Old tram is old
Newly released old video is old but seems new.
Agreed. As much as I love the interactive screen on the tram, it seems to clash with the primitiveness of the tram and it doesn’t quite pull it off. I don’t want to cause offense, especially as this is a very old video and probably not the final result, but I wanted to voice the opinion. I love the sort of functional screen though, but it would be far more suited to some other level in my opinion.
And yes, a functional headlight would be great. They worked fantastically on the airboat in HL2, even though it was rarely dark enough to need it.
What’s the problem with that train and it’s screen ? Even if it’s an old cart, they could have modernize it breefly before all the rail transit system being decommissioned. It’s cheaper than buying new trains and they could keep the mechanical controls in case of emergency (the right lever for speed and the giant one on the left for brakes).
Even modern trains have such things these days dudes :rolleyes:
It’s not that it’s not possible, but just that the very modern next to the very old and run-down is a contrast that doesn’t quite work. I mean in an artistic medium, as a way of communicating a theme, quality or idea to the player. On A Rail is meant to be dark and old, and remind the player of the facility’s past, compared with Questionable Ethics which is very modern and well-lit.
You got a valide point. But even if that screen don’t fit very well in the chapter’s atmosphere, it help enhance gameplay immersion : the tram’s dashboard give you the speed now unlike the hud icon which pops up in HL1 (seems like your suit is connected to the tram).
Perhaps if the screen could be less luminous, dirty or showing scratches.
I’m confused why the lever even exists…
I’ve been thinking about that one for a few days m’self. The screen though nice did strike me as a tad too modern. I would figure if they did happen to modernize it before that sections decommission it probably would have been done at some point in say what the 70-80s?
Seeing how the cold war was still going on full tilt at that point Black Mesa was probably still being used for its original intent right? So I figure if there was to be a “new” screen installed it would have probably been something on the line of an old style apple green screen or perhaps something akin to one of those red or green LED alarm clocks as that was the peak of technology back then.
Such a minor feature though and it still looks nice as is so would it be worth the devs time to go back and muck about? Dunno, we do wind up spending a fair sum of time on that tram through the level so perhaps. Than again this is an old video so the whole topic could be moot point.
As for the lever, that’s likely a simple emergency manual hand break, simplistic but still quite functional. You still see things like that on equipment today and seeing how the tram was probably built in the mid 50’s I’d say it fits in just fine. Why fix what isn’t broken?
All and all its bound to kick vast sums of rear no matter what direction the team chooses to take and seeing how that part of half life was a bit weak compared to the rest particular attention has likely been payed to it.
No worries, only time will tell right?
I can think of a functional purpose: Emergency break in case the electronics in the train are somehow compromised. /thread
I always thought it was the speed control itself, as the other lever in the video wasn’t in the original. I just assumed that it didn’t move because the engine couldn’t support that. (Which it can’t with the code they had time to make)
If it’s a break, then it needs to look different, and distinguishably an emergency break.
If it’s an emergency override control for speed, then it needs to display the words “Emergency Override.”
Otherwise, the lever should be removed and replaced with some other miscellaneous filler detail.
No, just kidding.
i hope
I always though a simple number / color panel would do.
3 - White?
2 - Green
1 - Yellow
0 - Red
R - Blue?
Alternitively:
3 - Green
2 - Yellow
1 - Red
0 - No Color (off)
R - Flashing Orange?
Except that reverse had 3 speeds too, even tho the hud only ever showed one.
Um… did I say something stupid? :retard:
Only slightly…
HUD, brakes, and levers aside, I think if the devs truly want to nail it with the tram, they would focus on the turns. The repeated straight, turn, straight, turn really screams “I’m in a video game.” If they can find some way to make the turns smooth throughout, I’d be a happy camper.
needs moar cupholder
The screen itself doesn’t really bother me, screens have been around for decades now and they could have run routine maintenance on the system any time in the past forty years to add screens to the trains. What bothers me is the fact that it appears to be a touchscreen. I mean, what the hell does a service tram need a touchscreen for? That’s a waste of company money.
Plus, I think if Valve meant to have that sort of button-pressing system in their game, they would have had it in Half-Life 2 or the episodes. It seems sort of gimmicky to me. And that’s without even mentioning the “Doom 3” implications 
I’m not ocmplaining, I mean, I haven’t even played the game yet… just a little concerned.
I agree, a cup holder is needed. Because when I’m riding an old freight cart in an underground facility, fighting aliens and marines who want me dead, my biggest worry is spilling my grande caramel cappuccino. Saving the world is one thing, but I want my caffeine fix.
make that a frappuccino with hazelnut syrup and I’m with ya.