French Meat

French Meat

Developer: BleuBlancBlood

Publisher: ModDB

Designer: TEDD

Engine: Build Engine (Blood mod; BloodGDX, NBlood, Raze), Kex Engine (Fresh Supply)

Version: 1.1

Released: December 25, 2012

Genre: First Person Shooter

Modes: Single-player, Cooperative

Platforms: MS-DOS (original executable), Java VM (BloodGDX), Microsoft Windows (NBlood, Raze, Fresh Supply), Unix-like (NBlood, Raze)

UPC/A7: N/A

ISBN-10: N/A

Media: Download

^{"An episode of 9 maps created between December 2008 and December 2012. Suitable for single player and two players in cooperative. An improved version of the add on (and hopefully final) will be released later on in order to add some extra stuff (bonus level, cutscenes why not...) and perhaps correct some glitches you might encounter. A moddb page or so will be made then. Still, TEDD really wanted the add on to be playable for Christmas, and he considers the maps to be finished. I tried the levels in Extra Crispy and didn't find it to be impossible, so you should be able to enjoy it in all difficulties. He would really appreciate if you could give us any feedback, good, bad, any suggestion you have concerning the balance, GFX glitches, etc. so that he can improve the maps is necessary to make it perfect add on for Blood. We wrote a readme file to explain how to play the add on easily (I'm sure almost everybody here already know everything about launching blood add ons and all but who knows). Do not hesitate to tell us if you have easier solution (.bat files for instance since I d'ont know anything about that) or if the solution we gave in the readme file are complete bullshit. Also, Tedd has an account on the-postmortem, I'm writing this stuff because I am more comfortable with English than he is." — BleuBlancBlood}

French Meat is a single-player one episode fan add-on for Blood featuring nine maps which was created between December 2008 to December 2012 and released for Christmas. It features no new assets and runs with an unmodified copy of Blood; citing Rage Against the Machine as an inspiration. Latest release is 1.1 which finalized the maps, which are quite large and feature heavy amounts of room-over-room.

The maps were created by TEDD and tested by Le Babe, who also did most of the English language outreach; they uploaded the campaign to ModDB under the collective title of BleuBlancBlood. As the title and setting of the add-on suggests, both hail from France. Work on a sequel was announced on April 5, 2014, with French Meat 2 being released on November 23, 2019 also including updates to the original.

Story[edit]

^{"Caleb, after having defeated Tchernobog and absorbed his power, wanders without any particular goals. He had lost the only person he ever cherished, he had been betrayed by what he considered his master, he is now completely lost in this world he no longer knows. At least, he still knows how to use a gun. Some months after the end of Blood, Caleb starts to feel a strange emotion overwhelming him. He feels a new instinct growing in him, and it's like he hears voices asking him to go to a particular place. It's like he's hungry but does not know what he wants to eat. His mind is asking for him to go to a certain place. Over the months, this feeling grows stronger and stronger, until he can't stand it anymore. He has to go there, something in his mind is demanding him to do so. Following what the tremendous dark voice orders him in his dreams, Caleb finally finds himself in the middle of nowhere... Why coming here? There's nothing to do here, it's completely lost. But this little village that stands before him is the exact place where his mind wanted him to be. Caleb glazes towards the entrance of the village. Nobody. Not even a single sound that could make him aware that there was life in here. There's a smell Caleb has smelled a thousand time. The smell of death, destruction, and above all...the smell of The Cabal. How come he had to come here after having destroyed the Dark God, to fight the Cabal again?" — LeBabe}

Episode[edit]

Custom Episode: French Meat

^{"About the story of the Add On, let's say that after having defeated Tchernobog, Caleb absorbed his power. After the events of Blood one, but before Blood 2, Caleb wanders everywhere he wants to, trying to accomodate with the modern world. Few months later, he starts to feel mad headaches and ears voices, calling him to go in a particular direction. Because voices are louder with time, he finally decides to go where his instinct drives him. And, actually, he finds himself in France (nothing extraordinary about that, we're French, let's do it in France, that's what we thought), in a dismal town, destroyed, lost, where he smells an odour he very well knows...the one of the Cabal." — LeBabe}

Caleb awakens in an opening cement coffin, and after exploring the nearby graveyard finds a dagger key to unlock a gate to the mausoleum. This opens down a tunnel leading into a cellar. After finding a skull key in a room marked "test subjects", Caleb is able to then emerge from the crypt. (TEDE1M1: Full Moon Rebirth)

Arriving at a two storey hotel, Caleb has to venture his way up and down stairs and elevators, before then fighting it out in the streets, using neighbouring buildings and alleys for cover. He blasts through a possessed bank vault, slaughters all at a nearby pub, before then heading to a gun shop to restock on supplies. This leads him through a haunted tenement, which then provides access to a river boat (TEDE1M2: WestTown).

Caleb rows into a receiving dock for a Cabal operated lumber mill, slaying a Zealot in the camp office for a moon key in order to depart out and into the woods. Destroying a legion of zombies in a recent clearing, Caleb criss-crosses some overhanging tree forts in order to unlock a saw shed. This gives him the final key in order to exit the facility and ride out on a truck (TEDE1M3: Cabal's Forest).

The vehicle crashes in a graveyard, whereupon Caleb is again beset by the undead, but finds escape through an underground tunnel in a crypt. This leads him into what at first appears to be a medical facility, but one with hidden back areas at first inaccessible. Caleb rounds around the surrounding lot to the shipping department, before gaining access to the darker underbelly of torture and human experimentation behind closed doors (the most notable of which appears to be genetic research fusing Caleb himself with the defeated 16th incarnation of Tchernobog). His progress first arrested by a close quarters encounter with a Cerberus, Caleb then makes his way to the higher levels and finally escapes through a garbage chute (TEDE1M4: People Juice Factory).

A detour through some vents may also lead Caleb through a probably familiar hangar (TEDE1M9: Hangar).

He finds himself at an airport, and proceeds to visit the local shops such as a pub, a kebab restaurant, plus souvenir and book stores. Breaking into the cargo warehouse, Caleb slips out the back into the adjacent alleys, dodging a careening auto-mobile. However he then stumbles through a grate into the midst of a large gathering of Cabal worshippers. "This looks extraordinarily bad" Caleb mutters before being captured, crated and shoved aboard the nearby boarding plane (TEDE1M5: Fire Wings Airport).

Locked in a metal box marked "freak", Caleb is released when air turbulence inadvertently detonates some nearby powder kegs. From there he is able to annihilate the opposition in both the lower luggage areas and the upper passenger seating, returning back and forth for the needed keys. Finally he makes his way to the cockpit, wherein predictably the plane is moments away from a collision with a building and subsequent crash landing. Caleb survives the conflagration and makes his way out of the wreckage and into the offending structure (TEDE1M6: Cabalcaida666 Airline).

Leaping out of the window of the crumbling edifice, Caleb finds himself in a hedge garden teaming with Chrysalid Pods. This leads into a palatial construction signed "Corps Museum", that contains a wide variety of grisly exhibits of mangled human and monster flesh. This includes a fully working guillotine and the body of Duke Nukem. First facing off against a Mother Spider, Caleb unlocks the manager's office and allows himself access to the Nightmare Maze, a psychedelic run around swarming with Axe Zombies. This gives him the needed key to escape the complex and board a waiting train (TEDE1M7: Corpses Museum).

The locomotive arrives at its destination, and Caleb awaits and massacres the Cabalists waiting there to inspect the car. A short walk away from the station is the opening for Cougar and D'arc's Pandemonium Shadow Show, and Caleb happily strolls into the big top chanting "I want JoJo!" Instead the cackling laugh of The Voice greets him, and out comes another Cerberus accompanied by a Stone Gargoyle ready for the final showdown, which Caleb then obliges them (TEDE1M8: The Clowny Arena).

Development[edit]

Conceptualization[edit]

^{"Ok, I and a friend of mine are going to create a Blood add-on, or at least try to do so. This idea came to our mind some months ago but we decided to make it true last week. I'm currently learning how to use mapedit with what I can find on the net and with my grey matter, and my friend is already used to the basics of it. I can't tell you how long this will take considering we do not master mapedit still and we don't want to make uninteresting maps, we still have to think of a whole story, we will implement cutscenes because my friend is a good drawer, and we're going to compose new music too (this won't be the hardest part since we both write music for our respective bands). So, all I can say is that, it's on. I'm currently working on a map that would be called "Swarm of rats" and my friend (who doesn't speak english so can't write on Posty) has already almost finished his first map. I think we're going to make an episode each. I can't tell for my friend (let's call him Tedd) but my episode will take place in France. Also, that would be really nice if people who master mapedit answer some queries I'll surely ask in the Blood mapedit question thread (there's already one). I'm currently going through RATM and considering how amazing the maps are, I'm sure my questions will be easy to answer. Making a Blood add-on in 2009 when almost everybody have forgotten this game may seem odd, but still, now we are prepared and motivated for it, we're going to make it, and I know at least some of you here are probably going to play it if it's released (let's not call it Blood Forever, I'm pretty sure we are going to finish it). It won't be released this year, for sure ^^. When I know more about the plot, and have more elements such as a title, perhaps some screenshots, etc. I'll inform you and probably open a new thread or change the title of this one to discuss it if you want." — Le Babe, May 13, 2009}

Finalization[edit]

^{"Hey guys. I'm here with awesome news regarding French Meat. The thing is soon to be finished. Tedd and I are currently working on balance. I tested the add on and gave him some feedback about the levels so that he could improve it. Some more testing is needed but as far as I can tell : this is going to be an absolutely fantastic add on. Tedd designed all the map, I had to abandon due to a lack of time but I may make one level too, I have to take a decision about that. Anyway, this add on is awesomely beautiful. Tedd is a very good drawer and has a lot of imagination. The levels are nicely designed and I saw a ton of good idea in them. Many a time I was dazzled by how cool the levels look like. Still, don't expect anything too fancy : this is a pure Blood-like add on. No new tiles, no new sound, nothing ultra fancy with the technology. The only thing that is different from the original Blood is that the levels are more vast (something similar to the Great Temple for example) and that the levels have more details as far as architecture and everything else go. So, expect something close to Rage Against the Machine design-wise. Expect something beautiful and respectful to Blood's essence. There are even some references to music or litterature in this add on or popular culture in general. The add on will be over and available to play in January for sure." — Le Babe, December 12, 2012}

Release[edit]

^{"Tedd decided to work a lot these last few days in order to offer your a christmas present. The 1.1 Version of FRENCH MEAT is now available for playing. An improved version of the add on (and hopefully final) will be released later on in order to add some extra stuff (bonus level, cutscenes why not...) and perhaps correct some glitches you might encounter. A moddb page or so will be made then. Still, TEDD really wanted the add on to be playable for Christmas, and he considers the maps to be finished. I tried the levels in Extra Crispy and didn't find it to be impossible, so you should be able to enjoy it in all difficulties. He would really appreciate if you could give us any feedback, good, bad, any suggestion you have concerning the balance, GFX glitches, etc. so that he can improve the maps is necessary to make it perfect add on for Blood. We wrote a readme file to explain how to play the add on easily (I'm sure almost everybody here already know everything about launching blood add ons and all but who knows). Do not hesitate to tell us if you have easier solution (.bat files for instance since I d'ont know anything about that) or if the solution we gave in the readme file are complete bullshit." — Le Babe, December 23, 2012}

Critical Reception[edit]

^{"In a few words, this was awesome. All the levels were insanely well-thought out and very, very immersive (go play this mod with some earbuds). I liked how the resources from the original game were used, such as Caleb's one-liners, and somehow they all felt new to me. My favorite map was definitely WestTown, because of all the effort that was obviously put into it. It seems as if it's a normal level at first, but once you actually make your way into Town, it feels as if it's actually a town overrun by Tchernobog's minions. The hall that was splattered with blood everywhere was my personal favorite, when I saw the ghost coming towards me, I was actually pretty scared; and I got that feeling that I just missed a Cultist ritual. The vault that was littered with Phantasms once you grabbed the key in there was also an intense moment. My definite favorite moment in this add-on was in Corpses Museum, when I stumbled upon the dark room with nothing but white lights and an eerie ghost sound that was also in WestTown's hall of Rituals, in both instances the sound was used to the fullest and I give you guys credit for that. Great freaking job. Seriously." — DubTheTruth}

^{"I just started playing this add-on, and I am impressed on so many levels. First thing I loved about it; it's one of the very few add-ons I've played that doesn't require overwriting any of Blood's files. I can just drop it in my Blood folder and not worry about anything other than remembering to launch the INI file. That is seriously a plus to me, as small as it might seem. And second... the maps I've played so far are just incredibly well done. I'm admittedly awful at Blood, so I've been playing the second level for a couple of days or so (on Lightly Broiled, no less), but I'm REALLY loving the atmosphere of the levels, the way enemies are placed, and I'm really digging the slow gathering of weapons. Instead of just saying, "Oh, I'll use this weapon on this horde of enemies," I actually have to put some thought into how much ammo I have, what I can afford to use, and what will actually be effective. Maybe it's just the first two levels, but I love that TNT is actually sparse. I'm so used to having around 50 at any given time, it's nice to have to try and conserve them for when it's really needed. Only annoying thing I have noticed is the secrets are apparently pretty damned hard to find. Not really that bad, as it makes it all the more rewarding to actually find them, but I ran around the first level for half an hour JUST looking for secrets, and I could only find one. Maybe I just suck, though." — ssjlance}

^{"I played it. With cheats on after being killed by the first 2 cultists... Sorry, I don't have much free time :p The maps are big and non-linear and offer pretty good gameplay. Some of the areas are better than others. Some are too classic. I found that the levels in general were a bit too "flat". There are some pretty crazy effects. Especially the plane crash. Overall everything is solid, except sometimes some textures don't align properly. I got completely stuck on at least two levels to the point that I had to give up. You might want to check that. So, it's a pretty solid campaign that will offer a challenge. It's definitely above average, even excellent sometimes, but it's not 'the best'." — ItBurn}

^{"Wow! These are some very pretty maps, indeed. The very beginning of the very first map as you slide out of the tomb is perfect! the first sight that the player seems conveys to me that this Tedd guy, like a movie director, knows how to compose a shot in the camera. Cant wait to check this out further!... Tedd is one of the best of the best. Doesn't clutter his maps up and may be the closest in style to original Blood maps. Great job. Looking forward to new stuff! " — Ryan "wangho" Williams}

^{"I've just tried this add-on. It's ******* great! Good use of sprites, enemies are well placed, although you could have used more green cultists, hands, hellhounds and phantasms. I just felt that they appear too seldom. Some secrets were easy to find, some not, and it's fine. But I've got a question, are there any super secrets? I think in the last stage the circus could be a little more large, you could put more enemy bosses, how about mixing Beast, Cerberus, Stone Gargoyle and Queen Spider? ...Overall, outstanding job!" — Dzierzan}

^{"Pretty solid set of maps, they carry on more like a sequel to the Blood game. Cultists are still running rampant and wish to resurrect the old god, you must essentially try and figure out where their base of operations are. After you do it just sort of continues until it fizzles out in the last 4 maps taking you to rather random locations." — TheUnbeholden}

^{"The first map is a bit short but after that the episode starts to mature! The maps are a bit in the style of Cryptic Passage and stay very close to the original theme and there a great deal of variety between them. There are also a few very clever texture combinations and sprite structures that look surprisingly original!" — BME}

^{"Some of the best maps crafted for Blood which rival Bloatoid and RATM's levels in quality. It begins with a clear tribute to 'Cradle to Grave' but in it's own unique portrayal remix with a definite Cryptic Passage feel to it. This continues onwards into sprawling and diverse maps with great non-linear paths and hectic combat throughout, it definatly achieves the authenticity of the original levels in style while adding it's own unique flavour of gameplay." — Krypto}

^{"8-map episode made between 2008 and 2012. Episode starts with a rather simplistic graveyard map that has all the hallmarks of someone's first foray into mapping. Following maps will take you through cultist-infested towns, woods, factories, airports and such. Early maps suffer from some visual glitches and general lack of visual polish that is to be expected of newbie mapper (altho second map is already significantly more complex fare than the first one), as one progresses through the episode visuals become more polished, architecture and detailing become better and better (none of the maps is what I would call visually impressive tho). Biggest flaw of some maps is that they tend to go on for way too long, which would be less of a flaw if the environments were more interesting, both thematically and visually.
Difficulty is alright-ish, this episode is neither too hard nor too easy. Notable encounters: Cerberus in map 4, thrice accursed Spider Mommy in map 7. Map 8 is standard extended boss arena.
I'd say this stuff is more or less worth playing. There is nothing exceptionally good nor memorable here, but also nothing really bad. Author apparently plans to do a re-release, with improvements to existing maps and additions of new maps and an opening cut-scene." — Riskbreaker}

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French Meat

Contents

Story[edit]

Episode[edit]

Development[edit]

Conceptualization[edit]

Finalization[edit]

Release[edit]

Critical Reception[edit]

External Links[edit]

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