Archives for September 2008

• Please note that these are publication date on this site, NOT the actual release date of the maps and mods

I had an epiphany and it’s all clear to me now, although you’ll need to read the full post to understand this week’s poll question.
What the best amount playtime for demo for a mod?

A large area walled off with hundreds of enemies, plenty of ammo and no imgination.

A remake of 3rd 505th for Half-Life 2.

A vert basic layout where you have some rebels as allies and two small concrete huts and never ending spawning Combine plus a Combine Chopper.

A very simple, linear map where you just need to follow the only route available and kill everything you find. 10 minutes worth of playtime.

Author’s Note: Here’s a dev map I made for the wireframe’s mapping contest but decided on releasing it as a stand alone map instead. It’s a gravity puzzle map.

Half-Life: Decay is an add-on included in the PlayStation 2 port of the first-person shooter computer game Half-Life, developed by Gearbox Software and published in October of 2001, and has now been released as a mod for PC by independent Ukrainian developers along with the help of other European developers/fans.

“Missing Information is a mod which brings the old Half-Life 2 story from prototype concepts to what you expected the game would be like when you viewed the E3 trailers. This release features the Borealis and E3 Presentation only as a public test. The Borealis is what Valve had created after Half-Life 1 was released.”

Agent Freeman is once again sent out and this time to check out a murder scene. It is said that a calm killer is on the loose and has claimed the lives of seven people. You arrive on the Massadome Island to find out what happened.

“This is the Berlin Wall single player map for Half-Life 2: Episode Two. After a huge anticipation for almost 2 months, the little sketch by Stene was soon made real by a group of talented modders. As the story goes, you are a citizen of the East Berlin, and tired of the evil communist government.”

In the past I have suggested new gameplay modes for single player mods (An SP and MP Mix, Chase and Reach Me), well today I’m going to do it again. However, this time there’s a twist because there are hundreds of maps already available. Curious? Read on…

I used to believe that the larger mods should release demos, just like games. Now I’m not so sure….
What the best amount playtime for demo for a mod?

Half-Life Episode Two is a new mod for Half-Life wich combines two different games; Half-Life and F.E.A.R., this mod is not a major conversion like Paranoia and AOM Dc, but still it features new models, new sounds and a new story…

“A short trip, an ode to the shotgun, and a game made to celebrate the ever-blissful gutfilled splash of shotgun + antlion.”

The episode takes place during the events featured in the original Half-Life; specifically, the episode entitled On a Rail. The player plays John Skinner, a cleaner who wears a similar HEV suit to Freeman, and is hence mistaken for him by the military. Skinner’s objective is to destroy a surface-to-air missile launcher, which the military have brought in to take out the sattelite delivery rocket being launched by Freeman.

This is a very basic arena, where the player can open three doors that allow various Combine soldiers, Antlions and Rebels to enter. It then becomes a free-for-all. There is no ending but plenty of ammo and health.

This mod was concieved as a never ending project. Unfortunately due to other commitments it had to be cancelled. This release is therefore promoted as a “proof of concept”

Author’s Notes: “This is a single player Half Life 2 mod, set entirely outside of City 17. It features 6 levels of action, exploring a range of locations, non-linear level progression, a musical score, some new abstract textures and challenging gameplay. This mod is meant for those who have already completed Half Life 2″

This is both a playable level and an investigation into “how players absorb critical information”. Don’t expect anything too clinical because this is definitely a level where you will have to play to win.

It seems to me that the most successful SP FPS games over the last few years have been one that came with an editor.
Does whether an editor is included in a retail game effect your purchase?

This level that takes place on a mysterious, haunted prison isle. The player must overcome a series of Myst-style puzzles to find a way to reach the lighthouse. Limbus Island is a study in non-verbal communication, as the player must discover their goals and puzzle solutions solely through visual and audio cues.

This an arena map where the enemies keep spawning until you either die or you kill enough for the author to decide you won. Not only enemies spawn but also allies.

The map starts with a women being guarded by a Combine Soldier. Nothing happens until you kill the gaurd and then all hell breaks loose! You need to protect her, if she dies then the map is over. To be honest I couldn’t finish this map without cheating and even then I died a hundred times.