ElephantsDoingCrack
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Hi, I'm Elephants Doing Crack, you may know me from… actually, I don't know why you are here. Do you seriously have nothing better to do with your life than to look at a complete stranger's profile page? I guess so. Now about me: I've been browsing Mod DateBase since maybe the late 2000s, but it's hard to say off the top of my memory. As of recently, I finally made an account for this website. It only took me what? Two or three years to write a Bio? Maybe in five years I will make a blog post. On a serious note, I may write some, extremely, biased blog posts about games and mods that I love. It's something I've been thinking about lately, just because it could help someone out or see a different light. It's most likely going to be Half-life related content: it's already consumed 89% of my life, wish I could leave but it anyways drags me back. Or who knows, maybe I could even work on a mod. Some have called me the "sketchiest person" they have ever met. Which seems accurate...
My Blogs
The Context of This Blog Post
Hello, I’m Elephants Doing Crack, you may be asking yourself: who is this guy?... Well I’m just some guy who does nothing but play video games and mods. This is my first blog post on Mod DataBase. So what is a good topic to start on? MODS OF COURSE! But my favorite mods are from the Half-life community. With many unreleased mods over on the horizon, I’m always excited for them because that means more Half-life for me. Now what do I want in a Half-life mod? I like it when mods go above and beyond, where it feels like an expansion pack or even it’s own game. However, that is not always the case: I like Minerva and LOVE Mission Improbable. So I guess I’ll like a mod if it’s good? I have no idea, but what am I doing today? Well I’m glad I can answer my own question: this blog post will be about my top 10 most anticipated Half-life Mods that are still currently in development. I didn’t really pick a specific Half-life game, just Half-life in general. Before I start, note: that this is a personal opinion list and is not factical. If your mod didn’t get on, don’t have any sleepless nights or worry about how a guy, who drinks sprite in his bathtub, didn’t add it on. I’m sure your mod will be great and I hope I haven’t bored you yet. Anyways, let’s just get straight into this list.
MY TOP TEN MOST ANTICIPATED HALF-LIFE MODS
Number Ten: Decay: Solo Mission
One question… Why is this in my list?! Well the main reason is because I love Half-life's expansion packs and its side stories. However, Decay is a two player game and I have no friends… That is not to say that I’ve never played and beaten it before though. I have played Decay a total of four complete times. I played the Single player twice during my Zoom class meetings, played with my deepest friend and one game with a complete stranger. That last game was actually my worst Decay experience. To compare, the amount of time I have had with the other Half-life games are WAAAY too long to count. Hell I’ve played Half-life Alyx more than Decay by a longshot. I want to play more Half-life: Decay because it is more Black Mesa that I have not explored thoroughly enough; which is my favorite character in the Half-life Saga. Now there is a single player way to play Decay, but you have to control two people at once. During my Zoom classes, it was complete hell and I don’t ever want to go back. Also, I completely forgot, I’m gonna try playing Decay on the actual PlayStation 2, instead of PC like I normally do. So I guess technically five times really? God, Randy Pitchford or whomever, please kill me. So yeah, I think I will love this mod. I really want to see where it goes and how Mr.Floyd designs the game for one player. Oh yeah and I stole the developer's copy of Doom 3. Now, I didn't "steal" it literally, I actually bought it from him. Physical copies of Doom 3 on pc are around 30 to 40 dollars. However, he sold his Doom 3 and it's expansion pack, both in great condition, for around 20 bucks, however including tax that’s 26 dollars. I guess I wasn't lying at first for a gag, I technically did rob him with that pricing. Overall, GREAT mod Mr. Floyd is developing here, as well as everything else he touches.
Number Nine: Half-life 2: Overcharged
This mod is basically kind of like MMod, but on hardcore crank. If you guys don't know me, I love my guns and weapons. Overcharged has a shit ton of them. Now that I think about, maybe a bit TOO many weapons. There is one con I can see with OverCharged: it becoming an insane weapon mod, like smod, where there is no rhyme or reason for it. However, for me personally, finding reasons to play Half-life 2 again is like finding a nail in a haystack. So a modification that wants to add more enemies and weapons to the game, is something I will be on board with. That is one reason I was on the Half-life 2 MMod hype train: I saw all the guns and lost my shit. Half-life 2 MMod is still awesome, I just wish there was more at launch… but I know they’ll get there. There are a shit ton of Half-life 1 mods that add to the base game and give you a different experience. Half-life 2 doesn’t really have any mods like that: ones that feel just right and canon to the vanilla version experience. Honestly, I just want more guns and enemies in Half-life 2, it’s the only reason I’m interested in this mod… so guess take that as you will? I have no idea what to tell you.
Number Eight: Inhuman
You know what I've always wanted? F.E.A.R. like gameplay mixed with the Half-life universe, or I guess just better gameplay for Half-life 2? I've noticed that there have been a lot of mods like this for Half-life 2 recently: where they want to improve the gameplay and give you a better experience. Many tweaks and other types of different coding. Although I love the concepts, a lot of the time they turn out to be disappointments. Lost Industry 2 is an example of this: the day it was released, you had no hev suit and couldn't see or hold any weapons. They fixed this later down the line, in fact I still have that build in a flash drive somewhere around me, so I could never forget about that day. However, Inhuman looks very promising and interesting. I played the demo awhile back and it blew me away. I follow their YouTube channel, and every update only makes me want to get my hands on it more. I'm not too worried: the gameplay looks awesome and the visuals are easy on the eyes for me. Seriously, what the fuck is with mods like Lost Industry 2 that overhauls the visuals so much that it is almost hard to look at? Is that just me? Yeah probably just me being crazy.
Number Seven: Hard - Life
Back when Hard Life was announced, it was my most anticipated mod of all time. Nowadays, I'm kind of not as excited as I used to be, I still am just not as hardcore anymore. Stuff like them changing the level design and overhauling the maps is kind of disappointing to me a little. I'm still hyped for it, it's on my list after all, but still… I'm a man who loves Half Life 1 religiously, I have an addiction with it. Even though I can play the vanilla game with no mods or problems, sometimes I want a new experience with that same product. And that is where Hard Life comes in, the main goal is to make Half-life 1 hard and to give a fresh new experience for veteran players. So Hard Life, in theory, should be right up my alley; but I really hope there's an option to turn off the new level design or something. Who knows maybe I willlike it, but I still want there to be an option. Other than that, it looks fucking awesome. Just the idea of Half-life 1 being randomized is a wet dream come true for me. They sort of been silent for a while; I don’t know how much progress has been made, but probably a lot. Really hope this mod proves me wrong and blows me away. Sorry if I seem cynical or negative, I ate a McChicken sandwich from McDonalds while writing this and my stomach feels like death. Please send help.
Number Six: Dark Interval
Ever since I played this mod, I've never stopped thinking about it. The one chapter they did release on Mod Database blew my fucking mind (and still does to this day of course). I don't get how a small team is this dedicated to one mod and their moral, I think at least, is still kicking. For me, this is a dream come true: Missing Information really disappointed me back in 2011, I wanted a Half-life 2 beta experience that you could play from a beginning and to an ending. However, Dark Interval is that dream I had all those years ago. It takes beta concepts and ideas to try and make a coherent game. Every update that comes out, I stop everything I’m doing to see what’s up. I’ve never lost my shit over a Source Engine game since Arkane’s Dark Messiah teasers. Seriously though, I don’t know how they have made this much progress. I've played the alpha build of the second chapter from the Dark Interval discord server and let me tell you that I LOVED IT; of course, it needed more polish when I last played it, I don’t know if they did anything about it or not. Like Deus Ex (2000), the gunplay kind of sucks, not as bad but still not good. However, the world is what made me want to continue onwards. I don’t want them to fix the gameplay that much just because it feels unique and fitting. Hell, in theory, these ideas should suck but they don’t. The new weapons that they have made are great and are pretty fun to use. I just typed up “impulse 101” and saw them, at least in the Alpha build of Chapter 2, they aren't that hard to find. I’m not sure what it is: when you look at the gameplay it looks slow and boring, but it’s not. Anyways, love the mod and I’m all the way with Dark Interval. GODSPEED!
Number Five: Starlight
I’m gonna be real with you guys, I had no idea what this mod was until like one month ago (to be even more honest I’m still not sure). But this mod looks beautiful. Mods like Mission Improbable are games where I love looking at the environment. I think it’s safe to say that Starlight will be on that list for me. Also I saw guns and immediately got interested. Overall, amazing atmosphere and aesthetic! I can’t wait to play Starlight.
Number Four: Half-life : MMod
If you can’t tell back now: I LOVE Goldsource mods. This is also a dream come true, I didn’t think Gunship_Mark II was going to touch Half-life 1 MMod again. I personally would not have cared if he did or not since I thought all focus should have been on Half-life 2 MMod. But hey, another mod that gives you a reason to play Half-life 1 again. Okay technically speaking, this mod was already out, in fact I still remember when that came out. The more IMPROVED version that’s coming out Is what I am talking about. I’m hyped for this update because it improves and adds new things to Half-life 1, mind you, a game that needs no improvements. I know this would be VERY difficult to do: but I wonder if Gunship_Mark II is willing to make one for Gearbox’s expansions. Blue Shift would probably be the less hardest, but Opposing Force, in theory, would be a real struggle. I don’t think he’ll do it, but I understand why. Can’t wait to play Half-life 1 again… for the 2 millionth time. VERY HYPED!
Number Three: Operation: Black Mesa/Guard Duty
Yeah I combined these two together just because they are both working with each other. If you guys don’t know me, I’m not a huge fan of Black Mesa. I am not by any means saying that I hate it or that sucks, but after spending 125 hours on the game (not including when it was released in 2012 as a mod) I’m burned out. Black Mesa overstays its welcome is all. Will Operation Black Mesa and Guard Duty be any better in that type of field? Probably not. But I still am very interested in these mods though. I love the art style so far: it is cartoonist like the original games and looks visually more appealing to me. I just think it will be cool to play through Opposing Force and Blue Shift on the Source Engine. But Jesus Christ these games are taking forever to develop. I still have hope since they post images, videos, updates, some music, modeling etc. What I am trying to say here: I have more hope than I did five years ago on the project just because they felt isolated to me. Good thing it doesn’t feel like that anymore. Can’t wait to play Tripmines installments once they are finished.
P.S. If Tripmine studio ever reads this, here is one of my thoughts about the project: I like the idea of using a flashlight as a weapon for Guard Duty. It gives me Doom 3 vibes, which is cool in my book. However, I would still love to use the Crowbar in it. Maybe a good compromise would be to have both weapons on you: maybe the flashlight does less damage well the crowbar does more… I don’t know. You guys will think of something. Anyways, take care in your work!
Link to mod: Moddb.com and Moddb.com
Number Two: Half-Life: Dark Matter
Oh BOY!! Dark Matter! From what the developers have shown, this mod looks really promising and interesting. In fact, so promising that it’s literally the reason I decided to make a twitter account. Thanks to Dark Matter, I got addicted to Twitter… don’t worry, I’ve taken a quiet and short break from it. Also DON’T follow me on Twitter. I also joined their Discord server back in February and I’m pretty sure that I broke every single rule there; somehow, I’m still there for some reason but I've changed my ways. Not really, only for that server… I don’t know why, but I keep having strange events with game developers: whether that is annoying them, most of the time I am, or an odd conversation. I can’t tell if that is a talent or curse. But Half-life: Dark Matter describes itself as the “final” unofficial expansion to the Half-life series. In my eyes, Dark Matter is kind of like if Blue Shift and Opposing Force made a baby together. I love both of those games and, from what I have seen, it kind of looks that way. Now maybe that isn’t the case: we know there will be new stuff and mechanics to play around with of course. But I still like making that comparison though. The pitch of playing as a Black Ops makes me hooked already. In this game, we actually get to play as the villain. Now yes, in Opposing Force you play as a marine; however, you can still play as a good guy since you never received your orders. I'm guessing it won't be like that in this mod. Also, the Half-life Dark Matter Discord server has ruined the main protagonist for me... in a good way. I have Kovac burned into my mind, you would have to be there to understand. I don’t know about you guys, but I have been looking for a Half-life 1 mod that feels like an actual expansion pack. That is not to say there aren’t: Half-life Echoes and Residue Life are some examples. Except Residue Life is fucking garbage and should not be played. Half-life Echoes is amazing, but like Blue Shift doesn’t really add too many new things to gameplay.; still LOVE Echoes though. From what I’ve seen in screenshots, these maps look like it came from a cancelled project that Valve or Gearbox worked on; which is the feeling that I’ve deeply wanted for awhile now. As of recently, Half-Life Dark Matter won second place for the best upcoming mods. Congratulations to the team with all of my heart. Hell I even voted for them in Mod of the Year… twice. They also released images for a new chapter called, “Hostile-Takeover?!” Which was actually the name of a cancelled Half-life game, but more on that later. I’m not here to tell them what they can and can’t do, it’s their mod not mine. I hope they take care and make all of the progress they need to complete this mod. Now before I move on, you’re probably wondering: why second place? You seem to be REALLY interested in the mod? Well I am so happy to answer those questions for you. There is another mod out there that is even better. But overall, it will probably be an amazing mod, maybe even the best mod ever made. I can’t wait to play it.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Now I have five honorable mentions in this next section. There are so many good Half-life mods coming out that I hate to overshadow any of them. Plus I just really want to talk more about Half-life mods! These mods are not really in a specific order, I guess from top to bottom is least favorite to favorite. I don't know.
Year of the Dragon
Year of the Dragon is a very interesting mod. I don’t really play Spyro: in fact, the only experience I have with the game series is playing it on a Burger King Tiger Handheld when I was little. I don’t know if they existed or not, I can’t find one on the internet. But I know that is how I first heard of Spyro! I’M N0T CRAzY!! I KNOW IT EXIST OUT THERE!!!! Okay sorry about that. The mod looks interesting and it’s in Half-life 1. I played Half-Payne way too many times to count and I haven’t gotten far into the Duke Nukem mod because I got bored. I love these types of mods, I hope somebody does one where you play as Caleb; that would be fucking awesome. I feel like Year of the Dragon will probably be objectively the better one of these three, but nothing beats Payne for me. For all I know, this mod could actually get me into Spyro. I’m just surprised that there aren’t more mods like this. Yo I got another one, maybe Master Chief that would be cool!
Prospekt: Zero
Prospekt: Zero, now bare with me here: this a mod for a mod called Entropy Zero. I know, insane! It’s actually not that bad. I know there were two mods that were similar to each other. However, the other developer that was working on the other, Operation: Stabilization, passed away because of Covid-19. Which is a damn tragedy. But I have played Prospekt: Zero’s demo and it’s okay so far. I also heard that this developer is new to the Source Engine, if so, all I can say is damn… that is dedication. I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Half-life: Alyx No VR Mod
Yeah this is the only Half-life: Alyx Mod on this list. There are not that many mods out right now that are impressing me. I’m not a huge fan of VR, I only wanted one because of Half-life: Alyx. Other than that, I don’t like setting everything up and cleaning my room, I just want to play the game. You may call me a lazy dumbass, but that is just how I am. Everyone says that Half-life Alyx wouldn't be fun without VR: since the game wasn't designed for it. At first, it made sense to me. However, after seeing this mod, I now think it is possible to have an enjoyable experience with Alyx on a mouse and keyboard. From what I’ve seen, the gameplay reminds me of Half-life 2 mixed with Receiver and that is pretty cool. This mod will be perfect for me, others though uuuummm… I guess figure that out yourselves. Also, don’t let this be your first Half-life Alyx experience: the game was made for VR.
Link to mod (no link, but there is a YouTube channel): Youtube.com
VANCE
I only put this here because I originally wanted to talk about the Opposing Force 2 mod. But then I remembered that whenever a game or mod has Adrian Shephard in it, besides Opposing Force 1 obviously, it either sucks or gets cancelled. So I guess Vance will do. I mean, I remember looking at the early media posts and thinking to myself of how boring it looked. Then overtime, they grew in size with new teammates and members; next thing I know, I'm really interested in this project. I don't think my opinion, on a mod, has flipped this hard in a complete 180 before in my life. This project proved me wrong and I think that is impressive in and of itself. Plus, if you spend an hour or two with me, you would know that I adore alternative scenarios. Sadly, they haven't been posting lately, hope everything is okay. Really can't wait to play Vance and see how it is.
Half-life Hostile Takeover
Now this is actually the mod I am currently the most interested in. Everything that I’ve read on this cancelled expansion is SO fascinating. Hell, it's my favorite cut Half-life game and I even partially mentioned it in one of my videos. Something about this cut project is intriguing: it's like Valve and 2015 Inc. were on hardcore drugs or something. The fact that it was 60% done really rubs me the wrong way. Do I wish we had it? No. No. And also, NO! But yet still I want to know more about this game. But back to the mod: this team was actually working on another Half-life project, it took the level design and Aesthetics of Black Mesa and onto the GoldSource Engine. But then they cancelled it and decided to work on this instead. If you ask me, I think it was an outstanding and amazing move: mainly because there is more they could do with their talent and creativity. As a matter of fact, another team decided to revive the cancelled Black Mesa Goldsource project; if you were hyped for that, then I guess this is a win-win situation for everyone? I don’t know. But back to Hostile Takeover, if I am so excited and engrossed with this project, then why is it in honorable mentions and not elsewhere? The main reason is because we haven’t seen any gameplay or even screenshots. The concept alone is why I put this mod on the list. Once we see gameplay or what the game looks like, then I will really think hard about it. But overall, I just want more Half-life 1. Dude I would straight up succ Randy Pitchford off if that means we get another Half-life 1 expansion pack (if you know what I am saying).
Okay, now the number one mod that I am the most excited for, that probably isn’t a surprise... I know it isn’t for me, is this one:
Number One: Entropy : Zero 2
Do I need to say more? As time goes on and a new update is shown, the mod looks better than what I originally thought. Besides Black Mesa, this is definitely one of the most ambitious mods that I’ve seen in my life. I thought Entropy Zero 1 had a lot of problems, still a fun experience and impressively made by one developer. These two mods kind of remind me of Nightmare House: the first one had it’s problems but somewhat fun, however, the sequel feels like a triple A game. You know what is weird? I played the Entropy: Zero 2 demo and had more enjoyment with it than I did with Half-life Alyx. I’m not saying Alyx is bad by any means, but I don’t really want to play it again. But Entropy Zero 2 was crack levels of good, also that was just a demo. Imagine the full game when it is done. Games like Half-life Opposing Force, Bioshock 2, and Max Payne 2 are games I just want to play over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over… Okay, you get the idea. I’ve been following this team’s development ever since it was announced, I think, around 2018. In fact, I also mildly annoyed the living hell out of these guys during their live streams. ahh good times, I don’t regard a single thing. Breadman liked my name though. I am straight up willing to pay for this mod because of the quality of it. Sadly, I haven’t been looking at or keeping up to date with their project since March because of Covid 19 situations. But, I’ve recently been looking back at them again, seeing what I’ve been missing. Trust me, Entropy: Zero 2 is the mod you should be looking out for! I literally can’t wait to play this mod, it will be awesome!!
Closing Statements
Those were my top 10, or I guess really 15, personal most anticipated mods. I would even recommend looking out for these mods. If yours didn’t make it, don’t worry about it, I’m sure it’s going to be amazing. Also, my word doesn’t mean anything, this is a pointless top 10/15 list. Hell I’m surprised you’ve made it this far down the list. Actually I'm more surprised that I put nothing but Half-life mods within the Half-life universe (except for Starlight). Anyways, I’m gonna go to bed now, my eyeballs can barely move and I feel like dying. Happy New Year and goodnight!
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