What little plot there was, was okay – get in, do … something. But there wasn’t anything to do once you got to the teleporter? I wasn’t really sure what was the point, and I was certainly left with the feeling like this was part one of multiple bits. I guess there hasn’t been a continuation of this? It’d be very nice if there would eventually be one, because as it is, I’m left wanting much more.

The maps themselves were beautiful. A little repetitive not in visuals but in theme, that you wander through the same kind of area but with slightly different appearances.

All in all though, this was an excellent mod and I would definitely play more by this modder.

I have to say I’m going to be spending a lot of time in this mod to figure out how to map better, for myself.

The main thing I like, that makes a game worth playing is the storyline and the puzzles. I really like Ravenholm mod for that reason. There was very little bright lights and color to it. It was good because of it’s intensity. The puzzles and the story were fantastic it that mod. So, it all comes down to personel taste. For me, the lasers and the other bright effects don’t mean as much as a good story and some challenging puzzles.

Minerva did so well with people I think because Adam mixed a good, new story with some fairly tough puzzles as well as bright lights and lots of flash. It has it all. And his other one Someplace Else is nearly as good because he used the same formula. Good story and tricky puzzles.Penetration had some beautiful maps but was lacking on the other things.-By the way I liked your mod alot-if your the same guy, it was good.-fresh story.

I may be unlike other reviewers in that regard, but I don’t care much for mods that try to completely redefine the game.

You can disagree with that all you want; this is my opinion. Aside from that, my opening remark was guided toward comment 33, not yours. Apologies for making an overly broad generalization.

Yes, it crashed a fair deal for me. For others, it ran just fine. Normally, this would be a deal breaker, but the fact that I’m still recommending this mod despite these issues and quirks should give you a strong indication of what I think about the rest of mod. I also rate this based on the fact that Episode 1 gave me a lot of similar crash issues which Episode 2 did not, so part of the blame could rest on the underlying code.

Aside from the crashes, my only point of criticism was some of the battle design. Unlike others, I had no qualm about the frequency of enemy encounters. Because of its size, this mod had the luxury of being able to stagger them, much like in the Highway 17 chapter of Half-Life 2, rather than having to rely on constant action. No, my issue was that the battles tended to present the same setup over and over again. En route to the city, you engage the same Fast Zombies that run from around the corner a dozen times. Once you’re in the Citadel, you engage the same Combine Elite that run from around the corner a dozen times. It’s uninspiring and doesn’t offer much variation. You see it coming a mile away.

Everything else was beautifully executed.

Penetration should be a classic on par with Minerva and it seems to be a truly overlooked gem. There’s a lot of good stuff here. Check it out.

SWEEEEET MOD!!!!!! Thanks

Overall, the mod was fun. I enjoyed the variety of well-constructed maps, many of which were in the outdoors. I particularly liked the opening map located near the city docks. The author introduces variety by giving the player some indoor maps to play through as well. These are interspersed until the last two of the eight maps which are completely indoors (this is when you are infiltrating the combine citadel and making your way to the teleportation device). There was a wide variety of enemies, from zombies and headcrabs to fast zombies and combine elite. Also included are several battle sequences with aerial enemies (gunships). The player has a nice selection of weapons to take out these foes, from the lowly crowbar to the RPG.

Despite the overall enjoyment I got from this mod, I did experience a few negative things that others have also reported. First, in the opening sequence, the G-Man’s voice stutters a great deal. Second, the mod froze my computer twice and crashed it once (giving me the blue screen and forcing me to do a hard shutdown). In addition, after entering one of the outdoor maps, I wanted to retrace my footsteps to an earlier map and explore an area I had skipped. When I came to the boundary with the earlier map, an invisible wall prevented me from backtracking.

These negative elements did impede the enjoyment I got from the game. However, I am hoping that the author will release a sequel to his mod.

[quote comment="71691"]This mod is great so far, but I’m stuck in the same way fragmaster describes above: I get to the gas chamber, then wake up and see the Vortigaunt open my cell. Then a Combine takes the Vortigaunt out and begins shooting me. I can’t move at all at this point. My health stays the same, and the Combine keeps shooting endlessly. It makes no difference if I remain still in the gas chamber or in the cell. I’ve tried quite a few times now, with the same result. I guess the mod ends here for me.

I know this comes really late but when you get there wait for the door to open then if you’re looking down you will notice another thing that goes around your waist releasing you – after that just press the ‘use’ key and you’ll get out. You will have to jump down and figure out what to do afterwards

As for the rating – there is a really good set design and layout, very nice flow through the maps with combat on the light side and no real puzzle. Unfortunately there is no excitement, I haven’t really felt involved when playing this, quite bland overall. So it has to be:[/quote]

Hi everyone.
I just wanted to say that this is a good mod…. no GREAT MOD and well worth the effort of playing it.
The only problem that I had besides trying to figure out that I had to use the “use” key to get out of the cell as others did I see. Was I could not shoot down the first gun ship ( to tuff for me ) so the only thing I did was to open the force field and get back into the buggy and get out of there ASAP.

Congratulation to all involed in making this mod.
Leo

This mod is great so far, but I’m stuck in the same way fragmaster describes above: I get to the gas chamber, then wake up and see the Vortigaunt open my cell. Then a Combine takes the Vortigaunt out and begins shooting me. I can’t move at all at this point. My health stays the same, and the Combine keeps shooting endlessly. It makes no difference if I remain still in the gas chamber or in the cell. I’ve tried quite a few times now, with the same result. I guess the mod ends here for me.

I know this comes really late but when you get there wait for the door to open then if you’re looking down you will notice another thing that goes around your waist releasing you – after that just press the ‘use’ key and you’ll get out. You will have to jump down and figure out what to do afterwards

As for the rating – there is a really good set design and layout, very nice flow through the maps with combat on the light side and no real puzzle. Unfortunately there is no excitement, I haven’t really felt involved when playing this, quite bland overall. So it has to be:

Review
Before compiling this review I played through the mod once more and I was pleasantly surprised as well as being reminded just what a good mod this is. So much, that I went back and updated my personal records giving the mod a higher ranking than I originally scored it.

This mod oozes quality from beginning to end, just taking in the opening dockside setting of boats, wharfs, warehouses with dockside hardware, all surrounded on one side with tree capped hills and open ocean on the other. It’s worth wandering around to take in all the fine detail as well as some superbly crafted buildings and structures.

It’s almost sad to leave the setting having found the road buggy, but the mission is awaiting and you are soon speeding the coastal roads, when confronted with the first and one of the tough encounters the mod has to offer. The open road architecture is on par with that of the original HL2 game, if somewhat condensed in duration.

Having left the road and the buggy for the open canyon terrain packed with howling Zombies, here again is fine detail applied to the scenic surroundings as you progress and fight off the hoards of zombies towards City 17.

The action opens up among the streets littered with debris, and yet again the author crafts great detailed settings mixed with Combine encounters supported by formidable hardware. I know I keep repeating this point but the quality of the mapping is tremendous. Nothing seems left to chance with City 17 apartment blocks, streets and scattered content inviting the player down every alley and street.

So far apart from a quick sortie into the tenement buildings for supplies and progress to the adjoining street, all the environmental settings have been outdoors (three cheers for that). No cramped settings with boring tight surroundings, or encounters not affording room to swing a cat (sorry cat lovers – I have a cat and she’s called Whisky). So far the mod has taken place within the big outdoors (thank you mister author). I just wished others would follow your lead.

Finally, the mod takes a deep breath and enters the inner world of the Combine stronghold , the Citadel. The architecture is on a massive scale with vaulting heights and grand openings with wide linking corridors and the ever waiting Combine. To be honest, the inner Citadel is one of my less preferred HL2 environments. However, here again the author gets it right with a nice balance of combat within atmospheric surroundings lasting just before any boredom sets in.

Not much in the way of negative aspects. Of course it will not be to everyone’s liking. Some may think that it needs more intense engagements, with no puzzle solving or climbing about needed. In some ways a few of these elements of gameplay will take a back seat when the choice of environmental settings are the big outdoors.

Other than a few burnt-out and abandoned cars that appeared scaled down in size, a somewhat uninspiring musical soundtrack and a weak story line, I am at a loss to raise much in the way of faults.

Negatives
- None worth highlighting

Positives
- Plenty

Conclusion
If you have not played this mod then go do so now. If you have already played it then go play it again. It’s better than you thought.

My Recommendation

It froze on me three times, necessitating a ctrl+alt+del moment, which was a pain, but I’m glad I played it. One of my favourites.

This is a very well-crafted mod. I’ve been reading all about everyone’s bugs and crashing problems, and I must say that I didn’t have any. The game ran very smoothly for me.

To be honest, I didn’t even know that this mod had any type of a story until I read the little blurb up at the top of this very page. The lack of story doesn’t do anything to make the mod any less enjoyable, however.

My only gripe would be with the shipping yard in the very first level; there simply aren’t enough enemies there. If I were to pick a nit, I would say that the GMan’s appearance on the outskirts of what I now know to be City 18 was very out of character for him.

Overall, I found the maps gorgeous and the gameplay satisfying.

leon