Survival 101 is a Half-life 2 mod that I've been working on for sometime now. The concept for the mod is that of survival/horror. It borrows elements from games such as Resident Evil and Bioshock. Major changes to the Half-Life 2 experience include: realistic weapon damage (no more emptying entire clips into enemies), scarcity of ammunition and health packs, and more of a focus on the horror aspect. The mod features its own story line which will hopefully span at least to the two hour mark.
I loved this mod. The first half put me in total oh-god-zombies-are-eating-people, i've-got-to-try-to-survive mode. I gotta admit, I tried building a couple of barricades before I remembered Half-Life 2 zombies bat stuff around. I was quickly smashed in the face by a flying box.
a lot of people have been complaining because they didn't think the mapping was very good. I thought it was fine. It did the job it was supposed to do; create setting and atmosphere. I actually loved the big three-layer foyerish area with the cafeteria on the bottom. I put on sv_infinite_aux 1 which made the game super fun. I didn't have to worry about the 15 second flashlight or running out of breath like a smoker carrying a heavy backpack.
I loved that the zombies and soldiers dropped after a few shots. It made me feel like the pistol was actually doing something.
I thought the music was really well placed, and it definitely bolstered the atmosphere even those most of them were the same tired HL songs I've heard a hundred times. The voice for the guy on the radio that tries to help you was really well done. I liked him and was secretly hoping I'd get to meet up with him and kick zombie ***. The crazy scientist's voice was...... uninspired.
Over all I thought it was fantastic. I loved the attempt at realism, and the simplicity of the story. Here's to hoping for a sequel.