The Original Strife: Veteran Edition is an updated release of the 1996 DOS game Strife. Rather than merely making it available on new platforms, this version updates the original title in various ways. On a technical level the game was enhanced to support high resolutions along with the appropriate aspect ratio and widescreen support. It runs on OpenGL for portability and supports vertical sync. Improved visual effects include lighting and bloom. The control options are updated to support gamepad and bindings for keyboard and mouse.
The release adds a number of features which were planned in the original Strife, but eventually scrapped: the game’s automap now marks the current objectives, there is a new HUD display for the Mauler weapon’s torpedo mode, and a multiplayer “Capture the Chalice” mode was added.
It also contains a new super-secret single-player map, and three new maps meant for “Capture the Chalice” play.
In the distant future, the Earth is ruled by a group of people who call themselves “The Order”. Many disasters have plagued the planet, and after many wars, misery, and death, the Order controls people’s lives and deprives them of their freedom. A rebel organization has been formed, seeking to overthrow the Order and whoever else might be behind their rise to power. Somewhere in the depths of a ruined Town Hall, a group of people who oppose the Order’s regime welcome a lone wanderer to become the one who will free the Earth from terror.
Strife is a plot-driven first-person shooter that uses the Doom engine. Rather than taking the player through a linear series of levels, the game offers a continuous world with free-roaming elements and a central “hub” (the town), which the player can visit between missions and explore. Although there are no true role-playing elements in the game, it has several features rarely seen in contemporary FPSs: there are “friendly” areas where there are no enemies but people to talk to, stores where new equipment can be bought, and taverns where the latest gossip is told. The player can also purchase upgrades that permanently increase the player character’s health bar.
The game has a branching storyline with a few paths that lead to three different endings. These paths are determined by a decision the player makes during the course of the plot.
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