SonderKommando Revolt (Sonder), often dismissively labelled as the Auschwitz Game or the Concentration Camp Game, is a large-scale Wolf3D total conversion by Team RayCast which had worked on it from 2007 to 2011 when it was cancelled due to media controversy.
As one of the biggest and most anticipated Wolf3D mods, it was also one of the biggest Titanics along with Beyond Wolfenstein 2 SE. The media outburst was initially caused by the trailer on YouTube gaining lots of views and the following online gaming magazines which sent it into viral cycle of doom.
The mod is partly based on real WWII events revolving around the Jewish Sonderkommando, which rebelled in Auschwitz. According to Doomjedi the mod was also a way to rework his suspected past life of being a prisoner before being executed.
The mod is also the previous incarnation of Operation Eisenfaust: Origins.
Plot[]
It is 1944 and you are Efim Gorodowski, 31, born in a small village in Ukraine.
Because of your lack of Aryan appearance you have been classed as 'Unclean' and have been taken by the Nazi's to Auschwitz extermination camp. Being young and in good health, you were taken to work in a SonderKommando unit. These units were Nazi helpers in the camp, not by choice, but to do all the dirty work with corpses, ashes and other unpleasant things such misleading victims into entering gasrooms unalarmed. Eventually, after gaining the trust of the Sonder's inner circle, you have been welcomed as a member of a secret SonderKommando unit dedicated to disrupting Nazi control of the camp. The group, consisting of half dozen members, have made plans to start a camp wide revolt.
The group started making guns, ammo and also succeeded to steal some of the Nazi handguns, and even a few MP40s. Later the group managed to smuggle some TNT and heavier weapons into the camp with the help of Polish partisans, and hide them mostly in abandoned train wagons spread around the camp.
Each team member hid weapons separately from the rest of the group so that if one of them was captured and cracked, the Nazi's would not be able to find them all.
Still, it seemed too soon to attempt to start the revolt against the Nazis with a goal to take over the camp.
In the meantime, the group learnt that a high-ranking Nazi official was to make a visit to Auschwitz to supervise the construction of a new, larger crematorium as a higher extermination rate was needed due to the Soviet advances into Eastern Europe.
The group decided to assassinate the officer.
You were supposed to jump in front of the vehicle the official was traveling around the camp in to cause it to stop, which would make the officer an easy target for another member of the group who was a capable sniper and would shoot him from the roof of the crematorium.
But a fellow prisoner overheard a secret conversation detailing the plan and in order to improve his own living conditions at the camp, alerted the Nazi's.
All the group were quickly rounded up by the Nazi's and taken to the interrogation block; Block 11 where you were all tortured. However it seemed that none of the group broke and so the Nazi's decided to execute you all publicly as an example... [1]
Team[]
The size of the team varied throughout the years. Due to the large scale of the project and the years long development many people joined or left. It has been one of the biggest team projects in wolf3d modding having involved more than 10 people over a span of time. The core team would eventually become Team Raycast during the development. Below are the people who have worked on this mod at some point:
- Doomjedi (project lead, story, art design)
- WLHack (DOS code)
- AlumiuN (Wolf4SDL code)
- Tricob (Wolf4SDL code, music)
- Havoc (Wolf4SDL code)
- Andy_Nonymous (code)
- Dean (maps), him being part of the project revealed (after a leak) on 02/04/2008
- Ronwolf1705 (maps, music)
- lilmanjs (maps, replaced by Dean)[2], joined on 03/11/2007
- Lozer_42 (music)
- Vermil (additional support)
- LunaG (video trailer)[3]
Later on when the mod was turned into Operation Eisenfaust: Origins, Linuxwolf would join the team. In 2020 Executor joined to help out with the mapping work of the Origins' Remaster.
Development[]
Doomjedi together with WLHack developed and released Femstein in 2006. It was met with mediocre reviews upon release and had a minor controversy on its own due to the graphical nudity. Despite its controversy Femstein was the first step for finding a bigger team for Sonder thanks to the graphical sprite skills of Doomjedi. The first concepts and ideas where made in late 2006. The project was officially started in the first weeks of 2007 and focused on the camp revolt as well as Doomjedi's former life experience.
"I (at least at that time) was interested in past lifes, and got to believe I was myself a SonderKommando in Auschwitz. This got me interested in the whole SonderKommando/Holocaust issue, as a personal inquiry. And then during "Femstein" development an idea came to me of how I can actually attempt to recreate it in Wolf3D engine!" ― Doomjedi[⠀|[source]]
Without any programmers and level designers the first weeks proved to be struggle-some. Treblinka, another mod featuring a concentration camp, was being worked on at the same time by the modder Rux. [4] Merge attempts by Doomjedi proved to be unsuccessful.
WLHack decided to help out again after having done much of the work on Femstein. The good opinions on WLHack's mods and having some basis brought in more team members with Dean having joined the ranks sometime in 2007.
"it'll give the the opportunity to feel "revenge", though dependable on your playing skills...otherwise Nazis will revenge YOU (Actually as I stated before, for me it'll be in some sense personal revenge, that's why this ideas started in the first place)" ― Doomjedi, in early 2007[⠀|[source]]
The first year also marked the signs of the future to come. The controversial theme sparked a debate in the community with many arguments back and forth about making mods based on real events.[5] Another minor drama in the same year involved Doomjedi reusing some graphic resources in Sonder despite those being made mostly by him for WolfTC [6], abandoned Doom mod, by Vermil using "Doomsday" Doom port popular at the time.
2008 became another big stepping stone as progress came to a halt due to the inactivity of Tricob, WLHack and the strive for features as well as realism which outgrew the DOS boundaries. In an attempt to get the mod back on track and to get someone to port the DOS version to then uprising Wolf4SDL Doomjedi publicly considering to hang up the boots if no one was up to the task. [7]
"It was clear right from the start that it’d be a huge creative challenge to recreate a realistic place in a limited Wolf3D engine for any kind of real resemblance." ― Doomjedi[⠀|[source]]
In the following years, from 2008 to 2010, the mod and team was growing in size. Around this time Doomjedi grouped the various members together under the team banner known as Team Raycast. The project underwent many changes and many things had to be duct-taped by the changing programmers at various points.
On 8. December 2010, the infamous teaser trailer [8] was uploaded on YouTube by LunaG[9], who also created the trailer. Despite being openly featured for years on ModDB the trailer caught, about a day later, the attention of the gaming news outlet Kotaku, which in turn contacted Doomjedi by email and made a full article about the mod giving it one of the now infamous nicknames, "The Concentration Camp Video Game". This article created a chain reaction of many click-bait articles, follow ups by various online news sites, interview requests and helped it into the spotlight for the [adl.org Anti-Defamation League].
"I really don't understand the controversy over Sonderkommando Revolt, a new video game that lets you revel in the wholesale slaughter of Nazis.
The game is done in the style of Wolfenstein 3D meaning the graphics are old school-choppy and the villains are Nazis."
― Dovbear[⠀|[source]]
Kotaku doubling down on their point of view, a badly led interview by Doomjedi along with the reveal of his real name and the unfortunate country location caused much distress and personal problems. The project was officially left hanging half-dead mere days later, on December 13th, 2010. [10]
"The project is cancelled because I cannot stand media exposure of any kind. I’m in deep emotional trauma (very deep), and need time to recover" ― Doomjedi[⠀|[source]]
The mod's death was met with disappointment along with mixed feelings in the community, the gaming community in general and creating tensions in the team. Several people outside of the community have been asking for the game over the years and the general topic is being brought up every once in a while.
"For all I know, the game could be tasteless beyond relief and unnecessarily grotesque, but the fact that it may never be played and we’ll all be guessing as to how it handled the sensitive subject matter because of the over-exposure caused by a trailer just doesn’t sit right with me." ― Elder Geek[⠀|[source]]
Controversy[]
SonderKommando Revolt disclaimer
Coming from the already exploitative Femstein the theme of Sonder revolved around the infamous concentration camp in Auschwitz and contained many overly gory level-based visuals, many for raw shock effect. The theme and concept of such mod, together with the similar project Treblinka, led early on to lengthy discussions inside of the community; if such project is acceptable or should generally be avoided.[11] The project continued for years under the claim that it is just a game, not serious, just like Wolf3D, and only for fun.
"In no way when we made this did we have in our minds any agenda of revenge, any intention to upset people of any race, or say that we support any of the horrific things that occurred. We had no intention to cause any problems for ourselves, the Community or anyone that had relatives, friends or were involved in any way." ― Dean, Level Designer[⠀|[source]]
The trailer release on December 8, 2010, triggered the beginning of the end. Having gained over 30.000 views in just its first 3 days it was picked up by the popular gaming magazine Kotaku making a massive click-bait articles out of it, which spread like a wild fire among gaming news.
"An Israeli modder has turned a 1992 first-person shooter into a bloody tale of revenge set in a Nazi concentration camp with Sonderkommando Revolt, putting players in the role of an Auschwitz death camp prisoner on a killing rampage." ― Kotaku[⠀|[source]]
In just a span of a few days media all over the world, and the Anti-Defamation League caught wind of it turning it into a witch hunt. Some of the big focus points made were the question about historical accuracy, the distortion of facts and if such type of game should exist at all. After 2 weeks of DoomJedi delaying local reports of it, news appeared locally in DoomJedi own country and spread like fire, reaching all of newspapers, TV news, his workplace, bosses (with interview and clarification requests), colleagues, family and friends, causing him severe stress and discomfort, even such that could endanger his job. He even got a prank radio call directly to his workplace (despite workplace trying to block those to protect him) that ended with him being live on a very popular Israeli radio ("Shai and Dror" prank radio show).
Still hoping to release the mod - historical and political disclaimer was added to the mod and is still available online.
[http://deans-wolf-blog.blogspot.com/2014/09/]
But the emotional distress was too high for him - to be able to release it even with such clear disclaimer.
"Perhaps well intentioned in its creation, its execution and imagery are horrific and inappropriate" ― Anti-Defamation League spokesperson[⠀|[source]]
Official statements by Doomjedi to counter the whole mess made things only worse. Such as the project being just a Wolf3d mod, not more or anything serious, and it was meant to be fun (naive quote he regretted later as it was taken out of context). Other questionable statements were made by Doomjedi throughout the years. One of them believing in reincarnation (at the time of the mod making, not nowadays) and the mod being a reflection and attempt to rework his former life as a prisoner of a concentration camp before having been executed and to turn the past life recollection into successful rebellion and escape, instead of being executed in Block 11 where the mod starts from and location heavily featured in the mod. What started as a personal attempt to recreate believed at the time past life under Wolf3D engine - became a mod with no agenda or meaning after team members joined in not being aware of such, with an emerging desire to make a good original Wolf3D mod about shooting nazis, good mod by Wolf3D modding standards. Also due to long development of the mod - the original intent, which was deeply personal and not political or social anyway, became less relevant and important to Doomjedi himself and he felt the mod has no agenda as years went by, beside remaining plot details.
"Mods are never to have an agenda, political, religious or historic — this is just part of modding (not only Wolf3D) ethics and unwritten rules, and none of the team members would have participated in this project in the first place if any agenda had been involved" ― Doomjedi[⠀|[source]]
Some of the team and parts of the community were heavily rooting for a public release despite all the drama. Having been one of the biggest and most anticipated Wolf3D mods, the cancellation of the project put quite a dent into the community Not nearly as bad as the Beyond Wolfenstein 2 SE debacle but there were concerns of id Software stepping in and ramming a nail into the community.
"There’s tasteless film. Tasteless literature. Tasteless music. Video games should have the right to make the same mistakes, and should something be created and released that is beyond reprehensible, then we shall rise above it." ― Elder Geek[⠀|[source]]
Sequels[]
Two sequels were along Sonder, from 2007 on, in development. Work on those continued in parallel until they were cancelled alongside SonderKommando 1. [12] [13]
"Warsaw Uprising" title screen
SonderKommando 2 - Warsaw Uprising The mod's plot was inspired by Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943. Several screenshots and concepts have been released in the past, it was supposed to be mission-based mod, idea of using Hexen-style hub areas was discussed as well.
"Mission Treblinka" title screen
SonderKommando 3 - Mission: Treblinka Not much is known about the second sequel except it revolving around the Treblinka camp. It was meant to start with the protagonist heading to Treblinka featuring moving and stationary trains from inside and outside, getting out of the train and reaching Treblinka camp to save protagonist father. [14]
Aftermath[]
The original uncensored version of the mod received an underground release and was shared with prominent community members and others on request.
"The World insisted it won't be publically available to people that might get offended, and so I respect this. Needless to say that it's still available to project members to play privately, and maybe even a bit wider circle of people" ― Doomjedi, Team Lead[⠀|[source]]
It received a stealth Dome Award in August 2011 for best mod of the month [15] [16]. To gather a bigger audience and not let all the effort of the team be wasted the mod was heavily reworked solely by Doomjedi for another year and released in November 2012 as Operation Eisenfaust: Origins.
"Operation Eisenfaust: Origins is SonderKommando Revolt repackaged. It's been widely known for a long time and anyone that has ever seen the trailer, a single screenshot or was involved in it in anyway knows it." ― Dean, Level Designer[⠀|[source]]
Gruesome scenes and gory parts were all changed to fit the more fantastical mutant theme.[17] The features and designs of Operation Eisenfaust: Origins influenced the Eisenfaust Editions of SoD Extreme, SoD Extreme II and Time to Kill: Eisenfaust Edition. Years later many graphics of Sonder and its sequels are featured among various free-to-use graphic packs released by Doomjedi. He also distanced himself from the project over the years claiming it was a mistake and he wouldn't do the same thing again.[18]
In 2017 Doomjedi participated (by voice, with long recorded interviews only small part of which ended in the final movie) in a documentary "Another Planet" by director Amir Yatziv. To bring a type of closure for himself and to explain himself properly to the general public. [1] Documentary was screened in film festivals around the world and also debuted in Tel Aviv Cinematheque, with invitation and participation of Doomjedi and his wife, and was greeted with overall applause. Tel Aviv Cinematheque Since then the documentary is available on local cable channel HOT VOD, and is screened in Israel as part of Holocaust Day documentaries. [2]
"It was a Wolf3D mod like every other, we didn’t try to show anything, teach anything and there was no agenda." ― Doomjedi[⠀|[source]]
As of 2021 a remaster of Operation Eisenfaust: Origins was completed, as well as Blade of Agony: Chapter 3 having a section focused on a fictional concentration camp (originally meant to be Dachau but changed to fictional camp due to pressure) which features new high-resolution remakes of original Sonder graphics (with additional added art) and Doomjedi as main sprite artist in that project, one of 5 core team members. [19]
"I especially wonder why people keep working with me after Sonder's cancellation. I could fully understand them if they wouldn't, after I scrapped 4 years of their work. It was a miracle for me to keep modding with the same guys, and I appreciate it very much. I might not ever get an answer to that myself, but I guess it's just my ideas, art, long-term devotion to projects and ability to manage private development forum." ― Doomjedi[⠀|[source]]
Timeline[]
A short summary summing up the timeline.
- 2006: Femstein beginning and the slight theme drama around it.
- 2006: Sonder's concept phase begins sometime in the second half of the year.
- 2007: Merge attempt with the Treblinka mod and community discussions regarding such themes.
- 2007 - 2010: Team members coming and going. Team Raycast founded.
- 2010: 8th December summoning the controversy and the resulting media outrage.
- 2010: 13th December, cancellation including the sequels
- 2011: Underground release and the team moving forward.
- 2012: Rebirth as Operation Eisenfaust: Origins.[20]
External links[]
- Trailer re-upload on YouTube
- DieHard Wiki entry
- Sonder topic on DHW
- Sonder topic on Haven
- Sonder's ModDB page
- Kotaku Part 1
- Kotaku Part 2
- Kotaku Part 3
- Kotaku Part 4
- Heeb Magazine
- Dovbear Blog
- Elder Geek's call for support
- Zombie Plan's Wolfing Time Take
- Interview in 2012
- Another Planet (Password: amir) - Animated Documentary feat. 11 minutes of Sonder footage with commentary by Doomjedi in 2017
References[]
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20101215123007/http://wolfsource.dugtrio17.com/wiki/index.php?title=SonderKommando_Revolt Archived plot of the game
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20130415073743/http://doomjedi.page.tl/
- ↑ http://headshotsdnbhd.blogspot.com/2010/12/sonderkommando-revolt-game-teaser.html
- ↑ http://diehardwolfers.areyep.com/viewtopic.php?p=52547
- ↑ http://diehardwolfers.areyep.com/viewtopic.php?t=7381 Should a video game about the holocaust ever be created?
- ↑ http://diehardwolfers.areyep.com/viewtopic.php?p=58158#58158
- ↑ http://diehardwolfers.areyep.com/viewtopic.php?t=5131
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCUcw44l9F8 Original trailer upload (defunct)
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/user/LunaG/ Author of the trailer
- ↑ https://www.moddb.com/mods/sonderkommando-revolt/news/project-status2 Statement about the Cancellation
- ↑ http://diehardwolfers.areyep.com/viewtopic.php?t=4628 Should mods be made of actual events?
- ↑ http://diehardwolfers.areyep.com/viewtopic.php?t=4734 SonderKommando 2 topic on DieHard Wolfers
- ↑ SonderKommando 2 on DHW Wiki
- ↑ https://wolf3d.darkbb.com/t589-sonderkommando-2-warsaw-uprising#6691 SonderKommando 2 & 3 topic on Haven
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1465856783490521&id=146903742052505&comment_id=1466133413462858&reply_comment_id=1466407770102089 Award displayed in the Facebook comments.
- ↑ http://www.wolfenstein3d.co.uk/dmaug2011pr.gif Dome Award
- ↑ http://deans-wolf-blog.blogspot.com/2014/09/ Origins reworked
- ↑ http://diehardwolfers.areyep.com/viewtopic.php?p=106151#106151
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1465856783490521&id=146903742052505
- ↑ http://deans-wolf-blog.blogspot.com/2014/05/operation-eisenfaust-origins-level-2.html