In this Single Player mod you play the role of Jamil Lee, who is a young member of the civilian resistance, taken by the Combine and currently imprisoned in Nova Prospekt.
Numbness and rage.
Fright and anger.
I open my eyes. Oh, well. My cell is pitch dark anyhow.
“Block E1″. I heard their inhuman voices.
Lying on this cold metal bed, I stretch my arms along my sides.
This must be the right posture to fit in a pod.
I do not tolerate the idea of not being ready.
Yes, but ready for what?
No, I won’t give way to grief.
A squeaky sound…
No, no way. It can’t be true.
The door opens, light replaces darkness.
I will ask for a reason later. Now I have a choice to take. An easy one.
I will run the hell out of here, whatever it takes.
It’s time to get a little revenge.
It’s time to start my own riot act.
- Title: Riot Act
- File Name: Riot_Act_1.0.exe
- Size : 119.00Mb
- Author: Riot Act Team
- Date Released: 27 July 2007
Click on the thumbnails below to open a medium size image.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Please email me about a broken link and I will do my best to repair it as soon as possible - thank you.
Please note: These statistics are valid from December 2010
-
0Overall
-
0Today
-
0Last 7 days
-
0Last 30 days
-
0365 days
27th July 2007
- Why not follow these comments via RSS?
- Get your own GRAvatar.
- Don't forget that Feedback should be honest, fair AND useful.
- Please read the Comments Guide if you are new to commenting.
If this post has more than 50 comments they are separated into pages of 50 comments
-
[...] Via PlanetPhillip [...]
27th July 2007
I’ve played the first few minutes of this and it looks very good. The story seems to fit perfectly with the main events of Half-Life.
The voice acting is very good too.
Full review and plenty more screenshots and gameplay video to follow tomorrow.
I also hope to post an interview with the authors very soon.
Also the installer allows you to choose you installation path as well, which should avoid some of the recent problems.
27th July 2007
I just have 2 things to say
1) quality
2)
27th July 2007
my games are on different hd, and it wont let me load to that hd.
27th July 2007
I’m really sorry for that, look in the About section of the mod site, and give the solution you’ll find in the FAQ a try.
Thanks
28th July 2007
thanks i’ll give that a try.
28th July 2007
Note there are a couple of potential spoilers ahead (although I’ve tried to stay vague).
Firstly, the second level seems to have a bit of a balance issue; I was playing on normal and spent most of that level on the brink of death, health felt just right through the rest of the pack, so it seems like that level could have done with some more health kits or armour.
The other main issues I had were technical ones; there were a few places where it seemed like I got stuck with no way out, one at a cage in water, where it seemed like I couldn’t jump out without a buoyancy aid (so if you didn’t get one first you were stuck). At another point I fell down a pit with no apparent way out. Also, at the “ride”, it seemed like you got stuck if you didn’t make the containers start moving first. I’ll give the pack some benefit of the doubt in this regard though, since I was playing it pretty late (and could have overlooked some obvious stuff). Also, at the giant Antlion, you could see outside the level through parts of the pit it comes from.
As a last nitpick, the ladders on the ending bridge could have done with a light to highlight them or something (That kind of feels like “dumbing down” to me in a lot of instances, but this was a dangerous section where finding things easy is important).
Story was pretty thin, I have to admit there were a couple of points where I got a kind of “wait, why am I doing this again?” feeling. It seems like the story text here is all you are really given. It does come together at the end though, and “escape!” could be divulged easily enough considering you are in a prison.
Those were pretty much the only issues I had, the rest of the design is top-notch and could have come straight from HL2. It was also interesting to see a pack using the bugbait, although the Antlion AI seemed a little passive at times (I threw it somewhere and they just sat there in a few instances, which I don’t recall happening in HL2). There were also some well placed turrets and small puzzles.
It’s definitely play it now material, especially with what a lot of HL2 mods are like (although the general quality seems to be rising now). The lack of story isn’t as big an issue as it was with Awakening since it can be inferred much easier here (as I said earlier “escape” is pretty obvious here; in Awakening you were Shepard who had arose to, err, do something).
28th July 2007
Woah, that came out about double the size I expected, and I didn’t even get into the gameplay much. I forgot to add that another reason it’s a “play it now” is because it’s nice to see a themed map/pack that feels like a complement to the original, rather than an inferior clone.
28th July 2007
Oh I’d love to play it, but the installer says I don’t have Steam installed…
28th July 2007
I realy enjoyed this one, only had one very minor slowdown, probaly cause I keep my vid settings at max! I feel this was very well made and fit right in with the orginal HL2 theme!! Also it installed to the right spot the first time!
Absolutly —
28th July 2007
“Riot Act” is easily one of the best mods of 2007! I just finished it and it’s a great ride. Best of all each level is fairly diverse! The creators make great use of the existing Half-Life 2 objects/backgrounds and create something new (but famaliar). Kudos to them for allowing you to see more of the inner workings of the Combine.
28th July 2007
One of the great ones, deffinitely up there. If you haven’t already;
28th July 2007
From [url=http://uoz.multiplayer.it/ra/index.php?content=about]Riot Act’s About page[/url]:
Q: I can’t install it! It keeps me saying that I don’t have Steam installed!
A: You can fix it, do as follows:
1. Open regedit
2. Locate your HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Valve\Steam directory
3. Right click on the right pane a create a new “string value”
4. Name it “InstallPath” without the quotes
5. Right click on in and modify it: put you Steam installation path, should be something like C:\Program Files\Valve\Steam\
6. Restart the installer
28th July 2007
I don’t care to much for stories so I can’t complain about that. My only gripe is health. There are times where my health is very low and there is a shortage of health packs. Overall though, I do like the game and the puzzles. Hope we get more of these type of games to play. Many thanks.
28th July 2007
So far I am very impressed. Like most people, I have certain dislikes such as wave after wave of bad guys coming at me. I suggest cutting the number of baddies to a manageable level. I am super pleased with the extraction and loading which bugs me too often. This mod can stand as am example of how to to it. I am happy to say
play it now. (The green button wasn’t working for me.)
29th July 2007
This mod is one of the best I played for HL 2. Map quality is very good in every way (details, enemy and item placing, etc). Surely the story wasn’t the most important thing the designers watched for, but it wasn’t necesary for the concept of the mod.
Even I teamed up with Ant Lions Again, something I ever wanted to do again. Sure there’s no vehicles to drive, but the ant lions are there! and in some way the presence of those bugs didn’t make the game “very easy” like Nova Prospekt chap. of HL2. I had to use them in more tactical ways.
I like when a game give me the right number of supplies to make the game more tactical, but sometimes I missed the .357.
4.5/5 I give before, or better.
29th July 2007
There is only one reason I’m downloading this mod, and that reason is that you have a very nice looking banner on the main page with a lot of good comments.
29th July 2007
This is fun. Really fun. The voice acting is slightly wonky compared to the original male voice, but definately not embarassingly bad.
This is the way a mod for Half-life 2 should be, and even better, it’s not about Gordon.
29th July 2007
Thank you, Yochanan for the useful info. I just did that and I’ll try installing it tomorrow when I have some free time. Again, thanks!
29th July 2007
GREAT!
GREAT!
GREAT!
IN ONE WORD: EXCELLENT MOD.
Maybe one of the 5 best mods ever made.
29th July 2007
Just finished the mod……AWESOME!!! does not do it justice!My only (small) complaint is that the antlion AI could have been a little smarter.
29th July 2007
Finished and must use more space to say this is what an excellent mod has. One minor, well major, problem. The really good ones are way too short. I wasn’t disappointed at the ending. I was disappoints that it ended.
29th July 2007
I loved this mod. The end scene was beautifully put together.
My only complaint was right in the beginning when you need ammo, they repeat the same line over and over. An ammo box or more given to you would reduce this
Regardless, Great mod
29th July 2007
Compared to the plethora of crap HL2 mods out there, this one is a a breath of fresh air. It’s an example of how a mod should be made, and all aspiring modders should take a look at it. I hope these guys continue their excellent work.
30th July 2007
I am having trouble, I am only on level 1 and experiencing freeze-ups, any ldeas? No problem with other mods, reduced down to 800 x 600 seemed to progress better but crashed again again.
30th July 2007
I experienced the freeze ups as well, but soon figured out it does it everytime a music track starts to play – passed those white double doors with laser behind it for example. I restarted my computer and the problem went away, but try waiting a few moments longer incase the track is “loading”
All I can suggest.
30th July 2007
Wow, I was thoroughly impressed with this one. I had a lot of fun playing it which I put down to SUPERB level design (with regards to layout, enemy placement, etc.) Some of the set-pieces were awesome. I loved the bridge at the end, and the gunship battle area.
Like every mod, it’s not without it’s faults. Thankfully they were nothing major but there were a few things I noticed which I’ll explain…
1. As MMAN said, health was pretty scarce at one point. Particularly around the part where you go outside and face the APC.
2. I was also unsure of whether I was meant to get my allies to follow me into the building or not on the same part. A bit of dialogue would have been good, your companion saying “Go on without me!” or something.
3. I don’t know if I’m just being stupid but I could not for the life of me work out how to get the rocket launcher. I tried using the (single) crate to jump over the fence or on to the dumpster but it was too small. In the end I had to noclip because I was getting killed my the gunship. I couldn’t work out what to do after that either, when the citizen appeared on the other side of the fence.
4. A pistol or 357 would have been nice.
5. The Antlion Guard battle was made a bit redundant when you could back up through the narrow passageway and just keep rolling grenades under it. It works better if you trap the player and force them to keep running.
6. I noticed the skybox in the Antlion Guard’s pit aswell.
7. Story and dialogue was pretty scarce. After the initial welcoming I was hoping for some more chatter.
8. There was a general lack of detail in the maps. They could have done with a lot more props and debris.
Anyway, as I said, these were pretty minor things (except maybe the rocket launcher). I have to say, I thought the Combine-tech areas of the prison were exceptionally well made and looked like they could have come straight from HL2.
I highly recommend this mod.
30th July 2007
This is a superb mod. The time it has been being worked on, the modders have really made a great job there. Designed maps coherently within architetures current to that of normal Half Life2, while playing it you will be able to recap some places alike in both game and mod. Voice acting is something quite uncommon in this mod, which has been very well applied with intensity and emotion where necessary. Another great aspect for those who do this, when I opened up the mod I was impressed that more than half of the mod MBs size was applied within maps. This made me happy since made mods out there make maps with 2 ~4 MBs, but the rest of the content heavy out to be sometimes nearly as big as 30MB in the total file size with sounds, and some things that shows themsevles unnecesary in certain cases. For what, if you like Half Life 2 mods, and appreciate a good work, you can definitely download this one here and have fun more than just a single time.
30th July 2007
I must be the only person, but I didn’t like this mod at all. I was quite glad when it ended.
The guy at the beginning who kept getting in my way in firefights so he could give me ammo really annoyed me and the antlions got in the way but didn’t give me ammo! Fortunately they can’t speak like Mr Take Some Ammo.
The mapping was OK but the architecture was boring. I quite liked the bridge sequence but it didn’t last long.
If you’ve got nothing better to do (like cut your toenails) and don’t mind annoying gameplay and lacklustre visuals then…
ps Did anyone else have to noclip through the gate after destroying the Gunship?
30th July 2007
The rebel on the other side should shoot the lock after you attempt to talk to him.
31st July 2007
After finally getting a chance to play this I’m very impressed with the quality and attention to detail.The only thing that bugged me was the strider but thats probably because I hate them lol.
31st July 2007
I had a problem with the gate Jumbles.
After shooting down the gunships the rebel didn’t appear.
After noclipping through however, he appeared and I continued the game.
Very impressive to say the least. I hope they release more mods with quality as high as this.
31st July 2007
I had the same issue with the rebel that first didn’t appear at the gate…
Appart from that I really compare this release with the first of the author which was well appreciated the long night.
I think it was a strong solid release with great architecture (especially the end bridge and environment) and with a well use of enemies placement, use of antlion and ‘secret’ places where you can always find some extra health…
The gameplay even if it sadly misses a storyline flows in the right direction, the Prison seems perhaps a little to repetitive and makes you mad with dewashed blue en yellow color. Puzzle are easy to understand but add the little thinking needed in every HL release. Also the custom voice acting and the music used where well fitting.
Is there anything to complain… some sort of the body armor that recharges (would have prefer to pick several time a new armor), the disapoint hand skin (not enough detail and too white looking), the fact that it dramaticaly slow down in the end (bridge) part (could the author just split the brigde part to avoid this?).
In conclusion an interesting good release that will give you for arround 1h 30 an enjoyable experience. I consider it’s perhaps a little too classic (except last bridge) to be part of my top 5 best mods but it’s certainly is part of my top 10…
so if you still didn’t
1st August 2007
I’d like to go back and have another go at the gate – I really don’t like cheating to complete a game – but I uninstalled the mod and deleted the download as soon as I’d finished.
Maybe if this mod was updated – gameplay improved and this bug fixed – then I might give it another go
2nd August 2007
Fun mod, well done
2nd August 2007
Only had a chance to play for a few minutes yesterday but I can say that its a very well done mod. Very easy to install and runs very smoothly without any frame rate drops (Ive had mods have bad frame rates even though I didn’t have anything running in the background).
On normal it is fairly difficult, but that could be because I’ve been playing a lot of Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, and Rainbow Six lately and the guns actually have accuracy. You can use the same tactics with the rifle on Half Life 2.
I found the lighting to be very well done and the atmosphere that the lighting creates along with the architecture feels very similar to the Nova Prospekt level in Half Life 2 that this game parallels.
All in all, I say:
(P.S. First time using the images, clicking on the image below didn’t seem to do anything, so I tried using some html. Let’s hope it worked
)
2nd August 2007
I was updating the code, which is why it probably didn’t work. Everything should work fine now. I’ve edited your comment to include the correct code.
2nd August 2007
Excellent
2nd August 2007
Hehe, thanks Phillip! It was a tiny Play It Now symbol for a while there
3rd August 2007
I just finished this. Fantastic mod. Riot Act is up there with Minerva in my mind. I only have two gripes. In one act I struggled through with less than 50 health at all times playing on normal. A few more health packs in the second level would be nice. Also, during the battle with the gunships, I was confused about how to get the RPG. I only discovered the ladder by accident after a few failed attempts to carry a wooden box across the battlefield to hop a fence.One small bug, since the developer seems to be looking here (also a tiny spoiler): When you board the pod and the squad mate is killed, the HUD icon for a squad stayed up for a while. Not sure if this is a problem inherent with Half Life 2 or an isolated bug.
3rd August 2007
Pretty good. Not jaw-dropping, but still a good mod. I didn’t encounter any bugs. If you enjoyed the Nova Prospekt chapter of HL2, you’ll really like this. But I honestly thought it dragged a little too far– I got a little sick of walking through area after area of the prison. And the ending is very mediocre too, though the bridge was pretty neat.
If you like SP mods, you’ll probably get one good run out of this one. Just don’t have your hopes up for anything out-of-the-box of what you’ve already played in HL2.
3rd August 2007
I agree with many of the points made by Jimbo and Jumbles. (Lol.)
In my opinion, this mod is simply ‘solid’, with the added label of ‘what other mods should relate to.’
It’s not really innovative, bar the very well made bridge on the last map. Gameplay is solid. Some fun fights, with good enemy placement and great layouts.
However, my opinions and tastes come again with some gameplay styles. I’m not really fond of arenas where enemies swarm at you from three dimensions. That part with the second (Or third?) mounted pulse gun was very annoying. (I usually enjoy arena maps or arena segements.) In fact, I’m not sure of the author’s intentions here. Was it an arena?
An arena is usually where the player is held up in a single area, with multiple enemies swarming in. The player can only proceed when he/she has killed a certain number of enemies or a time limit as been reached. At the aforementioned area, I could just skip this place entirely and proceed onwards. In fact, I ignored many of the soldiers, did what I had to do, and let the antlions deal with the soldiers.
Of course that’s just nitpicking. But as I said, gameplay was solid but fun. Nothing innovative, though… Bar, once again, the bridge area.
Actually, while I’m on that, that area was a little… Lacking, actually. While the concept was innovative (Gameplay wise.) it lacked good execution and real ‘oomph.’ The strider was easy to dodge… And did you even have to kill it? I think I could’ve just nicked off down to that boat and be done with it. (I’m not sure, since I’ve only played once…) I just think there could’ve been more to that area gameplay wise that would’ve spiced it up!
Again, this is just nitpicking, and my own tastes come into this.
Design was (Here’s that word again…) solid! But alot of it was innovative and interesting. (Like… Yep, that’s right… THE BRIDGE!!!) Nothing really wrong with design, but Jumbles is right to point out how some of the design is quite boring. I, myself, found many places where the design could’ve had the benefit of more deeper lighting and more trimwork. But still, design was solid.
I have to nitpick on design, though. The cart/rail (I forgot the name… And I call myself a Half-Life fan!) sequence in the Nova Prospekt Depot (But I can still balance it out with what I DO know!) felt… Pretty useless actually. But it ended with a moment that made me think ‘cool!’, so that’s good. But still, it felt useless. Maybe more set pieces, eye-candy, vistas…
Oh yeah, I must say while the voice acting was clear and with good quality, the acting (No offense to the actor.) felt very ‘static’. But again, that’s just nitpicking.
To conclude, I’ll have to disagree with Jumbles on something, though… I did like the mod! It was fun and reasonably enjoyable! I trusted the comments here with the plethora of ‘PLAY IT!’ icons, and I wasn’t dissapointed. But the mod is still not too innovative (Bar… THE BRIDGE… Oh, and it’s nice to see those exploding Combine locks as shown in HL2:Episode 1…) and is simply a solid achievement.
But like I (And like many other people have…) said above, the mod is what other mods should relate to. It’s the type of thing modders should take notes off of.
And there you go.
By the way, I chose ‘CONSIDER IT,’ because… Well, my review pretty much sums it up. But It’s just that I’ve decided to go with my tastes and opinions rather then if going with the ‘other players will get a kick out of it,’ sort of thing. It’s just that I like to see lots of innovation and I have styles of gameplay which I prefer.
I know what your thinking… “Go play a total conversion” or something, (Although most people here are pretty accepting of others… And freindly!) but I like to play these sort of mods, because it adds to the experience. (Of the actual gaming universe defined in the game itself (In this case, the Half-Life franchise.) that is.)
3rd August 2007
Oh yeah, and the mod was relatively bug-free, (On my end, it seems. Others have encountered that bug after the gunship battle with the citizen not opening the gate.) which is a big plus!
Actually, looking back, the gunship battle WAS pretty interesting. I liked how you had to jump over that stuff to get the RPG, then jump out. And it was FUN! (Thought it was a tad frustrating, however.)
3rd August 2007
Very good presentation and overall design.
It’s true that the Nova Prospekt theme is nothing new, but that was part of the idea and it’s pulled off extremely well. Some areas might feel empty in visual terms, but the fast paced combat makes you forget that.
It doesn’t offer anything specially new, but I repeat that was not really the objective. The combat and some of the vistas make it definately worth your time.
4th August 2007
I haven’t seen many people set a mod actually in Nova Prospekt itself. Especially not where you play as another prisoner.
5th August 2007
The biggest prison EVER? It is in this mod! After crash upon crash, and freezing again and again I lowered my resolution to 1024×768 and reset everything to the lower settings….even using the -heapsize 512000 and finally I got to finish it….Very very impressive and I am going to have another go, which is a rare thing these days!
Brilliantly thought out and fabulous architecture, even if the prison goes on for ever….good traps and a couple of places where the only thing to do is cut & run rather than stay and be decimated.
Definitely a:
7th August 2007
No tech problem whatsoever. Ran like a breeze.
Much better, imho, than HL2: Ep1!
Could have been longer though… maybe with some buggy drive in the end ?… A final trip along the coast?…
Ok. Ok. I’m acting like a kid here
Seriously. This mod is high quality all the way! Many thanks for this great HL2 moment.
7th August 2007
I’m really happy you enjoyed Riot Act. Your comments pay me back for all the effort I put in.
Thanks
8th August 2007
A Few VERY minor bugs at times but it’s all worth it And the bridge part is brilliant
12th August 2007
Review
Not sure this mod has much in the way of a story line, not that it’s ever stopped dedicated HL players in the past. After a short intro showing the Combine running a-muck again through the tenement buildings, you find yourself within Nova Prospekt Cellblock.
Much of the early stages are set within the prison complex, and whilst the design was adequate, the scenery does get a bit repetitive. The combat is intense with strong waves of Combine supported by attacking scanners and turret guns. The intensity of these encounters are draining both on ammo and health. You will need to keep a watch on supplies and reserves of both.
You also encounter both Antlions and their guard, however, you need to find out for yourself which side these sand creatures are on. I have never found the prison concept the most ideal setting for Antlions, they always appear out of place in the confined surroundings of Nova Prospekt.
As with the original HL2 game, the prison part is a long sequence which gives little relief to the enclosed, stereotype architecture of Nova Prospekt and its cellblocks. A few openings and puzzle solving sequences do offer a change to the gameplay without ever taxing the player. The prison sequence was well balanced in terms of the gameplay mix, if a bit short on supplies. Furthermore, it flowed well with ample encounters to keep you on your toes and in anticipation of what was to come next.
The mod finally opens up with an outside encounter against Combine troops and Gunships. Whilst the architecture of this sequence is nothing special, the setting does afford a well designed layout for the job at hand, namely dealing with some heavy hardware amidst a secondary engagement against well positioned troops.
Having acquired the help of an NPC, the mod takes on a new environment of the Citadel. Here the structures and textures are those of the original HL2 game. We also get to ride the clanking Stalker transit system, which gives good views of some admirably constructed Citadel structures made more impressive with good use of light and reflecting angles.
The grand architecture is kept to the end level which is a superb piece of design and script. Without giving to much of the action away, the bridge sequence is by far the best part of the mod. A unique piece of mapping and gameplay for which the author deserves much praise.
In many respects the sequence draws upon the bridge levels from the original HL2 game. This is not to say that the sequence matches the grandeur and depth of the original. Nevertheless, the author has produced a fine piece of mapping, with an intriguing mix of action and involvement set upon an impressive bridge design with a coastal surround.
The bridge and ending sequence left me wishing that the author had spent less time mapping the prison sequences, to give us more levels amidst the big outdoors. I enjoyed the serenity of the end sequence, giving time to admire the the coastline, the fading bridge structure and the merging ocean.
Summary
Tough in parts with intense combat requiring conservative use of ammo, with a care to health levels.
Some fine set pieces, with more than adequate design throughout, if somewhat repetitive in places with sparse incidental content in some areas.
New stuff included good if limited voice acting. An NPC which appeared to have a new skin and a unique piece of mapping with the well crafted bridge and end sequence.
Good use of the HL2 cast both alien and humanoid, along with Combine and their hardware, makes the mod solid in content.
The environmental settings were too limited, with the Nova Prospekt theme taking up, for me, too much of the mod’s content and the resultant gameplay.
Puzzles for the main part are find the right button to progress, plus some good but simple climbing routines.
I have a few issues with the mod, and whilst I did not encounter the trigger problems reported by some PlanetPhillip readers, I did encounter a string of freeze-ups all within the first level of the mod. I have no explanation for these freeze-ups which always necessitated in booting my machine. They never occurred in the same place and whilst frustrating, they did not deter me from continuing the mod. Having read all the posts so far listed regarding the mod on PlanetPhillip, this would not appear to be a common issue.
Negative Points
– Lack of differing environmental settings
– Repetitive enclosed surroundings in part
– Weak storyline
Positive Points
– Some fine architectural set pieces
– Intense Combine encounters
– Good mix of HL2 cast and hardware
Conclusion
Without too much deliberation, this is a fine mod well worth the download and a recommendation to go Play It Now.
Maybe not a classic, nor one of my top 4 or 5, but it’s fun to play and has a lot of quality. Let’s hope we get more from this very talented and established author. I am sure there is the promise of even better things to come.
My Recommendation
12th August 2007
Just finished playing; well designed, enjoyable mod. I can only imagine the technical nous required to compile a modification for a game like Half-Life 2, so any quibbles with the story are not worth mentioning. No bugs or freezes for me either. Thanks, Germano.