Long Dark mod for Half-Life 2

In early 2009 a small United States SEAL team was illegally inserted into an allied country with the mission to destroy a nuclear weapons development facility housing the nation's first tactical nuclear missile. The team had instructions to plant C4 charges in a pattern that would demolish the building and the nuclear weapon. The risks of a nuclear explosion were near zero and the mission was a textbook example, until that near zero risk took its toll. The facility was demolished, as intended, but the nuclear weapon detonated in an underground explosion that destroyed the foundations of the surrounding city. Buildings toppled and houses collapses as the city shook and crumbled. While the blast was minor the facility had been on the outskirts of the downtown district and the resulting earthquake was too much for the inland city.

When radiation was detected the media started spreading news of a nuclear explosion in a heavily populated city. Nations began precautionary war procedures, nuclear weapons were armed and prepared incase the explosion was the first strike in a nuclear war. The United States was not eager to admit that they had illegally infiltrated allied soil and destroyed a large city. Accusations were thrown everywhere as the world's nations tried to find the culprit.

A mere month after the explosion the American, Russian and Chinese governments were shocked to discover that several nuclear weapons had been stolen during the war movements. None of the governments wished to admit that several of their nuclear weapons were unaccounted for. In fall 2009 a large cargo plane flying over the city of Moscow detonated in a large aerial explosion that flattened the city and effectively severed the head of the once great nation. The corrupt streets of Russia swelled with crime as government and military command chains tried to piece themselves back together. While the army an civilian commands attempted to find order, various Russian mafia bosses were becoming rulers of small nations, and the nuclear arsenals that were once under the control of the Russian government were under control of known criminals.

Accusations once again flew from nation to nation, and Russian warlords became frustrated when the UN was reluctant to offer aid to the survivors of the explosion. This was all cast aside as the world glared at the United States. In a press conference the President of the United States told the world that they had just targeted several Middle Eastern countries after receiving intelligence that suggested a small terrorist group may have been responsible for the bombing and could have more weapons. In an attempt to stop the Moscow incident from reoccurring in the near future the world's governments grounded all civilian flights.

This proved futile when a USMC C-130 detonated over Washington D.C. The city was destroyed and Moscow was forgotten as the capital of the free world was engulfed in a large nuclear explosion that would send the nation into anarchy. A media blackout prevented the public from hearing the results of the investigation, and massive riots occurred as civilians realized their government was doing nothing in response to the nuclear 'bombardment'. One month later a United States missile bunker launched 3 nuclear weapons at Iran and Iraq.

One of the missiles was severally off target due to human error and landed just out of range of Cairo, Egypt. Next to no casualties were suffered in Egypt, but Iran had suffered two nuclear explosions in its capital city. The world reacted; nuclear missiles were unleashed in every direction as nuclear war erupted. The United States took the largest beating, nearly every heavily populated city had taken a direct hit, and the rest were left to decay from the heavy radiation caused by near misses.

The rest of the world however, was not spared, the nuclear weapons had caused a massive cloud cover that spanned both hemispheres, creating an almost pitch black environment that for 50 years hid humanity from each other. As the clouds receded humanity once again looked up at the sun, and then back down at each other, and the struggle for survival took place on the wastelands and in the ruins of the old cities. Warlords and barons now control most of the resources and shelter; small towns that remained secluded are among the few that were spared by the power struggle.

The player is one of the few citizens in such a town. During the Longdark (the term that most survivors had given it)..... [read the rest on our site]