[QUOTE=Proj3ct_ZeRo;44646203]So guys! I have a bit of a goal for you all, since this thread is probably the most active of HLE threads across the net atm I figured I would come to you guys with a request. We need a Library of Reference Photos!. We need photos of locations Valve themselves might of used when creating the art direction for HL2. We know that c17 is heavily based on Sofia Bulgaria so photos from there is a given, but we also need photos of locals similar to the coast, ravenholm, etc. Any sort of photo reference will be appreciated. Even photos of items similar to those found in hl2 would be nice! So if you find a bin/tv set/ suitcase/ car wreck/ or anything then we need it!
Collective research guys!
[IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Apartment_building_in_Sofia,_Bulgaria_September_2005_2.jpg/800px-Apartment_building_in_Sofia,_Bulgaria_September_2005_2.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
Here's a candidate for the train station:
[IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Nyugati-pu-budapest-innen.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://www.napi-hirek.hu/media/megyek/m20/mk_123456813.jpg[/IMG]
Just search for "nyugati pályaudvar" if you need more pictures.
[QUOTE=Proj3ct_ZeRo;44646203][IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d8/Apartment_building_in_Sofia,_Bulgaria_September_2005_2.jpg/800px-Apartment_building_in_Sofia,_Bulgaria_September_2005_2.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]
Wow it's like I'm really in gm_construct
You can spend hours in Google Streetview looking at some of the locations C17 is based on. Some of them are unmapped though, which is unfortunate.
"Wow, it's like I'm in the dystopian future told in a game of the past but like [I]right now[/I]!"
[QUOTE=Ott;44645961]How about some rebels huddled around fires etc playing guitars and stuff?[/QUOTE]
No guitars 'cause it's still a combat zone, but a couple groups of rebels lounging here and there would be cool I think.
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;44647793]No guitars 'cause it's still a combat zone, but a couple groups of rebels lounging here and there would be cool I think.[/QUOTE]
[t]http://files.doobybrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/guitar-playing-in-war.jpg[/t]
[QUOTE=Proj3ct_ZeRo;44646203]So guys! I have a bit of a goal for you all, since this thread is probably the most active of HLE threads across the net atm I figured I would come to you guys with a request. We need a Library of Reference Photos!. We need photos of locations Valve themselves might of used when creating the art direction for HL2. We know that c17 is heavily based on Sofia Bulgaria so photos from there is a given, but we also need photos of locals similar to the coast, ravenholm, etc. Any sort of photo reference will be appreciated. Even photos of items similar to those found in hl2 would be nice! So if you find a bin/tv set/ suitcase/ car wreck/ or anything then we need it!
Collective research guys!
[/QUOTE]
here's some rl pics of the locomotive that's everywhere in hl2
[img_thumb]http://trains.future.ee/gallery/albums/fotod/Russia/DMU/DR1/RZD-DR1A-304_Kaliningrad_29-08-2003.jpg[/img_thumb]
[img_thumb]http://pivdenna.narod.ru/dr1a_262.jpg[/img_thumb]
search for Prague, loads of the more fancy/domed buildings and older style apartments were inspired by Prague.
[IMG]http://startupyard.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/979899_80862631-1030x772.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Prague_crowd_Malá_Strana.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://ceramic-studio.net/images/slike/54/prague-17__velika.jpg[/IMG]
I'd like to see a bit of a transitional mix between architecture styles.
It would be cool if the downtown around the Trainstation could be made to look a lot like the streets of Prague shown above, with low and highly decorated individual housing on the outside and tightly packed, damp, crowded, and undecorated concrete atriums from behind.
The area around the Citadel and the Overwatch Nexus Building you could base around Belgrade, as the Nexus is basically a spitting distance away from the Citadel. This would be a little bit tricky as the Serbian National Assembly Building(the building the ONB is based off) is in a fairly open stretch of land(violating the original level design), however if you took inspiration from the street design around the SNAB I'm sure it'd allow for a more comfortable and better looking battle for control of the Nexus, mainly because the original level felt a tad bit too cramped and loaded with unnecessary fences and odd craters.
Here's what it looks like IRL. Note the large open areas making potential for more maneuver space and distance between the Rebels and the Combine. The Postal Office to the right should give you guys an idea of how much you'd want to keep the surrounding structures uniform and away from the Nexus. The streets could be barricaded with craters, building debris, force fields, and/or vehicle piles. The recent Kiev revolts give some good examples on that.
Contrast with the outskirts/canal section of the game, where [URL="http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/4698914.jpg"]urban-planned skyscapers should dot the landscape[/URL] instead of classical housing and stacked up apartment blocks. Putting the buildings back and obscuring the bases with thick layers of foliage could imply a sense of abandonment or overgrowth of the parks around them.
[IMG]http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100214120712/half-life/en/images/3/3f/Parliament_Belgrade.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/01/24/article-2544474-1AEE4A9D00000578-104_964x642.jpg[/IMG]
Now, for the war torn areas you should consider utilizing the recent structural damage caused in the Syrian Civil war for reference in the more modern-urban building designs. The comically blown out skyscraper models and other partially shelled tall buildings should be collapsing in a more detailed manner. Adding decals and other details which depict that prolonged combat and fires took places in the city. It'd also help to add a more detailed sense of destruction; to me the way Valve portrayed all the damage in C17 made it feel a tad bit too comical.
As for some older parts(trainstation, again.) consider using the ruins of WW2-era Warsaw as an example. There had been a plethora of damage recorded post-war, and it has some interesting aspects on how you could not litter the whole map with debris like a certain other modder did. For example, having the building interiors collapse inwards, leaving the ruined brick exterior standing hollow is an excellent way to display destruction without cluttering the map.
[IMG]http://media.salon.com/2012/12/mideast-syria.jpeg3-1280x960.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Old_Town_Warsaw_waf-2012-1501-31(1945).jpg/800px-Old_Town_Warsaw_waf-2012-1501-31(1945).jpg[/IMG]
Good suggestions for the most part, but also keep in mind that City 17 is largely as fictional and ambiguous as the location of Black Mesa was. The Overwatch Nexus isn't 100% the Serbian Parliament, but a mish-mash of real and fictional inspirations. For example:
1. The Building design is reminiscent of the Serbian Parliament.
2. The Windows and Ramp are reminiscent of the German Reichstag.
3. The rear of the building is very different from the Serbian Parliament.
4. The leak clearly identified the building as a Bank.
5. Barney calls it "a bank or museum or something".
6. Some of the textures are called "Parliament".
7. The interior doesn't really look like anything in the first place.
What it was before is left intentionally ambiguous, even to the developers, who previously called it a Bank.
So can anyone tell me exactly how much progress has been made in this? I started paying attention to this about 8 months or so ago and then stopped following it for a brief period, and now I'm just starting to follow it again.
[QUOTE=TheRealRudy;44648557][B]...War Never Changes.[/B][/QUOTE]
Good thing the first three Fallouts were available for free on GOG.com before being taken down by Bethesda, classics never change either...
Is more detailed mapping a focus? Areas like Ravenholm slap you in the face with their age.
Well, if anything, I live in Czech Republic (that's the country where's Prague located at if you didn't know), so if you guys want some images of the city's enviroment or something, just say.
Looking back, I think some areas need an expansion in size, rather than more map files. Some areas are just ridiculously small, and you can tell Valve realised this with the release of Episode 1, and decided to expand a little more in Episode 2.
I personally would like to see more [i]variations[/i] of the vehicles strewn about Half-Life 2. I see so many of the same ones I'd thought I was in North Korea and it was making its own brand of "Kim Jong Un Audi version 12958182579182579182578912578915679861760392167"
And by more variations, I mean more than just 12 cars and 3 trucks and a few trains.
Make like, three human locomotives. Make 4 tank carriages and a lot of box cars. Make them seem like there's more than one train in existance.
Needs more modern vehicles. I'm sure we didn't have 80s vehicles in 2000, we had 90s cars in 2000
Can you guys do something about the one Combine occupied building on the coast with the rollermines that fall down? I always hated that the props dissapear and reapear.
[QUOTE=Kickin Balls;44652842]Looking back, I think some areas need an expansion in size, rather than more map files. Some areas are just ridiculously small, and you can tell Valve realised this with the release of Episode 1, and decided to expand a little more in Episode 2.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, expanding some areas like the Trainstation Plaza and Nexus Courtyards would be really cool I think. Other general expantions like having streets that look like they actually go somewhere with combine gates / forcefields blocking them. I remember during the Street War, so many streets just stop at dead-ends, in one case I remember a very small street with a dead end at both sides, yet a van is parked on it. What :v:
Also there should be roads branching off along the coast in accordance with the map, just have these branching paths blocked by combine force fields, since it's clear the Combine are operating out there now anyway.
[QUOTE=Kickin Balls;44652842]I personally would like to see more [i]variations[/i] of the vehicles strewn about Half-Life 2. I see so many of the same ones I'd thought I was in North Korea and it was making its own brand of "Kim Jong Un Audi version 12958182579182579182578912578915679861760392167"
And by more variations, I mean more than just 12 cars and 3 trucks and a few trains.
Make like, three human locomotives. Make 4 tank carriages and a lot of box cars. Make them seem like there's more than one train in existance.[/QUOTE]
More texture variations should help alleviate that, but I do agree more car models (particularly more modern models) could be made to break the monotony. A bus model would be great for in the city, and maybe one or two on Highway 17.
As for the Trains, I think using EP1 and EP2 models alongside HL2's should be enough. EP1 passenger cars at the HL2 Train station, EP2 crashed train cars for the crashed train in the canal we pass through, EP2 box cars with some cargo trains pulled by the EP2 train engine, EP2 coal cars abandoned on the railway outside of Ravenholm, etc. So simple, but would really add to the variation and atmosphere.
[QUOTE=Kickin Balls;44652842]Needs more modern vehicles. I'm sure we didn't have 80s vehicles in 2000, we had 90s cars in 2000[/QUOTE]
It seems Valve always used older cars, strangely enough. In L4D1 and 2, most of the vehicle models look like they're no older than from 1970 - 1990, even though text in-game shows it takes place in 2013. Same with CSS and CSGO (although GO mostly reuses assets from CSS and L4D).
Besides that, old Soviet era cars are still pretty prevalent in parts of Eastern Europe and Russia for various reasons. If anything, the only thing unusual is the lack of modern cars. Soviet era cars weren't extinct, but they weren't the majority in most places.
Also, here's a HL2 truck in Crimea:
[t]http://puu.sh/7Dywh[/t]
A pic of a Soviet era car in Russia:
[t]http://gdb.rferl.org/FAC66346-957D-47D7-B9CB-6346E843F8D0_mw1024_n_s.jpg[/t]
[QUOTE=Falkok15;44653037]Can you guys do something about the one Combine occupied building on the coast with the rollermines that fall down? I always hated that the props dissapear and reapear.[/QUOTE]
Sounds like an area portal bug, it'll likely be fixed. Tons of area portal bugs like this were created when converting the maps anyway, so that's just another one to the list.
[QUOTE=tehstrelok;44621915]we came to agree with the pistol shoot sound here
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A4kTdwjIaw[/media][/QUOTE]
Pretty cool. Normally I'd advocate sticking close to the actual real-life USP-Match, but the sound (see below) is way too powerful to feel right with such a weak-feeling pistol as the HL2 variant.
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nSkSPzClvg[/media]
EDIT: Just noticed the video's been posted before, sorry for that. Different point made though.
Here's a 'short list' of the make and model of the real life counterparts of every hl2 vehicle for future reference:
Avia A31
[t]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1968768/889.jpg[/t]
[t]http://slovenskainzercia.sk/x-sk/inz/814/814604-avia-a31-sklapac-r-v-1993-2.jpg[/t]
Cadillac-Gage Commando V100
[t]http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090526231443/half-life/en/images/4/46/APC_green_model.jpg[/t]
[t]http://www.fsmm.org/V100%20Exterior%20Front%20Right.jpg[/t]
GAZ 24 Volga
[t]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1968768/9cf803e0e8f4.jpg[/t]
[t]http://gomotors.net/pics/GAZ/gaz-volga-24-01.jpg?i[/t]
GAZ 53
[t]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1968768/890.jpg[/t]
[t]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Gaz53_kirov.jpg[/t]
Moskvitch 2140
[t]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1968768/1530a1736a51.jpg[/t]
[t]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-q6K5F-TxRFE/Txr4ChLaOwI/AAAAAAAAAaY/tMqgI0649oY/s1600/moskvitch-2410-00.jpg[/t]
RAF 2203 Latvija
[t]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1968768/887.jpg[/t]
[t]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/Rafik_2007.jpg[/t]
Skoda-Liaz 706 RT (Not 100% sure on this one)
[t]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1968768/891.jpg[/t]
[t]http://globalcarbrands.com/i/skoda/skoda-liaz-706-mt/skoda-liaz-706-mt-11.jpg[/t]
Trabant 601 Universal
[t]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1968768/896.jpg[/t]
[t]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Trabant601K.jpg[/t]
Volkswagen Golf II (Not 100% sure on this one)
[t]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1968768/7b5540237079.jpg[/t]
[t]http://photo.netcarshow.com/Volkswagen-Golf_II_1983_photo_02.jpg[/t]
ZAZ 968 (This one I posted about a long time ago, Technically two cars
Front: ZAZ 968
[t]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1968768/893.jpg[/t]
[t]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/ZAZ-968_front.jpg[/t]
Back: ZAZ 968M
[t]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1968768/893%20%281%29.jpg[/t]
[t]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/ZAZ-968M_on_Na_Gr%C3%B3dku_street_in_Krak%C3%B3w_(2).jpg[/t]
Ultimately you can just save the names and google them when you plan to work on them.
EDIT: Got a better picture of the apc
[QUOTE=Cookie;44653913]
Cadillac-Gage Commando V100
[t]http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090526231443/half-life/en/images/4/46/APC_green_model.jpg[/t]
[t]http://www.fsmm.org/V100%20Exterior%20Front%20Right.jpg[/t]
[/QUOTE]
during the uprising, you only find a destroyed apc, but never see one in use. Rebels didn´t seem to have any sort of support other than infantry when you go through the city, to fight the combine for a week with all their firepower, and then lead an offensive, it just didn´t seem right.
"Military Police"? The US Army MPs have freaking APCs?
[QUOTE=Tuskin;44655310]"Military Police"? The US Army MPs have freaking APCs?[/QUOTE]
Well it's the Military...
The Gage is retired in the US though, that's a picture from a museum.
As odd as it would look, I would like to see at least one or two actual tanks somewhere in HL2. Surely there could be some evidence over just a friggin APC?
Even a troop carrier, crashed and charred when it set ablaze after a crash in the 7 hour war?
Refuse to believe they thought "lol apcs only".
Aircraft is another thing, however, it would be weirder to incorporate. We'd be going full Cinematic mod then. Possible one of the T-series tanks from the soviet union? Place one on the coast somewhere, destroyed of course.
There looks to be kinds of struggles out in the HL2 universe, just no military struggle. It's as if we found world peace and had almost finished purging all military vehicles by the time the combine jumped in like "sup guys"
Regarding expansion of levels, I always felt that the buggy-vs-antlions -portion of Highway 17 was way too short. You really should add an additional map (obviously centered around this gameplay mechanic) between the second and third maps of the chapter. This would additionally put some much-needed distance between NLO and the combine-occupied docks area.
Alternatively, one could perhaps include some antlions in the first map of Sandtraps (there's an empty beach right there), but this might ruin the atmosphere of the map, so I'd advise against it.
So long as we're talking about antlions, the encounter you have with them after returning from underneath the bridge is pretty underwhelming. You just kill a couple of them, sprint away from the cliffside, and at most just one or two of them follow you only to get themselves killed by the combine. It would really add something to the map if the antlions kept respawning and following you even after you leave the cliffside, so that there would be an urgency to get to the buggy and drive it over the bridge. I admit this might however be inconsistent with demonstrated antlion behaviour, so it ought to be considered carefully.
I may have brought this up before, but you really should consider deleting some (even a significant portion?) of the armour and ammo you find in the warehouse building in the final map of Water Hazard. Obviously you should allow the player to restore his [I]health[/I] after the helicopter battle, but I always found it really annoying to enter Ravenholm with 100 armour/full ammo every time. It really takes something away from it's horror atmosphere.
[QUOTE=Kickin Balls;44656684]As odd as it would look, I would like to see at least one or two actual tanks somewhere in HL2. Surely there could be some evidence over just a friggin APC?
Even a troop carrier, crashed and charred when it set ablaze after a crash in the 7 hour war?
Refuse to believe they thought "lol apcs only".
Aircraft is another thing, however, it would be weirder to incorporate. We'd be going full Cinematic mod then. Possible one of the T-series tanks from the soviet union? Place one on the coast somewhere, destroyed of course.
There looks to be kinds of struggles out in the HL2 universe, just no military struggle. It's as if we found world peace and had almost finished purging all military vehicles by the time the combine jumped in like "sup guys"[/QUOTE]
You'd probably be able to find at least some stuff like that in the outlands, given how the Combine generally counts on nobody getting past their sectorial defenses-- as long as the wrecks wouldn't be of any practical use, of course.
I always thought that an old burned out tank half sunk into the sand with the lambda supply symbol spray-painted onto it, with a supply crate or something stashed inside it would be cool.
[QUOTE=Kebab;44657334]I always thought that an old burned out tank half sunk into the sand with the lambda supply symbol spray-painted onto it, with a supply crate or something stashed inside it would be cool.[/QUOTE]
Should have the middle section of the plane from LOST on the beach. Could technically be legit, since Valve like to nod towards JJ Abrams's stuff due to his friendship with Gabe. :v:
[QUOTE=Kickin Balls;44656684]As odd as it would look, I would like to see at least one or two actual tanks somewhere in HL2. Surely there could be some evidence over just a friggin APC?
Even a troop carrier, crashed and charred when it set ablaze after a crash in the 7 hour war?
Refuse to believe they thought "lol apcs only".
Aircraft is another thing, however, it would be weirder to incorporate. We'd be going full Cinematic mod then. Possible one of the T-series tanks from the soviet union? Place one on the coast somewhere, destroyed of course.
There looks to be kinds of struggles out in the HL2 universe, just no military struggle. It's as if we found world peace and had almost finished purging all military vehicles by the time the combine jumped in like "sup guys"[/QUOTE]
I don't think it would be too out of the blue to have an aircraft or something wrecked on the coast. After all in the hl2 leak wasteland textures there is signs of airplane wreckage.
[QUOTE=UntouchedShadow;44635292]I find that ambient sounds work best for adding creepiness.[/QUOTE]
This can be an influence on the mods' music maybe (If it's going to be different than the original soundtrack)
[video=youtube;bii-CXEGviU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bii-CXEGviU[/video]
[QUOTE=Stiffy360;44657959]I don't think it would be too out of the blue to have an aircraft or something wrecked on the coast. After all in the hl2 leak wasteland textures there is signs of airplane wreckage.[/QUOTE]
Hmm, yeah that could work. Just not stupidly over the top like Cinematic mod.
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Half-Life 2: Enhancement Mod (V5)
