When you have played as many SP maps and mods as I have, and many of you have, then most of them just blend into one forgettable mix.
That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy them at the time or they weren’t fun to play, it’s just that there’s not enough difference between them.
Then of course, we jump to Alt mods, which are way beyond normal mods to lose touch with what most action gamers enjoy.
So, what does that leave us with?
I’m not sure, but there must be something, right?
I’ve suggested a few things, but feel free to add your own but please make sure you also add them in the comments, so other readers can see them.
Time to vote
I voted for adult themes because we had such interesting debates and conversations about it in the past, and I happen to be shooting for the adult-themed stars with my mod.
there will not be any nudity or sex, and not even a whole bunch of useless foul language. but the adult themes in my mod include drug abuse, alcohol abuse, rape, torture, intense grief, and more. it wont be a straight up shock-fest…it will come in small doses and more often than not will be implied instead of explicit. but I think it is important to delve into the dark side of a combine occupation.
Please, no sexmods.
I’d rather have new game mechanics, because mods are there to sustain a good romp of fun. The more varied that fun can be from the last, the better it is. No one is going to have deep intellectual conversations about a mod, or hail it as much above anything for merely how it tells its story. Dear Esther got lucky because it literally changed the game so much that it wasn’t a game, and that’s just a pretentious piece, doesn’t add anything to our medium as a whole. More gameplay!
I would like to see some zero-g exploration and adventure set on a seemingly abandoned space station or Starship where Newtonian physics are key. Would make for some interesting puzzle and combat dynamics.
Maybe some flooded elements of the ship can provide some zero-g swimming areas for another new game mechanic.
If I have to choose just one, it’s the well-told story. Games and mods with good stories stay with you after you’ve beaten them. The twists and turns and lines of dialogue fill the experience with pleasant surprises in a good story, leaving you with fun memories and the urge to share it with your friends so they can experience what you’ve just experienced. In addition to this, novel ideas and/or moral dilemmas have the potential to make you think and maybe discuss the work with others in a different way.
I would also prefer that a new mod, in addition to a great story, include a new mechanic or two, as well as comedy and arcade-style action, when appropriate.
To sum up, in order of importance to me:
1. Good story
2. New mechanics
3. Tie between humor and arcade action
4. Anything else that might improve a single player experience
I hope adult themes includes not just nude models? They are for cynical, adult (!) point of view right? Like in L.A. Noir.
For me adult themes could be easily combined with well-told story and good comedy.
I had to go with ” a connection with real life” and that’s especially true with the weapons in the game that actually exist today.
My biggest bugbear is the Spas 12, IT ONLY HAS ONE BARREL!! it cannot fire two shots at the same time (usually right mouse). The Spas 12 is semi-auto only with the ability to cycle as a pump action if required, whilst I know there are some full-auto shotguns out there they are not common. The Spas 12 only fires ONE shot per pull of the trigger.
9mm pistols, how many of us have taken out targets with 2 or 3 rapid shots at long range in the HL games? OK, I have shot 9mils at 100m+, yes the can hit a man sized target at those ranges with a single shot, BUT that is from the gun on a rest/sandbag and taking time to aim and concentrate on on breathing and the trigger pull. Even really good, well practised shooters would have trouble consistently hitting the target rapid fire at long/extended range. Some examples can be seen on the YouTube channel of Hikok45 (one of the few Yanks I would trust to be on a range with (safetywise)).
.357 Magnum, by far better at longer ranges than the 9mm, But to hit a man sized target at 200+ yards still is pushing it. That said in game, it is a good close range one shot one kill option. I’ve shot .357’s out to 200 yards at the Century range at Bisley (Surrey, UK), a nice pokey round but it still needs careful aiming to make it count. Bowling pins on a table top at 6m, no problem.
Why Oh Why do all shoulder mounted firearms only fire on full auto? All of the “machine guns” in HL only fire full auto, their real world counterparts have three positions on the safety Safe/Semi(auto)/Full(auto) and some have burst fire (usually 3 shots). I’m sure there are guns out there that only fire full auto (the MP40 (Schmeisser) is the only one I can think of at the moment), but the HL real life guns, please lets have some realism! A shoulder mounted firearm is always going to be better a extended ranges on semi auto than a pistol.
The airboat in HL2, now let me see, it goes as fast on dry land as it does on water! The floats it runs on would be ripped to F*&k on dry land. Airboat floats are not made of metal, nuff said!
I know what I want in modding for several years as a gamer, but is different if i’m going to get them, I mean I voted for a Real conection with real-life!, i’d love to fight the CMB in paris, NY, or any other real life location, and I also would love to fight the 7 hour war!!!, wil that happen, I don’t know but I hope it will.
I prefer real life elements, such as simulation or similar to the half-life universe, or set in a real place, like the G-strings atmosphere. To balance it I like a good beginning whichs an interesting part. Sound counts too. Mostly the fact its set in real life places, or in real world situations makes it funnier and interesting to nowadays events, for example, and making the mod with something that occured recently refreshes ideas and serves as news of whats going on in the world at that moment.
I voted well told story, afterall its what brought me to continue playing the HL series. assuming a new sp mod was well made then my 2nd choice would be a new gameplay mechanic. Its always enjoyable to get a new toy.
You should added AI enhancement coz imo sp mods can get way better with better ai though hl2 ai’s still ain’t bad still there’s more room for improvement.
I would say “routing options” because that is what gives a game serious replay value. Sadley, only a few mods have it.
Example, the new mod Station 51…quite frankly a badass mod, not only because its good gameplay and visuals, but mostley because its first gameplay sequence…the large rooftop area with lots of different ways a player can go.
The first time I just went through straight. The second time I figured out I could toss grenades and backtrack to the grenade chest and throw more from there, and hope to hit some Combine (sometimes you can). Then I move forward, throw some more and backtrack again. The third time I charged ahead to the main part, but then took refuge on an upper area, fought and then backtracked.
Get the message? I can play it many different ways each time is what Im saying. In other words, gameplay and routing options. Plus, On hard I usually wont survive without dying a few times, and my goal is to make it from beggining to end without dying, so I play each different way several times.
A mod full of secret places or routing exploits is another way to add routing options, so a player will go thru again to find the secrets or a route than can be exploited. Any options work.
This is why (in my opinion) Dark Messiah Might and Magic is the best FPS ever made. A ton of options each time. not only in routing in some areas…but also that a player in that game can use skill points to buy skills (mage, warrior, theif, assasian), or a combo of some or all of those, which gives it a different play each time. Hell, Im going through the SP of that game for the 16th time now (had it since 2006), and Im not the least bit bored.
I would love to see more gameplay and routin options in future SP mods. THe word option is the key. 🙂