Black Mesa Source is released

[Major Banter]

You get the crowbar a lot later. If you see a houndeye and you haven't got a crowbar, you missed it.

Ty, I could have sworn the original HL 1 gave it to you right away.

Original gives it to you just before the elevator full of scientists drops down the shaft. That's after the lasers post-resonance cascade.

I've had a lot of crash-to-desktops from memory exceptions. Most happen on map loading, rarely just happen at random. Nothing game-breaking though.

[Armageddon]

You get the crowbar a lot later. If you see a houndeye and you haven't got a crowbar, you missed it.

Ty, I could have sworn the original HL 1 gave it to you right away.

They gave it to you next to a glass door so you could figure out that things broke and you could crawl through the doors.

[Epifire]

They gave it to you next to a glass door so you could figure out that things broke and you could crawl through the doors.

Ah yeah that does sound about right. I only played HL 1 on my first time (almost all the way to the end) about year or two ago so my memory is still fairly fresh about it.

[Dives]

Oh boy the soundtrack is good. Dodging, dipping, ducking, diving, and dodging through the lasers in the explosives warehouse while this was playing was excellent.

The soundtrack better than most commercial games.

[Armageddon]

I did enjoy the soundtrack, wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.

[Sathor]

I am still walking around with the first guard you meet, so not very far yet, but I am already very, very impressed. The brushwork is really nice, the atmosphere really well done. This might really have been done by Valve itself, and I mean that in a positive way.

I am looking forward to play through it, since it has been a few years since I last played Half Life.

[Blink]

i crashed a few times so far as well. for me it seems linked to flashlight usage. not sure what to make of it.

another thing I want to point out here...I think that the one thing that really sets this mod apart from its peers (apart from the NPCs) is the EPIC FUCKING BRUSHWORK. From the massive curved tunnels and gorgeously arched interiors to the hydroelectric dam and the buildings on the surface, everything is so beautiful, smooth, and perfect.

How do they do it!?!?

A once required skill before HL2 came about and everyone filled their maps with props. Makes all the difference as you've seen

I remember you making quite a point out of this on your mapping guide blog (whatever it was). Been holding on to that info ever since.

Missing images, but I think you mean this - http://web.archive.org/web/200709050926 ... blog/?p=61

[joe_rogers_11155]

i crashed a few times so far as well. for me it seems linked to flashlight usage. not sure what to make of it.

another thing I want to point out here...I think that the one thing that really sets this mod apart from its peers (apart from the NPCs) is the EPIC FUCKING BRUSHWORK. From the massive curved tunnels and gorgeously arched interiors to the hydroelectric dam and the buildings on the surface, everything is so beautiful, smooth, and perfect.

How do they do it!?!?

A once required skill before HL2 came about and everyone filled their maps with props. Makes all the difference as you've seen

I remember you making quite a point out of this on your mapping guide blog (whatever it was). Been holding on to that info ever since.

Missing images, but I think you mean this - http://web.archive.org/web/200709050926 ... blog/?p=61

You are absolutely right about the "props" syndrome dragging down level design theory. You ought to at least write a new short little tutorial on how to effectively enhance via brushwork alone. Hell, you could copy-paste the blog post, add a few new images, and voila you have a new tutorial that is simple in concept but far-reaching in practice. Something like that should be taught at the earliest stages for new level designers, right along with "how to use hammer" or "my first map" tutorials.

[MaK]

I've mentioned to Blink countless times to bring back that blog. I loved it, and everyone I know that read it loved it as well. I can't remember his response exactly, but it was probably something along the lines of using the words "lost forever", "gone", "maybe I'll get around to it", or "too lazy".

Better link of the blog here

[Armageddon]

I've mentioned to Blink countless times to bring back that blog. I loved it, and everyone I know that read it loved it as well. I can't remember his response exactly, but it was probably something along the lines of using the words "lost forever", "gone", "maybe I'll get around to it", or "too lazy".

Better link of the blog here

It's what inspired me to make maps.

[joe_rogers_11155]

its definitely full of good stuff. and you could just take screenshots of any location in Black Mesa Source and extrapolate a whole new article from it. BMS just has the most consistently epic mapping I have ever seen, and it is mainly due to the epic brushwork...not the models.

there is hardly a single area in the mod that hasn't felt the personal love and affection of an brushwork architect.

[Blink]

You are absolutely right about the "props" syndrome dragging down level design theory. You ought to at least write a new short little tutorial on how to effectively enhance via brushwork alone. Hell, you could copy-paste the blog post, add a few new images, and voila you have a new tutorial that is simple in concept but far-reaching in practice. Something like that should be taught at the earliest stages for new level designers, right along with "how to use hammer" or "my first map" tutorials.

Been a while, but maybe I will dust off Hammer for a cheeky article or something