Freeman's Mind 2 - Poll about graphics quality

[Crawfish]

The bad: In order to get anywhere near a Half-Life-atmosphere experience, you need to scour the configurator and turn off all the titty models, tweak the shader and lighting options to be absolutely just right so that the bloom isn't blinding, and there's no way to get rid of the explicit graffiti or nude magazines without getting an external texture replacer to make them blank, and when you do that, 90% of the walls look incredibly blank and barren, which makes it very easy to notice reused textures, as well as making the landscape just plain boring.

1. There is a second configurator for this mod, and it allows the quick and easy selection of models to be used. (HD, HD CM models, or vanilla)

2. The shader and lighting enhancements are a quick switch on the single page of the configurator. No trial and error, or customizing required.

3. The 'explicit graffiti' you're talking about is entirely additional, so without it the game is just as 'empty' as the original. (thus negating the emptiness and boring parts of your argument)

4. Those 'reused textures' are already present in the vanilla game, and are no more or less apparent in CM13 if the 'offensive' graffiti is removed.

 

I'm not saying you have to like CM13, but please don't post misinformation.

 

I'm speaking from experience with just the configurator packaged with the Cinematic Mod, and I admit that even though turning off the FF models is easy, it's still time consuming to go through every single character and switch them off individually. And there was a hell of a lot of trial and error for the shaders, at least for me. That might be because I don't inherently know exactly what effect each option will have, because I have no idea what the intensity of the effects is by default. Keep in mind, I don't mean turning the shaders off or making them as minimal as possible. I'm saying it takes a long time to tweak them to preference.

 

It didn't seem like the explicit graffiti was additional in my playthrough, so if it is then I admit to being wrong, but it seemed like it largely replaced graffiti in some areas. And I know the reused textures have always been there, but if the explicit graffiti is removed then they become much more apparent. Especially in new areas added by the mod, where the explicit graffiti is almost exclusively used over the vanilla overlays.

 

I'm probably just letting my opinion get in the way of things a lot, but largely I feel like it should be easier to desexualize the mod. Instead of having to individually switch everything off, maybe it would be nice if there was a large-scale toggle. But instead, the default for the mod is World of Strippers, and even with the ability to change the models, you still have to go to an external source to get rid of the graffiti.

[PoiSonSonic]

The mod was a student's project for graduation, or similar. What else but sexyfing everything can we expect from a HL2 student fan?

 

Still, it's free and that's nice.

 

I wonder if Ross is aware of this topic at all

[BTGBullseye]

Ross probably doesn't care... I know that way back (years ago) he said that if he did a FM2, he was not planning on using the Cinematic Mod. (I was the one who asked)

[Reverend_UshankaCat_]

I know that way back (years ago) he said that if he did a FM2, he was not planning on using the Cinematic Mod. (I was the one who asked)

I think a lot of frustration and discussion could have been averted if you had just said that earlier ._.

[BTGBullseye]

I kinda sorta did, but not in as many words... Besides, "not planning on" isn't the same as "absolutely will not ever".

[Crawfish]

If he doesn't, then I'm certain people will edit his voice over their own CM gameplay like they've done with Black Mesa.

[BTGBullseye]

I actually thought of a way he could easily transfer to CM in the series... When he blacks out from the Combine kicking his unarmed ass, he could wake up without his glasses. All Ross needs to do is add a blur filter over the video while searching, then find them and put a grime filter instead of a blur, and have him take them off again to clean them, and when he puts them back on he'll be in the CM. He could comment on how much he didn't realize how much his glasses needed cleaning after all that alien blood and various other fluids he had to deal with in FM1.

[John]

Can we just stick with base half-life 2? I mean honestly I'd prefer if he went full OG with the launch build of half-life 2 due to things that broke with updates and the changes, but maybe that's just me.

[PoiSonSonic]

If he doesn't, then I'm certain people will edit his voice over their own CM gameplay like they've done with Black Mesa.

 

Link please :3

 

I actually thought of a way he could easily transfer to CM in the series... When he blacks out from the Combine kicking his unarmed ass, he could wake up without his glasses. All Ross needs to do is add a blur filter over the video while searching, then find them and put a grime filter instead of a blur, and have him take them off again to clean them, and when he puts them back on he'll be in the CM. He could comment on how much he didn't realize how much his glasses needed cleaning after all that alien blood and various other fluids he had to deal with in FM1.

 

Quite an idea, Sir!

[Box Tactics]

This is just a really bad idea. Fortunately, I trust Ross not to do it. I'd be very surprised if he had a lapse in judgment this bad.

[PoiSonSonic]

This is just a really bad idea. Fortunately, I trust Ross not to do it. I'd be very surprised if he had a lapse in judgment this bad.

 

In Ross we trust

[BTGBullseye]

This is just a really bad idea.

Why?

 

As I said in my reply to your previous post, simply stating that "it's bad" is not helpful in any way for moving this conversation along.

[MonkeyBoi]

I tried the Cinematic Mod, honestly I don't like it very much. Even at the most vanilla settings its still a drastic change from base HL2 and its for the worse. Like "Highway 17" for example, it goes from a coastline to a forest-like area that got ME lost despite various playthroughs of HL2. The clutter just gets in the way of gameplay, in "Nova Prospekt" when fighting the Antlion Guard, CM adds a LOT of props like tables and chairs that get in the way of the fight, and this is frequent throughout the game. I don't like ANY of the gun models, Ped models, enemy models(which aren't even rigged right), or Main Character models(which look uninspired IMO), and don't get me started on the graffiti. It makes the game feel like a generic uninspired AAA movie with absolutely no soul to it. The vanilla graphics aren't even that bad even by today's standards, and the mod changes the gameplay I think for the worse. if we ARE going to add eye-candy, it should at least respect the source material in some way. /rant

[Crawfish]

I tried the Cinematic Mod, honestly I don't like it very much. Even at the most vanilla settings its still a drastic change from base HL2 and its for the worse. Like "Highway 17" for example, it goes from a coastline to a forest-like area that got ME lost despite various playthroughs of HL2. The clutter just gets in the way of gameplay, in "Nova Prospekt" when fighting the Antlion Guard, CM adds a LOT of props like tables and chairs that get in the way of the fight, and this is frequent throughout the game. I don't like ANY of the gun models, Ped models, enemy models(which aren't even rigged right), or Main Character models(which look uninspired IMO), and don't get me started on the graffiti. It makes the game feel like a generic uninspired AAA movie with absolutely no soul to it. The vanilla graphics aren't even that bad even by today's standards, and the mod changes the gameplay I think for the worse. if we ARE going to add eye-candy, it should at least respect the source material in some way. /rant

I think what it boils down to is that the CM dev prioritized aesthetics over atmosphere and gameplay, which really isn't doing it any favors.

[PoiSonSonic]

I think what it boils down to is that the CM dev prioritized aesthetics over atmosphere and gameplay, which really isn't doing it any favors.

 

As a film director, IMO, Ross has to balance between what's good for the film and what's going to attract the biggest number of viewers.

 

I'm sure he won't do a weirdest film possible, if it's going to betray his fandom, by catastrofically deviating from it's expectation.

 

Like doing a documentary botanic reviews of different flower species.

Even if it turns out great - that's going to need at least a new separate channel on YT and will have nothing to do with Accursed Farms as we know it now.

 

We've all seen Ross twist HL1's plot. I suppose it's possible to see him mess with level designs as well, if it's going to support his own plot line, which made FM great in the first place.

[sheridanm962]

I'd like for everything to be completely authentic with the Half-Life 2: Update mod.

 

It makes a whole lot more sense since Ross dedicated some of his time towards it.

[PoiSonSonic]

Well, I'm happy now. Maybe it's just a placebo taking place, but not it all looks fine to me.