HL2 Update voicing

I remember seeing this on Reddit a while back, and thought to myself that it would be cool (though unlikely) if you did something regarding voice acting. I'll be damned: You actually did.

I thought this was going to be a graphics overhaul as well, but it doesn't appear to be. Finally something to replace the god-awful Cinematic Mod.

Edit: Misread that thing about the commentary track.

  kingkolton9 said:

I thought this was going to be a graphics overhaul as well, but it doesn't appear to be.

It uses Filip Victor's graphics mod... It's been updated since it's initial release.

  kingkolton9 said:

Finally something to replace the god-awful Cinematic Mod.

There are some good, and some bad aspects to the Cinematic Mod, but to say it's "god-awful" is a massive depreciation of the author's [considerable] time and coding to try and bring the graphics of an old game into this decade. The Cinematic Mod also includes a utility so you can pick and choose what parts of the mod to enable... He included that because he knows that some people don't like his new trees, or character models, or weapon models, or etc., but that most would enjoy the other updated aspects of the mod. (like the combined maps to reduce loading screens, or the lighting overhaul, etc.)

  BTGBullseye said:

  kingkolton9 said:

I thought this was going to be a graphics overhaul as well, but it doesn't appear to be.

It uses Filip Victor's graphics mod... It's been updated since it's initial release.

 

  kingkolton9 said:

Finally something to replace the god-awful Cinematic Mod.

There are some good, and some bad aspects to the Cinematic Mod, but to say it's "god-awful" is a massive depreciation of the author's [considerable] time and coding to try and bring the graphics of an old game into this decade. The Cinematic Mod also includes a utility so you can pick and choose what parts of the mod to enable... He included that because he knows that some people don't like his new trees, or character models, or weapon models, or etc., but that most would enjoy the other updated aspects of the mod. (like the combined maps to reduce loading screens, or the lighting overhaul, etc.)

He did a lot of work. I'll admit to that. Having played it, it's bad.

My main gripes are:

There's no new HD models of Alex that don't look terrible or make her look like a hooker

Many new character faces over-all look either gorilla-ish, or can be bugged to hell (Eli with his eyes going in different directions)

There are a few areas where he made progress impossible because it looked prettier (You can pass, but you have to cheat)

It's horribly optimized. Textures can be hundreds of megabytes, but he won't compress them, despite people telling him (correctly) that Source will just compress them, anyway. Then, he'll complain when people are bothered by the atrocious download size.

It ruins the atmosphere (I don't even think he made an attempt at keeping them the same)

He forces you to use the new, poorly composed music

All the meaningful graffiti becomes sex and penises

The developer is terrible about even the lightest of criticism. He constantly throws around "It's free! You can't complain!" because he doesn't like anybody questioning his work. Oh, and he's claimed before that criticism gives him a mental breakdown, then he'll say that he won't update the mod, and that he's quitting, and then will turn around and update the mod.

A lot of things are like that, too. I'll spoiler them, not sure if text falls under the NSFW zone here. If it does, remove it; I mean not to break the rules.

Oh, and I'm not really sure about this one, but didn't he steal a bunch of models?

Great to hear about your contribution.

As for the mod itself - and the aforementioned Cinematic mod - I kinda feel that HL2 doesn't really need it. Sure it's over a decade old, but it still looks fine enough to get immersed in.

Which is what concerns me with the now-possible prospect of Episode/Half Life 3. I'd be happy enough if it was as if they'd released it in 2008. Hoping the inevitably-upgraded graphics don't make it feel separate to the previous installments.

The mod looks pretty good. I guess I'll have to pay another visit to City 17 soon.

Can't stand the cinematic mod, especially the god-awful work that he's done to the characters. This one's pretty subtle, but there's some areas that look really good. Especially with the dynamic lighting.

The guy responsible for the cinematic mod seems to fit with all the other freaks in the modding scene. DarthVader from the Total War series, that freaky guy who did the Gold patch for Vampire: Bloodlines...

They have loads in common. There's the mass of "versions" with little real difference between them, there's the list of claims about making some kind of statement on how a game is supposed to be experienced, and of course, there's the inability to take criticism.

I like the ambition of the mod's authors, but I don't think the difference is great enough to change the game in a meaningful way. Not to begrudge their efforts, but when you look at the comparison video, there's not an immense difference between the two. I don't think I'd ever have noticed it if they weren't shown side-by-side. A lot of this looks like stuff I wouldn't have paid much attention to in the first place.

It is far more subtle than I was hoping, but I'll try it out just for kicks and because I enjoy commentary in games. It looks like the interior spaces are darker now, which may increase the creep factor in Ravenholm.

And I almost attempted the cinematic mod. But after getting stumped while trying to figure out who was supposed to be who in the screenshots, I decided there was no way in hell I was going to do it. I can't stand Hooker!Alyx, and poor Mossman looks even worse.

If Kingkolton is correct, I'm especially glad I didn't try it. Wow.

I stopped following this mod right around the time I stopped following Half-Life in general besides FM. So, about two years ago. I'm glad it's out now, but I probably won't try it out for a long time. The commentary track sounds interesting though.

  kingkolton9 said:

My main gripes are:

 

There's no new HD models of Alex that don't look terrible or make her look like a hooker

If you like Valve-style models, try grabbing from version 7 (I think) of the mod, as those have the latest HD versions of the Valve models. (HD default Alyx that isn't modeled after a softcore porn model) You may also have to replace some textures as well for the Alyx model to work right. (just something to bear in mind if you want to use it with the newer versions of the mod)

  kingkolton9 said:

Many new character faces over-all look either gorilla-ish, or can be bugged to hell (Eli with his eyes going in different directions)

Then try other/older HD models, like I suggested with the Alyx model. If nothing else, go back to the defaults from the game. (they aren't hidden in any way, they're a very prominent choice in the Character Pimper)

  kingkolton9 said:

It ruins the atmosphere (I don't even think he made an attempt at keeping them the same)

How so, and have you even tried to adjust the settings of the mod with the included utilities?

  kingkolton9 said:

He forces you to use the new, poorly composed music

Not true at all. It's actually the first option on the top right of the Configurator utility, and is optional on initial install. It wasn't even a default on option when I installed it. (version 9 and newer)

  kingkolton9 said:

All the meaningful graffiti becomes sex and penises

What? Can't handle real world graffiti in a game mod? (I have even personally seen some of them in areas I've lived)

He does have a good list of people that would like to have that stuff removed, but you can quite easily replace the graffiti with a graffiti mod. (there are plenty out there)

  kingkolton9 said:

There are a few areas where he made progress impossible because it looked prettier (You can pass, but you have to cheat)

Which version did you last use, and where did you download it from? I don't recall any of this in version 9 or newer, (all of which I have played) or in any information about previous versions.

  kingkolton9 said:

It's horribly optimized. Textures can be hundreds of megabytes, but he won't compress them, despite people telling him (correctly) that Source will just compress them, anyway. Then, he'll complain when people are bothered by the atrocious download size.

I don't know what you're talking about... They are all compressed into the installer pack, decompressed on install, and the modified HL2 doesn't do anything to the textures. The textures are so large because this is an HD pack, not a SD pack. If you don't want the size, don't get an HD pack. I'd get pissed too if people show up complaining about the (very reasonable considering the amount and type of alterations included) download size of an HD pack that I made and was giving away for free.

  kingkolton9 said:

The developer is terrible about even the lightest of criticism. He constantly throws around "It's free! You can't complain!" because he doesn't like anybody questioning his work. Oh, and he's claimed before that criticism gives him a mental breakdown, then he'll say that he won't update the mod, and that he's quitting, and then will turn around and update the mod.

I only ever recall him saying he wasn't going to update the Valve-style models until the release of HL3. He did almost stop making the mod after v5 because of the negative feedback (and occasional death threats) being massively overwhelming compared to the good feedback... Fortunately he realized the old adage "you can't please all of the people all of the time" and started ignoring the negative people. He hasn't stopped updating, or threatened to do so since then. (at least to my knowledge he hasn't)

I also can't find a single location where HE said that you can't complain because it's free... I see plenty of places where others say that you shouldn't complain about a free mod that you aren't helping improve in any way. (this implies that constructive criticism is what you need instead, but most people are too stupid to do anything of the sort) I know that in a private e-mail exchange with him about certain issues I was having with aspects of the mod, he was extremely amicable, and said that he would consider permanently implementing some of the changes I suggested.

  kingkolton9 said:

  Reveal hidden contents

The dead corpse is an asian man with his dick hanging out. Alex has doube-g tits on most models. Her ass is massive, and IIRC Alyx is complimented by jiggle-physics. Her room in BM:E has a dildo in it. Not even hidden. The fast zombies were at one point just naked vampire women. Only women, too.

  kingkolton9 said:

Oh, and I'm not really sure about this one, but didn't he steal a bunch of models?

Not that I've been able to find. Last check all originated from him, or people that he got authorization from to include in his mod.

______________________________________________________

From what I can tell, you probly got your version of the mod from somewhere besides the official site, it had other alterations made to it before you got it, and you never even attempted to use the included utilities to customize the mod to your personal tastes. (you can make the thing look exactly like unmodified HL2 if you disable everything and use the default HL2 models, the only difference will be in the combined maps reducing load times, and a few other small fixes)

The reason I'm getting so into this is because I'm sick and tired of people hating on someones hard work without even attempting to find out if any of it is adjustable, and ignoring me when I tell them about the utilities.

  BTGBullseye said:

constructive criticism is what you need instead, but most people are too stupid to do anything of the sort

This.

  Binky The Rabbit said:

...I kinda feel that HL2 doesn't really need it. Sure it's over a decade old, but it still looks fine enough to get immersed in.

 

Which is what concerns me with the now-possible prospect of Episode/Half Life 3. I'd be happy enough if it was as if they'd released it in 2008. Hoping the inevitably-upgraded graphics don't make it feel separate to the previous installments.

This is exactly my sentiment too! To me, if a game looked OK when I first played it, it will look just as well in a 100 years time (if I were there to play it still). The look is a part of the atmosphere of the game and if you change that too much you just make it a different game because it loses the original spirit...

Regards

Always nice to see new life breathed into an old game

Black Mesa did an amazing job on the original (And promises to be even better once it's fully released)

Definitely going to give it a look once it's released

I'm eager to try it. I thought the graphics of HL2 held up pretty well, but I'm always up for a touch up. Especially if it's free.

Downloading the update now but I won't get to it tonight. I may fiddle with it sometime tomorrow briefly but I'm so swamped right now it's not even funny.

Soon, I hope to hear Ross's non-comic chops.

I have it downloaded, but I have yet to play it... Gonna see if Nvidia drivers settings will allow me to use SSAO in it.

  kingkolton9 said:

I see 2 kinds of people: Those that despise it (the vast majority), and valiant white knights who defends its every detail.

And then there's me who never heard of it until now.

Also recommend editing the quote text so as not to make things an unnecessary scrollfest.

I played this version a bit. The lighting is very nice and the textures noticeably enhanced. The commentary is also great but the familiar voices probably assist with that. I'm happy with it, especially since it was free. If Ross does decide to do Freemans Mind in HL2, this is the version he should play.