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[Deleted member 102362]

Yeah, I liked the non-Xen parts of Half-Life better than the Xen parts, but I still liked Xen. What's all the hatred for? Serious question, because I keep reading people saying they hate it, but they don't specify why.

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

Awkward platforming, shoddy level design, you name it. I kinda liked parts of it, but a lot of Xen was a huge momentum killer.

 

[Tain]

You seem really upset and hurt over a free game.

This is my problem with GAF, mod or not you shit all over something as if they personally built this game for you and didn't live up to your mighty expectations.

He's being critical over what he's seen and heard about this game. Free or not.

Trim the ludicrous hyperbole out of your post, and you seem to be saying that he should either be positive or be silent. Garbage.

 

[xJavonta]

Yeah, I liked the non-Xen parts of Half-Life better than the Xen parts, but I still liked Xen. What's all the hatred for? Serious question, because I keep reading people saying they hate it, but they don't specify why.

It wasn't designed well

 

[Whompa]

It's not the full game.

I'll probably be happy with what they give us, especially since it's free, but wow...lol...

 

[xemumanic]

I love how cynicism rules. I also like that the thread title was changed, but now its actually LESS accurate than it was before.

Instead of 'Some of' It should be 'Most of'. All that's missing is the Xen level.

Thanks for changing the title without even saying anything, mods.

 

[MNC]

First time I played HL1, I felt that around Lambda core things were starting to be paced a bit off. It felt overstayed to stay in black mesa. When you then went to Xen, it felt like an "Alright, this is it. You're going to the root, and now fuck shit up."

Xen, in my memory, is also too long.


I still love HL1 loads though, can't wait to play this mod.

 

[old manatee]

Yeah, I liked the non-Xen parts of Half-Life better than the Xen parts, but I still liked Xen. What's all the hatred for? Serious question, because I keep reading people saying they hate it, but they don't specify why.

I thought Xen looked cool and the creatures were neat, but it was really hard, and it felt like there was way more platforming and less puzzle solving. Also, the pacing would have been better if it had been in the beginning or middle of the game. It was just kind of out of left field after spending like 10 hours in one location to suddenly be in a completely different place.

 

[Haunted]

Xen is a turd.

A game aiming to be an improved remake of the original has legitimate reasons to just leave it out (I realise that's not the reason they don't, but still).

 

[TrAcEr_x90]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7O-LopmeppI

1:20 had me laughing at how bad it was

I thought that all looked really cool?

 

[xJavonta]

I hope this is really good. I really hope it is. I know many people that don't want to play HL1 today because of how much the graphics turn them off. And quite honestly, I can say after playing HL2 and it's Episodes, it's hard to go back to HL1. I really hope this is good just so I can play through (90%) of HL again.

I thought that all looked really cool?

Looked? Yeah, looked awesome. Sounded? Awful. Those voice actors are just bad. Although I read somewhere that they did that (the cheesy bad voice acting) on purpose.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Bring on that tight ass little game.

 

[Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!]

Xen is a turd.

A game aiming to be an improved remake of the original has legitimate reasons to just leave it out (I realise that's not the reason they don't, but still).

i replayed hl1 for the first time in ten years the other day and it wasnt nearly as bad as i remember. i think its been exaggerated like the water temple in OOT

 

[kodt]

Yeah Xen was not as good as the rest of the game, but it wasn't that bad. I thought it was pretty cool how they changed it up at the end, it made for a cool experience. I always thought the end boss was kind of stupid but the rest of the game was so good that it didn't really matter.

Playing this through Lambda Core is good enough for me honestly. I am just happy they are finally releasing it.

 

[Sibylus]

Time, Doctor Freeman?

(Yes. About damn.)

Everything leading up to Xen is why the game is so acclaimed anyway, get it to me in that fashion and I'll play it without a moment's reservation. I can check out what you've done with Xen in a couple years (judging by the progress pace, at least).

And I guess the big thing is that the game is approaching release-worthy status, regardless of whether or not it slips from its launch date of the 14th. But if it does slip, hoo boy. Better be a matter of days.

 

[JaseC]

I don't know when I'll get around to playing this. I told myself that I will not play through the Half-Life series again until Half-Life 3 is nearing release, and I won't play BMS until after I've played through the original Half-Life (but not too soon after because, well, I would have just beaten the game). Plus, in addition to the original Half-Life, there's also the matter of playing through its expansions and the Half-Life 2 saga prior to Half-Life 3.

So, I suppose I'll be playing this at an as-yet undetermined point after Half-Life 3 in 20XX.

 

[Deleted member 102362]

I don't know when I'll get around to playing this. I told myself that I will not play through the Half-Life series again until Half-Life 3 is nearing release, and I won't play BMS until after I've played through the original Half-Life (but not too soon after because, well, I would have just beaten the game). Plus, in addition to the original Half-Life, there's also the matter of playing through its expansions and the Half-Life 2 saga prior to Half-Life 3.

So, I suppose I'll be playing this at an as-yet undetermined point after Half-Life 3 in 20XX.

Or you could just forget about all that waiting and play BMS when it comes out in a few days.

 

[JaseC]

Or you could just forget about all that waiting and play BMS when it comes out in a few days.

I could, but I won't.

 

[OmegaFax]

Is there a Mac version of this mod?

 

[pa22word]

I love how cynicism rules. I also like that the thread title was changed, but now its actually LESS accurate than it was before.

Instead of 'Some of' It should be 'Most of'. All that's missing is the Xen level.

Thanks for changing the title without even saying anything, mods.

Indeed. Now the topic title is even worse, and misleads people to think the mod is in worse state than it is. It's troll bait at worst, ignorance at best (ie not knowing how small of a portion Xen is in relation to the rest of the game). It's kinda petty that said mod/admin would do that as the mod is 90% complete without Xen, but I guess it is what it is.

 

[SniperHunter]

BBC article, it's number 2 on the top ten stories

The blocky graphics of the original game are getting an overhaul with the updated version

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19463712

Fans resurrect Half-Life video game

The blocky graphics of the original game are getting an overhaul with the updated version
Continue reading the main story
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After eight years of work, fans are about to release an updated and expanded version of classic video game Half-Life.

Called Black Mesa, the resurrected game will be made available as a free download on 14 September.

The update has been put together using programming tools released by Half-Life creator Valve.

It will have improved graphics, better physics and environmental effects and a tweaked story line.

News about the long-awaited upate broke at the weekend when a countdown timer appeared on the Black Mesa project webpage.

A forum message posted soon after revealed that eager players would not get an improved version of the entire game on 14 September.

Carlos Montero, leader of the 40-strong Black Mesa development team, said it decided to release a shorter version instead of making people wait longer for the whole thing.

Alien intrusion
The large chunk of Half-Life that is finished lets players guide hero Gordon Freeman to a section of the original gameplay known as Lamda Core. Finishing this first chunk should take players between eight to 10 hours.

The final section yet to be finished takes place in the alien Xen dimension. An expanded Xen section would be released at an unnamed date in the future, said the team.

First person shooter Half-Life was released in 1998 and gave players the task of guiding government scientist Gordon Freeman through the Black Mesa research complex battling aliens and thwarting their attempt to invade Earth. The game has been hugely influential since its release.

Half-Life creator Valve released an updated version of the game in 2004 that was built around its Source game code or engine. That official update of Half-Life was generally regarded as unsatisfactory and led to the Black Mesa project which aimed to do a better job.

The project uses an updated version of Source which leads to improvements in physics, lighting and allows for far more subtlety in the facial expressions of characters.

The Black Mesa team has also edited the storyline to beef up the more engaging parts of the game and eliminate the slower parts.

 

[Ciastek3214]

The angular graphics of the original game are getting an overhaul with the updated version

Fixed.

 

[gabbo]

Yeah Xen was not as good as the rest of the game, but it wasn't that bad. I thought it was pretty cool how they changed it up at the end, it made for a cool experience. I always thought the end boss was kind of stupid but the rest of the game was so good that it didn't really matter.

Playing this through Lambda Core is good enough for me honestly. I am just happy they are finally releasing it.

Xen wasn't truly terrible, the platforming is just such an abrupt change from the mainlined fps the game is feeding you up to that point.

I'd be fine with waiting for them to finish, what's 9 years? That said, I'll still play it, even in this fractured form. Hell, I might even enjoy it, if it's not strayed too far from Valve's original.

 

[SniperHunter]

Fixed.

indeed

 

[Mr. Poolman]

2012, End of the World.
The prophecies are coming true.

 

[CrunchyFrog]

Only thing missing is Zen, I thought this was a good thing?

 

[Izick]

I'll believe it when I'm playing it.

No... I'll believe it when I finish it?

Basically.

 

[RedSwirl]

I think I'm gonna go ahead and crack open that copy of Half-Life I got for 98 cents back during the 10th anniversary sale. I was originally afraid I wouldn't like the old graphics, but I've played enough first person action games from the same era recently to get used to it.

 

[Izick]

I think I'm gonna go ahead and crack open that copy of Half-Life I got for 98 cents back during the 10th anniversary sale. I was originally afraid I wouldn't like the old graphics, but I've played enough first person action games from the same era recently to get used to it.

Played it a few years ago, and it still holds up for the most part. It's not quite as diverse or engaging as 2, but it's easily worth playing.

 

[Zombie James]

Can't say I expected this. Will download.

 

[jambo]

 

[0wing]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSnHcbbofDk

The soundtrack is gooood

 

[SniperHunter]

how come no one is excited for this? Is anyone making an official topic? I am super hyped!!!

 

[JaseC]

how come no one is excited for this? Is anyone making an official topic? I am super hyped!!!

A combination of the team's creative liberties coupled with the mod's profoundly belated release.

 

[Pctx]

Never thought I would live to see this day and I'm only 31 years old.

 

[Bisnic]

I haven't really followed this game since it started development, does it still have graphics on par with vanilla HL2, or did they actually improved it as the Source engine got better?

 

[FastRedPonyCar]

Video looked awesome. Grunt voice acting in the original was pretty sub-standard so bitching about them sounding like bad B-movie action henchmen is not a valid complaint.

I beat Xen once, hated it and quit the game right before Xen every subsequent play through so I'm ok with it being omitted from this release.

 

[gabbo]

I haven't really followed this game since it started development, does it still have graphics on par with vanilla HL2, or did they actually improved it as the Source engine got better?

From what they've shown in the past few months since coming out from under their self-imposed rock, they're not using Source 2004, not a chance. I would guess at least Source2007

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSnHcbbofDk

The soundtrack is gooood

Yes, it is rather good. Will have to see how well it works within the game though

 

[Sibylus]

Around 50 minutes of music, that's a pretty decent coverage given how long the game is and given that this remains a mod project. Composer has the whole thing up on his Youtube account, will avoid the temptation to listen to all of it.

A combination of the team's creative liberties coupled with the mod's profoundly belated release.

Yup. What's significant is that the mod is (once again) dated for release, the date itself is deservedly not being taken entirely seriously.

 

[jambo]

I haven't really followed this game since it started development, does it still have graphics on par with vanilla HL2, or did they actually improved it as the Source engine got better?

Black Mesa is running on the Source 2007 engine, which is what was used for the Orange Box.

When they updated to that engine from the 2004 one there were a tonne of errors and issues that took a long time to iron out, so they decided not to move to the Source 2011 engine.

 

[DocSeuss]

Played it a few years ago, and it still holds up for the most part. It's not quite as diverse or engaging as 2, but it's easily worth playing.

I am confused by this statement. Half-Life is far and away the better game, with none of the pacing issues (it HAS pacing issues in Residue Processing, mind you, but it also has levels like Blast Pit and Surface Tension, which are some of the greatest levels in video game history). Half-Life 2's strengths lie in compelling audio and visual design. It's too randomly diverse, rather than coherently diverse, and sections, particularly with the vehicles, are too lengthy and dull to matter.

Can't wait for Black Mesa. If they basically make a reskinned Half-Life, they've already made one of the greatest games of all time.

 

[charlequin]

I am confused by this statement. Half-Life is far and away the better game, with none of the pacing issues (it HAS pacing issues in Residue Processing, mind you, but it also has levels like Blast Pit and Surface Tension, which are some of the greatest levels in video game history). Half-Life 2's strengths lie in compelling audio and visual design. It's too randomly diverse, rather than coherently diverse, and sections, particularly with the vehicles, are too lengthy and dull to matter.

Yes, Half-Life (putting aside Xen for the moment) is a far superior game to Half-Life 2. I'm really curious to see how these guys have done with it.

 

[DocSeuss]

Yes, Half-Life (putting aside Xen for the moment) is a far superior game to Half-Life 2. I'm really curious to see how these guys have done with it.

I don't really understand the problems with Xen, but that's apparently because I've got some good spatial reasoning abilities, so I always have a really good idea of where I'm standing in first-person games. I'm more likely to misjudge how far my character's going to move in a walk animation (meaning I have more of a problem with third-person games than first) than I am to misjudge where I am in space or what I need to do to get to a place. I think I fell... maybe just a couple times in Xen, and that was mostly due to being bad at using the jump module.

So when you say "putting aside Xen for the moment," I honestly have a hard time processing the criticism for Xen. I found Half-Life 2, where you

Spoiler

go through randomly diverse locales, altering the game's genre at random, all because you've got to meet Eli (act 1), rescue Eli from prison (act 2), or rescue Eli from the Citadel (act 3)

, to be far inferior. I mean, I relish something about being in Half-Life 2's world, but I really do feel that's Valve's masterful approach to atmosphere more than anything else.

Every time I've ever asked people their favorite levels in Half-Life 2, they always tend to list Highway 17 or Ravenholm. I think one of the things that made Half-Life great was that feeling of player vulnerability--you were nearly always alone, and facing impressive odds. You rarely face those odds in Half-Life 2, particularly because you're almost constantly around resistance members (and unlike Half-Life's guards, you can't accidentally kill them). Highway 17 and Ravenholm are the two levels most like Half-Life's levels; you're often more likely to feel vulnerable... which means you feel great when you accomplish something.

The biggest changes I've heard them making were adding an alt-fire to the revolver and making some of the spaces in the game make logical sense, particularly Residue Processing.

 

[gabbo]

Yes, Half-Life (putting aside Xen for the moment) is a far superior game to Half-Life 2. I'm really curious to see how these guys have done with it.

Same, changing level design will quite possibly alter the flow of the game, which is one of it's biggest strengths.

 

[Sibylus]

No pacing problems, Xen unproblematic? I can't say that anywhere near approached my experience with the game. Whatever pacing problems HL2 had, HL1 had them just as bad for me (if not worse in spots). And Xen, christ. It was the least polished section of the game by far, just large expanses of janky jumping puzzles (though a few I liked), bland corridor and "staircase" crawls, as well as boss fights that ground on my nerves quite a bit. HL2 bests HL1 in most respects for me, though the latter certainly has chapters I am very fond of (Blast Pit [my favourite, in large part thanks to the branching objectives structure, it's inspiring my own level design at the moment], On a Rail, Apprehension, Questionable Ethics, Surface Tension, and "Forget About Freeman!". Half-Life was all about that second act).

 

[jambo]

Black Mesa is up on Greenlight!!!

 

[Perkel]

Yes, Half-Life (putting aside Xen for the moment) is a far superior game to Half-Life 2. I'm really curious to see how these guys have done with it.

Half life 1 has great diversity. What i loved most about HL1 was exploring closed spaces. I mean you go from room to another room using vents then you need to go through mined corridor and when you think it's safe 3 aliens materialize in front of you with nowhere to run.

Also military AI wasn't he brightest but they moved a lot. In HL2 they are stationary behind the wall shooting range.

 

[OG Kush]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSnHcbbofDk

The soundtrack is gooood

Wow this is great.

 

[Eaten By A Grue]

Black Mesa is up on Greenlight!!!

That is awesome, I hope this goes through. I voted.

 

[Backfoggen]

Black Mesa is up on Greenlight!!!

This game has attained 8% of necessary positive ratings so far

I'm going to guess Black Mesa is going to end up on Steam.