" Human beings can tolerate severe amounts of pain, more than most of them understand. Our petty lifestyles, conflicts and trivial, materialistic societies aside, at the heart of every honest person, lives the will of a warrior. A warrior who will do anything to survive."

-------

-Xidia-

-------

Game: Xidia Single Player
Created by : Team Phalanx
Team site: www.planetunreal.com/Phalanx
Contruction: December 2001-April 2002

-----
Installation: Place all .unr map files in ut 'maps' directory. Place all .umx music files in ut 'music' directory. Place all .utx texture files in ut 'texture' directory. Place all .u and .ini script files in ut 'systems' directory. Place all .uax sound files in 'sound' directory. Place this readme file in 'help folder, your gonna need it.

Requirements: The latest version of OLDSKOOL. You need this to run the game properly. You also need Epic Bonus Pack 4 and UT patch 436. Team Phalanx is not responible for any assclowns that do not already have these files and get angry that the game doesnt load properly. YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD WHAT YOU NEED.

Setup: Please go to 'oldskool' settings in ut options browser while ingame and make sure all weapons in single player are set to unreal 1 guns (unchecked). This ensures maximum fun capability and eliminates any weapon or item errors. Some weapons WILL be ut weapons nomatter what, while others will be Unreal guns. Follow this rule and your have the best game possible. 

To Begin Xidia from the begining, load up the first map in the map browser. All Xidia maps are numbered in their order.

Xidia Map 1-Orbit
Xidia Map2-Landing
Xidia Map3-Outpost Pheonix
Xidia Map4-Mine
Xidia Map5-Derelict-a
XidiaMap6-Derelict-b
XidiaMap7-Darklord
XidiaMap8-Exodus


You are not limited to play Xidia in numerical order, but you should because who plays a game in a level order like 2, 8, 12, 4....It's just strange.
---------

Story:


"I am not a bright shining star, I am not a pretty flower. I am not a smiling drone. I am not an owner of a coat of color. I am not a justified individual citizen of a new bold world."

"I am a soldier, and I am efficient."

22 years ago, the Liandri mining corporation discovered a remote world in the outer rim sector. The planet was composed mostly of rocky terrain, a mixture of dense jungle covering rigid, arid mountain ranges. But what attracted Liandri's interest was what lay under the surface. Traces of purified tarydium deposits lay dormant inside the hardened mineral rocks within the mountains, and an even more powerful form of tarydium waste was detected even deeper inside the subterrain. Liandri, excited by it's findings, didn't even attempt to uncover the reasons behind these apparent "un-natural" deposits of the rich element. They immediatly setup a mining facility on the peak of the northern mountain ranges, a broad complex which branched across the adjacent surface, to mines dug at depths miles underground. They named the facility...

"Outpost Pheonix"

	For the years since, the planet named Xidia-287 has been occupided soley by the Liandri corporation, the only human presence on the world besides Outpost Pheonix is a military defense compound located in the higher mountains. The large facility thrived throughout this time, monthly shipments of cargo and supplies constantly add to the size of the project. In recent events however, a strange problem has reared it's ugly head, not more than 1 week after the last supply drop.  Final  transmissions indicated that a strange formation was discovered underground in the new drilling zone. Then the transmissions stopped.	
	Reports indicate that a deep space radio feed bounced off a satellite displaying an S.O.S. call from Outpost Pheonix. All other attempts to communicate with the base have failed.	
	A long range military vessel, USM-IceRaven, has been ordered to investigate. After a 2 week long flight to the planet, the Ice Raven is now in orbit. Two teams of personel are being dropped in.  The first team is landing on the northern military complex, that team consisting of 8 marines, 2 officers, and 2 supervisors. The second team is landing on the eastern platform of Outpost Pheonix itself, consisting of 6 marines, 3 officers, and you,.Jones...a grumpy marine scout with a horrible hangover. It is your job to go into the base on foot and restore power to the radio feeds of the base while the "real" troops wait inside the safety of the shuttle which is docked on the platform. Your only job on this mission is to get inside, get to the generator in the radio-station, and make sure the transmitter is up and running before the troops go in.
	It sounds simple....until things ( as they usually do in these situations) go very very wrong.

Navigate your way through 7 maps,  fighting through 4 distinct sectors of the planet Xidia. Use your brains and your will to survive to keep your heart beating. Encounter dangerous monsters and battle through  3 tense boss duels. Use any means neccessary to keep yourself alive. 

--------
GAME FEATURES

Character: The character of Jones is the persona you, the player, inhabit in "Xidia". The gender or appearance of this character is customizable at your own will, since unreal offers complete control over your player's traits. Most players will use the last player settings in their UT preferences, though oldskool offers you a player option on the single player screen. It is recomended that you choose a character appearance that will suit you, you don't wanna go halfway through the game, only to see in some mirror that you are playing as a naked dwarf. Unless of course you like naked dwarves.

Mission Data: A new section set on the good old universal translator, a direct link to your ship's commander, who gives you info and tips during your mission. Be warned, latter levels may not have the luxury of mission data, so remember your orders!

New enemies: As the usual horde of Unreal enemies appear, as do completely new variations of familiar foes. Keep your eyes open.

----Enemies----

Security systems: Outpost Pheonix is equipped with an array of weapon systems, all of which have been reprogrammed by the Skaarj. They will target you and their armor is immune to your weapons. To shut them down, you must find their control panel, which is usually a small computer box with a green activity light and these things are usually nearby. To shut them down, destroy the power units. Remember to keep your eyes open for the Green lights of a sentry turrets power grid.

Xidia Wildlife: Many creatures you encounter on Xidia are natural lifeforms. Some of them can be dangerous. One of the deadlier creatures is the Tentacle, a parasite that grows in dark, damp areas and feeds off the decay produced from erosion from living or nonliving matter. They grow quickly and attack anything that comes to close to their nest. They aren't difficult to kill, tho they can cause unwanted harm if not delt with quickly. Another natural lifeform is the cave dwelling manta, only found in the underground caves. They always attack species not related to their own and usually stick in groups. Beware, mantas usually cave a "mother" Manta lurking about. Underwater creatures exist as well, such as the reptillian, Kraken-like creature named "Squidy" by a few human miners who have seen the creature, and others like "devilfish", eel-like sharks that swim in shallow water. 

Skaarj: The alien race that has attacked OutPost Pheonix. You will encounter three distinct varieties of Skaarj. The Pupae, which are juvenile Skaarj in their infantile stages. They resemble large spiders and you'll meet three stages of Pupae maturation. The mature, adult Warrior's are nothing like the newborn Pupae. They stand easily 8 feet and pack long razor talons that stand out against their tough, usually armored, reptillian flesh. The warrior comes in several caste classes, the most deadly rank being the Red Praetorian class . All of these ranks are deadly and pack lethal melee attacks. The Skaarj troopers are the third class of Skaarj. They too are Skaarj adults, but unlike the physical warriors, troopers are raised under more of a military upbringing. They wear full body armor and wield weapons. They also come in different levels of rank, the deadliest wearing black armor.

Brutes: The Origin of these creatures is peculiar. At first, they were thought to be a seperate alien race, but they are infact a subjagated race used by the Skaarj in the same manner as Liandri corporation uses it's miners, to carve out new territory in the caverans of Xidia. Once the attacks began on Xidia, these creatureswere fitted with dual mounted rocket launchers and are sent in to aid their Skaarj masters in killing humans. They come in 4 variations. Lesser brutes are the smallest, weakest of the ranks. They are rarely seen and when they are they appear early in the game. Then,  just as rarely, the normal brute class. Finally, the most common, Behemoth class, each one takes alot to bring down. The fourth class is identical to Behemoths, except they are fitted with much more powerful weapons and have a orange markings on their armor, they are dubbed simply as "JabberWockers".

Boss Monsters:

Praetorian pack leader: The first Praetorian Skaarj you encounter is a Skaarj elder whom you confront in Map3. He is a being raised only as a warrior, it's blood is pure and his caste is that of the controling Skaarj heirarchy. His melee moves are usuly instant death, so don't let him touch you."Red Nemesis"

Subject X1-14: A botched Skaarj experiment that consisted of spliced Skaarj DNA with that of various amphibian and toxic marine lifeforms. The result creature was meant to provide for a new slave-organism that could be used in the deep, acidic toxin pools that formed deep underground. The use of this new creature could make up for the lack of usefullness of the Brute slaves which could not explore these regions of the caverans. Unfortunatly, the product creature was a failure due to it's neer mindless intelligence and immpossiblity of control. So it was sealed in it's maturation pod and ejected into a waste river. A few hundred years later, you, the player, come across the ancient pod and encounter this age old failed experiment in Map 4. "Acid Hybrid"

Warlords: Two creatures named as " the Demon's Left and Right Hand". These two creatures carry out the will of the central leader of the Skaarj. They are the highest caste of the Skaarj troopers and wear the ancient battle armor of the Skaarj Demon God of the dead, the "Credjij". With wings and deadly projectile weapons, these are truly the only worthy guardians of the Skaarj Darklord."Shadow Demons"

Skaarj Darklord: The Darklord is the oldest Skaarj on Xidia. He is believed to be the last of the generation of Skaarj that crashed on the planet several centuries ago. His blood is that of the ancient Queen, who was lost in the crash. Like the warlords, he wears his own demonic variation of the "Credjij". In the eyes of all the Skaarj, he represents the "Credjij" Itself, as the Demon Lord of all Skaarj warriors. "A Warrior's Pride"


---Weapons---

-OutPost Pheonix Weapons:

Mining Tool: Mining drill, called 'stinger' in unreal 1, this variant is much more powerful. Uses depleted Tarydium shards as ammuntion and fires them at a rapid rate in primary mode. The shards fire in a nailgun like manner. Alternate mode fires a quick burst of 5 shards in a shotgun like blast. Although this weapon is lacking in projectile speed, the ammo is stronger than the old 'stinger's' shards. It works quite well against slow moving targets like Brutes and can even bring down most Skaarj in a close combat firefight.

GES Bio rifle: Since Tarydium proccessing produces a large quantity of radiated waste slime, It is only natural that someone decided to make use of this waste for weaponary purposes. Fires acidic globs of Tarydium waste. Extremely volitile and dangerous. Used by Miners as a alternate drilling device to coincide with the mining drill, although this tool is in low supply because of it's hazardous nature to the user. Primary fires globs in rapid succession, which can cut down most enemies with just a few hits. Ideal for an "escape" gun, as the globs fall to the ground shortly after firing. NOT a close or a long range weapon. Alternate charges up for a much larger, extremely devastating slime ball, excellent for mowing down crowds.

Flak Cannon: Crude weapon that has such a brutal design, it is illegal in most systems. Though several models exist, the basic funtion is a shrapenal cannon that uses large mortar-like shells. Brought on Xidia as 3rd party mining tool that was quickly locked up because of it's dangerous nature, these weapons were issued to Outpost Pheonix personel shortly after the Skaarj attack. The most powerful primary shot of the game, an ideal Flak shot will kill most enemies in 1 or a few shots.  Since the primary shot fires in a burst of flak, the effectivness is judged by range. Alternate mode fires a more mortar-like, full shell that explodes on impact, spraying debris in all directions. This is the most effective weapon against Skaarj enemies and is essential for bossess. The only real drawback is it's range limitations and the lack of a comfortable ammo supply in earlier levels. Don't waste these rounds unless you need them, you may not have it when you need it. This weapon is also ideal when fighting the Skaarj Praetorians, survival against those guys without this weapon is much more challenging.

-Marine Weapons

Dispersion Pistol: Light sidearm with a regenerating powercore. Designed to stun small organisms with quick bursts. Not meant as a lethal weapon, although repeated blasts can cause death of energized shock. Alternate mode charges up for a powerful energy burst. In it's primary form, it isn't very powerful and the projectiles are slow to hit the target. With multiple weapon powerups, the power of this weapon increases dramatically.

AutoMag: Your personal sidearm. Taken as a precaution only, it becomes an instrument of survival. Fires gas-propelled rounds from a 20 round clip. Primary fire fires moderatly fast while alternate is much faster with less accuracy. Press reload key to pop in a fresh clip. This weapon will always be a helpful fallback weapon.

ASMD Shockrifle: Tarydium based, marine rifle. Primary fire delivers a instant shock of tarydium energy. Alternate mode fires a slower moving, more potent energy ball. This is an all around good weapon, the primary fire's instant shot is quick and strong enough to make a Skaarj halt for a sec from any range. By shooting the alternate energy ball with the primary shock shot, you can create a devastating shockwave explosion that will fry anything in it's radius. The alternate shot is also known for deactivating magnetic locking and operational mechanisms.

Sniper Rifle: One of the game's most lethal weapons. This is a campers dream, firing a huge slug from miles away from a target. Alternate uses the scope, headshots usually cause instant death, unless the enemy is too powerful or armored. There is a part of the Xidia game where this weapon is crucial to your survival, do not waste on pointless fights, only on enemies you can pick off from afar.

Minigun: Imported weapon used by Military personel on Xidia. With a large rotating barrel and two modes of instantaneous rapid gun fire, this weapon is a real skaarj stopper.  Primary fire fires a  fast rate if gun fire that has a fairly accurate aim. This mode is good for medium to long range shooting, but when an enemy is in your face, turn to alternate for the twice as rapid, twice as innaccurate rate of gunfire. It is recomended that this gun be reserved for Skaarj enemies. Brutes and the other terrain enemies are a waste of precious ammo, when you could just use the Mining tool on them.

Redeemer: Rare weapon, Only found as a secret weapon only and on certain difficulties. One shell is all it takes and it's also all you get. Can kill anything in Xidia Instantly, even bossess, although most boss fights are too enclosed for this gun to be safe. Huge Shock wave blast mean you'll have to be far away.

Pulse Rifle: Issued only to the Elite military members of the Northern peak of Xidia, the marine Pulse rifle uses plasma based energy batteries as ammunition. Primary fire unleases these destructive blasts of plasma from a rotating, rapid fire barrel. As an alternative weapon mode, the plasma can be cast in the form of a energy stream that will cut through soft targets on contact. Only 3 of these weapons exist on Xidia, and are only even touched in case of extreme circumstances.

-Skaarj Weapons


Ripper: Skaarj Weapon. Fires rotating serated blades in primary and a napalm-like secondary explosive blade. Used only by select Skaarj, ammo is scarce in latter stages of the game.

8 Ball: The 8 barrel, rocket/grenade launcher, is the weapon of choice of Skaarj Gunners. A full load of Rockets can take out most enemies instantly. Grenades are slightly more potent in power, and can bounce for abit before igniting. Drawbacks with this powerful and surprisingly fast firing weapon are few but noteworthy. Close range fighting will make quick work of you, and the slow moving projectiles will be dodged by most Skaarj. Try to train your aim at leg level, this way the explosion will still hit a dodging enemy. Particulary useful against Behemoths, since they can't dodge the huge payload of a fully loaded rocket launcher. Not recomended against the Skaarj Praetorians, since they will be most likely in your face rather then far away.

**NOTE- be sure to set all weapons to unreal 1 weapons in oldskool settings, some weapons WILL be UT weapons, but for the best experience for Xidia, set all guns to Unreal1 settings. This is meant for some weapons like the dispersion, automag, and mining tool weapons, which may not appear properly if settings are set to UT guns. If you do not do this, Dispersion pistols may be swapped with the impact hammer, automags with enforcers, and mining tool with another gun and so forth. If you really are a serious SP player, follow the recomended setup:-)

---------

Team Phalanx is

---------



Will-"Mr.Prophet"-Drekker 
---lead mapper for Xidia, 
     story writer, concept designer
     Decoration Modeller
     Skaarj/ Monster Skinner

Sjoerd-"Hourences"- De Jong
---mapper, concept designer,
      logo artist, ending sequencer
     Decoration Modeller

Sven-"Cyber Trooper"-Arduwie 
---Old Phalanx site manager
     Coffee maker

Tom-"Gmotha"-Goetschalckx 
---Darklord skinner, concept artist
      New Phalanx site creator
      
Colin-"Lruce Bee"-Murphey
---Testing

- - - - - - - - - - - phalanx--------------

All People whose stuff shows up in Xidia and are not part of Phalanx, we thank thee for thy talents.

-David M: Grass/ rock textures
-Rich Eastwood: Richrig textures
-Epic: SG-tech/ Factory textures
-Teque: Music track "Demarc"

-Beta Testers-

-Lruce Bee
-Mister Cope
-Bangout
-Balton

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

P     R      O      P      H      E       T

H    O      U      R       E      N       C      E       S


                   -Xidia-





























































































































"You think you've seen the Imago's final manifestation?"



"You haven't seen nothing yet"