Commented 9 years ago2015-05-19 07:28:53 UTC
in vault item: Colony 42Comment #20885
My review from RunThinkShootLive
First off, I'd just like to say that I am so happy that this saw the light of day. JeffMOD has been a member of TWHL for as long as I can remember, is a very active mapper and jumps at the chance to bash something together in GoldSource. He has come such a long way since he started working on C42 and he himself admits that it doesn't reflect his current abilty. The mod was officially canned about a year ago I believe, but he ultiimately decided (with some persuasion from yours truly) to release what he had.
Though it's technically a pre-alpha, I will review it as a complete mod as Jeff has stated that he will no longer be working on it himself.
The first thing that I can say right off the bat is that this mod has the same issues as Toadmann's mod Azure Sheep. A lot of it takes place in corridors which lead to yet more corridors. While this was boring in Azure Sheep due to the featureless walls, Jeff's attempt to maintain the sense of place by adding multiple locked doors make progression downright frustrating at times. This could have easily been rectified by placing obsticles along the way which require the player to find a way around them, even if it just means cutting through a couple of living quarters.
It's a real shame since the sense this being an active working place is fantastic in the pre-disaster section at the start. Little notes left around for collegues, scientists attempting to get into their labs (which the player is able to resolve) and so on. Everything after that though, including the event that causes the aliens to appear, just kind of happens. I can only assume that the intention was to flesh out the story afterwards because for the most part I was utterly lost and wasn't sure what my ultimate goal was.
Overall, the mapping and lighting is rather basic, though there are occasional sections which look far more polished and detailed. It's very easy to get lost and some players may get frustrated by this. My play time was significantly drawn out during a section where I was looking for a keycard. This took place around a featureless corridor section which gave very little in the way of landmarks to guide me and prevent me from going back on myself multiple times.
I'm going to give this a maybe (3 stars), simply because anyone outside of TWHL who didn't see the mod's pregression over the years might not get as much out of the experience of actually playing it.
Commented 9 years ago2015-03-30 00:00:39 UTC
in vault item: First BloodComment #16337
Gave it a go in regular Half-Life so as to judge the map itself, without being distracted by Brutal Half-Life's wonderful... well... brutality I guess. I assume the toxic slime room is the last area so far?
The map is OK at the moment. I guess I'm not really a fan of having to fight through huge hordes of enemies that are just standing around. The spectacle offered by Brutal Half-Life's gore would surely make this slightly more entertaining.
I prefer maps with a little story to them as well as a sense of place. Although it was difficult to convey back in 1993, Doom did still have a plot and a setting. I'm just not sure what kind of location this map is meant to be set in...
I won't properly rate it until it's finished however.
Commented 9 years ago2015-03-17 07:10:46 UTC
in vault item: Then and NowComment #14355
Yeah, starting in a cell is overdone, but it wasn't back in '99. Well, it may have been. I didn't have the Internet back then...
Regarding the file cabinets Jeff, they currently stand at 48 units / inches which is a little shorter than the average of 52. Larger cabinets would have looked odd alongside the desks which were also built to scale (to the nearest inch), but yeah, I see where you're coming from. They are kinda diddy looking.
Commented 10 years ago2014-09-26 10:09:17 UTC
in journal: #8436Comment #67192
Ok, so the graphics are amazing. Now fully simulate those environments physically. Scenery like that doesn't count for shit if I can't blow chunks out of it or spatter it with the blood of my enemy.
Commented 10 years ago2014-09-19 15:29:20 UTC
in journal: #8435Comment #48359
Speaking of "The Core issue," the issue with The Core is it isn't finished. The referendum is over Archie. Stop pissing about with politics and get back to work!
Commented 10 years ago2014-05-28 13:28:55 UTC
in vault item: DM_VoidTempleComment #20608
@Dimbark: I didn't want the crossbow to dominate the map from the tower so if you want to get up there and snipe you need to work for it. That's also why neither of the towers can see more than 50% of the map.
First off, I'd just like to say that I am so happy that this saw the light of day. JeffMOD has been a member of TWHL for as long as I can remember, is a very active mapper and jumps at the chance to bash something together in GoldSource. He has come such a long way since he started working on C42 and he himself admits that it doesn't reflect his current abilty. The mod was officially canned about a year ago I believe, but he ultiimately decided (with some persuasion from yours truly) to release what he had.
Though it's technically a pre-alpha, I will review it as a complete mod as Jeff has stated that he will no longer be working on it himself.
The first thing that I can say right off the bat is that this mod has the same issues as Toadmann's mod Azure Sheep. A lot of it takes place in corridors which lead to yet more corridors. While this was boring in Azure Sheep due to the featureless walls, Jeff's attempt to maintain the sense of place by adding multiple locked doors make progression downright frustrating at times. This could have easily been rectified by placing obsticles along the way which require the player to find a way around them, even if it just means cutting through a couple of living quarters.
It's a real shame since the sense this being an active working place is fantastic in the pre-disaster section at the start. Little notes left around for collegues, scientists attempting to get into their labs (which the player is able to resolve) and so on. Everything after that though, including the event that causes the aliens to appear, just kind of happens. I can only assume that the intention was to flesh out the story afterwards because for the most part I was utterly lost and wasn't sure what my ultimate goal was.
Overall, the mapping and lighting is rather basic, though there are occasional sections which look far more polished and detailed. It's very easy to get lost and some players may get frustrated by this. My play time was significantly drawn out during a section where I was looking for a keycard. This took place around a featureless corridor section which gave very little in the way of landmarks to guide me and prevent me from going back on myself multiple times.
I'm going to give this a maybe (3 stars), simply because anyone outside of TWHL who didn't see the mod's pregression over the years might not get as much out of the experience of actually playing it.
Seriously though, I don't think there is a reason or meaning to existence outside of religious beliefs. We simply are. Life is a fantastic accident.
The map is OK at the moment. I guess I'm not really a fan of having to fight through huge hordes of enemies that are just standing around. The spectacle offered by Brutal Half-Life's gore would surely make this slightly more entertaining.
I prefer maps with a little story to them as well as a sense of place. Although it was difficult to convey back in 1993, Doom did still have a plot and a setting. I'm just not sure what kind of location this map is meant to be set in...
I won't properly rate it until it's finished however.
Regarding the file cabinets Jeff, they currently stand at 48 units / inches which is a little shorter than the average of 52. Larger cabinets would have looked odd alongside the desks which were also built to scale (to the nearest inch), but yeah, I see where you're coming from. They are kinda diddy looking.
Inside: OMG, squee!
Never underestimate the impact of a missing comma... I would not like that job.
In all seriousness though, that seems like a very reasonable price at around £1270 GBP. Should easily run max settings on any modern title.
Couldn't tell you about 3D rendering though I'm afraid.
Screw you, Archie.
Also, your assumption was correct. Archie stated that the majority of 16 - 24 year olds voted yes and the majority of 65+ year olds voted no.
Human extinction?
Ridiculous lols in here.
2. Download Brutal Doom.
3. Wonder how you ever got by without it.
On second thought, you could use a monster generic for that too right?
Also, just out of curiosity, do you guys get a day off today?
On the other hand, OM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM
@Archie: Not a bad idea... Hmmm...