Hey guys, I'm Ben, the lone assassin building this mod. Welcome to 99 Bolts: Chasing Winona. Let's set some things straight. This section is mainly for all who are interested in "reading" (yes, it still exists, you junkies).
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0: The Premise of "99 Bolts": This mod leads the player through the sand-blasted wastelands outside a small Combine-controlled town and plunges him deep into an irradiated sniper mission. Even though the player will be able to use many weapons throughout the game, the centerpiece of the story will be the extensive, interesting use of the crossbow. The player will eventually recover his sniper's crossbow in the wasteland, and will have only 99 bolts to use for the entire game. There will not be a re-supply of bolts. The player must be able to carry out several assassinations to progress through the game, all leading up to the assassination of Winona, the enigmatic administrator of the town-turned-Combine-fortress. So, situation permitting, the conservation of crossbow bolts would be a good idea. Things may seem to die a lot faster when you first find the crossbow, but don't let it control you...save your bolts for your true targets.
1: The Setting: This single-player game is set in a world where Fallout 3 and Half- Life 2 get along well, much to the player's chagrin. Elements from the Capital Wasteland are being borrowed and implemented throughout the game, specifically outside the walls of a small town that is under Combine control. The player will spend about a third of the game in the wasteland, another third of the game in the town, and a final third of the game in some unique places that I have yet to confidently consider.
1.1: The Wasteland: War-torn and dry as a bone, the wasteland is the site of the Seven Hour War. Not the only site of the war, of course...but the land you explore suffers just the same. Antlions and headcrabs run amock, teams of bandits plague the few remaining households that hid underground, Vaults lay buried miles underground...all this exists against the backdrop of nuclear radiation and desert vegetation. Abandoned homes are refuge for only the hardened groups of criminals that roam, seeking entry to the town, knowing it contains things like fresh water and ammunition...and women. Smoking craters and piles of radioactive debris lay alongside fallen tanks and striders, hulking pieces of gunships, and rotten corpses dried to the skeleton. The war permeates long past its end here.
1.2: The Town: This town is much smaller than City 17 was, and never merited a citadel's presence. Still, the town holds considerable importance to the Combine: it has been a research hub for them since the early days of the occupation. Some of the smartest humans ever to defect to the Combine call this place their home. They work endlessly for the alien empire, gladly trading their knowledge and expertice for their safety and their continued humanity. Other than your mission critical target, Winona, these traitorous people are your targets of opportunity.
1.3: The Unique Places: This little section of the post is my chance to sound like a noob and proclaim what I might as well call my wish list for the mod's locations. I'm looking into making a few unusual locations, including: a wasteland section that you drive through; a battle at a coastline/dock area; and a battle on board a huge boat. Those are my dream locations, but they are not definite by any means...and might get cut from my hopes as the designing of the game goes on.
2: Setting Expectations:
2.1: Custom Content: I aim to utilize the skills I have, not the skills I don't have. I have better-than-average skills with Hammer, but not with XSI, C++, or other areas of the mod process. Thus, at this time, I have no plans to re-skin any NPC's, weapons, or objects. I am focusing on making quality gameplay with the extensive Half-Life 2 content provided by the Orange Box engine. If there was anything I would want to include that didn't come with the Orange Box engine, it would be some extensive voice acting. But looking for someone to play that game with me is way down the development road.
2.2: Extra Team Members:
2.2.1: Mappers? No. I am working alone on 99 Bolts. I've been doing this for the three months or so that I've been working in Hammer on the first map. I have drawn all of the 99 Bolts maps (of which there are currently thirteen) on paper, and worked out the gameplay flow and special characteristics of each of them. I am trying to capture a very specific style as well. To that end, I am not particularly interested in having a mapper work for me.
2.2.2: Modelers and Coders? Here's another wish list opportunity. I actually am interested in having someone work with me regarding code and stuff, okay? But who isn't interested in having those heroic people working with them? If I had the glory and grace of having a modeler and a coder working with me, I would have them develop some entirely new, NEW weapons. I would like to see a functional gauss gun, just like the one that's mounted on the dune buggy. THERE, that's my wish list item from the modeler/coder front. How plausible is the idea? I haven't got a fuckin' clue, lol.
3: Goodbye, Hawkeye: So thanks for reading through what I believe is a just-too-long bio of the mod. But at least you guys know I'm serious as a heart attack. If I ever had to end this mod, it would be due to some pretty helpless circumstances, like losing my eyesight or getting hit by a piece of superheated rebar or something. Again, thank you so much for supporting me and my mod with your persistence and perhaps even your promotion of the mod to your Fallout-themed friends.
Welcome to 99 Bolts.
- 17 July 2009 (original date of writing)
