Forum posts

He never went to Counter Strike.
Besides, each player has their own Gordon, so Urby's could be 100% different.

His name... Soup Miner.
His goal: Death to all but a single champion.

Do Gordon Freeman in CS, questioning the tactics of the CT team.
And then doing the job right.

Cool.
Wait... So this is a fanfic for HLDM?

http://www.twhl.co.za/journals.php?id=6407
Please put your comments in my journal until it dissapears from the front page, as to not clog up the thread.
Thank you for your time and feedback.
EDIT:
Note from the author
So, it's done. They got out of Black Mesa, and now have a comfortable life in City 17. (Or as comfortable as you can have in a combine-controlled city)
Will Henry, Frank, West and Zoe ever return? I have no idea. I'm not really inclined to write a sequel at the moment, but I may have cameos or references in further stories. We'll see.
I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.

We're not trying to be down on you, it's just that it'd be hard to find anyone willing to work on this, because the audience is so limited.
If you do it for CS:S and add some interesting twist, you might be able to find a coder and an audience.

Thanks.

Epilogue
Unknown time
City 17
Approximately 20 years later
Henry Pierce put down his book. It wasn?t really his book, it had come with the cramped apartment. God only knows what happened to the original owner. He turned to the man next to him.

?Remember when we thought Black Mesa was as bad as it could get?? Beside him, Frank smiled.
?If only we were right.?
?I miss West.?
?I?m sure he?s doing fine back in 12.?
?Yeah.? The sound of two female voices humming in unison came from the kitchen. ?Maybe we should break up that fight.? He whispered. Frank chuckled.
?What?s so funny?? Zoe?s head poked out from the doorway.
?Nothing, honey.? Frank replied. ?How?s the meal coming along??
?As well as it can, being made of watermelon and rations.? Zoe disappeared into the depths of the kitchen to get back to helping Megan dice the only fresh fruit available in the city.
?That?s the terror of knowing what this world is about, watching some good friends scream ?Let me out!??
?What?s that?? Frank asked.
?Just trying to remember how that song they were humming went. I think it was by Queen.?
?Ah.? A man coughed in the apartment down the hall. ?Do you ever get the urge to? just fight them??
?The combine?? Pierce asked.
?Yeah.? Pierce sighed, thinking of a reply.
?Sometimes I do. But it wouldn?t make much of a difference, would it? I mean, what can one man do??
?Freeman did a lot.?
?True. If there [i]was[/i] an uprising, I?d help. I?d do all I could, even if it meant I?d die for it. As long as it meant we were going to all be free, I?d die a happy man.?
?Yeah. If he ever comes back, I?ll grab a crowbar and fight with him.?
?We?ll see if it ever happens. Maybe someday. Not today.?
?Yeah.? A scanner flew past their window, pausing for just a second to glance inside. Across the street, on the other side of a small substation, a young woman in a leather jacket found the mechanical part she was looking for. The scanner didn?t notice her, and flew down the street, towards the train station. It passed a man raving about how he loved the city, past an empty queue, a man mumbling something about trains, and into the boarding platform. A train came into the station on schedule, and two men carrying suitcases came out, followed by a man who had become a legend.

Gordon Freeman stepped out. Bleary-eyed and confused about where he was, what he was wearing, and why his Administrator was on a giant screen.

Chapter eleven
Pierce walked out of the office and down the hall, motioning for the others to follow.
?Which way do we go from here?? He asked Zoe.
?Left, right, and then down the hall, through a reception area, and then into some kind of plaza or something. Then, the LZ is just behind a set of large doors.? She replied. ?You ready??
?As I?ll ever be.?
?Yup.? Frank replied.
?Indubitably.? West confirmed. ?Shall we?? They dashed through the halls, and burst through the doors into the reception area. A squad of Soldiers jumped up and overturned a metal table to use as cover, and started firing. Everyone took cover on the sides of the doorway. Pierce fumbled into his pocket, pulling out keys, gum, and a five dollar bill that had gone through the wash multiple times, finally coming up with his prize. Pushing the grenade into his submachine gun?s M203 launcher, he muttered to himself.
?I?ve got something for you guys.? He slid into the open, aimed, and fired. The grenade flew directly on top of a soldier taking aim, and bodies flew from behind the table, which itself was flung through a plate-glass window. Pierce wandered out into the room, kicking the only fully intact corpse he could find. ?Let?s go.? They opened the glass doors, and walked out into the concrete field. Pierce recognized the area from the security monitor- And he could now see what killed the soldier; the entire top half of the man?s body was missing.
?Oh, gross.? Frank gagged. ?Looks like? He was eaten.? The soldier?s shotgun lay over 10 feet away, a small pool of blood next to it, and droplets between the pool and the corpse.
?Should we? Check that truck for supplies?? West inquired, motioning towards the vehicle near the legs.
?Yeah.? Zoe pulled out her pistol and sauntered towards the truck. Looking in the back, then turning to the men, she reported. ?RPG launcher and an ordinance crate. We shouldn?t need it unless an Apache shows up to the party. We can leave it here.? As if on cure, the ground shook with the heaviest footsteps the group had heard so far. A huge blue beast lumbered out of a tunnel they had previously ignored. The group fired at the Gargantua, leaving no marks on the creature?s carapace. It suddenly dawned on Pierce what had eaten the soldier, and how the dismembered legs had gotten so far from the place of his death.

?Get in the back of the truck! [i]Run[/i]!? He screamed. He finished unloading his clip to give the others the chance to get to safety, then followed suit. 
?That thing?s going to kill us.? Frank moaned. ?If it can toss a soldier that far while chewing on half of him, it can sure smash a truck. Hell, that?s probably the blue thing that was tossing cars around at that cleanup squad!? Pierce stared at the RPG Launcher.
?Oh, my god, we?re doomed!? West screamed. Pierce looked at the metal crate. It read ?Rockets?, and there was a thick padlock on it.
?Will you two be quiet?? Zoe whispered. ?If it doesn?t hear us, it might not be able to find us.? Pierce stood up. The Gargantua shoved the truck on its side, and Pierce went flying into Zoe. Getting up, he grabbed his Mp5, removed the clip, and started attacking the lock viciously. ?What the hell are you doing?? Zoe hissed. Pierce ignored her, smashing the lock with increased vigour. The grenade launcher on the submachine gun snapped off. The Gargantua outside roared, shaking the truck.
?Henry! What are you doing?? Frank demanded.
?We?ve come this far, and I?ll be [b][i]damned[/b][/i] if we?re gonna die in this hellhole!? The lock snapped off, and Pierce tossed his warped, cracked, and now thoroughly useless Mp5 aside. He bent over the upwards facing front and kicked the door open. Rockets in canisters spilled out, and he started tossing them outside the truck.
?Henry, no! It?s suicide!? Zoe pleaded.
?Think, man! Think!? West interjected, ?If that beast can do that much damage to a that many soldiers without so much as breaking a sweat, you wouldn?t last a se-? Pierce picked up the RPG launcher and jumped out of the truck. Unscrewing the cap off one of the rocket canisters and loading it in, he aimed the launcher at the Alien, who had its back momentarily turned. Pierce deactivated the laser sight, and tightened his finger on the trigger. The RPG exploded out of the launcher, homing in on its target with breathtaking speed. A magnificent explosion landed on the Gargantua, and the smell of singed alien flesh filled the air.
?[b]Hey! [i]Heeey![/b][/i]? Pierce screamed, loading another rocket into his launcher. ?Eat this, you bastard!? Another explosion, catching the creature in the face. It squealed with pain, but not from a mortal wound. Pierce fired another rocket. And another. The Gargantua closed in with every shot, even trying to catch one of the rockets with its natural flamethrowers. Pierce shot again. He loaded another rocket into the launcher, running backwards as he did so. He steadied the RPG Launcher on his shoulders, and fired. The Gargantua was visibly bleeding now, and Pierce realized it was almost dead, but not close enough to stop being a threat. If anything it would keep fighting until it died. He reached for another rocket? And his hand found nothing but the hot ground. Quickly looking around, he saw nothing but empty plastic containers, and the occasional layer of padding that had come out with one of the rockets. The creature was closing in on him.
?Shit.?
?Pierce!? Frank waved a full storage tube. Unscrewing the cap and quickly pulling out the rocket inside, he prepared his right arm. ?Catch!? Frank tossed the rocket, and it gracefully soared through the air towards it?s intended target. Pierce caught the gleaming rocket in a perfect catch, one he would have wished for during any softball game in his childhood. The Gargantua was preparing to release a huge burst of alien heat. He loaded the rocket up, steadied his am, and fired. The rocket flew out of the Launcher, and hit the Gargantua. It stumbled backwards, began to collapse, and then, as if it was infused with dynamite, exploded, the fuel in its body igniting as the creature?s heart stopped pumping. Pieces of the Gargantua fell all around Piece and the truck, blood and flesh being propelled by the final ignition the creature emitted. Aside from the ringing in Pierce?s ears, the empty plaza was silent. His legs gave in, and he collapsed onto the asphalt.
?Henry!? Frank climbed out of the back of the truck and ran to his fallen friend. ?Henry, are you okay??
?Fine.? Pierce breathed. ?Just? I need to rest for a bit.? He gulped air, getting more oxygen into his system.
?Henry, I have collected your weapon for you,? West stuck his hand out, the battered Mp5 gripped firmly. ??Or, what is left of it.?
?Thanks, but I doubt it could still fire without exploding in my face. We?re almost out, I?ll make do with my pistol.? Zoe handed him the magazine from the Mp5.
?Figured you might want the ammo.?
?Thanks.? He got to his feet and put the 9mm bullets into spare pistol magazines. ?Let?s go.? Getting to his feet, Pierce unholstered his pistol. West ran to retrieve his Mp5, while the others walked to the large set of doors separating the plaza from the military?s makeshift landing zone.
?I?m ready.? West stated.
?Then let?s go.? Pierce pressed the button next to the door and lifted his Glock. The doors opened, revealing a small fleet of Osprey helicopters, and apache, and a lot of military equipment. The landing zone was devoid of life.
?I smell an ambush.? Frank said. ?We?d better be careful.? Despite Frank?s warning, Zoe dashed towards the Apache, rolled a grenade underneath, and ran back. The grenade blew, catching the missiles mounted on the left wing. The attack helicopter exploded vibrantly, damaging the ospreys that were landed next to it. ?What the hell were you thinking?!? Frank screamed.
?They?re all gone. When that thing,? Zoe gestured towards the spot where the Gargantua had exploded, ?Came near here, they all ran. And if they were here, we wouldn?t want them to get in that and start firing the gun off.? Frank stood there, stunned.
?Point taken.?
?Let?s go, handsome.? Zoe began walking towards the osprey furthest from what was left of the Apache. ?I can fly this out of here. Get in.? The men climbed in after her.
?Finally, we can get out of here and tell the world what has happened.? West sat down in the back and buckled up, confident that he would see no more combat without prior warning.
?I?m gonna march right up to the pentagon and demand they reveal this. Or else I?ll blow the lid right off, as well as a couple of heads.? Frank told Pierce.
??I?ll be able to see Megan again. That?s the first thing I?ll do. I?ll go straight to her apartment and walk in that door.? The helicopters engines started up, and the Osprey lifted off the ground. Zoe piloted the troop carrier out of the Landing Zone and towards the main road headed out of the facility.
?Looks like we?re not the only ones getting out of here.? She told the men over the loudspeakers. ?Look out to the right.? A convoy of Black Mesa security vehicles were driving out, joining the main road from a side route. Pierce could just make out spots of white and a single spot of security blue inside the vehicles.
?West, you have to see this!? He glanced over at the back. West was sound asleep, the adrenaline of the journey finally fading from his body. His chest rose and fell slowly. ?Ah, hell. I?ll tell him about it later.? Frank opened the cockpit door.
?Where to, boys?? Zoe inquired. In unison, but not for the same reason, or with knowledge of what the other would say, Pierce and Frank told her.
?Washington.? The looked at each other, and smiled. They were out of Black Mesa, the cleanup of the resonance cascade was being handled, and they were headed the same way.

While I can't contribute to the visuals (no digital camera of any kind) Might I suggest a nice protest song such as Twisted Sister's "We're not gonna take it"?
I'm not sure if it's owned by WMG, but if it is, then it would just add to the irony, no?

I think the talk page (if it's the XP system on the valve wiki) has directions on SP implementation.
Also, it should be both a radius and PVS for the conversation system to work. It should disable the ability to aquire NPCs as targets and attack, though, because there could be complex/essential branches for information/items that it would be a pain to have to restart.
Stu: maybe a backpack that can be upgraded to hold more items?
EDIT: Hey tet, could you please set it up as an OB Sourcemod as opposed to an Episode 2 mod? This would mean we can't use Ep2 content, but It would also allow me to run it- I don't have Ep2 yet, and if I did, I wouldn't be able to download the GCFs with my cap.

We need more creative commons music in this world.
And corporations everywhere, in every field, should get their heads out their asses and smarten up.

Great!
I've been thinking it would be nice to have a few new weapons/weapon variants; Here's that I've gotten so far.
Stunstick- With glow if possible. More dammage, slower rate of fire than crowbar, like in HL2DM. HL2 has the v_ model, so it shouldn't be a problem outside of code, which would be mostly copy-pasta from the crowbar.
Ration package- Not a weapon per se, but weapon_citizenpackage already exists, it would just be a matter of getting a v_model. (there is one on FPSBannana somewhere, but we'd need permission from the author, possibly even to modify if we get to the point where we have more than one 'suit'.) Would heal the player, with 5 charges. (See inventory concept)
It'd be nice to have more weapons at some point, with attachements that can be used through the inventory, and some special ones (eg. 'Van Burren's Glock', recived from an elderly Black Mesa survivor or something)
Obviously you can't do this all on your own yet, because you've just started with C++. We'll need help, modelers, more coders, more mappers, the works, if we're to get this going as a full scale project.
But let's focus on getting the core stuff down, and see what happens first. I'm getting ahead of myself again.
Also, I was skimming the other page, and remembered this:

We could do the conversation LOZ style (legend of zelda.) Imagine ocarina of time. Like you start a conversation, and everything freezes outside of the conversation....

And you're right, that would be harder, because we'd need code that gives exceptions for AI disable, plus it'd have to freeze physics, pause BGS, ect. And then do the opposite of all that.
I'm rambling again, yeah?

Hey, if only base source assets are used, would I still need the OB SDK base to run this if it's based off of the OB engine?

Yes, but as you said;

Captain Terror, http://twhl.co.za/forums.php?thread=16847

Besides, most newbies don't read FAQs or search, they just want answers fast.

I'd think that TWHL would be among the most helpful of the remaining level design forums, because we have a pretty friendly and solid userbase.

I could be wrong.

Because you're not part of the puzzle.
We would have extended the same courtesy had you asked.

Nope. Ah well. I'll just hit the spectate button.

I always go to http://www.twhl.co.za/index.php. It's my bookmark. I'm to lazy to do this anyway.

I can't play.
I have TWHL set to autologin on all my browsers.

I've decided that instead of splitting the finale into one and a half chapters, I'll just make a large final chapter.
Then I'll double post for the Epilouge. Hang on, it's coming.

And how, praytell does this work?
How would you log us in to these acounts?
EDIT: is the answer Garlic?

I play Xbox 360 with a... wait, no I don't.

Gorillaz- Clint Eastwood.

Sounds about right. His fear frozen forever.

But when it comes to Counter-Strike, there isn't that many options. Especially when it's "CSPromod" and the players are very much utilitarian when it comes to what's in a map. A lot of players think that the barrels and milk crates in CS:S do not belong in the game that really launched e-sports.

So don't make maps intended for the majority of players. Make maps that you like, both in gameplay and in asthestics. Chances are, if you make one you like, it will be quality by the time you deem it good enough to release.
Most CS:S players don't have a sense of what made CS great in the first place; realistic gameplay, good looking maps, and a balanced weapon set.

Unbreakable: Face looks great, even though it's nothing like your reference!

If combat,
Then
Don't converse
Play VCD [variable]
end

And
If no combat
then
disable combat
converse
enable combat
end
But anyway, we need story/quest ideas that could work with either storyline.

I've got a "slum" area being worked on, with a shop, house w secret "underground railroad" room, and a bunch of buildings. (that's just so far, I will add a lot more sections to it) I also have my Rooms:S dam, which I wanted to use for something like this. (Which reminds me, I have to submit that.) I also have a few ideas for plot details, like the beginning, but we need to decide on an overall plot first.
Should we get all of TWHL to vote on storyline? Strider does have acess to the poll, after all.

Well, they could be triggered by anything the mapper wants, so that could happen, yeah. But there should be the code, to ensure the player is never injured while stuck in the conversation system (you can't move or shoot under these systems, usually, and definetly not change weapons)

W00t! Cannons!

Oh, and if this was for Source, I would totally build a catapult to launch explosive barrels or something

Fixed.

That seems like it would require a lot of ents to do it that way, though, which is why I thought an external file handling all the branches would work better.
So, more like this:
logic_conversation
-Name [paul_dam_talk]
-Conversation [scripts/conversations/paul_dam.txt]
-Combat Override [scenes/paul/incombat.vcd]
-Target 1 [paul]
-Target (2-8) []

(Combat Override is for a generic "Can't talk now" sentence/phrase, as you don't want to be stuck in the conversation if you're being shot at- If there is combat within the PVS and a radius of X units, it will make the NPC say that instead of entering the conversation system. The conversation system would disable combat when it's entered, to ensure battles don't break out while it is in progress.

Oh yeah, he does that in Ep2, doesn't he?
I'd have probably realized that if I had it.

Most of the scripts from HL2. Basically when you see people talking, facial expressions, moving, gestureing, that's all one or more VCDs. Usually one at a time.

They way it would work would be the logic_conversation (or whatever) entity gets triggered, (usually through the player using the NPC) then it checks if any NPCs in the area are in combat. If not, it then disables the ability for combat, reads the file, which tells it to play a VCD, then gives the player a selection of options of what to say, each linked to another VCD, and optionally, another set of options. When there is no link after a VCD, it will end the conversation- the last VCD will be either a "Goodbye" sentence, or a "this coversation is over!" sentence.
As with all VCDs, they could trigger stuff ingame, so if you piss off an NPC, he/she could refuse to talk to you afterwards, through a trigger in the VCD and the I/O system.

As an alternative: how about some gorgeous villa in Italy?

Proabably not in italy, but somewhere close to/in City 15 (assuming this is the path we take) As we don't know where the cities are, we can't really say where places near them are.
EDIT: My notes on the conversation system:

Conversation system- When triggered, player enters a conversation with an NPC, with VGUI based system for player sentence options- NPC will play a VCD defined by an external txt file, then the player will have options (also defined in the file) for what to say.
In the file, it will list the number of each phrase the player can say (up to 9), what it says, and what portion of the file to link to for the next NPC vcd and/or set of options.

Basically, think chero scenes stringed together with links, defined in an external file for every conversation.

Ah. Thanks.
But how would you get there from eastern europe? Combine Teleporter's wouldn't work. Hmm...

Maybe someday, if I get into the film industry instead of the game industry.
Of course, getting worthy CGI and a licence might be hard.

Not really. Is it a noun?

Not sure I follow.

Yeah, I'm almost done, so I might as well finish. I'm thinking of putting it on some fanfiction site when it's done.

Chapter Ten

?There should be a military command centre somewhere around here?? Zoe remarked as the group snuck around inside.
?What will we do if we find it?? Frank asked.
?Kill the soldiers, and if there?s any intact computer equipment after that, see if we can track down directions to the Landing Zone.? A radio burst to life down the hall.
[i]?Mayday! Mayday! Anyone copy? This is cleanup delta-tango niner! We?re under attack! A huge blue thing just broke through a wall, its tossing cars around and breaking supports! We need cover fire here, anyone copy? Repeat, we nee-?[/i] A violent crushing sound emanated from the radio and the signal turned to static. Five soldiers burst from the room and ran out a set of doors towards the parking garage. Zoe rushed towards the doorway of the command post and peeked inside. She motioned to the men to follow.
?Looks like we?re in luck- some computers here, and a laptop that I?m [i]guessing[/i] came from the marines.? She started typing away at the computer. Pierce examined a crate that had been opened but not emptied. Inside its military green shell was a .50 calibre tripod mounted gun, ready to be assembled.
?Hey, should we set this up?? Zoe looked up from the computer.
?Hm? Yeah, might come in handy if the soldiers decide that they can?t take down the thing they?re fighting.? The three men set up the weapon and loaded it. ?Okay, looks like the landing zone is just a short tram ride away, and there?s a station right around the corner.?
?The? trams are out, are they not?? West inquired.
?Might very well be.? Pierce replied. ?In any case, we should get going.? As he turned to walk out the door, he dove down behind the .50 calibre. Three soldiers opened fire, and Pierce gladly returned it with bigger bullets.
?That all of them?? Zoe asked incredulously. ?Guess that alien?s harder to kill than I thought.? She walked out the door, past vending machines with blood smears on them, and through a set of automatic doors. ?Hurry up!? she called back to the men. Inside the tram tunnel, the air was stale and above the usual 68 degrees fahrenheit. Acid marked the walls, and yellow blood pooled out around a bullsquid. The four carefully walked along a maintenance path on the side of the tracks, giving the electrified rail a wide berth.
?Once we get to the landing zone, what do we do?? Pierce asked.
?Try to sneak into a helicopter and take off before anyone notices.? Zoe replied.
?And if we get spotted??
?Run like hell.? As they inched along the walkway, Frank realized he left the Mp5 he took from the soldier in the warehouse had been left near the dead guard back in the shipping offices. He decided to let it go. He still had plenty of rounds for his 357, and his speedloader was full as well. He never did have much fun using automatic weapons in the shooting range; he found them too inaccurate for his tastes. They group approached a tram sitting motionless on the tracks. A zombie lurched out of it, reaching for Zoe. Frank pulled his magnum out of its holster and fired. Five shots punched into the zombie with little effect, but the sixth ripped through the headcrab. The zombie fell back into the tram, which, thankfully, was empty of any other threats.
?Thanks.? Zoe panted breathlessly.
?No problem.? Frank pulled his speedloader out of his pocket and reloaded his 357. Continuing along, they passed a forgotten toolbox on the catwalk. Frank found himself staring at Zoe again. She was so? Frank shook off the thought. His only priority was to get out of the facility, he told himself. If he got caught up in something like [i]that[/i], it would only jeopardize their chances of escape.
?Are we almost there?? West asked.
?Why are you in such a hurry?? Frank replied. ?There could be soldiers in the next hallway we enter.?
?I have to use the facilities.?
?Oh. Sorry.? They climbed up over the chest high ledge separating the maintenance catwalk from the tram station, ignoring the ladder beside them. West ducked into a men?s lavatory placed on the side of the tram station, his Mp5 at the ready just in case any soldiers had felt the same need. They hadn?t. A short time later, he emerged, glad that the water was still running, and the soap dispensers were, strangely, full. In his experience, they were always running low or empty. Pierce was munching on a Tastey Bytes bar, while Frank and Zoe sipped on a Rutta Grape and Vitamin water, respectively. All three had raided the nearby vending machines by breaking them open with a nearby crowbar.
?Catch.? Pierce tossed West a soda.
?Is this? ethical?? West pondered.
?Well, I figure this place has gone to hell permanently, so might as well keep up our strength for free.?
?And yet you stopped me from taking computer equipment.? Frank interjected.
?If you want to go back and get it, be my guest.?
?Point taken.? Frank downed the rest of his drink and opened a bag of chips. ?Hey, you hear something??
?Yeah?? Zoe unholstered her pistol.
?Sounded like? another alien teleporting in.? Pierce said nervously. The sound of heavy footsteps approaching made everyone dive for their weapons. The set of doors separating the tram tunnels from the physics labs nearby were thrown off their hinges and a large three-armed monster stepped in shooting. Bullets flew towards it, most bouncing off its armour with little effect. The alien fell backwards, dead. Spent shells littered the floor- almost all the ammo Pierce, Frank, West and Zoe had in their weapons was gone. Frank pulled an alien hornet, still squirming angrily, from his arm.
?Ow. What the hell is this??
?Looks like something new. You okay?? Zoe replied. Frank nodded.
?It appears to have the same basic genetic structure as the creatures that shoot lightning.? West mused, examining the corpse. ?See this arm in the middle of the chest? I would venture a guess that the armour is added through some form of surgery, it appears to be built in. And this-? he pointed to the pulsing right appendage of the creature. ?-Appears to be a biological weapon. Perhaps if we remove it, we could-?
?Doc, we don?t have time!?
?Ah, yes. You?re right.? West retrieved his submachine gun and reloaded it. ?Alright, let?s go.? They passed a trashed anti-gravity laboratory. It appeared the ground forces for the military didn?t have the same appreciation for a quiet jet propulsion system that their superiors in the pentagon did. A ripped motivational poster on the wall advertised ?Working as a team!?
?Yeah, no shit. Work together or die alone.? Frank remarked. Down the hall, music started playing in an office. The group crept forward, warily.
?I think I speak for all of us, when I say I understand, why you folks might hesitate to submit to our demand?But here?s an FYI?? A shaky voice sang along. ?You?re all gonna [b]die screaming![/b]? A gunshot sounded out, and a quiet thump resounded through the labs. Pierce ran into the office. Blood pooled out from the scientist?s head, a military-issue pistol still in his hand.
?Oh, god. We could have helped him get out of here alive? Turn that damn thing off!? West rushed to the CD player and flicked the switch. Pierce sat down next to the corpse, head cradled in his arms. Frank stared into the carpet. West helped himself to the medical supplies from a case on the wall. His wounds had stopped bleeding a long time ago, but he didn?t want to risk them opening again.
?Is that [i]your[/i] blood?? Zoe asked concernedly.
?Some of it is.? West replied.  He bandaged himself and placed the supplies in the cabinet.
?[b][i]Dammit![/b][/i]? Pierce screamed, throwing a book across the room at a monitor hooked to a live security feed. ?It?s not [i]right![/i]?
?Henry, I know you think we could have stopped him,? Frank said, ?but-?
?No, it?s not just that.? Pierce looked up, tears flowing from his eyes. ?These guys are the finest minds of their generations. They?re [i]brilliant[/i]. It?s [b]our[/b] job to protect them, and we?ve [i]failed[/i]. Not only that, the military, the one force we should be able to count on, has turned on all of us. These scientists, who?ve spent their lives trying to better mankind, are getting ripped to shreds by aliens, who are here as a by-product of a single failed experiment, one most of the science team had nothing to do with in any way, and the [i]one[/i] source of hope for them, for all of us stuck here, are gunning them down like they?re target practice dummies. It? It?s not right, [b]DAMMIT![/b] Our own race, turned against us, because the government thinks it can be stopped. Which it can?t unless the science team are alive! And then we have black operative bastards, no offence, Zoe, trying to cover the entire thing up so the government can save face. We?re sitting on a bunch of nukes, nuclear reactors, and experimental tech that is all about to blow up in our faces, and we can?t even trust our soldiers. We have no hope whatsoever of cleaning this up, so even if we get out, we?re [i]still[/i] dead.?

?Henry?? Zoe said, sitting down next to him. ?There is one person? A scientist from sector C has been fighting a lot of soldiers, and last I heard, he was working on getting to the? Lambda Complex, I think it was. He?s trying to clean this up, and he?s doing a damn fine job. He launched a rocket just around the time I left my squad, and? I think it?s supposed to fix this. If anyone can fix this, he can. We just have to get out of here and out of his way.? Pierce looked at her.
?What?s his name??
?Gordon Freeman.? Magnusson?s words echoed through Pierce?s mind.
?That fool Freeman probably shoved the sample in too fast for the system to handle!?
?A rocket??
?The only way to fix this is to launch the Lambda team?s satellite, and then start a resonance reversal!? Pierce?s heart rose.
?He?s launched the satellite. They can do a reversal.? Piece stared off into the monitor on the far side of the room. The view was devoid of life, the leg of a dead soldier just barely visible, a truck sitting in the middle of the asphalt expanse the monitor showed. Then? For the briefest of moments, less than a split second, a silhouette appeared, no more than a shadow of something that Pierce felt he was never meant to see. A man?s face, wrinkled yet strong, hair in a widow?s peak and the only colour he could make out being the green of his eyes. In the fraction of a second in which he appeared, Piece saw two facial expressions. First a sympathetic look, followed by a devious smirk. Then, the figure was gone, leaving Pierce staring blankly at the monitor. In the seconds after the figure disappeared, he realized that he would most likely remember the image for the rest of his life, and be haunted by the question of who, or what, it was.

?Let?s go.? Pierce sat up, and grabbed his Mp5. ?We?ve got ass to kick.?

Yeah. The biggest thing for me, I think, is that I want to expand on the HL2 storyline, show what it was like before Freeman arrived.
As another compromise: Perhaps we could have a village full of people like Frohman fron Concerned, where they all worship the combine? There could always be a shining utopia of a city reserved for earth's richest, with Elite guards courtesy of Breen. Being a meglomaniac, he would insist that they track down all his old buddies and put them someplace nice.

EDIT: Whoops. Can someone merge these, please?

I've only played HL2 once and I'd already prefer to see something different new - I've already had enough of combine, manhacks, electro-sticky-magneto-amnesiac rolling balls, headcrabs...

There would be a lot more new stuff in, either way. City 17 with a more lighthearted twist, or a new city, with new areas, and both would have new features, weapons, ect.
Personally, I don't want to do City 17 again. Redoing the landmarks, and having the citadel looming over me would be dry. Hence why I wanted to do another city.
I dunno.

You're throwing around +2's and +1's...
I'm not leaning towards a DnD RPG style; i was thinking to make it simpler than that.

Maybe I'm not explaining it well enough; The armour would give you more protection, depending on how good it is- A CP helmet would add to your protection, and CP armour would also add to it, for instance.
If could replace HEV power, with the CP stuff each adding 25, and the Overwatch stuff adding 50.

I'm not sure the random spawn system would work in all areas, but it could work in some. In others it would be useful to use monstermakers with a max child value of 1 and set to spawn on map load, so every time you enter the area, there are new cops at their posts, zombies shuffling around, ect.
I think we should use a mix of that for spawning enemies.
I thought the wear might be a bit too hard atm, but I wanted to include it anyway.

Helmets and different clothing should give benefits- ie. Metrocop uniform and helmet lets you disguise yourself as a CP when you equip them and no enemies are around, as well as giving a total of a +2 armour modifier, a combine uniform could give you +2, and the helmet could only boost by 1, but gives you a blue-tinted nightvision to replace your flashlight.

Lastly, item_sodacans should give more than 1 health (about 10, maybe) weapon_citizenpackages should be able to heal the player (10HP a use, for 5 uses) and vending machines that give you items (except the combine ration dispensers) should subtract money ie. You buy a soda from an old vending machine for 50 cents. Breen's private reserve would remain free, as they only dispense prop_physics water cans.

We could also comprimise story-line wise by either having a town outside of the city where everyone loves the combine, or a slum district of the paradise City-17 where people know the truth.
I dunno, it seems like it would be more interesting to write for oppressed citizens than happy people
Happy:
Player: What's going on here?
Man: Nothing's going on, just happy people! Long live the combine!
Oppressed:
Player: What's going on here?
Man: Civil protection just raided that apartement. Bastards are getting more extreme each time. I can't live like this much longer.

Just IMO

Basic Idea of what the conversation system would look like:VGUI Inventory system (With steam skins like the loading bars) Note: "wear" is the condition it is in, not the amount of wear. That part of the concept could also be removed.I also suggest a vote for having this be "Open source" if we ever get code, ie, others could use the DLLs, and we could post tuts for creating the systems.
There's a bit of text for these systems I've written (in a computer form of shorthand) that I can post if you want.
I also did the prices on the item GUI assuming that it would be the normal HL2 universe, obviously prices in the paradise city, if we go for that, would be jacked up more, as money would be easier to come by, and quarters wouldn't be taking the place of dollars.

I have a basic idea of what it could operate like, and how the mapper could implement it, but it needs code first.
It's almost supper, but I'll post my concept pics afterwards.

I was thinking that the player could be a citizen who was just transfered to City 15, a european city just a few hundred kilometers away from City 17.
You get assigned a predinct, and explore the city. If it's on the OB engine, it could span to the countryside and some towns outside the city limits. It could also be up to the player whether they want to become a CP, with the ultimate goal of becoming a combine soldier, (at which point the game ends, as you are no longer the person you once were) or becoming a notorious rebel.

This would obviously happen sometime before the events of HL2, and I was thinking we could explain away the lack of different breencasts by saying the link to the citadel was severed by the rebels, and it hasn't been repaired yet.

Glad to see that people just hadn't seen the thread, will post concepts later.
EDIT: I'm also working on an area that could fit into most town/city areas, and the dam I'm working on for Rooms:S could be fit into a city area as well.
DamnthisisalongpostEDIT: I think the biggest problem would be getting an experienced coder who can get all the VGUI stuff working, including a conversation system and an inventory system. While I/O is fine for tech demos, it would be a pain to have to add to every map.
Anyway, anyone else interested?

Blows my first source map outta the water.

http://www.twhl.co.za/forums.php?thread=16362
I don't suppose anyone is still working on this, are they?
It's something I'd like to do someday, after I get a new computer and episode 2.
While I have no idea how to do it in the code, I have ideas on what some systems could resemble for the mapper and ingame.
EDIT: Okay, then is anyone interested in getting this going again? Or am I the only one who would still like to do this?