Editing Hexen: Beyond Heretic (section)

==Development==
Like ''Heretic'', ''Hexen'' was developed on [[NeXTSTEP]].<ref name="AppleNeXTMerger">[http://rome.ro/2006/12/apple-next-merger-birthday.html planet rome.ro: Apple-NeXT Merger Birthday!] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070305165006/http://rome.ro/2006/12/apple-next-merger-birthday.html |date=2007-03-05 }}</ref> ''Hexen'' uses a modified version of the [[Doom engine|''Doom'' engine]], which allows jumping, looking up and down, network play with up to eight players and the choice of three character classes. It also popularized the "hub system" of [[level (video games)|level]] progression in the genre of first-person shooter games. Unlike previous games, which had relied purely on [[General MIDI]] for music, ''Hexen'' is also able to play tracks from a [[CD]]. The game's own CD contained a soundtrack in an audio format that was exactly the same as the MIDI soundtrack, but played through a high-quality sound module. However, the most significant improvement was the addition of wall translation, rotation, and level scripting.

The Macintosh version of the game was developed by Presage Software.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.presage.com/pHexen.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/19970614014843/http://www.presage.com/pHexen.html|title=Pressage Products - Hexen|website=presage.com|archivedate=June 14, 1997|accessdate=February 2, 2024}}</ref>

===Engine modifications===
"Polyobjects" are the walls that move within the game. Because the ''Doom'' engine uses the [[binary space partitioning]] system for rendering, it does not enable moving walls. ''Hexen''{{'}}s moving walls are actually one-sided lines built somewhere else on the map and rendered at the desired start spot when the level is loaded. This enables a pseudo-moving wall, but does not allow moving sectors (such as seeing the tops of moving doors). This often creates problems in sectors containing more than one node, however, explaining the relatively limited use of polyobjects.

Whereas ''Doom'', ''Doom II'', and ''Heretic'' rely on lines within the maps to perform simple actions, ''Hexen'' also allows these actions to be activated by Action Code Script (ACS). These scripts use a syntactic variant of [[C (programming language)|C]], thus allowing special sequencing of game actions. Programming features such as randomization, variables, and intermap script activation enable smooth hub gameplay and are responsible for most of the special effects within the game: on-screen messages, random sound effects, monster spawning, sidedef texture changes, versatile control of polyobjects, level initialization for deathmatch, and even complex environment changes such as earthquakes manipulating floor textures and heights.

===Source code===
On January 11, 1999, the [[source code]] for ''Hexen'' was released by Raven Software under a license that granted rights to non-commercial use, and was re-released under the [[GNU General Public License|GNU GPL-2.0-only]] on September 4, 2008.<ref>[http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=238655 Heretic / Hexen - Browse Files at SourceForge.net<!-- Bot generated title -->].</ref> This allowed the game to be ported to different platforms such as [[Linux]], [[AmigaOS]], and [[OS/2]] (including [[eComStation]] and [[ArcaOS]]).

''Hexen'' is compatible with many [[Doom source port|''Doom'' source ports]]; ''Hexen''{{'}}s features are also compatible with ''Doom'' WADs made for source ports regardless of what game they are being played on.

===Music===
The score was composed by Kevin Schilder. In contrast to ''Heretic'', some songs in ''Hexen'', in addition to MIDI versions, had higher-quality versions on CD. When playing in CD-audio mode, songs absent from CD would be replaced by some existing CD tracks.<ref>[https://doomwiki.org/wiki/Hexen_music Hexen music - DoomWiki.org, the new home of the Doom Wiki - Doom, Heretic, Hexen, Strife, and more<!-- Bot generated title -->].</ref>