_____Developer Commentary_____
     (Only read this after playing)
          (Contains spoilers)

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This page contains comments expressing my opinions on the plot, levels and so on of Unreal Grief Chapter 2, combined with interesting facts you will only learn here. Be warned though, I occasionally slip into Unreal Editor talk which might confuse people who don't map with the editor. Then again I might just be taking you all for being idiots, sorry :B
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---3 is the Lucky Number---
This is the third version of UGrief2. Alpha 1, as I call it, would originally have you deciding to join either the Mercenaries or Skaarj as they battle it out to find a strange atrifact. I was planning to give you different weapons for each side. I made a small canyon map and started a second map. The reason I scrapped it was because it was horrible! Even by my mapping standards. I also wanted to lower the map count to something I could manage, the nine or so maps needed was too much. So I started again on Alpha 2 with a similar concept, but instead of joining either Skaarj or Mercs I decided just to make you join the Skaarj and be either a Gunner or a Sniper as they fought the Mercenaries. I made map one, a small, low combat map where you go through a small outside area and head into a Skaarj base, map 2, a friendly Skaarj base where you get your weapons and I made half of map three, which would be leaving the Skaarj Base after a Merc attack to head into a temple. I started the temple area then decided I couldn't implement the weapon idea and as I didn't like my maps for other reasons as well I scrapped Alpha 2. For UGrief2 version 3 I went for a different approach entirely. On the Alphas you start immediately after leaving the mountain, where on 3 you have a boat journey to get to somewhere far away. Some plot points from the Alphas were kept to use in 3.

---Deja Vu---
If you look at Fiaren's island, it seems a lot like the Sacred Mountain Cave from UGrief1 in the way that you head around to different areas controlled by different people (not to mention you go up a tower). At least you don't have to keep falling down halls to progress, there was four holes in UGrief1 on that single short level!

---Skaarjphobia---
I hate creating Skaarj base interiors! In fact, I don't like building interiors at all, but at least Nali Castles and stuff can have quite large blocky architecture. For map 1 I needed to go inside a Skaarj Plant, and the rooms would have to be quite small to fit under the island. But as I needed a Skaarj base to work with the story I built one. I am fairly pleased with how it turned out, I tried to put at least some detail into every room. Very colourful as well, you see green, yellow, red, purple and blue at least.

---Minigun---
In map 2, near the start, you see a frozen minigun. I was originally going to have just something random there like a broken automag, but I decided on the minigun as it is a reference to another UT singleplayer pack, but do you know what I am referring to?

---Easter Eggs---
I love adding easter eggs into my maps. If I see a random locked off area or something similar and the player can not access it in game I just stick some random picture or message in there. After finishing UGrief2 you could go back and replay it on an EE run (you do need to cheat to find most of them though)! Strangely, I don't think there is a single Easter Egg in the first chapter. Then again I might have just forgotten adding them.

---UMS Scouts Forever---
I wanted to get some human characters into the plot of Unreal Grief but I was not sure on the best way to go about adding them. If I wasn't careful I would have a bunch of people sitting around doing nothing until Chapter 3. I decided to have another ship crash (The Scout Ship is the same as yours from Chapter 1) with a single survivor. This way, with the two of you being rescued by the UMS, I could tie human characters like Miller and Torroman into the plot a bit better. I managed to explain why Miller isn't with you for the final boss as well. However, for me plot holes are practically unnavoidable just like BSP holes when mapping.

---"Idol Eyes"? Seriously?---
Yeah, I seem to have a sick addiction to strange level names. At least some of them have got better (or at least make more sense) than the original names. Idol Eyes was originally called "Unfortune", which isn't actually a word, and Fire and Ice was for a long time called "Ground Glitter"! For some reason I thought that was perfectly reasonable name for my snowy level. What was I thinking?

---Weapon Loadout---
Different to Chapter 1's loadout of weapons, mostly by the reduction of the powerful Quadshot and the addition of the long range Rifle. I quite liked the fact you have to fight Titans without having an Eightball (as in most Titan fights you are given truckloads of free rockets). I generally use my Flak on the big guys instead, but longer range weapons like the Stinger of Rifle can be useful for hitting the first Ice Titan from the higher ledge, a safer place. The reason there is not a Quadshot is because I thought there was a serious bug with thee Quadshot I was using. It turns out their isn't, so I will probably use that gun again.

---Got Into a Bad Rabbit---
Sorry Nali Rabbits, I always neglect putting you in my maps! The only rabbit is that one dead rabbit in the vent shaft on Idol Eyes. They don't really fit in with the island or the snowy canyon and there is not enough outside space in the temple/mine of map 3, so I guess I had an excuse to avoid them. I generally don't like putting any friendly creatures in my maps (including Nali), it always feels uncomfortable to have them around in combat areas.

---Got Into a Bad Pupae---
I don't like adding pupae either. Urgh, creepy little Skaarj babies! I have hated them since the first time I ever encountered them. It was before I played Unreal, and I was on an online match on the first tournament game. I fell down a hole and was savaged by scary little bugs in the dark and was like WHAT ARE THESE?!!?! Such a noob...!

---Hiaklir's Skin---
Lord Hiaklir is the warlord seen briefly at the end of Chapter 2 and will be featured more in the future (yes, there will be a future for Unreal Grief). I originally made him a different skin; it was really green with silly red squiggles. Eww, I can't have a character like him look like bloodstained sewage! The new skin is purple and green, and looks a lot nicer. Maybe other Skaarj will appear with that distictive colour scheme.

---Snow---
I have made a snowy level before (don't look for it, the level is terrible). That level, and most Unreal snowy levels, seem to be at night, with a cold blue atmosphere. I like that theme, but here I felt like having a cold daytime theme. With a yellow sky I knocked up in about a minute, I made a very bright yet snowy level and I like the result, it has the atmosphere I was going for.

---Balance---
With Chapter 1, there were problems with balancing the comedy level. I had serious messages like a Skaarj who was going to kill himself along with stupid messages like a Nali that was trying to use a Flak Cannon badly. In Chapter 2 I have removed both extremes and settled somewhere in the middle. Bernard does exclaim about the quality of door locks on occasion, but the plot isn't quite so dark or serious so things are okay. Mostly okay.

---The Caves---
In between Alplha 2 and Alpha 3 I had also started making a one map single player to go between Chapters 1 and 2. It was going to be set in the cave system beneath the Sacred Mountain Cave. I barely made one room! However, I quite like the idea of making one map things to fill in the gaps. The good thing about releasing smaller packs is that they can be released more often so you get feedback regularly.

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Keep your eyes open for Chapter 3. Thanks for playing and reading.