Half-Life: Enriched - Questionable Ethics news

All play, no work, eh? Go ahead, click that link.

But if you enjoy reading and looking at pictures, be sure to stick around and let me tell you all about probably my favourite chapter 'Questionable Ethics'.

If any Half-Life chapter comes close to perfection then it would be 'Questionable Ethics'. Why? Let's start with the gameplay. Thusfar Half-Life has been a very straight-forward affair, there is one way to go and it's forward. Questionable Ethics, however, revolves around loops. You'll enter the facility, the door leading outside is sealed off and you'll need to find a way (in this case a scientist) to get out. Going through the test chambers you'll always end back up on the main path and eventually find the scientists, leading them back to where it all started. It's a nice, compact and wholesome experience.

Next to that, the chapter relies heavily on using NPC's for help. This might seem arbitrary nowadays but back in 90s having monsters on your side was a revolutionary move. Before Half-Life, third person shooters were often called 'ego-shooters' becaues it was literally the player versus everyone: Wolfenstein3D, Doom, Quake and all its clones pretty much followed this principle. When I played Half-Life for the first time back in 1998, pressing the use key on a securty guard, who then speaks to you and follows you around was mindblowing. What also makes this chapter great, is the right mix between alien forces and HECU marines. It's also the first time you see the human and alien forces in direct combat and it's awesome to watch.

Lastly, I absolutely love the aesthetics of this chapter. The smooth design and the primarily light blue tone feels slick and welcoming. So far the Black Mesa Research Facilty has been underground, dark, dirty and broody but the facility in 'Questionable Ethics' breaths fresh air. I've tried to enhance this feeling with better lighting and new details, such as the potted plants. There are hardly any plants in the BMRF and in many cases they would feel out of place, but in this chapter they add something to that inviting feeling.

All these points make 'Questionable Ethics' my favourite chapter of Half-Life and it was a blast to work on. There have been many improvements to the looks, performance and gameplay. The new build also adresses a lot of smaller bugs that were still present in older maps. The chapter 'Unforesoon Consequences' has been given full support for detail textures now. You can watch a full walkthrough below:

With all this polishing up, I felt it was time to give the menu a well-deserved overhaul too. The background is inspired by the old Half-Life Day One Demo and I've restyled the window colours and fonts to match the aesthetics. I'm very pleased with the new look!

Hope you've enjoyed this article and the latest alpha build! Make sure to leave your feedback below.