100 Half-Life 1 Mods: page 10
Mod installation instructions
After downloading any file it is recommended to verify if the download was successful:
- install the free HashCheck Shell Extension
- right click the file and select the Checksums tab
- compare the MD5 value from the program with the value posted on this site
You can install the mods by either extracting the archive (use free 7-Zip) in the Half-Life folder or run the installer. Default WON folder is located at C:\Sierra\Half-Life\, and the Steam version is located at C:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\common\Half-Life\. After installation you should make sure to restart Steam, and the mod will appear in the Uncategorized section.
Half-Life 1 Mod list
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Back to Xen 2 is a direct continuation of the predecessor created by the Slovenian map creator Janez Brezovnik (go Slovenia! :), and this time the mod contains a story. In order to stop the invasion from Xen, a new device was developed to prevent teleportation between the worlds. Since this means the end of Xen's research and the revolutionary discoveries associated with it, the Administrator decides that the project will never be launched. Some scientists oppose this decision and try to start the device anyway, but this is prevented by the army. Your task is to get to the device and turn it on.
The quality of the maps made a quantum leap with regards to its predecessor, and for this accomplishment the author should definitely be praised. The levels now contain much more detail, better color schemes, and most importantly, since they are more complex they are consequently more interesting. There is much more non-linearity, and there are several side paths and secrets in which you find many goodies. Most maps are internal, but the rare outside maps do not impress. There are quite a few scripted events. Among them you will find those that deform the surroundings, which looks pretty good. Some work has also been put into the puzzles, which are not limited to pressing buttons anymore.
The enemy types were transferred to the sequel without significant changes, but this time the author used a much better approach to balancing. In the beginning, you are mostly threatened by weaker enemies from Xen (eg Vortigaunts), which are later joined by soldiers, machineguns and stronger creatures from Xen (eg Alien Grunts). In this way, the difficulty curve keeps rising in a steady pace, and consequently the challenge keeps increasing. Due to the more complex maps, the author could improve the positioning of the enemies, which resulted in crazy good action that barely leaves you room to breathe. Some of the action can be attributed to scripted occurrences of enemies at certain events that can surprise you behind your back. I was again not impressed by the amount of Headcrabs, but their numbers are much more modest than in the predecessor.
The weapon set is much more diverse than its predecessor, but it is still limited to human weapons. Unlocking happens gradually. Ammunition and healing packages are sufficient for Medium difficulty, but Hard is another story. Although I have played on Hard, because this is recommended by the author, I must say that I could barely make it to the end, so I advise to stay away from this difficulty. To complete the game, you will spend around 2 hours playing it.
In ETC (or Earthquake Test Center) you play Gordon Freeman. The scene is Black Mesa which is full of soldiers and aliens. Your task is to get to the Lambda complex, which is located on the opposite side of the base. Your mission will certainly not be easy, as numerous opponents will stand in your way, with very well-placed soldiers of all sorts being certainly most memorable. They will attack you from multiple directions at a time, and you should also prepare for a lot of evil surprises. There are several types of enemies from Xen, but their numbers are pretty low. Headcrabs are again the most annoying ones (soldiers seem to dislike them too), and Vortigaunts are also worth mentioning. The difficulty curve could be set better, as the start is more difficult as it should be. The weapon selection is very varied, as it is missing only biological and futuristic weapons, and the amount of ammo on Medium difficulty is more than enough. A different story are the amounts of healing packages and batteries, because they are just right.
The maps are inspired by those from the original and are quite well-made in terms of geometry and lighting itself. The selection of textures did not impress me, since they come mostly from the greyscale spectrum, but the game redeems itself with a number of excellent scripted events, which greatly enrich the gameplay. Occasionally the background music turns on. I also thought the NPCs mustaches were a pretty humorous addon :). The progression through stages is mostly linear, but here and there there will also be moments where you need to do something and then go back, and sometimes parts of maps get modified. Puzzles are limited to pressing buttons, but in few instances you also need to take advantage of NPC help. The weak point of modification is definitely its length, as I spent only 30 minutes to complete it.
In Gut Reaction, you play Gordon Freeman, which is employed by G-Man to solve a serious situation in the Lambda Complex. One of the reactors in the complex got occupied by beings from Xen, which now use its nuclear energy to spawn additional allies to the facilities. Freeman's task is to shutdown the reactors and spoil the plans Xenians plans. Unfortunately for him, the army still patrols the complex, making this task a difficult one. The story was, in my opinion, quite interesting, and it's gradually uncovered during gameplay. I recommend that you reset the controls before starting the game.
With very rare exceptions, I really liked the design of the levels. Not only because of the details and good color schemes, but also because of scripted events and the connections between maps. In addition to the variety of ways to move between parts of the levels, I also enjoyed alternative paths that give the game the impression of non-linearity. The way forward is often well hidden, and sometimes you will also have to back track. The puzzles are quite interesting, among them you will find jumping challenges, swimming, pushing buttons and more. On important occasions, background music is turned on, and NPC voices are skillfully used.
The enemies represent a selection of the ones found in the original, which includes all human and a large proportion of Xenian opponents. Very good positioning and map design provide for some nice action, which is additionally spiced up by the teleportation of creatures from Xen and soldier break-ins. There are also quite a few fights between the factions that can be used for your advantage. The battles have a fairly high tempo right from the beginning, but they slow down a lot near the end, as they are substituted with other gaming mechanics. The weapon set is fairly limited and contains only the weapons from the original. The amounts of ammunition, medical packages and batteries are just right for YMedium difficulty. On this difficulty you will end the game in a modest 1 hour. It's a shame that it's doesn't last longer ...
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.
The Long Night takes place in Black Mesa, 18 hours after the events from the original. You play as Gordon Freeman, and that's basically all the story there is. The mod does not hide it's connection with the original, as you will notice the influence of the latter almost in every map available. Architecture is relatively simple because it contains quite a bit of flat surfaces and also relatively few objects, but the impression is corrected by a good choice of color schemes and textures, and above all diversity. The path will lead you through warehouses, offices and flooded areas, and you will be able to catch some fresh air in the complex surroundings and even visit Xen (which did not really impress me). The level design is pretty non-linear, and I liked it very much. It contains alternative paths, side paths with goodies, secrets and tasks that you can finish in any order. The puzzles are fairly varied and interesting, but for my taste they are too similar to those from the original Half-Life.
In the pauses between the puzzles, you will fight against the Xen monsters, soldiers, female assassins and machineguns. Interestingly, the opponents are not gradually introduced as you might expect. Already in the very beginning of the game you will have to fight soldiers and Xen Warriors, and their numbers are definitely not lowered to ease your step into the bigger fights later in the game. Enemy positions are pretty nice, and you should also be prepared for ambushes and scripted occurrences. The difficulty thus remains fairly high through the whole gaming experience, but is unfortunately lowered on Xen. The weapon set is limited to human weapons from the original. The amount of bullets and health / batteries is just right to finish the game on the Medium difficulty, and I needed about 1 hour and a half to complete this task.
In Castle Creep, you play a secret agent named Gordon Freeman, who is tasked with eliminating a wealthy businessman named Edward Marsden. The latter bought the Von Creep castle a year ago and turned it into a private fort, from where he controls illegal operations. It is also rumored that they are conducting genetic experiments in the castle in which humans and animals are forcibly mutated into monsters. The story sounds pretty interesting, and you can read more about it in the archive file Mission.txt.
The venues consist of castle architecture, which quite roughly transitions into more modern laboratories. The size of all things stands out a lot, as it looks like a giant lives in the castle. Most of the castle venues are made very simple without any details. The corridors and the rooms are mostly empty, but if there is anything in them, it's usually a small number of objects. On the other hand, the laboratories are the complete opposite, and nicely combine good layout of the elements with variable wall textures. The levels are fairly non-linear, as you can often choose your path to the destination, and sometimes you have to back track. The puzzles are pretty nice and not limited to only pushing buttons, sometimes you also have to overcome some obstacles by jumping or intensively using your brain. You can also get stuck in a few places, so save regularly. In map 4 it's advisable not to move too far from the bomb, as the transition might not be triggered correctly.
As you wander through the castle, you will be attacked by both soldiers and mutated monsters, which are actually creatures from Xen. The fights can be pretty hard due to the lack of medkits and batteries, but with smart approach you should not have problems with Medium difficulty. In few situations, you can sneak around the enemies to have a better attacking position, and people that like to explore can find some powerful secret weapons. I had mixed feelings about the appearance of the game, due to fluctuations in the build quality, but the impression was slightly corrected by video sequences and scripted events. I finished the mod in about 1 hour of play time.
Dav Train takes place after Gordon rejects G-Man's offer of co-operation. Gordon gets placed in a locked cell on a train and is transported to a secret base where his memories will be erased. During the stop he successfully kills his guard and escapes from the cell. Outside, he will not only be challenged by angry soldiers, but also numerous Xen monsters which roam the area. You will be mostly fighting with four types of opponents: soldiers with machine guns and shotguns, Vortigaunts and Alien Grunts. Due to their number, good positioning, cover and clever map design, the fights will be full of action. Teleportation and well-placed machinegun nests will take care of additional surprises. Your weapon set is limited to human ones, but there is enough ammunition for them.
The levels consist of almost exclusively internal maps, which contain offices, corridors and warehouses. Some initial actions also take place on wagons. The map design is fairly good with quite a few details, but unrealistically narrow passages and certain wrong proportions ruin the impression. The course of the game is mostly straightforward, but certain parts of the maps are open enough, therefore you do not get a sense of linearity. There are some side paths with loot, but be careful when breaking boxes, as they sometimes explode and injure you. The game visuals do not contain any surprises, but I really liked are the interesting scripted events, in which the opposing factions are fighting each other. On the difficulty of Medium, I used about 30 minutes to complete the mod, but you can squeeze additional 15 minutes out of it by playing on Hard.
Chaos Theory takes place in a secret state laboratory about three weeks before the Black Mesa incident. You play as Gordon Freeman, who is researching the chaos theory together with a team of fellow scientists. Unfortunately, in one of the experiments something goes wrong and you get teleported to a location, unknown to you. When you reach a specific goal in this area, you get teleported to the next map with an unrelated theme, and so on. This concept is used by quite a few modifications in this mod list, but none of them explains it in such a sophisticated way.
The modification consists of six very diverse maps that have a rather unfortunately chosen order, making the fluctuations in difficulty pretty significant. The introductory fun battle against Gargantua is followed by a walk through flooded corridors with plenty of Vortigaunts, but then suddenly you will be teleported to the (too)easy stage on Xen. After that you will have fight yourself through a massive corridor maze, which contains plenty of well-placed soldiers and machine guns, making it certainly the hardest part of the game. This is again followed by a very easy level with zombies and Headcrabs. The end is devoted to the elimination of a helicopter, which is otherwise demanding, but is made easier by a big supply of goodies. The game provides you with massive amounts of ammo, and there's also an abundance of medkits and batteries, so I recommend playing on Hard difficulty.
The architecture of the maps is mostly fairly simple and full of flat surfaces. The boring labyrinth of corridors in the offices and the not impressive Xen stand out the most in this regard. On the other hand, for example, the introductory map is very nicely made, as it is filled with details. In addition to fighting against opponents, the game mostly contains fairly standard puzzles, but among them you will find some very innovative ones. I really liked the map with a helicopter in which containers are unlocked gradually and slowly lead you to a rocket launcher, which can be used to destroy this dangerous opponent. To complete the mod, I spent about 45 minutes playing it.
Back to Xen is a modification for Half-Life which was released in 1999 and was made by a Slovenian author Janez Brezovnik - go Slovenia! :D. It's a package of seven maps with a simple goal of getting to the end. There is no story.
Internal and external maps are architecturally very basic and covered with concrete or rock texture, details are barely existant. The corridors and doors are claustrophobically narrow, but you will be able to catch some breath in the rooms that they connect. Variation of gaming experience comes in form of ladder climbing, manual door opening and button pressing, but there are no other puzzles. There are also some scripted surprises that can seriously damage you, so save regularly. I also recommend regular saving because of the transition problem between the first and second map: jan1.bsp and jan2.bsp. To solve the problem, open the console, type sv_cheats 1
, then map jan2
. Since you spawn without items, you should now enter the impulse 101
command, which gives you the H.E.V. suit and basic weaponry. The remaining map transitions work perfectly.
The difficulty of the game is quite unusual and is responsible for a lower final score. The start is difficult and full of action, because you are endangered by extremely well placed soldiers and machineguns. In the next moment, difficulty drops greatly, because the set of enemies becomes limited to those from Xen, which are well placed, but much less dangerous. Headcrabs stand out here, because they are positioned in almost every possible hole and behind almost every box, which can be sometimes pretty annoying. The last part is slightly more difficult again. Unlike most other modifications, the Xen creatures and soldiers have signed a treaty of non-aggression, which creates quite unusual situations. Weapon selection is fortunately properly chosen for the action, but variety is lacking. Bullets and medkits / batteries are numerous enough to play on Hard. You will need about 45 minutes to complete the mod.
This mod takes place in a research center located on the planet Zubben in the Lepus constellation. After many years of excavations, scientists have made a revolutionary discovery, and have of course notified their superiors about it. The latter requested the excavations to be immediately halted until the U.S.S. Arizona research vessel arrives at the planet with a team of experts to deal with the discovery. You play one of the employees named Gordon Freeman JR, who is awaken from cryogenic sleep at the moment of arrival of the vessel. Instead of scientists, soldiers storm out of the U.S.S. Arizona with a mission to not leave any witnesses. Your task is to get to the communications tower outside the base and get in touch with one of the research vessels circling around the planet.
As far as the map design is concerned, the first impression is very promising. In the first third, the maps are quite visually appealing because of the used color scheme, textures and architecture, despite the latter being quite rough. In addition to the areas within the research center, you will be able to experience quite a lot of Mars-like exterior. The other third is a visual disappointment, due to the chronic lack of light sources. Because of this, you will need to travel through the maps with a continuously lit flashlight and look for well-hidden ways forward in a microscopical circle. The last part consists mostly of weakly, yet well-enough, illuminated exterior, which I again liked. Puzzles mostly consist of jumping challenges, button pushing and terminal activation, but they also contain some very original ideas. In the levels there are also some secret areas with goodies.
In the game, you will mostly fight against soldiers, and a tiny amount of opponents also consists of machine guns and monsters from Xen (mostly Headcrabs). The beginning is very rough, because you have only the crowbar to deal with a soldier armed with a machine gun, who is waiting for you in an ambush. This lines up well with the story itself, but the author could also include the possibility of escaping to make the start less frustrating. The high difficulty is maintained all the way to the end, because the soldiers are numerous and well-placed, and often also appear behind your back in the most dramatic moments. Several times you will also have to jump while fighting, but the toughest is the dark section in which you will need to target opponents by looking at their gun muzzle flash. Your weaponry is fairly limited, but you can expand it with secret weapons. The bullets and goodies are just right for the Medium difficulty, and on it, you will finish the game in about 45 minutes.