In this article, I bring the lore of Fate, specifically the 1996 demo of this unreleased FPS that was being developed on the BUILD engine — the same behind Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior, Blood, and Redneck Rampage. The small team of three devs behind it was DogBone Software, and the game was set to be published by Intracorp Entertainment, a company from which Capstone Software, the pinnacle of entertainment, was a subsidiary.
I found it while checking out Fate: A Doom Total Conversion, a fantastic modern GZDoom-compatible mod by Hyperstyle that recreates and expands this almost forgotten title, that was sadly doomed to oblivion when Intracorp went bankrupt in late 1996, just weeks after the demo dropped, around October 18. This Doom mod, however, let’s ups enjoy what Fate could have been, maintaining its core and identity, but going even beyond, with fresh levels and some creative liberties, such as jumping between maps, weapons with secondary fire modes, smarter enemies than your average shoveware. It also features and a unique sci-fi/fantasy blend with martial-arts monk protagonist added to an interesting Strife-like vibe.
The full story
The story of Fate: A Doom Total Conversion is shown in-game, and I realized it was composed of the same images from the original demo: 15 gorgeous Build-engine slides telling a deep lore-heavy tale. I could extract and translate the text to use in the mod’s article at the Gaming Room‘s website, but I realized that it should be registered in this format here as well, in it’s original language, in our Vault:
Long ago, the people of Leavragia were united.
Their needs were fulfilled by a mystical living artifact with motherly attributes – a being they dubbed the All-Father.
But when catastrophe became imminent, as prophesied by their benefactor, a choice had to be made: who would flee the doomed planet to safety, and who would stay behind.
Those who stayed – and survived the comet – became bitter and vengeful, resenting what they saw as betrayal by their brothers and protector.
In the millennia that followed, both cultures diverged markedly.
The Leavragians continued to trace the path necessary for the eventual rightful return of their Alpha Cher.
Under the rule of a tyrant named Surx, they developed the technology to propel themselves the interplanetary distance to Dymandros.
A fleet of ships, laden with his elite guard, began the mission that would complete their destiny.
The colonists led a complacent life of worship for the majority of this time. Only recently had there been unrest.
The indigenous species of Dymandros had begun raiding colonist temples and holy grounds, as if searching for something.
And at last they found it.
(Two intense battle slides: colonists vs. green orc-like beasts and red demons – no text, pure action!)
In a brutal battle that cost many Dymandrian colonists their lives, a raiding party stumbled upon the hidden lair of the All-Father, taking it for themselves.
Moments later, the Leavragian fleet arrives.
Their instruments easily locate the radiating power emitted from the All-Father…
…and they land near the site of the attack.
Before pursuing the “Alpha Cher”, however, the Leavragian soldiers pause to pay homage to the only Dymandrian colonist left alive.
You.
Video
In the following video, we have the intro in question and a gameplay of the starting points of the original game.
You start as that lone survivor – a robed space-monk prisoner in a Leavragian temple, escaping via barrels, air ducts, or brute force. Collect weapon parts, frag aliens, and uncover more lore. Short but sweet demo!
How to play Fate today
Even unfinished, Fate can still be interesting. Not only it can inspire works such as Fate: A Doom Total Conversion but might be fun to be played in its original form. I added a bunch of sources with downloadable versions and/or the game set to be played online (in your browser) in this section. If you want to play it locally, a tool such as DOSBox might be needed in your modern operational system.
Doom mod gameplay
Since we talked about the Fate-based total conversion for Doom, also known as FateDoom, here’s its gameplay:
Okay. If you boot this up, let me know in the comments – did the All-Father’s lore hook you? Fate proves even canceled games can inspire decades later.
Retro hunting forever!
Cheers!