Hello all! I'm enjoying Half-Life 2 at the moment. And since I've already wasted most of my gamecoding hours writing the engine part I had decided to make my next game a mod. And I really like the HL2 engine, as well as how they support modding. Well now I have an idea... While playing HL2 I would meet Alyx, and something would happen so we'd get split up. Then we would meet later on (often by her jumping down from the roof or something else that's acrobatic). Remember the first time "they met"? How she saved his behind by kicking the silliness out of 4 (lesser) overwatch guards, unarmed? And later on, when she shows up, she opens doors and hacks computers with her magic eletric wand. Now I'm where I jumped through a hole in the upper floor, landed in a zombie infested room, and she suddenly blows up the door (with her only visible handgun?..) saying "I had a feeling you would be here.". aRGH! There's so much potential there that I'm gonna explode! =D Have you people played Deus Ex, Thief, Splinter Cell or System Shock 2? How I would love to make a "play as Alyx" mod!.. To reiterate:

• Acrobatics: jump further, climb tubes, smaller areas, etc.
• Unarmed combat: hostage holding, neck breaking, disarm, etc.
• Hacking: open doors, convert turrets, hack sequrity, etc.
• Demolition: open doors, make traps, destroy tanks, etc.

I'm curious, have you thought about this too? What do you think?? Cheers! And I'd like to make a "rampage as Dog" mod too, third person perhaps... *evil grin*

Sounds good to me. HL2 was fairly story-driven, so you'll have a real job of writing if you want to make it a worthy treatment of the material.

The problem I foresee is that Alyx always seems to be in control, and knows where she's going and what she's doing at all times. Be careful not to let the player feel like they're stumbling from one impressive meeting with Gordon to the next. It is strange, in my experience, to be wandering aimlessly through a building and then have your character know just what's what, and deal with a situation in a speedy, expedient way, expecially if that particular method isn't available to me.

I hated it, for instance, when Sam Fisher would do things in cutscenes that seem so completely natural, but are impossible for me, the player, to do in-game. If someone sees me when I'm playing, I'm boned. In a cutscene, he can jump over a table and subdue the guy with a quick kick. When did he learn to kick?

So, if Alyx will be blowing through doors in cutscenes, I don't want to be stuck tracking down a freaking key or security card for a door when I could be kicking it down or diving through a nearby window.

Yes it would have to have a story, but ... how would one make it different, i.e. not just retelling HL2's story? Some ideas would be
* Hear Dr Green say other stuff on the TVs etc.
* Hear more in-depth stuff, behind the scenes, etc.

Although I do like how she always knows what's next, it's like Gordon's a puppet with cool weapons. Because you've played HL2 you know where she showes up, so when playing as her you'll know why you're doing what you're doing (hacking, killing, etc.) it's because you're supposed to meet up with Gordon and/or help the resistance (Barney).

The only problem so far is the blowing up the door part... without it, everything else made sense. Heck last night she did exactly what I was hoping for, she climbed up the watertube(?) of a building and then walked on that thin edge around the house. She's like Catwoman! But I really understand your point about Sam Fisher. I find it strange that Gordon Freeman, a MIT graduate with a Ph.D. in theoretical physics, can't use a terminal or open a electric doorlock. Unless he can't kill it, he can't use it... (except for some vechiles)

I have thought out some parts of the game. Gonna write them on my next post.

The computer hacking thing. How would one do it different? It's always some kind of weird puzzle thing in all games. Or as in Impossible Mission (no, not MI) for C64, you'd have to stand at a computer for x seconds to do something but you were constatly attacked. (kinda like when Alyx helps you, protect her until she's done.) But now you're playing as Alyx, so how would the computer hacking parts be fun and challenging? In some cutscenes she'd whip up her magic wand and press some buttons, but what is she really pressing? When you're Gordon she knows exactly what to press, but when YOU are her you have to think. Seems natural, but at the same time that cutscene Sam Fisher kick problem shows up...

Looking at what Valve did with add-ons for HL1, (Blueshift, opposing forces) It wouldn't surprise me if they were planning something simular...

Seriema,

You might want to watch out since they will be releasing an expansion (rumored to be q4 05) that revolves around Alyx. So you might want to do some googling on the topic.

-brad

Quote:

Original post by Iron Chef Carnage Sounds good to me. HL2 was fairly story-driven, so you'll have a real job of writing if you want to make it a worthy treatment of the material. The problem I foresee is that Alyx always seems to be in control, and knows where she's going and what she's doing at all times. Be careful not to let the player feel like they're stumbling from one impressive meeting with Gordon to the next. It is strange, in my experience, to be wandering aimlessly through a building and then have your character know just what's what, and deal with a situation in a speedy, expedient way, expecially if that particular method isn't available to me. I hated it, for instance, when Sam Fisher would do things in cutscenes that seem so completely natural, but are impossible for me, the player, to do in-game. If someone sees me when I'm playing, I'm boned. In a cutscene, he can jump over a table and subdue the guy with a quick kick. When did he learn to kick? So, if Alyx will be blowing through doors in cutscenes, I don't want to be stuck tracking down a freaking key or security card for a door when I could be kicking it down or diving through a nearby window.

I totally agree. While on that topic, Id like to add that it bugs me everytime the player cant shoot a door nob off, or blast through a wooden door. Or shoot chains off a lock. Or use an explosive like a grenade to blow up a door, a wall, or even break the glass of a window so you can climb in.

Abut the security keys, youre totally right. Too many games force you along a path. For instance, RE4. They create a linear map. Half way through it, put in some funky door that requires some crazy shaped key. At the end of the linear map, put a boss. When the boss is dead, give them the key to that crazy door and a quick shortcut to that door. Now, with my rocket launcher in hand, I should have been able to blow a chunk out of the wall next to the door, and skip all that BS.

It has already been said that Valve is planning an expansion where you play as Alyx.

argh! I had googled for "alyx mod" but never thought it would be an official expansion this early... Damnit =D Man, not having Internet access on a daily basis really sends you back 1 month on information... =(

Heh they seem to have thought about Dog too. I was almost thinking about a team thing (Ratchet/Clank, Jak/Dexter, Donkey/Diddi Kong, etc.) where you would play some parts with Alyx and some with Dog. But I decided that Dog would be a own mod, because of the lack of time and resources on my part.

I had so many ideas for Alyx written up... ARGH!! If I only had a portfolio worthy of its name I'd send it to Valve hoping to work on the Alyx expansion. =P

Well then I'll maybe try something with Barney, I was thinking along the lines of BattleZone. A bit more "handle a small army" thing, in first person.

I thought that a mod with some no-name soldier in the resistence would be cool. Sort of work it out so that he plays along at the same time as Gordon, maybe just ahead of him, sometimes just behind him, and the actions of this guy affected things about Gordon's travels, behind the scenes. For example, maybe he keeps some Combine occupied for a time so that Gordon can get by, although Gordon never realized this during HL2.

Anyway, I just thought it would be cool to have his story weave in and out of HL2 as a sort of "behind-the-scenes" guy, affecting Gordons adventure (either intentionally or on accident) in ways that Gordon never knew of. I think it would mostly be a comical sort of thing - like the guy keeps screwing up which either helps or hinders Gordon.

I think this piece of new will interest you.