The River is the third level of Descent into Horror. This was the first level that was completed by Gregory A. MacMartin for this Episode. Gregory A. MacMartin found the placement of the River to be a difficult task; he felt he failed in giving the River and Waterfalls an organic appearance. It was originally intended for the River to push the player along via a current, but the level designer was unable to get this feature to work properly. Though Gregory A. MacMartin was not satisfied with this level, he was required to put it in Aftershock for Quake.
The player must search for the Silver Key and Gold Key in order to proceed. The Gold Key is on an Elevator Trap, this is one of the portions of the level which Gregory A. MacMartin feels is redeemable. This level brings back the Scrag, Spawn, and Fiend. This level also brings back the Knight on Easy Difficulty.
Story
After that most interesting encounter with those "knight things" way down near the bottom of that training course you are beginning to wonder exactly what kind of place this is. You know one thing for sure: This job has been anything BUT routine. Not to mention the fact that you haven't found anything useful to salvage yet.
This area of the base has a river running through the center of it. It appears as though the river goes deeper into the mountain.
After exploring the area awhile you find yourself getting nowhere. So, you decide, why not spice things up and go for a swim??
Quick Level Completion
- Cross the bridge to your left to reach the room on the opposite side.
- Drop through the hole in the upper right corner of the room, then turn left.
- Proceed down the tunnel, then turn right.
- Proceed down the corridor, passing the Silver Door on your right, to reach the next room.
- Continue to an intersection, then turn right and follow the platform to the end.
- Jump to the platform straight ahead to hit the Button, then return to the intersection.
- Turn right, then proceed to another intersection.
- Turn left, then follow the platform to the end before turning left.
- Proceed down the platform to the opposite end, then jump to the platform straight ahead to hit the Button.
- Return to the intersection and turn left, then proceed forward to another intersection.
- Turn right and follow the platform to the end, then turn right once more.
- Proceed to the end of the platform to hit the Button, then return to the intersection and turn right.
- Proceed forward to reach a locked Door, then turn left.
- Proceed down the platform, then jump to the platform straight ahead to hit the Button.
- Return to the previous platform, then turn left and proceed to the end.
- Jump to the platform straight ahead to hit the Button, then return to the locked Door which has now been lowered to reveal a doorway beyond.
- Go through the doorway and collect the Silver Key.
- Return to the Silver Door and go through it.
- Cross the room and press the Button on the upper left side.
- Turn right, then jump to the platform straight ahead.
- Press the Button to your left which will cause a Wall to lower between the two Buttons.
- Go through the newly opened pathway to reach a Teleporter, which will return you to the room across from the starting room.
- Drop into the Water, then proceed down the corridor to the left.
- Follow the long tunnel to your left to the opposite side.
- Proceed down the small Waterfall to your left, then go down the large Waterfall to your left.
- Swim to the opposite side of the room, then turn left and shoot the Button in the alcove.
- Turn left and swim into the hole in the middle of the room.
- Continue until you are near the bottom of the hole, then go through the doorway to the right.
- Head to the end of the tunnel, then ascend to the surface of the Water.
- Climb onto the lip to leave the Water.
- Proceed forward to the raised surface to pick up the Gold Key, continue to move forward to avoid being raised by an Elevator.
- Leave the Gold Key room and ascend to the top of the hole to return to the previous room, then turn right.
- Go through the doorway in the upper left corner, then ascend the staircase and turn left at the top.
- Proceed forward on the small platform, then turn left and ascend another staircase.
- Cross the balcony to the opposite side.
- Go through the Gold Door to your left, then proceed forward to exit the level.
Walkthrough
E3M3 - The River
Straight ahead is a River. Turn left, then proceed forward to the opposite side of the rock ledge. Turn right and cross the bridge. Beware of the Radioactive Container to the right while killing the Enforcer and Grunt to the left. Collect the two 25 Health in the upper left corner of the room. Turn around, then proceed forward to drop into the Water. Turn right to kill the Rotfish, then turn left to kill another Rotfish. Turn right once more, then follow the Water to reach a Grating which can be hit to reveal a room beyond (#1). Follow the Water to reach a set of stairs on the left which will lead to the section of land you were on prior to jumping in the Water. Drop into the hole straight ahead, then turn left to kill a Grunt. Proceed down the corridor, then turn right into another hallway. Proceed down the hallway while ignoring the Silver Door to the right, then kill the Grunt at the opposite end of the corridor. Continue forward into the next room, but avoid the sides of this room as they are filled with Slime. Follow the platform to an intersection. Kill the Enforcer straight ahead, then turn right and follow the platform to a 15 Health. Jump to the platform straight ahead to press the Button, then return to the intersection. Turn right and follow the platform to another intersection, then follow the section to the left while ignoring the section straight ahead. Turn left at the end of the section of platform, then proceed forward to kill a Grunt. Jump to the platform straight ahead to press the Button, then return to the intersection. Turn left, then follow the platform to another intersection. Follow the section of platform to the right, ignoring the section straight ahead, then kill the Grunt at the end. Turn left, then jump to the platform to collect the 100 Health. Turn around, then jump back to the previous platform. Follow the platform to the opposite end to push a Button, then return to the intersection. Turn right, then proceed forward to reach another intersection. In front of you is a set of Doors that are currently locked. Proceed down the corridor to the right, ignoring the corridor to the left, and collect the Shells at the opposite side. Turn left, then proceed down the platform to collect the 2 Shells and 15 Health. Jump to the platform to the left to collect the Rockets, then jump to the platform to the right to collect the Double-Barrelled Shotgun. Return to the intersection, then proceed straight ahead to the opposite side of the platform. Jump to the platform straight ahead to press the Button, then jump back to the previous platform. Turn left to kill the Grunt, then proceed to the opposite end of the platform. Jump to the platform straight ahead to press the Button. You will receive the message - "A door opens...".
Return to the previously locked Door, which has opened to reveal a doorway beyond, and go through it. Kill the 2 Enforcers while collecting the Silver Key, Biosuit, and Green Armor. Return to the Silver Door and go through it. Kill the Grunt on the platform to your left and the Grunt on the platform to your right, then drop into the Slime straight ahead. Collect the 2 Rockets to the left, then turn right to collect the Shells and Nails on the opposite side of the room. Turn right, then swim to the platform on the opposite side of the room to press the Button. Turn left, then jump to the platform straight ahead. Turn right to press the Button. The Wall between the Buttons will open to reveal a Teleporter beyond as the message "The river is accessable..." is displayed. Go through the Teleporter to return to the room across the bridge from the starting room. Drop into the Water, then turn left and proceed past the staircase. Continue forward to kill the 4 Rotfish, then follow the Water to your left. Proceed down the tunnel to kill 3 Rotfish. About halfway down the Water tunnel, hit the Wall jutting out to the right to reveal an alcove (#2).
Go down the small Waterfall to your left at the end of the Water tunnel. Go down the large Waterfall to your left to land in the pool of Water below. Kill the Scrag, then proceed to the opposite side of the room and turn left. Hit the Shootable Button on the floor to open the pathway to the Gold Key. Swim through the hole in the floor to collect the Super Nailgun, then go through a lit-up tunnel to the right to reach the room with the Gold Key. Ascend to the surface of the Water, then climb onto the lip around the Water to enter the room. Collect the Nails to the right, then kill the Spawn and 2 Knights straight ahead. Collect the 25 Health to the left of the raised platform and the Nails to the right of the raised platform, then walk onto the raised platform to collect the Gold Key. Move quickly off the Raised Platform before it ascends to the ceiling and throws you into a pit of Lava. Use the Raised Platform to jump to the beam on the right side of the room, then hit the Wall in the middle of the room to reveal an alcove (#3).
Leave the Gold Key room and return to the upper level of the Water, then turn around to look at the ruined balcony to the left of the Waterfall. Collect the 2 Nails and 25 Health underneath the balcony, then go through the doorway. Ascend the staircase to leave the Water, then turn left at the top. Proceed forward on the small platform, then turn left once more to ascend another staircase. Kill the Fiend on the balcony at the top, this balcony overlooks the room with the Waterfall. Collect the 25 Health on the near side of the balcony, then proceed straight ahead to the opposite side to collect the Shells. Turn left to look down the next section of balcony. Ignore the Gold Door on the right, instead going past it to collect the Nailgun and Shells on the opposite side of the balcony. Go through the Gold Door, then proceed down the End Tunnel to exit the level.
Differences from Easy to Normal
- 2nd, 3rd and 4th Grunt in room across the bridge from the starting room.
- 3rd Rotfish in starting section of Water.
- 2nd Grunt in tunnel leading to Silver Door tunnel.
- Grunt beside 1st Button in 5 Button room.
- 2nd Grunt beside 2nd Button in 5 Button room.
- Enforcer on 3 Shells platform of 5 Button room.
- 3rd and 4th Enforcer in Silver Key room.
- Enforcer on left platform of room after Silver Door.
- Enforcer on right platform of room after Silver Door.
- 5th, 6th, and 7th Rotfish behind Wall of River.
- 4th and 5th Rotfish in long Water tunnel.
- 2nd Scrag in room after Waterfall.
- 3rd Knight and Scrag in Gold Key room.
Differences from Normal to Hard/Nightmare
- 2nd and 3rd Enforcer in room across the bridge from the starting room.
- 5th Grunt in room across the bridge from the starting room.
- 4th, 5th, and 6th Rotfish in starting section of Water.
- 2nd Grunt in Silver Door corridor.
- 2nd Grunt beside 1st Button in 5 Button room.
- Enforcer on section of platform leading to 2nd Button in 5 Button room.
- 2nd Grunt beside 3rd Button in 5 Button room.
- Grunt on platform leading to 3 Shells platform of 5 Button room.
- Enforcer beside 4th Button in 5 Button room.
- 2nd Grunt on left platform of room after Silver Door.
- 2nd Enforcer on right platform of room after Silver Door.
- 8th Rotfish behind Wall of River.
- 6th, 7th, and 8th Rotfish in long Water tunnel.
- 3rd and 4th Scrag in room after Waterfall.
- 2nd Scrag in Gold Key room.
- 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th Knight in Gold Key room.
- 2nd Fiend on Gold Door balcony.
Secrets
| Secrets | ||
|---|---|---|
| (#1) |  |
From the starting room, drop into the Water straight ahead. Turn left and follow the River to the far side. Hit the Grating to reveal a room beyond. Kill the Rotfish, then swim to the surface of the Water to climb onto the platform straight ahead. Collect the two 15 Health, 2 Rockets, and Rocket Launcher. |
| (#2) |  |
When proceeding down the long section of the River, just before the Waterfalls, hit a Wall on the right hand side of the tunnel to reveal an alcove. Enter the alcove to receive the message - "A distant rumbling is heard...". Swim down the Waterfalls to the room filled with Water below. A Wall has opened on the left wall, revealing an alcove beyond. Collect the Nails and the Thunderbolt. The Teleporter straight ahead leads back to the room across the bridge from the starting room. |
| (#3) |  |
In the Gold Key room, use the Elevator trap of the Gold Key to get enough height to reach the beam on the right side of the room if looking from the Water pit. Hit the Wall in the middle of the room to reveal an alcove with a Red Armor. |
Enemies
| Type | Count | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy | Normal | Hard/Nightmare | ||
| Rotfish | 11 (22) | 17 (34) | 24 (48) | The vanilla engine counts each Rotfish as 2 enemies; 1 Rotfish killed by touching trigger |
| Grunt | 8 | 14 | 20 | |
| Knight | 2 | 3 | 7 | |
| Enforcer | 4 | 9 | 14 | |
| Scrag | 1 | 3 | 6 | |
| Spawn | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Fiend | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| Total | 28 (39) | 48 (65) | 74 (98) | |
Glitches
- The locked Door behind the player's starting position is too small for the frame.
- If the player travels down the left side of the River from the starting room and hugs the left wall, they can fall through the world when they reach a wall with a sloped outcropping.
- If the player travels along the River, they can find several locations where no appropriate brush was placed behind the fluid on the surface of the Water, meaning the void beyond can be seen through these cracks.
- If the player travels down the left side of the River from the starting room and hugs the left wall, they can find a crack on the bottom which allows them to see into the void beyond.
- When the player triggers the "The river is accessable..." message and causes the Wall in the Water to move, a Rotfish is killed.
Deathmatch
E3M3 - The River (Deathmatch)
Differences
- 2 Rockets and Grenade Launcher in long Water tunnel.
- 10 Cells in Gold Key room.
Spawn Locations
- Radioactive Container room, beside hole
- Radioactive Container room, bridge side
- Single Player start
- Tunnel between Radioactive Container room and Silver Door corridor.
- Room behind Silver Door, Shells and Nails side.
- Silver Door corridor.
- 5 Button room, beside Button closest to Silver Door corridor.
- 3 Shells platform of 5 Button room.
- Gold Door balcony, beside Gold Door.
- Gold Door balcony, staircase side.
- Gold Key room, by 10 Cells
- Gold Key room, by Gold Key
Demo
This is the level that the third and final Demo is played. The level is played on Normal with the default equipment of 25 Shells and a Shotgun. Upon spawning into the level, the player is greeted with 4 Grunts on the opposite side of a River. The player turns left and moves closer to the bridge separating the two segments of land, then returns to their starting orientation. The player fires twice at one of the four Grunts, killing it. One of the other three Grunts fires back at the player, lowering the player's Health to 96. The player begins to strafe while firing, hitting the Grunts three more times before making contact with the Radioactive Container behind them. Two of the three Grunts are Gibbed in the explosion. The player ignores the Grunt as it fires again, trying but failing to make contact with the player. The player heads across the bridge and reaches the midpoint before alerting an Enforcer to his left. Meanwhile the Grunt fires and manages to make contact with the player, lowering his Health to 92. The player starts firing at the Enforcer as he strafes onto the section of land with his Enemies, connecting twice and missing with his third shot. The Enforcer tries to retaliate, but both of its shots misses the player, who continues strafing and firing a total of two more times to kill the Enforcer. As the Enforcer goes down, he fires once more. At the same time the player gets hit once more by the Grunt, getting brought down to 88 Health. The player moves to collect the dropped Cells, then continues to the corner to collect a 25 Health while turning around to face the Grunt. The player fires once, killing the Grunt, and fires once more as the easy kill was unexpected. He continues to the upper left corner while collecting the dropped Shells of the Grunt, then looks into a hole to detect another two Grunts. The player fires twice at the closer Grunt, killing it while alerting the other Grunt. The player drops into the hole as both he and the Grunt fire, the player's shot misses while the Grunt's lowers the player to 88 Health. The player fires twice more and the Grunt fires again, but both still fail to hit their target. The player fires once more at the Grunt, connecting his shot and knocking the Grunt back. The player moves to be right next to the Grunt, then backs up slightly and fires again, killing it. The player collects the dropped Shells and moves into the next corridor in the upper right corner.
The player moves down the corridor to reach the Silver Door before firing and killing a Grunt further up. The player fires once more, then turns to look at the Silver Door. An Enforcer fires upon the player, but a Grunt managed to put itself between the Enforcer and the player, meaning it took the damage. The Grunt starts to Infight with the Enforcer as the player moves up the corridor and starts firing. Firing at the Enforcer, the player manages to hit it with one of his three shots. The Enforcer moves behind the Grunt as the player fires two more times, killing the Grunt. The player meanwhile has been moving up the corridor and has collected the dropped Shells of a previous Grunt. The player fires twice more at the Enforcer and misses. The Enforcer retaliates, connecting on both shots and reducing the player to 58 Health. The player misses with another shot, but as the second projectile hits the player he is able to connect with the Enforcer. He fires once more, killing the Enforcer, and fires once more at his dying target. The player moves into the room, collecting the dropped Shells and Cells. He reaches an intersection and heads right, collecting a 15 Health and pushing a Button, the latter of which must be reached by leaping across a pit of Slime. The player leaps back and returns to the intersection, then continues further into the room.
The player alerts a Grunt to his right and an Enforcer further up. He ignores both as he rushes to a platform to collect a 100 Health. The player then moves towards the Enforcer and collects some Shells. The player has made himself an easy target for the Enforcer, meaning his Health is reduced to 127. The player leaps to a nearby platform to collect a Double-Barrelled Shotgun, then turns to face the Enforcer. However, the player manages to walk into the Slime as he does this and must struggle before he can get out, reducing his Health to 96 as the Enforcer continues to try to fire on him without success. The player leaps to a nearby platform to collect 2 more Shells, but gets hit by the Enforcer once more, having his Health reduced to 57. The player rushes to the right to collect a 15 Health, raising their Health back up to 72. A Grunt has meanwhile injured the Enforcer, causing it to focus on its new attacker. The player leaps to a platform and collects some Rockets, then turns around and leaps back as the Grunt is killed by the Enforcer. Another Grunt has wandered over to the combat and fires on the player, reducing them to 64 Health. The player starts firing on the Enforcer with the Double-Barrelled Shotgun, moving in on the second shot and killing it. The player collects the Cells and Shells as the Grunt fire and misses. The player turns, but the Grunt has moved onto the platform with the player. It manages to get in a shot, reducing the player to 48 Health, before the Grunt is killed. The player then crosses the room and travels down a corridor he previously ignored, where 2 Grunts stand with their backs to him. Ambushing both Grunts, he is able to kill both before they have the ability to turn around and collects their Shells as they die. The player continues forward and leaps across to another platform holding a Button, pushing it as he continues to move forward into the Slime. The player quickly turns around and gets out of it, only losing 8 Health in the process, before returning to the main section of the room. The player repeats the process on a Button on the right side of the room, then he passes by a locked Door to reach two more Buttons. The first goes without injury, though after pressing the second Button the player loses another 8 Health in the Slime.
The player returns to the Door, which has now opened to reveal a room beyond. The player rushes into the room, guarded by 4 Enforcers, to pick up the Silver Key. The player then moves to his left to pick up a Green Armor before firing upon the mob of Enforcers. The player moves along the left wall and turns to face the Enforcers as one of their group fires upon another. The rest of the Enforcers start firing as the player moves towards the upper left corner of the room and fires again. As the player moves to the next wall, he gets hit by an Enforcer, which reduces his Health to 22. The player manages to fire on one of the Enforcers, killing it and knocking back another. The player moves in and fires on another Enforcer while picking up the dropped Cells. The player then moves back to the wall as the knocked back Enforcer gets out of its stun before firing at it. The third Enforcer, behind the one the player is firing on, hits the Enforcer between them and kills it. Still continuing to fire regardless of its dying companion, the Enforcer manages to injure the player as he gets pushes into a corner, dropping his Health to 12. The player moves forward and fires on the other Enforcer, picking up the dropped Cells and a Biosuit in the process. The player moves forward and turns while leaving the corner, firing once more but missing. Due to the player's new placement, an Enforcer manages to knock back the Enforcer between it and the player, giving the player the ability to turn towards his Enemies. The player fires again, but has turned too far and thus misses the Enforcers. Still behind the other Enforcer, the non-stunned Enforcer fires again and kills the Enforcer between it and the player. Due to the player's proximity, he is able to collect the Cells. As the Enforcer was able to kill its companion in a single shot, the second projectile was not hindered from reaching the player and thus reduces the player to 2 Health. Reacting by moving in, the player misses with his shot, but is unable to back up before he is blasted by the Enforcer. The tally screen is shown as the player lies dead, then the Demo ends.
| E3M2: Ascent | Aftershock Levels | E3M4: The Red Room |