Half Life 2: Raising the Bar REDUX: 6th Anniversary (Division 3) Update news

Hey everyone! It's our pleasure to celebrate the 6^th anniversary of RTBR's development today, with a look into the near future! We have plans to get a snippet of Division 3 into your hands in the short-term, and to prepare for that, we decided to do a big content release of all the things to expect in that demo! Without further ado, let's get started!

Depotyard

The Depotyard will be the first map of our upcoming Depot demo, and will introduce players to some of the new mechanics and enemy types they will be facing in the demo. Starting in poorly-maintained tunnels, the player will fight their way to a surface-side entry into the depot, and then through a massive storage space that is swarming with Hunters.

Tau Cannon

One of the new weapons players will get their hands on is the Tau Cannon, teased as part of our Mod of the Year celebration last year! Separated from the buggy, the player will have to seek an alternate ammo source for the weapon during the Depot journey. The Combine don't have boxes of radioactive isotope just lying around, but rebel ingenuity means, as long as you're willing to make a sacrifice, you might be able to keep this thing well-stocked...

Popcan

As a nice little aside, Joseph has remodelled the iconic popcans with the Consul's branding in mind, in addition to some variants using RTBR-made spoofs of popular soda brands. You'll find these scattered all over City 17, and some may have found their way out into the Wasteland, where less suspicious water supplies are scarce...

Depot01

The next map in the depot journey sees the player reunite with Alyx, and storm the place with her assistance. Vortigaunts are trapped here by the Combine, amidst the giant turbines of its water-extracting machinery, and it's up to you to free them, fight off the garrison, and push on to find Doctor Maxwell.

Bugbait

The depot journey may be after Gordon's romp through the Antlion Caves, but the antlions are far from finished when you get to the depot. Between a few rogue groups and the frenzied remains of the Hive chasing the player, you'll eventually get the chance to command some yourself – and you'll do so with our take on the classic pheropod.

Garbage Truck

As part of being a cut-content mod, we've inherited lots of content from the beta that doesn't quite hold up even alongside HL2's props, let alone our own custom set of assets. As a result, one of the more iconic of the cut vehicle wreck models was on the board for a remake, one which faithfully recreates the shape and silhouette whilst adding many new details.

Stalker

Stalkers are one of Half-Life 2's most gruesome enemies, and of course have a key history in the leak. We are considering ways of channelling both the “freaky assassin” role of their leak counterpart and their “maintenance drone” persona in retail, but for now, have a one-size-fits-all solution which will be spotted working the occasional console in the Depot, and, as you saw for our Triumph Mod of the Year teaser, a few places of Aperture Science.

Depot02

In Depot 02, the fighting gets real. The antlions are assaulting the depot in full force, even as you and Alyx are in a race against time to track down Eli before the entire facility comes apart around you. Giant underground environments mix with claustrophobic corridors and abandoned remains of human occupation, with both Combine and Antlions making grasps at securing the place.

Steambow

The third of the weapons being introduced in the Depot demo is the most esoteric – the Steambow, our take on the crossbow concept art! We've chosen to fully-redesign the functionality of this weapon from a one-shot precision weapon, to a double-barrelled long-range option with a secondary fire that will deal AOE damage to enemies and buy you valuable breathing space. Functions are still a WIP at this time, but you'll have the chance to take it into your own hands soon!

Steambow Ammo

And of course, nothing sticks enemies into walls better than repurposed rebar. Unlike HL2's super-heated variant, the Steambow's ammunition more closely resembles actual crossbow bolts, and you'll want to keep yourself stocked-up for the enemy encounters yet to come.

Depot03

The finale to the depot demo, Alyx has gone to help an injured Eli out of the depot, and it's your turn to be bait. Luckily, a pheropod in your hand means you're not alone in this fight, and antlions will now follow you to victory, tearing through some of the most Combine-dominated parts of the facility, and using your unconventional allies to cross navigational barriers.

Finishing Up

That's a wrap on our 6^th anniversary update! We are fully-engaged in pushing towards a Depot demo as our Division 3 offering, and expect to have more news and teasers to share with you soon! Before closing up, here’s a few more roles we’re still on the lookout for:

• Level designers – We’re still open to having additional support in both the art pass and blockout departments

• 3D Modellers – More support in our hard surface department will always be appreciated

• Programmers – With the amount of custom content coming in Division 3, additional resources in our programming department would be ideal

If any of these roles look good to you, please add the username, kralich, on Discord. Thanks everyone, and I hope you're prepared for RTBR's Depot journey!