Why did noone tell me how good this was?
Its been a couple of years since I went through HL1, but I'm going through Black Mesa right now and I'm astounded at how good it is. Even when compared to AAA games, the mod team hit it out of the park.
Did they get professional help from Valve or something?
It's not finished yet
>Black Mesa
>good
The rebalanced HECU soldiers can kiss my fucking ass. Their stats were driven through the roof (ALL of them) and they are not fun to fight at all now.
I also dislike how the jump is completely worthless. You have to crouch-jump everywhere - so why not make that how the jump works by default? Or alternatively, make the jump not pointless.
And no Uplink or Xen, which makes me kinda sad. I also remember reading that some of the areas that were adapted from Half-Life were shortened tremendously, though I can't remember the details off the top of my head (haven't played it in a while).
But it's an okay remake.
I agree with you on the jump, but I was conditioned to duck jump long ago so its not much of a burden. I had to turn off the "auto duck jump" option though, perhaps you'd like that. It basically turns the jump into a duck jump automatically.
The HECU soldiers were a bit tough but once you learn how to exploit their deficiencies it doesn't hurt too bad to get into combat with them. I'm playing on hard mode and I can come out of a scrap with them quite well off. I'm thinking its probably a combination of games having an easier way of dealing with enemies these days, cover mechanics, etc. Maybe thats what you experienced as well.
I'm 10 hours in (pic related), even if Xen isn't there I'm okay with what I paid for it. $10.00 isn't a lot to ask for a mod of this quality.
I've heard their plan is to release Xen this Summer so it was a good excuse to try out my 144hz monitor. Its really nice.
>But it's an okay remake.
selling it so goddamn short with this comment. seriously, user. i get that we're supposed to act like we've been here before, but come on, friend-o.
top wew
>took like ten years to come out
>easier than the original
>movement is way shittier than the original
>still isn't finished
>only thing they added since it released was a pricetag
>no sfm porn of the assassins
The crouch-jump thing wasn't much of bother for me to get used to either (I used to play Half-Life a lot) but it's still an issue that will make new players get stuck. Didn't know there already was a way to make all the jumps work like that, I wonder how I missed it while looking for it.
But the HECU still seem overkill for me. Their reaction time is close to none, their accuracy is perfect and the damage they deal has been cranked up as well. They end up being the toughest enemies in the game when that wasn't the case in the original game. Though who knows, maybe it really is just me being out of practice. I guess I'll see whenever I decided to replay BM.
It is, though. I'll revise it only when they add Xen.
HECU were the strongest non-bosses in the original game too. They were relentless and fucked you up, especially the shotgunners.
Those first two complaints can be easily resolved through config files. And I think the only area that was shortened was On A Rail which was for the better, since that chapter was a cancerous tumor on an otherwise perfect game.
>Auto Duck Jump
It may have been an option they added in a later patch. It was in the Advanced Options and it was on by default
I agree with you, the HECU definitely feel like a tougher enemy than I remember, but I'd more tie that up to me getting soft on how much easier games have become. What with cover mechanics and such. In a game like HL you really can only setup traps (not possible in every area), use grenades to confuse/shock their AI into paralysis or just go head on against them.
Games these days have so many ways you can kill people while behind cover and not take any damage. I've just gotten used to that and had to reacquaint myself with how this type of games works.
all you had to do was jump the gates and bunny hop through the tunnels
when in doubt use tripmine skips
On A Rail was definitely shortened, though as you say, it was for the best. It was linear, but it did have some nice secrets if you explored.
To be honest, it felt like it was long enough in Black Mesa, so I'd say mission accomplished to them.
From looking what their doing to Xen, I'm really excited. It looks like jump platforms might be properly executed.
>From looking what their doing to Xen
Wait, did they share progress on it?
I played it when it first hit steam and was free, did anything major change since then?
They posted a picture teasing what it looks like (much different from what Valve did). They also have some map file examples showing the size of their Xen vs Valves (its much larger).
>The rebalanced HECU soldiers can kiss my fucking ass. Their stats were driven through the roof (ALL of them) and they are not fun to fight at all now.
Didn't they completely fix that in the steam release? They felt much easier in steam ver than the mod
Isn't the Steam version the same as the mod release, just with a price tag?
>On A Rail was definitely shortened, though as you say, it was for the best.
I say that a bit jokingly; I do feel it might have been a bit too gutted. But I hate that chapter in the original game, so I don't know how they would have kept it the same length and feel without it feeling just as shitty.
They added multiplayer before Xen.
I'm not sure to be honest user, I'm only now starting to get to my backlog from the last 9 years. I got sucked into WoW and kind of put off almost every other game since Wrath.
Nah. They re balanced a lot of stuff, new models and animations, added the rest of ST back in, heaps of bug fixes and probably more stuff I cant think of.
They've made good progress on the steam version and it's actually pretty good now.
Maybe they did fix that, because I haven't been having too much trouble with them. I've been having a lot of success by dodging in and out of cover while firing shots. They don't have an immediate bead on me right away until the first 3-4 shots.
>easier than the original
stopped reading right there
Yeah, it was super good. Makes me sad that we'll never get another Half Life game. The pacing in the series has always been top notch.
This is new information for me. I'll definitely have to give the Steam version a whirl soon, then.
Yes they did, that user played the mod release and/or fucking hopelessly sucks at games.
No.
>tfw when exiting the labs at the end of Questionable Ethics, walking that last science guy up to the reader and then hear glass breaking and this starts blaring
youtube.com
horry shiiieet
I've only played Half Life Source.
Is the original goldsrc version an improvement?
How are Opposing Force and Blue Shift?
Shhhiiittttt the part before that in the Lambda labs? Amazing shit. I love how eerie it was and how they let you see the newer creatures before you engage them.
It felt like the first "lab" area in the game that was worth exploring and taking in all the small details.
iirc half life source changes almost nothing, i think it changed some water reflections or something and that was it
opposing force is good
blue shift is ok
HL1 Source is basically HL1 on HL2's engine with very small improvements like nice water and (I think?) some physics stuff.
OpFor and Blue Shift were both made by gear box. I hold a special place in my heart for both. Opposing Force is great and adds a lot of new things to the series, though the plot line with the main character was basically never continued or addressed.
>$10.00 isn't a lot to ask for a mod of this quality.
If your just finding out about black mesa now then I think that's a pretty fair assessment.
However black mesa has been in development for over TEN years. If you've been following them from the start it's unacceptable to be expected to pay for a years delayed mod that was planned to be free, it's simply supporting bad practice.
>I've heard their plan is to release Xen this Summer
Lol they won't.
the end of that level, yeah. took me way off guard since there was nothing like that in the original, the soldiers busting in through the windows and ceiling and the other corridors. and me playing the mod version on hard when the HECU soldiers still had like .03 seconds reaction time.
good fucking times.
Valve wanted them to get paid for their work.
Oh I know. I've been around since the Half-Life2.net days when that website was the source for HL2 information.
I stopped holding out hope long ago that this mod would ever release. When you think about it, what other fan-made mods which were a labor of love and not made with profit in mind at all have actually been released?
The fact it even came out at all is a miracle to me. Really, name me another mod of this quality that actually released.
I might have held some grudge against them for taking so long but I'm an adult and don't get mad at those kinds of things. I realize how much time and effort goes into something like this and for them to do it for years on end without pay in their spare time...I think you're very pessimistic.
Have they still not finished Xen?
Hasn't the progress of black mesa been stuck right before it for the last five years or something?
Christ
Everyone wanted it to not be delayed by 10 fucking years.
But I guess as far as remakes go I really have to commend them on emulating the Valve development cycle so flawlessly.
Pretty much yeah. Once they were greenlit they ported the game to a newer Source engine, worked on multiplayer and changed the computer model or something.
they didn't get it 100% because they actually released some of it
>what other fan-made mods which were a labor of love and not made with profit in mind at all have actually been released
Not trying to contradict you, but Minerva will always be the GOAT HL2 mod.
You're right that there isn't any other free hl2 mod of such scope that was actually completed(maybe Dystopia?).
But I'm certainly not full on mad, miffed and disappointed sure - I am simply, like I say before refusing to support shitty practice.
I played that when it came out, did he ever finish the other chapters? Damn, now I want to go through that next.
because it's trash
gutted levels and more
It's completed, you can get the entire thing on steam.
The later chapters are great. Probably the closest thing to HL3 we're ever going to get.
Thanks for reminding me of this, user. I'l downloading it now.
this user is 100% correct, Minerva is godtier. A bit cheesy at the start with the greek mythology shit but then the level design kicks into high gear almost immediately.
Reading up on this now, It looks like he didn't really finish what he had originally planned. I believe he wanted to do 2 more chapters similar in length to how the main Minerva campaign was, but he was hired by Valve so he dropped the project.
What does he do at valve?
He did some work on Portal 2 and more recently has been involved in VR stuff.
Theres a good interview with him speaking about joining Valve that was released when Minerva hit steam in 2013:
eurogamer.net
He did level design for Portal 2 and was also in charge of the pre-release ARG. No idea what he's doing now.
huh, that's news to me. it certainly doesn't feel lacking, what passes for plot is pretty decently tied up and it doesn't feel so much rushed as fast-paced, if a bit short. but then again it's a mod so I never expected a full-length game.
From a 2013 interview:
Before the Steam release, Minerva: Metastasis was downloaded between 300,000 and 400,000 (pre-Steam) times, apparently. That's the first chapter. Adam Foster's talked a bit about his plans for chapter two, Out of Time, which he wanted to set in a snow-covered coastal town - maybe even in Half-Life 2's City 44. The story was going to culminate in a trip to a parallel universe with Minerva to prevent a universe-ending catastrophe. It's all up there in Adam Foster's head, he says, and he's done some art and story tests for it. "But..." he pauses, considering. "[Minerva's] been put to sleep for now. I think she's done. She had a good outing though."
What Adam Foster is working on at Valve he can't tell me. But consider the secrecy, consider his roots as a celebrated Half-Life 1 and Half-Life 2 world and story builder, and consider the reason he was hired in the first place. It all points to Half-Life 3. If such a project does exist, I ask him, would he be working on it? The interview ends with an "ooh, probably".
>minerva is dead
>source modding is dead
>half life is dead
>valve is dead
Why are we still here?
neat
>snow-covered coastal town
yup, they wanted him for HL3, guaranteed. too bad it'll never see the light of day
Just to suffer.
I'll always cherish my memories of HL1. Sven Co-op on 56k. What an amazing time to be alive.
Sven-Coop, Snark Cafe especially in its prime(when it was 1 server, had a long wait time) was probably the pinnacle of gaming for me.
fast-paced fpses where you shoot aliens with cool guns in future science labs are dead
along with my will to go on
>Did they get professional help from Valve or something?
Yes, the engine and half of the assets.
Also apparently it was Valve who made them make it not free.
Hell yes dude.
Rocket Crowbar as well for a hilarious Deathmatch time.
...
reminds me of AC2 music
>Valve made 50% of the assets
Proof?
Have you really not heard about Half-Life 2?
Black Mesa had a god tier OST.
that was HL1 Death match.
It really did. Liked the atmosphere tracks like Apprehension almost more than the hype tracks.
>Black Mesa
>"""Good"""
>You have to exploit a glitch in the engine just to get through the platforming
Wow.
That's not called "Black Mesa Team got professional help from Valve to make 50% of Black Mesa."
People who can't pull off a simple crouch jump have no business playing video games.
That's just a small oversight. They didn't expect the player to stack shit to get up there. Which is something you couldn't do in HL1.
The trippy color shit is just the HDR/bloom. Any Source game does that when you get outside the map.
I really wish more companies would do this. I'm playing through metroid 2 remake and it's fantastic. imagine if nintendo worked something out with the creator.
>wHAT'S A CROUCH JUMP
The person who can crouch jump's business is playing video games in youtube
I played this a few years back when it was nearly finished. how is xen not done yet?
Bro, I have great news for you. They have retard mode enabled by default!
They never worked on it until releasing what's out now I guess. They set a target for summer 2017 with actual proof of progress.
I really, really like this picture
i don't get the context
>Uncheck a box in the menu without reading it because reading is fucking gay and stupid
>Now I can't even jump over stuff anymore
Wow, how did the developers even release this broken ass game AHH AHH AHH AHH AHH (burp)
Doom still has a very active modding community and anyone can learn how to do it.
...
Do people not like the view roll effect?
I thought it was a nice touch. I wish more games used it.
The view model sway is one of the things I really like about Source games. Too many first-person games have really stiff view models that make it feel like you're just sliding around the map with no momentum.
As I've gotten older, shit like that makes me motion sick and able to play the game less.
Joe Rogan; noted Fear Factor host, MMA enthusiast, and weed smoker has a podcast that follows that exact format in that post.
>No one got it
>HELLO FREAK BITCHES!!!
I saw like 5 minutes of that video then couldn't fucking take it anymore, didn't want to bring back those memories. sorry user you're on your own there.
fuck that was painful to watch.
youtube.com
Today we become men
stop don't bring me back to this shit
fuck 'em
Crouch Jump gave me trouble when I first played HL1. I never would have beat it if they didn't have that training course.
Did Black Mesa have a training course tutorial?
STOP
Tell me.
Can you skip the opening train ride in Black Mesa? This is the deal breaker.
Modern gamer attention spans, ladies and gentlemen.
The mod version didn't, at least. It had instructions pop-up on-screen at one point a la HL2, but that's it.
>Is this really how half life was? Just doing platforming on fucking barrels the whole time?
Jesus fuck how is this man still alive, with this little awareness surely natural selection should have taken its toll decades ago when he blundered out and started playing in the streets or something.
Fuck you, I've played half life over 100 times and the train ride makes me want to die every time I replay.
Theres no way I'll believe that guy is not acting 100%. And it appears to work. He made a living off of pretending to be a retard.