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.

RSS Reviews  (0 - 10 of 275)
7

boris59 says

Early access review Agree (19) Disagree (4)

Generally a very nice mod, especially since it has a few fresh ideas and a good story for a mod.

However, the level design could use some improvement imho. There are quite a few dead ends that take time to explore, with no reward for the player whatsoever. In other mods you can find additional loot or a nice vista or something. Second, a few levels involve quite a bit of walking with nothing happening on the way. Those passages could also be a bit shorter - or filled with a few distractions on the way. And some of the levels are not very detailed, they look quite empty and thus unbelievable.

In general I still look forward to the next parts, as I'd really like to see the story unfold further.

7

Blue199 says

Early access review Agree (19) Disagree (9)

It's ok. My only problem is that maps are hard to navigate around, most of the time the least obvious path turns out to be the one you have to take, while a lot of other corridors/streets/etc. eventually lead to a dead end. It wouldn't be so annoying if it wasn't for the player's moving speed.
At one point in the sewers I ended up stuck for a couple of minutes, first because a vortigaunt that followed me run into a dead end after me and couldn't leave. Then I was searching for the exit, which was hidden in the ceiling in one of the (supposed) side areas.
Surprisingly I didn't have a lot of serious problems with it, fighting a poison zombie using only a stunstick was ok, there were not many loading sreens, but near the end i got stuck in the wall, also in the appartment you can follow the staircase to the point where you end up pretty much outside the map.
My advise: for next chapter try making maps smaller, or give us the HEV suit already ;)

7

Hezus says

Early access review Agree (14) Disagree (5)

As a huge Half-life fan I always love to see projects like these: bringing old content to life! Dark Interval gives you a peek into 'what could have been' if Valve continued on the path of the earlier drafts of the HL2 scripts. I own the book 'Raising the Bar' and recognised quite a bit of the artwork in this MOD.

Let's cover the artwork first: many of the outside areas are really well done. I enjoy that gloomy industrial feeling the authors have created here. There is quite a lot of space around you (which is very unlike HL). A few of the highlights can also be found inside, but some of the inside areas could use some visual improvements. Pretty often corridors and rooms you pass through are just empty boxes with props in it and I've even encountered rooms with just 1 texture all around. Quite the eyesore on an otherwise well done job.

While I'm allowed to complain: It's DARK! I've set my screen to the optimal gamma settings but still I have to resort to the flashlight a LOT! The mod could really benefit from some extra light.

Then the gameplay.. or rather the lack thereof. Dark Interval feels more like a scenic tour than an actual game to me. There is hardly any action and storywise it's quite bland. A few vital NPC's (lacking proper choreographed scenes) tell you where to go but all other characters are mute and inactive. I did enjoy touring around for a while but once Barney told me the metropolice were on to me, I imagined the game would pick up the pace. Yet, the combine still stare at me as if I was a regular person. A few good chase scenes (like HL2 did in the residential areas) would be good.

As I said, areas often look nice, but lack the dynamics to be really convincing. I hoped to see more life (such as the combine military parade or the dementors going around burning stuff) in these maps! Add more puzzles, add more action!

One last thing you should REALLY adress are the transitions between areas. In 1998 Half-Life was one of the first 3D shooters to adapt a seamless game experience. Valve would never resort to 'fade to black' travel which you used frequently. In some cases I looked behind me and I couldn't even see where I originaly came from. It's really a sign of lazy design and doesn't do justice to an otherwise pretty well done MOD.

7

Tleno says

Early access review Agree (11) Disagree (3)

A recreation of Half-Life 2 early development story that strikes a (in my opinion) fine balance between reinterpretation of patchwork of early story elements of varying quality and staying true to Valve's old vision.

The environments are very cool, have an interesting combination of old brush map-heavy environments and more modern visual effects like reflections, without looking like some unholy ENB-ladden remaster with everything overflowing with bloom and blur. Atmosphere is pretty cool, while it's hard to create a coherent aesthetic from all the fragments of original story, this mod succeeds at it way better than any other.

Of course there are major issues. There are some absolutely ugly transitions between areas, with black-outs, which I hope will be removed. There are some invisible walls. Unclear scenes where I had to abuse noclip instead of bothering to figure out an inane puzzle. Also characters don't move their lips - could at least have used gasmasks as seen in beta iterations where combine were meddling with atmosphere.

So far this is a walking simulator with some shooting gallery scenes using a single weapon at best. The environments are cool and really worth taking a moment to examine every nook and cranny of this more dystopian version of HL2, but polish and gameplay-wise this is weak.

6

EnZuLian says

Early access review Agree (14) Disagree (6)

The revamped maps look nice and for a mod created by a few people in their spare time it's pretty good.

Compared to other mods out there however there were quite a few issues I had while playing, ranging from getting stuck, having to play this entire first chapter (which includes combat) without any flashlight/sprint indicators (and health/ammo too if it wasn't for the crosshair), confusing level layouts not knowing where to go or what the devs expect you to do (thanks for not telling me the windows inside the Borealis required you to break them with objects wasting 10 minutes of my time trying to find an alternative route), pressing "E" to mount/dismount ladders and getting a prompt to do so EVERY time, endless scenes of waiting for your NPC ally to arrive to open a door for you, essential NPC's being killable (all they need is a bump to the head with a wrench to make them go ape and fly across the room) etc.

As usual I'm not giving this a 10/10 just so the devs can feel good, that rating is reserved for VERY special mods that make me feel like I'm playing a AAA title and with the problems I encountered during my playthrough and the feeling that these maps were simply made to "look good and beta-like" without any thought put into the gameplay a 6 is what I consider this mod deserves at most at this time.

10

TheZealot says

Early access review Agree (26) Disagree (19)

As of date, this is the most complete and well-done take on the old storyline. In addition, despite being the beginning of the game, there is plenty to offer in terms of gameplay. I'm definitely looking forward to the next chapters

10

DmitRex says

Early access review Agree (6) Disagree (1)

Четкий модик помню играл не мог остановиться, думал в тот самый халф лайф играю, а оказывается это четкая модификация от четкого поцана
10 из 10 кароче

10

SiMpLeToN(Steam) says

Early access review may contain spoilers Agree (6) Disagree (1)

The level of map detail is absolutely mind-boggling. As someone who has used the SDK before, I laud you for your handle on it. Lighting works really well in most areas. My favorite parts were just wandering around the city, exploring the decrepit buildings and small nooks. That's what was really missing from the released HL2. That feeling of dystopian hopelessness. The version we got was too clean, too bright, too innocent. This realization of the original concepts is beautiful. You saw smoke billowing into the skies and oppression geuninely hung in the air. The dark skies, rain, rusty metal and towering buildings all infused with some Xen wildlife and combine synthetics...awesome work.

Felt like I was inside some kind of 80's dystopian movie and I loved every second of it. It genuinely had me immersed at times. I loved the superficial details like the water-filled potholes littered with trash. You even changed the water-splash effects. They are much more realistic now in my opinion. I feel like this is the world Gordon should have been dropped into. Imagine if something like this hit shelves back in 2004. I feel like it would still do very well today. Valve would be even bigger legends than they already are. Obviously it's not a complete product. I would not expect such. It says early access right at the top of the page.

Because of this, one can excuse the voice acting placeholders, most of the Borealis sequence (minus the icy boat ride, which I found very artistic and interesting) a few pacing issues, clunky weapons like the flare gun, and some awkward scripting sequences, but it's a monumentally enjoyable experience nonetheless. Much more polished than anything I could ever hope to create. The Arcade sequence was utterly unique. Gave me Tron vibes. It gave the city some character as well.

This version of the city is reminiscent of the New New York from Doctor Who. The tech mixed in with a harsh exterior. Inclusion of beta-enemies like the Cremator filled me with dread and worry (in a good way). They felt like a real menace. The army parade down the street was a sight to behold. Kleiner's lab truly felt like a small stronghold tucked into the darkest corners and alleys. Being forced to sneak behind enemy lines in dark tunnels and the underground is somehow better than facing the entire Combine occupation force alone. The power-trip of the orginial was nice, but the realism of this mod is un-matchable at times. The failure of the teleporter was handled well. That teleportation tunnel effect was very impressive. Barney and Kleiner's voice actors did a good job. I found myself hoping for more, wondering when Alyx would appear and waiting for the story we all know and love to take off. I wanted to be thrown back onto the streets and wage a dirty, bloody struggle against the Combine. I wanted to do it in a patchwork Hazard Suit with a glitchy FVOX voice that "will never be the same again." That's really cool stuff.

There's tons of potential here. Well done, and I hope the work continues. You have a fan now. If I can ever help with anything, just ask. I would be honored to contribute to such an interesting project. I'm not much of a voice actor or mapper or coder, but I apply myself where my interests lie, in whatever form that takes. I've created my own solo projects (mostly unfinished and few Source ones, but I have some Doom 1993 projects that I am proud of). As I said, I really apply myself to what I am interested in, and I've taken an interest in the originally dark world of Half-Life. I like to "live" in the environments I make. I have a vision but often lack the resources to accomplish it. That being said, I really appreciate and have an understanding for the aesthetic you are striving for and am more than willing to offer constructive criticism or any help you need or think I can provide. No hard feelings if you want to go it your own way. I certainly wouldn't want to hold you back. I think your team (and with such a small one what has been done here is even more impressive) is more than on the right track. Fine tuning is what this project really needs as the formula is there and working extremely well. Best of luck!

6

grihajedy says

Early access review Agree (16) Disagree (10)

(Episode 1 v.1.1)
English:
Half-life 2: Noir version without Alyx. Very boring gameplay because of the large and empty locations, the unique atmosphere is not felt, but overall not bad, it's interesting to look at an alternative version of the same plot, waiting to continue.
Русский:
Half-life 2: Нуар без Аликс. Очень скучный геймлпей из-за огромных и пустых локаций, уникальной атмосферы не чувствуется, но, в целом, неплохо, интересно смотреть альтернативную версию того же сюжета, жду продолжения.

10

VXP says

Early access review Agree (7) Disagree (2)

I love the atmosphere of this mod. Also such a nice mapping and lighting, very adds to a overall feel. Very nice maps made from scratch and based on HL2 beta maps. Definitely deserves a whole lot of screenshots and videos also :)