All This & Wolf 3D

All This & Wolf 3D
Title screen
Author(s)	Thomas Weiling Chris Chokan
Release Date	January 27, 2007
Base Game	Registered Wolfenstein
Features
Type	Mod
Code Changes	Yes
Maps	71
New Graphics	Yes
Files Included	All
Awards

All This & Wolf 3D is a mod for registered Wolfenstein made by Thomas Weiling. Coding was made by Chris Chokan, who also contributed the penultimate level of the mod, level 69, which took on a life of its own when playthroughs were shared on YouTube.

Storyline and level guide

The story itself is very brief, and deals with a huge underground lair of mutants being ready to run amok over Europe as the war is coming to an end. The final boss is Adolf Hitler. In keeping with the original Wolfenstein 3D theme, only the original bosses are used, other than Trans Grosse, courtesy of Spear of Destiny.

Its title (as well as its title screen) was inspired by the 1976 documentary All This & World War II, which was most notorious for its soundtrack featuring The Beatles covers by other artists.

Inspired by Schabbs 2000 and Totengraeber, the levels are slotted into different parts. Each part is 10 levels long. The level guide is taken from the Read Me:

LEVELS 1-10: LOWER CASTLE:

These first ten levels is a compilation of tunnels, bunkers and quarters. You’ll be set at the fortress to a big castle entrance. The second level is a tunnel, and there are more specific levels as long as you get up the unit. It all fades out in level 9, a big, slimy, mulch-filled maze, and then level 10, which houses the boss of this unit, the veteran Hans Grosse.

LEVELS 11-20: LOWER MANSION:

As you defeat Hans Grosse, you’ll come to this unit. It’s kind of like the first unit with all the variations. Level 11 is the officers’ lounge, which has only officers and dogs guarding it. Level 12 is a slimy passage, and then from level 13 and up it’s a mansion. Housing a lot of guards, and is mainly just a lot of barracks. Level 16 though, is a prison level, which has only the Wehrmacht guards, and level 20 has this unit’s boss. It’s General Fettgesicht, guarded up by many guards in a cavy complex. How Episode 6 is that?!

LEVELS 21-30: LOWER SECURITY:

As the name says, this is the lower security unit, therefore a lot of guards. Although the action doesn’t start until level 23, which is a compounded “doghouse” and bunker. Level 21 is an older bunker unit, and hasn’t got as many guards as the rest of the unit. Level 30 is the final level here which houses Otto von Giftmacher as a guard. His big mansion is filled with a little too many guards, but as he’s known for there’s a lotta officers in there.

LEVELS 31-40: THE LABORATORIES:

These ten levels are completely different from the others. No bunkers here. Here, you will infiltrate Dr. Schabbs’ huge laboratory unit, with has almost only mutants as guards. The first level is an entrance, which you will enter quite fast. The labs are big and filled with creepy experiments, and there are some few guards, mainly officers, besides the mutants. The next level is a lab-cellar, and then you will get to the straight labs. They're extremely dangerous and very difficult. Level 38 is a waste lair, which is a big nuclear deposit hidden in realms of mutants and steel panels. Level 39 is the final lab, before you will reach Schabbs combined experimental area, nuclear barracks and laboratory, which is known as his "House of Death".

LEVELS 41-50: UPPER CASTLE:

After you killed Schabbs you come to the second part of the castle. It’s in similar style to the very first unit, except that it’s more guarded and the levels are bigger. It takes some time to get through most of the levels. Levels 45-47 is said to have “crazy mutants”, meaning they killed all the other guards and took over the regency. It all ends out in level 50, Trans Grosse’s office, where he resides guarded up. I bet he’s mad about what you did to his brother in the first castle unit…

LEVELS 51-60: UPPER MANSION:

These ten levels are too similar to the first unit. This has almost the same thing. It’s a mansion. Even though that there’s more guards here and that the levels vary in style. All of the levels are difficult to come through. Like the first unit, this also mouths out in a big slimy portal. Even though this is not the main castle, level 59 is a castle level, but in style to the mansions. Level 60 houses the second-final boss, Gretel Grosse. She’s more pissed than Trans, now that he’s dead too…

LEVELS 61-70: UPPER SECURITY:

You've finally approached the last part of the castle. There isn't much difference from the last twenty talking amount of guards, but they've found better hideouts. You're often surrounding by them, and it's no surprise. The leader of all this, Adolf Hitler, is on the last floor waiting for you. Many of these levels are similar to those in the lower security unit, until you arrive to level 68. Nobody knows what really houses in this level, but it’s rumoured to be haunted. It takes time to get through that place, and it’ll be hard to get a rest here. Level 69 is a proponent, as it’s completely unknown what’s here. The level doesn’t exist in your orders given, nor does it in the castle index. After that, you will go to floor 70, where the only given information tells you it's big, it's difficult and you'll die instantly if you haven't got the guts. Nobody's sure of Hitler really resides here, but instead he resides in a hidden cellar. It's only a rumour though...

Some of the new wall patches were supplied by Ringman. These include stained glass swastikas and the checkered marble. Other than a few other light alterations, the graphics, sounds and music is all from Wolfenstein 3D or Spear of Destiny.

Genesis

Being well into Secrets of Offenbach which was nearly finished in July, 2005 (at that time having 42 finished levels) Thomas had corresponded with Chris Chokan via e-mail for quite some time. Having scoured Chokan's old Angelfire site for obscure mods, MIDI files and more information on Chokage, it was obvious that Chokan knew his coding and knew it well. One day in July 2005 Thomas was sent a test EXE which contained basically unlimited guards, doors and walls and the ability to contain 120 levels. Having recently tried MCS' EXE that allowed the user to play 120 levels (as found in the coding tips section on AReyeP's site), Thomas was keen to go beyond the usual 60 level limit for his next mod.

On July 28, 2005, Secrets of Offenbach got canceled. Due to being unfamiliar with the concept of backup, Thomas lost a great deal of the maps made for Secrets of Offenbach between March and July, 2005. These maps were close in style to what would eventually become both Nazi Operation as well as All This & Wolf 3D. Being disappointed, Havoc opted out of the project, and as such, Secrets of Offenbach was released in an early March incarnation containing only 18 levels.

Chokan's EXE was still lying in a folder being viewed as a playground rather than a potential mod. In most of the final half of 2005 Thomas would preoccupy himself with Nazi Operation, which was coded by Michael Collin, who withdrew late in the process; the EXE was then fixed into shape by Havoc and released as the first Wolf mod of 2006.

Nearing the end of Nazi Operation, Thomas made his first map using Chokan's EXE on November 25, 2005. This level became level 16 in the final 2007 version of All This & Wolf 3D. Over the course of November and December, eager to finish Nazi Operation, Thomas sought out mappers to help him finish that mod, getting contributions from Loki, WLHack and ack. For a while, Chris was also slated to contribute one level for Nazi Operation, which was secret level 53, but this did not take place.

With Nazi Operation released and out of the way in January 2006, Thomas turned full attention to All This & Wolf 3D. Between January and April 2006 many levels were put together, usually using as much as possible of the 64x64 mapping slate. It became a habit to design all levels as large and massively decorated as possible, with minor exceptions.

Demo

A 5-level demo of the mod was released on April 14, 2006. This demo featured four levels from the final 2007 version, but had an opening level unique to the demo. The demo showcased some of the massive level building as well as 4GW. A text file was included describing which buttons to press to get just the right music and ceiling color.

All This & Wolf 3D "v1.0"

As was often the case, Thomas quickly tired of what was now the restrictions of going large and using many different textures. As he had still not put out an actual map set, he started a map set for the registered version of Wolfenstein 3D, but this was quickly dropped and its levels were slotted into this v1.0 of the mod. A Spear map set was also attempted, with one or two levels from that particular project being inserted into the v1.0 version as well.

A contributing factor was probably also the fact that it was not possible to follow the general flow. Levels 1-30 had been finished since March, but as some coding was still needed, it was not possible to create the laboratory levels that occupy levels 31-40 just yet. As such, the levels featured as levels 31-37 in the v1.0 version were actually built as levels 41-47.

Chris Chokan had also stopped sending e-mails on a regular basis, and coupled with an impatient Thomas, this version of All This & Wolf 3D was released on May 18, 2006. For a brief while it was stated that this was the final version. This version also featured a final level made by Dean Horton, who had recently struck up conversations with Thomas via MSN Messenger and would in time make the code for some of his projects.

After releasing the v1.0 version, Chris sent Thomas an e-mail and it was decided to continue the mod as if nothing had ever happened. The v1.0 was withdrawn and Thomas resumed mapping in late May and early June. Some of these levels later appeared in community map sets and are available in SDL via that option, as the v1.0 was withdrawn and all but forgotten when the final 2007 version was ported to SDL in 2013.

The road to level 69

Between early July and late August, Thomas would take a break from mapping, instead focus on two different projects: Wolfram, which got quickly canceled and released as an archive curio, and Quest for the General, which went unfinished and eventually got released in September 2007.

Coming back to mapping in late August, the entire laboratory section was constructed, which relied heavily on influences from Jack Ryerson and WSJ. Looking outside the world of Wolfenstein 3D for inspiration, Thomas had also played Return to Castle Wolfenstein, DOOM and Unreal Tournament. During the fall of 2006, the last levels were being put together, with Thomas making his penultimate level for the mod on December 4, 2006. This level became level 70 in the finished version. Level 71, also known as level 0, was constructed as an afterthought, though a more cavernous setting with ladders, climbable wells and ambient dripping sounds had been on the table.

A theme of mystery was supposed to dominate the final part of the mod. At one time, all levels following level 60 would be one step more intense, darker, more fog implemented and so on. It was also decided early on that Chris would contribute a level within this part of the mod. In the end, only level 68 kept the fog effect. This particular level was made by Thomas on December 21, 2006, and was his final work for All This & Wolf 3D. The level took on the theme of an abandoned castle with ghosts that you could shoot. Briefly after making the level and testing it, Thomas received an e-mail from Chris Chokan containing his contribution.

Level 69 and its reception

Chris' contribution to All This & Wolf 3D encompasses much more than just the coding. His map contribution, which became level 69, is an unparalleled level in many ways. The screen jumps and jitters the moment you start, guards move backwards, and you get automatically teleported to small areas otherwise inaccessible in the level. Unlike the rest of the levels in All This & Wolf 3D, this particular level uses numerous code hacks, a timer, the goal to activate 6 collector cards of girls to cause the timer to stop. Furthermore, the music playing is a Chris Chokan original, an edited version of one of Thomas' suggestions, The Offspring's Pretty Fly (For a White Guy).

It is not possible to save your game in the level, as this causes the player to die.

The level contains numerous references to other games, including Corridor 7, DOOM, Commander Keen and Ken's Labyrinth. Textures and sprites are used here that do not appear elsewhere in All This & Wolf 3D.

Level 69 has been lauded and praised as one of the most innovative and ingenious Wolfenstein levels ever made, both due to its mapping design that ties together numerous elements from original Wolfenstein levels (including E1L5, E6L5, E3L10, E2L4 and E3L4) as well as the unorthodox coding that dominates the gameplay.

Initial response was slow, though. All This & Wolf 3D's dedicated DHW thread only received a couple of responses between March 2007 and January 2008 and there was no comment on level 69, other than Dean, who, as tester, of course knew of it and how much it stood out from the mod.

The mod was ported to SDL and released on September 15, 2013. Unlike other of Thomas' mods being ported by Andy Nonymous, this particular mod took a lot longer to do. Chris Chokan assisted with this release, keeping level 69's uniqueness intact.

After the advent of YouTube and the playthroughs of Wolfenstein 3D mods, numerous YouTube playthroughs started to appear for level 69 (listed below) and it is here it is made clear that, despite its innovation and all the attention it has brought to the mod, the remaining 70 levels stand in the shadow and are even seen by some as being a nuisance in getting to level 69.

External links

• Download All This & Wolf 3D (SDL) at The Wolfenstein Vault
• YouTube playthrough (level 69) by Ling Yan Li
• YouTube playthrough (level 69 - with poem) by Patrick Gray
• YouTube playthrough (level 69) by DaClubOfDaMan1993
• YouTube speedrun (level 69) by ekejaqutlqkf
• Early thread at DieHard Wolfers
• Poll at DieHard Wolfers
• Poll at Haven
• Level 69 analysis at Dean's Wolfenstein 3D Blog
• News at the Dome: SEP/DEC 2013 JAN/FEB 2007 SEP/OCT 2006 MAY/JUN 2006
• Youtube videos: full mod (Lingyan203) level 69 (MrWolfForever) level 69 speedrun (ekejaqutlqkf) full mod (Korean Wolf master)