Antenna mod for Half-Life 2

Dear Friends! It’s time for the news, in which I will try to tell you some details about the concept and the state of the project at this moment.

The active stage of development started in early 2020, exactly after the release of the dm_blockpost map for the HL2DM.

Then there was a choice between - to make another map or return to the old idea for a singleplayer modification. After weighing the pros and cons, the choice fell on the side of the second, as it seemed to me a more serious and interesting challenge of my skills.

The story about what the old idea was about and how everything turned out with it will be next time, because it is quite rich and requires a separate article.

Main reference

I really liked the idea of an episodic development of such modification as Mission Improbable, where the developer gradually released chapters, complementing the main story. I decided to do the same, concentrating development on the first chapter-episode. What will come out of such an idea - we will find out after a while.

Setting

- mostly HL2EP2 with its theme of natural landscapes somewhere in Europe, which seemed to me quite interesting, where there is still a lot to tell.

The first chapter will consist of three or four locations, where we have to visit a hydroelectric power plant in order to establish power supply at a friendly base.

At the moment, the gameplay of the first chapter is 80 percent ready and it takes about 35-40 minutes to complete the walkthrough.

At what stage is it now?

Now we are at the stage of blocking and roughing out the location.

The video shows the progress at the location.

New Features

We planning some changes and additions to the gameplay in our mod to bring a new experience from the game process.

One such thing is a change in the player's healing. There are no more classic first aid kits. Now there is a syringe and pills to be used "by hand".

The disadvantage of such treatment will be the small effect of the wearable medications, the advantage is the ability to take more of them with you and use them at a convenient moment. How convenient is the system and how immersive it is in the gameplay? This will be shown by upcoming closed playtests.

The next thing I want to tell you about is "parkour", which is essentially an extended interactivity with the environment, which allows you to use vertical surfaces a little more efficiently.

The player can pull up on specially designated hills to which he can reach or jump. Perhaps the idea is not new for mods, but it is not very hackneyed, although quite curious and often found in modern games.

I hope the testers and you will appreciate this.

What do I plan in the near future?

I am thinking of finishing the rough version of the maps and starting internal tests. Fortunately, among friends, there are those who wish, with different preferences in the gaming experience, which, I hope, will lead to extensive feedback and an improvement in the gameplay component.

What is the time frame for this stage?
I'll be honest - from a couple of months to infinity, but I will believe in the first :)

See you later!