CromulentVille

for Half-Life 2: Episode Two

15th July 2017

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CromulentVille is the second 50-hour mapping challenge.

It contains 21 entries.

The focus of this theme was to create a perfectly cromulent map.

Basic Details
  • Title: CromulentVille
  • Filename: hl2-ep2-sp-50hmc-c2-cromulentville-v1.1
  • Size : 138MB
  • Author: Sockman, Omeqa, Ian Spadin AKA Idolon, Mark A.K.A. Strontvlieg, Rekurer, HeadCrλbbed, SharpOB, Lamarr, Michael McGee AKA HQDefault, Easimer, Ethosaur, Lucia, Clément Combier AKA Ttiki, Event Horizon AKA matt71490, Dirk Destiny, November, 1upD, Humam, Jacob Davis AKA Turret Cube​, Mustea Dan AKA Sherp, CitadelCore
  • Date Released: 05 May 2017

Download Options

Download to your HDD 138MB]
You can still use it with Gauge once you have downloaded it.

Manual Installation Instructions

If you require more help, please visit the Technical Help page.

  • Copy the hl2-ep2-sp-50hmc-c2-cromulentville folder into your …\Steam\SteamApps\Sourcemods\ folder.
  • Start or restart Steam
  • RTSL.50HMC.C2.CromulentVille should now be listed in your “Library” tab.
50-Hour Mapping Challenges

As the name suggests, the 50-hour maping challenge last 50 hours.
In general, the themes are very open in order to allow modders the chance to experiment with ideas.
Most maps are quite short.
Do not expect normal gameplay styles.

Often, mappers get too ambitious and never release the map they started working on.
With the 50-Hour deadline, I hoped that mappers would simply select a simple idea and build it.

Theme Details

Your task is to create a perfectly cromulent map.

Is your map silly? Absurd? Weird? Hilarious, crazy, or a complete joke? Great! These are all cromulent maps and they’re exactly what we’re looking for.

Use this opportunity to embiggen your creativity.

If your map leaves players saying, “WTF did I just play?” – perfect!

Make players laugh, make them cry – but make them FEEL something. You have 50 hours!

GOOD LUCK!

Entries

Listed as they are displayed in the mod itself:

Video Games by Sockman
Neon Speedster by Omeqa
Kaboom by Ian Spadin AKA Idolon
Subarctic Adventure by Mark A.K.A. Strontvlieg
Cook Some Toast by Rekurer
BrodyQuest by HeadCrλbbed
Cromuvator by SharpOB
High Explosive by Lamarr
The Road by Michael McGee AKA HQDefault
The Theft by Easimer
Manor of PTSD by Ethosaur
Obsolete by Lucia
Life by Clément Combier AKA Ttiki
Map Machine Broke by Event Horizon AKA matt71490
Mount Splashmore by Dirk Destiny
G-Mare by November
Embiggened by 1upD
Alpha 0.0.4.3 by by Humam
Lost Cosmonaut by Jacob Davis AKA Turret Cube​
Beer by Mustea Dan AKA Sherp
Nevrin54 by CitadelCore

The order of the maps was generated via random.org

Reviewing

If you decide to use the Per-Map Opinion Images, please either watch the video below or use the SPECIFICALLY created CromlentVille-Review-Template.txt file. Thank you.

Judges

DolmoTheDouglas is the judge for this challenge.

RTSL Community Voting

Which are your favourite top 5 maps fromCromulentVille?

  • Nevrin54 by CitadelCore (1%, 3 Votes)
  • Beer by Mustea Dan AKA Sherp (8%, 20 Votes)
  • Lost Cosmonaut by Jacob Davis AKA Turret Cube​ (2%, 4 Votes)
  • Alpha 0.0.4.3 by by Humam (2%, 6 Votes)
  • Embiggened by 1upD (3%, 8 Votes)
  • G-Mare by November (6%, 14 Votes)
  • Mount Splashmore by Dirk Destiny (3%, 7 Votes)
  • Map Machine Broke by Event Horizon AKA matt71490 (3%, 7 Votes)
  • Life by Clément Combier AKA Ttiki (2%, 6 Votes)
  • Obsolete by Lucia (3%, 8 Votes)
  • Manor of PTSD by Ethosaur (17%, 42 Votes)
  • The Theft by Easimer (4%, 11 Votes)
  • The Road by Michael McGee AKA HQDefault (5%, 13 Votes)
  • High Explosive by Lamarr (3%, 7 Votes)
  • Cromuvator by SharpOB (2%, 6 Votes)
  • BrodyQuest by HeadCrλbbed (7%, 17 Votes)
  • Cook Some Toast by Rekurer (2%, 5 Votes)
  • Subarctic Adventure by Mark A.K.A. Strontvlieg (2%, 5 Votes)
  • Kaboom by Ian Spadin AKA Idolon (11%, 28 Votes)
  • Neon Speedster by Omeqa (2%, 6 Votes)
  • Video Games by Sockman (11%, 28 Votes)

Total Voters: 66

Loading ... Loading ...
Menu Music

Brane Scan by Kelly Bailey from Half-Life 2

Release Versions

0.9 – Developers’ Version. First versions of maps. Internal Alpha version
1.0 – First public release. Contains a few updated maps (see below), two background images and two Steam Gridview images.
1.1 – Update map for BrodyQuest and fixed sound issue for the same map.

Specific Map Notes:

G-Mare: “Players with older computers may experience minor frame rate issues at points as I was unable to properly optimise due to time constraints. Sorry!”
Subarctic “Adventure: set in a subarctic location, the player has to fight a number of sometimes unexpected enemies.”
Nevrin54: “Laser puzzle may be a bit buggy, sorry this was very rushed since I was on a road trip half of the time I had to map this. Have fun!”
Manor of PTSD: “Credit to Reepblue for OldPunt textures + sound. I HIGHLY suggest playing with Vsync on as the lighting might cause annoying flickering in this map without (Unsure for others) Map uses content I had permission from creator to use + self made content. The map is based on a dream I had + weird random stuff mixed in. Thanks and have fun.”
Embiggened: “The van model was created by Tiop for my AnyVilleVille entry, the Last Commute. It was made using Propper.”

Updated Maps’ Notes:

MANOR OF PTSD:
-fixes possible crash when opening door to the bathroom + door closing behind you.
-Fixed dying when falling down the hallway.
-Fixed some some texture problems, all that is missing is the RTSL graffiti required in the final version.

G-MARE:
– Can no longer get door to the gnome bathroom stuck open.
– Expanded area of dream teleport trigger and relocated containment brush to bedroom door so the player can no longer move out of the trigger.
– Some small changes to text displays (Added credit and removed gnome bathroom’s “Uh…”)

BRODQUEST:
I removed the game breaking bugs I knew of and fixed lighting issues on props.

COME SOME TOAST:
-missing textures
-tracktrain being usable by player
-being able to lose the can so you can’t finish the level

VIDEO GAMES:
– Fixed sound issues

Credits

The RunThinkShootLive.Com introduction video was made by Jeff Muñoz (ThatoneJeff)” and he also significantly helped with logo design – thanks Jeff, you ROCK!

Custom Gridview Images

Two gridview images are included in this release.

General Mapping Challenge Rules

Maximum two maps per mapper per competition.
The map must be original and not have been released publicly before.
The map must run in system with only Ep2 installed
By entering the competition you grant PlanetPhillip.Com & RunThinkShootLive.Com the right to release the map as part of the Ville Mod.
Maps must not appear before the release and for one month after the release of the mod.
No assets from retail games other than HL2, HL2: Ep1 or HL2: Ep2 are allowed.
Other assets are allowed with written permission from their original authors, which MUST be included in the entry.
Phillip’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into about it.
The map MUST have a proper name.
The map MUST have a proper filename: MapName_ABC.bsp (ABC is replaced with the code for the mapping challenge)
All entries must be sent to: [email protected] no later than the deadline.

Sponsor

This challenge was not sponsored. If you are an individual or company and interested in sponsoring a challenge, please contact Phillip ([email protected]) to discuss the options.

Screenshots

WARNING: The screenshots contain spoilers.
Each map has 5 screenshots. Massive unending thanks to ArctixSnowPup for providing the screenshots!

1600 x 900

Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Reader Recommendations
Avoid It!
Think Twice
Maybe
Play It Later
Play It Now!
11 recommendations, average score: 3.45 (out of 5), standard deviation: 0.79 (what's that?)
Total Downloads
  • 3,835
    Overall
  • 0
    Today
  • 9
    Last 7 days
  • 33
    Last 30 days
  • 165
    365 days
Meta Review Data
Statistics based on 4 comment(s) with meta review data.

Installed:
Using Gauge: Users
Manually: 3 Users
Time Taken:
Average: 1 Hours, 20 Mins
Shortest: 0 Hours, 30 Mins by Daken50
Longest: 3 Hours by dwfuji
Total Time Played: 5 Hours, 20 Mins
Categories (?)
Half-Life 2: Ep2 HL2-EP2 Mods Play
Tags (?)
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This release is currently not in a collection

If you believe this release is missing important tags, please suggest them in a comment?
Jump to a review
Think TwiceMaybe?Maybe?Play It LaterPlay It LaterPlay It LaterPlay It LaterPlay It LaterPlay It Now!Maybe?Think Twice

31 Comments

  1. 1Lucia

    Finally it’s out! Will soon write a review 😛

    Reply
  2. Urby
    Think Twice

    My major concern with this ville’s briefing was that it seemed to almost invite mappers to try to be ‘random.’ A word which in my opinion is misused second only to ‘ironic.’ I had a horrible feeling that the entries would mostly be the kind of thing you would see in your average troll mod and the actual bane of my existence. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised by a few entries, but for the most part I did not have fun with this one.

    Videogames
    It is good

    An amusing entry with a nice variety of gameplay. It’s funny to see different games represented in the Source engine. The Half-Life 3 section made me chuckle. It’s probably more than what Valve has done so far…

    Neon Speedster
    It is okay

    A racecourse set in a dystopian future. Quite fun to drive around with a few targets to hit on the way round. Would have been interesting to see a few more obstacles / jumps, but not bad.

    Kaboom
    It is great!

    Certainly the best looking map so far. Also, really fun! Who’d have thought? The simple act of limiting the player to the RPG and suddenly you have to rethink the way you approach different enemies. Thankfully, most enemies in this map attack from a distance. Really enjoyed this.

    Subarctic Adventure
    It is bad

    Wasn’t really sure what was going on in this one. As with Kaboom, it seems to limit your arsenal, but not so much. Then Alyx was hostile all of a sudden? No idea. The last battle was a bit of a pain as I had to keep running back to the rocket crate. Eventually I just camped out there and waiting for the enemies to come to me. Not a lot of fun.

    Cook Some Toast
    It is bad

    Oook? I thought I needed a wheel at the start, but the use button moved the cart anyway. Also, I could just fling the bread into the fire with the gravity gun… Sooo… I guess I won. Fair enough.

    Brodyquest
    It is bad

    This had a couple of moments that made me smile at the start with the doors. After that, it was just a bit boring and the final sequence just went on and on. The kind of thing you’d see in a troll mod.

    Cromuvator
    It is good

    This one actually made me laugh a lot. Short, sweet and pretty accurate to the theme (something that seems legitimate but is not). I also see from the secret room that the author is a fan of SexualLobster. Nice.

    High Explosive
    It is okay

    Another entry focusing on explosives, this time focusing on props. The first thing that I saw was a combine soldier walking right through a closed gate… After that, a small series of fights with more soldiers that get in far too close to make use of explosives, so I just killed them with the SMG…

    The Road
    It is good

    My thought process at the start of this map: “Why did the chicken cross the road? …uhm, to get to the other HOLY SHIT! RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN. I actually laughed pretty hard at this one. It was even pretty challenging to complete which is nice.

    The Theft
    It is good

    Quite an unusual objective, but it was fun. I think this tickles the part of my brain that actually enjoys fetch quests in RPGs.

    Manor of PTSD
    It is good

    I had a feeling that this would be Ethosaur’s map, considering he is working on a mod also called PTSD something or other. Does make me wonder how much of this was created in the 50 hour time limit. Haha. Not too bad. Some interesting little challenges and fun little sequences.

    Obsolete
    It is okay

    Some good challenges leading up to an amusing boss fight. It would have been good to have a suit in order to monitor health, but it seems that everything either kills you instantly, or doesn’t actually hurt at all. In the last stage of the boss fight, I just stood in place and tanked the floor lasers since they didn’t seem to hurt at all.

    Life
    It is okay

    Not sure what to say about this one. It’s a lot like the bridge story map from Bridgeville. You just kind of walk and get tiny text prompts and then it ends. Not really relevant to the theme and not a lot of fun to “play.”

    Map Machine Broke
    It is dire!

    Urgh… dull, uninspired and minimal effort applied. Your average troll mod content.

    Mount Splashmore
    It is good

    Pretty basic environment at the start and I like that the two combine factions fought one another. After that, I figured I was gearing up for a huge battle of my own and was pretty shocked by what I found beyond the door. Pretty funny.

    G-Mare
    It is okay

    Did I miss something in the brief that said you MUST include the Alpha gman face texture in your map? I’ve seen it a number of times and… I don’t get it. Anyway, this bizarre map uses said texture repeatedly, but is actually not a bad little map to play through. Not sure I’d say it fits the theme, but still a nice challenge.

    Embiggen
    It is good

    Ah, a perfectly cromulent word. Also, a very entertaining map. Short and sweet and pretty amusing. I saw the giant hunter at the start and figured I had my work cut out for me. Then I saw my suit. The battle that followed was frantic and destructive and there wasn’t much city left by the end.

    Alpha 0.0.4.3
    It is dire!

    I had to replay this one because I finished it and when it came to writing the review I had nothing to say. Now, having replayed it… yeah. I got nothing. It’s just another troll mod style map with text to speech voice lines and a whole bunch of meaningless stuff in between.

    Lost Cosmonaut
    It is good

    Another walking map but this one has some very cool environments. Not a lot happening but certainly nice to look at

    Beer
    It is good

    Ridiculously short and probably one of the funniest entries in the whole pack. Barney finally delivered on his promise, big time. I mean he really embiggened that beer he owed.

    Nevrin54
    It is dire!

    And finally, this nonsense. I saw a machine with lasers and an archway at the end. Stood in the archway. Nothing. I found a hole with Alyx’s face texturing it all the way down and died at the bottom. I tried running to the end of the warehouse type room and was slowed down to crawling speed… I’m bored! I’m done!

    Summary

    What it ultimately comes down to is this: Would I recommend this to my friends. Honestly no. There is some good stuff on display here and in some cases, as with minimalismville, it’s impressive what can be done with the Source engine in 50 hours. However, the majority of this pack is just not the kind of thing I would actively seek out and as such I didn’t enjoy a lot of it.

    Reply
    1. Ethosaur

      Aside from the Punt tile textures, everything was made within the given timeframe. The ptsd part was simply inspired by my mod. (Being weird and all)

      Thanks for the review.

      Reply
      1. Urby

        Haha. No problem. I wasn’t really pointing fingers. More of a lighthearted jab. 😛

        Reply
        1. Ethosaur

          👍

          Reply
  3. ThatsRidonkulous
    Maybe?

    Spoilers warning! Spoilers warning! Spoilers warning!

    CromulentVille. I interpreted this competition as maps that make the player “feel” something. I wanted to be intrigued. I wanted to feel hopeful, hopeless, entertained, bittered, unstoppable, powerless, and anything else in between. I wanted to see things differently. To sit back in my chair and go “Huh…I would’ve never thought of that!” Many maps delivered, but many did not. Compared to Minimalismville, this competition’s entries as a whole seemed a little disappointing–but I had quite a few exciting moments. Let’s begin.

    Video Games
    It is okay

    Join me.
    There is a decent narrative to tie the parts of this map together, which is always good. The “escape” sequence felt very Portal-esque, with an all-powerful being coaxing and taunting me as I tried to get out of such a nightmare. I didn’t get lost at all, which is a plus. I appreciated the opportunity of choice at the end, but did not like how I had no hint as to which choice signified what (Was the elevator coaxing me to “join” the voice, or was the bright light doing it?) Upon playing through a second time, I did not appreciate the illusion of free choice (“Sorry, you chose wrong!” essentially) and a dump back to the main menu. A checkpoint load (which, thank you for having them) would have sufficed. Overall I didn’t know what to feel at the beginning, but began to feel the gears turning in my head as the narrative unfolded at the end–to which I’d say is a decent map.

    Neon Speedster
    It is good

    Mouse1 to ready up!
    I enjoyed the dystopian aesthetic featuring a mostly concrete and bland landscape except for a few vivid propaganda billboards. With quite an interesting track (with a drawn route, too!–except I forgot the layout a few seconds later) the “speedster” aspect of this map was spot on. The “neon” aspect could have had some more work done, though, with a fast-paced soundtrack to start. I understand these maps were made in 50 hours, but–with more time–I would love to see this map evolve into a more colorful environment in terms of the lighting, with a few out-of-track scripted events. Overall, I was very close to getting that rush from old PS2 racing games back in the day, and with a couple of tweaks, I think I’ll definitely give this map another couple laps. So–when is RaceVille coming out?

    Kaboom
    It is good

    Rocket-Propelled Thinking!
    Puzzle-solving and headcrab-killing with an RPG? Some might think it’s overkill, but I think it’s actually an interesting concept. Dealing with what would be the simplest thing in Half-Life 2–breaking wooden planks–turns the tables of how I’d expect to play the game. Just when I was about to complain about a lack of item crates, there they are! The self-regenerating RPG (SRRPG?) puts yet another spin on mechanics, emphasizing that your shots are well-timed and well-aimed to kill the most enemies per fire, because you’ll be waiting behind cover if you waste all 3 shots quickly. All this, packed inside a wonderfully-detailed City 17 environment. Despite making me think differently about basic game mechanics and firing the most Rambo-esque weapon in HL2 in a conservative way, I can’t confidently say this map made me “feel” anything in particular, but rather “think”.
    (Bonus points for the Alyx siren?)

    Subarctic Adventure
    It is good

    That’s just cold…
    Episode three confirmed? Jokes aside, this map is brutal. Right off the bat, with the first shot fired, I was in a miniature state of shock. One button press later, I witness the untimely departure of an RPG-equipped citizen (What is it with you and female citizens shooting themselves at the beginning of your maps, anyway?). The final battle started out annoying, as though there were infinitely-spawning enemies, but as I retreated I actually felt hopeless and surrounded, seeing other enemies taking a flank route. From confusion to grief to hopelessness, this map managed to speak to me without the use of text on screen (aside from the good old-fashioned “Congratulations, you’ve won!” message). Great work on this map.

    Cook Some Toast
    It is bad

    Even Gordon gets hungry sometimes…
    Although I do appreciate the cartoony art style, which is a break away from traditional HL2 maps and mods, the game space felt too cramped in both space and physics objects for me to do much of anything. There seemed like a lot of pointless extra tasks to do. But everything works, that’s always a plus. If these have some significance, and this map offers more than what I observed, I’ll take another look. Otherwise, it was so quick and simple that I hope there will be/would have been more.

    BrodyQuest
    It is good

    Great Brody.
    I loaded in expecting this to be a 2d side-scroller in the HL2 universe. I was wrong. Well, sort of. The linear direction of this map is obvious (a nod toward every BrodyQuest video ever) but I had my share of enjoyment. I found most of the humor to be in the smaller things (opening a door to a strider, a man violently jumping out of a window…) Overall, the map aimed to entertain through humor and delivered. I felt good vibes from the music and general goofiness of the environment, so that’s good in my book.

    Cromuvator
    It is okay

    Going…down?
    Decent detail, good ambient, and a gnome that makes doll sounds–all of which are things I like in a HL2 map.
    Learning by death, pixel walking, and a lack of checkpoints despite being an extremely short map–all of which are things I’m not so fond of. Just those five or six seconds of waiting to get back in the elevator are what frustrate me, not dying over and over again. The GMan line was a nice touch, but I don’t see how it is relevant to the map aside from him being in control somehow. I didn’t feel anything in this map because I didn’t have time to.

    High Explosive
    It is okay

    Lights, Combine, Action!
    Looks like the Canals needed somewhere to store their explosives–Nova Prospekt was the place. What appears to be designed by Michael Bay himself, the combat is not spectacular but certainly not boring. The surrounding environment was nice to look at–I clearly knew I was in a prison. There is a touch of challenge with the AR2 enemies at the end–which I like, but aside from the occasional well-placed rocket/barrel/SMG grenade I didn’t feel anything at all while clearing out the Prison Guard roster. This was nicely done, without a doubt, but just needed a little intro or exposition (killing prisoners, taking Alyx away, etc.) to give Gordon a reason to slaughter these Combine guards.

    The Road
    It is great!

    Which came first, the crowbar or the suit?
    I’ve never been more terrified of chickens in my life. What was essentially Frogger on steroids, I felt quite a rush dodging mines, vehicles, CPs and zombies–as well as opening doors and pushing buttons–only to escape a massive, menacing (…you guessed it) chicken. I don’t mind the dev textures, it was clear that gameplay and the “chicken chase” were primary focuses for this map and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Good work with the autosave, too, preventing me from having to do all the intro stuff over again but giving me just enough time to get my bearings upon reloading. Cluck, cluck!

    The Theft
    It is good

    Flush ’em out!
    What I originally thought was a mix between a stealthy burglary and a horrific, haunted house, I found to be much more welcoming. If anything, I feared the long, dark corridor, the basement, and watching Breen sit by the fire–this, of course, was all before I realized I could just walk in and nobody would attack me. Either way, though, I was fearing for my life around every corner. Those toilets better be worth the hassle!

    Manor of PTSD
    It is great!

    Wouldn’t be the first time…
    Others might find this map as a drug-induced compilation of random ideas, but, as you’ve said yourself at the end of the level, I can feel the emotions in these “dreams” you based these “chambers” off of. From the rush to find the antidote to the desperation of finding a way out of drowning, bringing these dreams to a conscious state definitely made me feel something. I always knew what I had to do and where to go as a result of good design and player leading. The environment wasn’t spectacularly detailed, but that’s clearly because the bulk of the effort was put into gameplay. I expected a meme map, but got something surprisingly relatable. I won’t forget this map any time soon.

    Obsolete
    It is good

    Valve’s little secret.
    I expected another random, completely scripted HL2-esque map–which was what I got at first, up to the sniper. Nothing really extrodinary happened until I was met with the one, the only, the unmistakable OBSOLETE man. My objective was clear–4 targets, 4 minigames, and the boss will be defeated. This reminded me a lot of arcade bosses, and the nostalgia is a great feeling. I wish there was more insight/forewarning to where the lasers would appear before actually damaging the player. The crumbling and shattering of the boss was gratifying. If the time put into the first half of the map was instead put into the bossfight, I’m sure Obsolete would have been spectacular. A solid entry overall.

    Life
    It is bad

    Your family, your friends, your death.
    I’m under the impression this map wanted me to look back on Freeman’s impact on the world to feel something, but with just text on screen and a few models and animations here and there, I felt nothing. Appropriate music and voice-overs would have definitely affected the mood. I expected this entire map to be just an intro to something, but this was not the case. I walked a little bit, I read a little bit, that was all. With more visual effect work, and a lot more audio work, I can see some players getting teary-eyed if it plucks the right string.

    Map Machine Broke
    It is dire!

    memes
    This. This was what I was expecting for multiple maps in this competition. There’s a difference between a map being bad and a map intentionally being bad. One can be entertaining in a poke-and-laugh way (off-timing animations, etc) while the other seems like a drag. My mood while playing this was equivalent to someone hearing a friend take a joke too far, repeating it to the point where it isn’t funny any more. There was an attempt at redemption during the Combine combat sequence, but even that could not save this map. I do enjoy memes and I’m sure a number of others will get a kick out of playing this map because of said memes, but I did not enjoy it.

    Mount Splashmore
    It is good

    Hope you enjoyed the ride.
    Things are not always as they seem in Mt Splashmore. This map caught me off guard not once, not twice, but THREE times, and each time I loved it. Being closed in by combine forces, only to have them fight each other, thrilled but relieved me at the same time. The same can be said for the APC. I laughed out loud when I accidentally solved the fence puzzle. The “gearing up for the big fight against a headcrab” section was a little bit overdone, but enjoyable nonetheless. This entry was clearly lighthearted and aimed at changing how you see the characters and obstacles in HL2. Despite its lack of visual and audio elements, I love the way this guy thinks!

    G-Mare
    It is good

    Alyx is sleeping with her eyes open again…
    Thank you for passing your nightmare on to me. With the creepiness of GMan set aside, the recreated NPCs work well for the most part. I had no trouble with the metrocop section, as it was designed well and there were adequate supplies. The hunter arena could have been brightened up more, but the sky for the GMan-ified gunship DEFINITELY needed more light. I had to rely on the tracers of its bullets to find out where it was half the time. The integration with falling asleep and waking up at home were all very nice touches. I felt what any other nightmare-stricken person would feel: confused, scared, and ready to escape. This is a solid entry.

    Embiggened
    It is okay

    Gordonzilla!
    Although short, the heart and mind of this author was clearly in the destruction of buildings and careless tossing around of debris and everyday objects. I’m sure that with more time the author would have modeled in more vehicles, dumpsters, billboards–who knows? It’s an interesting take on the classic hunter battle, especially considering most of the buildings are destructible which open up sight lines for them. The grid pattern is easy to get lost in, but ideal for hunters to flank and charge you. Whether or not this was intentional, the combat was good, but nothing spectacular. Great job on this map’s scale, though.

    Alpha 0.0.4.3
    It is dire!

    more memes
    What I have to say for this map is essentially what I have to say for Map Machine Broke…forced memes aren’t funny. There were a couple quirks in the gordon model holding bleach, unlocking the gate with it, and overwatch saying “stick” as it burst into weapons and ammo. That type of humor is something I can get behind. Text to speech and an inflated effort to make things look intentionally bad is something that I don’t enjoy. There was a narrative, though, which was nice. There was also an opportunity presented, but that had no effect on gameplay because both choices dumped me to the menu. I felt the same disappointment I felt in the previous “meme map”, only on a lesser scale because there were acceptable lighting and textures.

    Lost Cosmonaut
    It is bad

    Spaceman Freeman…
    I played through this map twice, and still am not grasping the story it may or may not be trying to tell. Sure, the lighting is good, and there are some gameplay elements via platforming, but there is nothing special about this map aside from ambience. Hopefully others can feel something that I don’t.

    Beer
    It is bad

    About that beer I owed ya…
    This was a nicely done cutscene. The visuals and audio were good, and it served its narrative purpose. Unfortunately, that’s all this map has to offer, as the only gameplay is being able to look around for the last ten or so seconds. I had a chuckle at the beer rising out of the ocean, though. I look forward to whatever you happen to make in the future.

    Nevrin54
    It is dire!

    The laser is a deadly laser
    After about 15 minutes of roaming around the map, interacting with multiple items multiple times and achieving nothing significant, as well as noclipping around the speed barrier, I have no idea what I am supposed to be doing, what my goal is, and whether that paint can was a victory or mission fail. I felt confusion and frustration, if that counted for anything. The visuals weren’t great, but they weren’t bad either. Because of a lack of any direction towards pass or fail, at least to myself, I’m going to have to give this one a Dire rating.

    Reply
  4. HQDefault
    Maybe?

    Well… this was, uh… interesting. Here’s some reviews!

    Video Games
    It is great!

    This one was definitely a strong start right out the gate. I thought the idea of playing through an intentionally shittier version of pre-existing games was absolutely hilarious. (especially the part where they replaced the slenderman with a guy running around yelling “This is bullshit!”) Hell, it even had a bit of twist towards at the end to keep it fresh. Schweet.

    Neon Speedster
    It is okay

    I can’t say this wasn’t enjoyable. The atmosphere was great, and it was fun to drive through the environment, the only problem is that it just felt so empty. Now I get that there was a serious time constraint and all, but it just felt like I was hardly doing much of anything. It didn’t even really respect the challenge’s theme all that much, in my opinion.

    Kaboom
    It is great!

    Real sweet concept here, give you a rocket launcher… and nothing else. Initially it creates a good laugh, as you’re just running around blowing headcrabs and zombies away with the thing, but when the humor starts to wear off, then the map fills in the gap that’s left behind with some good gameplay. Very nice. Like, for example, (spoilers!) you at one point get tossed down into a pit, and in order to get down, you need to cause an explosion near a ledge to get physics prop down, and get you on your way. That is a very creative use of your one mechanic to create a good puzzle, and I liked that. Then, it takes it a step further, gives you a rocket launcher with infinite rockets, and throws you into the fight of lifetime. The arena could’ve been a bit better, but overall, it was good. Loved every second of it. I feel like if it was just a bit longer, and got some more polish, then this map would earn a “It’s Wow” from me.

    Subarctic Adventure
    It is bad

    This was… eugh… I can tell the author tried, certainly. I found a secret revolver behind a building, which was nice… the hostile Alyx was a good idea on paper, but in practice, it means you get blown away almost instantly because she’s programmed to do more damage than the combine. There’s only one real fight, and it has a downright stupid amount of enemies, (although you do have a rocket launcher, so it’s not actually that hard) and it goes on for way longer than it needs to. I think it took up like 60% of the time I was in the map. Overall, this had some good ideas, but the whole thing was just so underwhelming that I couldn’t fully enjoy it.

    Cook some toast
    It is okay

    This one’s pretty self-explanatory. You make toast. The author made sure to put a good variety of ways for you to make toast. The only thing I can really say about this map is once you get over the speck of humor that comes with the concept, it gets boring fast. But they made a valiant effort, and for that reason, I think this deserves an “Okay”. It’s fun for 45 seconds, after that it’s kinda lame.

    BrodyQuest
    It is great!

    By all traditional standards, this map should be shit. But it’s hilarious. And that’s what I wanted from this contest. It got a good laugh outta me, and it kept a consistent grin on my face the whole way through. Given that this is a 50 hour contest, and I was expecting some silly maps, I was pretty satisfied with this entry.

    Cromuvator
    It is okay

    I couldn’t get behind this one. At first I thought it was kinda clever how you were intended to solve the puzzle only after dying once, and the way you solved the puzzle was a little funny, but just overall, maybe because of how incredibly short and simple it was, I just left feeling unsatisfied. But I’ll give credit where credit is due: What is there is well made. So it earns its “Okay” rating.

    High Explosive
    It is bad

    Remember all the stuff I said about “Kaboom”? Well, this map is essentially that, but much, much shorter, and a whole lot less clever. It doesn’t have that moment of “Oh, how silly, I have to kill these headcrabs with a rocket launcher!” and it doesn’t have the really well-designed action segments that Kaboom had. (I kind of feel bad for the author, as it’s possible that having Kaboom as an entry made me knock this entry down a bit) Also, combine soldiers walking through solid objects. That might’ve knocked the score down, too. It does at least look nice, though.

    The Road

    Backaw! (This was my map. I won’t rate my own map for obvious reasons.) Bock Bock Bock…

    The Theft
    It is good

    This was kinda fun. Basically, you have to steal toilets from a haunted house… because reasons. So, this one combines aspects of horror and comedy, and while I don’t think this is the effect the mod author had intended, the humor just makes it feel like all the horror bits are decent jokes in their own right. Like one moment, there was a skull sat in a chair watching a static TV, so I just sat in the couch next to it and said, “Damn, this is a nice show!”. Anyway, spoilers ahead, you get one toilet from the vortigaunts in exchange for a Breen Bust (even though it’s literally in the same house, the lazy bastards can go get it themselves). The next toilet you get from a bathroom that’s haunted by the G-Man… the last one you get by shooting a padlock off of it with a magnum first. And you can ONLY get that padlock off with the magnum. That had me stumped for a while, as the gravity gun wasn’t working… so I figured there was a key or something somewhere. That’s bad visual language! Frankly, that last toilet might’ve been the only thing holding it back from getting a “It’s Great” score from me, because it made the map drag on way longer than necessary. Ah well. Such if fate.

    Manor of PTSD
    It is great!

    This map was pretty nice. Had a good mix of horror and tiny sprinkles of humor, each puzzle you had to go through was enjoyable, it all meshed good. Not much else to say, honestly. I should mention that I technically don’t agree with my own score, as I didn’t really enjoy it to the extent of other “It’s Great” maps… but I gave it that score anyway, because by all standards, I feel that’s what the map deserves.

    Obsolete
    It is good

    What’s odd is that half of this map feels like “It’s okay” quality, and the other half is “It’s great” quality. So it evens out to just “It’s Good”. First half, you get a crowbar, and you go through a bit of an obstacle course. The obstacle course felt a bit odd, and I wasn’t a huge fan of it. Then you get dropped in an arena, and you have to fight a giant obsolete entity… um… okay! The whole thing is surprisingly well put together, and very satisfying to finish. I give it a thumbs up!

    Life
    It is dire!

    I think my initial response upon finishing the map explains it perfectly: “Was that supposed to mean something?” Like it tries to act like it’s conveying a deep, existential meaning, and make the player feel something… but it ultimately just feels like I wasted 2 minutes.

    Map Machine Broke
    It is bad

    Hey kids… do you like MEEEEEMES? Yeah, this map is not good. It’s a stupid mess, and it’s not really enjoyable beyond a very brief chuckle at the title and the concept. (However, it is worth mentioning that that “very brief chuckle” is what raised this up from “Dire” to just “Bad”. I did at least get SOMETHING out of it.)

    Mount Splashmore
    It is okay

    The beginning was a fun little trick to troll the player… they show combine soldiers coming right for you from both sides… but it turns out, it’s two factions of combine having a ground war, and you’re just the impartial observer. It then arms you to the teeth, so you can go to the next room and have a joke-fight with a headcrab. That’s the whole map. I’m not too impressed by this, honestly. The two jokes have absolutely no connection to each other. Why not tell the silly, ridiculous story of how these two factions of combine got into war? Maybe John Combine stole the sacred dinosaur from Joshua Combine, and that led to some conflict. C’mon! This has potential! I was originally going to give this an “It’s Bad” rating, but nothing in the map is strictly poorly done, just kind of disappointing.

    G-Mare
    It is okay

    Well, I had a bit of a laugh when I went to sleep only to find that I was fighting minecraft G-Men… and then the laugh wore off… and I realized I was just playing a very average half-life 2 map that slaps G-Man faces on all the enemies. Eugh.

    Embiggen
    It is bad

    I suppose the idea of getting 16x larger to fight giant hunters is a neat concept, but the environment you fight in is REALLY tight to navigate, I really hate fighting Hunters with an SMG, and the map just overall gets boring fast. I really wanted to like this one, but I just couldn’t.

    Alpha 0.0.4.3
    It is dire!

    Okay, so, full disclosure: I am horrendously biased towards this map because of something it did at the end…

    So… yeah… when I say I’m horrendously biased towards this map and it STILL gets an “It’s Dire” from me, you know I’m gonna be talking some shit on this map.

    First, it has you do a “puzzle”, and then it pretends to end for about 10 seconds. I almost closed out, but luckily, I had a hunch that it wasn’t the end… and I was right! Wish I wasn’t though… Alyx then proceeds to tell you through text-to-speech that the combine are onto you… while you’re both in a room full of combine… then you get captured… I think. Then some guy made out of polyester uses bleach to unlock the gate, and proceeds to disappear. You then book it the fuck outta there, find some giant antlion worms, I think there was some more stuff in between, but I might’ve forgotten already, then you reach the ending!

    The G-Man tells you that you have to save one person. First you hear Alyx’s side of the story, who makes a pregnancy joke that isn’t funny, and just makes you roll your eyes… then the next guy you can save is… HOLY SHIT IT’S TIMOTHY J ZOMBIE.

    For those who don’t know, “Timothy J Zombie” was a map (starring a character under the same name) that I made for the Bridgeville mapping competition. So when I discovered that, I just fucking exploded in laughter. I think you can guess which person I saved, on that note. But anyway, I of course can’t judge the map on that merit, because I’m the only one who will find that to be that funny.

    I will say, however, that despite getting an “It’s Dire” rating… I recommend people play it simply because it verges into “So bad it’s good” territory.

    Lost Cosmonaut
    It is bad

    This map has some cool environments… and… that’s it. It’s a map where nothing happens.

    Beer
    It is okay

    Well, this map has no gameplay, and it’s 20 seconds long. Under circumstances like that… your map can really only be so good. Luckily, I would say that it makes pretty good use out of what it has, and makes a pretty decent joke. This in particular I won’t spoil, because with it being a no-gameplay map, telling you the only thing that happens would kind of ruin it.

    Nevrin54
    It is dire!

    If this map has an end… I couldn’t tell you where it is.
    First attempt: Falls down an Alyx hole and dies.
    Second attempt: Teleports to a giant hammer and dies.
    Third attempt: Gets stuck in an indoor swimming pool forever.
    Yeah, I’m done.

    In Conclusion

    Overall, I enjoyed this pack. I got some laughs out of a vast majority of these, and while I think some of these range from bad to just unremarkable, there are certainly some good ones in here. I would give the time to play through the pack. I think people will enjoy some of these.

    Reply
  5. Bratishka
    Play It Later

    Really absurd or unusual maps in this competition. Some maps it’s really funny but some creepy or abstract. Another 50-hour challenge it’s sounds good. Unusual and strange maps including in this challenge.

    Video Games
    It is good

    Nice map where we play video games on hl2 source engine. In begininig we just play games. Last game is maybe The stanley parable and there start storyline of map. We need to join to our voices in head or kill it. Map i’ts really good and unusual. More abstract than cromulent.

    Neon Speedster
    It is okay

    Just riding and city. NFS in HL2? We ride on jaloy and killing zombies and metrocops on one track 2 laps. Hey! It’s like carmageddon! But i don’t find this map absurd really.

    Kaboom
    It is okay

    Blowing canals and city streets. And laggy alyx at the end. Uhhhh, ok.

    Subarctic Adventure
    It is okay

    WTF? Why alyx kill she’s dad? She is crazy girl. So, map boring and short. Absurd and crazy.

    Cook Some Toast
    It is okay

    Just cook toast and eat it. But where is my cooked toast?

    BrodyQuest
    It is okay

    Uuuuh….. Angry brody?!

    Cromuvator
    It is okay

    Say, who saw ending in this map? And i just find gnome in secret vent.

    High Explosive
    It is bad

    Why bad? I don’t find map cromulent. Short and stupid.

    The Road
    It is okay

    OH SHIT!!! BIG 2 WHEELS APC!!! COMMON GO AWAY!
    My words when i’m play it. Map pretty good.

    The Theif
    It is okay

    Really sp00ky map. I’m pissed off. It’s not absurd, it’s horror!

    Manor of PTSD
    It is great!

    Another amazing map from Ethosaur. Here we see g-man with TV-head. Small part of map looks like Portal, really. Map beauty and unusual. Really unusual and absurd.

    Obsolete
    It is okay

    Another stupid and strange map.

    Life
    It is okay

    Okay? Strange.

    Map Machine Broke
    It is WOW!

    Acid trip : – )

    Mount Splashmore
    It is okay

    Headcrab is boss! : – /

    G-Mare
    It is okay

    G-man everywhere!!!

    Embiggened
    It is good

    We are giant and can destroy city. Nice map!

    Alpha 0.0.4.3
    It is bad

    Nice joke.

    Lost Cosmonaut
    It is good

    Nice and short. It’s not funny map, it’s abstract. But really cool!

    Beer
    It is bad

    Too short.

    Nevrin54
    It is okay

    Strange map. Why here big hole with Alyx’s face textures?

    Reply
    1. Lucia

      Hi, mapmaker of Obsolete here.
      I guess by saying “another stupid and strange map”. Is that a good thing? lol

      Reply
      1. Bratishka

        yup. that the THING. BATTLE WITH TEXTURE

        Reply
  6. SharpOB
    Play It Later

    Some very entertaining maps in this challenge, but there are a few bad ones.

    Video Games
    It is okay

    This map is quite interesting, but, as even it points out, it has no original ideas. I don’t think pointing it out makes it a good thing. Still though, it was slightly interesting, and it’s not that bad.

    Neon Speedster
    It is good

    Despite not entirely fitting with the theme, I’m gonna say this is good. It’s quite a fun experience and has some good geometry.

    Kaboom
    It is great!

    A fun experience. I liked the idea of the map and it was complemented well with some great design.

    Subarctic Adventure
    It is okay

    It was alright. The map didn’t really have any interesting premise.

    Cook Some Toast
    It is good

    Gets quite repetitive after awhile. All you do is cook toast? It’s alright.

    BrodyQuest
    It is great!

    I love how the music was made to blend in with the map. That’s very creative and I love it. Four things you would need to do to your map, though. Compile cubemaps, clip your stairs and disable the collisions on the light props, so the player can smoothly jump down the stairs. Also, door props need frames and to line up properly with them. Oh, and you can climb up the rocks onto the beams. I think the player should be rewarded for that level of creativity.

    Cromuvator
    It is good

    It can’t be fair for me to vote on my own map, right? I’m just going to talk about it. I am quite proud of the detail I managed to put into the room the player spawns into. The paint was peeling, things were sprayed onto the walls and one wall had a damp stain on it. One thing of note is that this is my first entry to any RTSL mapping event. Overall, I’m quite proud of this creation.

    High Explosive
    It is okay

    This map didn’t really fit with the theme. It is again one of those “blow every enemy up” maps, but not as good as Kaboom.

    The Road
    It is great!

    Amazing map. Beautiful in design, with a dev texture mountain and a dev texture citadel in the skybox. The buildings looked great and the map was just fun to play.

    The Theft
    It is good

    It was certainly an experience to steal an old man’s toilets after assasinating him, listening to the snores of his ghost. For some reason, the vortigaunts allowed me to take the bust after I gave it to them.

    Manor of PTSD
    It is WOW!

    An excellent map. Pretty much the embodiement of the theme. I unfortunately spent an embarrasing amount of time figuring out the portal-style room, though.

    Obselete
    It is great!

    This map was great. The boss battle was an original concept and I loved it.

    Life
    It is great!

    Quite grim… Might want to look into the spelling of “wedding” and add cubemaps.

    Map Machine Broke
    It is dire!

    Garbage meme map. Don’t even touch it. By the end, it gets slightly better, but still quite bad.

    Mount Splashmore
    It is okay

    It was alright. Boring, but not bad.

    G-Mare
    It is great!

    Another map that takes the theme and works well with it.

    Embiggened
    It is great!

    Another great map. It was fun to destroy a city whilst taking out some hunters.

    Alpha 0.0.4.3
    It is dire!

    Yet another garbage meme map.

    Lost Cosmonaut
    It is okay

    There’s nothing to this map. But it looks good.

    Beer
    It is good

    A cutscene, essentially. A funny one, though.

    Nevrin54
    It is dire!

    This map is just bad. I have no idea of what to do and others have shared this frustration.

    Summary

    A fun collection of maps, but there are a few awful ones in there.

    Reply
  7. 1Lucia
    Play It Later

    Most of the maps in this contest are okay, some are really bad, and very few are very good!

    Video Games
    It is okay

    This is one of these okay maps in the contest, but I wouldn’t skip this map in your playthrough! The Idea was something I didn’t see before, but it wasn’t the most well made map.

    Neon Speedster
    It is good

    Look at that, a race map! Also, never seen a map like this before in HL2. At first playthrough my car was very slidy, which made me hate it at first. But at second playthrough it seemed good! The map was a little too dark though, and it wasn’t the most fun thing.

    Kaboom
    It is great!

    A very great map! It was beautiful and I had lots of fun playing it, although it wasn’t too “cromulent” in my opinion. This could’ve been a normal Half life 2 level pretty much (except for alyx at the end). I was very split between giving it a It’s great and a It’s good. But in the end I found it pretty great.

    Subarctic Adventure
    It is good

    When Alyx killed Eli, it made me really uncomfortable. When she then chased after me, I was quite scared actually. The end fight against the millions of Metrocops was a little too much though. Should’ve made the alyx part longer.

    Cook some toast
    It is okay

    I didn’t get this map. It was so messy. In the end, you got bread, put it on a stove and the map was over, you can cook infinitely if you want to, I thought a easter egg would trigger later on after enough toast (which didn’t happen) very dissapointed by this entry.

    Brodyquest
    It is okay

    okay.

    Cromuvator
    It is okay

    This map was good designed, some nice details and sounds. But you could do nothing in this map really. It looked very promising but got bad real fast. Sorry SharpOB! But please, make more maps in the future. You have great potential! 🙂

    High Explosive
    It is bad

    Nice design and all, but I don’t see the point in this map. Wud?

    The Road
    It is WOW!

    Very good! The map was nicely designed and very weird! Best map in this contest by far! 🙂

    The Theft
    It is okay

    I thought this map was pretty scary. I had a creepy vibe. But I later broke a toilet and couldn’t complete the map. One thing I noticed is if you steal a toilet from the Vortigaunt room, it won’t count as a stolen toilet. Which it should because the vortigaunts actually chase you! Meh’ish map.

    Manor of PTSD
    It is great!

    This map was praised quite alot. Which it should be, I very much enjoyed it, and is probably the second best map.

    Obsolete

    My map! I should’ve put more effort into the boss battle, but I only thought of that boss battle after about 30 hours in the contest. But I hope the map is enjoyable!

    Life
    It is bad

    I hoped for a way longer map, it was very short, and only showed 1 death. Which was pretty good though.

    Map machine Broke
    It is bad

    I laughed a little, but it wasn’t an enjoyable experience. (Mapper, please note I didn’t give you an “It’s dire” as you predicted in your map! Ha!

    Mount Splashmore
    It is good

    Watching the NPC’s fight was amusing, and preparing for the battle scared me of the oncoming battle. And I think the battle was WAAAAY too hard. But overall a good map!

    G-Mare
    It is good

    Fine idea, good map.

    Embiggend
    It is good

    The idea is quite awesome. Using the Skybox as the big city. I felt like Godzilla with a SMG, shredding through the houses. It was a little too short though.

    Alpha 0.0.4.3
    It is bad

    Lots of effort put into this, but it’s bad. It went a little tooooo silly.

    Lost Cosmonaut
    It is good

    pretty good.

    Beer
    It is bad

    Funny cutscene, but I thought that some gameplay would happen. Like the Beer bottle turning into a cannon and you have to shoot down Helicopters with it or something! Would’ve been very cool! Please note, not a bad map.

    Nevrin54
    It is dire!

    It looked good at first. But it turned out to be the worst mod of this Contest.

    Conclusion

    Play it! But if a map looks bad, it is bad, so don’t bother playing it.

    Reply
    1. SharpOB

      Thanks for the review! Cromuvator is my first public map. For about a year, I’ve been messing around with Hammer, in the cycle of starting things, stopping them, remaking them, abandoning them for new things, etc. It actually helped alot to have a 50 hour time limit. I look forward to the next competition.

      I am quite proud of the design in that map, the decals were nice, it had some good brushwork and the lighting was good.

      Hopefully my next thing will be as good, if not better.

      Reply
      1. 1Lucia

        The design was very beautiful! I would love to see another map by you in another contest!

        Reply
  8. Ethosaur
    Play It Later

    I think this had a mixed bag of good and not so good maps, I think it’s worth checking out though, I had a few chuckles and some maps were just plain entertaining. Play it if you got time!

    Video games
    It is good

    I’ll be generous, and give it a “It’s good” it was fun and took a good jab at various popular games, short but pretty enjoyable too.

    Neon Speedster
    It is okay

    Aside from the dystopian world and cool looking level, it didn’t feel very “cromulent” to me, still an enjoyable map!

    Kaboom
    It is good

    Creative use of just one weapon, it was both fun and somewhat silly, I thought the ending was a bug but I guess not haha

    Subarctic Adventure
    It is okay

    Odd but it was still a bit fun, the citizen killing themselves with the rocket gave me a good chuckle though Overall it was a small enjoyable experience

    Cook Some Toast
    It is okay

    A simple somewhat funny map, with decent cartoony theme. Also on a side note: I can’t believe I cooked 100 toast..

    BrodyQuest
    It is great!

    I enjoyed this one a lot, it had unexpected events that made me giggle and a funny ending based on a old meme but it checks out. I played the version where it was missing music, but I just imagined it playing in my head so I won’t detract ratings based on that. Good job.

    Cromuvator
    It is okay

    I feel this is balancing on a “It’s bad to it’s okay” review, mostly because it was confusing, even for a mod that is meant to be confusing. You walk into an elevator and the floor falls (I didn’t die the first time but I just assumed you had to jump in and I died) The second time I waited and the doors opened again, I walked out and it faded to black. It’s a small neat experience but a bit confusing for me, overall detailing was well done for such a short time.

    High Explosive
    It is bad

    Sorry to say, but I had no idea what was “cromulent” about this map, it just looked like a normal hl2 map to me with a lot of explosives, and ended very abrupt, map looked nice in terms of detailing but that’s all I got to say about it.

    The Road
    It is good

    I did not expect this at all, it was pretty funny and very hectic once you realize whats going on.. The chicken brush-based model was hilarious to look at too. Map was semi-well made in most places, only problem I had was dying really fast to the metrocops in the house and getting stuck in the doors while panicking to run (part of the experience I guess? hehe.

    The Theft
    It is okay

    Another weird map, I messed up the first time by breaking the statue needed, but otherwise it was a short and ok map. (Was it possible to complete the map without breen, I wonder..)

    Manor of PTSD

    Well.. It’s my embodiment of PTSD in map form, what else can I say..

    Obselete
    It is okay

    Visually the map wasn’t that spectacular, but were it lacked in visuals it made up in gameplay, it was weird, and it got creative with various of puzzles and a Difficult but cool boss fight Overall fun and challenging.

    Life
    It is okay

    It was an odd short experience, I don’t know if it meant to be some kind of “deep” thing but I found it just confusing. Felt somewhat well made though even though it was short, but I got a feeling it was a bit rushed in the end with just scattered text, instead of making a visual for each of the “feelings/emotions” or whatever. Still I would say play it, it’s a decent map!

    Map Machine Broke
    It is okay

    A lot of people seem to hate on this map, it’s by no means the best or very good, but it gave me a chuckle because it was MADE to be bad (that’s what im getting from it anyway) it had it’s moments and was weird in it’s own way. Even had some redeeming qualities in the end with battles etc, so it’s not all bad. Also I loved the “It’s dire” block.

    Mount Splashmore
    It is okay

    A nice little scene at start, It was fun to observe, but after a while I got bored and walked around until a combine APC drove by and crashed into the fence. The Falling wall gave me a good chuckle, and the ending too. It did feel like it ended a bit too abrupt though, and I could have sworn there would be more to the map, due to the crowbar and open vent behind the window.

    G-Mare
    It is great!

    What is this?! PTSD mod v2?! A really funny short story of well.. Let’s just say Gman is there, and hes going to haunt your dreams (literally!) It had a great twist on fighting gameplay and decent map layout with the time given. Gave me a good chuckle, especially the ending. Good job.

    Embiggened
    It is okay

    A cool idea that was fairly well executed with the time given. But the premise is pretty simple, and overall detail of the map isn’t much to talk about. Otherwise it’s entertaining and might give you a quick laugh.

    Nevrin54
    It is bad

    (I didn’t finish this map all the way I think) I found this map rather confusing, there was a spot where I expected a laser to go, but I couldn’t rotate it so I felt I was missing out. The slow corridor was disappointing too because there is a clip at the end so it doesn’t feel rewarding at all. The puzzle was alright and overall map detail was ok.

    Lost Cosmonaut
    It is good

    Im going to be generous and give this a it’s good, but I was verging on it’s okay.
    It’s short but it has a nice and very trippy theme to it. Map detail was nicely done too in my opinion. A short but nice experience, give it a try!

    Beer
    It is okay

    It’s an okay map, it’s very short and doesn’t really contain any gameplay, but it redeems itself with nice visuals for what it is, and a great buildup to a funny joke.

    Alpha 0.0.4.3
    It is okay

    I thought it was an ok map, I had a few chuckles here and there Especially with playermodel breaking us out of the prison and giving us bleach A semi-short experience with some memes/jokes and weirdness. Not much else to say about that.

    Summary

    This is my first review, hopefully I did it right and didn’t mess up
    I would say this is a good mod full of many various maps, though not all are good, all have something to offer, weird, absurd, bad, good.

    Reply
    1. SharpOB

      ~~replied to the wrong comment :/~~

      Reply
  9. Winterman
    Play It Later

    I don’t know but it’s hard to imagine a true “cromulent” map, that is fun and hilarious at the same time. I have a feeling this ville is a crossbreed between random and hilarity.

    Video Games
    It is good

    Many games recreated in Source engine, hilarity ensues. It was good. The Half-Life 3 section made me laugh so hard on the inside. (And to this day I still wish for it to come out.) The battle and the “escape” sequence was nice, with the villain questioning you every move added more atmosphere to it.

    Neon Speedster
    It is okay

    It was OK. However, the map doesn’t have anything “cromulent” to it. The name is kinda misleading, I didn’t see any neons. But I understand that you have to do it in 50 hours so I’m not gonna be harsh about that.

    Kaboom
    It is great!

    It was so much fun! Having only the RPG as your weapon changes your playing style dramatically. I felt like I was the Soldier from Team Fortress 2! Oh and I wonder why Alyx keeps saying “Ah!” at the end of the level…

    Subarctic Adventure
    It is okay

    Alyx, what did you do? Somehow the bloodlust gets the better of her and caused her to shoot her dad. I find the end battle quite challenging, even though I almost raged when the map throws the Metro Policemen at me non stop. I wish I could fight Alyx though.

    Cook Some Toast
    It is good

    A sandbox map! Learn to cook toast in the most random way possible! I also like the cartoonish water.

    BrodyQuest
    It is good

    An old meme brought back to life! The beginning of the map made me laugh. But for the end? ….Meh. It’s descent I guess. The level storytelling also somehow fits in with the music perfectly.

    Cromuvator
    It is good

    A troll (?) map that made me laugh. “Prepare for unforeseen consequences.” Life lesson with G-Man 101.

    High Explosive
    It is okay

    This map is similiar to Kaboom, except with explosive props instead of RPG. But that feels more normal than silly. The concept sort of fell apart, it turned into a normal Half-Life 2 map.

    The Road
    It is great!

    Run for your life! It was so much fun to be chased by a giant chicken truck(?). The chase was so intense! The run and gun was on point. The only downsides are the Metro Police with the stunstick can trap you inside the house if you’re not fast enough and the SMG-wielding Policemen chew your HP down like nothing, but that also adds more challenge to complete it.

    The Theft
    It is good

    At first, I thought it’s gonna be a parody of Very Organized Thief. I hope Breen don’t mind having 3 toilets stolen from his house.

    Manor of PTSD
    It is great!

    Jesus Christ, Ethosaur, your dream is weird, strange, but interesting at the same time. Because of the fact that dreams are always unnatural and strange, it somehow fits the cromulent topic. Well done!

    Obsolete
    It is good

    The map started out normal then turned weird. The boss battle reminds me of old school boss battles. The floor laser does so little damage that you are not punished for tanking it, but it’s annoying nontheless. I think if it does more damage the battle would be harder, I guess. It also would ne nice if you can see your health.

    Life
    It is good

    Now that’s deep….I feel like the author wanted to show us the concept of life. It was grim and emotional, but not good enough to be great.

    Map Machine Broke
    It is dire!

    The meme tunnel was too long, I’m already bored and sick of it after 2 minutes in. The combat saved the map a little bit, but not enough to save it from being bad.

    Mount Splashmore
    It is good

    The Prison Guards fighting the Soldiers at the beginning was fun to watch, the APC being “awkward” made me laugh. And I was geared up, I opened the door to fight….a headcrab. The disappointment is real, well done XD I also tried to grab the crowbars on the 2nd playthrough…..it turned out to be a lie.

    G-Mare
    It is great!

    I guess Gordon had too much about his employer and his dream turned into a nightmare when he sees G-Man everywhere. This map took the theme well, like PTSD.

    Embiggened
    It is great!

    Holy shit! This reminds me of Ultraman that I watched when I was a kid! Except it’s Gordon instead of Ultraman and the Hunters as “the monsters”. The destructible city was a nice touch, however the city, being a large grid table, is kinda hard to navigate.

    Alpha 0.0.4.3
    It is okay

    It’s similiar to Map Machine Broke, but little bit better. The playermodel handing you bleach was weird, I’ll tell you that. It’s so random, but that’s about it. Kinda sad that the choice doesn’t affect the ending at all. Also, Timothy J. Zombie cameo!

    Lost Cosmonaut
    It is good

    A walk map like Life. The visual is good and nice to look.

    Beer
    It is good

    A cutscene, but a funny one. I guess I owed Barney so much beer for saving Earth from Combine.

    Nevrin54
    It is bad

    So confusing, there’s nothing even funny about it. I think half of the map is so unnecessary. Also, what does the paint can do? Like…..WHAT?

    Summary

    This ville focuses on weirdness and hilarity, some maps actually took the theme well. I’m impressed. I voted for Beer, Embiggened, Manor of PTSD, The Road and Kaboom. I wish I could vote for G-Mare too…..damnit.

    Reply
  10. Old Scratch

    I saw the title, and saw “EMOLUMENT CHALLENGE”, and immediately had images of little Trumps running around getting their fake hair shot off!!

    Reply
  11. rikersbeard
    Play It Now!
    Intro.

    Asking the modder to create a stupid style map where the player is left thinking ‘what-the-headcrab did I just play’ seems to be tempting failure. Basically a theme that is theme less so just make it weird? Well the end results were a mixed bag of cromulence and crapulence! But there were some good ones to, not many but some…

    Videogames.
    It is bad

    I never played Minecraft but this was an okay start but things quickly became crapulent. Oh but the ‘Stanley’ parody did make me chuckle and for a while I was, but oh hum…

    Neon Speedster.
    It is okay

    Basically an urban racecourse with a strong Half Life flavour. Buggy around at full speed mowing down the usual suspects and having a fun time. Simple fun, a trifle too dark but where was the theme, the cromulence? I did replay this a few times so I must like it.

    Kaboom.
    It is great!

    Nicely detailed map where you are reliant on only the RPG for all your needs, so some creative game play is needed! Using its explosive force to bring down some barrels to continue was an inspired idea, simple really but a neat mechanic to play. It is surprising hard to hit things with the RPG! Manhacks and combine always seem to move at the last moment and I am left backing up to fire again.
    The ending on the open street with the new, self-regenerating RPG was great fun. It was challenging to and there was just enough cover to move about as the combine and hunters attacked. This was a solid combat map and I really enjoyed it.

    Subarctic Adventure.
    It is okay

    Alyx has cracked and I blow her away with the RPG! Is that cromulent? Anyway I break open a crate and find a whirring manhack inside, defiantly not cricket old sport! A sparse interior but the glowing HEV charger and med unit were very nicely lit like fairy lights! Combat seemed too much like the previous map with the RPG but it was a bit sloppier. Not a bad little shoot’em up on the slippy ice.

    Cook Some Toast.
    It is bad

    A simple enough idea when you find the bread and realise what is happening. I fell a lot and resorted to bread tossing and seemed to achieve some easy toasting. All the other ways to toast were so fiddly and I failed so often I just canned the socket! Is this cromulent?

    Brody Quest.
    It is great!

    This started off weird, and then got weirder and finally plunged off the deep end! Different doors led to laughs and scares then the pounding beat led to dancing combine as I went for a dive! The end has me walking along the carpet heading for the raised dais as my fellow resistance members flank me dancing away. Craziness; great silliness skilfully executed. So much Brody!

    Cromuvator.
    It is okay

    Short and red, red screens that is! Learning by dying is not my favourite strategy in any game. The lift is floorless unless you are standing on something! I did not enjoy this one at all. But the gnome forced a mild titter on a glum face!

    High Explosive.
    It is dire!

    This was so fast I barely remember it and I’ve just finished playing it. Lots of shooting and done! Did I even play this one?

    The Road.
    It is good

    Do not look behind or the sheer crappiness will alarm you! Look ahead and feel the ‘wheeled duck” at your heels as you cross the roads frogger-style and fight the combine. Stopping is death so keep weaving and pressing ahead. Dive to the left or right at the end and see the thing that chases you, admire it’s sheer crapulence in design and sigh “What the headcrab is that?” A crazy kinda homage to frogger and mildly entertaining.

    The Theft.
    It is great!

    Truly a crapulent not cromulent challenge! Graphics where just right to suggest a nightly raid on Brean’s house, but does he know about the Vort nutters in his basement? Stealing toilets for the resistance effort? How low have you fallen Mr Freeman? This was an old school fetch quest and gave a good few chuckles along the way. Drive on we have all three toilets for the cause!

    Manor of PTSD.
    It is WOW!

    This at first play through was a loss for me. I could not get past the portal inspired two-crate door. Checked out an online play through and I saw my error.
    Play 2. The corridor was a nice touch; a sort of institutionalised look and the first room backed this up! So this was to be a trippy mod, how trippy I discovered later! Wall climbing messed with my perceptions and then it was portal! A nice little level, dark and brooding and once passed the final door you are literally and figuratively up to your neck in it! Feeling flush you head out into madness, a full-blown episode leaves you drawing ever closer to that final door and the end. A masterpiece of a mini-mod both in design, ease of play and shear unsettling bizarreness! Is this cromulent I ask? I just found it amazing…

    Obsolete.
    It is dire!

    Started out a fun little challenge and then the final was a let down and I redded out on the laser thing which I consistently failed to jump, Dead, dead, dead… next! But the floor lasers never hurt so why?

    Life.
    It is okay

    We took a journey and died. Sounds like life to me!

    Map Machine Broke.
    It is okay

    I think this contained a lot of in-jokes for modders to enjoy and I found some of the content interesting to. A dull game that seemed to grow on you as you played and there was some spice at the end, unfortunately not Paprika!

    Mount Splashmore.
    It is good

    No weapons and the Combine pour out and then attack each other as I run! Odd start and then a rampaging APC heads my way and demolishes that breakable-looking fence as I dodge! At last weapons, I am so ready for the boss fight. My opponent is… is… really? Now this leaves you with that what-the-headcrab feeling, quite literally!

    G-Mare.
    It is great!

    Alyx is sleeping with her eyes open again? But what where those Gnomes doing in the bathroom? Ah so sleepy and what! The temple of G? A squared G-man is there and he’s after me! G-man to the left right up above, oh G-HELL! A Lara Croft temple leads to more health, HEV juice and ammo, looks bad. G-Hunters really? This is becoming weird and so creepy. At last all I have left is an aerial G-unship to clear! Oh it was a nightmare Alyx… Alyx! A disturbing nightmare mod that was fun and a little challenging.

    Embiggen.
    It is okay

    A cromulent word and an initially very scary map. I was quite disappointed Freeman was asbiggened the same as the Hunter, but it was still a very tough fight involving much running away! Not bag I just fancied taking on giant hunters for once…

    Alpha 0.0.4.3
    It is dire!

    I kept forgetting this one; luckily the play through on youtube reminded me what it was about. I kept forgetting this one; luckily the play through on youtube reminded me what it was about. Oh I said that… hmmm. Yeah I still can’t think of anything, but there was some G-man.

    Lost Cosmonaut.
    It is bad

    When it crashed my system I was less than pleased!
    Second play succeeded and it turned out it crashed on the end first time! Well it was a walk in the dark, if you like walks in the dark!

    Beer.
    It is dire!

    Beer is drunk from a class Barney. An embiggened pint would have been so much better than a bottle.

    Nervin54.
    It is okay

    If intense frustration was the point of this bland mod then the author has definitely scored high. A pointless hole, a pointless pool and then a laser that you cannot redirect towards that obvious junction. So much frustration. The stupendously over embiggened hammer was kind of a mirth maker.

    Conclusion.

    The theme seemed lost and confused among the entries making some mods receive the wrong scores due to the misconceptions of the player. I was stuck with Nervin54. Was it dire or good? Was its design meant to produce utter frustration as a cromulent map? A confusing theme for this player so even now I am unsure of some of my review scores. Also some stand maps seemed to ignore the brief! Oh well fun was had and I did get to steal toilets…

    Reply
    1. 1Lucia

      I don’t know what you mean by “Jump dead jump dead” when you say the lasers didn’t hurt?

      Reply
      1. rikersbeard

        The white rotating lasers seemed to cause no damage but my failure to jump those incoming, horizontal ones with “Trigger” written on them was my issue. Time and time again i just couldn’t clear them, even the first one most of the time! Maybe my timing skill coloured my judgement the wrong way?
        On the first play through i got myself trapped inside that cart you push when the collapse happened. I just ducked clear on the replay.

        Reply
        1. 1Lucia

          I mean, you gotta jump between those horizontal ones by crouching. Please don’t rate a map so badly just because you can’t make it. (If your opinion really is the that the map sucks so much then go with it lol) And also, yes, the lasers do cause damage but for some reason really low (they were supposed to do 10 damage per tick standing in them.) and that you got stuck in that cart, well my fault.

          Reply
  12. Wesp5

    This was one of the most disappointing villes I ever played, and I don’t even think it was the theme itself. Is it really necessary to limit the creation time to only 50 hours? I have the impression these 50 hour villes get much worse maps than any others, especially lots without real textures, and it isn’t exactly as if time is pressing, playing old HL2 :)!

    Reply
    1. Ethosaur

      I disagree wholeheartedly, while the quality of the maps might not always be good, it allows for more creativity, and challenges mappers to push their limits into making the best they can in a short amount of time. This also opens up to more people who want to join in, but think the other villes take too long to work on so they eventually quit.

      Mapping for the old Hl2 style can get really boring and tedious at times, I think letting people get creative is a good idea.

      Reply
  13. Unknown

    I know I am going to get “Flack” for these comments and although I can relate and understand Ethosaur and do agree with him I think there is more of an underlying issues that have been ignored. I do think we should keep in mind that more then likely another type of this type of Ville won’ be made again as the theme changes constantly.

    Although, I am not here to act like some sort of “Modding Police” telling mod developers what or what they can’t make I do think this type of modification is more difficult too appeal to a larger demographic although that is up for debate. I get that memes are more popular then ever, but their is the issue that “The meme will probably not be funny if you don’t already understand the joke or where the meme came from.”

    Mod developers or at least many of them don’t seem to be asking their audience the most important questions about these mods in particular “Is the mod I made funny?” “Is the mod I made fun?” It really seems like people are just slapping together a bunch of random materials together hoping someone covers it or to receive praise for “making something random.”

    I get that art or mods are subjective, but I don’t buy that mindset at all and I don’t think people should eat into that mentality either. It’s like Gordon Ramsay going into a restaurant and eating a stake that’s under-cooked and saying “That tasted great.” What I am getting to is the stake is clearly bad it’s not cooked and is rubbish really no matter what you claim it as. I am not saying there is anything wrong with everyone of these types of mods. Ethosaur clearly puts thought into his, but I think one can tell between thought and just trying to half-ass something.

    Really think of it though…when is the last time you seen an awesome mod made for the Source Engine like Nightmare House or Underhell? It’s been literal years. I still wonder too myself “Are these mods made too be funny?” or “Are these mods made to appear to YouTube for more views?” You probably do come across hundreds of memes on YouTube and they are a trending a lot more then some random mod that doesn’t have anything relatable to current pop culture.

    Moddb is turning into the Steam store slowly 3 good games and the rest is garbage. I don’t think people want to be forced to sift through hours of junk for anything good. I think we have had enough of that at this point. Also lets be real about this Half-Life mods aren’t as popular as they used too be are these mods really appealing to the younger demographic? Look at the download ratio of these new mods it’s not that great.

    As for if it comes to people quit ahead when making the other villes. I think most people would rather wait longer for a better product or not have it at all. What if you played all your favorite games now and not a single one was finished? You’d probably be pretty upset. I get that people are making mods for free and do to passion, but people will more then likely move away to more indie games then wait for the next mod. In my opinion Indie Games have taken the place of many mod platforms as profit is more assured not to mention more support due to websites like Kickstarter.

    Reply
  14. Steve

    Once again, I had to ask my PC mate to unpack this archive as the SOUND folder contained files of zero bytes 🙁 Hope this info helps?
    Ok… this was one of the least impressive packs I’ve downloaded. Kaboom did it for me and I feel this is the best of the bunch. Jolly good fun that!!

    Video Games
    It is bad

    I’m on Mac and I fear this didn’t work for me as it should due to the errors I saw. Block bashing is all I could do :/

    Neon Speedster
    It is okay

    The gates remained shut for me but on my next game the left one did open. I’m confused – am I missing something stupid? Lol I fear I am!! Anyhow, I did get a good drive on that game and enjoyed it. It felt like a cross of wipeout and carmageddon, so I enjoyed this aspect. But it was a little too gloomy and quite empty of monsters to crush!! This had potential I thought. Needed more.

    Kaboom
    It is WOW!

    Pure explosive fun!!!!
    What more can I saw but this is damn good and I enjoyed every minute. The magical rocket launcher was a GREAT idea as it bypassed the panic of looking for supplies so I could concentrate on the action. LOVED this map for everything it attempted to be. Best map in the whole pack!!

    Subarctic Adventure
    It is okay

    I was unsure what to rate this, it almost made a Good score…. But I felt it was a poor relation to the idea of Kaboom that came before it. Something didn’t work here, like the initial scene Alyx’s murderous act and then she came after me! But little things later on also bugged me like not being able to shut doors, but that’s just me! The action afterwards was fun but, again, after Kaboom it didn’t work. I just stayed near the rocket box and hammered them all. Good fun and it never made any sense but worth a play. Could have been better.

    Cook Some Toast
    It is bad

    Well… Okay, didn’t need to wheel and I could never manage to hop into the cart! The boxes inside the room made no sense but the object for the power socket was funny. Just use the gravgun to make toast!

    BrodyQuest
    It is okay

    Well, umm, that was a weird map. And then spiralled into more weirdness!

    Cromuvator
    It is bad

    Okay, I saw the gnome… I used the elevator and died. So I did it again and held my back against the wall only to be treated to the end. Hmm what just happened? lol

    High Explosive
    It is okay

    This could have been great, there was some awesome ideas to the theme here. I really liked it. Then it just ended and left me gasping for more!! 🙁

    The Road
    It is good

    Gotta laugh at this one. Like Frogger but… well… just insane!!!!

    The Theft
    It is okay

    I honestly don’t “get” maps like this. I did it in the end and to think that last toilet was in the first room!! Never saw it at first lol

    Obsolete
    It is good

    I normally hate silly maps like this but I really enjoyed this!! The tasks at the end were insane and fun. Enjoyed all but wanted more action like the first part.

    Life
    It is bad

    Uh? What?

    Map Machine Broke
    It is good

    Lots of silliness here w/ lots of good action too. Why do so many hate it? I liked the ideas and found it interesting hearing the information. Good to play, once!

    Mount Splashmore
    It is good

    Almost like a weird dream. Spectating the fight was fun but the armoured truck didn’t really work. Must admit, I was excited by the weapons I could collect and hoped the map would continue but alas just a head crab lol.

    G-Mare
    It is good

    So crude yet well done too. I really liked this!

    Embiggen
    It is good

    Like a first-person game of rampage. Destructively good fun.

    Alpha 0.0.4.3
    It is bad

    Played this twice and I’m still no better for it.

    Lost Cosmonaut
    It is bad

    Well, that’s 5mins of my life I’ll never get back. Still, it looked good.

    Beer
    It is dire!

    A cutscene. Yep…

    Nevrin54
    It is dire!

    Sigh… I’m loosing the will to live here.

    Reply
    1. Ethosaur

      No review for manor of ptsd?

      Reply
  15. Hec
    Maybe?

    Well, for me this competition it was a big maybe. I thought of rate it as a Play it Later, but the most of the entries are just so bland it is not worthy.

    I know, it was about joke-lame or dumb-funny entries, but in many cases, the entries just got me very bored, and some just got away from the “cromulent” concept. Especially at the end.

    I guess Manor PTSD was definitely a worthy winner as the whole map was just very pretty and sometimes that thing was far from being cromulent, as it felt just scary sometimes.

    I think the most “cromulent” mod ever made is maybe “Crack Life” for HL1 so, although we have some weird maps here they don’t match that one.

    So yeah, if you wanna play something dull and out of the pure HL combat standard then try this one, if not, then you may don’t like it.

    Installed:
    Using Gauge
    Difficulty Played At:
    Medium
    Playtime:
    1 Hour
    Reply
  16. dwfuji

    All of the maps are judged on technical/gameplay etc, as the theme is so broad every author seems to have put their own spin on it, so would be unfair to judge on that as with other themes.

    Video Games by Sockman
    It is okay

    The first two game parodies are okay – the Slenderman one did have me a bit jumpy – but after that it sort of drops off to random polygon madness. The addition of custom VOs was a good touch but they were poorly mastered/processed. Quit at the end as it seems to go into a loop of garbage noise and my ears had had enough.

    Neon Speedster by Omeqa
    It is okay

    Interesting concept of making a racing game from Source, but this should really be considered a blueprint. Having made the track and the custom events for laps is pretty cool, but overall it just feels a bit sluggish and the lighting/texture work is minimal – but, of a good standard for a 50 hour map. Would like to see this one expanded, maybe using the EP2 car over the original dune buggy.

    Kaboom by Ian Spadin AKA Idolon
    It is WOW!

    This is great work. You think it’s gonna be one of those boring maps where you just have so much explosive power nothing is a challenge, but the excellent map layout and enemy positioning keeps the pressure on even though you’re blowing everything away with RPGs. Movement becomes very important to keep alive during rocket reloads. One of my favourites in this pack.

    Subarctic Adventure by Mark A.K.A. Strontvlieg
    It is okay

    The nicest thing I can say about this mod is that it’s competent and works as it should. Level design is fairly basic and the action/events seem amatuerish, like being swamped by a horde of metrocops you end up dealing with in the boring ‘peek and seek’ tactic with a rocket crate nearby.

    Cook Some Toast by Rekurer
    It is okay

    This was interesting, and made use of some nice cartoony surface textures, but overall it ends up a bit dull. There’s not much direction, and once I’d worked out how to get to the opposite side I was stuck and gave up.

    BrodyQuest by HeadCrλbbed
    It is good

    Whatever the in-joke is here, I don’t get it. The first hallway gave me a few laughs, as did the Combine soldier animations. The end sequence… again, I don’t get the joke, but it was well done as a cut scene. Using their own music was also a nice touch.

    Cromuvator by SharpOB
    It is bad

    Looks promising, good atmosphere and lighting… then you get in an elevator, fall through the floor and die.

    High Explosive by Lamarr
    It is good

    A not so good and much shorter version of Kaboom. Some decent combat but could have done with being larger to make proper use of the barrels – at the moment it’s so close in sometimes you set off accidental chain reactions and have to switch to normal tactics, which I would guess isn’t the idea here.

    The Road by Michael McGee AKA HQDefault
    It is great!

    This was a good chuckle and fairly challenging to get right – took me a few attempts to find the exact best path through hopper mines and enemies. Would like to see more of this chase concept in other maps.

    The Theft by Easimer
    It is okay

    It’s a simple concept that does what it says it will. Competent but not imaginative.

    Manor of PTSD by Ethosaur
    It is great!

    I didn’t enjoy this as much as I had hoped, given the other comments, but it deserves a high score for creativity and effort. The first chamber and the bits with the over-void blocks were great, very creepy and unsettling, as was the speeded-up flight down the final corridor. Using a common ‘level select’ room to progress is a clever addition. As for the Portal style puzzles, I just found them a bit too awkward to work out so noclipped some bits.

    Obsolete by Lucia
    It is good

    Really liked the first bit with the sniper, that was cleverly put together. The second bit was again clever and original, but just a touch too difficult for my tastes. I don’t get whatever the in-joke is with those graphics, but that doesn’t seem overly important.

    Life by Clément Combier AKA Ttiki
    It is bad

    It’s nicely rendered, sort of, but the lighting is awful and it just feels like a pile of random nonsense.

    Map Machine Broke by Event Horizon AKA matt71490
    It is bad

    Apparently this is a meme map, but I don’t get it. Looks like a pile of ‘LOL RANDOM’ jokes made by twelve year olds. Some mildly satisfying combat makes it a one instead of a zero, but otherwise, garbage.

    Mount Splashmore by Dirk Destiny
    It is okay

    Competently put together level but design is nothing to write home about. Watching some Combine batter each other for a change and the anticlimatic ‘boss’ was amusing, but not for long.

    G-Mare by November
    It is good

    This one seems to have been slated a lot but I enjoyed it. The atmosphere and lighting feels reminiscent of the Hell levels in Doom, and the G-Man models give you a little giggle. Combat is not groundbreaking but done well enough with varying height being a factor.

    Embiggened by 1upD
    It is good

    Nice concept, but it lacked some finesse. You’re given far too little in the way of weaponry to deal with four Hunters, and not much in the way of environmental ways to kill them. Fleshed out a bit more this would be better.

    Alpha 0.0.4.3 by by Humam
    It is dire!

    I’m sure there was probably a way through the door without noclipping but I was so bored after twenty seconds I couldn’t find it.

    Lost Cosmonaut by Jacob Davis AKA Turret Cube​
    It is bad

    A series of disconnected walkways and rooms hinting at something grander, never really expressed. Seems like an experiment by the modder in using teleports, which it succeeds at.

    Beer by Mustea Dan AKA Sherp
    It is okay

    Hard to score because very little actually happens. It’s just a little cutscene, again feels more like a practice run. In any event, it’s perfectly cromulent.

    Nevrin54 by CitadelCore
    It is dire!

    Only play this if you like maps where absolutely nothing happens. The small part of the room (yes, the single room) that is furnished hints at some kind of puzzle but I’ll be damned if I can see how to work it out.

    Installed:
    Manually
    Difficulty Played At:
    Easy
    Playtime:
    3 Hours
    Reply
  17. Daken50
    Think Twice

    That’s 30 minutes of my life I’ll never get back.

    Installed:
    Manually
    Difficulty Played At:
    Easy
    Playtime:
    30 Minutes
    Reply
  18. g7ming
    It is great!

    very strange but good map challenge

    Installed:
    Manually
    Difficulty Played At:
    Medium
    Playtime:
    50 Minutes
    Reply

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