Archives for 2009

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

As I was working earlier this week I got messaged by a modder (who is gonna release a very cool EP2 mod soon), asking me what I thought about a particular band’s music and including it in a mod.

It’s a great question because it’s been done hundreds of times before but it’s never really talked about.

Of course, technically it’s wrong but like lots of things in real life, it’s almost accepted.

Research and Development is a puzzle-centric mod for Half-Life 2: Episode Two featuring an unarmed player but plenty of violent mayhem.

The player has NO weapons and there is no shooting at all. However that doesn’t mean you can’t kill things, but 95% of the mod is about solving the puzzles that are presented to you in a very natural way.

This is another entry from the Source Modification Centre’s Mapping Competition 4.

It seems that a portal transfer went wrong or at least not as exactly planned and you find yourself in an underground base.

Find your way around and see what you can discover.

Allow me to introduce three seemingly unrelated points and then try to bring them together.

Apparently that’s what clever writers do, so I thought I’d try it.

I once remember reading that snakes can only “see” you when you are moving.

You find yourself seemingly alone in an underground base, probably on Mars.

Explore the areas open to you and see what you can find.

In fact, if you look carefully the base has a few surprises and perhaps even a means of escape.

This was an entry for the SMC Mapping Competition 4.

This is a remake of Black Ops, it use the AM Rebirth Code (Which is pretty freaking cool) and adds 3 new weapons, as well a various graphical updates.

There are no story changes or any changes to the original maps.

Don’t miss the training room for some useful information.

Under certain radiation exposure this artifact opens a portal. Presumably the portal will lead to another artifact in the parallel world. Mission: Enter the portal and find the artifact in the parallel world. You will receive our new development, a suit that will allow you to safely get through the portal, and theoretically protect you from possible dangers in the parallel world. Once you have found the artifact, press this button on your suit and you will get teleported back to the Black Mesa laboratory.

Another escape the prison map. This one contains large Combine architecture, with long balconies from which the Combine can attack you.

It was made for an SMC mapping competition, over 4 years ago, so take that into account when reviewing it.

Let me clarify that this question is specifically is interested in community made maps and mods, not retail games, films or other forms of entertainment. Now, with that out of the way my answer is No. Reviews are reviews not feedback or beta testing responses.

That said a lot can be learnt by the author if they listen carefully.

This is a single player map made for SMC Mapping Competition 4. The theme was Mars.

In this map you find yourself in a laboratory where something has gone horribly wrong.

Find Eli and do what he tells you to do.

You start outside a large mansion and your objective is to reach the G-Man.

Of course you need to find the right door and the right room, so start searching each room carefully for clues and keys.

Play with the lights out to get the best from this map.

Are you brave enough to explore the G-Man’s mansion? In this slightly scary mod you have to work your way through a mansion looking for keys and fighting enemies. Expect some surprises and maybe a few hidden items.

Play in the dark with the lights out to get the best effect. Unless you are too scared. Want me to call your mommy?

I wasn’t a big fan of Xen, probably because I’m not a good jumper.

There was a Half-Life 2 mod called Transitions that allowed players to visit Xen again with updated textures but it wasn’t that popular, probably because the start required you to do nothing for a little while.

You find yourself outside a deserted missile launch facility. Your objective is get in and pass through it. You encounter a small variety of enemies and need to explore to fight your route.

Valve has its faults. No organization is perfect. I’m still a little angry with them for falling into the Episode pitfall, but that’s another matter.

After-Life 2 is the story of a player moving through a world which is slowly deconstructing around them. It is a struggle for survival not just literally, but also metaphysically. In a first-person shooter, you (the player) inhabit the body of a character in the story of the game. What happens when the character you’re playing knows they’re being played?

Heart Of Evil: Napalm Edition IS NOW AVAILABLE!

I have a small confession – I rarely read reviews, except for moderation purposes. However, when I do read reviews I generally prefer to read from a mappers point of view.

Can you reach the end without cheating?

I loved Half-Life 2: Episode Two and I presume you did. Once I became accustomed to the Magnusson Device AKA The Strider Buster I really enjoyed using it but am disspaointed to see that no EP2 mods have used it. Why do you think that is?

Another “Escape” mod. Work your way through various environments to finally reach the Buggy.

I was shown a poem last week that was designed to be read from front-to-back OR back-to-front. I’m not exactly sure whether sections are read in reverse or even how it works but it certainly got me thinking. Would it be possible to do this for a linear level?

With the Gravity Gun, a clever and resourceful rebel and your intelligence, is it possible to escape from the Combine?

Using the airboat and stopping off at certain points, the player must use the sewers to bypass a Combine blockade