DarkShift
Rodolphe joined
Been on moddb for a decade (2010-30th december of 2019). A new beginning since 2020. Always focused on Half Life.
My Blogs
So,
a remaster of the "first HL2 mod ever made" (why and how do we know that? Because it was released even before HL2's official release... as it was based on HL2's leak...),
And it fell on me, shortly after, "if we know the first HL2 mod ever made... What was the first HL1 map/mod ever made?"
and it made me fall back to 1998... (sweat) - Moddb wasn't really helping on that, never was Google and some research on forums...
RTSL/ (ex - PlanetPhillip) was more helpful... As I dug deeper, I found onf the first maps ever made, judging by the dev's comments and the date of the file, it was probably released 12/30/98... and it was explicitly rushed just to be one of the first maps ever released...
"The Lounge"... so... 41 days after the official retail release.
But it's probably not the very very first...
So, I'm launching a big worldwide call, help me to find it, help me to find what could be the first HL1 map/mod
You're Rhezina-rhagitor 3320, one of the "biological expendables" headcrabs sent to Black Mesa after the resonance cascade, by the Sun Eater Pillar's forces (see Residual Life).
List of chapters :
1) original Zombie Edition campaign.
2) Starting map where you choose between training level and main campaign.
3)Agent training course, training level .
4) main campaign with a new intro now tied to Residual Life's events.
5) FIELD OF BLOOD, get a host and rampage through Black Mesa.
6) REIGN OF BLOOD, HECU are in the place.
7) CANAL OF BLOOD divided in 3 alternate paths, sewer path, upper path, and underground/on a rail path, all leading to
8) LAKE OF BLOOD : these maps are basically run-and-hide through water and earth from copters, tanks and air strikes.
9) CENTER OF BLOOD : map in the usual setting of Chosin Reservoir (see Residual Life's eponym chapter), still WIP chapter.
The mod is available only here Cafe.naver.com but the website is in Korean, and you have to register, then write at least 3 comments, then wait 7 day until you are allowed to download the precious files.
ESHQ is a GoldSrc/HL1 mod made by Russian dev team RD_AAOW, using HL1 assets and Xash3D, it also uses its own software, so don’t download it on Steam (you will erase the original « hl.exe » from valve) but in your common Program Files folder.
Not set in Hl1 universe, you’re a government spy sent on a mission at Evil Scientists HeadQuarters (ESHQ) set in fictional town « Bernier City », to steal some secret files… and a 20 hour long journey into the unknown, begins.
I also collected 420 out of 472/480 documents (they serve as « clues » to hidden containers, supposed to unlock abilities, however it wasn't available in the end).
We collect some files and weapons in the building, and encounter « Sampi » (Gman's model), a mysterious guy who knows some dark secrets about our mission.
We leave ESHQ to an hotel, a metro station, kills some HECU to protect the « evil » scientists, and on Sampi’s advice, broadcasts all secret files to the public/media through ES comm center.
Comm center collapses under air strikes sent to stop the leaks, we flee to ES sea labs
4.'We got him!'
The player is caught by militaries, stripped of weapons, beaten, but escapes after more air strikes destroy the sea labs, then reach and disable a ship, which drifts and collides with underwater part of the Bernier city zoo; large volume of mutagenic liquid reaches city's canalizations, turning every citizen into monsters.
Zombies and alien fauna spread around the city, we reach the biological research center where we finally find some friendly Barneys and scientists.
We move through deenergized metro tunnels and fights crowds of zombies, militaries, and contacts Sampi with a transmitter, after that we go to city's hospital and car service, and finally a railway depot that has been used for evacuation.
7.Unsuccessful set of circumstances
We reach « Base 5 », weapon-focused center, but it is largely affected by earthquakes, making us travel through volcanic places… We escape through a large ship where we encounter the evil leader, an unnamed scientist (Gordon Freeman's model), who flees when the ship breaks down, as well as « base 5 ».
The ship falls down to an old mining complex, we finally reachs an old train which crashes near « base 4 », advanced virtual reality-focused center.
Bad Gordon sends us through VR test chambers, levels based on Mario Bros !! until the engines break down. After that, we reach a giant rocket silo which we launch on Bernier City, which goes completly obliterated, after that we flee to underground caves.
10.Ghost town
We wander through the destroyed city and fights with burned but still walking mutants, then we encounter in an hidden lab, « GHOST », a supercomputer gone rogue who killed everyone in the lab. We destroy it before finding a friendly ship in the stadium, meeting Sampi again who sets up the next mission : going to Bernier Mountain to kill Bad Gordon, after taking some rest, ammo and HP.
11.Dead peak
We go through the moutain inside and outside before reaching « Base 3 », a weather control-focused center. We meet again Bad Gordon this time with his chief (a white-suit Gman), an experiment takes place but goes wrong and blows everyone to bits – minus the hero.
We go downside the moutain and find the old Bernier village, a hidden path with a labyrinth leads to « Base 2 «, abandoned alien fauna-focused center filled with headcrabs and even a Gonarch, it leads to « base 1 », aquabiology-focused center.
We flood « base 1 » to reach the surface and meets again Sampi who congratulates us before trying to kill us for « knowing too much », but the pink nebula from « base 3 » failed experiment strikes again and forces Sampi to flee. We go back to « base 3 » through some villages, empty asylums and city transport paths, before finding an advanced teleport system.
Second and last part of this walkthrough, our initial hidden target then turned friend and/or employer Sampi ϡ lied to us, betrayed us, probably f*cked up our face, and now has our permission to die.
14.The border
A Xen-like alien world, already taken over by Sampi, who tries to kill us again in his HQ, badly wounded we find the self destruction system of the center but Sampi escapes through his how teleporter.
15.Another way
We teleport back to Bernier City and wander through damaged and broken buildings, streets, factories.
16.The collapse
After various battles, we reach city’s edge but suddenly the entire centy vanish, and we awake later in an empty refugees camp attacked by zombies. After some wandering we find a way to Sampi Earth’s HQ.
After some fights, we encounter Sampi for the final time who activates another « GHOST » supercomputer which once again goes rogue and blow Sampi to smithereens, the whole base then starts to break down. We flee, and reachs some deep railway station.
18.The core
We reach Sampi’s space station, filled with enemies, and manage to trigger another devastating reaction.
The space station falls apart and while fleeing, we accidentaly go at Deepcave station, and after some turmoil, Onground station.
20.The escape
We flee the whole complex before its total, nuclear destruction, then reach some friendly guards who take us to Oakwood research center, scientists have found Bernier city teleported in the Border world, our final mission is to find some dangerous weapons and artifacts before what’s left of the enemies, find them instead.
We go back to Bernier city in Border world, with some help from friendly guards, and find the first item : a Gluon Gun ! After that, we can go back to the center and get ENDING 1.Or we can continue to find a teleport system.
We are at the ancient city of Knoigdarf, fighting through militaries, zombies, aliens, in bizarre places such as Pharaon-like tombs, then we find an upside down Teleportation building, turn down the Teleportation core (second item!), travel through the white world of « non existence » glimpsed earlier, and back to the military camp.
23. Return to ruins
We can once again go back to the Oakwood center and get ENDING 2. Ooooor… going through the military camp and tombs, until we reach the destroyed Sampi’s Border HQ (see chap 14).
We travel through some abandoned labs until we reach and steal the third artifact, the Gravicore, once again a path leads to Oakwood and ENDING 3. Buuuuuut… we can also find a hidden path getting us to the Eigekkt underground city.
25.The Eigekkt
Eigekkt city is an alien advanced city where we find the last remnants of Sampi’s forces now blocked far from Earth, facing various aliens. We travel through the whole city before reaching some abandoned underground places, filled with strange glowing white liquid, the Ether.
26.The Kkor
We get to the ancient city of Kkor, again with some human and alien resistance, where the last artifact awaits, a Time control cube. The artifact sends us one last time to « non existence » plane where we finds Sampi’s last message to the player, giving us more explanations about who he was and what he did. Then it’s ENDING 4, one last time to Oakwood center and the « true » ending for getting all artifacts (Gluon Gun, Teleport system, Gravity core, Time control cube), where we get our long awaited copter's flight.
This is "Residual Point", dev. from 2004 to 2007 by Korean team Radiation studios, led by Toxagen.
This acts as an alternate storyline to Half-Life, you play as Jack Sohn, a Ph D MIT Theoretical Physics Decided Major, Research Assistant working at the Biodome Complex. He gets involved with teleportal experiments and then as usual all hell breaks loose. It is unclear whether it's because of you or Freeman in Anomalous Materials that Resonance Cascade occurs, as A.M. are mentioned by some characters.
This chapter list below uses the 2020 addon/update and the dev. commentary translated from Korean and helped by what I saw during my playthrough :
1) Intro : tram ride, the dev tried to make it less "boring" than usual as some people sometimes feel it this way, this was already the case in 1998, you know, even in computer magazines (I remember...).
2) INSECURITY : Black Mesa, the dev. talks about exploring "useless" areas, there is indeed an uneventful and worthless office. they created and are proud of an elevator that can move without a loading screen.
3) INCOMING : For the dev, this place has "unnecessary but curious areas", indeed the Biodome is a far more pleasant place to wander than Anomalous Materials, with big water tanks filled with leeches or (for now...) placid Ichtyosaurs. This is the Resonance Cascade, our role is less direct than in White Force (pushing the crystal cart), here we are the guinea pig in the experiment.
4) AMONG THE RUINS : "Unforeseen Consequences" rip-off, the dev acknowledge that we can quickly get lost here in this labyrinth of collapsed parts, and regrets it.
5) OFFICE FACILITY : a sometimes disliked but essential part of HL, the "office complex" is here very close to the original.
6) OBSCURE TRUE : HECU's arrival, "We've got hostiles" . The complex staircase in the center foreshadows their love of deeply interconnected levels. It was inspired by Blue Shift.
7) RESIDUE PIT : « Blast Pit » ideas mixed with "Residue Processing" setting, created for the purpose of having at least one long puzzle (involving pumps and stuff). One lift at the end has the property of rewinding.
8) BOMBING SURFACE : mix between "surface tension" and "Forgot about Freeman", air strikes destroying parts such as bridges. It is left to the player to fight or not the ospreys, I choose sometimes to do it, sometimes not. There are sand fields full of headcrabs... foreshadowing "Chaotic Butcher" of Residual Life. This was supposed to be a flooded part, with Ichtyosaurs.
Two alternatives paths :
9a) RECESSION "PARKING ROUTE" : Dev. tells how he managed to make bigger maps by using change_target instead of changelevel. This map is full of black ops, they are the "left overs" after the military evacuation/escape. About the transparent barnacle, it was to show why people suffer inside... You have to escort a scientist and it is annoying to save and protect his 1998 A.I. and *ss .
9b) RECESSION "SEWER ROUTE" : Rip-off of HL2's canal. Flooded zone with Ichtyosaurs everywhere and you don't have enough ammo, so it's more trial and error... a nightmare for those who were and are still terrified by this alien Jaws lookalike. Some complex path where you have to use O2 systems underwater otherwise well you die... The dev has nothing to say about the complains that there are too many Ichtyo.
Fun stuff like here with a large battle around Biodome complex with Assassins jumping in water and fighting Ichtyosaurs... this is not scripted and I think it's just a random event unexpected by the devs.
10) DISTORSION : an interesting twist about the tram ride where you have to fight on the way... There is no proper comment or explanation about Gman's appearance...
11) UPPER YARD : for the dev, a very long (maybe too much) chapter in terms of scale and number of maps. This is just fights after fights in regular Black Mesa, harder than ever.
12) COURSE TO LAMBDA : it was planned to be a straight course with not too many enemies as we are so close to go to Xen.
13) INTO THE PORTAL : The dev says this is the only time a map from HL1 is directly used in this mod. Xen's maps were created through "trial and error", and as in Residual Life, we have very large maps but not so many oppositions, in fact we walk and run for a long time but there are a few battles. However, it's one of the most polished work
14) DREAD PLOT : Nothing interesting in the dev comm, but there is here interesting things, it's a rip-off of Interloper but it's not a Alien grunt factory, it's here you witness how Zgrunts are made, and you also see them in RL... There is also a very fun tram ride but with alien stuff and alien trains and tracks. The only and final boss fight sadly comes out of nowhere and puts you against 2 Gonarchs, it's not that hard compared to some previous battles...
The red teleporter was the original ending, but now this is where you can get access to the 2 last levels, by destroying the 2 purple cells on the back of the teleport.
15) RESIDUAL POINT : the eponym chapter of the mod was originally a cut level... you are back on Earth but the sky is Xenish and/or portal storms, Manta Rays flying freely in the sky... you face Black Ops, HECU, Zgrunts.
16) FINAL ESCAPE : The very last chapter is surprisingly short and features an escape by riding a serviceable military truck... Originally seen by the dev to be "an unnecessary waste of time", finishing on Xen was seen as "not too bad", and so it has been deleted (available through console... but the very end was broken until today...). The ending will bring some closure to those who played it 12 or 13 years ago and wondered if this was truly worth it in the end.
To be continued and ended in Residual Life.
Residual Life, started in 2008, first released in 2012, final version 1.9 in feb 20.
This playthrough gives you links to all paths, secrets, endings available.
Don't forget to play in HARD mode to get access to all levels, secrets. Some doors are locked if you play on easy or medium, preventing you to get to some parts where you can find secrets.
You play "W, Sora Kim", a female PhD, MIT, Theorical Physics Decided Assistant, working as a Reactor Operation Engineer in Lambda Complex.
Her trademark suit is the white "cleansuit" as introduced in OpFor, and not the HEV suit used by Gordon Freeman, therefore the "White Force" in the title of their first mod (RP and RL can be seen as WF2 and 3).
The fist part of this walkthrough is regular Black Mesa but as the plot becomes more and more complex, it is better to tell that it's not in the same timeline as HL1, but rather in an alternate timeline (alternate or even dream-like, in the likes of the Phantasm franchise), where the Resonance Cascade occurs but not from Freeman, and the Xenians/Combine are a bit different from what we see in the retail games.
0) UNUSED SELECT LEVEL ZONE : this is where you select training levels and can see various fun stuff with K-pop.
#) GREAT ESCAPE : training level "medium" difficulty, in the map's of Resonance Cascade, just some fighting against vorts and zombies.
#2) MADNESS : training level "hard" difficulty, with various challenges, run/hide/find weapons/fight back and kill enemies with a time limit, in the maps from Chosin Reservoir, chapter you'll see later.
1) IMPOSSIBILITY DREAM : This is the eerie intro, strarting where Residual Point ended (last map + deleted map "Residual Point"/"Final Escape"), you wake up in Black Mesa dormitories, you can wander around in BM pre-catastrophe but no custom sequences or voice overs.
2) BLACK MESA INBOUND : This is the classic tram sequence.
3) ROUTINE WORK : The Resonance Cascade occurs as you work at the Lambda's Reactor Coolant System. You don't see what or who triggered the event (Freeman? Jack Sohn from Residual Point? Other?), This is where you find the first secret "LOST BATTERY" : Get the 2 batteries after getting your cleansuit.
4) STATE OF EMERGENCY : you're rescued (got CPR!), escape this mess, find weapons and allies. Second secret "DEMON SLAYER" : kill the reskinned headcrab in that hard to reach vent.
5) LEGAL DEFENSE : HECU's arrival. Third secret "Circle of death" : first one, second one. Fourth secret "Chaotic Butcher" : you have to clear 2 sand fields of their headcrabs, it can be long, take a Barney with you, helps a lot, first one , second one.
THE FIRST 2 PURPLE CELLS : We go back because we need to find the purple cells, here 2 out of 5, needed to go to the hidden true final boss, at the very end of the mod.You can find also the very first laptop explaining a bit the background of the story.
This where we go to bonus level "One is All, All in One!" for the last secret, but if you don't, I show you the "regular" path to the next level "Ground Zero".
6) ONE IS ALL, ALL IN ONE! : bonus level in some sewers. Last secret "Dark Golden Energy", a Grav Gun. The way to do is here, this door will be locked if you don't play on hard, or if you didn't get the "chaotic butcher" secret. DGE secret is not only the last secret but also, later, the only way to "Chosin Resevoir" bonus level for the 3rd purple cell.
7) GROUND ZERO : Lambda Reactor-like level with various teleports to activate. If you get all secrets, this leads you to the bonus level, if not, you go straight to No way Out.
8) BETWEEN WORLDS AND CHAOS : Xen level, bonus level with no enemies, but with ammo and health.
9) NO WAY OUT : Surface Tension/On a Rail mix level. You encounter "Zgrunts", enemies introduced in Residual Point wich are HECU experimented upon by Xenians.
10) COUNTDOWN : Surface Tension 2... with Black Ops instead of HECU.
This ends with the place, where you have to choose between 2 paths, "Xen" or "Black Mesa". No turning back from that point.
This is Road 1, "XEN", which leads to its own final boss and ending. However, Impossibility Dream/Credits/Epilogue are common to both roads.
11a) COUNTDOWN, save the scientist, who opens a door, then go to the nuclear warhead.
12a) NUCLEAR PORTAL, melting-pot between real world and Xen world, maybe out of time and space... Did that nuke blow up in your face anyway?
13a) RUINS OF CHRONOS : Xen world but you can see sometimes, the ruins of an ancient and forgotten civilization.
14a) ASHES OF LAUTREC : Xen world, ending with a Citadel building taken over by Black Ops (for some reason, the sound doesn't work for this last part).
If you got the "Talisman" , it will open the way to the final boss.
If you don't have it, then the Heaven's 'Door will stay closed, no text will appear, and you are sent back to Road 2, level "Heart of Nightmare" (see part 4).
15a) ALTAR OF SACRIFICE : The Nihilanth/leader of the Xen forces in this mod is a black Boo. It works the same as the original, shooting lightning bolts and teleporters, which sends you to four elemental (Earth, Fire, Water and Air) places where you destroy each crystals.
In the end, you destroy the "talisman system" whatever that means (maybe the same as the Nihilanth holding the giant portal leading to Earth?)
16) IMPOSSIBILITY DREAM : Tram outro, the end makes you question if this was all real, a dream, or another reboot done by Gman, like Residual Point.... maybe for another story in another Residual mod?
17) CREDITS featuring all the 500+ faithful followers on moddb.
18) EPILOGUE, set in the same maps from "Madness" and "Chosin Reservoir" (see part 4) in a 1950's Korea War's setting, by night... In the end, you find a spacecraft and escape.... maybe?
Road 2 dubbed "BLACK MESA" with its own final boss, ending. Both roads to the same outro.
There are a few issues on this playthrough (sound, cuts).
THE PATH TO ROAD 2, jump in the lower canal.
This is the "regular" path to Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust. The "locked" elevator door at the end is the exit door of the bonus level,
11b) CHAOTIC BLUE, bonus level, the fire door will be locked unless you got all previous secrets (Lost Battery... to Dark Golden Energy).
If you manage to free the scientists, they will open various rooms, one with both Tau Cannon and Gluon Gun,
and other stuff linked to the influences of this mod ("Sensorama" from Laidlaw's GADGET, etc...).
In the end, you can shut down an energy transmitter connected to a mysterious black sphere in another dimension that you'll meet again at the very end of the mod.
12b) ASHES TO ASHES, DUST TO DUST : Maze-like level full of tunnels, reservoirs, and battles against Black Ops and Xenians.
You discover the main purpose of this road, stop the crystal harvesting of that giant crystal (you see its "head" here),
it is a "Xenium" crystal, based on Laidlaw's book GADGET and THIRD FORCE, an endless power source with time- and space-bending properties.
13b) HEART OF NIGHTMARE : More battles around the "core" part of the crystal, the "nightmare" is due to powerfuls and countless enemies,
Bigger and faster-shooting Vorts, Cloaked sniper-wielding Black Ops, and Zgrunts.
In previous versions, Gman was in the elevator with the nuclear warhead, then it was the warhead only, now it is empty.
14b) CENTER OF ALL THINGS : Final part inside Black Mesa at the "bottom" part of the crystal. In previous versions you just had to run to the warhead and it was the end.
Final Gman's sighting at with a GoldSrc Combine Hunter.
I choose to do a "maverick" way, going as fast as you can to the big door, and let Xenians and Black Ops kill each other.
This is also the "final" level if you don't play on "hard" and/or have the 2 purple cells (see part 1), you go to the outro.
Otherwise, you go to the true final level,
15b) THE SUN EATER'S PILLAR : The topside of the crystal's harvesting is connected to some mystic energy device in a Citadel-like building.
This level is bigger than anything else in the whole mod and is full of ridiculous battles where you face countless waves of enemies (Of course, it's their homeworld...).
15b-bis) CHOSIN RESERVOIR : Bonus level in 1950's Korea war setting. Listen carefully : when you go to that giant structure,
DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING. Go to the little plot in front of the giant door, and if you have Dark Golden Energy secret (see part 1), you will automatically place the G-gun. The blue crystal sphere will shoot a teleporter to that level.
The THIRD PURPLE CELL is at the end, and then you go back to the level's beginning and then to :
THE SUN EATER'S PILLAR (part 2) : Countless painful battles. There are impressive lightning bridges and an annoying unending alarm.
Being a big Xen factory, there are some cells/incubators? for various Xen creatures, rail tracks for alien trains, storage for Manta Rays.
Various laptops attempting to expand the plot.
The FOURTH PURPLE CELL is at map rl02u3u (the door leading to it only open if you play on Hard or if you got Chaotic Butcher, cf. Legal Defense) I shot my way in and out with Hornet Gun and music.
Another laptop.
Long battle for the last time against Black Ops who send everything : soldiers, tanks, Apaches, air strikes.
FIFTH (and final) PURPLE CELL in the control room.
15b-ter) THE TINY DWARF : The boss' door won't open unless you have the 5 purple cells.
It is a mix between Full Metal Alchemist's antagonist "Dwarf in the Flask" and the Demon Kings from Slayers.
He'll send many enemies and shoot countless electric waves whenever he sees you, and sometimes, dozen of RPG rockets.
Final laptop explaining about an ancient evil sealed, and how governments send soldiers to this outer world for « sacrifice ».
The battle begins there, Run, strafe, hide, heal, shoot the crystals (crossbow is best).
You meet again the black sphere from CHAOTIC BLUE, after the boss' death.
Could be "Dark Golden"/"Lord of Nightmares" aka "God" in Slayers universe (hints here and here).
THE SUN EATER'S PILLAR (finale) : even with their leader's death (replaced by an artifical sun?), you still have to fight Xenians, equally pissed off Black Ops, and stop the pillar. The enemies spawn endlessly,
so just activate the plots quickly, hide, wait for the green screen, and run to the teleporter at the center.
The Black Ops send air strikes when the pillar is shut down.
This ends with Sora Kim placed in "spatial isolation".
16) IMPOSSIBILITY DREAM : Tram outro, empty nighty Black Mesa, you meet a curious Barney... was it all a dream, or does Gman rewind time?
17) CREDITS.
18) EPILOGUE : Run your way to the spacecraft.
This was maybe the greatest, longest, hardest HL1/GoldSrc adventure ever made.
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