Black Mesa is a lot less illuminated in the mod, wouldn't you agree?

[Eric_Fong]

@Floyd

That’s a thought - I wonder if there are any rooms or areas in the game where the light is turned on by sensor. I’ve seen it used to great effect in a game or film - the player rounds a corner or opens a door to a pitch black room and a light flickers slowly before suddenly buzzing to life. Hense a horrific scene that beholds them… or not, if you want to add some bathos.

Using light switches is also an underused tool to create tension. I realise that Gordon has the light on his suit, but I’m thinking of the area in Blue Shift where the player switches the light on in a dark room and discovers the executed scientists - good stuff. For some reason, such a simple act of turning on a lightswitch in a game adds a small but important level of interactivity. If the player feels like they can control something so small but so noticeable as a lightswitch, it feels far more like they are there.

Smartest guy ever.

[Tom_caT]

I too have seen the sensor lights, I believe F.E.A.R. is one of those games that does that. But it makes perfect sense, or possibly the alert that happened earlier just ended, the system got so damaged that it cut off the alarms and dark lights.

[BenWasHere]

@Floyd

That’s a thought - I wonder if there are any rooms or areas in the game where the light is turned on by sensor. I’ve seen it used to great effect in a game or film - the player rounds a corner or opens a door to a pitch black room and a light flickers slowly before suddenly buzzing to life. Hense a horrific scene that beholds them… or not, if you want to add some bathos.

Using light switches is also an underused tool to create tension. I realise that Gordon has the light on his suit, but I’m thinking of the area in Blue Shift where the player switches the light on in a dark room and discovers the executed scientists - good stuff. For some reason, such a simple act of turning on a lightswitch in a game adds a small but important level of interactivity. If the player feels like they can control something so small but so noticeable as a lightswitch, it feels far more like they are there.

This.

[Dillxn]

The sad thing is that the developers will not listen to that, no matter how great :3

[Stuntz]

OR, the dev’s will not listen to that because they have already thought of it. lol, I wouldnt doubt it if they did.

[Dillxn]

I didn’t provide any reason that they wouldn’t listen to it, so you can’t really use an “or” there

[mattemuse]

i think he just did use an “or” there.

[Ballsopt]

Since there were light switches in the original, I sorta expected it.

[JeffMOD]

Two lightswitches, anyway.
You have to keep in mind, though, that having lightswitches makes the maps more expensive to compile, as there has to be 2 lightmaps for every dynamic light. Have more than one in a room or hallway with different switches, and it goes up exponentially.

[Floyd]

But neither are used to affect tension, they’re just there. If anything I’m suggesting having them used as a tool for something a la Blue Shift.

[Dillxn]

@mattemuse

i think he just did use an “or” there.

Dangit! I meant “shouldn’t” not “can’t.”

[UrBY]

I might just have to steal that idea for the mod I’m working on Floyd

[Apollomasque]

Science shuns the light. And Black Mesa has a lot of science in it. Ergo, Black Mesa is dark.

[Mr_Someguy]

@Apollomasque

Science shuns the light. And Black Mesa has a lot of science in it. Ergo, Black Mesa is dark.

What? No, science is bright and shiny.

That’s why research labs are bright and white.

[TheeGoatPig]

So, video games are anti-science? Cool!

[Apollomasque]

No, Science is said to be the light that cuts through the darkness. Ergo, it must be in darkness to shine. So science seeks the darkness.

And TheeGoatPig, how the hell did you arrive on that conclusion.

[TheeGoatPig]

Science is bright and white. Newer video games keep getting darker. As video games progress, they have less light, so they are anti-science. Simple math. Profit $$$

[danielsangeo]

@TheeGoatPig

Science is bright and white. Newer video games keep getting darker. As video games progress, they have less light, so they are anti-science. Simple math. Profit $$$

[navand]

lllllllooooooollllllllll so true.

I don’t enjoy much the general darkness that the mod has. I do admit that it’s more realistic. I also believe that a private company huge enough to have government defense contracts (citation: portal) and secretive high tech science experiments would at least care enough about employee morale so as to have a somewhat enjoyable work environment, including not having so many horrid dark places.

I don’t expect it to be changed. Even if devs thought like me it’d be too late to change it.

[Ballsopt]

shits blowing up in an underground facility, of course it’s gonna be dark.