Journal #2596

Not to be outdone by the team behind Halloween HL2, I now have given new life to my Half-Life 2 horror mod, Brethren. I'm definately going to miss a Halloween 2005 release, but I'm hoping to give them a run for their money at earning the crown for most-popular-horror-mod-of-October-2006. For those of you not in the know (or alternatively, who haven't read my forum posts), Brethren is a horror mod I'm making, designed to be a thinking man's Resident Evil.

Here's some things to look forward to:

• A STRONG, plausible storyline (I'm a writer by trade in reality, so I feel this is my mod's most potent aspect) grounded in reality, featuring a new spin on why there are zombies/monsters lurking about.
• Sandbox gameplay: I give you a level, and it's up to you to figure out the mysteries it holds. The gameplay is virtually non-linear, and players will have to earn a complete understanding of the story by investigation at their leisure, and in whatever way they can.
• CHALLENGE. You WILL die if you don't think clearly. Why will it be hard? Well, unlike Resident Evil, you have realistic limitations: no guns, no HUD display (in real life, you don't have an HP counter), no ridiculously fast sprint (slower, more realistic movement forces you to think ahead of your present situation), among many other things.
• Thrills and chills: Brethren goes beyond mere shock scares with its already-creepy atmosphere and intellectual rhetoric. You'll finish the game wondering if it could possibly happen in real life (that is, if you finish the game alive...)
• Hammer-exclusive design: I am a strong supporter of Hammer-only mapping. I don't do modelling, and I don't do coding. As with my mech, I'm out to prove that the only limits to Hammer level design is your imagination. Also, what won't be present in terms of custom models will be made up for in clever level design, custom textures and innovative mapping.
• Lastly, there will be a special treat for Malice Mizer fans...

Anyway, that's my shameless self-promotion. And to clarify, I'm not just talking about an abstract idea - the level is structurally complete, and I'm currently working on the scripting and puzzle elements. I'll only put out screenshots once the texturing of the main area is finalized, so until then, wish me luck.