This is a simple escape map.

You need to use your gravity gun to find solutions to locked doors and blocked paths.

There’s plenty of danger present, so be careful!

I guess I should preface this article with a warning.

There… now with that out of the way we can get down to business.

Being Imprisoned in Venice is the least of your worries…

Wake up Dr. Freeman

So I was checking out a game on Steam and I noticed who had the game and one person I know has all the games on Steam.

Yes, I do mean all.

Some readers know him, but I won’t explicitly say who he his. He has a special Steam account that gives him every single game released.

You and your squad have been designated as the diversion.

Use your superior crossbow skill to keep your comrades safe.

Follow any other instructions you receive.

Good Luck!

I am pleased to announce the next mapping competition: NewBlackMesaVille.

Well it’s time for a change. The next mapping competition will be on GoldSource, that’s the Half-Life 1 engine. Why? I hear you ask. Well, firstly, it’s something I have wanted to do for a while. Secondly, there’s a Source mod announcement coming soon that would interfere with a normal competition.

Hands up if you want to win Half-Life Complete, which has a current value of 27.99 Euros!

This giveaway has been donated by Grey Acumen, so a big thanks to him.

So, to win this game box all you need to do is comment on this post AND be a member of the PlanetPhillip group on Steam. One comment per person.

I will select the winner, sometime on Sunday 5th February 2012.

I will send the game via Steam gifts. If you PP name is not the same as your Steam name please add it in the comments, but make sure you enter a working email address in the email field. Again, NOT in the comments themselves.

May the universe shine upon you.

If you are wondering why I have added the Steam group requirement, it’s because I plan to use it more in the future and want to get readers using it.

YOU MUST BE A MEMBER OF THE PP STEAM GROUP

This is a short but varied abstract map that challenges you to be observant.

Can you reach the the end without dying?

Only the careful will survive.

When did game making reach its profit vs acceptable graphics zenith?

Philip’s recent 2012 predictions got me thinking about the challenges that the games industry is facing.

I love running PP and can’t imagine not doing it. Unfortunately, it costs money to keep doing it and this is my yearly request for donations.

As the site gets bigger, so does its server requirements. Up until now I have been able to service on shared hosting but the time has come to upgrade. I certainly couldn’t imagine going for full dedicated hosting but I will probably need to use Virtual Private Server, plus even a CDN one day.

I’ll obviously do a lot more research before taking the plunge.

In addition, I want to run more mapping competitions with prize money. That and another site related project needs some software for it.

I would much prefer not to ask for donations but it’s not possible.

So, if you are able to donate, thank you. If not, don’t worry, keep enjoying the site!

Notice anything new? Well, maybe not, but I have updatred the theme the site runs on. It’s both a small update and a big one. Visually, it’s very similar but everything should align better. I have cleaned up the old code and commented the new one better.

Differences include background images top and bottom, depending on which category you are browsing. Link colour changes, again, depending on which category your are browsing. Bigger footer, with MapTap being highlighted.

Fancy new main menu, which will be improved over the new few months and I hope it will amaze you. Sidebar now only has text links for everything except Google Ads, Poll Question and Chip In donations.

I still can’t get the recommendation bar on the excerpts to be the correct width and I have no idea why!

So, there you have it.

Expect big changes in the menu and if you have any trouble navigating or using the site or questions and suggestions, please contact me.

Just launched my feed reader and saw that Valve has introduced a Steam Mobile service.

Here’s their blurb… ” gamers around the world may chat with Steam friends, browse community groups and user profiles, view screenshots and user-generated content for their favorite games, read the latest gaming news, stay up to date on unbeatable Steam sales, and more.”

I am having serious issues with WordPress at the moment. I am trying a few things and parts of the site may not work for a little while. Please accept my apologies. Any WordPress optimization experts out there prepared to offer their services free of charge, please email me ASAP.

Well, 2011 wasn’t exactly a fantastic year for SP Source modding but there were some interesting things that happened.

This isn’t a review of the year, just a look at some of the highlights.

Hands up if you want to win The Orange Box!

Some great games in the Orange Box, no doubt about it.

So, to win this game box all you need to do is comment on this post AND be a member of the PlanetPhillip group on Steam. One comment per person.

I will select the winner, sometime on Sunday 29th January 2012.

I will send the game via Steam gifts. Do NOT type your Steam name in the comments, but make sure you enter a working email address in the email field. Again, NOT in the comments themselves.

May the universe shine upon you.

Author’s Note: Three-Legged Terror occurs as a side story during the events of Half-Life 2:Episode 2. The player assumes the role of a basic Resistance member, hidden away in an isolated mountain base with a small team of soldiers. This base is discovered by the Combine, who send a Strider to destroy the base. Gameplay revolves weakening and damaging the Strider throughout the map as it ascends the mountain trail, giving your NPC allies time to fix weapons and provide aid. The idea was inspired by Capcom’s Monster Hunter series, in particular the Lao-Shan Lung and Shen Gaoren fights. All three maps, mine and Monster Hunter’s, feature a massive enemy that must be weakened and defeated before it destroys the player’s base.

Welcome To The Desert Of The Real…

Having read many reviews of the mods posted on PP I quite often see players commenting that a map didn’t feel “real” to them.

It’s always interesting to me that people should choose to use the word “real” to describe a place in a world that is distinctly fantastic.

In Half Life 2 we’re presented with a dark future filled with aliens, undead foes and giant bugs but still feel that somehow, one map is more “real” than another.

Having a good sound card and speaker set up can make a big difference to your experience of gaming, yet few of us can have a large speaker system dedicated to our PC.

Currently I just use my laptop speakers or some cheap headphones. I have had 7.1 headphones but my ears overheated, so I had to stop using them.

As much as I would love to have huge speakers to play with but my living arrangements and the fact I like portability, anything other than headphones is impossible.

Tell me more about your speaker set up. Got any recommendations regarding headphones?