After the Black Mesa incident, you must go find Dr. Jim West so he can put an end to the disaster, and prevent the Aliens from taking over the world.
All while trying to save your own skin from the military and creatures warping in from Xen.
Sounds easy? Think again, it’s gonna be a rough day.
Basic Details
- Title: Escape
- File Name: hl1-sp-escape-dmc-interactive.7z
- Original File Name: escape_dt_.exe
- Size : 10.8Mb
- Author: Christoph Bujlo AKA deciever and Dennis Scholz AKA Apo-k-Lyps
- Date Released: 01 January 1998
PlanetPhillip Download Servers
Screenshots
Click on the thumbnails below to open a medium size image. WARNING: The screenshots may contain spoilers.
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Reader Recommendations
Total Downloads
Please note: These statistics are valid from December 2010
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1,919Overall
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1Today
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5Last 7 days
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11Last 30 days
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119365 days
Meta Review Data
Statistics based on 5 comment(s) with meta review data.
Installed:
Using Gauge: Users
Manually: 5 Users
Time Taken:
Average: 1 Hours, 5 Mins
Shortest: 0 Hours, 20 Mins by Raven_ARG
Longest: 1 Hours, 35 Mins by AnRet
Total Time Played: 5 Hours, 27 Mins
Using Gauge: Users
Manually: 5 Users
Time Taken:
Average: 1 Hours, 5 Mins
Shortest: 0 Hours, 20 Mins by Raven_ARG
Longest: 1 Hours, 35 Mins by AnRet
Total Time Played: 5 Hours, 27 Mins
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I really can’t say anything too bad about this mod. It was fun and challenging, but not impossible. The maps are all laid out very well, with the changes seamless and without error. The textures, while nothing really new, are placed together and fit correctly on all mapped surfaces. This great mapping is backed up by a solid story that doesn’t have you running around just shooting everything while trying to get from Point A to Point B. And while it may be hard for some, it is not overtly difficult or frustrating (on Medium anyway).
The story goes like this: After the Black Mesa incident, you must go find Dr. Jim West so he can put an end to the disaster, and prevent the Aliens from taking over the world. All while trying to save your own skin from the military and creatures warping in from Xen.
The end part you might recognize from Blue Shift, and that was cool, as is a special bad guy! The only problems I can tell from the campaign is that there are some slow spots in which a slow computer might get bogged down (mine did), but it really isn’t anything to worry about as it lasts only a second.
And speaking of second, the other issue I felt was there is no HEV suit to wear! Granted, you do have the HEV interface from HL, but the batteries and HEV charging points don’t work. So you go through the maps naked. eeps! Overall, I want to give this mod an award, but the lack of new textures/weapons/models makes me rethink the decision. 5/5 it is, without the award. (don’t let this discourage you from downloading it. its really fun).
Rating: 5/5
Good: Architecture is A+; Coherent story; Challenging, not hard.
Bad: A Few slow spots; no armor/HEV.
Okay, to start off, I must say that I don’t like this mod — but not by too much. I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed the later stages of the mod, though. However it’s not exactly anything special nor do I really recommend it. I’ve decided to break it down and say why.
First, gameplay. The gameplay ends up being quite boring and unimaginative during the first stages of the game. A headcrab here, a zombie there… I wasn’t too impressed as it was nothing I’ve seen before. But when it came to the later stages of the mod, I was having fun. Why? I loved the challenge proven by the alien slaves. They were very well placed and there was just enough cover in the surrounding area to constitute some nice gameplay! The lack of ammo also provided a challenge, as I had to resourceful! But I thought this got a bit out of hand when I had barely anything except a couple of pistol rounds and a heap of explosives to fight against alien grunts in a huge, open area! Oh well, that’s just nitpicking, I guess. There’s some decent puzzles here, however, even during the first few stages of the game.
Now, design. I’m going to be blunt here. it’s not too great. The first stages of the mod constitute some bland brushwork with the occasional detail. Texturing was okay, but nothing too special. I got a bad first impression when the cylinders that cover the airlock door at the start end up sticking out the brushwork when they were receded! I will say that from the rail system onwards, the author(s) upped the ante with some interesting brushwork, (I loved the design of the area with all the radioactive sludge in the rail system!) but at times the design went straight back down again to being particularly boring. The outdoor area(s) had some nice looking details in some areas, but were honestly WAY too large and empty to be convincing. Lighting was nothing special overall, but it held up quite decently at times.
Anything else worth mentioning? Well, the intro was pretty — crap, actually. I’ll admit that it may be the fact that it’s in German, but from my perspective it was completely uninspiring. I was also pretty bored leading up to the accident, but a few things kept my interest. I’d say the author needs to add a few more detailed set-pieces and add another layer of interactivity to intro levels. I’ll admit that it’s a fairly open-ended part of the mod, with some decent exploration for those so inclined.
Overall, a decent, yet uninspiring mod. I didn’t like it, as said above, but I still enjoyed the later stages of the mod.
My recommendation:
—
Now I’m off to play the sequel. Perhaps I’ll like that more!
Oh, I forgot to mention. There doesn’t appear to be ANY music in this mod, which detracts from it slightly.
I also thought the mod lacked ambient sound effects in many places. However the mod generally managed to provide sufficent ambience. (Although the alarm loop during the first few levels was a tad annoying… But that’s just nitpicking!)
there is no need for me to add more cent here all comments syndicate review and Manual_Monaro resume perfectly what the mod is.
I actually think more like Manual and don’t find this one strong and solid. Perhaps in several spot but not overall, the high defenition pack is clearly use through the whole episode and the first arrive at the black mesa research facility is for me to close from the original game (include the before and after the incident traveling).
It was enjoyable but not exceptional for one hour and a half…
note: for the last sceen you need to rush to the tepelort and wait in this place if you backtrack you will encounter invisible wall and some impossible ending issue
I need to point this out, the DL link provided here is actually for a beta of the mod. There is a longer, better, translated final version out. You may need to upload it and update the link. This will explain why some areas in the screenshots are never seen in the mod provided here, as well as the Syndicated Review mention the Blue-Shift-esque ending, which is only in the final.
You maybe refering to escape 2
/posts/escape-2-half-life/
No, Escape and Escape 2 are different mods, I’ve played both. If you played the mod provided here, you’ll know what I mean.
The author’s website is here, the same as Escape 2.
And the file is the same as here.I’ve downloaded 6 different copies so far and all are the same and same size.The one I found today was
hlescapefinal.zip got it from fspbananna place.
same bloody thing.
You’d think the author’s site would have the latest version. Whether it does or not, I don’t know. However, when I played this back in April I made a note in its folder on my computer, “This mod seems to be an incomplete version of something else I’ve played.”
Since that was eight months ago I don’t remember much else, and even at the time I was uncertain, but the The Watcher may have a point.
True but if so why doesn’t he say where to get it or anything else.The last one I got,in the readme, the auther says its a final.Not a beta or demo but final.If its been redone to something else please post a name/download link.
Hi Folk,I am playing Escape 1, a great mod^^!I need help and don’t know why I have to do! I met the first Alien Grund, I have killed it. Now are many US Marines protected by a sentry gun…I have killed all of the Marines, but the doors behind this sentry gun (left and right corridors) are closed! Should I desactivated this gun, how?!
Thanks for your helpMoonsorrow
Moonsorrow, break the window of the security booth to the right of the turret and press the button inside.
The author’s site is dmcia.de/escape/. I’m not sure what the escape.exe file mentioned above is, but the link given is to escape_dt_.exe. As The Watcher said, escape_dt_.exe is an older version of the mod, v1.0, and it is in German, as the name implies. The newer version is hlescapefinal.zip, v1.2, which has the lack of a working HEV suit fixed, some of the new content in English, and the maps more numerous and updated with human grunts.
Thanks guy but I finished the game yesterday…I have found the solution alone, I didn’t know, that I had to shot the sentry gun! ^^Moonsorrow
Great mod, sometimes tlike decay but a real single-player-mod. Not innovative but very well done.
Uhh, Planetphillip, I think we are the ones who play as Dr.Jim West.
German mod with custom stuff about the usual BM incident. The player is Dr. Jim West and of course something goes wrong in the complex, aliens invade the facility…
The mod’s name is exactly what you thought.. you have to escape from BM, and several scientists or guards will help you during your adventure.
Pro’s:
-Decent mapping with good lighting and layouts, also larger outdoor areas – plus new textures, sounds
-Good combat action
-Very good balancing
-Some scripts (usually alien spawns)
-A few good puzzles
-Semi-secret areas
-Good playtime (~45-90 mins)
-There’s also “Escape 2”
Con’s:
-Usual, neglectable HL story
-Bugs like game crashes, scientists blocking the way
-Voices and texts only in German (good for me hehe)
-Can be confusing at start, maze-like BM and many locked doors
I have to get this out of the way first: the title. Arrrgh! Anyone who’s familiar with my reviews knows I abhor bad titles. Not only are there already Half-Life single player mods called Escape, Half-Life: Escape, and Escape from the Darkness, this pack does not seem to have much to do with an escape as far as I can tell. Come on guys, would a little creativity kill you?
While there is a story provided in the readme, it’s all in German so I really have no firm grasp on what you’re supposed to be doing there. Suffice it to say that you play as a scientist (Dr. Jim West), and you are thrown into the typical Half-Life scenario: things seem to be going along normally during a routine scientific experiment, when suddenly things go awry and all hell breaks loose. There does seem to be a story conveyed throughout the maps, but again the in-game text and the custom dialog is all in German, so I couldn’t follow it.
While Half-Life: Escape has no serious flaws, it also is not exceptional in any way either. The architecture and textures are decent enough, and fit in quite well with the Black Mesa theme. But there’s nothing outstanding about the visuals, and as a whole the maps fail to really capture your attention. I felt like I was just going through the motions in this pack. There are no scripted sequences to enchant you, no ambient sounds to envelop you. The overall experience is decent, but mundane.
Gameplay is much in the same vein: fun but not memorable. The main drawbacks here are the long, slow intro section before anything happens and the distinct lack of challenging combat. I think this pack tried to replicate the opening maps of Half-Life (after the train ride, that is), but it falls pretty flat because there are no scripted scenes to interest you. All you do is make your way through the ordinary lab, only to retrace your steps later. The enemies you’ll face here are the weak aliens, with a couple of alien grunts thrown in at the very end of the pack. Nothing tough here, so I suggest you play on difficult for better balance. There are a couple of puzzles mixed in, but in general the path through the maps is straightforward and pretty linear.
On the whole, Half-Life: Escape is a fair set of maps that would serve as a decent opening section for a larger mod. According to the website, there is already a second chapter in the works. My general reaction was lukewarm because while the maps are respectable, they are also quite standard and really nothing special.
Notes
This review is republished here by permission and was originally published Thursday, 24th April, 2003 by Unquenque.
This review was originally posted on the Ten Four Website, which is now offline. Permission has been granted to republish the full review and more details can be found on the About page.
This mod is just classic HL1 all the way.
The whole mod is your typical HL1 escape-from-BM scenario. But, like the Ten Four review said, the name is terrible and there are tons of mods called that have Escape in the title.
The combat is just Xen aliens. It’s nice, but there are no grunts to fight in this mod, so if you like gruntfests, you’ll be disappointed by the enemy factor.
The mapping is pretty decent, but it felt a bit boxy. Aside from that though, the whole mod felt a lot like BM, and for me, that’s important. This mod is also pretty lengthy (around 45-60 mins).
Even though I am generally positive about this mod, there are some issues I have to mention. First of all, the whole mod is in German, so if you don’t know German, then good luck. Also, some areas are simply empty and have nothing in them, which is disappointing. The ending also sucks.
Overall, I definitely recommend this mod. If you want your dose of classic HL1 action, then this one is for you.
“As The Watcher said, escape_dt_.exe is an older version of the mod, v1.0, and it is in German, as the name implies. The newer version is hlescapefinal.zip, v1.2, which has the lack of a working HEV suit fixed, some of the new content in English, and the maps more numerous and updated with human grunts.”
The newer version has more maps and an English translation, but it does NOT fix the HEV suit issue. The suit and the charging stations still don’t work, which makes the final boss fight quite tough, as you’ll need firepower equal to several grenades to bring him down. My recommendation would be to avoid fighting him in the room with the teleporter, but to prevent him from entering this room and to fight him outside.
I hate to have to say this but… Escape was a VERY frustrating experience for me.
The level design throughout is very good and the player is always doing something slightly out of the ordinary, rather than running from room to room and gunning down enemies. There is a nice selection of traditional Half-Life platforming puzzles and times where you need to stop and take in the details before trying to progress.
Even the way it looks screams “Half-Life” through and through, with most areas absolutely nailing the style of the original and expansions. Some sections do appear to have been lifted from or at least very closely replicated from Decay, even taking several lines from the German PS2 version. I was fortunate enough to have the English lines available and I simply replaced them, but then the mod resorts to using text for dialogue as well… so it wound up being a waste of time.
Unfortunately, at least on the Hard setting, the mod is ridiculously stingy with health and ammunition. The final map had me taking on a countless number of voritigaunts in an open space using only a pistol with one mag and a couple of handful of grenades. What’s worse is the finale when you meet up with Rosenberg.
An alien grunt spawns outside, (along with another that is out of your field of view at first) and I had 12 pistol rounds and one hand grenade. I took out the first grunt by chance but had no hope of killing the second. This was made even worse by the fact that Rosenberg simply runs out in the open, tanking hornets until he dies and you fail.
The finale, along with the frequent spawning in of vorts directly in front of the player when they are struggling for health and ammo makes that I cannot rate this mod any higher than a “Play It Later.”
Manually
Hard
1 Hour, 27 Minutes
If you’re a fan of how vanilla Half-life feels then Escape by DMC Interactive is an easy recommendation. It feels like a vertical slice of an expansion pack that never got made. The character being a scientist who’s not Gordon Freeman and doesn’t have an HEV suit goes a long way in adding to the polish. The viewmodel arms with a lab coat really sell it for me.
The maps are detailed but not overly so. The progression involves many of the classic HL tropes and the difficulty ramp is fairly consistent and even.
I played this on Hard and found the ammo and health balancing to be great. I was always low on ammo and health but never to a point where I had to do something ridiculous like crowbar an alien grunt. If you don’t like having to maximize your ammo efficiency by consistently hitting headshots then I’d recommend playing on Medium.
Manually
Hard
1 Hour, 30 Minutes
Great “Black Mesa Scenario” type mod. You play as Dr. James West, a survival scientist without HEV suit (with custom arms model!). Combat are quite challenging and it was fun. Mapping also good.
Only con for me is “boss fight” with robo in the end of the mod. I didn’t understand where this robot came from and why, but ending music was worth it
Manually
Medium
1 Hour, 35 Minutes
This is a mix of Half-Life Original, then you’ll play Opposing force and then you’ll play Blue Shift and short. Or at least this is the sensation I had when I played this. 3 HL in one, but generally I didn’t found any spectacular building in general, most of the building has many similarities. Otherwise it’s the easiest way to create a mod, just transform many places your way and that’s it you have alternative way of playing.
Manually
Hard
35 Minutes
Interesting mod. Black Mesa environments and references to the main lore and uplink. Good playthrough. Nothing special but rewarding experience in Hard. All the dialogues are in German.
Manually
Hard
20 Minutes