Transit System

Half-Life Series
#1

Heyo, I’m trying to figure out Black Mesa’s transit system as far as possible and, as a result, get a basic, reasonable layout of the whole facility.

Specifically, I’m looking for the following information:

  • What sectors are in which areas / levels
  • What lines connect what
  • The positions of the sectors / areas relative to each other

I’ve already noclipped a great deal, gone through various wikis, looked up textures from all the HL games etc.
So I have a basic idea of how the obvious tram lines from HL1, BS and OP4 are connected.

Also, I have a major problem is this image:

After double-checking dozens of times, I just don’t see how it could be accurate. Has Gearbox simply goofed on that one and put all the POIs of Black Mesa on one map and randomly connected them?
How come the red line only shows two stations, yet lists 4 entries?
According to this chart, Gordon Freeman would’ve had to switch lines two times in order to get to Sector C.

If you guys happen to have other diagrams, charts, maps, overviews or anything that helps with getting a good overview, I’d really appreciate it. :slight_smile:
I do realize that in the end the BM map system is a bit messed up and has some overlaps or areas that don’t make much sense (referring to HL1 content).

#2

It’s just a texture, I don’t think it was ever intended to be accurate.

#3

Yet HL wikia uses it as frame of reference.
If it is indeed merely decorative, I’m trying to find an alternative to straighten things out.

#4

Honestly I don’t know how accurate it is, but here’s the tram map JeffMOD made for the Hazard Course project:

1920×1920 286 KB

He says it reflects the facility and tram route better than the one in Blue Shift, but I haven’t looked at that one, and haven’t investigated this one’s accuracy either. It could very well be mostly made up, butyYou may be able to pull something from it, so yeah. My apologies if it’s useless. :o

Also, the wiki’s usually a jumbled mess. I wouldn’t use it for anything too specific.

#5

Thanks a lot!
Although it conflicts with the texture from Blue Shift at certain points, I think this shows a more reasonable layout of BMRF.
There are a few things I’m not quite sure about yet (e.g. absence of Area 9 security checkpoint); also the whole color coding business seems really arbitrary to me, but I think I shall have a talk with them either way.
This is already a great help.

#6

I kinda wish we saw more of the Transit System. Like tracks or stations built into the other architecture of the game. Try to make it feel even more like a real facility.

#7

I made a pretty detailed map of the BMRF a while ago, but, like the BM dev team, I was redesigning it, so it’s not accurate to the BMRF depicted in Half Life or Black Mesa.

#8

That’s not too bad, because BMRF conflicts with itself at certain points through HL1 (& expansions) map design.
I’d just like to establish a basic model that makes reasonable sense (which, to my knowledge, HL1 is far from). To that end, filling in blanks or getting rid of inconsistencies is perfectly fine.

#9

It’s mostly made up.
I used a little bit of everything as reference, HL, expansions, BM, and in the end I think I made a few errors with it. The line colours are based mostly off of the station signs from BM, where applicable, and the layout itself is mostly an artistic/graphic representation of where the stations are relative to each other, like on a subway map, rather than an actual map of the facility itself. There’s a ton of stuff not shown on it, mainly because they’re areas that wouldn’t have their own stations. Keep that in mind when making your map.

Also, way to upload the texture source file with no edits, Crypt. The lack of background makes it real readable on the forums, and the fact that it’s an uncompressed PNG is great. :stuck_out_tongue:

#10

Thanks for the information.
My depiction will probably end up looking totally different, but this is definitely useful.

#11

Why do you need that if may I ask? Is it for your mod?

#12

Yes.

#13

Oh, u gonna recreate the complete base as a free-roaming world? :slight_smile:

#14

I figured if it was useful he’d probably download it and his media viewer would place it over a white background… :’(

#15

If only… :slight_smile:

Come to think of it, making a BM MMO does sound quite tempting.

#16

Would be great if the player could choose to be a scientist, security agent, a soldier or some other kind of worker… maybe even a Xenian

Some kind of a MMORPG…

#17

Who knows what we’ll do after OBM. :stuck_out_tongue:

#18

Tripmine BM MMO confirmed. :slight_smile:

#19

I assume that by “conflicts with itself”, you mean, “folds in on itself more times than a black hole”.

#20

U even have such a movie with an hotel where everything is illogical and not correct…

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.