One Evil Nazi Scheme. One Momentous Mission. One Last Chance to Save Humanity.
The Story
It is 1942, at the height of the Second World War, and the Allies are fighting a fierce battle against the Axis Powers in Europe, and the conflict looks far from over. Worse, the Allies have reason to believe that the Nazis may be amassing a new army of undead soldiers to do battle for them. It is rumored that a top Nazi scientist, one Arzt Schabbs (generally considered mad by his former colleagues) has found a way to resurrect soldiers who have been killed in battle, graft a third arm onto their chests, and send them back to the front lines - in a macabre experiment known as “Project Totengraeber” (effectively, “Gravedigger”). Some such undead soldiers may even receive special conditioning to carry out suicide missions no sane man would ever accept. With no concern for their own lives, only a bitter, ingrained desire to kill, Schabbs’ zombies would have nothing to lose in a firefight, attacking relentlessly and with unimaginable determination. This appalling possibility leaves some in the Allied military aghast, some disbelieving, and all horrified. But the prospect seems very real, and if it does turn out to be true, this new army of undead warriors could spell doom for the Allies - as it effectively means the Nazis would have an unlimited supply of soldiers for battle. Death on the battlefield no longer spells the end for those subjected to Schabb’s lurid experiments. And unless Schabbs and his army are eliminated, the war could begin to take a terrible turn for the worse for the Allies - and indeed, for humanity itself.
There are other rumors afoot as well amongst Allied Intelligence officers. Recon teams coming back from top-secret missions deep within enemy territory have reported a suspicious amassing of soldiers and top Nazi generals in a localized area of Nazi Germany. This mountainous region, home to several ancient German castles, was originally thought to hold no strategic importance, but apparently the Nazis have some sort of secret operation underway in that sector. Could it be related to the rumored Totengraeber project? Could the execution of a massive new Nazi campaign be imminent?
Desperately seeking a means to combat this potentiality, Allied Intelligence has brought to the table several recently-acquired maps showing the locations of six German castles in this questionable region of Nazi territory, each of which is suspected to play a key role in the mysterious Totengraeber project. The Allies believe that a concise plan of systematic elimination of these key Nazi installations, including Arzt Schabbs and his undead army, is an immediate necessity. According to Intelligence, the six castles are interconnected via a system of old tunnels, which can also serve as bomb shelters - and, depending on their magnitude, possibly one or more secret bunkers or laboratories. The tunnels were constructed around the time of the first World War, and now the Nazis are apparently using them as a secret transportation route between their key bases of operations. They are, however, relatively lightly guarded at one particular position. Considering this position a perfect “back door” by which a one-man strike force might gain access to the castles and destroy Project Totengraeber from the inside out, the Allies decide to recruit their most effective one-man strike force for the job - a man by the name of Captain William J. Blazkowicz, or “B.J.” to his friends.
You are B.J. Blazkowicz, and your commanding officers are sending you deep into the heart of Nazi Germany to stop Project Totengraeber if it exists. Castle Sturmwind, an ancient Prussian castle in the southwest area of the target region, is lightly guarded and has been designated as your entry point. You will enter the castle’s ground level, and work your way down through the cellars to the tunnel system beneath. From there, follow the tunnels as they wind northeastward. The tunnels apparently connect with the lower levels of several other castles, and you will most likely find it necessary to work your way through those floors and back into the tunnels at some other location. Allied Intelligence believes the tunnels will eventually end up beneath Castle Dolchteufel, where it is believed the entire Totengraeber project is being spearheaded. Along the way you may find yourself caught up in head-to-head firefights with the high-ranking Nazi generals who are in the area, evidently overseeing the final stages of the project’s execution. Your orders are to eliminate as much Nazi resistance as you see fit, but remember that your primary objective is the assassination of Arzt Schabbs and his legion of mutated walking dead. Schabbs may be holed up in a secret lab in Castle Dolchteufel, at the center of the secret tunnel system. You must take him and his army out at all costs. This is your toughest assignment yet, and you will be up against some of Hitler’s finest. There’s lots of ground to cover out there, so fight hard, keep your wits about you, and remember to make use of the Nazis’ health and munitions to keep you going. The Allies are counting on you, B.J. Go win one for humanity…and try to come back alive!
Setting Up Project Totengraeber
Setting up Project Totengraeber is simple. Just unzip the package into a new directory; no original game files are required. You can even unzip Project Totengraeber into your WOLF3D directory; none of your original game files will be overwritten or modified in ny way. To play Project Totengraeber, run the file TOTEN.EXE by typing its name at the command line and pressing Enter. Select “New Game” from the main menu, choose your preferred difficulty level from the following screen, and your mission begins!
Features
Wolfenstein 3D: Project Totengraeber is one of a brand-new generation of Wolf3D add-ons. Since the release of the game’s source code, designing only new level packages no longer seemed to be enough for me, and many other designers as well. As a result, Project Totengraeber has several new features in the game engine, many of which are concepts made popular by Gary Ragland, with his excellent and revolutionary Wolfenstein add-ons Assassinate Hitler! and Schabbs 2000. Project Totengraeber features:
- 48 brand new levels
- New art and sound effects from various sources and my own design
- One massive episode with seamless level flow
- Changed ceiling colors
- Changed music order (and addition of several Spear of Destiny selections)
- Two new keys (the bronze key and the elevator keycard) with icons on the status bar
- Increased enemy strength and agility at Death Incarnate difficulty for a bigger challenge
- Chainguns that occasionally jam, requiring you to find a new one
- Non game-terminating bosses
The game’s 47 levels, instead of being arranged in six 10-level episodes, are laid out as one continuous mission, consisting of several groups or “units” with a common theme. For instance, the first few levels are of Castle Sturmwind and its lower levels, your point of entry to the underground tunnel system. Further levels consist of cellars, laboratories, and offices of the other various castles connected by the tunnels. The last few levels are of Castle Dolchteufel and its underground bunker, the final installation in the Totengraeber plot, where Arzt Schabbs himself is overseeing the entire experiment. Find his lab deep within the Dolchteufel bunker and take him out, and any of his zombie soldiers along with him!
New Keys
Project Totengraeber features two new keys for you to find, in addition to the standard gold and silver keys. The two new keys won’t be used on the earlier levels, but later on, as the game gets harder, you may need to find one or even both of them as well to get out of the level.
The Bronze Key is usually used to hide super-secret areas or the elevator to a secret level. If you open a pushwall and find a locked door that won’t open, even though you have both the gold and silver keys, there is likely something very special behind that door! The bronze key is quite difficult to find, and is usually kept in a secret area of its own. In the depths of Schabbs’ secret bunker, you may need this key just to escape to the next floor.
The Elevator Key is a special keycard used to unlock the elevator door itself. You will not always need this key. On higher levels, the private elevator to the next floor may be secured and you will need this keycard to gain access to it. Sometimes you will run into one of Hitler’s Generals, who will be carrying the keycard himself! You will have to kill him to get the card and proceed to the next floor. You can easily recognize elevator doors locked by the elevator key, as they will have a yellow knob on them and a card slot directly beneath it.
Version History
Version 2.0 — Released December 23, 2000
Phase 2 / Final release. Enhancements include additional wall textures, and a seventh (millionth) place digit for Score now being shown on the status bar. Other minor tweaks also made to ceiling colors and music selection for Phase 2 levels.
v1.01 — Released October 31, 1999
Bug Fixes:
- Changed keycode required to enable debug keys. Code is now Left Shift + Home + Backspace. This is so people with scaled-down keyboards or laptop computers can access debug mode.
- Couple of changes to the help art.
v1.0 — Released October 30, 1999
Original version.