Comments on: The Citizen – Half-Life 2 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/ Finishing Half-Life is just the beginning! Thu, 09 Feb 2012 08:33:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: ID10T http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-11/#comment-258814 ID10T Wed, 22 Jun 2011 21:30:11 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-258814 Excellent Mod, the Sin Bin for noclip was a cool funny idea, very good game play, Half Life should be more like this imo. Keep up the good work..can't wait to play part 3... :) Excellent Mod, the Sin Bin for noclip was a cool funny idea, very good game play, Half Life should be more like this imo. Keep up the good work..can’t wait to play part 3… :)
]]> By: tyronesdaddy http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-11/#comment-256516 tyronesdaddy Tue, 07 Jun 2011 21:04:30 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-256516 I tried playing the Citizen V 1.1 and cannot get anyone to talk to me. It seems that scripts do not run properly in the game, I am guessing due to Steam updates. Is there going to be an update in the future to fix this? BTW the Citizen 2 works fine. I tried playing the Citizen V 1.1 and cannot get anyone to talk to me. It seems that scripts do not run properly in the game, I am guessing due to Steam updates. Is there going to be an update in the future to fix this? BTW the Citizen 2 works fine.
]]> By: Max http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-11/#comment-251113 Max Sun, 10 Apr 2011 10:29:57 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-251113 Scene 'scenes\bully_gogettv.vcd' missing! Scene 'scenes\chico_speech.vcd' missing! Scene 'scenes\breen_dance.vcd' missing! Scene 'scenes\chico2_taketv.vcd' missing! Scene 'scenes\bully_itsbroken.vcd' missing! I hae just downloaded the mod and save, and this keeps on showing in my console at the apartment level. Any ideas on how to fix? Scene ‘scenes\bully_gogettv.vcd’ missing!
Scene ‘scenes\chico_speech.vcd’ missing!
Scene ‘scenes\breen_dance.vcd’ missing!
Scene ‘scenes\chico2_taketv.vcd’ missing!
Scene ‘scenes\bully_itsbroken.vcd’ missing!

I hae just downloaded the mod and save, and this keeps on showing in my console at the apartment level. Any ideas on how to fix?

]]> By: Kasperg http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-244527 Kasperg Sun, 27 Feb 2011 18:32:10 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-244527 If it doesn't work, you must have extracted the contents of the patch in the wrong place, as the mod does indeed work with those files. I hope you sort it out. If it doesn’t work, you must have extracted the contents of the patch in the wrong place, as the mod does indeed work with those files. I hope you sort it out.
]]> By: Dsmracer http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-244521 Dsmracer Sun, 27 Feb 2011 17:00:16 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-244521 Can't get passed the guy in the stairs and he won't speak. I tried the usual fixes listed and the update but to no avail. Anyone able to get this fixed? Can’t get passed the guy in the stairs and he won’t speak. I tried the usual fixes listed and the update but to no avail. Anyone able to get this fixed?
]]> By: planetphillip http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-243882 planetphillip Sun, 20 Feb 2011 19:28:15 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-243882 <blockquote>Well, in real life, you will see people with bad accents</blockquote> Yes, but in real life you can ask people to repeat things in different ways.

Well, in real life, you will see people with bad accents

Yes, but in real life you can ask people to repeat things in different ways.

]]> By: Joji http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-243878 Joji Sun, 20 Feb 2011 19:08:15 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-243878 This mod is my personal favorite. Heck it's one of the best mods I played!! Voice acting was kind of disapointing, but the bad accents? <strong>Well, in real life, you will see people with bad accents, so bad accents are realistic. So deal with it. :P</strong> They are good! Gameplay was amazing, lighting, and I hardly saw any glitches at all. Perfect mod. Though, the part where you're suppose to get into the vent to open the door for your 3 comrades at the near end, was kind of disapointing since you have to leave them. :( And the scene right before the credits was a little odd. Someone explain it to me please? Thanks... What is really interesting about this mod is Chapter 2, where you ...SPOILER REMOVED BY PHILLIP... Very very interesting!! Great job guys!! Overall, I'd give this mod a 9/10. :D This mod is my personal favorite. Heck it’s one of the best mods I played!! Voice acting was kind of disapointing, but the bad accents? Well, in real life, you will see people with bad accents, so bad accents are realistic. So deal with it. :P They are good!

Gameplay was amazing, lighting, and I hardly saw any glitches at all. Perfect mod. Though, the part where you’re suppose to get into the vent to open the door for your 3 comrades at the near end, was kind of disapointing since you have to leave them. :(

And the scene right before the credits was a little odd. Someone explain it to me please? Thanks…

What is really interesting about this mod is Chapter 2, where you …SPOILER REMOVED BY PHILLIP… Very very interesting!! Great job guys!!

Overall, I’d give this mod a 9/10. :D

]]> By: Robspace1 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-239471 Robspace1 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 23:27:21 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-239471 Chris-I'm having the same problem as others have posted. In the start, where you talk to the guy on the stairs about his tv. He says nothing, and even though I bring the other tv to him, he says and does nothing, so, end of game. I've installed the update from here as well as from Moddb and it makes no difference, same problem. I have Direct x 9 running and my system is fine. I just played Mafia 2. I played this when you first came out with it, and I'd like to replay it before your new one, which is out now. If there's anything else I can try to get this working, please let me know. I don't really care to move alot of files around, but as I remember, this really is an outstanding mod. Thanks for all the work, and too bad Steam makes changes that effect the way these mods and other games function. Steam needs to really do more testing as they are so big and any changes they make should really be annilized before being done. Your mods are good and I thank you for all the fine work. Chris-I’m having the same problem as others have posted. In the start, where you talk to the guy on the stairs about his tv. He says nothing, and even though I bring the other tv to him, he says and does nothing, so, end of game.
I’ve installed the update from here as well as from Moddb and it makes no difference, same problem. I have Direct x 9 running and my system is fine. I just played Mafia 2. I played this when you first came out with it, and I’d like to replay it before your new one, which is out now. If there’s anything else I can try to get this working, please let me know.
I don’t really care to move alot of files around, but as I remember, this really is an outstanding mod. Thanks for all the work, and too bad Steam makes changes that effect the way these mods and other games function. Steam needs to really do more testing as they are so big and any changes they make should really be annilized before being done. Your mods are good and I thank you for all the fine work.
]]> By: Anonymous http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-237889 Anonymous Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:58:52 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-237889 I just found a fix! In <em>The Citizen</em> mod's <strong>materials/console/</strong> folder, find the file <strong>thecitizen_bg1.vtf</strong>, make a copy of it in the same folder, and rename the copy <strong>thecitizen_bg1_widescreen.vtf</strong>. Then do the exact same process for <strong>thecitizen_bg2.vtf</strong>, renaming the copy to <strong>thecitizen_bg2_widescreen.vtf</strong>. This fixes the high resolution launch crash completely. I just found a fix!

In The Citizen mod’s materials/console/ folder, find the file thecitizen_bg1.vtf, make a copy of it in the same folder, and rename the copy thecitizen_bg1_widescreen.vtf. Then do the exact same process for thecitizen_bg2.vtf, renaming the copy to thecitizen_bg2_widescreen.vtf.

This fixes the high resolution launch crash completely.

]]> By: Anonymous http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-237888 Anonymous Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:52:06 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-237888 Thank you! Thank you! This fixes my problem nicely. Thank you! Thank you! This fixes my problem nicely.
]]> By: Anonymous http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-237887 Anonymous Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:45:34 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-237887 I'm having this exact same problem! Please post the fix as soon as possible! I’m having this exact same problem! Please post the fix as soon as possible!
]]> By: Anonymous http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-237886 Anonymous Thu, 06 Jan 2011 12:42:42 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-237886 I'm having the same problem, using the patch. If I try to launch the game in forced high resolution (my native 1920x1080), then it crashes as soon as it starts. However, it will start in 1280x1024 or any other 4:3 resolution, and then I'm able to change it in the in-game menu. So I've had to tell steam to launch it in 1280x1024 in order for it to work, and then change the resolution every time I play. It's fairly annoying, but reproducible so I know it's a bug. I don't know what the cause could be, and I've tried everything short of trying to edit the mod directly. I’m having the same problem, using the patch. If I try to launch the game in forced high resolution (my native 1920×1080), then it crashes as soon as it starts. However, it will start in 1280×1024 or any other 4:3 resolution, and then I’m able to change it in the in-game menu. So I’ve had to tell steam to launch it in 1280×1024 in order for it to work, and then change the resolution every time I play.

It’s fairly annoying, but reproducible so I know it’s a bug. I don’t know what the cause could be, and I’ve tried everything short of trying to edit the mod directly.

]]> By: Tonester http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-237533 Tonester Sun, 02 Jan 2011 18:38:11 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-237533 I did install the July patch. I did reinstall it last week with the patch and it worked fine. At the church, I minimised my screen to check something and hl2.exe crashed. When I went to restart it, I heard a Windows error and the game just didn't start. Tried reboot but still the same problem. Uninstalled the whole game and tried again but still had the error sound. Tried without the patch but the triggers don't work so couldn't advance. Added the patch and had the same error sound, so it appears the patch no longer works even with a fresh download. I did install the July patch. I did reinstall it last week with the patch and it worked fine. At the church, I minimised my screen to check something and hl2.exe crashed. When I went to restart it, I heard a Windows error and the game just didn’t start. Tried reboot but still the same problem. Uninstalled the whole game and tried again but still had the error sound. Tried without the patch but the triggers don’t work so couldn’t advance. Added the patch and had the same error sound, so it appears the patch no longer works even with a fresh download.
]]> By: s.anchev http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-237472 s.anchev Sat, 01 Jan 2011 23:09:04 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-237472 Sorry for you guys, but I've played it from beginning to the end one week ago, I re-tried it today and it works perfectly. Have you installed the patch from July 2010? Sorry for you guys, but I’ve played it from beginning to the end one week ago, I re-tried it today and it works perfectly.

Have you installed the patch from July 2010?

]]> By: Tonester http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-237470 Tonester Sat, 01 Jan 2011 22:34:20 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-237470 Thank you for replying tommiezat. Glad to know it isn't just me. Does anyone know if there is/will be a fix for this? It is obviously another Valve update that has once again ruined our enjoyment. Thank you for replying tommiezat. Glad to know it isn’t just me. Does anyone know if there is/will be a fix for this? It is obviously another Valve update that has once again ruined our enjoyment.
]]> By: tommiezat http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-237282 tommiezat Fri, 31 Dec 2010 03:29:34 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-237282 Yes I tried to replay this and dloaded it plus the fix located on PP site and ModDB and i could not get it to work. Yes I tried to replay this and dloaded it plus the fix located on PP site and ModDB and i could not get it to work.
]]> By: Tonester http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-237265 Tonester Thu, 30 Dec 2010 23:42:18 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-237265 Haven't played this for a while so thought I would give it a go before playing the second part. However, when I add the fix, I cannot load up the game. Anyone else getting this error? Haven’t played this for a while so thought I would give it a go before playing the second part. However, when I add the fix, I cannot load up the game. Anyone else getting this error?
]]> By: john http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-237021 john Wed, 29 Dec 2010 01:44:49 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-237021 Just finished citizen 1. the patch on mod db does work. wow what a great mod, thank you for all your hard work. the parts with the adviser were great. now off to citizen 2 while my guns are still warm. Just finished citizen 1. the patch on mod db does work. wow what a great mod, thank you for all your hard work. the parts with the adviser were great. now off to citizen 2 while my guns are still warm.
]]> By: s.anchev http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-236554 s.anchev Sun, 26 Dec 2010 01:13:57 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-236554 Another PIN for this mod'. I've played it long ago, but never posted a review. Seeing the amazing work on Citizen 2, there were clearly changements between the 2, and this was better for the 2, I can say :) The first part of Citizen 1 is weak, IMHO : it is long, you go from NPC A to NPC B to NPC C, just for speeches, there is some "puzzles" sympathic with some buttons, I understand that Karsperg and Fox wanted to put you from "simple citizen" to "resistance member", step by step, but this part was cool but clearly a little boring. Then, the airboat part' wasn't clearly enjoyable : Having played Forward Motion, I can tell people can make entertaining airboat levels... And here that wasn't the case. This was more like the infamouso-boring Buggy sequence of Coastline to Atmosphere. However, it gets better and better!!! Numerous squad assaults in the team, numerous scripted sequences and interesting story very well-developed!!! The "map10" in the rebel base is truly EPIC and there is many things to do. I laughed with the woman locked by a facetious member (Marcus) and two levels later, it gets more interesting as Marcus (again) re-do the joke... with a darker end... The final level was magnificent, this is clearly well-done, we really feel in the boots of an underground resistance team such as the times of French resistance in WWII, I was holding my breath till the end. So, a PIN for an overall perfect mod but with a weak beginning. Overall, one of the best mod's of HL so far, especially with its sequel now :D EDIT : I praise also your limited use of the G-Man. At first, I wondered why he appeared just so little. But this is clever : he appears at the beginning because he took an interest on the hero, but he has to follow first on Gordon. Then he appeared just if the hero is clearly in overwhelming trouble. Great! Another PIN for this mod’. I’ve played it long ago, but never posted a review.

Seeing the amazing work on Citizen 2, there were clearly changements between the 2, and this was better for the 2, I can say :)

The first part of Citizen 1 is weak, IMHO : it is long, you go from NPC A to NPC B to NPC C, just for speeches, there is some “puzzles” sympathic with some buttons, I understand that Karsperg and Fox wanted to put you from “simple citizen” to “resistance member”, step by step, but this part was cool but clearly a little boring.

Then, the airboat part’ wasn’t clearly enjoyable : Having played Forward Motion, I can tell people can make entertaining airboat levels… And here that wasn’t the case. This was more like the infamouso-boring Buggy sequence of Coastline to Atmosphere.

However, it gets better and better!!! Numerous squad assaults in the team, numerous scripted sequences and interesting story very well-developed!!!

The “map10″ in the rebel base is truly EPIC and there is many things to do. I laughed with the woman locked by a facetious member (Marcus) and two levels later, it gets more interesting as Marcus (again) re-do the joke… with a darker end… The final level was magnificent, this is clearly well-done, we really feel in the boots of an underground resistance team such as the times of French resistance in WWII, I was holding my breath till the end.

So, a PIN for an overall perfect mod but with a weak beginning. Overall, one of the best mod’s of HL so far, especially with its sequel now :D

EDIT : I praise also your limited use of the G-Man. At first, I wondered why he appeared just so little. But this is clever : he appears at the beginning because he took an interest on the hero, but he has to follow first on Gordon. Then he appeared just if the hero is clearly in overwhelming trouble. Great!

]]> By: OG Loc http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-232326 OG Loc Wed, 10 Nov 2010 01:37:06 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-232326 One of my favorite mods! A life of a citizen huh? I think it was pretty too original to have the HEV Suit instead of something else. Some parts of the mod were really funny, like the broken TV, DO NOT TOUCH buttons, the theater posters, and more! One of my favorite mods! A life of a citizen huh? I think it was pretty too original to have the HEV Suit instead of something else. Some parts of the mod were really funny, like the broken TV, DO NOT TOUCH buttons, the theater posters, and more!
]]> By: rikersbeard http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-231639 rikersbeard Sun, 31 Oct 2010 14:48:56 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-231639 UPDATE I have finally finished this mod thanks to the update.. I left a long gap before replaying so I could enjoy it almost fresh. And I must admit I still love its quirky characters and humour along with the action. Bravo to all involved…….. My only niggle is the ending. I finished it on the train, then found dog and the credits rolled. Nice music! So I checked out the vid-walkthrough here and found the missing box of “Monster” cereal. So I replayed and got the message, “found 15/15 Easter eggs’ and expected a different ending, but I got the same one! Is there a difference? Not the greatest ever mod but the most enjoyable. If that makes sense? UPDATE

I have finally finished this mod thanks to the update.. I left a long gap before replaying so I could enjoy it almost fresh. And I must admit I still love its quirky characters and humour along with the action. Bravo to all involved……..
My only niggle is the ending. I finished it on the train, then found dog and the credits rolled. Nice music! So I checked out the vid-walkthrough here and found the missing box of “Monster” cereal. So I replayed and got the message, “found 15/15 Easter eggs’ and expected a different ending, but I got the same one! Is there a difference?

Not the greatest ever mod but the most enjoyable. If that makes sense?

]]> By: keithinvietnam http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-230976 keithinvietnam Sun, 24 Oct 2010 07:42:23 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-230976 Being a parallel timeline mod, <em>The Citizen</em> definitely gives you the feeling you've re-entered the Half-Life 2 world after the 7 hour war, but perhaps some days later than Gordon Freeman makes his mysterious reappearance. The storyline starts innocently enough, and is driven forward by numerous custom voiced character interactions. Similarly played out to the original game, you progress by solving puzzles or completing "mini goals." There's a lot of variety here, and particularly rewarding are all of the details meant for avid Half Life fans. Also, to replace Valve's achievements, the designers included special easter eggs which are sometimes very challenging to locate. They are numbered, so if you miss one, you can go back to an earlier saved game to search more carefully. I managed to find all of them by this method, which unlocked a special area near the end of the mod. The developers also managed to come up with an extremely ingenious way to prevent players from cheating (ie., by using the <em>noclip</em> command) to find the sometimes very elaborately presented easter eggs. The maps are very reminiscent of those in Half Life 2, though I found them to be somewhat claustrophobic, and the outdoor areas seems rather contrived at times, sometimes ending too soon, and not always based on realistic conventions of a city landscape. That said, there was much variety in the maps as well as gameplay, but I would love to see what the developers could do with some outdoor or more expansive maps. A lot of actions in The Citizen are based on the sequence of things, and as I understand, this is why the player is not allowed to sprint. I felt at a loss in certain battles without this ability, and also my not following the proper sequence the developers intended resulted in getting stuck in some maps - forcing me to load and earlier saved game, and falling victim to certain death (including a swarm of manhacks) in others. This and some of the strange actions of enemy NPCs took away from the playability of The Citizen, but once I went back a saved game, it was easily forgotten as I re-entered all the fun to be had. Right before its abrupt ending (to be continued wit a sequel,) The Citizen just begins to feel like Half-Life 2 in a way that made me try to remember "how did I get here, exactly," which I see as a good thing, because it makes you feel like you are actually in the game, living it. To push that feeling even more, the developers also employed nicely done lightmaps which change according to the time of day as you progress, along with custom music, and well thought out soundscapes. I also really enjoyed the very unique and original effect of wearing a uniform as a disguise, forcing me to think in a more stealthy way with my gameplay. In the end, I just wish it didn't have to end so suddenly, though there will be another entry in the Citizen story coming soon, and that makes me pretty happy. <div class="sbe2">My Ratings</div> <table class="mrbs"> <thead> <tr> <th><strong>GAMEPLAY</strong></th> <th><strong>MAP DESIGN</strong></th> </tr> </thead> <tbody> <tr> <td>Playability: <img src="/media/admin/mrbs-07.jpg" alt="Mini Review Bar System" /></td> <td>Detail: <img src="/media/admin/mrbs-10.jpg" alt="Mini Review Bar System" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Originality: <img src="/media/admin/mrbs-09.jpg" alt="Mini Review Bar System" /></td> <td>Puzzles: <img src="/media/admin/mrbs-09.jpg" alt="Mini Review Bar System" /></td> <tr> <td>Challenge: <img src="/media/admin/mrbs-09.jpg" alt="Mini Review Bar System" /></td> <td>Battles: <img src="/media/admin/mrbs-07.jpg" alt="Mini Review Bar System" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Storyline: <img src="/media/admin/mrbs-09.jpg" alt="Mini Review Bar System" /></td> <td>Lighting: <img src="/media/admin/mrbs-09.jpg" alt="Mini Review Bar System" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td>Variety: <img src="/media/admin/mrbs-08.jpg" alt="Mini Review Bar System" /></td> <td>Audio: <img src="/media/admin/mrbs-10.jpg" alt="Mini Review Bar System" /></td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <div class="sbe2">Notes on getting the mod to run properly</div> This mod is <em>not</em> compatible with the Mac version of Steam/HL2, as of October 2010. To get this mod working for me in the latest update of HL2 on Windows, I had to do three things: 1. Download & unzip the <em>hl2-sp-the-citizen-fix-v2.zip</em> patch available on this The Citizen page right here on PlanetPhillip. 2. Copy the contents of the folders of the above zip archive into the same named folders of the original The Citizen mod, overwriting files when necessary. 3. If you have an older videocard which is only DirectX 8.x compatible, you will need to follow these fix instructions also given here on Planet Phillip: Go into your /SourceMods/The Citizen/materials/citizen folder and rename the file “eliteoverlay2.vmt” to “eliteoverlay.vmt.” If needed, rename the original “eliteoverlay.vmt” to “eliteoverlay-backup.vmt” first. Being a parallel timeline mod, The Citizen definitely gives you the feeling you’ve re-entered the Half-Life 2 world after the 7 hour war, but perhaps some days later than Gordon Freeman makes his mysterious reappearance. The storyline starts innocently enough, and is driven forward by numerous custom voiced character interactions. Similarly played out to the original game, you progress by solving puzzles or completing “mini goals.” There’s a lot of variety here, and particularly rewarding are all of the details meant for avid Half Life fans. Also, to replace Valve’s achievements, the designers included special easter eggs which are sometimes very challenging to locate. They are numbered, so if you miss one, you can go back to an earlier saved game to search more carefully. I managed to find all of them by this method, which unlocked a special area near the end of the mod. The developers also managed to come up with an extremely ingenious way to prevent players from cheating (ie., by using the noclip command) to find the sometimes very elaborately presented easter eggs.

The maps are very reminiscent of those in Half Life 2, though I found them to be somewhat claustrophobic, and the outdoor areas seems rather contrived at times, sometimes ending too soon, and not always based on realistic conventions of a city landscape. That said, there was much variety in the maps as well as gameplay, but I would love to see what the developers could do with some outdoor or more expansive maps. A lot of actions in The Citizen are based on the sequence of things, and as I understand, this is why the player is not allowed to sprint. I felt at a loss in certain battles without this ability, and also my not following the proper sequence the developers intended resulted in getting stuck in some maps – forcing me to load and earlier saved game, and falling victim to certain death (including a swarm of manhacks) in others. This and some of the strange actions of enemy NPCs took away from the playability of The Citizen, but once I went back a saved game, it was easily forgotten as I re-entered all the fun to be had.

Right before its abrupt ending (to be continued wit a sequel,) The Citizen just begins to feel like Half-Life 2 in a way that made me try to remember “how did I get here, exactly,” which I see as a good thing, because it makes you feel like you are actually in the game, living it. To push that feeling even more, the developers also employed nicely done lightmaps which change according to the time of day as you progress, along with custom music, and well thought out soundscapes. I also really enjoyed the very unique and original effect of wearing a uniform as a disguise, forcing me to think in a more stealthy way with my gameplay. In the end, I just wish it didn’t have to end so suddenly, though there will be another entry in the Citizen story coming soon, and that makes me pretty happy.

My Ratings
GAMEPLAY MAP DESIGN
Playability: Mini Review Bar System Detail: Mini Review Bar System
Originality: Mini Review Bar System Puzzles: Mini Review Bar System
Challenge: Mini Review Bar System Battles: Mini Review Bar System
Storyline: Mini Review Bar System Lighting: Mini Review Bar System
Variety: Mini Review Bar System Audio: Mini Review Bar System
Notes on getting the mod to run properly

This mod is not compatible with the Mac version of Steam/HL2, as of October 2010. To get this mod working for me in the latest update of HL2 on Windows, I had to do three things:

1. Download & unzip the hl2-sp-the-citizen-fix-v2.zip patch available on this The Citizen page right here on PlanetPhillip.
2. Copy the contents of the folders of the above zip archive into the same named folders of the original The Citizen mod, overwriting files when necessary.
3. If you have an older videocard which is only DirectX 8.x compatible, you will need to follow these fix instructions also given here on Planet Phillip: Go into your /SourceMods/The Citizen/materials/citizen folder and rename the file “eliteoverlay2.vmt” to “eliteoverlay.vmt.” If needed, rename the original “eliteoverlay.vmt” to “eliteoverlay-backup.vmt” first.

]]> By: Fluorescent http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-228648 Fluorescent Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:42:05 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-228648 I love the 'DO NOT TOUCH' buttons I love the ‘DO NOT TOUCH’ buttons
]]> By: planetphillip http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-225805 planetphillip Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:46:21 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-225805 Even with the fix, it seems that the voices don't work. See here for more details: http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1289845 Even with the fix, it seems that the voices don’t work. See here for more details: http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1289845
]]> By: Burn http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-225802 Burn Thu, 05 Aug 2010 18:14:28 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-225802 Hi. So my brother just downloaded this mod earlier today after the latest Steam update. Whenever the game starts up it says something about a node, and then in the first level the guy by the stairs won't talk to you and neither will the woman upstairs. So, I tried downloading the fix-which, to my dissapointment, didn't come with any readme files or instructions-but it didn't work when I put it into The Citizen folder. So, I decided to put all of the files in the fix into the folders that don't have the correct files/don't have all of them. But it still didn't work. My brother and I are at a dead end right now. Please tell me how to install the fix? Thanks. Hi. So my brother just downloaded this mod earlier today after the latest Steam update. Whenever the game starts up it says something about a node, and then in the first level the guy by the stairs won’t talk to you and neither will the woman upstairs.
So, I tried downloading the fix-which, to my dissapointment, didn’t come with any readme files or instructions-but it didn’t work when I put it into The Citizen folder. So, I decided to put all of the files in the fix into the folders that don’t have the correct files/don’t have all of them. But it still didn’t work. My brother and I are at a dead end right now. Please tell me how to install the fix? Thanks.
]]> By: Timppa http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-224467 Timppa Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:47:38 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-224467 Never mind, I invented a fix to the crashes at startup. I post it here after I have completed the mod :p Never mind, I invented a fix to the crashes at startup. I post it here after I have completed the mod :p
]]> By: Timppa http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-224466 Timppa Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:41:30 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-224466 Crashes even after the fixes. Cannot find materials/console/thecitizen_bg1_widescreen Crashes even after the fixes. Cannot find materials/console/thecitizen_bg1_widescreen
]]> By: rikersbeard http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-224427 rikersbeard Thu, 15 Jul 2010 21:37:44 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-224427 It's back thanks to a fantastic new patch! All i can say is PLAY IT NOW! You never know when the water may again boil the data.......<strong> It’s back thanks to a fantastic new patch!
All i can say is PLAY IT NOW!
You never know when the water may again boil the data…….

]]> By: rayx http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-224290 rayx Wed, 14 Jul 2010 07:11:27 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-224290 Hi all, the mod won't start when configured to wide-screen resolution after installing the update. It usually just doesn't start without any errors except the windows error sound. But once I saw an error message that it couldn't find the file background_wide something. Regards, rayx Hi all,

the mod won’t start when configured to wide-screen resolution after installing the update.
It usually just doesn’t start without any errors except the windows error sound. But once I saw an error message that it couldn’t find the file background_wide something.

Regards,
rayx

]]> By: Jasper http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/comment-page-10/#comment-223919 Jasper Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:36:15 +0000 http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-half-life-2/#comment-223919 Hi, Will. Phillip has posted a link in the main post. Follow the instructions and all should be well. Hi, Will.
Phillip has posted a link in the main post.

Follow the instructions and all should be well.

]]>