This one is for the fans, the people who've played the game and it's very simple.
Would you guys be interested in a standalone game that's disconnected from Half-Life yet will be roughly the same game in essence. Most of the characters return just not set in the same universe as Valve's game.
This means no episodes but a full fledged out game instead. A complete story revision. (Which I have some very cool ideas for) More freedom to be able to get a more coherent experience. (I wouldn't have to guess who or what G man is, if I would bring in such a character)
The downside would be of course that it's not connected to Half-Life anymore obviously and I'm guessing a lot of people would not be down with that. But, it does open up tons of other opportunities and it would allow me to make something that hasn't really been done all that much in games in general. An alien invasion. A full fledged commercial game running on the Unreal Engine 4.
John would go through from being a civilian to a rebel (As was hinted at in some of the old episode two images) So yeah, my question remains. Would this interest you guys?
Sounds good to me, as long as you know you can deliver on it I'm all for it.
I fully agree. I'm currently just trying to see the responses I'd get suggesting the idea. I'm still working on my other game which I'll need to finish but I rather have an idea of what to do after that's done and this was one of the things I actually would want to work on.
I would go through all the usual experimental gameplay testing stages and trying out ideas etc, yet I already know roughly what I want to achieve thanks to the mod.
But it's certainly is something I've been contemplating and I want to finish the story and explain the actual title, which has been correctly guessed at in the past, well, for the most pat. :)
i dont agree tbh, means alot more time and work, when you already have somewhat a game made, source engine is still an awesome engine and people complaing about graphics are dull, games are about how fun they are not how good the graphics are, i rekon you should keep going with what you have already started, besides everyones going to unreal engine 4 lately it seems..
overall its up to you man regardless of what ive said or what anyone else says
Don;t get me wrong, I'm most certainly finishing the game I'm working on. But I like to think ahead and maybe play around with ideas and things that I'm not able to implement in STARDROP.
But I've learned a great deal as it is and I should be able to recreate most of the gameplay elements from 1187.
The reason so many people are using UE4 is because how incredibly superior it is to source. The workflow also allows much faster prototyping and implementing features. It allows a developer to do pretty much whatever they're able to.
As for graphics. I personally like something that looks decent but for me the biggest reason I'd go with UE4 is how it has empowered me to to actually make a game thanks to blueprints.
I have some ideas of what I want to do after STARDROP and this is one of them. I'd personally be stoked to make 1187 from scratch.
Then again I do have to say that obviously it will loose some of the iconic enemies and characters from the Half-Life universe.
Now I do have ideas for completely new creatures to replace them with, as well as a more fledged out story line. One of the more important aspects would be a strong focus on conceptual art, making sure we'd be able to hit the mark in that regard.
And as always, just like what I'm doing now, the development will be very open making sure you guys would be able to post feedback and criticism. :)
sounds good man, and to those ppl clicking minus...wow... negative karma points for only doing what he asked? some people on this site... think i wont say anything at all next time
haha, I actually always ignore up and down votes. And I appreciate the feedback since, as you also mentioned, is what I asked. ;)
Well if you find the time and motivation to do it i don't see any problems with that ! Go ahead :)
I'd be pumped to get back to 1187 very much. Right now I'm just trying to see how the fan-base would respond to the idea.
I'll need to finish STARDROP first of course but if enough people would want to see it, I am very open to put in the effort and happy to do so of course :)
I've cringed a lot about some of the design decisions I made in the past and want to make up for that while keeping the original feel of the game in tact and build upon what made the mod so much fun and recreating the ending without ending it there, instead I would have so much fun moving forward from there on. :)
I'd say finish 1187 with source and then if you want do another game with UR4.
There are multiple reasons that I won't even be able to finish the game on source. Main reason is that the source code is lost by now. Second reason is that Dec is busy with his own projects and for Source I would need a coder that understands source.
Besides those reasons I also have moved away from the source engine and I'm not looking back. The only viable option if I would come back to 1187 would be a remake on a new engine.
I would be able to do a large part of the "coding" myself and overall have more control over everything. Source is too outdated and archaic to be even considered an option.
I had fun with it at the time, but it's simply surpassed on every front with newer engines, most importantly, workflow.
Ohh yeah, and I would be able to support the game forver since valve wouldn't be able to decide that the entire engine needs to be updated, since it's a game, not a mod.
In any case, you'll have to consider the fact that working on source now feels like working with shackles compared to let's say UE4 which feels like I'm as free as a bird.
Well, in 2021 coming up is there any plan at all for a sequel? I know you said you had lost the code and all that but if you started putting out new map media and all that I'm sure you could easily find someone to help code those things back in.
I know Source has its limits but if you start a project in Source it's only right to finish the series in it and even if it's a little old at least all the textures and assets are readily available.
If you and any of the original team come back to continue Episode 2 in Source I'd be more than happy to put the word out and find you a programmer to help with the code aspect of the game.
You can sell games set in the HL universe if you're worried you're going to get sued for it.
You can only do that if you're endorsed by Valve, like Black Mesa Source for instance. Other then that you can get on steam if you have a source mod, but it'd still be a mod. I'm going way past being a mod.
Not endorsed, just Greenlit. Prospekt is a good example of crap being sold. But go for it, I'm all for a new world if that's what you'd like.
I think you should go for it if you got the dedication, just hope you'll finish this mod too.
There's been a few reasons I haven't been able to finish the mod, money being a prime issue. But right now, it's the fact that there's no more source code to work with. It's one of the reasons why I'm contemplating making it a full fledged game.
Dedication and motivation was never an issue on my end.
Please, yes.
Making your own story gives you a lot more freedom, and to be fair, a lot of 1187 was you anyway, it's just that in the end the story tied-in with the post-resonance cascade setting of Half-life. It is quite possible to do something in a similar setting without detracting from the experience.
One thing that I enjoyed about 1187 was how you created the setting, it was like a post-apocalyptic scenario, but without relying too much on zombies (in fact, I'd prefer to see those removed altogether in the standalone version, but that's just me) and without having a desolate and destroyed cityscape. The world was ending but the government kind of pretended that it would all be okay, some people evacuated to "safe" zones (I would imagine there is no such a thing as "safe") while others, such as our protagonist, just continued to survive, living in their homes. I found that to be very interesting, because that's what we humans do when confronted with adversity, we adapt and try to live on like we used to, despite how terrible the circumstances may be.
You also had a good story going, you were exploring the merging of realities and the appearance of strange things and creatures in our world, not to mention a mysterious organization, with an unknown agenda, operating openly and unchecked in the streets. None of this reaaaally mandates a connection with the Half-life universe, it doesn't even necessarily feel like Half-life, despite all of the similarities.
Either way, hey, thanks for considering giving the wonderful little world of 1187 another go.
That's right. The only reason I actually consider it is because I can see the story work on its own without having to be set in the Half-Life universe.
The challenges lies in obstacles such as finding a way around situations like the resonance cascade. Would I attempt to start the game the same way, or should I go back to a world as we know it and have it degenerate in such a way that at one point we end up in a situation where 1187 starts.
I guess it would be similar to the movie "the road" that just starts in a world that's already dying, albeit be it to a lesser extend.
The heart of the story for me was in depicting these characters. People just living their lives and I feel I can explore this a whole lot more. Another aspect I also have been thinking of is the combat itself. I would love to start out with the same earth based weapons and maybe dish out some hybrids later on.
And yes, I always had a blast finding ways where xen was merging with earth. I feel I could have explored this a lot more as well and if I would reboot 1187, I would pay more attention to this aspect as well. And have the overgrowth become a lot more apparent the further you get into the game. Also, I never got to create Amsterdam, which I always wanted to haha.
As for zombies, I have a few ideas for a different kind of zombie. Most likely still as parasitic but just different. maybe tying it into those abduction stories if you catch my drift. ;)
And because of so many of you guys basically saying YES, we'd love to see 1187 remade I feel like i'd be making something I have fun with and at the same time know there will be a fan-base ready to enjoy themselves with.
If I really decide to do it, I will make sure there'll be prototypes available for download. One of the most important factors to me is that the overall feel of the weapons and movement etc is going to be accepted. I would hate to release a game where I did things the majority would hate me for. Of course I'll be stubborn in some cases, if this was a game out of the blue I would just do whatever but since I'm riding on expectations I have to make sure I'm nailing it. :)
Anyway, Appreciate the comment a lot and the more I'm reading, the more I'm thinking: **** it, let's do this...
Yeah, I think it would be best to start in medias res, whatever happened has already happened, and the player has to slowly figure out what exactly is going on as he explores the world, at the very least that's one thing to drive them forward, besides survival.
I'm curious to see what this remake will represent for characters such as John and other companions, they had a pretty significant role in the story, but when it came to gameplay, they were somewhat limited by the Source engine's AI, they often acted more like supportive bystanders, which was fine for the random rebels in Half-life 2, but not so much for a companion who goes through the thick of it alongside the player. I imagine this reboot could turn John into a more flexible (no more shotgun sniping haha) and slightly more proactive character in combat.
Glad to hear that you're excited to work on this project. :)
Do eeeet, sounds cool I really enjoyed the 1187 series and I think all it needed to be a great mod was better gunplay (which cant be helped much in source but would be easily solvable in Unreal 4) you got the ideas you can make the story so I say yes.
Thanks for the blessing. ;) I agree with the gunplay. One of the cool parts about doing a remake is the fact that the sky is pretty much the limit. I would be able to tweak weapons until its perfect.
Since we already have the Half-Life version, I see no downside. A spiritual successor to the original 1877!
Thanks, well, I would be aiming much higher this time round. ;)
Yes, I would be very happy about a 1187 remake. I would love to come back to 1187 in it's new form and (hopefully) enjoy it!
I've got ALOT of questions to ask you, but i might just for now start with a couple.
1. Will this be a complete game? In other words, will it end the way 1187 ep1 originally did?
2. Will the new creatures/enemies have features that have features from their source counterpart? Example, source zombie has a headcrab, will your version of the zombie have a similar parasitic creature that is see-able (like the headcrab)?
Alright, well i hope things go well with this project and i hope to play it someday! Thnx ^w^
You're welcome to ask, can always send me a PM if you want to ask more.
1.Yes, this would be a full game. No episodes and it will continue the original story I had planned in episode two.
2.Yes and no. I would look at the original enemies as a reference and take all the things that I liked about them while at the same time improve where able.
One of the things I'd plan is to release alpha and beta builds of various gameplay aspects of the game and get the input from the community. if the overall response is positive then that means I'm succeeding.
I'll be very open about its development in that regard to make sure everyone will enjoy themselves. Of course once the actual game is in production you'd guys have to wait for the demo to get a taste of the actual game and then simply release it once it's finished.
But the fans should already know roughly what to expect in terms of hands on experience with the gameplay mechanics, the story elements and the world itself would be completely new and unspoiled. :)
Sounds good to me.
Go for it you will have many opportunity's now.
I wouldn't mind this either way. Although 1187 on the Source Engine is what made it feel like 1187 overall. But a fresh new port to Unreal Engine 4 sounds like a great idea. 1187 will get brand new graphics and all of today's game engine capabilities. And of course, more opportunities for you the developer to carry out. Both ways sound like a great idea and I do not mind which ever way you decide to take the mod. After all, it's 1187! :) Good Luck!
One of the challenges would be to recreate much of that feel while also improving upon its foundation. Obviously the graphics and visual update is something that would make this whole thing all the more exciting but I would also have to make sure it'd be optimized enough.
But it will be more demanding overall when it comes to minimum specs. That said, it ain't 2007 anymore ;)
Unreal Engine 4 will make so many things easier overall. I should, in theory, be able to recreate everything that I need and more.
Of course it would be a commercial product this time round but the quality should be much, much higher.
Well good luck with the port to Unreal Engine 4. Yes, it will be easier, I use UE4 myself along with the Source Engine. Very flexible engine.
I don't see why not. If you do end up making it, I'll love it.
Thanks for the vote of confidence. :) I'd be lying if I said there aren't any challenges in doing so. It's quite the undertaking and I can only do it if I'm able to expand the team after STARDROP is released and I can move forward to a bigger project.
But it should be an improvement over the original.
I vote yes. It's been awhile, but I do remember enjoying 1187. Was disappointed when it was stopped, but I can understand why you stopped. Personally I'd be more interested in 1187 than Stardrop. I played the demo you released of Stardrop and I couldn't get into it as much as I'd hope. Having said that I can see how others would enjoy it. You are clearly passionate about both of these projects, and I wish you the best of luck on putting out products that both you and consumers will enjoy.
I've been watching a bunch of let's plays of 1187. It's been too long since I played it and I'll be honest. lots of moments where I cringed in terms of dialog and level design.
Looking back at old town, holy hell how did I let that slide. it's brutal haha.
I'm wondering what aspect of STARDROP you didn't like. Just to get some more feedback in that regard.
I wouldn't work on a project if I couldn't put my heart and soul into it. ;)
I've always enjoyed your ( teams ) past projects. Also, a good decision moving to the U4. It's current capabilities will afford you a much greater range of graphical flexibility that we players like to see these days which Source simply cannot deliver alone.
Sounds as though you have some solid ideas brewing, so as long as you proceed on in a creative direction that you can enjoy you'll be golden. Best of luck !
Thanks jjawinte. It's good to see you around man. I always appreciated your input a whole lot and the more I'm interacting with everyone here again, the more I'm getting nostalgic and excited to actually get back into it.
The more I'm interacting the more I'm leaning towards going for it. Just need to finish up what I'm working on first before I'm able to. ;)
I would say go ahead, the game was great already for what it was. But if you can make it better as a standalone then why not? Especially when it removes the restrictions you had on this engine.
One of the things I want to really improve upon is the gun-play. That and experimenting with different types of enemies. :)
If you could make another game with the polish 1187 had, I'd be stoked to play that. 1187 stood out from so many other mods because of how fleshed out it was and it really was one of the first mods I played that made me realise just how awesome the modding community is. I'd love another game like this, Joure!
Thanks, I'm glad top hear you enjoyed it. I honestly hope I can expand he team after STARDROP is out and hopefully will do well enough for me to take on a bigger project.
I had a lot of fun making it and I am getting to a point where I feel I'm ready to work on something like this again.
This is actually something I could get behind. When I first saw 1187's Moddb page many years ago, I actually thought it was disconnected from the HL universe. My initial reaction to the mod does tell me that it would be possible to make a game like this with its own independent story. Also, it could help out flesh out characters like John, and maybe give the main character a name? :D
I am totally okay with that.
Totally okay with that! Your mod was one that has always stood out to me so I know you're going to deliver amazing stuff.
Honestly, I think your best bet is to see if you can get permission from Valve to release 1187 on steam as a full game. It worked for Black Mesa and even the developer of Prospekt, I have no reason to doubt it would for you. If you go this route, you could even release Episode 1 + Rogue Train on the store immediately for like 5-10 bucks, maybe having the game be spruced up a bit with every bug you can find being fixed, some updated models and a cleaner hud. Of course if you'd want to go the other route, that'd be perfectly fine with me and I'd definitely buy it in the future, I just think you should try this route first.
There are several reasons I wouldn't be able to do something like this in good conscience.
1) It's a free mod. It would be a **** move imho, to start askign money for it.
2) The quality is simply not up to par with today's standards. I also think I can do a lot better these days.
3)Even if I would want to, I can't. We don't have the source anymore and therefore aren't even able to fix the mod ourselves. Let alone making it compatible for steam.
I appreciate the fans reactions to this post. I can only hope I can somewhat replicate this kind of enthusiasm for the game I'm working on right now. Especially considering the mod's age. :)
I don't want you guys to have to pay for a product which I would not endorse myself as the creator.
I'm ok with it in the end however when you say it's easier to move onto UE4 that also means you have to create every new asset for the game whereas the source engine gives you everything you need or at least most of it. I don't understand why a full restart would be easier but nonetheless I support any new development of 1187 and wish you and the team the best of luck.
Valve is okay with mods, and to an extent certain mods-turned commercial game. However, black mesa is such a huge exception because not only is it a remake of half-lie 1 (which valve would never do themselves) it's also a very high quality product.
I could never ever just use their assets and make a game that I can sell commercially. It's just not that easy to get their endorsement.
We would have to create assets as long as I make it a commercial game. If I had tons of money then I would happily make something like this in my own time and completely free but it's quite the opposite at this point.
I want to make games that I think is fun and I would love to make a wide range of games. Right now I'm making a first person adventure game and I love it.
I eventually want to go back and make a shooter. I love shooters and think I have some fun things to bring to the table.
Thanks for the reply though, I appreciate it. :)
A simple yes please