Half-Life Windows, Mac, Linux, PS2 game

Welcome back to an update on Half-Life: Anticlimax! Today I'm going to delve into the developement progress and process of the MOD and share some more design insights with you!

The Beginning

In the previous update, I've shared the introduction sequence of the MOD with all of you. But there is some more going on before that, that I'd like to share:

Here is the opening screen of the MOD with the forboding G-man awaiting Gordon in the tram for his choice. What you might notice is the rebranding of the difficulty levels: Normal, Hard and Very Hard. When I was designing this MOD in the early stages, I wanted something that would appeal to the Half-Life veteran player... that one seemingly impossible battle you've been offered at the ending of the campaign. With this in mind, offering an 'Easy" mode option seemed strange. Also, giving players an 'Easy" option will make them expect an easy-going experience, which the MOD will certainly not give you. Normal Mode will still give you the health and damage specifications of the original Easy Mode, but I think the player expectations will be more aligned with what you were used to in Half-Life with this rebranding.

The Middle

A while ago I wrote an article about the MOD's circular gameplay progression and today I'd like to show you all what centerpiece makes that all happen. Behold the multi destination Xen teleporter!

Once activated, this Xen teleporter will cycle through different teleport destinations every 4 seconds. One of them will definatly take you directly back onto the bridge where the Alien Grunts are waiting for you. But the others might lead you to locations where resources can be found!

The Ending

Which then brings me to the end of the MOD. Since the original Half-Life basicly had two endings, I thought it would be fun to continue that trend in Anti-Climax. Here is a flowchart to accompany the explanation below:

So, during the final tram ride, Gordon can either accept the job or decline it. The original "hired" ending is still available in the MOD, so you could end it within seconds. But, if you came for the fight, you'll find there are also two possible endings, a "good" one and (unfortunaly for Gordon) a "bad" one. They will be triggered on certain conditions, so getting to the ending you want isn't as easy as walking into a teleporter, this time.

In the last update I've shown you a prominent prefab from one of the endings, so here is another for you to ponder about!

Status update

So, when is the release? I estimate the MOD to be about 90% done. The last 10% is finishing one of the endings and doing some misc. work. After that I'll be able to put everything together into a beta build and send it to a few designated testers.

Hopefully I can release the MOD somewhere in March, but I've also had to experience some problems and setbacks in the develepment lately. The flu kept me in bed the last week and before that I had to tackle some engine problems. I've written tutorials about those cases here and here.

Thanks for reading and comments are always well apreciated!