Dark Source Mod for Half-Life 2 Dark Source feature

Modded on an engine infamous for bland zombie mods, Dark Source plans to drop this stereotype and instead work with engaging gameplay and a well-developed story.

Dark Source has some fantastic concept art that really demonstrates the mod's dark atmosphere.

Fossil fuels have dried out, the world economy has collapsed and crime roams free on the streets. As scientists forge humanities last hope, it becomes apparent that this hope may yet be a curse in itself, today is the day you must raise the world from darkness...

Aaron "TKAzA" Baker, leader of this highly anticipated mod, has kindly taken some time to answer a few of our questions regarding his upcoming masterpiece.

To start things off could you tell us a little bit about yourself, and your responsibilities on the Dark Source team?

Well I'm Aaron, also known as TKAzA. I've been modding for two years and I'm the team lead of the famously unknown Half-Life 2 mod, Dark Source.

For those who have yet to hear of Dark Source, could you give us a brief description?

Dark Source is a tactical, almost RPG-like, first person horror shooter for the Source engine with a strong back-story. The player is thrown into the shoes of "Ryan Cell", a scientist in a economically depressed world. Your job is to help create a solution to the increasing crime waves and violent riots.

When did you first begin to work on the mod, and what inspired you to create it?

Dark Source was a originally conceived late in 2005 after I received a C&D letter from Paramount Pictures regarding my first mod, Event Horizon Relapse, for breach of copyright. Dark Source is all based on a documentary that was being aired on the television about future fossil fuel shortages and how they will affect the world. After watching the documentary, I thought "why not base a mod off real world events while throwing in some survival horror elements?" Dark Angel and Dawn of the Dead also inspire the style of the world we will be creating.

What's a horror mod without some blueish lighting

With so many Half-Life 2 mods flooding the mod scene, what do you thing will make Dark Source stand apart?

For one, the team is dedicated, hard working and has a strong backing from some other large mods. Apart from that, we have lots of really good ideas about the direction in which we want to take the mod in the way of horror , really pushing the boundaries of content. Gameplay is also something we have really considered. We have a RPG-style weapons management system that we are currently prototyping, which will add a new aspect to the run and gun horror genre.

The other things we hope will make Dark Source stand out are its additional multiplayer modes that will be worked in ongoing development past the point of the singleplayer release, using the RPG game style system in multi player, which should make for some interesting game modes and fun challenges for players, and the fact that Dark Source is open source, so we give back to the community that supports us.

Holy detailed skin, Batman!

You mentioned that Dark Source will be open source. Can you tell us a bit about what it means for a mod to be open source?

All the code base will be released to the community uncompiled. This means they can use all of the features we managed to implement in Dark Source to make there own mod, or another version of Dark Source itself how they want to see it.

You also talked about adding a multiplayer game mode later on in development. Could you fill us in on some of the details of these plans?

There still very early in conceptualization but basically planned game types are: Survival, Rescue, Hunt and King of the Hill. Each implementing three teamed combat.

How do you plan to have Dark Source scare the player? Will it go with something similar to say, Doom 3, where monsters simply jump out, or are you planning to take a more subtle approach?

I think we are aiming to scare in a different way. We aim to be creepy to the point you may need to take a break. David Orrick, our composer, will be a integral part in providing the right ambiance throughout the mod, combined with sound and visual effects, we really are going full ball into this aspect to ensure the player is creeped out. Panic is what we strive for in the levels, so expect dead ends and close face to "unknown" face combat.

Will any playable vehicles be featured in Dark Source?

Yes there will be a variety of original vehicles, as well as some classics. They will be a major feature in the planned multiplayer modes and will carry multiple passengers. I think they'll make for some great implementation in Dark Source.

The sensible thing to do when the world is being over run by crime... Target practice.

What kind of weapons can we expect to see?

Weapons will be mainly of European origin, so no AK47's or M4A1 Carbines here. There will be a small range of varying caliber sidearms and a large range of rifles, SMG firearms, melee weapons, and world objects. There will be focus on ammunition and resources to push the player into melee situations. So expect varying dynamic gameplay and weapon usage.

What will the pace of combat be like? Will the player be sneaking about or will he be running in guns blazing?

It will be a mix. It's all about resources and tactics. If you go in with guns blazing and use up all your clips and shells, you will probable be stuck later on in the level, or not a have a shell left to activate a trap and have to risk running into the action with a pipe or fence picket. So, a players resourcefulness plays a huge role in gameplay. There’s not a new ammo pickups at every turn. It should be interesting to see how players make use of the environments in the harder stages of the mod.

O noes!

Horror games traditionally stick with a corridor type design. Will Dark Source mostly take place in cramped spaces, or will it feature larger areas?

Seeing as the mod is set in London, it will be a great mixture of both cramped alleyways and large open streets. This will keep the mod both visually interesting and the gameplay challenging.

For a while now there has been an argument over the mixing of money and modding. What are your views on this issue, if you were to be approached by Valve with an offer to sell Dark Source over Steam, how would you respond?

Personally, I mod for fun. I find it an enjoyable way of spending my free time. If a mod is offered to be purchased, the team has earned that and the choice is theirs and theirs alone, and the community should support that choice. However, Dark Source is a personal project that I want to sit back and play one day, while sharing it with the world. If Valve offered to purchase it (very unlikely, but awesome thought) I would most likely decline, I’m not doing it for profit and there is no reason for me to sell the mod. Nevertheless, if any of the team are picked up for there work on Dark Source I'll be happy for them, modding a great fun way to get close to real world game design and development experience.

Do you have any plans for a demo, or early release (Alpha)?

Being a single player modification, it is hard to release a demo that doesn't reveal too much (or too little) of the story. Initially there were some plans for a demo, but our team later decided that the end effect on our community would be negative.

Now that you've gotten me all excited, when can we expect to see this mod be released?

We don't have a release date planned. It's one of those things, if you plan a date you may miss it making you not look so good. That or you end up rushing content to match the release date, therefore upsetting your community.

We are working hard on the mod and there will be a release in the near future :D

I would like to thank Aaron for taking some time to answer our questions, and I wish him the best of luck with his mod and other future endeavors. I'd highly suggest that readers go take a look at Dark Source's website and Moddb profile to learn some more about this interesting mod.