Kingpin: Barren Meadow - User Manual

Thanks for downloading Barren Meadow, a single-player campaign for Xatrix's 1999 classic shooter Kingpin: Life of Crime! I hope you'll like it. Some of the following information may include "minor spoilers" but frankly you don't play first person shooters for the story, do you?

## Installation

Unzip the archive into your Kingpin directory (where "kingpin.exe" is located). Either run "bmeadow.bat" found inside "bmeadow/", or create a new Kingpin shortcut with the following parameters: "+game bmeadow". Barren Meadow was tested with Kingpin version 1.21p8, so make sure you have the latest patch installed! It can be downloaded from https://kingpin.info/. Further mod updates (if any) should be uploaded to ModDB and Unproductive FunTime.

## Story

A few days ago, Leo (your current boss) sent a hitman to retrieve Felix' (his ex-associate) most precious possession: a key he keeps around his neck at all time. Because things never turn out the way you plan them, Felix survived the butchered assassination attempt and escaped the city with two bodyguards like the coward he is. With no other option available to him, Leo sent you after him. Eventually, your investigation led you to Barren Meadow, a small town you've never been able to locate on any map. Felix and his men are hiding somewhere around here, armed, dangerous, and jealously protecting that mysterious key. Give 'em hell champ!

## Places of Interest

### Barren Meadow (bm_hub.bsp)

Welcome to the edge of the world. Today's forecast (like yesterday's forecast and the day before that) is bone-chilling fog and eternal downpour. If Barren Meadow would ever become famous for anything, it would be for that improbable meteorological phenomenon... and the frequent gruesome murders too... we always forget about those.

### Unholy Lair (bm_house.bsp)

The hideout of "the Deranged", your average organ-harvesting gang. Unlike other gangs though, their leader is a fiendish disembodied voice whispering in their ears. Whether or not such entity exists is irrelevant as their boundless faith is the only form of reason they have: most of them are blind due to self-inflicted injuries (bleach, screwdriver, spoons, anything goes as long as it fits the socket) so they can focus on the voices in their heads. And those voices know where you are.

### Silent Majority (bm_boneyard.bsp)

Have you ever been to Barren Meadow's cemetery before? It's the quietest neighborhood you'll ever visit; too bad the locals are not known for their warmth.

### Buried Alive (bm_crypt.bsp)

While no one knows when the crypt was built (why would one be aware of such random facts?), some think that it's not just the cemetery that was built around it but probably the whole town too. For whatever reason the Deranged often hang out in that place, making it their de facto secondary headquarter. Equally puzzling is the number of candles burning down there... some might say "not enough", so bring a flashlight with you.

### Valley of No Return (bm_woods.bsp)

Forests are prone to enflame imagination. Everyone has tales of inhuman shapes moving in the bushes, glowing red eyes in the darkest part of the woods, loud unknown sound in the sky and mysterious prints in the mud... those stories are far more concerning when they originate from people familiar with the area; but enough spooky talk already, we all know who drags the unconscious bodies of outsiders gone missing in the woods. They're after you.

### Sawmill (bm_sawmill.bsp)

The sawmill is single-handedly responsible for Barren Meadow's survival. The mill itself was built several decades ago and has been inexplicably ravaged by the fire times and times again, only to grow bigger after each reconstruction. With the Deranged swarming the surrounding area, lumberjacks learned how to operate .308 heavy machineguns. There are probably more advanced weapons in this place.

### The Shack (bar_bm.bsp)

Barren Meadow has little to show when it comes to entertainment... but thankfully there's booze! If someone had a good story to tell, The Shack's bartender probably heard about it and will gladly share the information with you. The bar is also where muscles-for-hire tend to wait for clients. Admittance is $10.

### Pawn-o-matic (pawn_bm.bsp)

Money can't buy happiness but it can be exchanged for goods at the pawn-o-matic! There's not a single rare artifact they don't have in stock. That includes: Adrenalin shots, Backpacks, Acid Shells, and an extra large assortment of weapon modifications (some of which may be found scattered around). Remember to always look for money on dead bodies, keep your eyes peeled for lost dollar bills, and search for secret stashes of cash because your resources are limited. Choose wisely.

## New Weapon Modifications And Ammunition

### Acid Shells

Expensive, hard to come by and rather unstable, these special shells will set your targets on fire, turning them into screaming will-o'-the-wisp. Unlike classic 12 gauge pellets, acid shells are tightly packed and thus significantly more efficient even at medium range (although their chemical components do not work in water). Due to their general chemical instability, users are advised not to store large quantities together and only load them into appropriately modified shotguns. Acid shells are available for purchase in Steeltown, RadioCity and Barren Meadow for $70.

### Pistol Accuracy Mod

The handgun balancing kit significantly increases the accuracy of the standard .45 semi automatic pistol and is the perfect companion for the Magnum Mod. Once installed, it is always equipped and never wears out. The Pistol Accuracy Mod is available for purchase in Skidrow, Poisonville, Shipyard, Steeltown, RadioCity and Barren Meadow for $60.

### Shotgun Python Mod

Due to their instability, it is advised NOT to use acid shells with an unfit shotgun (especially if you like your hands attached to the rest of your body). The Shotgun Python Mod kit contains replacement pieces for the pump-action shotgun bolt to accommodate the sensitivity of acid shells. This permanent mod is available for purchase in Steeltown, RadioCity and Barren Meadow for $200.

### Flamethrower Slowburn Mod

Once added to the flamethrower, this highly sensitive pressure valve will reduce gas consumption by half during your improvised barbecues! This very eco-friendly mod is permanent and never wears out. Slowburn is available in Shipyard, Steeltown, RadioCity and Barren Meadow for $300.

## Weapon Cycling

Weapon cycling has been slightly modified. You can now rotate weapons located in the same slot (pipe or crowbar, pistol or silencer, standard or acid shells) by pressing the weapon key multiple times. The last weapon put in the slot is the weapon that will appear when cycling through your inventory with "WeapNext" and "WeapPrev". It will also be the default weapon when accessing that slot directly via the 1...8 key. This system allows the silencer to be manually mounted to the pistol; it will remain in place until it is manually removed or wears out. The two types of shells loaded in the chamber of the shotgun also remain in-between ammunition swap (check out the icon in the lower right corner to see what kind of ammo is currently loaded).

## Hints And Tips

- You will find it much harder to defeat enemies when they have a good vantage point. Try to lure them away from their comfort zone. If they refuse to move, they probably have a blind spot your can exploit.
- If you're feeling lost or don't know what to do, check your note book ("TAB" key by default).
- Most places you'll visit have shortcuts so you can easily return to previously explored areas. If you don't really need a medkit right away, leave it behind so you can pick it up later.
- It is sometimes possible to avoid combat altogether by backtracking. While this strategy will preserve your health, you'll also miss out on weapons and cash. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

## New Console Commands And Variables

freezeworld | Toggles entity updating, essentially stopping time. It's useful to take cool action screenshots.
nomonster <cast> | Removes all characters with a cast_group value above or equal to the one provided; if no value is provided, all characters are removed.
raindensity <scale> | Rescales the amount of rain particles: 0.00 for none, 1.00 for normal, 2.00 for double, anything in-between is also possible. The level must be reloaded for the change to take effect.

## Known Bugs

- In bm_bar.bsp: Jeda may get distracted and "hang" on questions. When it happens, you can spam the "yes" and "no" keys until the cows come home but he won't respond. As frustrating and wonky as it is, this won't cause a soft lock: wait a while (at most 20 seconds) for Jeda to snap out of it.
- In bm_hub.bsp: the lighting on the cemetery sign is wrong. There are also two weird shade stripes in bm_crypt.bsp: one near the entry, the second below the arches near the exit. Resetting the render with "vid_restart" fixes both issues.
- On some occasions, enemies may get stuck in one-way doors.

## Special Thanks

Elfor | For no-clipping through the maps and sharing his cool 12 gauge Dragon's Breath pictures.
Hypov8 | For the pistol with silencer drawing animation and accompanying me on my journey to slay the very elusive weapon drop glitch.
Jerry | For relentlessly attempting to break the map boundaries and actually catching an impossible-to-reproduce bug.
MrDamage | For play-testing of course, and also because I don't think I would have completed the project in time if not for his encouragements.
You | For downloading this mod. Seriously, thanks for your time.

I hope I'm not forgetting anyone. Have a good one and take care - ACC