Archives for October 2009

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

Welcome to Challenge Number 07.

If you don’t know what the Challenge Series 2009 is all about, please read the Introduction.

Onto the seventh challenge.

After waking up in the rubbish, you realize you need to get across to the other side of town.

Apparently a plane awaits you that can take you to safety.

Work your way through the sreets and even some sewers, join with a few rebels and get to that plane!

I have a terrible memory, and it’s not just age.

I can remember the very first SP FPS game I tried (and hated) Kingdon Honor Guard, the next FPS I tried (and LOVED!) Unreal Tournament and the first SP game I played all the way through: Unreal.

I even remember walking around a PC store and seeing Half-Life but not wanting to try it because I was worried I would lose my love of Unreal.

Welcome to Challenge Number 06.

If you don’t know what the Challenge Series 2009 is all about, please read the Introduction.

Onto the sixth challenge.

After recording the latest episode of Podcast 17 I decide to sit down and watch an episode of House M.D.

It was from the sixth season, number three, called Epic Fail. It starts with a scene very similar to Doom 3 and for a moment I wondered whether I was watching the right show.

My interest was obviously piqued but as usual the way game and gamers are represented on T.V. was woeful. This is another example that demonstrates the way mainstream media clearly has no real idea about gaming.

Gabe Newell has said there is a good reason that they can’t talk about progress for Episode Three and I think it’s because they are working on a new Source engine, or at least a huge update for the current version.

There’s only so much tweaking you can do before you have to start afresh; it’s the same with hardware. Some changes can’t be incremental.

A puzzle and action map from miigga. This one is a little longer than his other releases.

The players starts in a room after dropping through a drain cover (nice touch).

Work your way through the indoor areas until you reach the….
What? You thought I was going to spoil it for you?

Welcome to Challenge Number 05.

If you don’t know what the Challenge Series 2009 is all about, please read the Introduction.

Onto the fifth challenge.

Very few mods actually require an executable.

Most just need a properly packed SourceMods folder. Generally players seem to prefer the folders but some like the executables.

I worry that some mod teams make executables because they think it’s more professional.

here we go again. Another prison escape. This time you get to use the Gravity Gun!

I hope you can swim, because it starts with a fall into some deep and dark water.

After that, things become a little easier, asssuming you don’t mind heights.

Surprise, surprise, you need to escape from a prison. Find the key to your cell and your journey will begin.

Look everywhere and don’t leave any crate unturned.

You even get to drive the airboat, if you can get that far, that is.

Starting in a very large walled area, you need to get the buggy.

Once over the wall you find a lot of Metrocops and a Strider.

Can you reach the end and kill them all?

CSS SCI FI 3: Hardwired is a single-player modification for Half-Life 2. Waking up to find himself an augmented clone of Gordon Freeman, the player must fight time-travelling Combine forces and other enemies across 42 unique and replayable missions.

Missions are set in 18 retail and 24 custom Counter-Strike: Source maps, which are installed intact to the player’s CS:S game folder. The mod edits the entity data for each map as it is loaded, adding and modifying entities to create a seamless single-player experience. The maps remain unchanged and are fully playable in Counter-Strike: Source. Maps have been contributed by established designers, including Bluestrike, Schuzak and d00ds.com. Combat locations range from a snow-covered country church to a dense pine forest to a sun-baked tropical island.

Welcome to Challenge Number 04.

If you don’t know what the Challenge Series 2009 is all about, please read the Introduction.

Onto the Fourth challenge.

Here is a text interview I had with Magnar Jenssen the author of Mission Improbable.

It was conducted over a couple of emails with quite a long gap between. It doesn’t read disjointed to me but you may not it.

So, here it is, enjoy!

I wish I had more time, but then again, who doesn’t?

My problem is that there is never enough time to follow and keep up to date with all the interesting mods.

Every mod should ensure that they have an RSS feed available to help interested players get the latest information as soon as it’s released

As the name suggests, you go back to Black Mesa. It’s a sparse area with some Grunts and Vortigaunts.

There’s only 1 headcrab to be found in the whole mod, which is a good thing.

Gargs can be found in various places throughout the mod, no need to look too hard, it’s not as if you could miss them, is it?