Warning Signs. Created 18 years ago2006-07-20 22:35:00 UTC by Orpheus

Well, I'm a little more optimistic in that sense. I believe that so long as there's even just one person working on the engine, then it's alive. So long as there are people still playing it, then it's alive.

I'll take the example of Descent. Damn old game, yet people are still playing it, still modifying it and still enjoying it. For me, that doesn't mean it's dead.

1+2) where? the SP? If someone asked me to review or critique something I do so, and truthfully, as many of the member here would. I havn't seen much since someplace else that has drew anything close to "this is the best..." Rimrook and Kasburgs maps are some of the few I feel show the skill to be the best, and I have a very high standard.

And the whole stroke their ego's thing. I don't do that, and I hope others don't do it purposefully either. many new mappers however see someone who is better then them and go all "OMG THATS SO AWESOME" to every killbox they see.

And getting your name in the credits for giveing the odd piece of feedback is BS. if you were a beta tester, or a mapper, or modeler etc. I think you should get your name in the credits. If however you are just one of the mass of people on a site who helped the guy out when he was learning or gave a tip or two when the mod was wip you don't deserve to be anything but part of "The gang at Snarkpit"

When I see "The gang at TWHL" I know its refering to me as well as others, I don't need to see my name in writing because I know I helped, I did my part and can rest in piece. Don't stroke your own ego by saying that you deserver some special place in credits few people read just for helping slightly.

3) however many grow away there are always people replaceing them, which is amasing seeing as Half-life is 7 years old now. TWHL doesn't have the 40 member a week growing spree that it had for a few years anymore, but they still come in, and they are stay active.

Yes many of us have or are developing commitments that perclude us from mapping. Many of us have university commitments, and most have jobs. take satchmo for example, he is a doctor in LA. yet he still visits us, and im sure opens up hammer here and there to have some fun. he may not ever finish a map again, but he still maps sometimes.

Kasburg is a full time architextural student in Spain, and Rimrook is going to get a degree in some area of game design. Yet they still map because its part of what there learning, and is a learning experience in itself. They take their time to make the art they have put on display even if they have a huge amount of schoolwork to do.

Rabid's been asked to provide a resume by ravensoft, so if he wants it he probably has a full time level design position with the guys who made quake 4!

And this site is just some kind of nexus for all these people. Its like a civilisied blackhole in the net. there are many who have left to pop in here and there to say hi, when that happens you know a site has left a mark on people.

I've been mapping since a few weeks after TFC came out. back them I wasn't much, nor did I donate enough time to learn anything.

I discovered Snarkpit in December of 01, and TWHL not long after it debueted. back then I just read and watched, I started to learn. I know now it was a mistake to wait so long to become a member and start talking to others and giving back. I saw all the SP'rs when they were young nub's. I watched them grow into really great mappers, and then to there own elite subculture. which is why I didn't join there until long after I had joined TWHL.

I watched TWHL grow into the greatest site on the net. It had found moderators who were smart and good at what they did, who knew that level above anarchy where a site runs perfectly. I have met so many people here who just by their existance alone motivate me to stay on this site.

I am 16 today, I have been in the trade of level designing for nearly 6 years. I have competed in the junior olympics, Overcome every challange set before me, and seen the power of people congregating on the internet.

To me Half-life is dead when I leave the internet behind.

/end long, tangent prone rant

Im with you on this one Ant, when I play and see servers alive with home grown maps, this indicates to me it still lives on.

The fact that it seems to have been less active a community than in the past, shows that people's lives change and priorities change, they may still map/play for HL, I myself have set priorities and enjoy mapping for HL1, CS and CZ. Alot of my maps are not published on the Internet, they are played at local LAN gaming sessions in my area.

I cannot devote a full week or month to any one map, but instead I spend about 3 hours every second or third evening, a map can take me anywhere between 60-140 hours to complete and that could elate to 2-3 months.

So I believe that HL will not die, it may give that appearance at times but I find it alive and well here in Australia (kinda like a secret clan thing), my only advice to others who may see HL as dying, is to keep your interests/hobbies alive, sure it takes good time management but its worth it for me.

I don?t need convincing wether its dead or alive, that is evident from good site's such as TWHL or Snark-Pit and the helpful communities within them, Sure some people have bad attitude and flame your map's that you submit, its water off a ducks back to me, I don?t get offended easily, if people act childish and make negative remarks, it's either jealousy or maybe because they are children or the fact that some people cant handle criticism.
I like mapping because it gives me a pallet to express my fantasies of fictional worlds/places.

The only time it will die is when power supplies for our electrical equipment diminishes/ends.....but I will be long gone by then

(just my 2 cents worth)

Honestly, for it to be dying, it'd have to be a case of absolutely no mods being made, about 2 maps released every 4 months and no one playing it.

There are few things that would make me think so.

The first would be if there weren't any people working on the engine (modifying it, mapping, modelling etc..). Like the whole hl mapping business would freeze, no new content, nothing. This would mean that it's dying like from inside. Of course you don't need new content to keep it alive, there's enough of it already, but.. new content is like.. fresh air...

The second, and in my opinion the most important would be if there were no people who would still enjoy playing it. If i would not see any hl engine servers, and if all people i know would stop playing it. I sure have great time playing hl dm with my friends on lan, it would be a huge loss if noone would play it anymore. But i don't think that's possible.

I'm optimistic, and i think that hl won't dye that easilly, even if there were a lot less people working on it and playing it. Like Ant said, as long as there are people still playing/modifying it, it's alive. In my opinion there will allways be people who play or modify it so it's almost impossible for it to die

The only time it will die is when power supplies for our electrical equipment diminishes/ends.....but I will be long gone by then

True.

Edit:
Heh, legends don't die that easilly

Half-life is in no danger of becoming a dead game. Games as old as transport tycoon, which came from all the way back to 1992, is still going. Still new patches, new online games, even a new forum every now and then. No one will be leaving Half-life anytime soon. As ant put it, as long as one person is doing it it will live.