Halcyon - HL2 - Recruitment Thread

With the release of the E3 2003 Half-Life 2 video, I, like many people, saw the possibilities Source had to offer, but long before them I've been designing games that would be a dramatic change from anything you've played, and have strived to make such things a reality, though unfortunately, failures have arrisen due to life problems. That bit aside, let me unveil Halcyon :

- What is Halcyon? -

Halcyon is a Dynamic, Epic Driven, Third Person Melee, Varying Team Warfare, Adventure Total Conversion to be created on the Source Engine, based in the world of Tyrusan in the battle between the Tecriasian Combine and their Fallen kin, and centering around the plague of an arrisen fiend and a besieged goddess' blessing. All combat revolves around a singular purpose on each team, to cleanse the afflicted combine, or twist the world with the plague, each scuffle is pivotal, and every move pushes the team towards victory or defeat.

With an intriguing, involved world of enviroment, culture, and lore, Halcyon will seek to enthrall a wide audience that wants the best of graphics, style, and story. However, it will go much further, as it seeks not only to redefine that which has come before, but break new ground not yet seen, with AI armies, unique combat and casting, innovative gameplay, and so much more.

- Lore Synopsis -

When the creature Vexylidian arrose from the swamp, an army of Scourge Wurms and Trolls in tow, the Tecriasian empire had just begun the healing of the Horde's invasion only months before. Now, the beast, possessive of the Cothmyrian tactics, the ferocity of the stoneskins, and raw power and will of the Dark Dragon, stood upon their threshold with an army which dwarfed that they had fought so hard to repel, and their numbers had dwindled as war broke out in the frost woods of Forendia. Still, the Sylvans would not relinquish their guardianship over the Pegasi that roamed those lands, and the Firbolgs were not quick to put aside their new home or the alliance with the Fey, and raised arms willingly, alongside the Crimson empire that continued to grow in size as Cothmyr sent its thousands of soldiers to secure the merchant pass Tecrias held.

For the first time in eons, rain touched down upon Maelstrom's Light, a large crystal claw that radiated light which could be seen for miles around. For the first time in eons, it would know battle, and the bronze reptiles surged forth before the stoneskin tribes, spraying their corrosive breath over the heavily armored Cothmyrian knights that were first to meet the charge. Blood soaked the dirt as much as the heavy rains, turning the ground to a muddy field that the light footed Sylvan took advantage of, leaping into combat with deadly routines that mocked the movements of the clawing Scourge Wurms.

Even those few moments that their enemies fell enmasse looked bleak, as the lines returned two fold and the horde seemed limitless coming from the edge of the swamp and across the cliffside coast, constantly. The first palisade gave way, tumbling with precision to impale the beasts as they clawed their way uphill. Around the base of the cliff a group of Scourge Wurms moved, breathing high onto the outlying trunks and turning them grey at their base, until they toppled, and brought the second wall with it, even as a retreat was called.

Men stood shoulder to shoulder on the final, stone wall, raining arrows upon their opponents as they seeked footholds on the sloshy hillside. But, the bronze dragonkin pressed on, and tore away a section of the wall that the Trolls, now shielded from the Fey bolts by the large beasts, began to pour through.

Though they fought valiantly, they knew that the battle would soon be over, and they, dead within the mud. The Maelstrom's Light flashed brightly, and the sky seemed to split open, the day star passing over their faces once again. From beyond its radiance stepped a small figure, floating across the ground with a smile, wrapped in revealing strands of silver cloth, and all looked at her hand, which was marked in the pulsating azure, three crescent symbol of Halcyon. She touched the awe struck Trolls one by one, and they fell down, as did the Scourge Wurms, dumbfounded at what was happening.

Soon, The Horde lay fallen, but alive it would seem, and the Combine soldiers began to approach them, but were as well put to rest on the soft ground...

To find the rest, you must wait for the full 10 part storyline to be unveiled, but trust me, there is indeed back story to everything, and more beyond this for what is going on, but, I understand most don't enjoy reading long, complicated stories, so I will end it there.

- The Plague -

The Fiend's Trepidation, the proper name of the plague, is spawned from Vexylidian, arrisen from a sacred rite which places him into a deep slumber. It is a sentient plague which seeks to enthrall all things beneath its control, and grows in power by draining the lifeforce of carriers, which it empowers so that it can accomplish more of its goal. The only counter for this, is cleansing by the Maiden of Tranquility herself, Halcyon.

Every combatant on the field is or was a member of the Tecriasian Combine, and those that are the Fallen have become inflicted and controlled by the Fiend's Trepidation. Their task is to pass on the plague to other members of the Combine, and turn them to the side of the Fallen. To do this, they must physically pass the infliction onto the member of the Combine by making a successful, wounding attack. Once they are inflicted, the plague, depending upon their piety, will drain their stamina and health until they fall down unconcious, where the plague begins to take over and transform them into a member of the fallen, and upon regenerating enough strength, will rise to do the same. Fallen may also outright kill the person rather than waiting for the plague to do so.

However, the Combine can, if they are inflicted and still strong enough, return to the temples of Halcyon, known as the Tranquil Waters, and pray within the healing pools to be cleansed. If they fall along the way, an ally can pick them up and bring them back to the Tranquil Waters, where they can set them down and pray for them, to be cleansed and restored. They may also slay Fallen and return them to the temples to pray for them, or bring back Combine that are still dormant but have transformed into Fallen. The more people praying, the faster it will go.

Unfortunately for them, if the afflicted wakes up along the way, they will be forced to once again fight. They cannot wake up however within the Tranquil Waters, and your movement is quite diminished, depending upon your strength, when carrying a person.

- Fey Relics and Temples -

Side quests include retrieving the Fey Relics of the Sylvan and cleansing or defiling the Tranquil Waters. The Fallen possess the ability to amass a large amount of acidic bile, which they can spray onto their enemies to burn them, or alternately, defile a temple. Nearby a defiled temple, the Fallen regenerate faster, and the Sylvan of course cannot use it for their purposes.

To cleanse it, you must pray within the pool, once again, the more people praying, the faster this will go. Cleansed pools augment the healing of the Sylvan, and can be used to cleanse and restore people. As well, they are pedestals for the Fey Relics that the Combine can use to aid them in various ways.

Gathering Fey relics are difficult, as they are entombed with the Combine's heros, and Vexylidian's necromantic magic has brought them forth to defend, aided by the Demon's Trepidation as well. They can be taken back to any pedestal, provided it isn't already occupied by a relic, and its powers will aid the team depending upon what kind of relic it is.

Passive relics work constantly over the entirity of the map, such as a power enhancer which will increase the strength and damage of all Combine, though slightly. These come in varieties which may only increase certain statistics, some that increase a broad range, and some which can supplement certain statistics more than others. We are currently considering the allowance to change relics and so on, but, we are preparing for worst case scenarios which there are alot of.

Wave relics work only within a certain radius of the temple, some stronger than others either in range or in actual enhancement, and multiple can effect people. As well, the further you go into the radius, the more it enhances, which of course it is strongest right beside it. These of course follow the similar variety of statistical enhancements as Passive relics.

Active relics only affect regeneration and effects, and can cover the entire map, or a full radius, or are done similar to Wave relics. They can effect health, mana, and stamina regeneration, as well as increasing the effects of prayer and magical enhancements.

- Combat -

Melee is done in third person, as it allows more perception to the length and direction of your attack, as well it portrays the "Warrior Sense" that allows you to feel attacks coming in, though the difference in area is very minimal, being positioned barely above the player's head and slightly back. Combat works off a directional system, the armament of the player, and their correlation to the enemy. If a player is wielding a spear, pointing at the right arm of their opponent facing them, and is around five from them, they will make a lunge at the opponent's right arm, but if they were near face to face, the player would attempt to push back the enemy with the staff of their spear, while if they were rushing towards an enemy and pointed at their stomach, they would literally try to impale their foe. This adds alot more freedom to movement, skillful control, and a cinematic fighting style you won't be seeing anywhere else. For those of you wondering, no, this won't be incredibly pinpoint, but it will be somewhat difficult, and we are considering as well an option to turn this off and do something more of a free range movement combat.

You may only have two weapons, but can at any time cast all of your spells through various special combinations of three different buttons, from two to four button combinations currently, followed by the attack key to cast/charge the spell. The time required for you to cast the spell stays at a minimal, but is defined (to eliminate scripts), and if you take more time to actually press the buttons, it will take longer to cast the spell. Spells can also be broken off, incase you are being attacked, and it costs a minor amount of mana, 25% of the minimal cost, by simply pressing the defensive key, and you also cannot move while casting, but this will be intelligent and rather than the annoyance most MMORPG's leave you with, will rapidly slow you down to a complete stop. Also, don't expect your standard game spells, these will have the effects you've always wanted to see from your favorite fantasy books, such as tranquility, it creates a globe that cloaks all within with invisibility, but, those that go inside also see what is inside.

- Necessities -

There is really so much more to the game, but this is much of the driving force behind it, expect features that will add to your gameplay, with the necessity to assist teammates and use tactical advantages. However, to go through it all would take a great deal of time, and I'm sure those that enjoy what they have heard already, will definetly like what more the game has to offer.

We can use more of everything realistically, base knowledges are a must, obviously it would be difficult to know how to program or map for Half-Life 2 without the toolsets, but, having some experience in Half-Life helps of course.

Concept Artist - Something desperately needed, we unfortunately have none, and it is a part we feel necessary. A good background in fantasy art, either world or character based, is highly appreciated, though good art is good art. Expect to work fairly close with me on each piece, with a rough description to quickly work off then constant refinements and variations.

* If you have any current works of any sort, please feel free to show me, but we need some defined sketches, as Source's capabilities require us to take its full advantage.

Modellers - With static mesh enviroments being a great addition to the Source Engine, we will require a large amount of world, player, and weapon modellers. World modellers should be able to create large scale enviroments that encompass miles of island, or reusable models that can be put into many maps and be used to fill space efficiently. Player modellers need to be very skilled, the new high poly player counts allow for high detail, and the variety of models will mean there is alot of work off base and sub-models. Weapon modellers should expect to be doing many variations and a large assortment of weapons.

* Skinning and animating skills are a great plus. Anything not based on real items I would love to see, from renders to ingame models and so on.

Mappers - Really, we won't be needing to many, but these are more what you would consider the full world modellers. They will be building expansive islands to explore with twisting caverns, coastlines, peaks, and tombs. There are many things to do within the editor itself as a mapper, so if you have some good skills currently, feel free to contact me with some screenshots of your newest works, I would like to see a variety of angles on some highlighted scenes.

* As I said, because of static meshing, being strictly a mapper is somewhat obsolete, but if you can work well with a modeller, and have a knack for creating layouts, we will still have great need of you.

Programming - Well, while we do have one exceptional person which some of you may know, and another that is somewhat MIA, the overall size of the programming required for Halcyon will be grand at the least, so we could use people with a great amount of skill in c++, that will be able to complete parts in whole and work with othe programmers.

* Definetly work with the Half-Life engine a bit, and if you can, tell me what you've done, or atleast just list a resume of your skills. All varieties are welcome, but as I said, it will be a very large project especially from the coding side, so I would advise realistically only the skillful to consider it.

Textures/Sprites - Especially because of the detail in the worlds, and the effects of spells, we will be needing some highly skilled texture and sprite artists that can make us a broad range, as well, a Hud artist is always necessary and very welcomed. The ability to animate effects is highly favorable.

* Show me some previous works, just of what you've done. The ability to supplement this skill with what it is used for is of course a large increase, and as I said, animating those effects is respected.

Other - It would take to long to post all of the jobs a modification requires, so if I did miss you, such as sound engineers, then sorry, still apply, show me some works you've done.

If you think you have a skill to aid us, please do not hesitate to apply, although I of course expect a high amount of work and great quality of it, I won't turn down what could become a great asset, so feel free to contact me.

ICQ : Vangor 105531487
Email : cacovangor@yahoo.com
IRC : irc.gamesnet.net #tecrias

Our site can be found at Thecombinesfall.net and we invite you to come in. We have new hosting courtesy of Bluewolf 72, and you may notice the lack of information, because the possible delays in Half-Life 2's release, and the fact that it was before even the SDK was released, we have decided to hold off on finalizing information until recently, and alot should be going up soon.

Thank you for your time, I will be free to answer any questions you may have, whether here, via icq, email, or irc.

I love the idea. With the proper talent this will be l33t!