The player would indeed get the usual array of pistols, rifles and explosives, but as JeffMOD correctly pointed out, no bullets. The player might get their hands on a classic handgun of some kind, but this would be a powerful one off pickup with very limited ammo.

Something else I thought up yesterday was a poster for lab grown food stuffs.

"From Hydroponics Lab 3, the people who brought you Basically Beef and Practically Pork."

"It's FUNDAMENTALLY FISH!"

"Everything tastes better when you don't think about it!"

Should give you an idea of the kind of tone the series would go for.

Well, the idea is that humanity is largely spread throughout the galaxy by the time of the first mod, so it's likely that in the following mods you would hear about the previous protagonists rather than actively bumping into them.

That said, I'm not ruling it out entirely by any means.

The only solution I know wouldn't work for your specific situation.

I made a map where a ladder lowers down from the ceiling. The func_ladder brush entity is always there, but it's inside a null textured func_door entity that is using the exact same dimensions. When the actual ladder descends, the null door also moves down through the floor and the ladder becomes usable.

The issue with your setup is that there would always be some invisible brush blocking the area where the rope would appear later.

That's got it. Works a treat again.

Welp... AVG hates it. It throws out a warning each time so that I have to say I trust it, and then I get a permissions error anyway...

I really should back things up before I overwrite them.

The Twitter poll agrees that a new protagonist each time would be best.

I'm not saying that every single one would be killed or stranded, but it's an option. And it's not as if they just die at the hands of an enemy, maybe they sacrifice themselves for the greater good and so on.

So I put a poll out on Twitter, but in the interest of getting the input from TWHL peeps, I will put the question here as well.

Should this become a series with more than one entry, what would be your preferred approach to the protagonist(s).

Different protagonist each time
Your adventures among the stars are short lived and often involve you becoming stranded or killed. Each new release follows the story of a different individual, with occasional references to previous fallen heroes.

Same protagonist (legendary)
Following your first contact with the Vull, you become something of a legend. Friendly NPCs will adore you and your enemies will be very wary you. NPCs will use you to solve any and all problems they face, and will announce your presence to strike fear into the hearts of the opposition.

Same protagonist (bad omen)
You have a reputation for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Despite your ability to take on the Vull and survive, the trail of bodies you leave in your wake leads people to find ways of getting rid of you. Friendly NPCs are often on edge in your presence, and quick to blame you when the shit hits the fan. Your enemies see you as something of a bargaining chip, encouraging your friends to give you up so that they can be spared.

Same protagonist (nobody)
Despite your legendary acts of heroism in the past, nobody seems to recall your face or name. People will speak of the incredible things you have done, misty eyed and full of adoration. However, when dealing with you, they will doubt your capabilities and often mockingly compare you to... yourself. Same goes for your enemies.

Lookin' good.

I think I said on Discord that sven coop would be fine, but bear in mind that a lot of people are going to be playing these maps solo... and regardless of the features it includes, the maps would be based on the use of teleportation/warping.

That's actually something that Archie and I use frequently in The Core. That works wonders and prevents a lot of fiddling

I stand corrected. Thanks Bru-ski

I would also recommend you use JACK's texture lock setting, but only when using the skew contact points. Don't use it with vertex manipulation. That goes very wrong very quickly.

This is caused by the vertices being off grid. They are moved during the compile to the nearest grid point. You can get around this by using HLFix when you compile, but personally I found this caused issues elsewhere in the map. I would recommend instead that you zoom right in and do the required vertex manipulation yourself.

Well, that's why things are kept to a very short time limit. You have to work with what you have, with very little time to customize. It's all about planning your time carefully. All of the RTSL competitions were strictly SP only, and had similar time limits, yet people were able to put out some fantastic, often memorable stuff. Yes, there was the occasional dud, but again, that goes with the territory.

This one is fairly open ended. All forms of entries are allowed. Yes, personally I would prefer that they had a singleplayer focus, and mine will, but some people don't like SP mapping.

Judging is done by the community. You can include anything you want, so long as the entry is centered around teleporting or otherwise transporting the player.

Once again I totally should be spending my time elsewhere and shouldn't be entering this competition...I can't help myself.

Another new mini competition is up and running! As the brief states, your goal is to make a map or mod that makes heavy use of teleportation or some other form of warping the player around.

As this is a mini competition, you must manage your time effectively. Don't bite off more than you can chew, and leave plenty of time for testing. Good luck and have fun!

Well... this is a game changer. I never played the original, but I know it's reputation as a reactive RPG and the fact that Chris Motherfucking Avellone (actual full name) worked on it is a very positive thing.
Trailer is a pre-rendered time waste, but as least it confirms that the game is coming.

Also I don't think your implementation of laser projectiles would be difficult... Pretty sure we can steal the crossbow code for that.

That was my thought too. That or the hivehand secondary fire.

Here is a list of the planned enemies so far. Some of these are easy to implement and shouldn't require any coding (outside of .qc manipulation, skill.cfg and modelling). Some of the other points I would need to enlist a developer, or at least somebody to guide me on where to make the changes.

Bestiary (part 1)

Crew Member

Base: Scientist
Requirements: Reskin/Voice Acting
Implementation: Very easy. Behavior would not need to change at all.
Description: The run of the mill crew member. Unarmed walking plot device, target and/or meal.

Security Guard

Base: Barney.
Requirements: Reskin/Voice Acting/Coding
Implementation: Hard. Behavior would not need to change at all. Weapon would need to fire laser projectiles.
Description: Faithful security officer. Armed with a laser pistol, a can do attitude and security clearance that outranks the player’s.

ESPO Team

Base: HGrunt.
Requirements: Reskin/Voice Acting/Coding
Implementation: Hard. Behavior would not need to change at all. Weapon would need to fire laser projectiles.
Description: The Elite Security and Planetside Operations team are hot-headed and dim-witted. Months cooped up on a ship with nothing to shoot has driven them to near breaking point. With one order, they would willingly turn to the ship into a warzone.

Vull Rat

Base: Headcrab.
Requirements: Modelling.
Implementation: Very easy. This would simply be a new model, otherwise it would basically act like a standard headcrab.
Description: Offspring of an lab rat escapee, infected by the Vull. These creatures scuttle through the various pipes and ventilation shafts, spreading the alien plague to crew members.

Vull Afflicted

Base: Zombie.
Requirements: Modelling.
Implementation: Very easy. This would simply be a new model, otherwise it would basically act like a standard zombie. Alternate heads based on the model can easily be changed with minor .FGD changes. Blood would need changing to Human/Red.
Description: Having come into contact with the Vull, this individual has become corrupted. All traces of their humanity stripped away, they take up the nearest weapon they can get their hands on and bludgeon anything living they can find.

You have my attention...

(Have you considered using the "constant glow" FX setting for your light glow sprites? It would stop them being clipped by the brushwork

Blimey. I don't think I've played Quake coop since I did on a LAN with my dad. I have Quake on Steam so might see if I can get in.

As for Half-Life Deathmatch, I think Archie's server is also up and running indefinitely.

Shouldn't take too long at all. In fact here they are!

Finally got around the playing the entries. All certainly unique, even the two build within the same game felt vastly different to one another. Put my vote in for the one I felt had the edge. A few more hours and the results will be in

Gonna work the latest MapLabs competition brief into my last map for The Core.

Run, think, shoot, live. The four cornerstones of Half-Life gameplay. They don't accept GoldSrc entries, but I'm just using it as an excuse to get the map done. I won't be submitting it anywhere, but I will share screenshots here. Depending on whether I can be bothered, I may stream it.

Gonna look fairly Natural Selection then!

...Suuure? (I have no idea 😅 )

I honestly think that de_ maps get a lot more attention. It's certainly my preferred gameplay mode anyway.

Will it have more women in it than Half-Life does?

I would like to include female characters. Of course with that comes custom code, models, animation and voice recording. All things I would be fairly useless with currently.

When you say retro sci fi, are you meaning late 80s / early 90s stuff like Demolition Man, Escape From NY, Alien (in some ways DN3D) or we thinking more 70s / ""retro""

In terms of the aesthetics, it would be the kind of sci fi themes you would see in the 70s and 80s. Chunky machines, sharp angles, CRT screens and garish jumpsuits.In terms of the kind of stuff I would like from the community here, I would likely throw out the odd update here and there such as "OK, I want some posters for the recreational areas. Make your own ridiculous brands and products that you would flog to desperate colonist, hundreds of light years from home."

Obviously I would be thankful to anyone who wanted to pitch in with audio stuff, sound effects and music, even recycling stuff from your own projects that may or may not have seen the light of day. I would prefer to keep the mapping side of things to myself, but again, would welcome prefabs, entity setups, concepts to work from and anything else you think would be a cool addition to the levels.

So what kinda vibe are you going for with gameplay?

Survival horror elements for when things kick off, but I'd like it to be a fast paced, arcade FPS similar to Doom or Quake.

Are there any human enemies involved?

Very much so. The initial mod will feature the Elite Security and Planetside Operations (ESPO) team. They will become hostile once things kick off, due to a combination of a volatile working relationship between them and the crew and having a sudden opportunity.

What's gonna drive the main plot driver of the mod? Is there a villain? Is he separate from the Vull, and if so, what's he gonna do?

Yes and I'm not telling you yet.

I can't predict if I can help with coding when you start work in 2043, so ask me then.

Thanks... and yeah, OK. I deserve that.

So when do they find the mass effect relay?

It only seems similar to Mass Effect because of everything. Other than that, its wildly different...

Don't feel bad about rejecting Source. It's poop, and GoldSource has so much more charm

I don't. It is. It does.

You caught me... I forgot to list inspiration, but that's in there in some respects.

Thats $externaltextures command. And yeah as said before with modern stuff its best to remove that and the $sequencegroupsize commands altogether

How on Earth did I miss that... Alright, well thanks 303! That'll make my future mod models directory a little neater.

The Gildryte Chronicles

What is it?

The Gildryte Chronicles is a potential mod series that I intend to work on following the eventual release of The Core. I've decided to start documenting things here on TWHL as I would like to involve the community with the project as much as possible.

I've been doing various bits of research over the years, mostly via Twitter, to get a feel for what people look for in a Half-Life mod in terms of size, gameplay, narrative and of course release schedule. As is to be expected, most players are happy to wait longer for something that will keep them playing for an hour or more, rather than getting regular, bitesize maps or map packs. They also prefer a non invasive approach to storytelling, something that is delivered subtly if you care to seek it out and doesn't pin you down with lengthy sequences or walls of text. So basically, Half-Life players like Half-Life… Shocker!

The Universe

One key point is that this time I'll be building a mod series set entirely within my own universe. This is a big deal for me because it means it means I can introduce new mechanics or elements within the maps that are too outlandish for Black Mesa.

The bulk of the mods will take place in space, on starships or within colonies. The aesthetic I want to go for is retro sci-fi. The mods will be set in an alternate timeline where humanity became an interstellar space faring race in the 1970s, so think Alien's Nostromo and other such stuff.

The plot mainly revolves around two key elements, and I'm aware that the first is a hard science nightmare made entirely out of bullshit, so bear with me.

Gildryte: A crystalline material initially discovered during the Apollo 11 moon landing in a deep impact crater. It was quickly discovered to have massively valuable properties, specifically the ability to amplify an electrical current by a factor of hundreds of thousands. One researcher was quoted as saying, “I don’t want to get ahead of myself… but you could send a cruise liner to the furthest stars with nothing more than a car battery.”

After a decade of research, refinement, development and corporate espionage, it found its way into the public eye in the hands of one Dr. Sebastian Gildryte. In the coming years, more and more Gildryte was discovered on the moon's surface, as well as in the asteroid belt shortly afterwards. As more and more was brought back to Earth, Gildryte become a household name and by 1986 it is built into practically everything from radios, to cars and yes, interstellar cruise liners.

Tl;dr: Super crystal makey future machines.

The Vull: An mysterious alien race, discovered in deep space that is drawn to Gildryte. The Vull were first encountered by accident, during an incident which triggers the events which occur throughout the series. This incident will be the focus of the first mod in the potential series. From the outset, the only thing know about them is that they are extremely hostile to other lifeforms that may cross their path in their attempt to find and consume Gildryte.

Any progress yet?

Well, currently there is absolutely nothing besides this post and the ideas in my head. This hasn’t taken me away from The Core or anything like that and has purely been built up in my head based on the social media polls and ideas I have during whatever downtime I get.

What is the plan?

Ultimately, I want to tackle the mod on my own as much as possible. As mentioned previously, I would like to involve the community here at TWHL as much as possible. That includes everything from revising the story, creating textures to appear in the game (posters and wall art, computer screens and such) and I will definitely need support from people with coding experience.

I want the mod to FEEL different to Half-Life, which will mean tweaking enemies either by replacing their models or ideally adjusting some coding here and there. I know that ultimately it will still feel like a Half-Life mod, but I would like to give it something of an edge besides having new maps.

Probably the most drastic change will be the removal of hitscan weapons. I would like the player to be able to avoid all incoming attacks by moving around. Seeing as this will be a sci-fi themed mod, I would ultimately like bullet weapons to be replaced with laser projectiles.

So… not Source?

No. At this stage I think I will be sticking with GoldSource modding. I know the limitations, I can work with the tools and I just prefer it in general. So no, I will not be creating GC in Source. If others want to make mods based on this universe (for whatever reason…) I would gladly act as an advisor, but I don’t work with Source.

So what now?

Well, now I need to finish The Core. Sadly, this mod will have to be somewhat dormant until then. However, I would still be keen to continue getting things together in terms of the pre-production with input from you guys.

Afterwards, this will be where I post my updates, screenshots and other such stuff. Who knows when that'll start, but hopefully soon.

Yup, as Qwertyus said, get rid of that line in the QC file and you get one, maybe two model files if you have a texture file as well.

Come to think of it, I don't know what determines the appearance of the modelt.mdl file...

And now this from 3D Realms.Yes.

Just yes.

Happy to see people still have faith in The Core. I do want to finish it to the best of my ability, otherwise I would have rushed something out in the last year or so to get it over the line.

It has gotten to the point where I have seriously considered pulling the plug, but I won't let myself do it and I'm pretty sure Archie would actually, literally come to my house and kick the shit out of me...

That sounds like something he would say. It was likely true at the time.

Well, I committed three updated maps to the repo last night and one new one. This will be the last map I create for The Core. Once this one is done, and linked to the next chapter, that's it. That's not the end of development, obviously, but no more new maps from me. Can't speak for Archie of course.

I can't not think of Game Grumps, Potatis...

Hell, I'd pay to play it.

It's practically a retro FPS at this point, and there is a market for that kinda thing these days.

Truth.

It's getting to the point where I'm getting a load of new ideas for projects that I couldn't fit into The Core (not that I am looking to expand it any further, I'm all about finishing up what we have at this point.)

I've got an idea for a new mod I'd like to make and I've had the lore in my head for a few months. A whole new universe to play with, rather than using Valve's. Thing is, it will definitely need custom coding which means I would either need to learn myself or take on a coder to help me get things set up. Not something I am willing to even look into until The Core is out the door.

Man that 2001 trailer looked sick. I reckon if they had released that iteration within the year it would have been incredible and we'd have at least one more sequel by now.

Sigh.

Should probably finish this mod, huh?

I breifly worked on some new models for Hostage Situation, but never delved into mapping. That said, I do still have everything that existed of HS on my hard drive.

Every once in a while I see or hear something that reminds me of the various maps or mods I've worked on over the years that never saw the light of day. (Like The Core, amirite? Boom! Self burn.)

Ahem, anyway, I recently thoughts of a couple more and looked up the original thread which is now FOUR YEARS OLD! WHAT!? So, I've started this new one.

Unnamed Cryostasis mod

Premise
Way back when I first joined TWHL (Yes, I've been post diving) I started working on a map pack where the player started off in a cryo pod. After breaking out of the chamber, it was made apparent that the facility you were in was long abandoned and in complete disarray. The player would be guided by an AI via text messages on screen, similar to what was seen in Someplace Else (Though I am sure this was before that came out and I actually drew inspiration from a TWHL Mix map by then user "Hazardous!") The player would be tasked with taking data discs to different sections of the complex and restoring them to working order.

Progress
According to my old posts, I made a number of areas and took screenshots back in 2004 (which are long gone from the internet now), but the map I have in my head from back then was not particularly good. I remember I had the first few story points covered in the titles.txt file and the player could get as far as picking up the first data disc.

What happened?
I don't recall the reasoning, but I suspect I lost interest after realising that my attempts at mapping were very poor compared to the maps that inspired me. It would be of the many times in the past that I have been disheartened by a quality map or mod, rather than inspired.

Neonite City

Premise
Neonite City was inspired by Midgar in Final Fantasy VII. The player was to take on the role of a security officer in the upper level of the city. This level was for upper class citizens, all high rise buildings, fountains and clear skies. The lower levels of the city were populated by the underclass, lowlifes and criminals coexisting with animals mutated by pollution. During a routine security drill, an organised group from the lower level was to attack the upper city, resulting in the player dropping into the squalid and darkened depths below.

Progress
I recall having a lot of the lore planned out for this universe, though it was terribly written. I had also busied myself with making new skins for a lot of the default Half-Life models. One that sticks in my mind was an android reskin for Barney, pale skinned and exposed wiring around his blackened eyes. When it comes to maps, I think I made one, literally a tram station leading to a corridor.

What happened?
Attempting to make the upper city look anything like what was in my head with Half-Life's resources was impossible. This completely crippled my motivation to work on it any longer. Nowadays I would be fine, with far more experience with mapping as well as texture creation, but the lore was so terrible looking back that I don't even know why I was so excited about it.

Let's hear yours. Would be interesting to see if anyone who posted in the last thread has had any mods fall apart, or even succeed since then.

Looking forward to playing the entries tonight (or at least trying to depending on family and responsibilities.) I've not touched Portal since finishing Portal 2 so will be interesting to get back into that.

And the vote is now open. Thanks to everyone who entered and those who tried.

The TWHL community vote allows each user to vote for up to three entries, but since there are only three, please be sensible about it.

Happy to hear it. Hope it's going well. Looking forward to seeing these maps

Awesome. Thanks Pebs.