Conflict in the Fatherland is a mod for registered Wolfenstein, made by BJ Rowan. It was released on May 7, 1999.
Background[]
Expanding upon 1994's The Renovation, Rowan worked fastidiously on the maps through the next two years, eventually finishing the set sometime in 1996. As Rowan stated on his website:
Work unofficially began in 1994. After failing to double the number of levels in The Renovation by the Wolfmaster deadline, I instead rolled the best of my extra creations over into this, an all-new mapset. Originally, this collection was to be called The Revolution, as an obvious play on the name of my first add-on, The Renovation. The similarity was meant to underscore the relationship between the two. It wasn’t until I had already finished three or four episodes that I decided to change the name to the more appropriate Conflict In The Fatherland.
Development continued throughout 1995, and I estimate that I finished the final level sometime in the first half of 1996 (no records exist to prove this timeline). I did not, however, have any specific plans for a release. Carlton Griffin, the man behind Wolfmaster, spoke to me a few times about his preliminary plans for assembling a “sequel collection,” or a second Wolfmaster — but his failing health, and the public’s waning interest in Wolfenstein, were complicating his efforts. Eventually I lost contact with him.
Over the next several years, I tested Conflict In The Fatherland simply by playing and enjoying its levels. I had designed this add-on for myself and my own enjoyment, and it had accomplished its goal. Thoughts of a public release were no longer on my mind.
After going off to college in late 1998, I began to get into web design more seriously, and discovered an entire online community of gamers who were still playing Wolfenstein. With my interest in the game rekindled, I realized that two things had just come together: I had found an audience for CITF, and my web design skills would help me deliver it to them. And so, in 1999, Conflict In The Fatherland was finally turned loose, three years after completion.
Description[]
The mod features 60 new maps. Most graphics remain true to the original game, but some have been changed. The chain gun has been replaced by the MG34 GPMG. Some new wall textures and decorations have been added, many of which would be used in numerous mods to come, including Rowan's own Totengraeber. The storyline is extensive and contains newly named episodes, though the original bosses remain.
Legacy[]
BJ Rowan himself admitted that, when compared to the more popular Totengraeber, the mapping featured in Conflict in the Fatherland is the better of the two. This view has also been expressed by players and other members of the community. However, some of the levels featured in Episode 3 bear a resemblance to the automatically generated Creator maps, albeit with edits and additional design.
Ports[]
The mod features only new maps and a VSWAP file, making it a port-friendly set. Laz Rojas ported the entire level set to the Mac version of Wolfenstein 3D as six one-episode scenarios. Each of these episodes has 10 maps and a slightly different assortment of new graphics, mostly walls (upscaled) and sometimes boss sprites (not upscaled). This port was originally released on December 13, 1999. Later on, the Mac version received a port for MacenWolf.
In March 2011, an SDL port of the DOS version was put together by Gerolf, who inserted the new episode names from the Read Me into the EXE. This version included all files except audio files. Furthermore, the DOS set was converted to ECWolf by AstroCreep in 2016.
In June 2024, Tris released a VIP version of the mod which featured a coded EXE with new ceiling colors and episode names. Some graphics were changed/altered, inspired by Totengraeber, and some new sounds were also added. Further touch-ups were made before an official re-release on June 29.
External links[]
- Download Conflict in the Fatherland at BJ Rowan's Wolfenstein Records Room
- Download Conflict in the Fatherland (SDL) at The Wolfenstein 3D Dome
- Download Conflict in the Fatherland (SDL) at The Wolfenstein 3D Vault
- Download Conflict in the Fatherland (VIP version) at The Wolfenstein 3D Vault
- Download at MediaFire: DOS | SDL | ECWolf
- CitF for MacenWolf at ModDB
- Download Conflict in the Fatherland (Mac) at lazrojas.com
- Conflict in the Fatherland backstory at BJ Rowan's Wolfenstein Records Room
- Poll at DieHard Wolfers
- Another poll at DieHard Wolfers
- Poll at Haven
- News at the Dome: MAR/APR 2011
- YouTube videos: AryanWolf3D