NEW TO...
This section is designed for readers who are new to gaming or this site
PlanetPhillip.Com
Firstly, welcome to my site. The site lists and reviews single player maps and mods for the Half-Life series of games. In fact, that's actually not as specific as it could be because it really only covers first person shooters and maps and mods set within the HL universe.
So, total conversions, third person, and other style mods are not listed. However, since it´s my site and I run it alone for no profit whatsoever, I occasionally add maps and mods that I like, even if they don´t fit the exact criteria above.
No registration is required to access or use ANY of the site´s features.
Every reader can post comments, reviews, questions/answers on each and every map and mod listed. There is also something called Recommendation Images, that you can easily add to your comment to give a quick visual guide to your thoughts.
I update the site almost daily, so there is plenty of new content.
I highly recommend using the site´s various RSS Feeds, to completely customize your interaction.
More details about everything to do with the site can be found on the About page.
Maps and Mods
If you are new to maps and mods you are standing on the brink of some incredible gaming experiences.
So, what are maps and mods?
Imagine Star Trek for a moment. As we all know it has plenty of fans. Well, some of those fans have written stories within the Star Trek universe, some have drawn comics, some have even taken the "bold" step of creating their own movies.
Maps and Mods are the gaming community´s equivalent of fan fiction and fan movies. People like you, yes just like you, have created something that other players can add to their game and play. Sometimes it´s very detailed and is hard to tell from the original games and other times it´s very simple and is just an area to play.
Whilst not technically and perfectly correct the difference between a "Map" and a "Mod" is complexity. A map is often just a location and some simple objectives, whereas a mod often modifies the game in some way. In fact "Mod" is short for "Modification".
I will assume you have finished playing at least one game in the Half-Life series. I won´t go into details here but installing a map and playing it can be as simple as copying a file you have downloaded from PlanetPhillip.com to the correct location and the starting it directly from within the game.
Some maps last 5 minutes and some can last over 10 hours.
The more complex ones feature new voice acting, new characters, weapons, enemies etc etc. The only limit is the modder´s (the person or team creating the work) imagination, ability and time.
Some mods, called Total Conversions, don´t even look or behave the same as the game and their story and setting is not related to the game.
PlanetPhillip.com lists maps and mods for single players. This means that you play against the computer. Other sites cover maps and mods that are meant to be played against other humans. The term for this is Multiplayer.
The Half-Life Series Of Games
Okay, I will assume that you know what a Single Player First Person Shooter is. If not, please read the section below before continuing.
There are quite a few SP FPS games and even more MP FPS games, so what sets Half-Life apart from them?
Quality. One word, easy for me to type and easy for you to read, but much harder to produce or even define. But really that's what sets the Half-Life series apart. They are not perfect but they do every incredibly well. The graphics were/are great (remember, things like graphics change quickly in gaming), the gameplay was inventive, carefully planned and nearly always challenging, the story was simple yet detailed, slowly revealing itself to be like most great stories - a battle between good and evil.
Some games have better graphics, some have more detailed storylines, some may even have better basic gameplay (although I don't personally think so), yet no game has the balance between all three.
Another important aspect to consider is the ability to create community made content. This allowed thousands of players to create something extra for the games. The Half-Life series certainly was not the first to offer this but its community was the first to really embraced the challenge.
Valve Software, the company who developed the games (Except Opposing Force and Blue Shift, which was sub-contracted), understand the community very well and continually create new games in the franchise that push the boundaries of gaming.
The Half-Life series of games offer me the story and depth of universe of a great science fiction novel, the action of a Hollywood blockbuster and immersion that only a game can bring, coupled with a community that both inspires me and scares me with the quality of production.
I have NO hesitation in saying that if you like SP FPS gaming then this should be the first game series you should play. No, even more than "should" I say MUST play. You will not regret it.
A LITTLE HISTORY
Whilst not really part of this section I have written a little history about the games to help new readers understand the background of the games. It's not particularly detailed but should be considered an introduction to the subject.
Half-Life was originally released in November 1998. You play as Gordon Freeman, a scientist whose actions cause aliens from another dimension to appear on Earth, specifically at the secret research facility where the accident happened.
The player, playing as Gordon Freeman, attempts to reach the surface and get help. However, on the way he meets aliens and even humans, who try to stop him. The game is a roller coaster ride with incredible graphics (for the time!) gameplay that varies between intense battles to thought provoking puzzles, story development that is slowly revealed to the player, whilst keeping some aspects hidden. It really was a complete gaming package.
It did what no other game manged to do and that is really draw the player into its world. Never before had a game caused so many players so much enjoyment.
The game was followed by two pseudo-sequels. I used "pseudo" because neither game allowed the player to play in the role of Gordon Freeman.
The first, called Blue Shift, put the player in the shoes of a security guard called Barney Calhoun, who was seen in Half-Life. Here the player has to do more or less the same as the first game. It was not as well received as Half-Life but is still a good game.
The second, called Opposing Force, put the player in the role of Adrian Shepherd, a marine sent in to clean up the mess at Black Mesa. This game is generally considered the better of the two sequels. It featured new enemies and weapons, which was a nice addition.
In 2004 the true sequel was released to much fanfare and appropriately was called Half-Life 2. It used an updated engine and featured vastly improved graphics and physics. This release continued the tradition of allowing the community to make custom made content.
Valve then decided to rework the concept of release games into something called Episodic Gaming. The idea was to release smaller games with shorter development cycles. At the time of writing Episode One and Episode Two have both bee released. Episode One follows on directly where Half-Life 2 finished and Episode Two follows on from Episode One.
Episode Three/Half-Life 3 is currently under development, with few details available.
Wikipedia.org provides extensive articles on all the games and is highly recommended. Although being Wikipedia, I also recommend using alternative sources if you are going to quote from it.
Single Player First Person Shooters
The best way to define this is to break it down into manageable pieces.
Single Player
Put simply, this means you are playing against the computer. All the enemies are controlled by the game engine and follow predefined behaviour patterns, called A.I.; Artifical Intelligence. That doesn't mean the enemies are stupid, but they are limited. Single Player games have different difficulty settings allowing you to have an easy time of things or face a very stiff challenge.
Single player games are often based around a story and the better ones have well-developed forms of story telling techniques.
As a comparison, Multiplayer means playing with and against other humans. You could play in a team against another team or less commonly against one other human. It is an accepted fact that human opponents provide a greater challenge than computer controlled enemies.
The SP and MP games have different styles and objectives. With MP games the story is much less important than the gameplay and action. Generally these games are more popular than single player games and hundreds of thousands of players play against each other every night. There are even some professional players and leagues, as well as World Championships.
There is also another game style, called CO-OP. This is short for co-operative. This is where a group of humans play against a group of computer controlled enemies. This is the least popular playing style.
So, to summarize: when you play Single Player games it's just you and your skills against the computer.
First Person
There are many possible views when playing a game and First Person refers to the view. In this case it means you play as if you are the character. You play THROUGH their eyes. You normally see a gun in the bottom right hand corner, which you control. There is also something called the HUD, short for Heads Up Display. This HUD, keeps you informed of your health status, ammo left, weapons available and other details depending on which game you are playing.
Other views include Third Person where you view the action from over the shoulder of your playing character, Top Down where you view the action from directly above. This view is normally used for strategy games where seeing a very large area is important. Another view is Platform, this is where you see the action from the side.
If you play a first person game on a computer then you will probably control the movement and actions of the character through both the mouse and keyboard. If you play with a console (PS3, PS2, Xbox, Xbox360, Wii etc) then you will use a controller or game pad.
Each game genre has a preferred view and some games are impossible to play in different views.
The benefits of the First Person is that it can be easier to become immersed in the character, story and game. Personally I find other views very distancing. I can't feel part of the game. However, many millions of players love other views and I understand their choice.
Sometimes games even switch view within the game itself. An example is that often when using a vehicle it switches from First Person to Third Person because it's easier to control the vehicle that way.
So, to summarize: First Person simply refers to the view you see when playing the game.
Shooter
Just as there are other views, there are other types of Gameplay styles. Shooter refers to what you do, although not necessarily all the time, just most of it. You will be required to locate targets and hit them as accurately as possible. As mentioned earlier, you will view the game through the eyes of of character.
Shooters often combine the challenge of hand-to-eye co-ordination with tactical awareness and immersive story telling. Another style of shooter is called the Arcade. Essentially this means that there is little or no story, no tactical elements and generally that the player has limited movement. Games like this are simply designed for the thrill of shooting at something.
However, don't let the title fool you. Many shooters have complicated physics puzzles, where shooting is not always the best or preferred option. Shooter just tells you that this is an important aspect of the gameplay NOT it's only attribute.
So, to summarize: Shooter refers to the fact that a lot of the gameplay includes shooting things.
Video Gaming
So, let's assume you are completely new to video gaming. I am sure you have heard lots of negative media reports about gaming. I am not going to evangelize about gaming, all I ask if you keep an open mind.
Video gaming has plenty of benefits depending on your age group and type of game.
They allow you to develop hand-to-eye coordination, moving your character around the screen with your mouse, joystick or gamepad, takes practice.
Many games help develop team work. If you are playing in a team you need to balance your skill and actions with your teammates. They allow you to easily and quickly experience things from other people's perspective.
They can be very educational. Most people know that for learning to be effective it should be fun. Incorporating information within games allows players to learn without knowing it. There are clearly many levels of this sort of thing, from helping young children learn to count or spell, or teaching maths, physics or chemistry, or even something as complicated as learning the details of certain aspects of the Second World War.
HOW TO...
This section will explain how to download, uncompress, install and launch maps & mods for Half-life games using Steam and found on PlanetPhillip.com.
Steam is a free, digital content management and delivery system that is pretty darn cool.
Disclaimer
There are other ways to open compressed files and copy the contents to new locations than the way shown here. I use this method because I believe it's the easiest. Your method may vary.
Downloading
The first thing you need to do is download a map or mod. The screenshot shows the section within a post where you can download files for each map or mod. As you can see, there are five mirrors (a "mirror" is the name of a location where a file is kept). The first three are direct downloads (this means you get the file by just clicking the link) but only work from within the PlanetPhillip page.
The second two are filehosts. Filehosts cover their costs by displaying ads and normally require a few clicks to get to the file. The advantage of these types of mirrors is that they automatically link you to the closest file location to you, meaning the transfer speed is generally very good.
If you are a regular PP reader I recommend you try all 5 mirrors, on different days and files, because you may find one mirror that is better for your location than the others.
Which ever mirror you use you will eventually see a "Save As" dialog box. The exact appearance of the box may differ from the one you see compared to my screenshot depending you which browser and operating system you are using. I am using Windows XP (set to minimal visual effects) and Google's Chrome browser.
Save the file to a location of your choice. I recommend a special folder rather than your desktop or My Documents, but it's really up to you.
Scanning
I have never knowingly uploaded a file with a virus. I use up-to-date anti-virus, firewall and malware software and scan everything before I upload it. However, you should scan ALL files before you open them.
That is true of EVERY file you download. In fact if you are unsure of the trustworthiness of the site you want to download a file from, then you shouldn't download the file.
I can't describe the process of scanning files here because each application is different but it should simply be a case of right clicking on the file and selecting Scan with "XYZ".
Once you have scanned the file, open the saved file. This opens the 7zip application and displays the contents of the file. As you will see there is a folder or set of files and a PlanetPhillip.Readme.txt. I always include the readme because many other websites use my downloads but don't credit me.
Saving & Uncompressing
All the files you download from PlanetPhillip have been compressed. I do this for a few reasons. Firstly, it puts all the files or folders into one easy-to-download file and secondly because it significantly reduces the file size, which means it downloads faster. For small files that's not very important but for larger files that are downloaded thousands of times, it's very important.
Just to complicate things there is a variety of compression (sometimes called "archive") formats. In September 2009 I changed the format I use on the site to save even more space and bandwidth. In reality the change of format doesn't affect users.
To manage compressed files I use and recommend a free application called 7zip. It opens all the file formats available from PlanetPhillip.Com
Once you install this application it should "associate" itself with the ".7z" extension files (and probably some others, but that's your choice). That means that when you try to open a file ending in ".7z" it will open with the correct application.
At this point the instructions fork, depending on whether you are installing a map or a mod.
The difference between a mod and a map
Before we starting installing and playing, let's have a quick look at the difference between a map and a mod. The word "mod" is short for modification. Essentially this means that the game is modified in some way. It could contain new content (textures, models, sounds, weapons etc), it could be the way it plays (weapons have more or less power, new moves are available etc). But the basic idea is that the game is changed somehow. However, some mods, don't have any new content.
A Mod will be supplied as a folder, which just needs to be copied to the correct location to work.
A map is simply a level that contains all the same elements as the game and just gives you the opportunity to play in a new area. A map has 1 or more files that need to be copied to different folders.
There is also a difference how a mod or map is launched, but this is discussed in the appropriate section.
Installing a mod
First find your SourceMods folder. Its path should be:
C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\SourceMods
but your path may be different depending on how and when Steam was installed on your system.
Next, you need to open the mod file you downloaded.
Resize the windows to suit your screen size and preference but I prefer to have mine like the screenshot.
Press (not click) the folder (no need to copy the PlanetPhillip.ReadMe.txt) in the 7zip window with your left mouse button and drag it across to the SourceMods folder. Release the button and it will copy the folder.
I have some shocking news for you: You have just installed your first mod! Yes, it was that easy.
You need to start or restart Steam for it to appear in your "My games" tab. If you don't restart Steam you won't see it.
I highly recommend creating a shortcut to your SourceMods folder if you plan to install lots of mods (and why wouldn't you?).
Uninstalling a mod
Unless your mod came with its own installer then you simply need to delete the relevant folder in your SourceMods folder. If the mod did come with its own installer, I recommend you use that.
Please note: whichever method you use, you will lose all the screenshots and saves for that mod.
Launching a mod
There are three ways that I know of for launching a mod:
- 1. Double clicking it (from the list in your "Library" tab in Steam.
- 2. Selecting it from the list in your "Library" tab and clicking Launch.
- 3. By creating a shortcut to the mod and double clicking that.
Clearly, creating a shortcut is not worth it for a short mod but for long mods it might be.
To create a shortcut, right click the mod in your "My games" tab and select Create Shortcut.
We will be looking at some useful tips on launching mods in the Advanced launching techniques section.
Installing a map
I will use a Half-Life 2 map example, but the concept applies to all games. Firstly, find your Half-Life 2 folder. Mine is here:
C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\planetphilliphl2\half-life 2\hl2\
but your path may be different depending on how you installed Steam.
Here are the other paths:
C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\planetphilliphl2\half-life 2 episode one\episodic\
C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\planetphilliphl2\half-life 2 episode two\ep2\
Again, yours may vary and of course you will need to replace planetphilliphl2 with your username!
The screenshots shows the path in the explorer address bar and the folders inside. You may want to create a shortcut to the maps folder, depending on how often you want to install and play Hl2 maps.
Open the relevant folder mentioned above and have the 7zip file open at the same time. The screenshot shows how I like to operate. Press (not click) the relevant .bsp file in the 7zip window with your left mouse button and drag it across to the maps folder. Let go and it will copy the file.
Please Note
The example shown is the simplest for maps. Sometimes other files are needed or included in the compressed file. The location of these files is ALWAYS detailed in my installation instruction on the respective map post on PlanetPhillip. If you have downloaded the file from another website, then please contact them for help.
One of the main differences between a proper mod (packaged as a folder) and a map or mappack is how you launch it.
To run maps you need to open the Developer Console. Don't worry, it's very easy.
Important note about map saves
Ideally, everything would be released as mods because they are easier to install and uninstall than individual files, but when a modder makes a single, small map they rarely package it as a proper mod.
If you use the normal save system then there is no problem but if you use the quick save feature it will overwrite your last quicksave. If you are still playing the retail game it will overwrite that save. This doesn't happen with mods because the saves are part of the separate folder. The simple solution is to avoid using quick saves when playing maps unless you are not playing the retail game.
Uninstalling a map
Uninstalling a map and its associated files should be part of your normal file management routine. When you install a map and are sure you won't play it again you will need to delete the files that you installed, along with some others that are created by the game.
My example above, details the simplest installation. Any other files that are required are described in each map's page, along with their locations.
However, even the simplest installation requires 3 files to be deleted. Below is a screenshot of the 3 folders you will need to access. In the first window you can see the maps folder, with an example map highlighted (don't worry that my icons are probably different from yours). This file will need to be deleted. The second window shows the graphs folder. The relevant .ain file (same name as the map) will need to be deleted. And lastly the third windows shows the souncache folder and again the relevant .cache file will need to be deleted.
Whilst deleting these files isn't essential for keeping your games and maps working, it will ensure your system doesn't become clogged with files you will never use.
The Developer Console
The Developers' Console allows you to do lots of things, but this guide won't detail all of them, just those related to launching maps and mods. The first thing we need to do is enable the Console and there are a few ways to do it.
Technique 1
Launch the game you want to play maps in, go to:
Options > Keyboard > Advanced > Enable Developer Console (~)
(Check this box to enable the console)
Technique 2
In the My games tab of Steam right click the game you want to play maps in.
Choose Properties, click Set Launch Options.
In the text area that appears type, without the quotes, "-console". Click OK.
(This technique will actually open the console when you first start the game.)
Note: different keyboard and regional settings may not correspond to your set up. For example, UK keyboards, the "¬" key in lower case, opens the console not the "~" tilde key.
Next we need to open it.
Just press the key set for opening it. If you are not performing this action immediately after enabling it, make sure the game has fully loaded (i.e. reached the menu option) before trying to use it.
Note that enabling the console for Half-Life 2 won't automatically make it available for other games. You will have to do that in each and every game you want access to the console.
Now we need to actually give it some instructions.
To play a map you need to type, without quotes, "map mapname".
The first thing you may notice is that a dropdown list appears. This list is based on the first letter you type. I typed "g" and the list shows all the maps I have in my folder. Your list will be different; in fact it's quite possible you won't have any dropdown list.
This can either be helpful if you have forgotten the name or you can completely ignore it. The point to note here is that you need to enter the name of the file NOT the name of the map. The difference is subtle but important. You don't need to enter ".bsp".
In the screenshot, you can see the name of the file is gm_coolescape2.bsp but the name on PP is Cool Prison Escape 2.
Once you have typed the filename, press ENTER or click Submit. The console will think for a second and then disappear and the map will start.
You can use your arrow keys to select the file name, instead of typing it, press ENTER to select it.
Congratulations, you have just installed and launched a map.
Advanced Launching Techniques
I have already described how you can use the Set launch options to add the console command to a game. This concept can be extended and can be very useful. (This idea can also be used in shortcuts if you know where to add the details.)
Depending on your circumstances this can either be incredibly useful or a complete waste of time. For example you could create a Windows folder in your Programs folder which could contain shortcuts to games, each with different parameters.
I am certainly not an expert on Console commands, but there are quite a few options available.
They seem to come in two forms; Command-line parameters and Console variables. When using them parameters come first, followed by variables.
Command-line parameters
- Enable the console: : -console
- Stop the intro videos from playing: : -novid
Console Variables
- Load your last quick save: : +load quick
- Set the skill level: +skill 3
- Set cheats to on: +sv_cheats 1
- Open specific maps: +map mapname
- Turn the gravity gun into a super gravity gun: +physcannon_mega_enabled 1
For more information on these and other console commands visit The Valve Developer Community website.
In fact, I am very eager to hear from readers about other possible uses and the commands they actually use.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the benefit of becoming a registered Member?
Only registered memebrs have access to the unique Recommendation Images system used here on the site. There is no other benefit or advantage to being a member.
I personally dislike having to register just to make a comment or reply to something. If this is the case I just don't bother, which means that the site has lost my input. I don't want that to happen at PlanetPhillip.com.
Who Runs PlanetPhillip.com?
Just me - Phillip Marlowe, but there have been plenty of people who ahve helped, by writing code, making suggestions, formating files etc etc.
Can I help run the site?
Yes and No. You can't help run the site but you can help. Please contact me and we can discuss it. I have to warn you though, running the site is a boring process that requires lots of tasks that are not always fun to do.
Why didn't my comments appear immediately?
If your comment didn't appear immediately then it has probably been automatically added to the moderation queue. All comments in the moderation queue require manual approval. The reason for this could simply be it contains a link in the comment or perhaps the addition of keywords designed to filter out spam. I check the moderation at least twice a day, so please be patient.
There is no need to submit another comment. The chances are that even your heavily modified comment will also be moved to the moderation queue because until I specifically allow a comment the system will assume all your comments need to be moderated.
The system is quite smart and normally once I have allowed a comment to appear ALL comments from that source are allowed. However, the system is not perfect and mistakes can sometimes happen.
If you are curious as to what spam filter system I use it is called Akismet plus I also use a simple keyword list.
Why did you edit my comment?
I expect ALL commenters to remain polite at ALL times. Any deviation from this and I will not hesitate to edit or even delete comments. I occasionally edit comments for clarity or meaning. Often how something sounds when you type it can be very different from how it reads when you post it. Often something sounds rude but that wasn't the intention of the commenter. I sometimes edit these types of comments. I also edit comments for grammar and spelling but not always.
If you feel your comment has been unfairly edited then please contact me and we can discuss it.
Why did you delete my comment?
I delete comments that I feel are obviously insulting, rude or a waste of readers' time. Please don't start talking about Free Speech because this is a private website and I reserve the right to edit ALL the comments.
Think of it this way; the website is an extension of my home. I extend an open invitation to everybody to visit my home. However, that doesn't mean you can insult me or my other guests (readers) once you are here.
Here are some real examples:
If you comment This map sucks! you are not adding anything intelligent or valuable to the site. By all means explain why you thought the map sucked, in polite, clear language and everybody will listen. If you can't articulate your thoughts don't bother wasting mine or my readers' time.
By typing dfdfdfefdd you might be testing the system or are simply too drunk to know what you are doing, either way you are wasting our time again.
Saying Help, I'm Stuck! is very lazy and disrespectful. Explain exactly where you are stuck and somebody will probably help you.
Expecting people to email you the answer is also rude. If you can't be bothered to visit the site then why should somebody email you?
If you feel your comment has been unfairly deleted then please contact me and we can discuss it.
How do I quote something from another comment?
Select the text you want to quote and then scroll to below the comment text area. You will find a link that says Quote selected text. Click this link and the text you selected will be added to the comment text area. When you post you comment it will be formatted differently to signify that it is quoted. This process can be done as many times as you require within one or more comment.
Why are there so many link errors for the maps?
There are some errors because the original database was converted quite a few times and I obviously didn't do it properly. The errors are being corrected by the PlanetPhillip Team as quickly as possible. I am fully aware that it is very frustrating to encounter these errors and I apologize for the inconvenience caused. If you want to you can make a comment of the relevant map and a team member will correct the link as soon as possible.
How can I open .7z files?
Unlike zip files, you need a special application to open and extract .7z and .rar files. Many are excellent and free. I personally use 7 Zip for working with all compressed files. You should also visit Snap Files for more freeware compression tools.
Why do you use the .7z file format?
I use the .7z format because the compression ratio is much better than a standard Window zip file. I have over 30 Gigabytes of files and compressing them to the smallest possible safe size makes all the difference.
Why are the file sizes on PlanetPhillip different from the other sites for exactly the same files?
The file sizes are different because I always compress to the maximum available. On smaller files this doesn't make much difference but on the bigger files of 50 megabytes and up it can account for nearly 10% saving!
Do you add anything from the files hosted by PlanetPhillip.com?
Yes, I always add a simple text file saying that the file has been downloaded from PlanetPhillip.com
I believe one of your hosted files is corrupt, what should I do?
The first thing to do is download it again. If the file is still corrupt please contact me.
Why don't you list maps and mods that are in development?
I used to but other sites, most notably ModDB.com, do a much better job of it. I try to list the latest news regarding in-development mods but have to admit I am not always up-to-date with the news headlines.
What happened to X feature?
Either an upgrade of the software used made it difficult to use or it wasn't used enough to warrant keeping it. If you really want a feature that has gone contact me and I will see what I can do.
Why don't you add more weapon or gameplay mods?
I did start to add weapon mods for Half-Life 1 and 2 but due to my workload they got forgotten. Personally I would prefer to collect the best releases and repack them into a PlanetPhillip Special and release it through the site. That way PP readers can get to use the best releases without having to search every site. Another reason I stopped was because there are other websites that are dedicated to this type of release and as with the in-development mods I believe it's better to leave it to the sites that do a better job of it. As with the non-Sci- Fi games, if the PP Team proves successful then perhaps I would reconsider it. Ultimately I want PlanetPhillip to cover
everything
related to SP FPS gaming, but that may be over-ambitious!
Why don't you make the site more community based and allow people to add maps and stuff themselves?
The very original Levelpedia (The original name of the SP map and mods database) allowed users to add, edit and delete maps. The problem is that the amount of time spent controlling the content is more than adding it myself. People add all sorts of rubbish and that takes time to control. Much more importantly visitors would lose respect for the site because of that. Hopefully current and potential readers know that the content on the site is completely appropriate.
Why are you using blog software to run the site?
By using blog software I can easily administer the site, make sure it is search engine friendly and almost forget about coding. I chose blog software over conventional CMS because I found most CMS packages over-featured. Features that I didn't want or felt were more complicated than I needed. The blog software I use is easy to add new features to, secure and free. I have little doubt that current CMS release would suit my needs by I don't know of any good reason to switch software now.
There are some factual errors or omissions, how can I correct them?
Please email me the details and I will correct them as soon as possible.
I have an idea about the site, how should I communicate it?
Email me using planetphillip@gmail.com
I sent you an email, why haven't you replied yet?
Firstly, allow me to apologize. If you feel I am taking to long to reply please send a reminder and a strong admonishment for being unprofessional and rude and I promise to reply the same day. Like many people, my workload is higher than I would like and the number of hours in a day too short!
I would like to donate some money, how do I do that?
Please use the Chip-In feature that can be found in the footer. This feature allows you to donate via credit card or PayPal. If you prefer you can contact me directly to arrange an alternative method. The Chip-In page leads to another page which is in Spanish, but don't worry, it is very clear and easy to use. It is in Spanish because the money will be transferred to a Spanish bank account. (I currently live in Spain, although I am English).
What other ways can I contribute to the site beside donating money?
I am also looking for people to help work ont he site. Pleae contact me and tell me about your skills.
I noticed that you have done some voice acting and would like to use you, what should I do?
Just contact me with the details and we can discuss the details.
I would like to use one of your mod stories, what should I do?
Firstly, you don't need my permission to use them. All the stories are published under Creative Commons License 3.0 and as such you can use them as long as you credit me. I would very much like the opportunity to contribute in some way to the project.
I need help with a particular map or mod, can you help?
Without wanting to sound too rude, NO! I simply don't have enough time to answer individual questions relating to maps and mods. Besides, you are more likely to find your answer by commenting on the respective map or mod.