100 Half-Life 1 Mods: page 9

Chaos Theory

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.

The Xeno Project

The Xeno Project takes place on Xen, which is under the process of terraforming to make living on it more pleasant to mankind. On one of the asteroids there is a laboratory complex named Xeno Project, in which scientists are researching portal technology and in which our hero - Gordon Freeman - is also employed. Due to the general secrecy around the project, relations between the different factions are very tense, and one day, during one of the experiments, soldiers break into laboratories and start with slaughter. Will you be able to escape? The path to your freedom will be hindered by a wide range of enemies, consisting of people, monsters and mechanical enemies. You will meet various creatures from Xen, soldiers, female assasins, tanks, helicopters, and machineguns, and on top of that you will have to avoid traps. Due to the extremely good positioning of opponents and brutal ambushes, the game is all but simple, but at the same time it offers an extraordinary experience to players who love action. In spite of the considerable amount of goodies and varied selection of weapons, you will have to approach the situation the right way to survive.

Maps consist of both internal and external levels, which are constantly interchanged during gameplay. Due to the adapted gravity resulting from terraforming and human structures, you will feel like playing in a reskinned environment outside of Black Mesa. The appearance of external maps is excellent, as it impresses in both architecture and color. The internal maps on the other hand do not stand out. They are well built in the beginning and have enough detail, but some parts are also boring and desolate, and there are also duplicate sections that give a false impression of non-linearity. The situation gets considerably worse towards the end, when the wrong proportions of the elements gets added to the list of mistakes. Too bad. The puzzles are pretty much nonexistant, the most noteworthy being jumping challenges, which are upgraded in the second part of the game with the long jump module. I spent about 45 minutes of play time on Medium difficulty to get to the end.

Timeline 1

In the Timeline series, you play Gordon Freeman, who is enlisted by G-Man in order to resolve an incident caused by a renegade fraction of Marines. The latter use a time teleporter to travel to the past and help the German Reich win the Second World War. I recommend that you read the background of the story before starting the game (readme.txt), because it is not so well explained during the gameplay. But I must say that the idea seemed very good to me.

Maps are architecturally very basic, initial levels have barely any details, but the situation improves during gameplay, which is commendable. The various parts of the map are interconnected, and there are also some possibilities of non-linear approach. The paths forward are often well hidden, there are also some puzzles. Traveling through time means that you will see diverse venues in which ancient architecture is well intertwined with modern one. I would like to warn you that you should save regularly, as there are time limited surprised, also, one of the bugs I encountered was that an opened door closed itself permanently, because I did not enter through it quickly enough.

You will be mostly attacked by military grunts, which will be sometimes joined by assassins and machineguns. The monsters from Xen are scarce, and when you will be able to fight them, you will see that their set is limited. Fights can be difficult, because the enemies are plentiful and well-placed, also, in certain parts of the game there is a severe lack of medkits and batteries. Your arsenal consists of a limited array of weapons from the original Half-Life, but thankfully, you do not have to worry about ammunition, as there is tons of it - also explosive charges.

Visually, I was not impressed at the beginning, but my experience improved later on. There are several scripted events that contribute to a good atmosphere. I finished the game on the Medium difficulty in about 1 hour and 45 minutes .

Affliction

Affliction takes place in Black Mesa at an unknown time. You start the game unconscious and wounded on a truck guarded by two female assassins. Your H.E.V. suit once again turns out to be priceless, because it rejuvenates you. In another lucky moment an alien bomber attacks your position and allows you to escape. That's all there is to the story of the modification, the rest is just fighting yourself to the goal which you'll reach in about 45 minutes of play time. You will be attacked by a very modest set of reskinned opponents, which contains only the weakest species from Xen and both types of soldiers. Their positioning is good, and there are some scripted surprises, but their numbers are low, and thus the action will only barely meet the needs of better players (even on Hard). There are plenty of bullets and goodies around, especially for those who like to explore, but on the other hand the weapon selection is quite modest.

It would be hard to complain about the quality of the map design, as the levels are mostly visually appealing, they have good geometry and lighting, and there are some interesting scripted events that transform the surroundings or otherwise enrich the gameplay. Parts of the levels are well connected to each other, and you will also backtrack a lot. In the latter case new opponents will appear on the already visited parts, or the maps will be otherwise transformed. The mod relies heavily on maps from the original and other games (for example, Uplink), but does not significantly upgrade them, which is unfortunate - I would like more originality. The puzzles are practically non-existent, as it's already clear from far away how to continue. The exception can be some buttons that look like a light. There are also some rude traps in the game that you can not detect until they trigger.

Assault on Roswell

Assault on Roswell takes place in Roswell somewhere in the US. You are playing a British secret agent sent to the base to investigate the outbreak of a mysterious virus, which may even be of extraterrestrial origin. In order to increase the effectiveness of infiltration, our character is disguised as gorden (this is what the text says, lol :) and even undergoes plastic surgery.

The level design is one of the key weak points of this mod. The maps (especially at the beginning) consist of simple and almost empty rectangular boxes that are connected with long and boring corridors or shafts. In addition to the dull emptiness, the impression is made worse by the monotone textures on the walls, and design mistakes. Occasionally, you may get stuck without the possibility of a return, so save regularly. The quality of the created levels increases with the time, so the ending levels are pretty decent. The way forward is occasionally well hidden, but in many cases you will need to activate a switch somewhere and return a long way back - very annoying. Maps also contain secrets and traps.

On the way to the end you will encounter opponents already known from the original, which are well placed in some places and represent an interesting challenge, but in other cases the authors have exaggerated their numbers a bit. The weapon list has not undergone significant changes, but the way you get them differs from other modifications. You will have to find them in the level, otherwise you might have to do a long walk back. Ammunition and healing packages are just right, but they are found in unusual fragile objects such as, for example, boxes that look like explosive charges.

The appearance of the game progressively improves during play, but it is never pretty. The elements are mostly placed without some sense of aesthetics, the height and size ratios are wrong, everything is made very crude. Occasionally the music background is switched on, but the moments are not always appropriate. On the Medium difficulty, I finished the game in about 2 hours.

CWC MapPack

CWC MapPack is a modification made up of interlinked maps of various authors. Since the topic was not defined, it is a very varied package, which unfortunately does not have a story.

The mapping quality varies greatly, but unfortunately there is no map in the package, which really excited me, because each of them has some disadvantages. Some are architecturally too simple, others contain illogical architectural elements. Some exaggerate with the number of enemies, others frustrate with unclear paths forward, which will make you run around in circles, etc. Since the transitions between the maps have not been accurately defined, they can be pretty crazy and sometimes even buggy, so save regularly. Frequent saves are recommended also because of the numerous bugs and places without exit. The mapping theme encompasses internal and external maps, and Xen is also present.

The enemies were taken from the original game, their number and positioning are dependent on the individual author. Difficulty of some fights is just right to be enjoyable, and in some cases you can get rid of the opponents in an alternative way. Ammunition is plentiful on Medium difficulty, and the same applies to healing packages and batteries. I disliked very much that the first map did not offer me a crowbar, but I got it later, unfortunately, almost at the end of the modification.

Visually, most maps did not impress me, but of course there were some exceptions (Kane) that had a nice layout of elements, lighting and also scripted events. To complete the map pack, I spent about 2 hours and a half playing it.

Zubben

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.

Half Secret

In Half Secret, you are playing a chemist named Dyson Poincare, who works in Black Mesa. One day during your train ride to work, an incident occurs (which is probably related to the one in the original) and in it, you lose consciousness. When you finally wake up, the complex is full of enemies, and that's basically all of the story this modification has. All the maps are internal and, as far as architecture is concerned, very simplistic. There are plenty of flat surfaces and the elements are scarce, which makes the levels look pretty empty. Some improvement is provided by flooded and barricaded sections, and also by quite some scripted events. Although progress is mostly linear, several sections are circularly connected and get split into a new section right before re-connecting to the old one. Puzzles and skill challenges are virtually non-existent. You need to push some buttons, and find and use a security card a couple of times, but that's about it.

Interestingly, a completely different experience awaits you as far as the fights are concerned. Your skill will be tested by all kinds of monsters from Xen, and also soldiers which have the support of machineguns. Lots of action is achieved by nice enemy positioning and their abundance, and everything is spiced up with scripted occurrences. The latter deserve a special praise, because they are often performed in such a way, that the opponent with a long range attack appears only when you are already placed in front of a stressful close range situation. This challenge will require a quick reaction, but at the same time it is balanced enough to always be fair. The weapon set is quite varied, as rarely seen extraterrestrial weapons are added to the classic firearms. Instead of Snarks you will use Chumtoads, and the rocket launcher is replaced with explosive bats called Stukabat. Amounts of bullets and healing packages are at the boundary for the Hard difficulty, so I definitely recommend it to more experienced players. On this difficulty I ended the game in about 45 minutes.

Hard

In Hard you play an agent named Jeffrey Hard, which is sent to Black Mesa disguised as Gordon Freeman to check why the facility stopped responding. Problems with the game appear immediately after the introductory sequence, as the truck does not want to drive backwards. The solution is to enter map hard1 into the console to skip the level. Fortunately, this jump will not cost you anything. Another problem are completely changed keys, so you need to reset them before playing.

The quality of the maps is extremely variable. Some of them are pretty good, with nice lighting and scripted events, others are cuboid holes without a single detail. Routes forward are often well hidden, not only through the switches / buttons that need to be pressed, but are also found in unclear places. Sometimes you will also need to go back to the already visited area, but prepare for hard fights. There are also some challenging jumping challenges present.

The game is hard and unjust, levels contain tons of soldiers, Xen monsters, machine guns, cannons, rockets, snipers and lasers. Threats are reinforced with nerve-breaking scripted events that can not be escaped unharmed. To frustrate the player further, several levels contain Snark nests with large amounts of these annoying creatures. There are no surprises about the weapons set, the amount of ammo is just right. Number of health packages and batteries is barely enough at the Easy difficulty, so I recommend frequent saving.

The appearance of the game does not impress, occasionally the music is turned on. To complete this mod, you will need about 2 hours and a half of gameplay, but this time can be extended considerably because of hidden paths.

Hardman - in the City

Hardman - in the City takes place in an unknown city, whose streets are full of drug addicts, police officers and armed members of a criminal organization. Gameplay takes place on the streets and inside buildings, with both types having extremely simple geometry, a lot of flat surfaces, and a small number of elements. I also disliked many invisible walls, which could be solved much better by using barricades. The impression is slightly corrected by use of fairly high-res textures, which could often be placed with better precision. The beginning is relatively linear, but eventually the number of side paths increases, and there are also some secrets. The traversal through the maps is pretty varied, as you will be crawling through the sewage and vents, riding with lifts and trains, breaking barriers, overcoming obstacles, pressing buttons, etc. In any case, it's much better than the author previous creation: Pimp My Car.

You will only fight soldiers in this mod, and you will be able to ask numerous street policemen to aid you in this task. Artificial intelligence can often be clumsy, and is sometimes placed away from you when you enter an area, but this only slightly reduces the general action. Soldiers mostly attack in teams, they often charge you from multiple directions, and are also well hidden many times, so prepare to be surprised. The situation gets quite intense when grenades, explosive charges and secondary shotgun shots get used, and let me tell you, the soldiers are not afraid to use these combat techniques. You weaponry is gradually unlocked, and consists of a rather limited reskinned set of weapons from the original. The goodies and ammunition are plentiful enough to play on Hard difficulty. The game ends by throwing you back to the main menu, and I needed about 45 minutes of gameplay to experience this.