Blockwork – Half-Life 2

Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3

Author’s Note
“My purpose for this level was to create a self-contained experience that does not require FPS expertise. I set my limitations to puzzle-based challenges using basic movement and interactivity. I created the entire level, handling the BSP, terrain, texture placement, optimization, flow, weapon placement, lighting, scripted events, AI scripting, model placement, and sounds.”

Basic Details

Title: Blockwork
File Name: hl2-sp-blockwork.rar
Size : 1.23Mb
Author: Andrew Dobbs
Date Released: 23 April 2008

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Installation Instructions

Copy blockwork.bsp into your Half-Life 2 Maps folder.
Launch Half-Life 2
Open the console and type map blockwork.
Press enter/return or click the Submit button.
Play and Enjoy.

Screenshots

Click on the thumbnails below to open a 1024 pixel wide image.
WARNING: The screenshots may contain spoilers.

Reader Recommendations

1 recommendation, average score: 1 (out of 5), standard deviation: 0

Post Details

Posted: 7th December 2008

planetphillip Says:
07 December 2008 at 12:50 pm

I was disappointed with this map. I like puzzles and I was hoping for more. Creating something other than an FPS is a worthy goal but I feel the author’s implementation was lacking.

To start with he told me which keys to use, which I find very annoying because nearly everybody I know has changed then from the default, which means they are wrong. Surely there is a way for the system to “read” which keys I use for which functions. If not, then explain that.

Next, the NPC were simply ragdolls and that provided little if any motivation to act. Perhaps if they were all alive and I had to save one, whilst killing the other three then I might have had more motivation.

Next up are the names “Squishly” and “Crispy” are two examples. Alyx became Ann for some inexplicable reason.

The first puzzle was embarrassingly easy, now the author probably thought that the first puzzle should “ease” the player in, but there’s a difference between easing them in and downright patronizing them!

Also I challenge the idea that these are really puzzles. I completed the second puzzle first time, which shows that it can simply be a case of trial and error. Perhaps if the contents had different fuel that ignited different materials and were labeled with their contents, then maybe I could have “solved” the puzzle.

I gave up on the next puzzle for two reasons. Firstly it was agonizingly slow. You had to wait a long time for each operation to finish before the next one took effect and secondly because I tried jumping along the edge and got stuck. Jumping into the liquid killed me. Where is the benefit to the player in doing that? Simply killing a player when he tries something is either bad design or thoughtless planning, take you pick.

Regular readers can probably tell I am a little angry and to be honest I don’t really know why.

I truly applaud mappers who try something new but feel that this could have been soooo much better and it’s a pity it isn’t.

Phew, I better take some deep breaths now.

So, in closing. It’s not as bad as my brief review makes out but only play it if you are a very patient player and want something different but not too polished.

[riffly_audio]B6089456C44911DD8B8DD7618271DB70[/riffly_audio]

There are 3 Comments.

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planetphillip Says:
07 December 2008 at 12:50 pm

I was disappointed with this map. I like puzzles and I was hoping for more. Creating something other than an FPS is a worthy goal but I feel the author’s implementation was lacking.

To start with he told me which keys to use, which I find very annoying because nearly everybody I know has changed then from the default, which means they are wrong. Surely there is a way for the system to “read” which keys I use for which functions. If not, then explain that.

Next, the NPC were simply ragdolls and that provided little if any motivation to act. Perhaps if they were all alive and I had to save one, whilst killing the other three then I might have had more motivation.

Next up are the names “Squishly” and “Crispy” are two examples. Alyx became Ann for some inexplicable reason.

The first puzzle was embarrassingly easy, now the author probably thought that the first puzzle should “ease” the player in, but there’s a difference between easing them in and downright patronizing them!

Also I challenge the idea that these are really puzzles. I completed the second puzzle first time, which shows that it can simply be a case of trial and error. Perhaps if the contents had different fuel that ignited different materials and were labeled with their contents, then maybe I could have “solved” the puzzle.

I gave up on the next puzzle for two reasons. Firstly it was agonizingly slow. You had to wait a long time for each operation to finish before the next one took effect and secondly because I tried jumping along the edge and got stuck. Jumping into the liquid killed me. Where is the benefit to the player in doing that? Simply killing a player when he tries something is either bad design or thoughtless planning, take you pick.

Regular readers can probably tell I am a little angry and to be honest I don’t really know why.

I truly applaud mappers who try something new but feel that this could have been soooo much better and it’s a pity it isn’t.

Phew, I better take some deep breaths now.

So, in closing. It’s not as bad as my brief review makes out but only play it if you are a very patient player and want something different but not too polished.

[riffly_audio]B6089456C44911DD8B8DD7618271DB70[/riffly_audio]

zaglis Says:
07 December 2008 at 10:32 pm

Very nice audio review. I hope there will be more.

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