This item is located in one of the smaller tombs. By itself it has no use but when combined with the Explosives it becomes Key N, And can be used to blow the rockfall blocking the players path into Queen Mercerankh tomb.

Puzzle Descriptions.

Puzzle A. – Found in the Sphinx area.

If the player examines the Dream Stelea of Thutmose’s the inscription will read as follows: –

One night in dreaming came to me the spirit of the sphinx,

In his passing he spoke unto me words of great wisdom,

“Thutmose’s, here is your true destiny,

This land of Egypt is forever yours to rule,

In return protect me always from the sands of time,

As you are I must be free from head to toe,

So that we both may see the divine beauty of creation.”

The Player must firstly find the Spade, then use the Spade while standing infront of the Dream Stelea of Thutmose. This inturn will show an animation of Lara digging away at the ground. After a while a hole will appear allowing Lara access to the underground tunnels section. The spade should then be discarded and cannot be used elsewhere.

Solving this Puzzle will allow you access to the Underground Tunnels.

Objects needed for this puzzle – Dream Stelea, and a Spade. (This will be made up of two parts – a handle aswell as a blade, forcing the player to use the combine option in the inventory.)

Animations needed for this puzzle – Lara reading animation and Lara digging animation.

Puzzle B. – Found in the Underground Tunnels area.

Exploring the underground tunnels Lara will eventually come across a dead end.

In the wall found at the end of this tunnel the player can see nine stone symbols set into the wall. This sequence of symbols goes from left to right top to bottom.

The player must find out which of the bottom row would be next in the sequence.

The lower three symbols are drawn onto stone switches that can be pushed. If the player presses one of the incorrect symbols then they will be penalized in some way. Perhaps poisonous darts could fly out of the walls to either side of Lara – forcing the player to use a medi-pack to save themselves. Pressing the correct symbol will cause the wall (which is infact a door) to slide upwards allowing the player to continue.

The solution is the middle symbol. The pattern is (starting from the first symbol), firstly to add 2 elements (giving you the second symbol), then take 1 away, add 3, take away 2, add 4, then take away 3 – which leaves 4 elements as shown in the bottom middle symbol.

Solving this Puzzle will allow you access to the Man-made chamber.

Objects needed for this puzzle – Nine stone symbols.

Animations needed for this puzzle – Lara pushing buttons animation.

Puzzle C. – Found in the man-made Chamber area.

The player enters the man-made chamber and is locked in automatically – he can see that there are four alcoves located in the walls, each containing a statue. The room has a high ceiling, on the walls are visible scrape marks. As soon as the player removes the first of the statues the roof will begin to descend towards the floor. The player must quickly remove all of the statues to open the door and exit the room before getting squished by the falling roof!

Solving this Puzzle will reward you with the four statues.

Objects needed for this puzzle – Four Statues.

Animations needed for this puzzle – If Lara gets squished perhaps we could activate an animation showing her desperately trying to hold the roof up with her hands before finally getting completely pulverized!

Puzzle D. – Found in the guardhouse area.

Here the player must enter the guardhouse by simply shoulder barging their way through the doorway. After Lara enters the guardhouse she is confronted with the sight of a lone guard being attacked by several scorpions. If Lara manages to kill the scorpions before they kill the guard, then we will show a small cut-scene showing the guard thanking Lara for saving his life, (this is Set Piece E), and then offering her a bunch of keys. (This is Key G). If Lara doesn’t save the guards life then she can still retrieve the keys by searching the guards body, but they will not allow her access to the secret bonus area found inside one of Khufu’s Queens Pyramids.

Solving this Puzzle will reward you with the Key G.

Objects needed for this puzzle – Destructible Doorway, Key G.

Animations needed for this puzzle – Lara shoulder barging through the doorway and a cut-scene showing the Guard giving Lara key G.

*NOTE: – After entering the guardhouse the player must try to rescue the guard found within. Because of this, it would be nice for the player to be able to hear the guards screams when standing near to the doorway, and before entering the guard house.

Puzzle E. – Found Inside Menkaures Pyramid area.

The player comes across a room that is fairly long in length. From the ceiling hangs ropes of various different lengths. There is no floor – it is either covered with spikes or consists purely of sinking sand – to fall would mean certain death. Lara must jump from one rope to the next to cross this room. Some of the ropes are linked to triggers that will trigger different effects.

Rope pulls out of ceiling – The player will get a short warning before they must quickly jump to another rope before plummeting to the ground.

Triggers dart trap – Poisonous darts fly out of the wall at varying Heights towards the rope. Lara must either quickly jump off or shimmy up/down the rope to avoid the dart.

Rope falls a set distance – Some ropes will fall a set distance, depending on what height the player has grabbed hold of, they might get skewered or might not – they will certainly get a shock!

Rope has a weak link – If the player looks closely at the ropes they will be able to see that some of the ropes are frayed, if the chain is grabbed below this it will break.

Triggers a flaming arrow – This arrow will hit the top of rope causing it to burn away, the player will have a short amount of time in which they can jump to another rope before they plummet to the ground.

Solving this Puzzle will reward you with the Key H.

Objects needed for this puzzle – Ropes of various types and Key H.

Animations needed for this puzzle – Generic Lara rope animations.

This puzzle needs a test – how does the rope stuff work?!?!

Puzzle F. – Found in Khafres Queen Pyramid area.

The Four Elements. (Fire – Earth – Air – Water)

The player enters a room and finds that it contains four pedestals each having a large round container on the top, all of the containers are empty. In each corner of the room are burning torches, and small water pools can also be found at either side of the room. The player must fill each of the bowls with one of the elements. (Except for air – which is already present.) An inscription on the wall behind the bowls when read gives a clue as to what must be done – such as “four Elements”.

Water – Using a water container the player can transport water from one of the water pools and place it into the bowl giving the first element.

Earth – Emptying a bag of dirt into a bowl gives the second element.

Fire – The player must fill a bowl with petrol and then light it using one of the torches to give the third and final element.

Solving this Puzzle will reward you with the Key I.

Objects needed for this puzzle – a bag of dirt, a petrol container filled with petrol, (carried over from Andy’s level.) and Key I.

Animations needed for this puzzle – Lara filling and emptying water skins animation, Lara emptying petrol can animation, and Lara emptying bag of dirt animation

Puzzle G. – Found Inside Khafres Pyramid area.

Somewhere inside Khafres Pyramid the player will come across a doorway that appears to be completely stuck – no key holes etc… If the player examines the area above the door carefully they will see three gargoyle type carvings – each with wide-open mouths containing a bright sparkly gem. The player must use the targeting system to target each of the gems and blow them away. When all three have been destroyed the doorway will open allowing the player to continue.

Solving this Puzzle will allow you access to the Secret Vault.

Objects needed for this puzzle – Gargoyle heads with gems in their mouths.

Animations needed for this puzzle – Lara targeting animations.

Puzzle H. – Found Inside Khafres Pyramid area. (The secret vault.)

In a big open chamber the player is confronted with three statues of baboons. One with his hands covering his ears, one covering his eyes, and the other his mouth. Infront of each of these statues is a lever. Each lever pulled will have a different effect. Not all the levers will be able to be pulled straight away – they must be pulled in the following order: –

Hear no Evil – A Baboon that cannot be heard will be released into the chamber from a concealed entrance behind the player. The player will have to destroy this Baboon – but will not expect its presence as it is completely silent when released aswell as when it moves.

See no Evil – A Baboon that cannot be seen will be released into the chamber from a concealed entrance behind the player. Using Dels funky env-map stuff the Baboon will have no visible textures but on close examination will appear to have a slight reflective sheen to it. The player will have to destroy this creature – it will be difficult to destroy as it cannot be seen easily but it does make a noise!

Speak no Evil – A Baboon is released into the chamber from a concealed entrance behind the player, at first this Baboon will run up to and around the player. If the player attacks the Baboon then it will attack Lara – forcing Lara to kill or be killed. If this happens then the player must again pull the first lever and repeat the puzzle. The trick is not to attack the third Baboon as if left alone it will eventually run off to an altar located high in the far wall and pull a switch – in a flash of light the Baboon will disappear, while Key J will appear on the altar for the player to collect.

After each lever is pulled it will reset to its original position.

Solving this Puzzle will reward you with the Key J.

Objects needed for this puzzle – Three statues in various poses, Three Baboons of various types, a lever, and Key J.

Animations needed for this puzzle – Lara pulling levers and Baboon anims.

*NOTES – The final Baboon will be able to climb heights of 4, 6 & 8 blocks to pull the final switch that will reveal Key J. This is so that Lara cannot simply climb to the switch herself. The Switch will be made more apparent by means of several lit torches at either side.

Once the switch has been pulled the exit will then become available to the player – perhaps a series of platforms can rise up off of the floor. (Cutscene shows this?)

Puzzle I. – Found in the Eastern Cemeteries area.

The player comes across a large room containing a chess-like checkerboard. At the other end of the room the player can see an altar with Key K plainly visible.

As the player tries to cross the checkerboard, each tile they stand on will make one of the other tiles rise to a height inaccessible to the player – eventually blocking the players path across the room. The challenge here will be to find the correct route across the checkerboard and retrieve the key.

Solving this Puzzle will reward you with the Key K.

Objects needed for this puzzle – Key K and extending blocks.

Animations needed for this puzzle – None.

Puzzle J. – Found in the Western Cemeteries area.

On entering a room the player is locked in and presented with a huge chasm preventing access to the other side where the exit can plainly be seen lit by a single light. With the exception of the wall behind the player the room is very dark. A single shaft of light comes down from the ceiling and hits a tile that appears to be floating in space above the center of the pit. This is a clue to the player that they have to use light to cross the chasm.

If the player inspects the wall found behind them they will see that the blocks form a pattern that is exactly the same to an object discovered in an earlier tomb. Certain markings on the object appear to mark out individual blocks. If the player removes these blocks by pulling them out / pushing them in, then beams of light will shoot out across the chasm highlighting invisible blocks as they do so. The player will then have to negotiate these blocks by jumping / catching them so as to cross the chasm.

Solving this Puzzle will reward you with the Key L.

Objects needed for this puzzle – Platforms, Stone blocks, Amulet and Key L.

Animations needed for this puzzle – Lara pushing/pulling blocks.

Puzzle K. – Found in the Underground Lake area.

This puzzle is split over three rooms, the first being the easiest to complete and the last being the hardest. At some point before the first of these rooms Lara will discover two Waterskins. One can hold 3 litres of water and the other 5 litres. These waterskins can be filled wherever there is water and could act in much the same way as medi-packs. The more water Lara drinks the more health she will receive, (a 5 litre drink might replenish a third/half of Lara’s energy bar.) It is also possible to empty waterskins and to transfer water from one skin to the other. This can be shown in the inventory system as follows…

Use waterskin. Fill. Waterskin is filled (must be near water.)

Empty. Water skin is emptied. (If near container.)

Drink. Water skin is emptied.

Transfer. Water is passed from one skin to the other.

(If there is available space.)

Lara enters the first room, in the center of the room can be seen a large set of scales. In one pan we can see a small container, shaped like an urn. In the other pan there is a feather – the symbol of truth. We can see that the scales are tipped showing that the feather is heavier than the urn. Statues of Osiris and Thoth can be seen either side of the scales. The hieroglyph ankh, the ‘cross’ or ‘key’ of life – the symbol of eternity is shown high on the wall behind, also clearly visible on the wall we can see two zigzag hieroglyphs which represent water (see pic). At either side of the room we can see two pools of water, both being fed by springs from the walls. Also set in the back wall the player can see a large metal grill behind which there is a strange looking animal walking back and forth growling. This is Ammit, the Eater of the Dead, a monstrous hybrid who is part crocodile, part lion, and part hippo.

To solve the puzzle the player must realize that each water symbol represents 1 litre of water. So in this room the player must fill the urn with 2 litres of water inorder to balance the scales. If the player fills the urn with either too much or too little water then Ammit will be released and the player will be killed.

Now the player has to work out how to get a 2-litre measurement exactly. The answer in this case is relatively simple. The player must first fill the 5-litre skin and then fill the 3 from the 5. This leaves 2 remaining in the 5 litre skin. If the player then empties the remaining 2 into the urn the scale will balance and the door to exit the level will open.

In the second room the player will be confronted with the same setup except this time there are four water symbols on the wall, representing 4 litres of water. To get a 4-litre measurement the player must again fill the 3 from the 5 leaving 2. Then empty the 3 and fill with the remaining water from the 5. Then fill the 5 litre skin and the fill the remaining 1 litre in the 3 litre skin to leave you with 4 litres. Again the door will open allowing the player on to the next challenge…

In the third and final room the player will again be shown the same setup except this time there is only one water symbol on the wall, representing 1 litre of water. To get a 1 litre measurement the player repeat the process used in the last room but finally fill the 3 from the 5 which leaves you with 1 litre! On completion of this room the player may finally venture on to pastures new….

Solving this final piece of the puzzle will allow passage down to the Underground Lake itself.

Objects needed for this puzzle – Waterskins, Scales, Urn, Feather, and Ammit.

Animations needed for this puzzle – Lara filling and emptying water skins.

Puzzle L. – Found in the Underground Lake area.

Here the player must simply place each of the four statues found in the man-made chamber on one of the four pedestals marking out each of the corners of the temple of Horus site.

Solving this Puzzle will reconsecrate the Temple of Horus site.

Objects needed for this puzzle – Four statues, four pedestals.

Animations needed for this puzzle – Lara placing statues on pedestal.

Puzzle M. – Found in the Underground Lake area.

Here the player must simply place each piece of the armour of Horus on to the Statue of Horus located in the center of the Temple of Horus site. Placing the final piece of armour will activate an FMV sequence showing Set and Horus battling over the statue, with Set being the final victor – destroying the statue of Horus in the process.

Solving this Puzzle will allow the spirit of Horus to enter the statue – only to immediately be defeated by Set.

Objects needed for this puzzle – Statue of Horus and Armour of Horus.

Animations needed for this puzzle – Lara placing armour on statue.

Puzzle N. – Found in the Underground Lake area.

The Final battle with Set basically involves the player picking up the Magical Amulet that has been left behind after the destruction of the Statue of Horus. Dodging attacks from Set himself; the player must make his way towards the center of the island. Here we can see that the ‘Cosmic Starlight’ is still being channeled from the four shafts of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, and strikes the ground where the Statue of Horus used to stand. Using the Amulet the player must direct this ‘cosmic energy’ at Set. Sets attacks however, will not allow the player simply to just stand in this middle area. Some of Sets attack moves will force Lara into the water surrounding the island, and the player will have to time his movements onto the island inorder to avoid being wasted! Once Set has been struck with the ‘Cosmic Starlight’ a number of times he will be destroyed and the area will start to self-destruct, and the player will have to exit the area. Cut to final FMV.

Objects needed for this puzzle – Magical Amulet.

Animations needed for this puzzle – Lara relfecting light while holding the Amulet.

Set Piece Descriptions.

Set Piece A. – Lara reading the ‘Dream Stelea’. – (Found in the Sphinx area.)

This Set Piece will show Lara reading the inscription from Thutmose’s ‘Dream Stelea’, which is located between the front paws of the sphinx itself. Perhaps Lara could kneel down and gently brush the sand away from the face of the Stelea, before reading aloud the text as described in the documentation for Puzzle A.

Set Piece B. – Lara digging infront of the ‘Dream Stelea’. – (Found in the Sphinx area.)

This Set Piece will show Lara digging infront of the ‘Dream Stelea’, which is located between the front paws of the sphinx itself. It is quite a hard job for Lara to dig through to the underground tunnels section, and this small cut-scene should get this point across.

(As described in the documentation for Puzzle A.)

Set Piece C. – Guards V’s Scorpions. – (Found in the Valley Temple.)

When Lara enters the Valley Temple area and also the surrounding guardhouses, it would be nice to show some of the guards doing battle with the scorpion baddies found in this area. Very similar to the way in which Half-Life guards can be seen wasting mutant scientists – perhaps we could even have speech samples like “eat that you scorpion scum!”, or words to that effect. (In Egyptian of course!)

Set Piece D. – Lara getting squished. – (Found in the Man-Made Chamber.)

In the event of the player not succeeding while attempting to complete Puzzle C, it will be necessary to show Lara being squished by a huge stone ceiling that is moving down towards the floor! Perhaps we could show her desperately trying to hold the roof up with her hands before finally getting completely pulverized…(Come on Daz, you’ll enjoy this one!)

Set Piece E. – Making friends with a Guard, maybe! – (Found in the Guard House area.)

After Lara enters the guardhouse by shoulder barging her way through the door she is confronted with the sight of a lone guard being attacked by several scorpions. If Lara manages to kill the scorpions before they kill the guard, then we will show a small cut-scene showing the guard thanking Lara for saving his life and then offering her a bunch of keys. (Key G.) If Lara doesn’t save the guards life then she can still retrieve the keys by searching the guards body, but they will not allow her access to the secret bonus area found inside one of Khufu’s Queens Pyramids.

Set Piece F. – Baboon pulling switch. – (Found inside Khafre’s Pyramid.)

The final piece of Puzzle H. A Baboon is released into the same chamber as the player. At first this Baboon will run up to and around the player. If the player attacks the Baboon then it will attack Lara – forcing Lara to kill or be killed. If this happens then the player must repeat the puzzle. The trick is not to attack as if left alone the Baboon will eventually run off to an altar located high in the far wall and pull a switch – in a flash of light the Baboon will disappear, while Key J will appear on the altar for the player to collect.

Set Piece G. – Lara dressing the Statue of Horus – (Found in the Underground Lake area.)

This set piece will show Lara placing the recovered armour of Horus onto Horus’s statue. With the Magical Amulet being the final piece to be put into place around the statue’s neck. Once this is done we cut to FMV.

Set Piece H. – Lara defeating Set. – (Found in the Underground Lake area.)

After Defeating Set the surrounding area starts to self-destruct. Basically this can be done by means of a camera shake with the odd bit of falling masonry chucked in for good effect.

NPC Descriptions for Giza Level – (In order of importance).

Set. – Found in the Underground Lake section.

The evil god that Lara unwittingly released at the beginning of the game, Set finally makes an appearance in this section and is infact the final boss of the game.

Von Croy. – Found outside the Pyramid of Khufu. (Maybe FMV.)

Lara’s Archrival Von Croy will make a surprise appearance at the end of the game.

Ammit. – Found in the Underground Lake section.

Ammit, the Eater of the Dead, a monstrous hybrid who is part crocodile, part lion, and part hippo. This baddie is used as part of puzzle K.

Refer to the Puzzle K documentation for more details.

Baboons (x3). – Found Inside Khafres Pyramid.

Baboon #1 – this Baboon cannot be heard, as it is completely silent when it moves.

Baboon #2 – this Baboon cannot be seen as it is completely devoid of all textures! (But if you look closely you’ll be able to see Dels funky env-map stuff!)

Baboon #3 – this Baboon is pretty normal really. If left alone it will not attack the player but will infact help by pulling a switch previously inaccessible to the player. This inturn will reveal Key J!

See description in Puzzle H documentation for more details.

Egyptian Guards. – Found in the Valley Temple and guardhouse areas.

These characters are on Lara’s side and are mostly seen doing battle with the various monstrosities faced throughout the Giza level. In the Valley temple area they can be found trying to destroy the many huge scorpions wandering around the area. In the Guard House near Menkuare’s Pyramid Lara will also find one very scared Guard who offers her Key G in return for saving his life. (See SP E.) If she doesn’t save his life she can find the key on his corpse anyway! This key will then allow her access to several locations.

Demi-Gods. – Found Inside all Three Pyramids.

Sets servants, these will attack Lara in a variety of ways.

Swordsmen. – Found in the Sphinx area, and Outside the three Pyramids.

The swordsmen baddies are basically on a mission to stop Lara from achieving her goal and will stop at nothing to do so! They will pop up from all over the place trying their hardest to ambush Lara and catch her unawares.

Mummies. – Found on the Long Decaying Causeway and the Eastern and Western Cemeteries.

Mindless brain dead ambling creatures – hell, we all know what mummies are like, don’t we? (Lara can set mummies on fire if she is holding the flaming torch!)

Scorpions. – Found in the Sphinx, Valley Temple, Menkaures Mortuary Temple, and Khafres Queen Pyramid areas.

These rather large nasty looking creatures don’t really care whom there after – they just want to kill people! With the ability to climb up walls or even upside down on the ceiling, (and then dropping ontop of you!) These baddies represent a formidable opponent. Scorpions are well known to dislike fire – if surrounded by it they will sting themselves to death! (Maybe we can use this?)

Beetles. – Found in the Underground Tunnels, Khafres Queen Pyramid and the Eastern and western Cemeteries.

These small baddies attack Lara in hordes and have the ability to hide themselves in borrows underneath the sand – this enables them to only become visible when Lara is nearby!

Locusts. – Found at the Start of the Causeway, on the Causeway itself and Outside the Pyramid of Khufu.

Large swarms of locusts these will try to surround Lara, when doing so Lara will take damage. She will not be able to shoot them but will be able to out run them. (Same as on Andy’s levels.)

Required Lara Animations for Giza Level.

1. Lara reading from the ‘Dream Stelea’. – As described in Set Piece A.
2. Lara digging infront of the ‘Dream Stelea’. – As described in Set Piece B.
3. Lara pushing buttons animation. – As described in Puzzle B.
4. Lara getting squished by roof. – As described in Set Piece D.
5. Lara shoulder barging through doorway. – As described in Puzzle D.
6. Generic Lara rope animations. – As described in Puzzle E.
7. Lara filling and emptying water skins. – As described in Puzzle F.
8. Lara filling and emtying petrol can. – As described in Puzzle F.
9. Lara emptying bag of dirt animation. – As described in Puzzle F.
10. Lara pulling Levers. – As described in Puzzle H.
11. Lara pulling or pushing blocks. – As described in Puzzle J.
12. Lara placing statues on pedestal. – As described in Puzzle M.
13. Lara relfecting light while holding the magical amulet. – As described in Puzzle N.
14. Lara talking to Guard and receiving Key G. – As described in Set Piece E.
15. Lara dressing the statue of Horus. – As described in Set Piece G.
16. Lara targeting animations. – As described in Puzzle G.

The post Tomb Raider 4 – The Great Pyramid Design document appeared first on Tomb of Ash.

In the archive below you can download an entire TRAOD website plus a scrapped “Lux Veritatis” landing page.

Download zip archive. Extract it and open base.swf with Ruffle. This will let you view Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness website.

We kindly ask you not to hotlink to the file.

Lux Veritatis website is located in a subfolder as well. There is not much to it, just words Lux Veritatis and random loading icons.

The post [PRESERVED] Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness Website appeared first on Tomb of Ash.

https://www.accelevents.com/e/uplink2021

UPLINK is a full digital weekend extravaganza produced by the award-winning team behind the LI Retro Gaming Expo, that explores the cultural and societal impacts of gaming from a global perspective. There are plenty of other speakers, tons of gaming and rare merch sale! Check it out!

Updated:

Never done a panel before, let alone on main stage in prime time. But it was so much fun! Thank you UPLINK for having me <3

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Guest article by Wing See Li.

For the first time ever, it brings me great pleasure to present the readers of the Tomb Of Ash my first, unexpected interview with
the creator of Computer Virus Simulator, D. Jagielski (thedarkhog on Twitter).
At the moment, he is responsible for almost everything for the upcoming indie
3D platforming/collectathon game ranging from character and asset modelling to
level design except for the music (as stated in the interview).

How did this come about? While I’m minding my own
business surfing the internet and flicking through the web pages of Facebook
and Twitter, I suddenly received a tweet from D. Jagielski (also known as
thedarkhog) while I’m scrolling up and down the notifications list. It’s
not every day a random stranger abruptly asks me to do an interview with
him/her so I immediately accepted his request. Besides, I might as well snag
the opportunity while I still can! And the rest is history!

Now with further ado, here is my first interview with
D. Jagielski!

What games inspired your Virus Computer Simulator game?

D. Jagielski:
Mainly early 3D games such as Alpha Waves/Continuum released by infogrames back
in either 90 or 91, not sure right now – one of the first if not the first 3D
platformers, way before Super Mario 64. Also, demoscene. And it’s Computer
Virus Simulator.

What inspired you to use a computer virus as a character?

D. Jagielski:
Originality. To my knowledge it has never been done before and I needed
something to stand out since I’ve knew full well I won’t be only 3D platformer
in town by the time of release. Also this gives me free reign to do as many
obscure computer jokes as I please.

Can you tell me a summary of the story of the Computer Virus Simulator game?

D. Jagielski:
For now story is still in flux. I think I’ll do it with loosely connected story
arcs, similar to what some web comics do. This will make possible to extend the
game’s story as long as it is vialable commercially and as long as I have ideas
to do so. Each “arc” will be 5-10 levels long, with demo having its
own arc.

Is there a main antagonist? Can you describe to me what he/she looks like or show
me a picture of him/her?

D. Jagielski:
The Creator, who is, well, creator of The Virus has a rival and there will be
few clashes between the two, but he’s not the same “main antagonist”
in the sense that Neo Cortex is for Crash or Gruntilda for Banjo.

Does the Computer Virus have its own moveset?

D. Jagielski:
Yes. While it’s not final, for now it consists of dash, acting both as mobility
ability as well as attack, ground pound, gliding, jumping and wall jumping.

You can also pick up upgrades that allow you to shoot.

What does your game development team compose of? Or is it just you developing the
game, composing music, programming, testing the game etc?

D. Jagielski: I
am doing most of development, including levels, coding graphics and all the
sounds within the game. For music I rely on CC and outright public domain
chiptunes. I wish I could hire musician for the projects, but the game has
basically $0 budget.

Are you planning on launching a Kickstarter campaign for this game?

D. Jagielski: I
am from one of those countries where you can’t launch Kickstarter, but
IndieGoGo is pretty much in the cards once demo is ready.

Speaking of launching this game, do you have an estimated release date? What platforms
are you planning on releasing this game on?

D. Jagielski: I
don’t know when I will be able to finish the demo and this is prerequisite for
the IGG campaign as I think that in the current crowdfunding climate it is
important to give potential funders something more than just a nice video to
base their decisions on, especially on IndieGoGo.

But I’ll try to do this before this year is over,
hopefully.

Will there be a hub world in your game? A lot of 3D platformers have hub worlds.

D. Jagielski:
Actually, the whole main menu itself is playable and has an area where you can
select level you want to play. You will be able to play the levels in any order
you want to, but of course preferably you’d play them in order. From the main
menu you can also get to the level editor.

Is your game open-world? Or is it in the vein of Crash Bandicoot, Super Mario 3D
Land, Super Mario 3D World etc?

D. Jagielski:
Some levels will be linear while others will be more open. It all depends on
needs of the specific area. The level editor contained within the game, same
one that I’m using to create levels for the game and which will be available to
the players as well allows for both kinds to be made.

How many levels and worlds will there be in total? Do they each have names?

D. Jagielski:
The target point at which game will be considered finished is 100 levels. They
will all have names.

What are the names of the levels? Can you name a few examples of the levels for me?

D. Jagielski:
The level currently in development is called “Datacolumns”.

Will the game have bosses, mini-bosses and a final boss? If so, what are the names of
them?

D. Jagielski:
Yes, it certainly will have bosses, but at this point I don’t know what kind of
bosses they will be as I’ve simply not this far in the development to have to
create one.

Due to me working on this alone I have to concentrate on
one thing at a time, for now it is level design.

How long have you been working on this game for?

D. Jagielski: I
have been working on the Computer Virus Simulator since 2014.

What are the programmes you use to develop your game?

D. Jagielski:
I’m developing the game using Unity3D and Blender for artwork.

What is the software you use to compose your music?

D. Jagielski: I
don’t compose the music. Music in the game as of right now is Creative Commons
and Public Domain chiptunes.

Are they placeholder music?

D. Jagielski:
Not sure at this point. Whether I’ll use it in the final product depends on how
successful my IndieGoGo campaign will be (planning to launch it in flexible
funding so at least I’ll get some money for development). Although I really
like the tune that is currently being used for the main menu area.

Are you planning on adding vehicle and turret sections in your game? Or are you not
following the trend of most old platformers? Old platformers mostly have turret
and vehicle sections.

D. Jagielski: I
don’t know at this point whether this would be done.

I guess this will depend on Early Access feedback on it
and whether people will want me to do it.

Will there be any power-ups or abilities?

D. Jagielski:
Yes, there will be. One such ability that I’ve forgot to mention is the ability
to create a checkpoint anywhere in the level so if you die, you’ll respawn in
the place where you set the checkpoint instead of having to start the entire
level over.

Number of these checkpoints is limited though (at the
start of the level it’s just 2 checkpoints), but you can collect checkpoint
orbs to add more. Usually checkpoints orbs are given away before any harder
parts of the level.

Will there be any save states?

D. Jagielski:
You won’t be able to save mid-level. The only way to preserve that progress is
through placing checkpoints in a smart manner. All other data such as level
high score, how many times you’ve completed specific level and so on will be
preserved automatically. The game won’t feature lives system.

Will there be DLC, season passes, microtransactions etc in the future?

D. Jagielski:
Definitely no microtransactions or season passes, but there may be DLCs (as in,
proper expansion packs) if game proves to be popular enough.

Will there be any NPCs to talk to and help?

D. Jagielski:
Not sure about that yet.

What are the main objectives in the game?

D. Jagielski:
Every level has its own goal you need to complete in order to finish it (and
unlock level exit plate). Sometimes you’ll have to collect certain amount of
data stored in datagrams; sometimes you’ll have to kill certain amount of
enemies, sometimes other things, sometimes a mix of any of the above.

Is the computer virus is the only character you can play as or there is more than
one character to play as?

D. Jagielski:
The Virus is the only one. You don’t need more than him.

What or who inspired the Computer Virus character?

D. Jagielski: I
see, I see… Well, he’s just a Computer Virus, that’s all. As for what he looks
like, it was based on old 8×8 pixel art thing of mine that then I’ve replicated
in Blender using Grid object which then I’ve extruded to make The Virus
actually 3D.

Will the characters, levels and worlds be colourful and vibrant? Where do you get
inspired from for level and character design?

D. Jagielski:
Yes, they will be colourful. As for inspiration many of level concepts are
based in part on various demoscene demos and early 3D games. Other sources of
inspiration include nature and architecture.

What are the collectibles in the game, including the main collectibles?

D. Jagielski: At
this point there’s a gun pickup, datagram pickup (datagrams can also be
destroyed by careless shooting, so be careful where you shoot when you have to
collect datagrams), checkpoint orb pickup. The game isn’t a collectathon by any
means (it’s more close to Super Mario 64 and Crash in terms how pickups are
used), but there will be many different items that just add score.

What or where is the gun gameplay inspired from?

D. Jagielski:
Take any 3D platformer that has user-created projectiles and you’d be mostly
correct. The projectiles travel a short distance then disappear (or disappear
after collision with a solid surface, whichever comes first). The projectiles
are real objects as well, since we’re way past the point where hitscans were
necessary for performance reasons.

How many guns and weapons are in the game?

D. Jagielski:
For now there’s only destructive gun.

Why did you include gun gameplay in your game?

D. Jagielski: Because it makes gameplay more interesting
and are especially useful while dealing with high hp enemies. Also some of the
enemies such as Bad Pointers are immune to the Virus’ dash and ground pound
ability so using gun is the only way to actually harm them.

What or where are the guns and weapon designs inspired from?

D. Jagielski: I
don’t want to discuss this at this point.

What is the main currency in the game?

D. Jagielski:
There is none.

Will there be any gameplay mechanics or mini-games to add diversity to your game?

D. Jagielski:
Yes, there will be minigames, however you’ll have to be smart to unlock them.

Are there any upgrades to the guns, weapons, abilities etc?

D. Jagielski:
Yes.

After getting a game over, do players start from the last time they saved or they
start from the previous level/world they visited?

D. Jagielski:
There’s no game over, because there’s no lives mechanic. You can create a
checkpoint mid-level to be respawned at that point, however there’s limited
number of checkpoints and if you die without setting one, you’ll have to start
level over.

Does your Computer Virus character have idle animations?

D. Jagielski:

At the moment just one.

Can you describe the idle animation without revealing any spoilers?

D. Jagielski:
No.

Is there going to be fall damage if the Computer Virus falls from a high platform,
ledge, cliff etc?

D. Jagielski:
Fall damage? In a platformer? Don’t be ridiculous.

What engine (e.g. Unreal Engine 4, Unity) do you use to develop your game?

D. Jagielski:
I’m using Unity.

Why did you choose not to include fall damage in your game?

D. Jagielski:
Because only crazy people would enjoy such a thing in a platformer of any kind.
I am firmly against fall damage, even in genres where it makes more sense to
have it such as first person shooters, open world games, RPGs, and so on. Fall
damage simply punishes you for exploring.

What if you don’t make that jump and the ground is
several hundred meters below you? Having to get back up there for another
attempt is punishing enough, you don’t have to kill player over it.

Will there be any vehicles or a method of transportation to travel from one level or
world to another?

D. Jagielski:
You’ll be able to play levels in any order from a list in the playable main
menu.

Will there be any trophies, skill points or achievements?

D. Jagielski:
There will be, although available only in campaign levels to avoid someone
making an achievement farm and putting it on the workshop.

Will there be online multiplayer or split-screen local multiplayer?

D. Jagielski:
There will be no multiplayer. Computer Virus Simulator is a single-player
experience.

Will there be a co-op mode?

D. Jagielski:
No.

Will there be any cutscenes? Will there be any loading screens featuring characters or the main character doing an animation?

D. Jagielski: I
don’t think there will be any cutscenes, as I don’t want to take away control
from the players. But there’s dialogue system implemented that shows up at the
bottom of the screen where the player can stop and read what the characters are
saying or continue on with the level.

There’s going to be in-game conversations with subtitles at the bottom of the screen?

D. Jagielski:
For the loading times, game’s so fast when it comes to loading new level that
no load screen is necessary. Put one just in case, but it only blinks and
doesn’t consist of much other than the “Loading…” text.  There will be conversations at the bottom of the screen using text boxes. Think SNES JRPG games or what Yooka-Laylee/Banjo had only it doesn’t take control out from you and you are free to ignore it and carry on if you like.

If the game ever comes out on consoles, will it be released on a disc or a cartridge?

I don’t know if I will go physical with the console
players at this moment.

Only digital at the moment?

D. Jagielski:

At the moment, yes. Plan to release to Windows/Linux/Mac then if the game is
successful enough (it will be) I’ll port it to consoles. However whether it
will be physical or digital at this point is unknown to me as I have first make
the thing before thinking of porting it to the different platforms.

Are you thinking of hiring more people to help you with game development?

D. Jagielski:
Once I have money to do so, yes.

If people are willing to help you for free, will you hire them?

D. Jagielski:
There are some serious legal issues with that if I want to do business, so no.

Do you ever get creative block? If you do, how do you get over it?

D. Jagielski:
Rarely do, however I’ve found that if you force yourself to do for few minutes,
the block subsidies.

Do you listen to music to help you concentrate? If you do,
what music and songs do you listen to?

D. Jagielski: https://play.spotify.com/user/1181262013/playlist/17PBXT1lem0dRwA4VZZGUN?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open

Does the music and songs you listen to inspire your game?

D. Jagielski:
Not really.

If your game ever becomes successful, are you planning on
developing a sequel?

D. Jagielski:
There will be no Computer Virus Simulator 2.

Will there be merchandise if the game becomes successful?

D. Jagielski:
Yes, there will be merchandise when the game becomes a success.

Will there be a series? Or you’re going to work on a new IP?

D. Jagielski:
After Computer Virus Simulator I’ll be working on a racing title.

What will the racing game be called?

D. Jagielski: I
have not decided yet.

Do you have a link to your Computer Virus Simulator Indiegogo campaign?

D. Jagielski:
Campaign will launch once the demo is complete which it isn’t at the moment.

What are the links to your social media and your website if people want to keep up to date with your game?

Follow me on Twitter (@thedarkhog) or read the devlog on
tigsource

Are there other links too? I’ve heard the computer virus have his own Twitter account.

D. Jagielski:
Yes. It’s @VirusSimulator *hopes his drive won’t be formatted overnight*

Are you on Instagram and Facebook? It’s a shame your Facebook page of your game is deleted.

D. Jagielski:
Not on Instagram, no, and Facebook I’ve made only for few games there which I
don’t play anymore.

Couldn’t keep it up and found better to concentrate on
Twitter and my tigsource devlog. Maybe when I’ll be able to hire someone to
support it for me.

If it’s possible, will you be releasing this game to handheld consoles and smartphones?

D. Jagielski:
Handhelds maybe. But it would be nightmare to play on a smartphone or even a
tablet. This game needs a physical controller, be it mouse and keyboard (which
is preferred) or gamepad.

Would the price of the game vary from port to port/version to version?

D. Jagielski:
No, I don’t think so. As for Early access there will be three tier pricing:
When the game is launched as an EA title, when it is halfway done and when it
launches officially, lower the less of the game is complete.

Does the Computer Virus have a signature ability or a signature weapon?

D. Jagielski:
Haven’t thought about it yet, but in future he’ll be able to take over other
processes and make them do his bidding. Maybe this could be it?

Is the computer virus a hero, villain or an anti-hero?

D. Jagielski: I
prefer to not reveal that information yet.

What are the features and aspects that make your game stand out from other 3D platformers?

D. Jagielski: I
think the level editor is the biggest one. Because this is the same editor I am
using to create levels for the game and I will continue to do so, you’ll have
as much power to create your own unique levels as I do. No other 3D platformer
that I know of allows for that sort of thing.

It’s been a distinct pleasure doing an interview with you and especially, my first interview at that! Hopefully, we should do this again
sometime.

D. Jagielski:
Hopefully. Have a good night.

By Wing See Li for Tomb of Ash

Follow Wing See Li:

• Twitter
• Fanfiction.net
• FictionPress
• Archive of Our Own Profile
• YouTube
• Google Plus
• Tumblr
• Sketchfab
• Miiverse
• PaigeeWorld
• LinkedIn

Keep Up To Date with D. Jagielski and Computer Virus:

• TIGForums:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedarkhog
  and https://twitter.com/virussimulator

• YouTube

The post Computer Virus Simulator Creator Interview appeared first on Tomb of Ash.

Eric Loren is a UK-based American actor and musician. He played Mr Diagoras and the Dalek Sec in Doctor Who. He also played Kurtis Trent in Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness and Lieutenant in Saving Private Ryan. Eric also has appeared in 2011 Video Game, Battlefield 3, as Sergeant Steve Campo.

Links:

• Eric’s album on iTunes
• Eric’s album on Google Play
• Eric’s album on Spotify

The post [Interview] Eric Loren – Behind the Voice of Kurtis Trent appeared first on Tomb of Ash.

Today we chat with Alexandre Serel, the author of L’Histoire de
Tomb Raider (The History of Tomb Raider).

Hi Alexandre, Thank you so much for agreeing to spare some time and speak to us today

No problem Ash, I hope everything’s ok in Manchester!

Tell us how you’ve got an idea to write this stunningly looking book.

When I was a child, I wanted to be a game designer at CORE
Design so, I think as an adult it was obvious to write a book about Tomb
Raider! More seriously, I had the idea in 2012 when visiting a french event
about the Japanese culture, Japan Expo. My publisher, Pix N Love, was there to
present books about video games. As simple as that, I told myself “There’s
something to do with Tomb Raider”. I started doing research and, in 2014, I
started writing a few things which would become this book.

I know you were writing another book, Lara from L to A, how different is it to “the history of Tomb Raider”?

That’s the same book ! « Lara From L to A » was the first
title of « The Story of Tomb Raider ». We (my publisher and I) thought that «
Lara From L to A » was a strange name. It became « The Story of Tomb Raider :
Lara Croft’s Odyssey». Why « Lara Croft’s Odyssey » ? Because « Odyssey » is
the name of the very first video game console and « Lara Croft’s Odyssey » is
my very first book. It’s a simple nod.

What readers should expect from this book

It’s a kind of story telling. I didn’t want to write
“Nathan McCree, interview page 56”. It was rather talking to CORE developers
so they could tell me their work, anecdotes and who they really are. Once I got
these information, I had to assemble them in order to tell a story.

The original script for Tomb Raider 1, provided by Core Design.

How long it took you to write this book?

It took me one year to “understand” the history of CORE and
another one to “assemble” the whole thing. After one year, a big draft was in
my computer. But, to be clear, I was unsatisfied with the results. So, I
rewrote whole passages. Then, one day, I received lots of documents from
Richard Morton. So, hundreds of documents had to be translated, a huge work
from Anaïs Orhant. It took a few months. While waiting for the translations, I
was finishing passages.

Alexandre, Célia and Pix n’ Love team

I’m sure you’re extremely proud of it. What was the most challenging in writing
“The History of Tomb Raider”?

No, I’m not really proud. Some people were able to read the
book, saying it was really good. But I’m an Eternal dissatisfied person and I
only find defects. The hardest thing ? Angel of Darkness without hesitation.
The game development was so chaotic that I spent weeks trying to put the right
things back in place. I had to manage lots of information. Pieces of stories
that were scrapped, things that were written by Murti Schofield or other people
form CORE Design… that was tiring. There were also incoherent game design
documents… I remember spending entire days telling myself « It will be hard to
put things back in order » The most important thing is to think of the reader.
So, trying to tell him / her a coherent story and to make him / her understand
that things were complicated with this game. I unfortunately believe that
there’s not « one reality » about Angel of Darkness but several. Each person
has a different version of the story and this is quite normal. Richard will
remember this point, Murti another one and another person has yet another
version… So many years later, I’m still very sad that this caused the fall of
CORE Design. Every employee of the studio is an immense artist. I would love to
see them working together again. Wouldn’t it be great ?

I know that there are plans on English version, could you comment on that? Any
other languages you might plan to translate it to?

We are in talks for the English version, but nothing is yet
decided. The other countries might have a « different » version because it
would not be fun just translate the book. Moreover, some passages talks about
the Tomb Raider phenomenon in France, so this not interesting for English
readers. It needs a few challenges. I would like to add a few things to the
English version, like a meeting with Meagan Marie, English Lara Croft voices,
etc… But nothing is set in stone.

The History of Tomb Raider has one of the best (if not the best) covers I have ever
seen. Who designed it?

Three of us have worked on the cover. With Célia Beauduc,
who is also the illustrator, we’ve got the idea of a cover that “calls for
adventure”. The first draft was showing Lara from back, looking at the horizon.
But I wasn’t convinced and found it a little too “classic”. So Célia, who is
very talented, started thinking about a concept, the idea of Lara turning to
the reader, inviting him / her to read the book and going on an adventure. Then
Luc Pétronille, who is the creative director of Pix N Love took Célia’s
illustration and reworked it into a final version. He then created the Atlantis
Edition all by himself. He is also really talented and he impresses me every
time.

One of the early cover designs

On behalf of an entire Tomb Raider community and Core Design fans, thank you for
your effort.

Thank YOU! Don’t change and please continue to make CORE Design life in your mind.

The post [Interview] Alexandre Serel. The author of The History of Tomb Raider appeared first on Tomb of Ash.

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