Hello there folks! Been a while since the first Article in March.
The Development of Radical Problems never stopped, however the progress is little, but that's because I am making revisions to Chapter 2, in terms of Level Designing, as well as interactions.
I was rather curious what would a Half-Life 1 Player would like from a Modification, so I went trough my way and asked TheRenegadist in one of his streams about it, and the answer was rather simple. To be realistic and see NPC's interactions, or world events that are not caused by the Player.
Though, I am curious to hear more from more people about what they would like, or expect, from a Half-Life 1 Modification, I am a mods fan myself, too, of course, however I haven't played any mod lately, but perhaps I should do so, for refreshing memories.
In addition, the progress made can be seen trough these screenshots posted in this article, as well as the ones that I've been posting for a while on the Mod DB Page. Below you will find all the New Media posted.
Radical Problems Second Article
This article talks about the Progress made since March.
Posted by The_Guardian™ on
Hey I just discovered your mod. It looks really great so far. You've got an eye for mapping and architecture. I like it.
As player and mapper myself I can confirm what your streamer buddy @TheRenegadist told you before.
Everyone can create some simple maps. But creating a solid story or a compelling atmosphere within your levels is vital for the success of your mod. Fail to accomplish on either point and the players will get bored rather quickly.
Also a proper balance throughout the mod is equally important. If you spam monsters after each and every door & corner the players will notice that and it won't be appealing to them in creating a solid gaming atmosphere.
So make sure to find a proper balance regarding ammo and health pack drops and a fair monster placement plus a good mix of NPC script_sequences.
If you like I invite you to play my own mod Military Duty here on moddb on my profile. It was rather short and simple with 15 maps and lacking riddles in general how ever the community enjoyed it quite a lot due to the things I mentioned above. Perhaps it'll help you to find some inspiration.
I mixed new assets and own ideas with known vanilla assets. That combined with audio and visual components. Essentially the Eyes and Ears of the players were always entertained and I believe that's the most important thing for a mod to become successful.
Tracking your mod and good luck.
Hello 23-down!
Thanks a lot for the reply! Sure, I will play Military Duty and record it as well! I forgot to mention in the article as well, since I kind of rushed it trough the way, but I am planning of creating a Demo as well. Which it will give a general idea of how the Level Design and everything will play around like.
I never been good at doing gameplays, sure, but I will do my best to make it as appealing, given that I will have it play tested it as well before anything, so I will have a general idea of what I will have to fix up and/or improve.
I appreciate a lot your given opinion and view!
That sounds wonderful. Your dedication sounds genuine and inspiring.
I'm sure it'll be epic and should you require a beta tester count me in. The_Guardian™
Hello 23-down!
Thanks a bunch for the given feedback and support! Means a lot to me! I will take you into account if I need more beta testers!
Best regards,
The_Guardian™
If the modification is set at the same place (Black Mesa) and time (resonance cascade) as the original game, I would expect to see some ties with Half-Life and expansions. Maybe visiting the known location at the different time or seeing some events from a different perspective. Or at least having some references to what happens in other games.
As from gameplay point of view new unique features are welcome of course. I saw an alien grunt with a shield in the previous article and I liked the idea a lot.
Hello FreeSlave!
Thanks a bunch for the comment! Yeah, I don't think I made it clear enough that the mod is set in Black Mesa, but it is indeed! As a fact, I have indeed re-created the section from Blue Shift, the one-and-only popular elevator section, where the cargo train crashed! However, for now I have scrapped it, because I expanded too much on it, and I will re-use it's part for other map parts, but it will still be visited! As well as other parts from other expansions maybe! Who knows?
There were other features that I wanted to work on! But I am not much of a coder myself, so that goes past my expertise... Planned features are likely to be scrapped as well! But not the shield grunt, since that one works as intended.
Best regards,
The_Guardian™