Blogs - Visorak06

Hey guys,

You're probably up in arms demanding progress on Episode 2 most likely, and with good reason. I can safely say work on work needed to get working on the work required to make episode 2's features work is being worked on.

Jesus, what a mouthful.

But really guys we're working on the basic building blocks to get the REAL WORK started on Episode 2. Nobody really knows how long it's going to take but expect news in the coming few months. Other than that the team is quite satisfied with how things have been going and earning their much needed rest. Joure has been working hard to start up this project so the rest of the team can pile on. We'd also like to say we have a new AI Coder and Sound Engineer if you missed the info.

That's all for now,

-Vis-

Hey folks, thanks for getting us to the #10 position in the MOTY Awards!

Been taking a break, playing some MMO's and games I got for christmas. The team is relaxing right now for the most part. Hope you all have a happy new year and look forward to us starting up work on Ep. 2 in the next two or three months.

~Vis~

Three years.

Quite a long time to grasp, even longer for a mod. These past three years I have seen some amazing work and progress on 1187, coming from a basic "Messing about in Hammer" session to a full blown, professional mod worthy of even Valve's attention. Over the last 3 years many people have joined the team, all equally important and exceptionally talented at what they do. There have been moments where I have disagreed with some decisions, but all in all 1187 has turned out for the best. Every little choice the team has made has had a major impact on the mod, and always for the better. Comparing our work from one year to the next really shows just how much this mod and by extension; our team, has grown. I uploaded some screenshots from the latest build to show the small changes that make the mod that much better for you all. Despite our ramblings of when the mod will be released, we are really close to finishing the singleplayer portion of the mod, and not far behind on Co-op. Unfortunately, so much has happened that I can't really give you all a list of what has changed, just know that we've added in many awesome features that you guys will no doubt be enjoying when we release.

Until then, enjoy some screenshots and stay posted!

Vis

Not much to add for this one, but figured it'd be a good idea to make a new one about now.

• Lots of minor bugfixes as well as tweaking weapon damage and ammo counts to make the game challenging.
• Work on the final map of Episode 1 is well under way, it will likely be a month or two JUST to finish this amazing finale. There's going to be lots of scripted sequences and intense firefights to test your wits.
• A new feature has been added to the game that will give old HL1 fans some gaming nostalgia.
• The mustang has had work done on it, it wont be in the storyline for EP1 but it will be availible in a cool Bonus Map that is being worked on.
• Special particles effects are going to be started on soon for certain ingame sequences.
• You guys can count on 16 maps in total for the first episode of the mod: 10 Story Maps, 5 Bonus Maps, and a Tutorial Level.

All in all the mod, by my estimate, should be done sometime between February and March. I know we said it would be done at Christmas but obviously that didn't happen. We got in over our heads when we said that. We're confident we can bring out the best possible end to the first episode and will see that it is completed. Stay tuned as always folks!

~Visorak Out~

Captain's Log, 22 hundred hours...it's cold and dark. I don't know how long I will survive-

Ah screw it, onto the main article that you folks have been waiting for!

• Work on Map 8 continues! Joure got his good graphics card working again so he is polishing up the previous levels so we can officially put them behind us! We're also compiling all maps with HDR.
• HUGE news coming in a month or so, we cant wait to share it with our loyal fans.
• My character is being introduced in Map 7 now due to a storyline change (minor one). We're working on getting scene in Map 6, 7, and 8.
• Huge effects and particle systems are gonna be present in Map 8, it's going to be very impressive and frightening.
• All weapons have been replaced, only the RPG and Grenade remain as standard HL2 weapons in the mod at this point.
• More AI coding is going into the new NPC enemies, expect smarter enemies that react to different situations a hell of alot better. Vortigaunts have improved significantly.
• There's going to be a change in pace after our big news announcement, it isn't a bad thing at all of course, just more info for the fans.
• As always, we are committed to bringing the most out of every level and will thoroughly test every level for bugs and glitches.

That's all for this month folks, keep watching 1187!

Over 'N' Out,
-Vis-

It's that time AGAIN? Groan...

That aside, here comes your monthly dose of 1187 news: Straight from the Team Member-ness of Visorak himself!

• As you all can probably tell, work on Map 8 and 9 has begun. I can't reveal much about them other than you're going to be in the forest and two MASSIVE battles are coming up, so be ready!
• The Humvee and Abrams Tank are ingame, only the Abrams is slated to become an NPC controlled entity though.
• A new class of soldier is ingame, as well as the PPC Magnum, MP5K, M4A1, Mossberg Shotgun, and our custom Glock.
• We're working on custom ammo pickups for all the weapons.
• A new helicopter is in the works.
• My character is being introduced in Map 8 (Woo!).
• The new Burster is in game, but I cant give out ANY info on it yet =P.
• Progress is pretty heavy, and were definitely gonna have more to show soon!
• Zombies now dont break their standing animation when shot, and cant be harmed until they complete the animation.
• There's now a training map for all the new features in 1187! Its pretty awesome and seamless.
• 1187 now has 95% more Badass in it!*

***The 1187 Team is not responsible for any dissatisfaction with the Level of Badassery ingame, as it is purely a measure of opinion.

Well guys, thats my update for this month! Not as much as last month, but hey, its still awesome!

Game on, and keep watching our page!

-Vis-

Well, it's that time again: Time to add another blog for the masses!

Alright, time to get down to business. 1187 has made more progress than ever, and I can safely divulge some new information for my ModDB friends.

• Ironsights are back, and working. They improve your accuracy, but slow you down to 65% of your movement speed, you also cant sprint.
• The Armored Zombie is ingame and fully coded, raping things left and right. You really gotta watch out for them things, if you get stuck in a small room with them you are utterly screwed. They also run almost as fast as you sprinting.
• About 2 more new enemies are on the way that will make their appearances in Map 8. Another new one is also being added to the mod, and I believe it has been modeled.
• The helicopter is being scrapped completely and being replaced with a custom one by Dec, built from scrap (It really is badass).
• New weapons to replace the default HL2 ones are being added in, but slowly. We think we have a reliable modeller for us now.
• The downing and revival system for John and other NPC's is in place and working perfectly.
• John can now melee enemies if they get too close.
• Vortigaunts now have a 2 in 7 chance of missing you when they fire their lightning shots. We're also trying to give them some sort of melee or grapple attack for CQB.
• A miniboss is in the works for around Map 11, watch out for it. It WILL NOT be easy by any means.
• Joure is optimising maps with viewdistance and fade for props. He's also working on area portals to reduce lag in intensive maps.
• More puzzles and hard combat battles have been added in, no experience is ever the same.
• There's another big announcement, but you'll have to wait for Joure to tell you all about that one in a few weeks once it's working =P.

Well guys, that's about it for the 1187 update. Just wanted to tell you all what is going on behind the scenes (As much as I can of course...). Stay tuned to the 1187 page for more updates as they come along! Work on Chapter 3 is beginning next week, and I'll be gone all of next week. Oh well, it's all for the best. Hope you all have an excellent Summer Vacation and keep modding!

Play On,

~Vis~

Well, we've made a heck of alot of progress since I last posted here. We've just finished Map 5 and are on our way to getting a new enemy ingame. Map 6 is already done Layout wise, and Chapter 3 is now well under way. Indeed, it looks like a bright future for 1187.

In a recent disscussion, several new ideas were pitched out for the mod, many of which are going to be implemented. I'd share them with you, but then I'd have to kill you! Heh, jokes aside I'm proud of the breakneck pace we are maintaining. If we can get a dedicated coder and modeller onboard, we could definitely have this out by February - April 2010. Pretty soon my Character will be making his appearance for the first time, and I can't wait.

I've seen the other mods out there and it looks like we definitely have some competition. I look forward to the challenge of living up to the public's expectation. Here in the 1187 team, we're dedicated to bringing the highest quality that can still run well for the Average Joe, and plan to implement as much new content without straying away from the original Half-Life feel that drew so many of us into the gaming series we all love.

More news coming soon, check our profile for details!

~Visorak06 Signing Out~

A lot of progress has been made since I joined the team, and I'm very proud of it. I joined 1187 with the intent of simply being a beta tester, but as I got to know the team I realized this is where I could hone my skills and be of some use. I started taking down ideas from Joure on where he wanted the mod to go. After I recieved a general idea, I realized the mod only had a few maps worth of story to it. No problem, I could remedy that with time.

It's with that determination we've finally finalized the storyline of 1187. We can expect about 10 story chapters, with a few bonus chapters after completion of the game. I would say more but I'm not going to spoil anything. We should have an interview later today giving you all some inside information about the mod.

As for our latest release, Joure really released that to keep mod interest up and to let everyone know this mod isn't going to die like so many have. If there's one thing that is certain, it's that this mod WILL be finished. As for a release...my expectations would be somewhere around early 2010, but it's still very early in the development process.

We have a great many new features in store for this mod, and I can't wait to start working on the scenes with my character.

Visorak06, Signing Out.