100 Half-Life 1 Mods: page 4
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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In Half-Life: Visitors you play a lawyer named Alan Green, who was sent to a desert in New Mexico to analyze the security protocols used in the Black Mesa laboratories. Because the story of the mod is intertwined with the original, an incident occurs during your visit and the Xen monsters flood the complex. As your life is endangered, you have no other choice but grab a weapon and start fighting your way to freedom. The position in the timeline of the original universe keeps revealing itself during gameplay, and also through video sequences and cross references, but somewhere in the middle of the mod there is a really strange and unexplained scene jump.
Maps rely heavily on levels from the original HL and expansions, but are very ingeniously transformed into a unique and varied experience. They contain tons of very interesting puzzles that will test your ingenuity and ability to observe the surroundings. Sharp eyes will also be needed for some very well hidden paths. It's hard to find any major irregularity in level design itself. The levels are full of detail and are perfectly connected to one another, players that like to explore will love them. I recommend that you save regularly, since you will encounter countless traps and surprises during gameplay.
In regards to the enemies and weapons, there seem to be no major surprises (with the exception of the parameter adjustments). You start fighting the Xen monsters first, later on they are joined by soldiers, special forces and assassins. Their positioning and numbers seemed just right to provide nice fights. The difficulty curve is polished pretty well. On the difficulty of Medium there are just enough healing packages and armor to avoid frustration, and in worst case scenarios, you can also get some help from the scientists. Interestingly, you can find batteries in the levels, but they can not be used. The same holds for certain types of ammunition. The arsenal is fairly standard and unlocks during advancement, unfortunately, there are no biological weapons.
Although the modification does not offer big graphic improvements (with the exception of a couple of new models and textures), authors managed to create a very appealing look with the placement of elements in the maps. Some of the locations were extremely well-lit and had an excellent color scheme, and this was further strengthened by scripted events and background music. I needed about 2 hours and a half to complete the mod.
Cthulhu is a scary modification inspired by the books of H.P. Lovecraft. The latter created the Cthulhu Mythos of horrible extraterrestrial monsters, which can make you mad if you only look at them. The story takes place in 1928, and you play Ranulf Stafford, an occult researcher. Your adviser Sir Henry wants you to meet him in his country house. When you get there, you discover that Henry was abducted by the Occultists, but he was quick enough to reveal their goal. The story is interesting, you uncover it by reading books and listening to your monologue while driving in a car.
The levels are dark and mysterious, and they provide a good view on the world in the Cthulhu mythos. Unfortunately, the quality of the maps didn't impress me. There are too many dark labyrinths, rooms are too simple, there are no secrets and awards for people that like to explore. On the other hand, you can't overlook that they contain quite a few traps, scripted events, jumping challenges and well placed advancement paths. The enemies are pretty diverse and consist of Occultists armed with various weapons, extraterrestrials and other monsters. Since most of them are only skinned standard enemies, some of them have trouble moving and attacking. The biggest stand out are definitely the knife-armed Occultists.
Against such a diverse range of enemies you can fight with an extensive set of weapons, which are quite awkwardly arranged in the slots. Along Stick and knife you also wield a pistol, a double barrelled shotgun, a machine gun and a rifle, and there are also molotovs and dynamite available. A notable specialty are magic weapons such as, for example, a snake conjuring stick and spellbooks. The latter are extremely powerful not only for attacks, but you can also regenerate your life with them (fairly buggy). Unfortunately, they drain your sanity with usage. If you empty the latter, you will go mad and the game will be over. Fortunately, it restores itself on certain events. Ammunition for classic weapons is plentiful, the same applies to just right amount of healing packages.
Appearance wise, the models are really nice, but the layout of the map elements didn't impress me. There is also a recorded speech in the game, and the background music is also turned on some occasions. To finish the mod, I used about 4 hours and a half on Medium difficulty. If you get stuck, a walktrough is also available in the modification folder.
Invasion begins at the end of the original Half-Life 1 when Gordon Freeman on a train to the unknown has to choose whether to work with G-Man or stay on the train. He opts for the latter and just before G-Man condemns him to death, a group of scientists succeeds to open a teleporter back to Earth. Gordon escapes, but the situation on Earth is by no means rosy: the alien attackers still control the Black Mesa, while the rest is being purged by soldiers. Scientists ask Gordon to enter the Black Mesa complex again and destroy the teleportation crystals, which should stop the invasion for good.
The design of the levels is excellent and diverse, and the enemies are placed very well. Advance is often not obvious and is quite frequently blocked with security codes which you enter via mouse control. They are given to you by NPCs and sometimes you also read them from notebooks or computers. Sometimes you will also have to hide from cameras or snipers, and there are also some time-limited events in which you will have to put your jumping skills to the test. In addition to classic man to man battles, you will also spend a part of the game driving a tank, and shooting with the machinegun or canon.
In addition to soldiers from the original, you will also encounter snipers and soldiers with rocket launchers. Both of them are extremely dangerous opponents. Fortunately, you have a very varied arsenal, which contains a whole lot of new weapons. You will, for example, find a gun with a thermo sensor that will allow you to detect enemies through the walls, and a sniper rifle with the possibility of zooming. The rocket launcher has received projectiles that damage enemies through the walls, and you will be also able to launch nuclear projectiles to blow up obstacles. An additional special feature is that you do not have a flashlight, but a lighter with (unfortunately) a very narrow band of luminosity. Despite the often dark fights, you will not be helpless, as opponents have built-in flashlights which can be targeted. There are relatively few healing and battery stations, but the specialty of the game is that you can carry batteries and healing packages in your inventory and use them when an emergency appears.
The graphics elements of the game are fully reskinned, you will also be able to listen to custom music. The game also includes French speakers, but fortunately English subtitles are included. As far as the graphics are concerned, abundant breakable materials were definitely a eye catcher. This way, soldiers are able to shoot through walls or windows (well, you can too), and with the tank you can do some massive destruction :). The atmosphere of the game is also enriched by scripted events. Difficulty is very high, so I recommend playing on Easy, where you'll spend about 5 hours of gameplay.
The TWHL (The Whole Half-Life) Tower is a compilation of thirteen maps of various authors, which are presented as floors in a tower, connected via the central staircase. Each of the authors was limited by the building space (floor), but as there were no other limitations, he could do anything with it. The result we got in this mod is surprisingly good and even has some traces of consistency. Each floor contains a specific task (or more of them) that needs to be solved before you can unlock the stairwell door, and move one floor higher through some kind of a portal.
The portal is not only used to restore life points, but also for removal of weapons, making the beginning of each floor a fresh start. Most of the time, you will lose only the crowbar, which you must use to break certain areas of the map, but in some floors, the game will also give you the pistol, the machine gun and the shotgun, as you will also have to fight. At lower levels, you will be mostly attacked by Xen monsters and machine guns, but at the rooftop a bigger challenge awaits you, as it's full of soldiers and even has a helicopter. Sometimes you will also have to run away from your opponents, and in one of the levels, you will have to avoid camera detection, as it will otherwise trigger deadly machinegun fire. Since your life points are regenerated after every floor, I would recommend playing the game on Hard difficulty.
Most maps are visually good, as they contain enough interesting details, and it is also difficult to complain about the geometry itself. Only a few of them slightly deviate in the negative direction, because of the simplicity, but this is quickly countered by those which are above average quality and are a true visual treat (eg Upper Management, Chairman). In general, all the maps are puzzle oriented. The challenges are very diverse and some of them are also very original. You will be searching for hidden access cards and keys, gradually unlocking areas, pressing buttons, activating terminals, collecting items, and there are also some jumping challenges. Unfortunately, the pack also contains some bad puzzles (for example, the teleporting box), but that does not ruin the overall experience. I needed about 1 hour to complete the game.
Issues or Project Quantum Leap 2 is a compilation of maps of various authors that are grouped over a single common theme: find a scientist who got lost during a teleportation. Gameplay is done by entering one of the teleporters in the connecting hub, and then fight your way through to the exit teleporter, which again leads to the hub.
If several different author work independently it will most certainly result in fluctuating quality. No exceptions here. On one side we have excellent maps (eg Subzone, Badass, Legacy, Lost time) that are looking nice, are quite long, non-linear, well balanced, have challenging fights and jump challenges, and also contain secrets. On the other hand, we have very average or even unfinished maps (Casa, Base, Xenpit) that are short, not appealing architecturally, exploration barely makes sense. It is a pity that the authors did not adapt a minimum quality standard, and then helped each other to reach it.
The set of enemies and weapons depends on the map, but both (with the exception of the second part of Lost Time) are limited to what is found in the original.
There is not much to discuss about the looks, as the custom models are only present in Lost Time, but the difference in aesthetics between the excellent and the average maps is quite high. The background music is turned on here and there, and a some maps have custom speech. To complete the package, I needed approximately 3 hours on the Medium difficulty.
In the Black Ops mod, you play a special force soldier named Declan Walker, whose task is to find and eliminate a runaway scientist called Dr. Gallagher. The latter has stolen a mysterious suitcase from Black Mesa, which the government wants to recover in every way possible. The story sounds interesting, but it has some faults. It's revealed through comics that strongly resemble those of Max Payne, and there are also a lot of levels and scripted events that players of Max Payne will immediately recognize.
The similarity is not only limited to Max Payne, but also Half-Life 2. Maps are full of detail and very aesthetically made, the paths are often not obvious, and there are some jumping challenges. Occasionally you will encounter a locked door that you will need to unlock with a card, key, or security code. You will be able to get the latter by reading it from a computer or a piece of paper. Some puzzles will also require you to find a missing piece of some device, or explosives to blow up a wall. Enemies are often positioned at different height levels, which can make some situations pretty difficult.
During the game, you will mostly fight against soldiers and turrets, here and there you will be harassed by Headcrabs, zombies, and Alien Slaves. Other Xen creatures are not really newsworthy. With the exception of the silenced pistol, your arsenal has not received any changes, with the exception being removal of biological weapons. There is definitely too much ammunition, and the same applies to healing packages and armor. You can find even more stuff by exploring, as there are a lot of hidden places with goodies in the game.
The visuals are very nice, not only because of detailed maps, but also because of detailed textures (khm, khm, posters don't count :P). The experience is also enriched by scripted events and music that turns on at the right moments. Unfortunately, the comics are cut off at widescreen resolutions. Due to the relatively low difficulty, I recommend that you play on Hard which will provide you with approximately 2 hours and a half of gameplay.
Timeline 3: Heart of Darkness is the last part in the Timeline series. During hyperspace travel Gordon, G-Man and Barney are captured by the Nazis, who apparently weren't eliminated in previous games. After escaping from prison, you discover that the Third Reich has managed to infiltrate itself into several timelines, which means that you will have to find another solution to this problem. I really liked the story in this part and, in my opinion, it provided a really good ending to the series.
The level design has really impressed me this time. The maps contain a lot of detail and are very well connected with others, also, they are very architecturally diverse due to being in different time periods. A few of them allow a non-linear approach to problem solving, but the large amount of freedom may confuse some players. Some of the passages are very well hidden, so keep your eyes peeled. Many of the doors are limited by access cards (pay attention to green lights next to them), unfortunately, some of them also require large amounts of backtracking.
The set of enemies is very varied, as it includes most of the ones from the original Half-Life. They are very well positioned, and will occasionally surprise you by teleporting. The latter was made less annoying as in previous part, so playing is less stressful. Difficulty curve could be better, as you will barely make it to the end at Medium, on the other hand Easy occasionally does not provide a big enough challenge. There is enough ammo for conventional weaponry, the same goes for healing packages and batteries.
The appearance of the game is good, and occasionally excellent. A number of maps are very well lit, and the impression is further enriched by positioning of objects, scripted events and the occasional background music. I needed about 3 hours to complete the mod.
In Azure Sheep, you play Barney, a security guard at the Black Mesa complex, which happens to have same name as the hero from the Blue-Shift expansion. Just another day at work quickly turns into a nightmare after monsters from Xen invade the complex. In order to save his girlfriend, Kate, Barney ventures deep into the heart of the Black Mesa lab complex. The Azure Sheep and original Half-Life Stories are perfectly intertwined, so you are able to meet with Gordon Freeman even help him progress. The mod's story is spiced up by video sequences, and quite a few scripted events.
The level design is good and is almost as diverse as the original, but some labyrinths of corridors with numerous locked doors are really a letdown. There are quite a few alternative routes to reach the goal, which will allow you to try a different advancement approach. The enemies are well placed, and there are quite a few ambushes and shocking moments. Classic enemies from the original were expanded by modified and brand new ones, but there is also quite few new allies. Kate stands out from the crowd, because she is crucial for advancement (she opens some security doors), therefore you must take great care to protect her (and get angry when she does not want to pass through the door :). Arsenal was also expanded with new weapons and a portable medkit, which you can use to treat Kate. Although the fights are quite demanding, there were enough bullets and healing packages that I did not have any problems. Sometimes, you also need to mount a machine gun or rocket launcher, but at the same time this means that you have to be a good shooter, as a lot of opponents will storm you.
In addition to custom models and speakers for them (very commendable!), the game also has a custom colored HUD. The color can sometimes be very problematic as you can't distinguish it from the surroundings. The game is about 4 hours long and offers a very diverse gaming experience, I recommend playing on medium.
Hard 2 is the second part of the modification in which you play Agent Jeffrey Hard, and continues exactly from where the previous part ended. For some weird reason, our hero looses all weapons and H.E.V. suit during the crash, but luckily you are able to regain it after a few minutes of playing. Similar to the first part, you should also reset your controls. The game contains a lot of annoying bugs (doors do not open, NPCs get stuck, etc.), so keep saving regularly and do not be afraid to approach some situations in a different way to avoid them.
Maps follow a similar pattern to the previous one, but progress is definitely visible. Some of them are still simple empty cuboids, but the amount of those with solid design, tips the scale. You will be out of luck looking for logic or story for level transitions or element placement, as they seem to be created via current authors inspiration. This mixture often results in extremely awkward visuals (urinals on the women's toilette? XD), but at the same time it provides exceptional diversity, so you will certainly not be bored in the 3 hours and a half long gameplay. There challenges are pretty varied and range from puzzles to jumping trials and tense fights. Certain levels are a gigantic non-linear experience, which is very commendable.
The selection of enemies is extremely varied, but there are no new ones. Their positioning is pretty good. Along with scripted events it will put some stress on your mouse and keyboard =). It is very commendable that the number of frustrating and unjust situations has dropped to a minimum, so I dared to play this mod on the Medium difficulty. Ammunition is quite plentiful, and the same goes for healing packages and batteries.
Moonwalker takes place in 2090 on the interplanetary space vessel with the same name. You play a researcher named Gordon Freeman, who is more a janitor than a scientist, if you would judge him by his tasks :). Your first mission is to reactivate the generators of one of the sections. After you complete it, you get a message that a crack has appeared in one of the portals. This leads to emergency evacuation of all personnel. Will you be able to escape? The story is revealed to you through messages on screens and through intermediate sequences, and in my opinion, it has more holes than Swiss cheese :).
Maps represent a very mixed experience. The architecture of the majority is satisfactory, but it could contain more details. Despite custom textures and special effects, it would be difficult to say that the visuals are above average. Then we have a tiny amount of rooms, which in my opinion are perfectly illuminated, have great selection of textures, and they also stand out as far as details are concerned. The last part is represented by visually appealing, but boring labyrinths of corridors that give the game a sense of incompleteness. The puzzles are quite diverse and include jumping challenges, finding cards, pressing buttons, backtracking, and there are also some traps you will need to avoid.
Your path to the end will be obstructed by varied Xen opponents, as well as soldiers and female assassins, which have the help of machineguns. Their numbers are generally small, so you should not have any major problem, even on Hard difficulty. Ammunition for a limited set of modified weapons is a ample for the mentioned difficulty, and there are also a lot of batteries and medical packages available. However, there are exceptions. There are quite a few brutal jumps in difficulty, which will make you reload more than you would wish. The last quarter is pure disappointment as far as the action is concerned, and I was also disappointed with the ending. I needed about 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete the modification.
