Freeman's Mind 2 - Poll about graphics quality

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PoiSonSonic

Well-known member
This is a simple poll to assess how many people would like to see FM2 with enhanced graphics.

Please send here your suggestions, from my experience Fakefactory has made the most extensive mod there is, with a nice installer, different install options and tweaks.

I'll add your other submissions here to the poll regularly, so everybody can vote. Also it's going to be multiple choice, for a fair voting.

There is a second link, which requires everybody to use their google account, if you have one, please make a second submission, this is going to be a control, and cheat-free poll. And the results are visible after you've taken the poll.

Please visit this poll:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1i3EEAk6CfMQtkozrTyUb0f_IoKkfKhA8gsJqv5B2PVQ

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1brI3I9UGnWeCeXPkN5LB0c1bC2zrEjgEoQm2QUGUFTA (With Google sign in)

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This is how CM configurator looks like. To enhance your understanding - READ!

v16QmNX.jpg


alyx.jpg


p.s. So far so good, from the looks of it, every vote is a genuine one and the results distributing are looking similar to google sign in copy.

 
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Fakefactory's Cinematic mod ruins the great Half-Life 2 atmosphere by cluttering the entire map with shit, tinting the image, darkening everything and using really unfitting models (that, from what I've heard, are usually stolen).

What is your problem with Half-Life 2's graphics? Is it really not shiny and HD enough for you? Man...

 
Fakefactory's Cinematic mod ruins the great Half-Life 2 atmosphere by cluttering the entire map with shit, tinting the image, darkening everything and using really unfitting models (that, from what I've heard, are usually stolen). What is your problem with Half-Life 2's graphics? Is it really not shiny and HD enough for you? Man...
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Cinematic has spoiled me, and I've went through so much of hl2, I'd really love to see the action take place in something different.

There is also HalfLife2 Update which is not that heavy on changing everything.

Comparison! That'd explain the choice at hand

 
I'm going to say no to the mods.

I think the beauty of Freeman's Mind is that it's the same nostalgic game everyone knows and loves. And having mods just complicates things. There's always the chance of something fucking up and I think Ross would like the recording process to be as smooth as possible.

 
I really like the Cinematic Mod, and FM2 could be enough to get FF to make the HD versions of the vanilla characters... That said, I doubt even an overwhelming number of votes for the CM would be enough for Ross to use it now. (unless he switches right after getting knocked out again, and puts the changes down to brain damage or broken glasses or something)

 
Just remember how many wanted to switch to Black Mesa.

In my perspective - FM is a artistic show, not a let's play. A performance. Ross is bending the game to his will, as he sees fit, that is why I suggest this route. Maybe it'll allow him for a more rich toolset to play with.

I wish more people are aware of the 2nd poll, with cheat protection one, for a more accurate result. Of only Ross would add a quick annotation in his FM2EP1 video with a link to it.

 
The Cinematic Mod is terrible, though. I'm all for Ross taking steps to make the show prettier, but the Cinematic Mod is just unimaginably bad. It'd be worse than switching to Black Mesa would have been, and that would have been the wrong choice by a long shot.

 
The Cinematic Mod is terrible, though. I'm all for Ross taking steps to make the show prettier, but the Cinematic Mod is just unimaginably bad. It'd be worse than switching to Black Mesa would have been, and that would have been the wrong choice by a long shot.
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Please notice, there is HalfLife2 Update as well

 
The Cinematic Mod is terrible, though. I'm all for Ross taking steps to make the show prettier, but the Cinematic Mod is just unimaginably bad. It'd be worse than switching to Black Mesa would have been, and that would have been the wrong choice by a long shot.
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Please elaborate... Hyperbole and vague descriptions of being "bad" doesn't really help much.

 
The Cinematic Mod is terrible, though. I'm all for Ross taking steps to make the show prettier, but the Cinematic Mod is just unimaginably bad. It'd be worse than switching to Black Mesa would have been, and that would have been the wrong choice by a long shot.
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Please elaborate... Hyperbole and vague descriptions of being "bad" doesn't really help much.
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While I can't speak for Box Tactics, and I will admit I'm basing this merely on screenshots of the mod, as I haven't used it myself, but I would expect the biggest complaint would be with the character designs. Not only do they look nothing like the original characters (who have a lot of personality wrapped into their designs, which thus is removed), but they just look kinda... phony. Like doll people, in this weirdly unsettling way.

The environments do look nice, but I would also argue that they occasionally change too much, and often have way more visual clutter than is necessary, which can also detract from the artistic design. Also, I could see many objecting to the strong use of filters.

For the record, I'm strongly in the "vanilla HL2" camp, if only because it's the one I'm most familiar with, and thus I get a greater kick out of Ross's commentary on what he finds in it.

 
The Cinematic Mod is terrible, though. I'm all for Ross taking steps to make the show prettier, but the Cinematic Mod is just unimaginably bad. It'd be worse than switching to Black Mesa would have been, and that would have been the wrong choice by a long shot.
Click to expand...
Please elaborate... Hyperbole and vague descriptions of being "bad" doesn't really help much.
Click to expand...
While I can't speak for Box Tactics, and I will admit I'm basing this merely on screenshots of the mod, as I haven't used it myself, but I would expect the biggest complaint would be with the character designs. Not only do they look nothing like the original characters (who have a lot of personality wrapped into their designs, which thus is removed), but they just look kinda... phony. Like doll people, in this weirdly unsettling way.

The environments do look nice, but I would also argue that they occasionally change too much, and often have way more visual clutter than is necessary, which can also detract from the artistic design. Also, I could see many objecting to the strong use of filters.

For the record, I'm strongly in the "vanilla HL2" camp, if only because it's the one I'm most familiar with, and thus I get a greater kick out of Ross's commentary on what he finds in it.
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As I have said,

IT'S CONFIGURABLE!

 
Please elaborate... Hyperbole and vague descriptions of being "bad" doesn't really help much.
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While I can't speak for Box Tactics, and I will admit I'm basing this merely on screenshots of the mod, as I haven't used it myself, but I would expect the biggest complaint would be with the character designs. Not only do they look nothing like the original characters (who have a lot of personality wrapped into their designs, which thus is removed), but they just look kinda... phony. Like doll people, in this weirdly unsettling way.

The environments do look nice, but I would also argue that they occasionally change too much, and often have way more visual clutter than is necessary, which can also detract from the artistic design. Also, I could see many objecting to the strong use of filters.

For the record, I'm strongly in the "vanilla HL2" camp, if only because it's the one I'm most familiar with, and thus I get a greater kick out of Ross's commentary on what he finds in it.
Click to expand...
As I have said,

IT'S CONFIGURABLE!
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Ah, sorry about that, I'm afraid I'm guilty of skimming.

That being said, I still stand by my point that half the fun of the series is seeing Ross react to circumstances that we've all played through ourselves. By using a mod that isn't nearly as commonly used as the base game, it kinda robs that experience from a much larger audience. I'd expect a lot more people would be madder at the prospect of changing to a mod than they would be of sticking with vanilla. Remember how mad people got about the changed sound effects in that one episode?

 
Ah, sorry about that, I'm afraid I'm guilty of skimming.

That being said, I still stand by my point that half the fun of the series is seeing Ross react to circumstances that we've all played through ourselves. By using a mod that isn't nearly as commonly used as the base game, it kinda robs that experience from a much larger audience. I'd expect a lot more people would be madder at the prospect of changing to a mod than they would be of sticking with vanilla. Remember how mad people got about the changed sound effects in that one episode?
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That is an odd argument, I was mad at first... But nowadays... I've re watched whole series in one go and to be honest, the new sounds felt better. One one hand feeling nostalgic is good, on the other Film Director's opinion on what's better turned out to be actually better.

That said, I trust Ross completely on this one as well. It's just while HL1 is great because of it's gameplay and feel. Where as HL2 was built to have props (models) in large quantities, bicycle here, barrel there, some wooden planks scattered around. Meaning more stuff might make the scene more rich. At least, I believe, that's what developers said.

(Compare Morrowind and Morrowind on Skyrim engine with all extra foliage and clutter, makes it weird, but after seeing all that, the original Morrowind seems so barren.)

So I see several stages of change:

  • No change
  • HD Textures
  • HD Textures and Models (New guns are such an eye-candy, you just have to have that new magnum)
  • HD Textures, Models, Changed levels
  • Full cinematic Mod conversion


Some people might think it's only former or the latter, which (the latter) is undesirable. I personally highly dislike new character models. And still after seeing the beautiful parts, it hurts to see them not used, due to not knowing there was that option.

:New magnum

A16A030A0E44CF343DE16E2FB634F0B3E7C6DD98

In the end, textures in higher fidelity should not subtract anything from one's nostalgia at all, yet only add to the total quality.

 
If he uses the semi-HD vanilla-style character textures from CM4, and the textures/static models/map updates from CM13, he should be able to make it look like a super-high-rez and more stable version of the original. (and none of the character models that even FF admits doesn't fit too well with the existing characters in the game)

 
There is really no need for "more HD graphics". Half-Life 2 still holds up for the most part, and Cinematic Mod just makes it look like a generic Anime-influenced Sci-Fi game with overdone colour-correction and visual clutter. Like Ross said in the Deus Ex episode of the Game Dungeon, it's a bit like George Lucas "revisiting" the old Star Wars movies.

I'm sure most people would much rather see Freeman's reactions to Valve's Half-Life 2, instead of some unofficial fanmade stuff that doesn't capture the spirit of the original Half-Life.

 
Cinematic Mod just makes it look like a generic Anime-influenced Sci-Fi game with overdone colour-correction and visual clutter.
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Only if you enable those options in the configurator... It has the ability of just improving the textures, no models or anything else altered. (though the modifications that allow for fewer loading screens are mandatory)

Why do people seem to always assume that there is only one configuration ever available for mods?

 
Cinematic Mod just makes it look like a generic Anime-influenced Sci-Fi game with overdone colour-correction and visual clutter.
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Only if you enable those options in the configurator... It has the ability of just improving the textures, no models or anything else altered. (though the modifications that allow for fewer loading screens are mandatory)

Why do people seem to always assume that there is only one configuration ever available for mods?
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Added a screenshot of the configurator for general public.

Actually, looking at it. I suppose Ross will use the mod just because of some bugfixes it has.

 
I've played through some of the Cinematic Mod, and there are good and bad things to say about it.

The good: Decent quality high-res textures, some of the shaders are nice, some of the map changes can legitimately improve the experience.

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.

I personally don't like it very much. It feels like it's trying too hard to turn Half-Life 2 into Sexy-Battlefield-Life 2.

But I actually think Half-Life 2: Update would be a nice idea. I played through it right after it was released, and it was honestly really nice. It fixed bugs, updated the engine and made lighting smoother and more consistent, and all over made it feel as if Valve started updating the game again. My only complaint on it was that it made Ravenholm green, which in my opinion, ruined the atmosphere and absolutely destroyed the original feel of the level, which is a major part of the Half-Life 2 experience as a whole.

In the end I think it'd be best if Ross just stuck to Half-Life 2 vanilla, barring maybe a couple unofficial patch mods like the AR2 worldmodel fix and the Antlion thumper texture fix.

 
Gonna go with the consensus here and say HL2 Update is better than CM13

No matter how configuration the mod has, if you wanted CM13 with the original HL2 feel it would honestly be way easier to set up HL2 Update and it's practically the exact same thing.

I think Ross should just keep using vanilla HL2 though, The simplicity of FM is part of the charm IMO.

 
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