100 Half-Life 1 Mods: page 8

Poke646: Vendetta

In the original Poke646 our hero Damien Reeves got stranded on Xen. Despite it looked like a situation without exit, he managed to create a functional teleporter and successfully blindly teleported himself to a research vessel orbiting around the Earth. Now it's time for vendetta ...

The design of the maps follows the recipes set by original, which surprised with detailed high quality levels. The venues are varied and extremely well made, but unfortunately the non-linearity of the original was absent. With the exception of some very simple puzzles, a pinch of well hidden paths and jumping trials, the path through the mod was somewhat too simple.

The set of enemies is also pretty trimmed down. In addition to soldiers and machineguns, the levels contain only a limited set of Xen monsters. Their positioning can be good, but their numbers are mostly too small to be really threatening. The teleportation surprises are non-existent, as enemies take several moments to appear, so you can just shoot them before they even begin to attack. Too bad. Nevertheless, I would recommend playing on Hard only to the most experienced players, since the soldiers are already a very decent opponent on the Medium difficulty.

In the sequel you retain most of the weapons from the original, I was however disappointed that the acid spitter and nail shooters were removed. They were replaced by a machine gun, which includes a grenade launcher. This gun also changes the way ammunition is collected, as you can pick it up from the fallen soldiers. This replaces the fine tuned quantities of ammunition from their predecessor. In addition to healing packages, healing stations are also available, but they are one-time-use only.

The graphics of the game are so good that it's hard to believe that this is a Half-Life 1 modification. Some parts of the map are perfectly color balanced, the geometry is full of detail, and the sharp textures and quality models make the game look even better. Sound is also commendable, not only because of the custom music, but also because of the environment sounds which create a special atmosphere. Unlike the very long predecessor, Vendetta finishes after what seems only a warmup. It only takes about a hour and 15 minutes to finish the mod.

Portrait of Freeman

In Portrait of Freeman, you play Gordon Freeman, who is sent by G-Man to the mysterious Area 51 to help Dr. Albert. At Freeman's arrival, there is an incident in which Area 51 gets invaded by the aliens. This will make it much more difficult for you to reach the goal. Although the story is minimalist, I thought the ideas presented were quite interesting. It should however have been much more detailed to really count.

I really liked the map design, because the maps are architecturally good and contain many details. Levels are well-connected to one another, while the side paths with loot increase the sense of non-linearity. Paths forward are often perfectly hidden and, in combination with very interesting puzzles, force you to really think about the situation. There are several jumping challenges, and there is also an abundance of deadly traps, so save regularly. It is only a shame that some traps can not be avoided without dying ...

In addition to the already varied selection of aliens from Xen, you will be attacked by slow and ineffective zombies, security guards, soldiers, machineguns and helicopters. Interestingly, there are two factions of soldiers who fight each other. Red are your opponents, while those with classical colors are your allies. Positioning of opponents is very good, unfortunately, there are also a lot of rude sneaky surprises. Thus, a bunch of enemies will often be teleported at your position, and will kill you in an instant or at least heavily damage you. Instead of this, I would much rather see the enemies to be more densely populated so the level of action would be more constant. Ammo and health / batteries are slightly too abundant for Medium difficulty, but due to brutal surprises I would recommend Hard only to the most experienced players.

The visuals of the modification are pretty good. New and sharp textures are used in many places, and I really liked some of the light sources and the reflective surfaces. HUD also received an overhaul. There are also intermediate video sequences that take control of your camera, and often the background music turns on. I spent around 1 hour and 45 minutes of gameplay to complete the mod.

Project Quantum Leap

Project Quantum Leap is a map compilation of 15 different authors who linked 20 levels to make a mod. There is no common story linking the maps, and at first glance it also seems that there is also no common theme connecting them. The result is rather chaotic.

Transitions between maps are very wild, not only due to the change of theme, but also in terms of quality fluctuations. Three maps (Radix, Blow up and Someplace Else) stand out for very good design, appropriately balanced action, scripted events and interesting gameplay, a pinch of the maps is somewhere between average and good, and the rest is really bad. Lack of details and sense of aesthetics, disproportionate size of elements, poor transitions, frustrating jumping challenges and exaggeration with the number of enemies are just some of the shortcomings of the vast majority of levels.

The set of opponents depends on the author, but the Xen monsters are quite rare. Most of the time you will be attacked by soldiers in all variations, and they will be backed up by machine guns, helicopters, and tanks. Weapon selection is very limited, but ammo is plentiful. The difficulty is quite variable, but on the Easy difficulty there are enough healing packages and batteries to make it to the end in 3 hours and a half of gameplay. With the exception of new textures, there are no visual changes, most maps are fairly unattractive. Occasionally the background music will also be turned on.

Rebellion

Rebellion is a continuation of the mod Vengeance, where you visited the Mipping Tax Research Center as Gordon Freeman in order to rescue it from invading renegade marines. Toward the end, it turned out that it was a carefully planned trap set up by G-Man and you fell for it. Anyway, after the fight with Gargantua at the end of Vengeance, you fell through a crack in the ground and fainted. The voice from your communication module woke you up, and said that a new task is waiting for you. You have 60 minutes to reply, otherwise you will be marked as dead and the Mipping Tax complex will be leveled with the ground. The story is quite interesting, maybe even at a B-movie level. The game uncovers it through video sequences and conversations that are in French, but there are also English subtitles available.

The game is divided into two thematic sections: the first takes place in the Mipping Tax complex and its surroundings, and the other in Fortworth City. In comparison to the predecessor, the maps are much more complex and architecturally nicer, they are very well connected to each other, and in some places so strongly non-linear that the authors had to integrate maps. The visual impression is mostly quite good, but it could definitely be improved in some places. The most outstanding feature of the mapping is certainly the enormous size of some areas. This, on the one hand, creates a rather astonishing impression, but on the other hand it has its drawbacks due to the feeling of emptiness and, above all, the long walking between points. The sequel has gotten more puzzles, as you don't only need to push buttons, but also have to look for well-hidden ways forward, escort NPCs, overcome some jumping challenges and also back track. Tip: If Barney gets stuck, move to another map and then back to reload and reactivate the AI. Activation of a particular action occasionally triggers a video sequence, which unfortunately can last a very long time!

Unlike in the predecessor, the fights in Rebellion will be fought almost exclusively against soldiers, which have the support of machineguns, helicopters and tanks, and in some places, female assassins. Because of their abundance and attacks from multiple sides, the battles can be demanding, and the difficulty further increases, because enemies can respawn at certain points. The difficulty curve is mostly constant, but I really didn't like the giant peaks in difficulty, which have arisen mostly due to the participation of mechanical opponents. Your arsenal is very varied, as it contains a lot of reskinned (and new) weapons, but I was disappointed by the absence of a very important weapon for me: the grenades. The bullets are plentiful, but healing packages and batteries are fairly rare. Tip: To make your life easier, you can also restore your health by sleeping in any bed. To complete the mod, I spent around 3 hours and a half playing it on the Medium difficulty.

ReIssues

ReIssues or Project Quantum Leap 3 is a compilation of maps of various authors in which you have to complete the tasks of your employer, the mysterious G-Man. The maps are not directly linked to one another, but they connect via a teleportation node. In addition to the entries in the map, the node contains a healing pool, which is recommended to be used after every return.

Since the theme has not been defined, the maps are extremely diverse. The themes of the original Half-Life game are expanded with oriental and futuristic ones. Most of the levels are excellent, so all the praise for the authors! They contain puzzles, fun fights, jumping challenges, scripted events, some of them are non-linear and give an extraordinary sense of freedom. There are no bad levels, as even the unfinished map (It's safer here) manages to reach a fairly high standard, but some of them are really short. Since you might encounter a nasty bug during gameplay, keep saving the game regularly.

During playtime, you will be attacked by a limited range of enemies that includes soldiers, machine guns and monsters from Xen, but the choice is dependent on the authors of the map. Scepter of Ra stands out from the crowd, since the models represent a total conversion. As far as weapons are concerned, there are no surprises, ammunition is enough, and the same applies to healing packages and batteries.

The visuals of the package range from exceptional (for example Cyan) to good. Along customized models, higher quality textures are also available. The engine used is Spirit of Half-Life, which greatly enhances the visuals, but can occasionally cause FPS fluctuations. Unfortunately, it also has bugs, for example the quicksaves get corrupt when you climb the tower in the Second Wind (save manually), and in It's safer here the sky breaks (save and reload). Occasionally the background music is turned on, and the modpack also contains custom speech. To finish the package, I needed approximately 4 hours and a half on the Medium difficulty.

Residual Life

Although the beginning of the Residual Life mod hints at being a sequel to the pretty good Residual Point, it soon becomes clear that the game actually takes place parallel to the first one. You play a female(?) scientist Sora Kim, who works at Black Mesa as an assistant reactor engineer. You start the game on a tram ride to your workplace, where you put on your protective suit. During a elevator ride the mechanism breaks and, as the complex is suddenly flooded with hostile aliens, you fall into the deep.

The level design of the first half of the game is remarkable, with great emphasis on details and some very interesting ideas for advancement. Well-placed enemies in good quantities offer a very good pace, which is more bearable compared to the predecessor, but the game is still not too easy. You will be attacked by a classic set of aliens, among which you will again find super fast military zombies and headcrabs, but in much smaller numbers. Most of the fighting will be done with soldiers and special ops, which will give you some headaches in certain levels :). You will also encounter female assassins, and rare zombie versions of them. The weapon selection is pretty standard, ammunition amounts are just right, and the same applies to health packages.

Everything is fine and well until you get to the other half, which is pure disappointment. Although the level details are still good, everything else is bad. You will walk across vast empty areas without a major challenge, and then, suddenly, a horde of enemies will charge your position. They might have camped in a specific location of the map or were teleported upon your arrival, it doesn't really matter. After you survive, you will be able to advance to the next empty area which again offers nothing, not even a simple mental challenge, and then again you will be greeted by hordes of attackers. Repeat until you die of boredom, a nervous breakdown, or you finish the game. Too bad! I applaud the authors that they created a huge pathway branch, but it is present in the most boring part of the game, so it simply fades away.

The visuals are not substantially altered, but the layout of the elements in the maps can sometimes be jaw dropping. In particular, I was fascinated with the appearance of the very first introductory part of the game, but sadly, you don't spend gameplay time in it. The game was played at Medium difficulty and was finished in about 3 hours and a half.

Residual Point

First of all, it should be mentioned that the mod consists of two parts. The first one, White Force (Alpha), is located under Hazard Course. It's an hour and a half long alpha version, which is in an early stage and needs quite a lot polishing for a final release. The fights are quite interesting, but most of the levels are uninspired and filled with tons of boxes, so you will get a feeling of playing a box breaking simulator :). The other part is called Residual Point which was tested in this review. You play dr. Jack Sohn, who works in the Biodome laboratory of the Black Mesa complex. On a typical work day, it becomes quickly apparent that something will go seriously wrong. Already at the arrival you notice, that the whole complex has security and power grid problems. Nevertheless, your team decides to conduct a teleporter test, but something goes horribly wrong.

The level design in this modification is mostly very good, the paths to advance are often unclear and thus require some thinking. There are a few sideways which will replenish your resources, and I'm almost sure that there is a giant alternative path around the middle of the game, for which the authors deserve all praise. A very clever level was also the flooded map, where you need to do some diving, and oxygen is provided by tactically placed oxygen tanks. In some stages, you also have to accompany NPCs and bring them safely to the locked door, but for greater drama you can also take a dangerous sidestep to a warehouse :).

The enemies are very well placed, and often appear behind your back or create an ambush on your return. The fights are therefore very intense, but fortunately there are plenty of healing packages and recharge stations, and in some places you will also find scientists who can heal the worst wounds. In addition to classical opponents from the original Half-Life and official expansions, you will also be fight custom enemies, among which the hyperactive headcrabs and super zombies will certainly stand out. Both are moving and attacking extremely fast, so you need to do some precise shooting and choosing the right type of weapon. There are also semi transparent versions of the monsters, which, fortunately, are only a few. Arsenal selection is standard, but is good enough as the weapons are varied enough. The ammunition is plentiful, so no worries there.

The graphics and music provide no surprises, but some maps are really pretty and there is also some scripted events. The difficulty of the game is just right on Easy, and you'll spend about 5 hours and a half to complete it.

Run from Hell

Run from Hell is (very likely) a Russian modification that takes place in the Black Mesa-like complex. The game contains some kind of a background story, but since the speech is in Russian and there are no subtitles, you will probably not understand it. Nevertheless, I recommend that you do not interrupt NPCs during their talking, since the scripts can break and you will get stuck. Most maps are indoor and extremely simple, made up of flat surfaces. They have barely any details, the elements are very rare (with the exception of the huge amount of boxes), quite a few size ratios are wrong. Outside maps are rare, but I liked them a bit more, despite the unnaturally cut cliffs. Parts of the maps are connected to one another by countless doors that open with a button locally or at some remote location, and some of them are also connected with vents. Pay attention to time-limited switches, because sometimes you can also get stuck! The way forward is often obstructed by boxes that have crazy resistance to weapons and will anger players (solution: install my patch). The box smashing is especially annoying under water, as you will have to constantly go back to the surface to reload your air reserves.

On the way to the finish line you will be hindered by standard enemies from the original (Xenians and humans), who are alternating in appearance during your progress, but unfortunately, without any care for keeping the fights balanced. The difficulty curve will therefore have crazy peaks, but fortunately, there seem to be no shortages on health and ammunition, as the game supply is quite generous. You will fight against several types of Xen monsters, soldiers, female assassins, and heavy machinery that includes machine guns, a tank, and a helicopter (you do not get enough rockets to destroy it on everything above Easy ...). The positioning is definitely good and cannot be criticized, as you will encounter several demanding situations. The same goes for abundance of enemies and scripted surprises. You unlock weapons gradually, and for additional help in fights you can use Barney, who is armed with a deadly revolver. On the difficulty of Medium, I finished the game in about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Smart Decoy

In Smart Decoy, you are playing a pilot named J. Freeman, who wants to visit the Atlanta Research Laboratories located in the Hudson Ditch in the Atlantic Ocean. During your journey to the destination, soldiers invade the research center and take control. Their goal is a mysterious machine hidden in the heart of laboratories, which seems to be of great interest for Mr Smith. At the arrival of both submarines to the docks, one of the submarines crews is massacred, and you seem to be next ... The survival instinct would definitely dictate that you should turn back and escape, but some strange force pulls you towards this mysterious machine. The story is definitely not a strong part of this modification, but I was very fond of intro sequence introducing it.

The level design, on the other hand, is excellent. The level parts are perfectly intertwined, many have alternate paths leading to them, which means that the game is extremely non-linear. Nice architecture with a great choice of lightning can sometimes create a very good visual impression. The puzzles are rare and mostly limited to using switches/buttons that trigger a mechanism and enable you to advance. There are also some very good scripted events.

During gameplay you will be attacked by all sorts of soldiers, machineguns, and in one of the levels also female assassins. The Xen monsters are also present, and within their ranks Vortigaunts and Alien Grunts stand out the most. Since enemy positioning is excellent and there are also numerous scripted surprises, you can expect nice battles full of action. Fortunately, ammunition and healing packages are plentiful, so I recommend that you play on Hard. A big weakness of the game is it's length, because I spent only 1 hour playing it.

Survive in Catacombs 1

The Survive in Catacombs mod was created for the competition organized by GameStar, and it was also released on one of the discs accompanying the magazine. With the exception of the titles between the chapters, the whole game is in Czech, which means that you will barely understand the story if Slavic languages are a mystery to you. From the Hazard Course intro, I managed to figure out that six centuries ago the devil was defeated, and his soul was trapped in the so-called Book of the Dead. This artifact was hidden in the catacombs near the Poltergeist castle, but curious people uncovered it and released the evil.

The mapping quality is solid, but it would be difficult to say that it greatly stands out from the average. The maps are very diverse (catacombs, caves, towns, countryside), but they are mostly relatively architecturally simple. There are too many labyrinths in which the corridors are too similar to the other, so you will have difficulty navigating in them. I was additionally frustrated by the large number of traps (save on a regular basis), which were not even hinted at. There are also places that overload the engine and cause stutter, and one of the map (sic6) has problems switching to the next (sic7) - install the Patch. It is commendable that alternative paths are also included, and there are secrets in which you can find many treats. Certain puzzles were pretty nice, because the solution was unusual.

The enemies in the game are reskinned and stronger Xen enemies. You will be mostly attacked by zombies, Vortigaunts, Bullsquids and Headcrabs. The numbers of remaining enemies are too small to be noteworthy. Opponents are mostly positioned in fixed places (very good), zombies on the other hand might crawl out of the soil and surprise you. Their number is sometimes quite a bit excessive, but don't worry, there is tons of ammo in the mod.

The arsenal contains reskinned non-biological weapons from the original with customized parameters, and one of them is also the quantity of ammunition supplies. You will be able to wear as many as twenty grenades, and the revolver can have over a hundred bullets. In combination with a plentiful supply of healing packages, you will not have a problem playing the game on Hard.

Visuals stand out mainly due to very appealing models, and some very well done interior maps. The atmosphere, which is a result of sounds, darkness and exceptionally well-chosen background music, is sometimes superb. To finish the mod, I needed about 2 hours.