BMS vs HL1 and misinterpretation

[bullsquid]

@Malidictus

Except you’re also missing the iconic scene of a Marine tossing a satchel charge in the pipe you’re crawling through and shuts the hatch. Plus, the whole section with climbing the roof of said building is actually one of the more memorable bits. That, and it cuts out still more fights between the Marines and the Xen aliens.

Far as I’m concerned, even if you ignore Half-Life entirely, Black Mesa still has problems. Gameplay balance can use a LOT of work, and the story needs to emphasise the military less and the aliens more. The transition between total military supremacy and “we are pulling out and commencing airstrikes” needs to be given much better context so as it doesn’t come out of nowhere. As well, the pressing need to shut down the Xen portal or else “there might not be a home to go back to” also needs to be set up. People claim that it’s because “infinite aliens” but nowhere in the game is it suggested that this might be the case. For all we see, the Military should have been fully capable of containing that invasion, if only it weren’t for Gordon Freeman who single-handedly pushed them back.

Black Mesa doesn’t do a good enough job of storytelling through the environment, and thus the story it tries to tell comes off very different from what it actually is, and really doesn’t flow very well if you don’t know what it’s saying from already having played Half-Life before.

I agree, but I still believe that the escort part (not the maps) should be removed. If you want a good escort you need something like Alyx, and that it’s not easy…
I didn’t detail all the problems with Surface Tension, I only mentioned the bits that really missed…
The story ark is really important…that absolutely needs a fix.

[higgsboson]

If you guys think there’s a lot of complaints about this mod, check a forum about the new iPhone or something: people love to complain about stuff they love!

I think Black Mesa is absolutely amazing, and I love it so much that I’d go into any amount of detail about what I’d change. If you like something a lot, you’ll want to get involved with it as much as you can, so you’ll complain. This isn’t bad, it just shows how much people are involved with something they really enjoy.

[OldDirtyBastard]

Actually there is audio in the BMS sound files recorded for missing Surface Tension scenes.
Problem with the cut parts is that while the stuff gets cut - we get pretty much nothing in return but shorter time to finish the walkthrough. Which is not cool.

And removing bits that were considered ‘tedious’ in HL1 actually just removed challenge and therefore leaving less reward. The only challenge I’ve encountered in BM was HECUs ridiculous aim trying to compensate for a piss-poor combine AI. Once you manage your way around it - the challenge just disappears completely.

[bullsquid]

@higgsboson

If you guys think there’s a lot of complaints about this mod, check a forum about the new iPhone or something: people love to complain about stuff they love!

I think Black Mesa is absolutely amazing, and I love it so much that I’d go into any amount of detail about what I’d change. If you like something a lot, you’ll want to get involved with it as much as you can, so you’ll complain. This isn’t bad, it just shows how much people are involved with something they really enjoy.

Three things:
-Even with all the defects Black Mesa rocks. It will be better, of course.
-The devs are level headed (probably); I bet they can take criticism with a grain of salt.
-We know criticism hurts…but it has to be said. Anyway, I accept whatever they do.

[Simi]

@Malidictus

Except you’re also missing the iconic scene of a Marine tossing a satchel charge in the pipe you’re crawling through and shuts the hatch. Plus, the whole section with climbing the roof of said building is actually one of the more memorable bits. That, and it cuts out still more fights between the Marines and the Xen aliens.

Far as I’m concerned, even if you ignore Half-Life entirely, Black Mesa still has problems. Gameplay balance can use a LOT of work, and the story needs to emphasize the military less and the aliens more. The transition between total military supremacy and “we are pulling out and commencing airstrikes” needs to be given much better context so as it doesn’t come out of nowhere. As well, the pressing need to shut down the Xen portal or else “there might not be a home to go back to” also needs to be set up. People claim that it’s because “infinite aliens” but nowhere in the game is it suggested that this might be the case. For all we see, the Military should have been fully capable of containing that invasion, if only it weren’t for Gordon Freeman who single-handedly pushed them back.

Black Mesa doesn’t do a good enough job of storytelling through the environment, and thus the story it tries to tell comes off very different from what it actually is, and really doesn’t flow very well if you don’t know what it’s saying from already having played Half-Life before.

This.

Cutting parts of a level is fine as long as those cuts don’t take away from the narrative. The simplification of On a Rail significantly alters the gameplay experience but not the narrative.
But the cuts in Surface Tension are such that they fundamentally alter the narrative, so much so that the marines abrupt withdrawal in Forget About Freeman is nothing short of bemusing.

In Half-Life, the engagements between the aliens and the marines witnessed by the player in Surface Tension acutely demonstrate the shifting of the balance of power between the military and the aliens. Engagements between the marines and aliens gradually increase in frequency and intensity until they reach a tipping point and the aliens become the dominant power and begin inflicting huge loses on the military, forcing them to withdraw.

In Black Mesa the marines just leave…

Of course the real reason for the removal of all major engagements between marines and votigants/alien grunts, is that Black Mesa is so unbalanced in favor of the marines, that any unscripted engagement would be over in seconds.