The Burton Equation - Update Three: Cold Comfort
Hey there! It's been a while since the last TBE update, and those who don't work with me regularly might have thought TBE has not been in development - but rest assured, it has! It's been creaking along, slowly and steadily - a project like this takes a lot of refinement as it approaches the finish line, and whilst it's not there yet, I can see that time readily approaching. For now, here's a look at a few more features for TBE!
Chapter One - Noir Progression
Noir has not yet received a full visual rework to match the other chapters, but the third map which sees you storm the warehouse of Fabreen Castrucci is soon to receive a significant gameplay overhaul with a very interesting initial showdown with Zachary's nemesis. What will follow will set the stage for their relationship through the rest of the mod.
Chapter Two - Sepia's Visual Rework
Sepia continues to receive visual touchups to ground it in the ruin of a war-time environment, and that expands out to the fields - where rapid fortifications have been established around pre-existing structures and the player will get their first brush with the fiercest foes the Combine currently have to muster in the 40s. These more open levels will be less claustrophobic than the earlier levels, but also test the player's ability to reposition without being flanked as well.
Chapter Three - Miami's Skyscraper Journey
As Zachary ascends the skyscraper, he'll be reaching the very top for a showdown at the rooftop with a Combine weapon of war, transported back forty years. By now, he's gotten at least familiar with the enemies he's been facing, but things are about to reach a head.
Chapter Four - The Streets Of Terminus' City 17
Now in Streetwars, Zachary is about to make his own impact on the fight for freedom as he pushes towards a Combine stronghold in the centre of the city - one that houses all of their abilities to manipulate the timestream in this universe. Both Matt and Coralilac have been doing a solid job so far bringing this chapter to bear as I focus on the 80s and 40s. It's not over yet, though - as soldiers bar his way, so too will Striders, which he is poorly equipped to handle...
Cop Melee Tools - Dispensing Indiscriminate Injustice
Billy clubs - a fine enough tool for those with good upper body strength
Shovels serve a variety of purposes in a trenchline - like dealing with close-quarters foes
There's a special kind of lawlessness around the Combine's Miami
base which only a solid nightstick will solve
A useful bit of feedback we obtained in testing was the idea to put in melee cops in all the time periods - something I'd previously been avoiding in favour of gunplay, but the impact has led to encounters being more intense. Whilst you're trying to prioritise your targets, metrocops armed with various period-appropriate melee weaponry will be drawing your attention at close range, and this leads to some more dynamic gameplay. The player will not be able to obtain these melee weapons for themselves as Zachary has his trusty fists and a solid kick behind him already, but they will add a little extra flavour to encounters.
Weapons - A New World Of Hurt
The Combine have taken their own jab at the Tommy Gun - and armed their men in the 1920s appropriately
The OICW is the Combine's rifle of choice in the modern day - a holdover from another universe altogether
Rebel ingenuity has led to the Crossbow, a tool that allows them to take engagements at equal range
The Burton Equation's arsenal is evolving over the course of the mod's story, and has a few more esoteric entries I've not yet shown. The Tesla Tommy shoots modified ammunition and lets loose Combine dark energy pellets to wreak havoc in close quarters - a tool that, if Zachary doesn't step in, might see 1920s Chicago dominated in no time. The OICW makes its debut in the HL2 period (and shared from my other mod project, Raising The Bar: Redux), moving TBE into a universe adjacent to the cut HL2 timeline instead of the standard - perhaps a result of the Combine meddling with the timestream. Finally, a totally original Crossbow model to TBE by Green_Alexander gives the player some long range potential during the Streetwars engagements to come.
Comic - Zachary's Story, Visually Told
Adam Rogers' comic work continues to be one of the hallmarks of the mod, selling Zachary's story with Sam Warren's excellent voiceover. The journey of Zachary Burton will be filled with highs and lows, moments of intensity and moments where things just don't seem to go his way - but push on, and you'll find triumph waiting at the end of every difficulty.
80s Car Posters - Riding Environment Art In Style
The 80s part of the mod features a set of legally distinct car models, but putting an extra coat of shine on this idea with adverts seen at the street level for these creatively derived car brands continues to give the 80s a distinct personality. Eric Stark/Gameboy555 hit it out the park with these ones, making a solid addition to the run.
Conclusion
That's all for 2023's TBE update! To be truthful, a new job at the start of the year combined with other responsibilities meant TBE's progress took a backseat for a while, but it still ticked along and progress is picking up again now. A 2023 release is probably not on the cards (even though I started the year trying to push towards that goal), but 2024 is looking optimistic for sure. It's not got long to go - it's just got a lot of refining to do before it gets there. I'll see you up ahead!
Combine-made Thompson goes hard.
An exciting update! The melee enemies sound like fun additions. Having a variety of ranged and close-quarter enemy types can really spice up a firefight. Like you said, priorities shift and strategies have to change when a melee enemy is closing in on you.
What in interesting aesthetic...I'm into it.
I'm old enough to remember the Wood N' Steel Weapon pack when it dropped a Thompson into Combine hands lol, so glad to see another take on the Thompson with a great Sci-Fi Aesthetic!
Pretty interesting and original art solutions.
This looks so awesome and interesting, cannot wait to see more about this.