Half-Life: Enriched - Media Update #8 news

I've hinted towards this new feature on several occasions and today I finally get the chance to show some of it: co-operative play is coming to Half-Life: Enriched! There is still a lot of work to be done, so there isn't a playable alpha version yet but these screenshots should give you some more info on what to expect.

On the mapping front, I've started adapting the maps to this new co-op mode. This means I sometimes have to make slight changes to the gameplay or the layout of the maps but mostly it will be Half-Life as you experience it in single player just now with friends! Work together in the test chamber, fight through Black Mesa with your allies and defeat the Nihilanth together!

The design of the original maps was never meant for large amounts of players, so you can play this new mode with up to 4 players. This ensures that the maps do not become overcrowded and a fair difficulty level can be attained. The difficulty will be adjusted according to the amount of players, so there might be more and stronger enemies if you decide to take on the campaign with a full squad.

New features!

To ensure the game stays fun and fair for everyone, I've created a few features that will help your playthrough be a smooth affair. The first feature is the Checkpoint. At least 50% of your team needs to be at this point for it to unlock. This will give everyone the chance to catch up and hold back that speedrunning bunnyhopper.

In the same fashion, level changes are marked so you won't run into any unexpected level changes. In many cases the route into the previous map is (sometimes temporary) blocked to make sure level changes can't be abused. I find the new logos are easy to understand and non-intrusive and will hopefully make the co-op experience a lot more fun.

As you can tell from the screenshots, I've started working on new multiplayer models. The HEV player model is fully done and supports multiple colours that you can set in the multiplayer menu or via console command. More models of the BMRF staff are planned!

So when can I play this?

It might still take a while. This mode still requires a lot of extra code upgrades to function properly. Next to that I'm currently half-way through converting all the maps to co-op play. Despite having remade all maps for single player before, it still takes a lot of time to do the conversions. Co-op play has its own unique challenges and quirks to overcome. Lastly, I have to do a lot of the player weapon models, as I only remade the view and world models so far.

What about the single player campaign?

The single player version is mostly done but I'm still fixing issues as they pop up, so expect improvements on that front as well for the next version. Some times I still find things to add and improve, such as the Gordon Freeman model. He actually wears glasses now, as in pretty much all of the official artwork. I ditched the pony tail, though. You can enjoy this model if you enable thirdperson mode!

Hopefully, if everything goes smoothly, I'll be back soon with a playable build. In any case, expect a media update in a few weeks. Thanks for reading!