Dark Interval is a restoration/revision mod that lets you play Half-Life 2 as it could have been. Using Valve's early concepts, we're creating new maps, models, textures, and custom dialogue. The mod is released in episodes, the most recent being Dark Interval: Part I - an intro chapter to the bigger story.
Radiostation Level
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Description
Go north, Freeman
The architecture here is really solid. You could work on the lighting a little bit, though.
I believe, the lighting was intended to be like this. Dark, gloomy morning... It's interesting, how the level looks like. It reminds me both retail game and leaked beta the same time.
The atmosphere of the lighting isn't the problem, I agree that it sets a good tone. The issue is that the lighting is rather boring. This could be fixed by simply adding a small light to that post in the center, just to give the players a focus point, if that makes sense.
I'll politely ask you to stop raising that particular point, the one related to colour/light settings on the level.
We set to achieve very particular atmosphere, one we deemed to be perfect for this particular level; we decided that we did achieve it; we believe that any additional elements and any more colour would prove excessive, unwanted, superfluous, and would ruin the mood. It does not need a focal point.
This environment works in its dull, slightly depressing, slightly tragic, grey setting that succeeds in evoking certain feelings, certain nostalgia, certain mood in us, the developers, personally. Putting more lights, more lamps, more colour onto the street would feel as overdoing it. And we've seen dozens of mods overdoing their levels. We are not going to overdo ours.
Let me supplement my point with an analogy. Citizen Kane is a black&white; film with rather slow pacing. By that I mean, the pacing works for that film, but it is slow when compared to any action genre film. Do we say that Citizen Kane is thus boring and would be improved by adding a shootout scene, to provide focus? No.
Not trying to say that my mod is the Citizen Kane of Source modding, just making an example. The level is intended to look and feel in the certain way of how it looks and feels. I would hope that more people would feel in their hearts the similar kind of feeling that we, the devs, feel from this level, but if all you get is boredom and dullness, there's nothing I can do. I will say that this level is intentionally straightforward (as are most of Chapter 1&2 levels), so if you are bored by lack of gameplay and 'focus points', you can sprint through it in under 90 seconds, and be done with it.
I hope that you wouldn't need to.
Lastly, this level belongs in a chain of levels, each featuring progress in time, weather settings, and environment stylistics. So you go from dark, noisy, artificially lit factories, to gloomy streets in the rain, and then to this area, the first calm, open-air area with natural light and natural sky above it. This provides contrast and relaxation, and if it had more bloom, more light props on the outside, THAT would ruin it.
This was uncalled for. You not only put words in my mouth, but then questioned my understanding of the pacing in your mod with a large paragraph of unnecessary comments. I never said you needed to change the tone, I never said you needed to pace it better, I never said you needed better, more complex, or more interesting level design; yet you eluded to those statements as I had made them, and I really don't appreciate that. I also don't appreciate that you talked down on me as if I know nothing about game design. So nothing you said is really relevant to my argument.
Here is what I said, explained better. I think the lighting could have been done in a more interesting way here. There is a lot of potential for some unique lighting here, and it goes untapped.
This has absolutely nothing with the pacing of the game, as you mentioned; this has nothing to do with the linearity of the level, as you mentioned; and it has noting to do with the tone of the mod, as you mentioned. It is a purely aesthetic thing. I think, in this particular screenshot, the composition of the lighting could be improved. Stop being so defensive.
You're acting as though I made an attack against this mod, which I didn't, this mod looks excellent. I made light criticism. Just a simple little comment. It wasn't even negative.
Well, probably, you're right, the lighting is boring for some (or even much) players. But I'd rather say the lighting is depressing. I'd even add, that this depressive feeling should be increased by removing artificial light sources at all.
It is not hard technically to add (or remove) some stuff into (from) a level. But in order to achieve some specific mood or player reaction, we should make careful choice.
I really love tha urban map you made there