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[Source] Mod Megathread
- Thread starter Sibylus
- Start date
Yeah, the lag shouldn't have been that bad with those pings, server was probably a bit unreliable. Was fun, even if it was a bit weird at times.
If anybody wants to play some coop on HL2, the episodes, or Minerva Metastasis, give me a shout. If we're close geographically, we can do a local game to keep out the icky randoms and change the difficulty, etc.
If anybody wants to play some coop on HL2, the episodes, or Minerva Metastasis, give me a shout. If we're close geographically, we can do a local game to keep out the icky randoms and change the difficulty, etc.
I had fun, but it would definitely be better if we played some maps that were more suited for coop. I didn't notice any lag until we got to the boats though.
Also, anyone have suggestions for another mod to play? I played Dystopia for a while when it was first released and thought it was fun. Something like Zombie Panic: Source (haven't tried that one) could be fun as well.
Also, anyone have suggestions for another mod to play? I played Dystopia for a while when it was first released and thought it was fun. Something like Zombie Panic: Source (haven't tried that one) could be fun as well.
Heh, that's the next mod in the list. Let's do it!
I'll just throw out three consecutive dates (more if needed), so we can get games in with a lot of people. We should be able to fit a decent of Gaffers in one server (up to 24, but we'll probably attract a few randoms as well).
Zombie Panic: Source
* 2-24 Players
* If you're a slow downloader, set some time aside to grab this. ZPS is a pretty huge package (and it has received updates regularly, the last was a big one that dropped last Halloween).
Times
January 3rd - 5:00 PM Pacific
January 4th - 5:00 PM Pacific
January 5th - 5:00 PM Pacific
Zombie Food
I'll just throw out three consecutive dates (more if needed), so we can get games in with a lot of people. We should be able to fit a decent of Gaffers in one server (up to 24, but we'll probably attract a few randoms as well).
Zombie Panic: Source
* 2-24 Players
* If you're a slow downloader, set some time aside to grab this. ZPS is a pretty huge package (and it has received updates regularly, the last was a big one that dropped last Halloween).
Times
January 3rd - 5:00 PM Pacific
January 4th - 5:00 PM Pacific
January 5th - 5:00 PM Pacific
Zombie Food
- Botolf
I should be able to play some zombie panic tonight.
I'm thinking it would be best if we choose next Saturday or Sunday for the next mod. It would give more people a chance to actually find out about it, as well as give people more than enough time to download the mod ahead of time.
I'm thinking it would be best if we choose next Saturday or Sunday for the next mod. It would give more people a chance to actually find out about it, as well as give people more than enough time to download the mod ahead of time.
Rabid Wolverine
Member
Is Goldeneye Source just multiplayer or has single player also?
edit. read op multiplayer..... nevermind.
edit. read op multiplayer..... nevermind.
Lord Phol
Member
Great thread!
Trying out new mods for HL used to be a favorite activity of mine. Sadly i was a bit bummed when I tried doing the same for source 1-2 years ago, noticing a a distinct lack of mods.
Things seems to have changed for the better by the looks of this thread, and the "coming soon" list looks especially promising imo.
I'd also like to give this HL mod an honorable mention:
Naruto Naiteki Kensei
It's just crazy what they've managed to do with the old HL-engine, such as facial expressions, per pixel shading, cell shading, motion blur and more.
I'm not much of a Naruto fan (anymore), but I would urge anyone to give this a shot, I believe it's worth at least testing out considering the amount of time the devs have worked on it.
It's due to be released in 5 days.
Trying out new mods for HL used to be a favorite activity of mine. Sadly i was a bit bummed when I tried doing the same for source 1-2 years ago, noticing a a distinct lack of mods.
Things seems to have changed for the better by the looks of this thread, and the "coming soon" list looks especially promising imo.
I'd also like to give this HL mod an honorable mention:
Naruto Naiteki Kensei
It's just crazy what they've managed to do with the old HL-engine, such as facial expressions, per pixel shading, cell shading, motion blur and more.
I'm not much of a Naruto fan (anymore), but I would urge anyone to give this a shot, I believe it's worth at least testing out considering the amount of time the devs have worked on it.
It's due to be released in 5 days.
New to me,
Half-Life 2 Update Mod Features:
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/01/05/hevy-metal-half-life-2-gets-upgraded/
Half-Life 2 Update Mod Features:
- Updated to Orange Box Engine.
- HDR (High Dynamic Range) Lighting.
- Updated Models & Textures.
- Includes 32 Steam Achivements.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2010/01/05/hevy-metal-half-life-2-gets-upgraded/
Sounds like Valve has been working on this, but it wasn't very high on their to-do list. From the article: "done, he claims, by manually comparing decompiled PC maps to a long playthrough of the already-upgraded 360 version". It would seem that he basically devoted a lot of his time to meticulously updating the PC version, using the updated 360 version as a reference.MNC said:
Hopefully this receives Valve's blessing and gets hosted on Steam, been waiting for an official update for a long while :lol
ZPS isn't really panning out, Gaffers are probably getting their zombie fill with the Left 4 Dead games and whatnot.
Who would like to play some Age of Chivalry this weekend?
Causality - Is it a good mod, or just okay? (I haven't played it so I'm not sure).
Half-Life 2: Dawn - I'm conflicted on this one. There were some neat bits early into the experience (such as the swamp and the haunted town), but the rest seemed really uninspired and tacked on. It seems occupies the same space as mods such as Coastline to Atmosphere and Strider Mountain, in that there wasn't enough TLC and polish devoted to it and it was more or less shoved through the door too early.
Who would like to play some Age of Chivalry this weekend?
The Citizen - Clever, creative, definitely memorable. Will add.BiasedGamer said:
Causality - Is it a good mod, or just okay? (I haven't played it so I'm not sure).
Half-Life 2: Dawn - I'm conflicted on this one. There were some neat bits early into the experience (such as the swamp and the haunted town), but the rest seemed really uninspired and tacked on. It seems occupies the same space as mods such as Coastline to Atmosphere and Strider Mountain, in that there wasn't enough TLC and polish devoted to it and it was more or less shoved through the door too early.
BlazeHedgehog
Member
So I'm a little on edge regarding mentioning this, but I just got through a Half-life 2 mod called "Nestlings". Built in three days by one person, Nestlings is... well, I hesitate to spoil it outright, because that would possibly ruin some of the surprise.
What I will say is that Nestlings is a story first. It demands exploration (what little there is) and can be seen to the end in about 15 minutes or less. It is not for everyone. If you enjoyed Dear Esther, you may like Nestlings. You should also stop reading this post right now, and download it. If you didn't like Dear Esther, and would rather have Nestlings spoiled for you to save you the effort, well:
The creator of this wrote a spoiler-filled blog describing his motivations.
What I will say is that Nestlings is a story first. It demands exploration (what little there is) and can be seen to the end in about 15 minutes or less. It is not for everyone. If you enjoyed Dear Esther, you may like Nestlings. You should also stop reading this post right now, and download it. If you didn't like Dear Esther, and would rather have Nestlings spoiled for you to save you the effort, well:
You start the mod outside of a house. There is a note pinned to the door. It warns: Annabelle, stay away. Do not enter the house. Who is Annabelle? Are you Annabelle? There's nothing else here, so you have to enter the house.
Strewn about the house are a series of notes, and they are laid out so that you might read them out of order. As you piece together this jigsaw puzzle of a story, you come to understand that a man had come to live in this house. He is a scientist, and came to the house on a recommendation from a friend. In the house exist something he calls "Nestlings".
Nestlings are described as creatures that may or may not exist between dimensions. They may be malevolent. They seem to feed on thoughts, and more specifically, anxiety. Our scientist is obsessed with studying and understanding the nestlings, and as it turns out, one of the easier ways to invoke a visit from the nestlings is to coke out on psychotropic drugs. He chronicles the effects of the drugs, and how the nestlings have not yet appeared to him.
When he finally does have a visit from the nestlings, his description of them is vague - described as sort of a black shadow or a wisp of smoke. Over the months, encounters with the nestlings become more and more frequent. Our scientist begins to become afraid of the nestlings, for they don't seem like nice creatures. Even without the aid of drugs they visit him now, terrifying him.
All the while, he is sending letters to his Annabelle back home. He urges her not to come for him, knowing that she too is interested in this kind of subject matter. He fears that if she were to come to him, it may jeopardize not only her own life, but his as well.
The final note is in a room next to a ladder that leads up in to the attic of the house; however, the attic itself is locked and cannot be entered.
In his final note, he describes that he has seen things he never would have imagined. He understands the nestlings; their purpose, their intent. He understands that they now control his mind, they own every fiber of his being and every acre of land that this house was built upon. The nestlings will not let him leave, nor does he want to. He cannot even make it down the stairs anymore, let alone out the door and away from the house. The phenomenon of the nestlings happens most strongly in the attic, and that is where he shall forever reside now.
Despite repeatedly telling Annabelle to stay way, he has enclosed a key to the attic with the note so that she may visit him.
Upon entering the attic for yourself, you find two dead bodies: One is our scientist, and one is Annabelle. The scientist apparently committed suicide. Annabell has a note laying next to her, chastising the scientist for not letting her come sooner, for he knew of her interest in the subject, but that it doesn't really matter, for she will soon be joining him and longs to feel his kiss once again.
Once you put down the note, the door to the attic shuts itself. The room fills with fog. As you move to the attic door, the game suddenly cuts to a black screen, and it's over. No weapons, no real gameplay, not even a definitive monster. What happened? That's for you to think about.
Strewn about the house are a series of notes, and they are laid out so that you might read them out of order. As you piece together this jigsaw puzzle of a story, you come to understand that a man had come to live in this house. He is a scientist, and came to the house on a recommendation from a friend. In the house exist something he calls "Nestlings".
Nestlings are described as creatures that may or may not exist between dimensions. They may be malevolent. They seem to feed on thoughts, and more specifically, anxiety. Our scientist is obsessed with studying and understanding the nestlings, and as it turns out, one of the easier ways to invoke a visit from the nestlings is to coke out on psychotropic drugs. He chronicles the effects of the drugs, and how the nestlings have not yet appeared to him.
When he finally does have a visit from the nestlings, his description of them is vague - described as sort of a black shadow or a wisp of smoke. Over the months, encounters with the nestlings become more and more frequent. Our scientist begins to become afraid of the nestlings, for they don't seem like nice creatures. Even without the aid of drugs they visit him now, terrifying him.
All the while, he is sending letters to his Annabelle back home. He urges her not to come for him, knowing that she too is interested in this kind of subject matter. He fears that if she were to come to him, it may jeopardize not only her own life, but his as well.
The final note is in a room next to a ladder that leads up in to the attic of the house; however, the attic itself is locked and cannot be entered.
In his final note, he describes that he has seen things he never would have imagined. He understands the nestlings; their purpose, their intent. He understands that they now control his mind, they own every fiber of his being and every acre of land that this house was built upon. The nestlings will not let him leave, nor does he want to. He cannot even make it down the stairs anymore, let alone out the door and away from the house. The phenomenon of the nestlings happens most strongly in the attic, and that is where he shall forever reside now.
Despite repeatedly telling Annabelle to stay way, he has enclosed a key to the attic with the note so that she may visit him.
Upon entering the attic for yourself, you find two dead bodies: One is our scientist, and one is Annabelle. The scientist apparently committed suicide. Annabell has a note laying next to her, chastising the scientist for not letting her come sooner, for he knew of her interest in the subject, but that it doesn't really matter, for she will soon be joining him and longs to feel his kiss once again.
Once you put down the note, the door to the attic shuts itself. The room fills with fog. As you move to the attic door, the game suddenly cuts to a black screen, and it's over. No weapons, no real gameplay, not even a definitive monster. What happened? That's for you to think about.
The creator of this wrote a spoiler-filled blog describing his motivations.
Majmun
Member
The mods are owning my Steam :lol
Finished Minerva and Mission Improbable so far. Also played a few rounds of Dreamball and Too Many Crates!
Pretty fun.
Minerva was amazing. Mission Improbable was way too short. Going to check out the other mods in the weekend. My Ps3/X360 backlog can wait.
Two more maps are planned for Mission Improbable, no media on them yet.Second said:http://i49.tinypic.com/14aanmv.jpg
The mods are owning my Steam :lol
Finished Minerva and Mission Improbable so far. Also played a few rounds of Dreamball and Too Many Crates!
Pretty fun.
Minerva was amazing. Mission Improbable was way too short. Going to check out the other mods in the weekend. My Ps3/X360 backlog can wait.
e: Tried Nestlings. Impressive for three days, but hanging onto it for at least a week to squash some of the bugs would have been nice
Examples:
- Sometimes the notes would get stuck on the screen.
- I was stuck at the attic ladder for about ten minutes before I realized the door wouldn't open if I was on the ladder. A simple trigger on the ladder would've solved that mix-up.
Aside from that, pretty neat/creepy story.
- Sometimes the notes would get stuck on the screen.
- I was stuck at the attic ladder for about ten minutes before I realized the door wouldn't open if I was on the ladder. A simple trigger on the ladder would've solved that mix-up.
Aside from that, pretty neat/creepy story.
I'm tiring a little bit of these mods like Nestlilngs. For me, Dear Esther was interesting because it was the first of its kind I had experienced. It also looked very nice graphically. I'm actually excited for the remake of it. I don't have a problem with the concept behind these kinds of mods, but I do have a problem with the execution.
Sega1991 posted this blog post from the guy behind Post Script and Nestlings (Lewis Denby). It specifically describes the thought process behind the creation of Nestlings. It also mentions his discussions with Robert Yang, creator of the Radiator mod. He discusses their differing views on these types of mods. In fact, you can read an in-depth post on this from Robert Yang's blog here.
I will summarize here for those who don't want to read both blog posts. Robert Yang believes that there needs to be some interaction/gameplay in these types of mods, while Lewis Denby believes they don't.
Here's my opinion. If people continue to make mods like Dear Esther, Post Script, and Nestlings, they need to use the medium to their advantage. It's an interactive medium, so make things a bit more interactive. Also, it needs to be a bit more interesting in presentation. Make the visuals and audio interesting enough that I want to see the rest of the mod. It also doesn't hurt to add a little bit of game to it. I felt that the first episode of Radiator did this best, though I would like to see something like this expanded into a Dear Esther length mod.
Also, I'm down for Age of Chivalry this weekend. Might be a good idea to have a backup plan if we don't have enough people for a full game of it. I would be down for more Synergy, as playing through Minerva in coop was awesome.
Sega1991 posted this blog post from the guy behind Post Script and Nestlings (Lewis Denby). It specifically describes the thought process behind the creation of Nestlings. It also mentions his discussions with Robert Yang, creator of the Radiator mod. He discusses their differing views on these types of mods. In fact, you can read an in-depth post on this from Robert Yang's blog here.
I will summarize here for those who don't want to read both blog posts. Robert Yang believes that there needs to be some interaction/gameplay in these types of mods, while Lewis Denby believes they don't.
Here's my opinion. If people continue to make mods like Dear Esther, Post Script, and Nestlings, they need to use the medium to their advantage. It's an interactive medium, so make things a bit more interactive. Also, it needs to be a bit more interesting in presentation. Make the visuals and audio interesting enough that I want to see the rest of the mod. It also doesn't hurt to add a little bit of game to it. I felt that the first episode of Radiator did this best, though I would like to see something like this expanded into a Dear Esther length mod.
Also, I'm down for Age of Chivalry this weekend. Might be a good idea to have a backup plan if we don't have enough people for a full game of it. I would be down for more Synergy, as playing through Minerva in coop was awesome.
SundaySounds
Banned
subscribed.
Can't wait for black mesa source.
Can't wait for black mesa source.
News from Half-Life 2: Wars!
http://www.hl2wars.com/
When I was a kid I loved all manners of insects and bugs, I'll be very pleased if those grubs grow into adult Antlions and Acidlions.
http://www.hl2wars.com/
Happy Holidays from the Half-Life 2: Wars team! Its been a year to the day since our last news post, and contrary to all appearances we are still very much alive and kickin. A lot of people have assumed were dead or inactive, and I assure you that is not the case. Sander and I have been toiling away all year (especially Sander) and finally we have some interesting news.
All of 2009 has been consumed by redevelopment of the game code. Our last public release in mid-2008 had a lot of performance issues related to the structure of client/server interaction and NPC code, so for the entire past year Sander has been slaving over a brand new codebase, rewriting everything in the mod from scratch to optimize the Source engine for multiplayer RTS capabilities. The vast majority of the mods code is now written in Python, which Sander has integrated with Source and used to expose much of the engine code. The result of all this technobabble? A more efficient and playable multiplayer RTS experience.
At the same time Sander has been handling the programming, I have been busy with the design and concept side of things, writing and scrapping and rewriting the game design over and over throughout 2009. Weve finalized an initial design to work towards for our almost-mythical (and still very far off) Beta 1.0 release, but in the meanwhile have decided to go ahead with our original plan: to create a small demo version of HLW to showcase the brand new game code and optimized multiplayer capabilities.
This takes the form of a small multiplayer-only game mode where players command opposing Antlion colonies, competing over food and grub resources. Its a fairly simple game type we just want you guys to have something new to play, and this will be available long before another full beta release. You can check out a couple of new screenshots, the first showing a Pheromone Marker resource point (which generates Antlion grubs) and the second showing our prototype direct control feature where players can take over and command one unit on the battlefield:
Well give you more details on the Antlion demo gameplay in the coming weeks and months, along with more media (including video) and a special surprise we have in store for our fellow mod developers out there, which youll hear more about soon. We dont have a release date for you guys yet, but were working hard and promise to keep you posted more than once a year from here on out.
It's also time for us to expand the team. Right now we have only two core developers, and we need more talent to help with art content! We're currently looking for 3d Artists, Texture Artists, and Level Designers, but if you have other skills you think could help us out (like sound design or voice acting) feel free to drop us a line. You must have advanced proficiency in your area of development, as well as a solid portfolio or examples of previous work. Experience with Source development is preferred but not required. If you've got what it takes, let us know via email (hl2warsmod@gmail.com) or on our community forums.
Before we sign off, we'd like to thank everyone who voted for us in Mod of the Year 2008 and got us the distinction of being the 10th most popular released modification in the 2008 MOTY competition. Hats off to all of our fans, and here's to 2010 being the biggest and best year yet for Half-Life 2: Wars.
When I was a kid I loved all manners of insects and bugs, I'll be very pleased if those grubs grow into adult Antlions and Acidlions.
BlazeHedgehog
Member
Inkwell said:
See, I dunno. I still haven't experienced very many of these mods - I haven't played Post Script, for instance. I'm torn regarding whether or not these games need gameplay or interaction.
Which is weird for me to say. I've always been a staunch "movies need to be movies, games need to be games" kind of guy. That games need just enough story to push the player out the door.
But Nestlings is the kind of story that can't be told in a text document or a video. For a "game" that features
no weapons and no actual monsters
For me, Nestlings was defined by
a moment where I came out of the first-floor room at the end of the hall by the stairs. I tried the door under the stairs where it was darkest, and the door was locked. This was the first locked door I had encountered. My videogame sense began tingling: What could be behind the door? Is this a monster closet waiting to spring open, creatures pouring out to murder me? As I thought this, I walked backwards down the hall, keeping an eye on the locked door - when suddenly I bumped in to something, and there was a brief realization of "Oh SHIT, it's behind me!" I spun around to find it was the desk by the front door containing the first note. The game had "got me". I had to say to myself "Get a GRIP, man! Relax!"
Who's to say that giving the player "more to do" wouldn't spoil a scenario like that?
Incidentally, Denby also wrote a post-mortem blog about Post Script here, where he does address some of your concerns - about how he didn't expect Post Script to be judged so harshly on aesthetic but now realizes its importance, etc.
Thunderbear
Mawio Gawaxy iz da Wheeson hee pways games
This is all awesome so don't get me wrong, this question is just out of curiosity.
Why aren't there any more full modifications to Crysis? These source mods all range in artistic style and gameplay but all I see from Crysis are some neat maps and maybe one or two decent SP mods.. I've looked at Incrysis and the ones that are in progress look pretty average t place. Maybe I am just not looking in the right places?
Why aren't there any more full modifications to Crysis? These source mods all range in artistic style and gameplay but all I see from Crysis are some neat maps and maybe one or two decent SP mods.. I've looked at Incrysis and the ones that are in progress look pretty average t place. Maybe I am just not looking in the right places?
BlazeHedgehog
Member
Thunderbear said:
At this point, everybody owns Half-Life 2. Crysis still carries the stigma of "you'll need an incredible computer to run it" and isn't as old or as wide-spread. Plus, Half-Life 2's tools have roots going all the way back to Quake 1 - people have grown up making maps and writing code for these tools over a period of ten years or more.
Dear Esther is significant to me for reasons other than being the first mod of its kind that I have played, it was significant and still is because it worked: it resonated with me and really stimulated some deep thought. If a narrative mod can do that then further interaction is unneeded, you've already made the player's time worthwhile and given him something.
However, I must admit that there are many different types of gamers with varying tastes and temperaments. Diversifying the experience with puzzling elements is a good way to appeal to a larger audience. And even if you don't bring in a few more people, good puzzles/interaction will just improve the overall package. Dear Esther delivers so strongly with its story that lack of additional interaction doesn't really hurt it, whereas in Post Script the relative dearth of interaction leaves everything else in an entirely unflattering light. Radiator's story elements are very strong, the addition of interesting interaction strengthens the entire mod. Somewhat humorously, the mod Lewis Densby took three days to make (Nestlings) absolutely outclassed the mod he spent much more time creating (on every level, the story and presentation was better, the visuals were better, etc). If one can include interaction into one's narrative mod, it should certainly be important to try. If that interaction makes sense given the world's setting, story, and makes the player regard that world with new eyes (like the memory crates of Radiator did), then you have made a substantial improvement to your mod.
At the end of the day the simple existence of mods like Post Script and Nestlings is a good thing. It's a conscious and visible effort to push against the norm, against the expected. They aren't as great as other narrative mods like Dear Esther and Radiator, but they're helping to popularize the idea of a primarily narrative-driven game.
However, I must admit that there are many different types of gamers with varying tastes and temperaments. Diversifying the experience with puzzling elements is a good way to appeal to a larger audience. And even if you don't bring in a few more people, good puzzles/interaction will just improve the overall package. Dear Esther delivers so strongly with its story that lack of additional interaction doesn't really hurt it, whereas in Post Script the relative dearth of interaction leaves everything else in an entirely unflattering light. Radiator's story elements are very strong, the addition of interesting interaction strengthens the entire mod. Somewhat humorously, the mod Lewis Densby took three days to make (Nestlings) absolutely outclassed the mod he spent much more time creating (on every level, the story and presentation was better, the visuals were better, etc). If one can include interaction into one's narrative mod, it should certainly be important to try. If that interaction makes sense given the world's setting, story, and makes the player regard that world with new eyes (like the memory crates of Radiator did), then you have made a substantial improvement to your mod.
At the end of the day the simple existence of mods like Post Script and Nestlings is a good thing. It's a conscious and visible effort to push against the norm, against the expected. They aren't as great as other narrative mods like Dear Esther and Radiator, but they're helping to popularize the idea of a primarily narrative-driven game.
It's pretty darn fun in coop too, Synergy being the main way to do that. If few people show up for Age of Chivalry tomorrow, I'd be happy to tag along for Synergy shenanigans. Minerva, HL2, the episodes, I'm down for anything.x3n05 said:Just played through Minerva, had a great time with it. I was thinking it would be a 30 minute mission, according to Steam it lasted close to 3 hours.
Thanks for making the thread OP, I would have missed this little gem if you didn't.
Sega1991:
It's awesome that you had that experience. As for me, I thought the atmosphere was well done, but it was not enough to elicit that strong of a reaction. It's a little strange, because I was immediately drawn to that first note inside the house. It was intentionally designed that way. I'm not sure why you weren't. I guess that shows both a strength and a weakness in an interactive medium. Each person can have their own unique experience, but each experience will not be the very intentionally crafted one that you would find in something like a film.
I should be clear about another topic as well. When I say interactivity, I don't necessarily mean "game" elements. Dear Esther had a few "hidden" audio clips that added to the story. In Nestlings, I would have liked to do a bit more searching to find clues about what had happened in the house. I have plenty of criticisms for Nestlings, but I understand it was only created in 3 days.
Botolf:
I actually 100% agree with you. I didn't necessarily like Dear Esther only because it was the first mod of its kind that I played. I also liked it because it was so well crafted. I was thinking about the mod long after playing it, trying to put the pieces together.
Nestlings was good in that it had a bit of ambiguity. It also had a bit of character focus. Nestlings is definitely superior to Post Script in every single way. It's too bad it was only a 3 day project, because It could have been much more interesting.
I'll finish up here with a few other thoughts. I think part of my general response with these mods grew out of a fear that we will be flooded with them. At least if there is more interaction and "game" elements, they would have the chance of being a bit more unique. We haven't even touched on Korsakovia and what happened with that. If you haven't played it, it was made by the same people behind Dear Esther. It had separate components that were interesting enough. The problem was they didn't go well together.
Edit: I completely forgot to add this. I think Flesh should be added to the list. It may not be for everyone, but it is still very well done.
It's awesome that you had that experience. As for me, I thought the atmosphere was well done, but it was not enough to elicit that strong of a reaction. It's a little strange, because I was immediately drawn to that first note inside the house. It was intentionally designed that way. I'm not sure why you weren't. I guess that shows both a strength and a weakness in an interactive medium. Each person can have their own unique experience, but each experience will not be the very intentionally crafted one that you would find in something like a film.
I should be clear about another topic as well. When I say interactivity, I don't necessarily mean "game" elements. Dear Esther had a few "hidden" audio clips that added to the story. In Nestlings, I would have liked to do a bit more searching to find clues about what had happened in the house. I have plenty of criticisms for Nestlings, but I understand it was only created in 3 days.
Botolf:
I actually 100% agree with you. I didn't necessarily like Dear Esther only because it was the first mod of its kind that I played. I also liked it because it was so well crafted. I was thinking about the mod long after playing it, trying to put the pieces together.
Nestlings was good in that it had a bit of ambiguity. It also had a bit of character focus. Nestlings is definitely superior to Post Script in every single way. It's too bad it was only a 3 day project, because It could have been much more interesting.
I'll finish up here with a few other thoughts. I think part of my general response with these mods grew out of a fear that we will be flooded with them. At least if there is more interaction and "game" elements, they would have the chance of being a bit more unique. We haven't even touched on Korsakovia and what happened with that. If you haven't played it, it was made by the same people behind Dear Esther. It had separate components that were interesting enough. The problem was they didn't go well together.
Edit: I completely forgot to add this. I think Flesh should be added to the list. It may not be for everyone, but it is still very well done.
[Single Player]
- Added Flesh
Korsakovia was an interesting mod, but it definitely had a lot of problems.
- Level Design was under-detailed and at times confusing (some of the backtracking was very difficult to identify)
- Some of the sound usage hurt my ears (mainly the squealing electronics)
- The invisible smoke monsters weren't fun to fight
- The setting didn't feel real enough to be a real place, and it didn't feel abstract enough to be a mental place. It's an awkward balance.
- The ending didn't really offer much closure for the player or any of the characters
Some pluses:
- The voice acting was good
- Some of the areas were neat
- The smoke monsters consistently freaked me out, even after I got used to them
- Added Flesh
Download for Flesh finally worked, will play some of this today.
Korsakovia was an interesting mod, but it definitely had a lot of problems.
- Level Design was under-detailed and at times confusing (some of the backtracking was very difficult to identify)
- Some of the sound usage hurt my ears (mainly the squealing electronics)
- The invisible smoke monsters weren't fun to fight
- The setting didn't feel real enough to be a real place, and it didn't feel abstract enough to be a mental place. It's an awkward balance.
- The ending didn't really offer much closure for the player or any of the characters
Some pluses:
- The voice acting was good
- Some of the areas were neat
- The smoke monsters consistently freaked me out, even after I got used to them
EatChildren
Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
I too map in Hammer.
Korsakovia is pretty shit, by the way. Not worth playing. The level design just isnt very good.
Korsakovia is pretty shit, by the way. Not worth playing. The level design just isnt very good.