Half-Life and Portal series, general discussion (v6)
5,016 replies, posted
[QUOTE=VintageCat;48966086]That was the point, though? It was an experiment to see if they could make a full game in a year.[/QUOTE]
They had a great amount of time after that, though. They could've fixed bugs and shit with the DLC's they made.
[QUOTE=UndreamedBus;48963639]Unfortunately Most of the really good half life 2 mods are dead at the moment due to steam pipe, However these Half Life mods should keep you entertained for a bit.
[url]http://www.moddb.com/mods/they-hunger[/url]
[url]http://www.poke646.com/[/url]
[url]http://www.poke646.com/files_vendetta.htm[/url][/QUOTE]
friendly note that poke646 installers don't seem to work anymore. Found a zip copy of the first one somewhere but vendetta is nowhere to be found.
I think the fact that HL2:Update exists kind of shows how lazy Valve are with their older titles
[QUOTE=halfer;48966436]I think the fact that HL2:Update exists kind of shows how lazy Valve are with their older titles[/QUOTE]
As much as I dislike Update, I think it actually shows how relaxed (or willing?) Valve is with their IP.
[QUOTE=Megadave;48966381]friendly note that poke646 installers don't seem to work anymore. Found a zip copy of the first one somewhere but vendetta is nowhere to be found.[/QUOTE]
the file filefront link works for me to dl vendetta :)
Also Afraid of Monsters was pretty nice HL1 mod. Better than Cry of Fear that is, if that says anything.
[QUOTE=Megadave;48966381]friendly note that poke646 installers don't seem to work anymore. Found a zip copy of the first one somewhere but vendetta is nowhere to be found.[/QUOTE]
Are you kidding? The 90s installer works on Windows 7x64.
[QUOTE=glitchvid;48966479]As much as I dislike Update, I think it actually shows how relaxed (or willing?) Valve is with their IP.[/QUOTE]
What do you dislike about it?
[QUOTE=chipsnapper2;48967263]Are you kidding? The 90s installer works on Windows 7x64.[/QUOTE]
for some reason it isn't working for my windows 8 64 bit. I am trying the link on their website and on moddb.
[QUOTE=i_speel_good;48967296]What do you dislike about it?[/QUOTE]
The work itself is fine, I'm happy someone patched up the broken stuff in HL2, but let's be honest the name Filip Victor shows up [I]way[/I] too much. My problems are best personified by the PDF on the official store page: [url]http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/290930/manuals/HL2_Update_Brochure_Steam.pdf[/url]
I'd hire the guy for marketing and doing press releases, but look at page 10,12,13,14. :sick:
The "community" commentary is also bad IMO.
[QUOTE=glitchvid;48967416]The work itself is fine, I'm happy someone patched up the broken stuff in HL2, but let's be honest the name Filip Victor shows up [I]way[/I] too much. My problems are best personified by the PDF on the official store page: [url]http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/290930/manuals/HL2_Update_Brochure_Steam.pdf[/url]
I'd hire the guy for marketing and doing press releases, but look at page 10,12,13,14. :sick:
The "community" commentary is also bad IMO.[/QUOTE]
The "community" commentary is usually just some info that everyone already knows by this point.
[QUOTE=TheRealRudy;48969144]I wish the guy just left it being a patch instead of a standalone version, seems highly unnecessary IMO. Also they fucked with gman's lightning, causing to make his cutscenes to look pretty wierd.[/QUOTE]
I haven't touched that scene (or any choreography stuff in HL2) but I think that's just the OB update. [del]He did actually clean up the weird jitteryness Gman had in the intro, so that's nice.[/del] Nevermind, it's on my end.
[QUOTE=TheRealRudy;48969144]I wish the guy just left it being a patch instead of a standalone version, seems highly unnecessary IMO. Also they fucked with gman's lightning, causing to make his cutscenes to look pretty wierd.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, its basically a waste of space if you already have HL2. The patch idea would've been better, as Update doesn't really add new content, just minor fixes and improvements.
[QUOTE=i_speel_good;48967296]What do you dislike about it?[/QUOTE]
I dislike some of the liberties it takes with the maps. Like this, for example:
[img]http://i.imgur.com/VrX0i9e.png[/img]
Basically says "I'm so smart I know better than the developer", when not actually knowing what they're talking about. I've been to my share of old mining towns (a fascination started with hl2, amusingly enough), and even the shittiest, God-forgotten Russian siberia towns of a few thousand and an industrial specialization usually have a few of high-risers (though, not usually THAT close). And Ravenholm is located a few kilometers off a major urban center. There was nothing wrong with that building. Not to mention you see a few more of them just when you exit the mines.
That is my pet-peeve with restoration mods in general. I have nothing personal against this example in particular.
[QUOTE=Spor;48974016]I dislike some of the liberties it takes with the maps. Like this, for example:
[img]http://i.imgur.com/VrX0i9e.png[/img]
Basically says "I'm so smart I know better than the developer", when not actually knowing what they're talking about. I've been to my share of old mining towns, and even the shittiest, God-forgotten Russian siberia towns of a few thousand and an industrial specialization usually have a few of high-risers. And Ravenholm is located a few kilometers off a major urban center. There was nothing wrong with that building. Not to mention you see a few more of them just when you exit the mines.
That is my pet-peeve with restoration mods in general. I have nothing personal against this example in particular.[/QUOTE]
Plus the industrial building was one of Water Hazard's backdrops only copied and pasted.
[QUOTE=Mech Bgum;48974061]I fail to see what's your problem with that. It's a minor change, it actually looks better and he just provided his reasoning behind changes, not necesarily pretending to be a smartass. Honestly, you people are too sensible.[/QUOTE]
I'm glad that you're not bothered by little stuff like that, but it bothers me. I wish it didn't, but it just does.
On an unrelated note, I was just watching a show on Russian TV, and there was a commercial for a movie called BLACK MESA. Almost shat my pants, but turned out it's how they translated "Black Mass" for some reason.
[QUOTE=ChicagoMobster;48963591]I've been having an itch for play some.hl 1 and 2 mods. Do you guys have any recommendations?[/QUOTE]
For HL1:
Heart of Evil OR HoE: Napalm Edition (Napalm Edition is a remake of HoE, but I feel HoE is better) - Vietnam with zombies. Need I say more?
[url]http://www.runthinkshootlive.com/posts/heart-of-evil/[/url]
[url]http://www.moddb.com/mods/heart-of-evil-napalm-edition[/url]
Cleaner's Adventures - You're the Sanitation Engineer (Janitor)
[url]http://www.moddb.com/mods/cleaners-adventures[/url]
Azure Sheep + Point of View - Blue Shift before BS was a thing + playing as Alien Slave parallel to Azure Sheep.
[url]https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Azure_Sheep[/url]
[url]https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Point_Of_View[/url]
The Long Night
[url]http://www.runthinkshootlive.com/posts/the-long-night/[/url]
Case Closed - Another Janitor mod. One of the first mods I ever played so it kinda sticks in my memory.
[url]http://www.moddb.com/mods/caseclosed[/url]
Peaces Like Us - Seriously strange but a lot of fun.
[url]http://www.moddb.com/mods/half-life-peaces-like-us[/url]
Sweet Half-Life - More ALIENS. Also, a minigun.
[url]https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Sweet_Half-Life[/url]
Todesangst 1+2 - Incredibly challenging at times, but overall fun.
[url]http://www.runthinkshootlive.com/posts/todesangst-1/[/url]
[url]http://www.moddb.com/mods/todesangst-2der-echte-feind[/url]
Others have mentioned some other good ones like Darkstar, They Hunger, Poke 646 + Vendetta, Someplace Else, and Paranoia. These are all mods and map packs that I've kept installed over the years because I found them fun, enjoyable, or otherwise challenging. It should be noted that most of the older mods (pre-2005 mostly) should be played on a WON version of HL1 instead of the Steam version for the best experience. Steam HL1 still works okay, but since it handles things like menu backgrounds differently, most of the older mods (without Steam patches) will only show the default HL1 menus and not any custom menus.
[QUOTE=Spor;48974016]I dislike some of the liberties it takes with the maps. Like this, for example:
[img]http://i.imgur.com/VrX0i9e.png[/img]
Basically says "I'm so smart I know better than the developer", when not actually knowing what they're talking about. I've been to my share of old mining towns (a fascination started with hl2, amusingly enough), and even the shittiest, God-forgotten Russian siberia towns of a few thousand and an industrial specialization usually have a few of high-risers (though, not usually THAT close). And Ravenholm is located a few kilometers off a major urban center. There was nothing wrong with that building. Not to mention you see a few more of them just when you exit the mines.
That is my pet-peeve with restoration mods in general. I have nothing personal against this example in particular.[/QUOTE]
Ravenholm was literally the most lazy in regards to their backdrops.
Literally you can go anywhere and see where the building ends and the skybox begins. It's so lazy and ugly.
Speaking of Paranoia, I was recently playing the second game, and I decided to use the KS-23. I was disappointed, because I was expecting an insta-kill at close range shotgun. Instead I found it to be a 6-rounds to kill anything weapon. :suicide:
[QUOTE=Mech Bgum;48974061]I fail to see what's your problem with that. It's a minor change, it actually looks better and he just provided his reasoning behind changes, not necesarily pretending to be a smartass. Honestly, you people are too sensible.[/QUOTE]
I'm only bothered by what he replaced it with. Why is that metal building on stilts? It's not hanging over a cliff, water, highway, or railroad. It has seemingly no reason to be up there. That said, the entire cliff seems unnecessary. Would have been cooler if he put a refinery out there.
[t]http://www.ecurrierimages.com/users/ElizabethCurrier15651/images/ElizabethCurrier156511943329.jpg[/t]
[QUOTE=redBadger;48975121]Ravenholm was literally the most lazy in regards to their backdrops.
Literally you can go anywhere and see where the building ends and the skybox begins. It's so lazy and ugly.[/QUOTE]
If you're vigilant, you can also notice that landmarks change from map to map. One is a building visible in multiple maps that changes from orange tile roof with narrow windows, to black tile roof with shuttered windows, to rusty metal roof with narrow windows. There's actually a lot of inconsistencies in the map design because apparently Valve cared enough to make the environment visible from map to map, but not enough to prevent it form transforming slightly each time :v:
Another thing in Ravenholm is that the Power Plant interior looks like an apartment for some reason, while the exterior shows large broad windows despite the interior being solid wall. Also in one map there's very clearly a train track running through the town, but in the map next to it there is no sign of a track at all. Going back, you can notice the Trainyard from Trainstation changes dramatically, going from barren to clogged up in a few minute's time. A building overhead changes from red brick to yellow metal too, but before when you get chased through the apartments, you run up one flight of stairs higher than the building has. And in Nova Prospekt, there's a place in one map where you can see the Depot [I]twice[/I] from the same spot.
I've played this game so many times and noticed so many little things. Still one of my ultimate favorites though, but it's not aging so good anymore.
[QUOTE=Falkok15;48975797]Speaking of Paranoia, I was recently playing the second game, and I decided to use the KS-23. I was disappointed, because I was expecting an insta-kill at close range shotgun. Instead I found it to be a 6-rounds to kill anything weapon. :suicide:[/QUOTE]
I actually didn't even know there was a sequel, gotta try that out. Loved the first one.
So, I have a proof of concept I'm going to go with and it seems no one has done it yet. My concept is meshing the Half-Life 2 viewmodels, so they can be detailed in the World, as well as the player view. This will solve problems such as the elongated shotgun and the crossbow without a trigger. It might take a lot of work, but it's just a concept I plan on doing.
[QUOTE=Mr. Someguy;48975867]
If you're vigilant, you can also notice that landmarks change from map to map. One is a building visible in multiple maps that changes from orange tile roof with narrow windows, to black tile roof with shuttered windows, to rusty metal roof with narrow windows. There's actually a lot of inconsistencies in the map design because apparently Valve cared enough to make the environment visible from map to map, but not enough to prevent it form transforming slightly each time :v:
Another thing in Ravenholm is that the Power Plant interior looks like an apartment for some reason, while the exterior shows large broad windows despite the interior being solid wall. Also in one map there's very clearly a train track running through the town, but in the map next to it there is no sign of a track at all. Going back, you can notice the Trainyard from Trainstation changes dramatically, going from barren to clogged up in a few minute's time. A building overhead changes from red brick to yellow metal too, but before when you get chased through the apartments, you run up one flight of stairs higher than the building has. And in Nova Prospekt, there's a place in one map where you can see the Depot [I]twice[/I] from the same spot.
I've played this game so many times and noticed so many little things. Still one of my ultimate favorites though, but it's not aging so good anymore.[/QUOTE]
A lot of that is the result of the maps going through so much change. If you look at the early versions of the maps in the WC pack, you'll notice that a lot line up perfectly. They had their original visions which were implemented well enough, but the maps were modified over time and the consistency didn't keep up. Ravenholm is full of examples, as it's an area started pretty early in development and made it all the way to release.
As a personal project I once went about getting the entirety of Ravenholm into a L4D campaign. Never got around to releasing it, but it made me very familiar with a lot of the little inconsistencies. One particular example I like as it explained the origins of one background detail.
At the far end of one blocked alley in the second map of Ravenholm, you'll notice something that looks like a manor on a small hill with an iron fence around it. However, if you fit the maps together, it conflicts with the next two maps. As it turns out, it's a relic from an earlier design, where the map with the church had a very different design.
[t]http://i.imgur.com/TBoipPP.jpg[/t]
I hope that if Half Life 3 was to come out (I know, I know, we've been here a million times) it's got heaps of nostalgia. I could just imagine having to run through a combine-like blast pit, having to activate something so rebels can move in.
[QUOTE=TalonAran;48976003]I actually didn't even know there was a sequel, gotta try that out. Loved the first one.[/QUOTE]
Both of them have a standalone version now.
[QUOTE=Blade Rx69;48976541]A lot of that is the result of the maps going through so much change. If you look at the early versions of the maps in the WC pack, you'll notice that a lot line up perfectly. They had their original visions which were implemented well enough, but the maps were modified over time and the consistency didn't keep up. Ravenholm is full of examples, as it's an area started pretty early in development and made it all the way to release.
As a personal project I once went about getting the entirety of Ravenholm into a L4D campaign. Never got around to releasing it, but it made me very familiar with a lot of the little inconsistencies. One particular example I like as it explained the origins of one background detail.
At the far end of one blocked alley in the second map of Ravenholm, you'll notice something that looks like a manor on a small hill with an iron fence around it. However, if you fit the maps together, it conflicts with the next two maps. As it turns out, it's a relic from an earlier design, where the map with the church had a very different design.
[t]http://i.imgur.com/TBoipPP.jpg[/t][/QUOTE]
Yeah I've played a lot of leak maps and they're very interesting, showcasing Valves earlier ideas and how they were transformed or discarded. Some things even catch you off guard like a map from Anticitizen One actually being in Route Canal instead, or old drafts of Route Canal having you use a much larger boat or small barge. There's a coast map with 2 wrecked ships on it, it's a shame wrecked ships were not included anywhere in the final maps though.
Loads of cool stuff in there.
[QUOTE=Frost 31;48975040]Peaces Like Us - Seriously strange but a lot of fun.
[url]http://www.moddb.com/mods/half-life-peaces-like-us[/url]
Sweet Half-Life - More ALIENS. Also, a minigun.
[url]https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Sweet_Half-Life[/url][/QUOTE]
I never knew that one of the guys that worked on these made Mistake of Pythagoras. The guy has a twitter (I assume it's him anyways) that he posts on but it's all in Japanese so I have no idea if he's actually working on something or not.
