The Mapcore Mod Team

So guys, Wake up here! UE4 is now available for everyone now. We can raise an army and build something great together.

I propose to start over and create a common mindmap to brainstorm first without writing proper concept so we could bring out intentions.

Is there an update to how this mod is coming along ? "any concept art or map previews"

When does HURG Studios/Software start working on games and doing a Kickstarter thingie?

I think there needs to be a core (best puns) group of decision makers (2-4 people) here or you guys are going to be bouncing ideas off each other until the end of time.

It's really risky making a HL2 mod the year that halflife 3 comes out.

[Blocked Image: http://www.gifbin.com/bin/112010/1290165886_rsd4rn.gif]

Either way I think it needs to be directed by experienced members- at least a couple that have shipped before and have a realistic idea of scale.

I started reading this thinking I'd missed so much over the weekend... 4 pages in I noticed the dates on the post -_- lol

Prob going to do a bunch of small vr projects this year. Ill def need artists / technical artists

Pm me if you are interested. No start date as of yet. Will be in Unreal 4

Oh snap! This idea is back again? Awesome. Let's do this!

Well setting out to make HL3 is a bit daunting…

We should structure and release in episodes (ehrm lol ?)

More seriously, every time I think of something big Half-Life I wonder if it would be worth working the cumbersome Source, especially considering that they haven't been taking Source 2 since, and the gravepine suggests it won't come (soon).

Since Valve itself is using Unity for VR, wonder if it'd be better doing something in Unity or UE like Vivi intends to.

I have been thinking of starting something smallish to learn UE, something that would be an HL tie-in (if Valve liked it) and that should be functional in VR too…

A Mapcore mod would be interesting, but varying experience levels might make it tough. We have an abundance of level designers, but how many level designers does a mod really need?

I think it's entirely possible we could start with a core of users from this website, but trying to directly include everyone in the actual development process wouldn't really be feasible of course.

Quote from FMPONE

29 minutes ago, FMPONE said: A Mapcore mod would be interesting, but varying experience levels might make it tough. We have an abundance of level designers, but how many level designers does a mod really need?

I think it's entirely possible we could start with a core of users from this website, but trying to directly include everyone in the actual development process wouldn't really be feasible of course.

I was thinking about how this could work:-

4 core 'core members directing. These are the 4 people that ultimately decide what's being made- Art direction, Gameplay etc.

Anyone else interested sticks their name on a spreadsheet stating what they a interested helping with (level blockouts, art passes, scripting, story, gameplay etcetc) the 4 then form teams under themselves and delegate tasks as required- possibly have a tiered subforum where ideas can be discussed. It's at the 4's discretion what is delegated to who.

There should also be a disclaimer that any work they do may not be featured and final decisions lie with the core team of 4. I'm sure many on here want to help less experienced members but are also want to only align their names with high quality products. Might lead to some 'fat kid getting picked last for sports' kind situations but that's life.

Quote from Sprony

25 minutes ago, Sprony said: No, it wouldn't @FMPONE and those are good ideas @Vaya. Since private messages, different threads and what not are causing a lot of fragmentation, I'm going to keep it simple. I've searched for what Half-Life 2: Episode 3 would entail (for so far things leaked and were hinted at). I've also asked several pro's for advise and assistance. I'm going to facilitate the opportunity for this community to form a mod team and create an unofficial Episode 3. Whether this idea blossoms or withers and dies is up to you. Everyone who's serious, committed and highly motivated can send me a private message with their motivation, skill set and credentials.

That doesn't mean that others can't use this thread to find each other and create projects of their own, like @General Vivi asking for help with his VR-project. I'm just ending the endless back and forth of 20 captains trying to steer the ship. Now, let me repeat what I said in the opening post of this thread:

On what engine?

I think we could easily make the number of HL2:Episode 2 maps necessary to create an unofficial Episode 3, but the question is would it find an audience? On an old engine like that, who knows.

I'd also expect a rather drastic increase in visual quality in hl3 compared to hl2, so it wouldn't be just maps obviously, who's feeling like rigging and animating all those monsters/npcs? This could easily be underestimated and it's likely to fail because of that.

Better start with something small imo.

My vote would go to using Black Mesa as long as HL2 specific assets such as combine, grav gun etc. are available in it. That way the project starts off with more toys to play with.

For my own part I don't think I have enough proven experience to take the lead on a map, but I'd be grateful of the chance to produce some assets and throw my two cents in to the design process. Working with talented, more experienced folk would be a great asset to my (pretty much nonexistent) portfolio. I don't think the project would need to be massively more technically advanced than episode 2. The main focus should be gameplay and story, rather than a visual overhaul.

Quote from Sprony

12 minutes ago, Sprony said: It has to be a version of Source due to all the stuff you need. It could álso be done on modified Black Mesa Source engine. Half-Life 2 modding is still alive and well. Maps and mods are frequently released and played. Plus, Half-Life 2 is owned by almost everyone and it still has a huge following. With the quality we have here, combined with Source/Black Mesa and the Half-Life name, I can't imagine that it wouldn't be able to find an audience.

A Black Mesa modification seems like a smart move. I'm sure those guys would be happy about it too.

Not going to rain on the parade any further, but I think Black Mesa is a separate engine from HL2, the entities are totally different if I'm not mistaken, and a port would be a technical challenge of a large magnitude. Could speak to @JeanPaul on that front. Hard to imagine an "Episode 3" with no HL2 content.