HoloReality mod for Half-Life 2

Basic Description
The concept is to encourage as many mappers as possible to create short, self-contained segments that are joined together with what we call the Transition Room.

Playable Segments
The release comes with four playable segments, providing about 20 minutes worth of gameplay time.

Installation Instructions
Please Note: The Source SDK Base - Orange Box MUST also be installed for this mod to work. It is free and can be found in the Tools tab of Steam.

• Copy the holoreality folder into your SourceMods folder.
• Restart or start Steam.
• holoreality should now be listed in your Games tab.

Objectives
There WERE a number of objectives.

Firstly, to create the largest single player Half-Life 2 mod EVER! In fact there is no reason why the mod can’t just keep growing and growing. Eventually we would like to see over 1000 segments, that is around 200 levels.

Secondly, to allow new mappers a chance to create and release work that becomes part of something greater.

Thirdly, to allow mappers an opportunity to convert other gametype maps into SP maps. For example, a mapper may have a really good Deathmatch map that could easily be converted into a segment. On its own it would be too short to release as a single player map but as part of HoloReality it could be perfect. (In fact the third level made by Kasperg is exactly that - A DM level that has been converted.

Lastly, there are probably some really good levels or parts of levels that are sitting on hard drives almost forgotten. Maybe it was because they were too small to be released on their own, they were proof of concept or were simply unfinished. Well, with HoloReality, they could have been released and enjoyed by others.

About
This mod started from a chat session about learning to map and ways of improving.

The idea is to allow maps that are not normally released to be part of something bigger and that keeps growing.

It was original conceived for Half-Life 2 / Orange Box but could easily be extended to other single player games. Out of courtesy please contact us if you plan to do this.

In retrospect it is clear that HoloReality was influenced by a Half-Life mod called Project Quantum Leap and Portal, although at the time of concept it didn’t seem that way.

The Story
This type of mod does not really require a story, but we created one to give the mod some sort of meaning. It may also influence the types of segments created.

“The Combine continue to research human responses and reactions to various stimuli. They have created a system where humans believe they are in dangerous situations.

The humans play out these situations by trying to reach the next Transition Room, using weapons and physics to survive. This research will help train the Combine soldiers to fight more effectively against the rebels.

Whilst you hate the idea of helping the Combine you have been told that your family will receive extra rations; water, rice and cake for example. Of course this may be a lie but you do not really have much choice as refusal to participate will result in your immediate death.”

The Transition Room
The player starts in The Transition Room. Whilst they are in the Transition Room the Combine HoloReality system creates a new scenario for the player to interact with.

Think of it like the HoloDeck in Star Trek. Nothing is real, it is all created from energy.

The room allows smooth transitions between widely different styled segments. By removing all the player’s weapons and ammunition collected from the previous segment and giving them 100 health points it also allows the mapper total control over the player’s starting circumstances.

The mapper must ensure any weapons they want the player to have or a charger for the suit are located within their segment.

Once the player leaves the Transition Room they may not return, except at the other end of the segment. The door closes behind them and they must move forward.

The Planned Process
A Segment is a completely independent playable section. The mapper has complete control over the theme, content (New content must be supplied and packaged correctly) and size of each segment.

They do not need to worry about matching it with the previous or next segment because The Transition Room acts as natural break.

Mappers submit segments that are then joined together to create a level. The number of segments per level varies depending on the size of each segment.

By joining segments together into levels we balance the load time and play time to acceptable amounts. Once segments are submitted they may be edited to ensure the join between each segment is as smooth as possible.

Every attempt will be made to ensure an interesting and enjoyable flow between segments, but this really depends on what has been submitted.

Playing the Mod
A player exits The Transition Room and has to find the door that will lead them to the next Transition Room. This may be very easy or very hard, depending on the segment they are playing.

Some segments will be linear, some more complicated. Some have vehicles, others not. Some require a more tactical approach, others Run and Gun. Some are indoors, some along a coast. Some have physics puzzles, others simple Kill Or Be Killed objectives.

As you can see there is an enormous variety in the design and implementation of the segments.

A player has no way of knowing what the next segment will bring. That’s the beauty of HoloReality!

Due to the nature of the mod the playing experience may be significantly different from other Single Player mods. This is because the types of segments can vary dramatically. Every effort is made to ensure an interesting and enjoyable transition but it entirely depends on what segments have been submitted.

Credits:

• Concept: PlanetPhillip
• Segments: CubeDude89, soldierx17, Kasperg and RitoSito
• Packaging and Finalization : CubeDude89
• Beta Testers: CubeDude89 and PlanetPhillip