[HL2:EP] Cold Steel

[holiestcows]

*Title mistake, should say [HL2:EP2] Cold Steel *

Cold Steel is a map Az and I created for the Facepunch singleplayer map contest. We started it October first and just recently finished it.

The idea for this map is that you're part of an Elite Combine task force, sent to the Arctic to recapture a refinery, that was taken by the resistance; inside the refinery is a Combine Base. Your job is to get in and turn off the security to allow the main Combine army to enter.

Credits :

HoliestCow for Mapping.

Az for custom textures and models - Plus the displacements.

Play Testers :

Copeland.

Miigga.

Mr2VideoCards.

Omnibus.

Special Thanks :

To Modman for creating us a custom music piece. www.soundcloud.com/modman

To FireGod for his awesome skybox!

To Lamarr for telling me how bad the map was.

Also, big thanks to Interlopers, Facepunch and Mapcore for helping me make this map.

Enjoy!!

Links :

http://www.azhosting...steel_final.rar

Update - For some reason, the packbsp did not include the custom music piece by modman. Here it is

http://www.gamefront.com/files/22724059/ColdSteel-Music.rar

Extract it to your EP2 folder.

NOTE - If the Combine dropship in the beginning refuses to unload the soldiers, reload the map.

Edited December 8, 2012 by holiestcows

[2d-chris]

grats on finishing this

[SamCom]

I'll second the congrats on finishing it! Cool to see other people doing single player stuff.

I played through it, and put my thoughts below.

!Spoilers below, obv!

Finished in about 13 minutes.

The dropship clips with the mountains a few times as it enters. I know that's a pain to set up, but I think you have enough space to place the waypoints so that doesn't happen.

The objective displays were interesting, but I felt they were really obtrusive - they took up a lot of screen real estate, and didn't really tell me a whole lot. It kind of took me out of the game. I think ideally your job as the level designer is to naturally guide the player towards completing the objectives, without yelling in their face. The objectives were simple enough that I could figure them out without the messages, but there would need to be more visual hints in the level.

The steam pipes I have to shut off, for example: if I would have been able to follow the steam pipes back to the valves where I have to shut them off, that'd be a way of letting the player naturally find a solution to the puzzle.

Rebels as enemies are really hard - they're a ton more accurate than the usual Combine fodder, so I got torn up. It didn't help that there was very little full cover, especially in the steam room where the spawn on the walkway. The rebels also stood and spawned in really tight groups, there wasn't really a way to isolate and pick them off. Minor quibble: I heard "Combine!" shouted when no one should have been able to see me as I entered that steam room.

There was very little maneuvering to the combat: for example, the bridge crossing into the huge lava room. I have only one path forward, one option if I want to engage the enemy - no way to flank them, no alternate routes. Combat is just charging forward - not as interesting as it could be.

I also kind of expected the Combine I spawned with to do something, so I waited for them at the entrance for a while. Maybe have them spread out a bit more and look out, or maybe have them walk a patrol path, or have me cut off from them somehow. There wasn't a visible reason that they couldn't follow me in, and they certainly would have helped later.

I was completely lost on the final objective. I hit the button then had no idea where to go - I found the solution before the puzzle. First, the core door is well camouflaged off to the side - the player never directly faces it. Ideally, I would see it as soon as I enter the space, looming over me as the most obvious exit, then I'd search for a way to open it. It should be a focal point - it should have spots illuminating it, it should look like it has an opening mechanism. I didn't even have a clear sight line to the door when I pressed the button - there's a huge vertical beam in the way, and the crates cover it up.I didn't have any idea what pressing the button was doing. It really doesn't help that there's a pitch black fake wall there - it doesn't look like I could even go forward. There has to be something to draw me forward, some reason I want to enter - some crates, enemies, or at least a light. You want there to be some mystery, sure, but I have to be tantalized first - what's down that hall? What's just around the corner?

So instead of heading for the core door, I ran down the corridor the rebels spawned from: it was bright and well lit, and the rebels spawned there - both things drew me in that direction, until I hit the unopenable door. An easy change would be to have the rebels come out of the core door as it opens - I'm naturally drawn towards movement. Throughout the rest of the level, I've progressed through these same styles of doors - they've been the main way through the rest of the level, and the game's indirectly taught me that those will be the path forward.

The custom content was cool, I liked the hexagonal containers and the sweet door animations.

I think you're doing well. I'd work on making combat encounters with room and alternate paths for both the player and the enemy to maneuver, and using the environment to communicate to the player what they have to do and where they need to go. Looking forward to the next part!

Edited November 30, 2012 by SamCom

[holiestcows]

Thanks for playing and thanks for taking the time to write a response. Ill definitely take what I learned into consideration on my next project. Im glad you enjoyed it!

[holiestcows]

Update - For some reason, the packbsp did not include the custom music piece by modman. Here it is

http://www.gamefront.com/files/22724059/ColdSteel-Music.rar

Extract it to your EP2 folder.

[Vilham]

Yeah grats on finishing.I'll give it a playthrough when I can.

[KrAk]

Please tell me how install this project?

[truman]

There are very few photographs of this thing, so I mostly relied on hobby scale models, which were actually really great as they have some really nice detail on them.

[holiestcows]

Please tell me how install this project?

Extract the map into your EP2 maps folder, then launch EP2. When in game, open up console via hitting the "~" key and then type "map coldsteel_final"

[KrAk]

Please tell me how install this project?

Extract the map into your EP2 maps folder, then launch EP2. When in game, open up console via hitting the "~" key and then type "map coldsteel_final"

Thx very much!