Based on the reviews here I’m going to try and wade through.

I didn’t get to play the final supar-sekrit map, tho, anyone have an idea how to get to it?

But, given all that, Joe Bob sez, “Chek it out!”

So just aim and shoot all your ammo at the mouth and presto, you win .

The music may not be everybody’s cup of tea but I liked it – the fact that I am quite familiar with Italian music may have helped here though

An important highlight for me has been the change in the damage taken by the character – it makes the game far more realistic – a couple shots and you’re dead so you better watch what you’re doing! I much more prefer this instead of a hundred combines coming to get you to forcefully make the game challenging.

The maps are very well designed not only from a visual standpoint but also from the freedom given the player to approach them – I read the walkthrough after finishing and found out that I deviated significantly from it in many places – suffice to say that the “Please do not press” button was completely useless to me – the strider was long gone And the final boss battle poses absolutely no difficulty – and I am sure that this is no bug and was intentional on the part of the creators – I am not going to spoil it here but if you feel that the battle is not winnable ask me

One thing that did piss me off and made the mod about 2 hours longer for me was the fact that the tram has no visible buttons to activate it – I guess I’m an idiot but I haven’t even realized that it was a tram – looked more like an observation point to me. So I happened to find the shortcut through the level myself very quickly but I couldn’t progress because I didn’t realized I had to press the “use” key – when I finally figured it out I had a Morgan moment myself: What the … ?

In conclusion this mod is a real work of art and probably the most unique mod there is Highly recommended!

Jack will now follow you in the tram.

Not in mine he doesn’t, I’ve played through the preceding scene again and again trying to get him to do just that, but he gets to the white platform and simply won’t go any further. Any suggestions? Please!?

I did play this through when it first came out, and didn’t have this problem, but have only just downloaded the full version and now do…

Detailed Review of Mod – Level by Level.

The following is a more detailed coverage of the content and gameplay within each part of the mod. With the expanded gameplay coverage in the following text I may have boarded on the line of spoilers in some areas. This is not deliberate but can occur inevitably when trying to cover in more depth; therefore if you are highly sensitive to spoilers I suggest you do not read on.
After the introduction with George Bush introducing Mr. Breen as his new campaign manager, yes, you read that right, the scene changes to Morgan’s bedroom.

Part 1: Wake Up

Map Name: dayhardpart1
You wake up to the sound of gun fire and your first thought is, where’s Jack?

The opening level takes place within an apartment building consisting of apartment layout containing a bedroom, lounge, kitchen and bathroom. Floor levels are connected by stairways with access to the roof and windows overlooking the city below, with a window balcony ledge to each apartment.

With the help of Jack you need to fight your way through each flat room by room as well as floor by floor, whilst encroaching Combine move in with support from traitor rebel factions. Progress is further hampered by snipers, turret guns and scanners making this a tough opening level that requires both the help of Jack and the need to search each room for supplies.

The level design with its floors, connecting rooms, stairways, rooftop and adjoining balconies is excellently crafted with great attentions to detail. The detailed content, textures and light effects are top quality, with all the sets looking realistic, being furnished with the appropriate furniture, fittings and fixtures. The textures are all superbly defined giving a crisp and warm feel and appearance to all the sets.

The combat is hard hitting with some tough placement of the Combine and traitor rebels making progress through the apartment complex an intense affair. It may take a few attempts to figure out your route and then fight your way with the help of Jack to get to street level and out of the apartment complex. In doing so, you will also need to work through some puzzles including finding first a few key weapons, getting around a few impassible points and turning on power in places. In some ways the whole level is a puzzle, one of finding a route to street level and the Urban Mess below.

It will not be the first time having completed a level within this game that you feel as if you have just finished a complete mod; such is the degree of content and involvement packed into most of the parts and levels of this mod.

Part 2: Urban Mess

Map Name: dayhardpart2
Having reached ground level Morgan is engaged in a series of street battles against the Combine, supported by Striders, scanners and traitor rebels in parts. The street level layout is designed around a wide road forming a square with residential buildings, shops, a church and a storage depot amongst other structures, not sure why the road is so wide!

Jack appears to be still making his way through the first level so for the time being you get help from Gregory and friendly rebels. There is a lot of content to this level with a very rich mixture of gameplay. Apart from the combat you also need to figure out your progress with alternative routes and loads of opportunities to wander and search. It’s not always clear what direction to take, however, rest assured, all directions lead somewhere and there is not a strict order of events. You will meet up with the first of the unique characters the mod has to offer, that is other than Jack and Morgan, with some wonderfully scripted sequences, including the twins. They will be of great help to you, even though their behavior is similar to a pair of twits out of ‘Alice through the Looking Glass’. Elsewhere in the level the humor comes to the fore, even if some of it is toilet humor in parts.

You will need to find an alternative route around a patrolling Strider to meet up with the twins who give great support in fighting off another intense engagement. Here too, you have to perform a task in exchange for supplies, a task that requires you to retrieve an item from a very strange and weird hotel, logic will disappear once you step inside.

The end encounter to the level is another tough street pitch battle against heavily armed Combine and traitor rebels that have taken up commanding positions. The level has one more surprise in store before you finally progress beyond the Urban Mess, but you need to both find that out and figure out how to overcome these yourself. Make that two more surprises.

In general this level sets the standard and gameplay for much of the mod to come, humor, well scripted and unique sequences, new characters, hard hitting engagements, superb set design and textures with great attention to detail. The textures and light effects are outstanding with the whole outside set, bathed in an early evening glow rendering all surfaces a warm and reddish tint from a low sun. The layout is somewhat extensive in size with that very wide road having maybe an alternative use!

Part 2a: RedRum

Map Name: redrum
This is the hotel sequence and is an integral part of the Urban Mess chapter. As previously stated it’s weird and nightmarish but you need to complete the task to progress.

Part 3: Down, You Sucker

Map Names: dayhardpart3 and Voyage
This Part follows a similar mixture of street combat and gameplay as the previous ‘Urban Mess’ levels, with similar street set designs and use of warm textures before you progress to more encounters and puzzle solving sequences among the airport facilities and runway.

The cast is increased to include at least 3 new and unique characters both good and bad with one very bad, Mr. Ugly. The new characters are wonderful scripted with all exhibiting their own characteristics, manners and postures, some of which you may recognize.

The humor expands, showing the Combine in a light you could never imagine plus more of that toilet humor, resulting in some of the funniest sequences ever to be depicted in a Half-Life game.

You will face, as before, Combine troops, more traitor rebels, attacking scanners, a gunship and one other big HL2 foe. There is also a major puzzle to work through with the need to lower a force field, I mention this because it would appear to be sequence based and does not always trigger correctly. Without given any spoilers, you need to make sure that all the characters beyond the force field depart before you go off to find the means to turn the force field off. If this does not happen you will need to replay the sequence again until Mr. Ugly has moved off.

There a few more encounters against the Combine and the Big One beyond the force field including solving the means to kill the Big One, not telling you the answer to that. There are also a few more unique sequences to come before the level finishes with our odd couple flying off in a Combine Gunship. However, here again, you will need to experience these sequences for yourself as the hectic pace lessens in a strange way for a spell. As with all the encounters so far experienced by our dynamic duo, flying the Combine gunship does not come easy ending in disaster for the two, but wait!

Part 4: Behind Enemy Lines

Map Name: dayhardpart4
The next level auto loads as Morgan and Jack scramble through a drainage pipe. However, if this level does not load, as it did not for me, then you will need to manually load it through the console, the level starts without any weapons anyway.

The following opening sequence of this level is very vague in terms of objectives, being far from clear as to what is the purpose of the village layout and any task within. It’s clear however, that this is a stealth sequence but to what end is far from obvious. Your progress across the village is measured in terms of trial and error; a force move is met by instant Combine attacks and with no means of defending yourself, loads the last save. The right move will get you part way and by this means you progress across the village.

Without the help of the walkthrough I don’t think I would have completed this first village sequence without a lot of frustration, nor would I have had any idea of the objective of this stealth sequence. As such, I consider this a poor piece of gameplay that leaves the player completely unaware of its purpose and whilst not wanting to be spoon feed, there should have been means of conveying some guide to the player. As it is, I can only recommend you peep at the walkthrough at this point of the mod.

Apart from the gameplay being confusing, the set design of the village and the immediate hilly surround is basic stuff with the buildings being adequate in design but nothing special and a let down from what’s gone before. Also the hilly landscape is not too convincing looking; lumpy and unrealistic. However, the distant backdrop surrounding the village is admirably mapped giving a feeling of endless depth to the design.

Once out of the village by way of the wall, you will find that progress is much smoother by means of the cable car. This is similar to the car used in the Ravonholm chapter of the original HL2 game, could be wrong but can’t remember it being used in a mod before.

By design or maybe default you reach the Combine HQ. The next set of sequences is admirable scripted with lots of short cut-scenes that, in this case, help the flow of the mod and thicken the plot, not that there is any serious attempt to imply the existence of much of a plot or story. With the now familiar banter and humor between Jack and Morgan back to the fore you begin to feel that you are in the swing of things again.

The gameplay is now rich and varied and I am reminded not to give spoilers. However, you will encounter new characters, change places with the Combine, take on the Antlion and their leader, get to ride the road buggy and finally make good use of the village before returning to HQ.

The new character sequences are again wonderfully scripted, with references to Harry Potter and bloody hell! What was that? The HQ is again a fine piece of design with a similar layout to the airport lobby in the previous chapter – Part 3. The attention to detail and textures inside the HQ keeps the high standard aspired too previously in the mod. The HQ outer design is castle-like and set amidst the same type of lumpy and hilly terrain as the village which gains new meaning with the buggy rides.

After the slow start that needed stealth tactics the level comes to an end with the more familiar action filled Combine encounters. There is more to this level, however you need to go find it for yourself, I am getting carried away and in danger of giving too much away. Once more you will get the feeling that you have just completed an entire mod, such is the depth of the content and fine mixture of the gameplay.

Part 5: Breen Cave and Beyond.

Map Name: breencave
You are on your own again with Jack having taken a liking to the bath in the previous level, not clear yet why. In the next sequence you need to find a way around a new and large adversary to progress to a new environment of caves, which are designed as a maze to test your sense of direction.

Once you find your way out of the maze to the bridge, you have time to collect your thoughts and supplies before entering the Big Boss end sequence. The maze sequence is designed and textured in dungeon type surrounds. Having progressed through the maze Morgan then passes through the metallic Combine structures before entering the final Boss setting. This end Boss setting is a bit like a scene from Quake, being dimly lit with Combine lurking in the shadows and a fire and rocket propelling structure controlled by Breen bent on stopping you dead. Other than adding that it’s a hard final showdown, I am not saying any more about this level.

Part 6: Final.

Map Name: final
You get to find out why Jack stayed behind in another superbly scripted and amusing scene.

Part 7: Dogo.

Map Name: dogo
This is a bonus level which you will need to load from the console. Arena type gameplay with plenty of action and if you liked the new characters seen in the Final level, then this is your chance to get another eye-full.

Final Conclusions

Just go and play and use the walkthrough if you need too. It may be needed in a few parts of the mod although it does not need heavy reliance to progress through most of the game. Also, if, like me, you have started and gave up, then give it another go with the aid of the walkthrough if need be, otherwise you are missing out on one of the best mods available.

I am pleased I tried again and thankful for the walkthrough which made all the difference, turning the experience from what had been frustrating attempts into a most enjoyable and amusing encounter. If like me, you too have had problems getting into this mod, then I strongly recommend you give it another play through and use the walkthrough where you need to. If my experience is anything to go by you won’t need to refer to the walkthrough that often, maybe in two or three places at the most.

This mod is without doubt one of the most innovative and unique custom games I have ever played. There is so much content with most of it new, including weapons, skins and architecture plus many wonderfully scripted cut-scenes which in this case aid the flow of the mod as well as containing rich humor. Both the voice acting and the dialog are of a professional level with the comedy banter between the two main characters Morgan and Jack keeping the player amused from beginning to end.

The new characters introduced by the mod, of which there must be 7 or 8 including Morgan and Jack, are a tremendous feat of modelling. Each new character has their unique mannerisms down to facial expressions, postures, speech, movement and gestures. In my opinion these are simply the best new characters ever seen in a HL2 custom mod.

The gameplay is rich and varied from beginning to end with so much of the original HL2 cast and hardware alongside extensive and varied new stuff making the entire mod a fresh and rewarding experience throughout. The balance between combat and supplies never seems an issue with plenty of stores when needed, and they are needed with the strength and power of the Combine a notch up from the norm.

The attention to detail, especially in the apartment complex, is outstanding with each room designed and fitted out in the most realistic way with all the appropriate fixtures and furniture. The set designs and textures are again admirably crafted with the outside settings early in the mod being the best on offer. Here again a fine level of detail mixed with the use of warm and glowing texture bathes the street surroundings in the red tint of the low evening sunlight.
The combat throughout the mod is also varied with encounters against Combine, Gunships, rebel traitors, new and nasty characters, scanners and Antlions plus a lot more. There’s plenty of hardware both old and new with a few unique pieces that I will not spoil, just to say that you won’t get bored with your adversaries in this game.

There is so much new stuff in this mod that you forget at times that it’s a HL2 custom mod and except for the fact that the Combine keep appearing you can imagine yourself in a new and totally different playing universe. There are a few issues with the mod but in the main these are minor bugs that won’t spoil your play through.

Transition from Part 3 to 4 did not auto load but loading from the console works ok without any resultant problems as this level starts without weapons anyway. With reference to the force field, there being only one in the mod, you need to make sure that Mr. Ugly on the far side of the force field has moved off before you go looking for the means to lower the field. If this does not happen you will need to reload a save and play up to this point again which seems to be a sequence triggered somehow.

The music is not my cup of tea, mostly it’s new stuff composed for the mod. However, with so much good and new content on offer I don’t think it will bother you too much if the music is not to your liking. Although its cranky beat is sometimes well suited to the cranky and humorous events and actions of the mod’s main characters.

Negatives

- Too few to mention

Positives

- Too many to summarize

Conclusion

If you have not already played this mod then go do so now, if you have tried and given up then now’s the time to try again. So I recommend that you ‘Play It Now” and have fun and laughter.

Five Word Review

(What’s This?)
A unique and amusing experience.

My Recommendation

If so, it’s a matter of firing rockets into the mouth of the machine until it explodes.

But it’s difficult to stay alive long enough, I cheated.

“If you cheat, you suck!”. Gee, thanks! (I want to say, “If you make me have to cheat just to finish, you suck! )

I hear ya & couldn’t agree more.

I would play on the Easy setting.

I am!

I guess I have a low frustration level. I also find it very ironic that this mod–which is very off-beat and humor-driven–is also by quite a measure the hardest I’ve come across. If anything, I’d expect the opposite.

I considered god mode, and my use it. I like how, if you enable the console option (which they have disabled by default, which is unusual), you find they’ve named it “If you cheat, you suck!”. Gee, thanks! (I want to say, “If you make me have to cheat just to finish, you suck! )