I feel like pimping PlanetPhillip (http://www.planetphillip.com/) for you.
Simply because he is running the best site on the web for single player maps and mods set in the Half-Life universe!
I'm currently playing Combine Combat. A wonderful mod it is.
I've just finished Daylight (http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/daylight-half-life-2-ep2/) for Half-Life 2.
What a nice mod!
This is a puzzle / combat combination that keeps you on your toes.
Sometimes you must think. Next you are in a race against the clock.
Recommended!
Gave a look to the screenshots at planetphillip. It may have good gameplay but the design looks insipid and basic for my tastes.
You are somewhat right about the design. It doesn't have zillions of details and as Phillip pointed out; this mod is 95% finished.
But the gameplay is quite good if you like the puzzle/combat styled maps in combination with the mentioned race against the clock thing.
Having played several hours of half-life 2 recently for the first time, after having finished DNF, I have to say the game felt quite a lot like DNF in terms of pacing and puzzle solving. In fact, in that respect, the games felt almost identical. Yes the game was a lot more polished, and had all these neat little things like the great character animation system which add together to make the game better, and of course the tone was different and more serious. But I can't see why a game such as half-life 2 can be so highly acclaimed while in comparison, a very similar game such as DNF seems so absolutely hated by the wider gaming community. (It's also funny that HL2, considering how old it is, has graphics at least as good as DNF if not better.)
When you finished off HL2 ,HL2 Ep 1 and HL2 Ep2 you'll feel that you are a part of the resistance. A citizen.
I almost got the feeling that I'm related to the Vance family. ( A cousin or whatever).
The mood of the game really have caught me.
I almost feel sorry for Alyx because....[ censored due to spoiler content..]
No doubt HL2 is superior to DNF in every way. (Well, Duke has better humor of course but the games are not comparable in this sense; it would make no sense for HL2 to even try to be funny.) Moreover, it had that sense of novelty whileas playing DNF made you constantly think "I've seen this one a million times before". And of course it had an old-fashioned health system and no silly weapon limits.
Basically what the guys said but let me correct first puritan´s line:
When you finished off HL2 ,HL2 Ep 1 and HL2 Ep2 you'll feel that you are a part of the resistance. A citizen. an idiot by comparing those two games. (no offence intented. it´s the kind of situation when one feels like an idiot without the need to be told so)
Plus:
- Half life 1/2 was pioneer in most of the things it featured and not just a late, out of grace, imitator.
- In Half life you feel "I´m Dr. Gordon Freeman, i have to save the world" in DNF you feel "where the hell i´m going and why?"
- In Half life things work (read flow, scripted sequences, action, etc) in DNF most of that is literally broken.
- Half life 2 makes justice to its precursor, DNF puts it on shame.
The only way they are comparable is that both are Fps story-guiden singleplayer games, well the story behind DNF is almost inexistent, so let´s say they are both fps singleplayer games. I don´t fully agree about the graphics though, there are a few instances where DNF looks quite better than HL2, mostly in indoor locations which involve complex lighting.
:o Oh one more and very important thing i forgot to mention: Half life 2 were released in 2004 and DNF in 2011. That´s 7 fucking years! the same difference betweeen Duke nukum 1 and Duke Nukem 3d!
Still, I've never been able to finish a half-life game, I've always lost interest part-way through. Eventually I'd come up against a puzzle that I couldn't get past right away, or get lost, then I'd save and quit, and never have the motivation to return. At the moment, I find using mapster more appealing then continuing half-life 2. Mainly because I'm in the demo level so I've seen it all before, but I hope the action picks up more towards the end.
This video really moved me...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrmXnL9YYc0
It's one of the best Half Life videos I have seen made yet.
Wow that's great Commander, it gave me goosebumps by the end of the story. It's really epic.
Wow...just wow!
Those Combine bastards are gonna pay...for shooting our pigeons ;D
Thanks for sharing, Commander!
This fan made video is amazing!
The buggy ride is...pure awesomeness!
Singularity Collapse (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVeSA9xkufQ)
Ours truly Gambini is one of the participants in this Half-Life 2 mapping competition (http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/elevatorville-half-life-2-ep2/).
Haven't played the map pack yet, but I will in the weekend. :)
Oh thanks for noticing! Something really interesting happened with that contest. Someone was claimed as the winner, but after a lot of complaints from the usual and not so usual posters, Phillip decided to change it to two winners, being I the benefited of such change. In other words, he kind of regreted from his original decision but didn´t want to kick away the original winner.
http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/important-update-about-elevatorville/
That's good to hear, Gambini ;)
I read all the posts over at PP and it seemed that your map was a favourite.
I haven't tried the maps yet. But I certainly will in the weekend.
Yeah the map is visually pretty awesome.
Finally, Black Mesa Source (http://release.blackmesasource.com/) is released :)
A massive 3 Gig download is waiting on my HD when I'm home from work tonight.
I'll be turning off my phone, locking the door, beers in the fridge and turning down the lights.
Quote from: Puritan on 21 September 2012, 13:24:44
Finally, Black Mesa Source (http://release.blackmesasource.com/) is released :)
A little slow on the uptake there Jim.
^No, I've known this since the first day :)
But I haven't been able to download until today.
I haven't had the time to play it either.
This is my first weekend since July where I have "all the time in the world".
Your time will be well spent.
Prepare to relive the same things Half life made you feel, first time you played it.
One of the best mod of all times. Enjoy it. ;D
Since I'm having a summer vacation these days I spent most of the day on the recently relased Half-Life 2 mod The Citizens Returns (http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-returns-half-life-2-ep2/).
This package holds all three versions of the mod including a few new maps.
A wonderful mod that I've put into my "Hall of Fame" folder.
Recommended!
Quote from: Gambini on 22 September 2012, 01:05:02
Your time will be well spent.
Prepare to relive the same things Half life made you feel, first time you played it.
Having only played the original half life for the first time a few years ago, I felt that the game had horrible, horrible pacing, and never had the patience to finish it. Black Mesa managed to maintain my interest and I enjoyed it throughout.
IMO Half Life relied heavily on its scripted sequences, and while I imagine they were pretty groundbreaking and effective back in the day, these days a lot of the sequences are incredibly lame. I'm talking more about enemies bursting through doors, and the scientists dying; my feeling during these was very strongly "so what". The ways in which you interact with the game to kill the bosses is still a bit neat.
In that respect, HL hasn't aged that well. At least with DN 3D, the focus was on the level design, and simple yet effective combat mechanics, and in that respect has aged much better. The perfect blend of abstract and realistic that is DN3D level design has never been matched by any other game IMO.
Map design in Half-Life is awesome: The whole facility feels like an actual location.
Quote from: Puritan on 28 July 2014, 18:31:53
Since I'm having a summer vacation these days I spent most of the day on the recently relased Half-Life 2 mod The Citizens Returns (http://www.planetphillip.com/posts/the-citizen-returns-half-life-2-ep2/).
This package holds all three versions of the mod including a few new maps.
A wonderful mod that I've put into my "Hall of Fame" folder.
Recommended!
I found the whole thing very unimpressive. The gameplay was too Metro-like where you constantly have to wait for someone to open up doors for you. It got a bit better toward the end but there was nothing that hadn't been done better in other HL2SP mods.
QuoteMap design in Half-Life is awesome: The whole facility feels like an actual location.
Indeed - there's a reason Black mesa facility still resonates with me to this day, valve knew what they were doing from day one.
Think I know what kind of gift I'm gonna by for myself this Christmas 8)
Gordon's HEV-suit hoodie (http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/hslg/)
70 bucks?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viKUu_BWqwc
I'm currently re-playing the HL2 mod "Precursor".
One of my all time favourite mods.
If you haven't tried that one you really should give it a spin ;)
A major overhaul made for Half-Life 2 by Filip Victor and his team will be available from friday 27'th March.
Looking at the teaser videos makes me think this looks absolutely fantastic!
See for yourself (http://kotaku.com/half-life-2-modders-have-made-valves-classic-look-bette-1693838716?utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Facebook&utm_source=Kotaku_Facebook&utm_medium=Socialflow)
Mod of the year?
I don't know but I know for sure that Shokunin released one hell of a mod!
Gabe can't miss this talented modder, can he?
Head on over and read more:
Here (http://kotaku.com/half-life-2-mod-is-damn-near-valve-quality-1696334179?utm_campaign=Socialflow_Kotaku_Facebook&utm_source=Kotaku_Facebook&utm_medium=Socialflow)
An excellent review and download can be found on Phillips place (http://www.runthinkshootlive.com/posts/transmissions-element-120/).
Possible screenshots from unreleased Half-Life 2 stuff?
Looks pretty "Valve'ish" to me.
Here (http://www.valvetime.net/threads/new-half-life-2-episode-four-screenshots-revealed-valvetime-spotlight-exclusive.246580/)
Gambini doesn't only map for Duke Nukem 3D.
He has released a very good mod for Half-Life 2 this spring (March '21).
I've played it and the layout and gameplay are top notch.
Southernmost Combine takes place on a railroad yard and it's surroundings.
Southernmost Combine (https://www.runthinkshootlive.com/posts/southernmost-combine/)
Thanks for playing and spreading the word!