I’m terrified lol. I’m quite worried this section won’t be well received. Oh well, I’ll just have to work hard to try and make it work.
The rocket is almost certainly worth hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions. Do the HECU even know what it is for? I doubt any sane military commander would order the HECU to destroy the rocket, even if they don’t want Gordon to launch it. Besides, in their eyes, they probably think they’ve got the situation well under control.
There are already quite a few dotted around the A map, but I’ll be sure to plop them in logical places on the B map. The only thing in your suggestions that can’t really be done is bullet casings. I’d need a composite model for that. I actually really wanted to do that for the Office Complex in the security office - I wanted there to be bullet casings all over the place where the Barneys died. Sadly - not possible.
… I thought there was some decals to use, checked around, turns out, no. There may be a work around with the casings the MP5 drops and some shells that the Shotgun drops as well. Wouldn’t know the first way to begin though.
I believe it’s possible to create a prop_physics_override with the shell model, copy & paste it a few inches above the ground, launch the map ingame and use the map edit command to update their positions after they fell on the ground, and afterwards, select the shells in Hammer and turn them into prop_dynamics.
But it’s probably way to much work for such a simple scene…
Forgive me if I haven’t followed this thread much this time.
I have an idea what if you can move the dynamite scene to the main way but a soldier detonates the dynamites. Cinematic physics will happen. That way it could also explain why Gordon has to detour.
Source’s ‘cinematic physics’ are pre-rendered, they’re actually animated models. They aren’t something you can make in Hammer, so unfortunately Text doesn’t have that option.
Try and keep it civil guys. There’s no need for aggression or insults here. It just looks childish.
I’ve spent a large portion of my mapping time trying to get E’s layout to slot nicely within the B/C layout. The moment I started actually trying to block them out I realized that they would take up more space and bit a bit more complicated to fit into the structure than I’d initially thought it would.
I’ve finally realized a layout which counters most of E’s weaknesses in HL1, leaves enough room for some expansion in any direction, fits nicely into the B/C structure, and also shortens some of the long “filler” sections.
Here’s an awful, very quickly thrown together schematic of what I currently have. Because the diagram was so hastily thrown together, if anything needs to be clarified, just ask me.
Thoughts/ideas on my new layout are welcome, though I’m not sure there’s a great deal to be said. It’s pretty faithful to HL1, minus some of its main weaknesses. The part with the track which you can commandeer I will probably switch its theme to that similar to HL1’s F, with the moving boxes above the track, themed more along the lines of F.
Precisely. It doesn’t just require a modeller, it requires an experienced and skilled modeller - which I am certainly not. It’s why I had such trouble with the cinephys stuff on ST Uncut - and why I had to recycle an old BM model.
You know jone4s did bring up an interesting idea.
This could give you an opportunity to remake certain areas that were scrapped before Black Mesa was released if you wanted to.
(This one actually would have appeared in the A maps but meh)
Of course that’s assuming:
You felt like it just because
You’re willing to take some liberties on how much of a 1:1 thing this will be compared to Half-Life’s chapter
It’ll fit well within the existing structure.
I don’t know get creative maybe.
THAT IS UNLESS
You’ve already added those areas in the screenshots back into the A maps (kind of) :o
I actually like the first screenshot that jone4s posted and the first one LieutenantSkully posted. It fits in with the rest of the chapter but the area seems more used. I just don’t think the lights at the bottom right next to the rail will realistically work. I think the people working there will smash it out a lot. I also think that this would require extra work on new textures. Either way I will still enjoy the uncut! Thanx Text…
On second thought, I think the colder blueish lighting is more true to the original On a Rail, so I’ll stick with that. Don’t get me wrong I love the BM rusty lighting, but for the Mat Trans I think the colder blueish is better than the posted pictures.
@Text, I realize I asked this question previously (at least in some form), but do you plan on adding in some of the missing overhead VOX that could be included in the next BM release to this (which I know for a fact will likely be done before the next BM update gets released) after the “final” update?
So, when is the alpha release of A1 and A2 coming up ? Great work so far, by the way. Keep it up, Text !
Oh, and can you tell us if you are planning to bring back that one HECU shooting you in the tunnel with a rapid fire RPG/TOW launcher ? For me, at least, it was the most memorable part of On A Rail. It made me go “OH SHIT” every time. I know firing salves of rockets in an underground tunnel doesn’t make any sense, but the coolness factor was off the charts.
And if you do bring him back, can you make the launcher actually useable and maybe give the player a reason to use it ? Like, have a group of marines show up from around the corner or from a previously locked storage room. Or have a bunch of vorts teleport in. That would be boss. I was always sad when I found out the player couldn’t use that cool rocket launcher in Half-Life 1.
Work on B1 is advancing along slowly, but steadily. It’s getting there, but slowly. I’ve basically designed the layout of the rail tracks and are now working on the interiors and on foot encounters. I’ve got two design “issues” which I figure I can throw out there to see what ideas the community can contribute.
Firstly, I’m starting work on this room shortly, the room with the ambush. The room itself was really well designed and one of the most memorable in the original HL1 chapter, even if the ambush itself wasn’t particularly inspired/memorable, so I’m hoping to change that.
I was trying to think of a few ways to spice it up and make it more interesting, and I’ve come up with a few which I’ll throw out there. I’ll also happily welcome any community ideas.
Issue 1 [/SIZE]
This is something I’m definitely going to do - I’m making the room an actual part of the player’s route. In HL1 you simply had to go into this room to open a toll gate to carry on down your path - the room itself wasn’t host to any actual movement. This made it seem less important. I’m going to fix this by making the turntable in the center of the room operable. My initial plan was going to be to have it so the turntable has 3 rotation configurations - one towards the way you came in (default one) - one which faces a locked blast door (to make the system seem bigger and more connected than it is) - and one which leads to a tunnel the player needs to go through to progress.
That was my initial plan, anyway. On the original you travel down a very short tunnel after this room where you come to a turntable elevator with the passenger lift next to it. This one:
My more radical layout idea for the ambush room would be to merge these two areas, rather than have it so that you use the ambush room to head down a short tunnel to reach the elevator. It would be really easy. I’d just make the turntable in the center of the room into a turntable elevator which the player has to activate, and have the passenger elevator just somewhere in that room too. This approach has a few advantages. Firstly it makes the room even more important to progression and allows me to expand it upwards and provide a really impressive sense of vertical space. I could have fights occurring on the level above while you’re dealing with the HECU ambush to make it very action packed and exciting. It also fits into the existing B/C structure MUCH more nicely than having a tunnel leading out from this room. I’m 70% on this idea - as in I want to do it but I’d like some feedback from the community first.
Either way, I’m definitely making the turntable in the middle of the room operable. The main question now, is do I make it into an elevator too, or leave it so you have to go down a short tunnel after this room to get to the elevator?
Issue 2[/SIZE]
So now I’ve come up with some potential ways to make the room itself even more memorable, the ambush itself could do with some spicing up. In HL1 it basically comprised of some HECU hiding behind boxes and taking potshots at you, and a fortified turret taking shots at you.
I have one idea which I might implement but would like some feedback on it/alternative ideas.
One thing which wasn’t played with much in Black Mesa was the HECU using the environment to best you. I thought this room could be a really cool place for the HECU to do another environmental ambush. Think about it - the room’s really well lit. As you enter it, a marine shouts “Get him!” or words to that effect. The lights go off. It’s all dark. They chuck a bunch of flares into the center of the room, giving it an eerie red light, and lighting you up. The lighting in the rest of the room is very dim and you can barely see them - but the green lights from their nightvision goggles helps you to spot them. This could potentially make it into a really memorable and unique ambush. You could then choose to either hit the power switch during the fight, which is in a pretty obvious and clear place (to make them easier to see) or play in the darkness and find it afterwards. You’d also need to turn the power back on to progress, of course.
If anyone has any other ideas to spice up the ambush, or feedback on that one, let me know!
Nah. This either requires me to decompile each level and guess as to where they’re meant to go, or use entspy excessively and still guess where they’re meant to go. Too much guesswork and inaccuracy involved for a fairly minor issue. I’ll wait for the BM Devs to do it, it’s almost certain that they will.
I’m hoping to get the Alpha out by Monday, but we’ll have to see. Uni’s very busy, and I don’t really know how long it’ll take me to make necessary changes and edits.
As for the Rocket Launcher, it isn’t possible to do it like it is in HL1. I’m not a coder, and the only 2 turrets which are coded in BM are the TOW and the 50Cal. So I have to replace the rocket launcher emplacements with a TOW launcher. I don’t even know yet if Marines can use the TOW launcher, so we’ll wait and see. I might use an RPG Marine at some point, but they’re pretty buggy. In any case, I’m only going to have something launch rockets at you once during OaR Uncut.
That actually sounds pretty freaking cool! Every idea, really. I’m not sure why you’re just 70% on it, it 's actually pretty much perfect to tie up all the loose ends in terms of building layout, and makes a lot more sense realistically.
I’d also recommend having Vortigaunts show up a little while once the fight starts. Maybe you could make the room have overwhelming odds to give the impression that it’ll be almost impossible to beat them, when suddenly the aliens teleport in and give a hand, so to speak, while still keeping the fights on the level above if you choose.
Plus, I think it’d be really cool-looking to watch Vortigaunt blasts brightening the room some in such a dark area.
Mm. I wasn’t clear, I meant adding the overhead VOX to your (modified or otherwise) levels when the files become available in the next patch for the game (whenever that is).
Edit: I’ll work on putting together a crudely drawn scene, I have an idea for that room/rooms. Including a puzzle for the player.
Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.
