Half-Life: Enriched - Residue Processing news

Can't wait to get you hands dirty, right? Then click that link below and get to playing!

You're still here? Well, in that case: let me tell you a bit about converting the latest chapter: "Residue Processing".

After escaping capture, Gordon gets another glimp at the outskirts of the Black Mesa facility. So far these sights have been rare and it's a refreshing change. This doesn't last very long, though as Gordon has to venture back in and work his way through the toxic waste processing plant. This chapter mostly focusses on platforming, solving puzzles and exploration. You'll have to evade large crushers and stompers trying to turn you into jello. It doesn't feel very realistic but as this was made in the 90s, these type of puzzles were obligatory. The factory theme was a very known trope in many 2d platformers that were popular around that time. such as Commander Keen.

I like the aesthetics of the chapter and I've taken great care to fix up the lighting to give it a grittier and more omnious appearance. Especially the green glow from the toxic waste (also not very realistic) really ties the scene together!

The outdoor scenes have also been complete remake. Valve replaced a lot of the original outdoor brushwork with displacements (a triangle based brush used for terrain). Instead of just copying stuff around, I started all the way from scratch. I've created several new models, such as the cactus you see below.

It can be quite easy to get lost, the farther you venture into the facility. I've added several cues for players to find their way around in form of signs or strategicly placed lights. This will hopefully make the chapter a little more enjoyable to play!

As you might have noticed, the new chapter also has fully support for detail textures. As mentioned in my previous article, it takes a lot of additional time and effort to add these to the game. However, I've also managed to convert two more chapters in the meantime. As of version 0.50, 'Black Mesa Inbound' and 'Anomalous Materials' both have full detail texture support! I've also added more to those chapters, so be sure to give them another playthough.

Aternatively, you can watch a full playthrough of both chapters on my YouTube channel! I'm trying to build up a bit of media presence, so there might be developer vlogs and streams coming up in the future!

Thanks for reading and be sure to leave those comments/feedback below!