Story
You’re name is Alex Johnes. You’re a scientist involved in the Black Mesa disaster. After being trained in a special Black Mesa self-defence course three months ago, you’re unwilling to accept the death that seems inevitable. You also won’t let the troops capture and kill you
Basic Details
- Title: Escape from the Darkness
- File Name: hl1-sp-escape-from-the-darkness-with-steamfix.7z
- Original File Names: eftd_final.exe, eftd_steamfix.zip
- Size : 79.9Mb
- Author: Team EFTD
- Date Released: 22 December 2002
PlanetPhillip Download Servers
- PlanetPhillip.Com (includes steamfix)
Reader Recommendations
Total Downloads
Please note: These statistics are valid from December 2010
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2,292Overall
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7Last 7 days
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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, 4 Mins
Shortest: 1 Hours by PsyWarVeteran
Longest: 1 Hours, 15 Mins by monster_urby
Total Time Played: 5 Hours, 22 Mins
Using Gauge: Users
Manually: 5 Users
Time Taken:
Average: 1 Hours, 4 Mins
Shortest: 1 Hours by PsyWarVeteran
Longest: 1 Hours, 15 Mins by monster_urby
Total Time Played: 5 Hours, 22 Mins
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this game was short…..shorter than short, shortier than shorter, shortest than shortier, ok so it was that short, but the new models, weapons and story were so cool, this is a awsome mod.
i hope this mod is good
the instalation EXE won’t work! when ever I click on it, and then hit “Run” nothing happens.
Perhaps one of you fine people would know what to do.
Got this a few times, in the Training level, and about 20 mins into the main game. There’s cleasrly an awful lot of work gone into it, but if I can’t play it how can I judge….?
You run a top site Philip, keep up the excellent work! Thank you, even though I have played a lot of HL1 mods I had no idea there were so many more out there….
Back to the subject, is there anything I should be doing to get around this crashing issue?
Please…!
Gameplay:
Lots of action, excitement and cutscenes. This mod has a very interesting gameplay and some level viarity. New weapons are good and the sub machine gun actually feels like it packs a punch compared to the half life MP5. Theres new enemies that work well in the mod too. The level transitions are way too close to each other and it gets annoying running into the previous part by accident.
Design:
Top notch, with details everywhere with realistic outdoors and terrain with very good texture choices. Lighting is done very well done and accurate. The overall concept is very good, each level designed to the top most detail and accurate to the theme.
Conclusion:
A great mod with a lot of action and excitement throughout.
Rating: 82%
Rating: 5/5 + Excellence Award
Good: Nice and Long; different, yet engaging story; everything is new
Bad: Sometimes got physically ‘stuck’; could run poorly on slow machines.
Review:
Well, this mod was a treat to play. I really enjoyed playing it, and I hope you download it ASAP. You play as one Alex Johnes, a scientist who invariably gets involved in the Black Mesa “Incident,” and now you must fight your way through all types of terrain in order to win. First, I highly recommend that you play the new Hazard Course, as it not only is completely new (gasp!), but it provides for some very good advice in the main mission. In other words, play the training course and listen to the Instructor. Fortunately (imo), there are no aliens to deal with in the mod, but there are plenty of soldiers that you must kill, and that is most definitely a good thing. The locales are exotic, ranging from the desert to the arctic, and everything in between.
This mod will net your a few hours of play time, which is very respectable considering most of the mods out there, though it isn’t nearly as long as They Hunger or Poke646. The only negative things I can think of about this mod is sometimes you might get ‘stuck” between a rock and a hard place, and need to use no clipping to get out, but that’s not really something big. The other thing that puts a black mark on the mod is that it might not run the best on a slow machine. There are some points when my computer bogged down, but only for a minute. So there you have it. A winning story, new stuff, and a lot of killing! Mod Resource approved!
Ran smoothly on my P3 1GHz, 256mb RAM, 32Mb Nvidia machine.
I agree everything with the above review. This mod has stunning graphics for its time and a nice new physics for the weapons that reminds of counter-strike, which does a lot good for the gameplay.
Hi. I’m stuck in the beginning – the office. I turn on some valve in the corner and something happens (“teleport thing”) but I don’t know what to do next. Please help. A.
Can anybody help on this?
After you turn the valve & the explosion happens, just go back the way you came, through the bathroom window & then out the bathroom door. The door directly ahead of you that was previously closed (with the High Security Storage Facility sign beside it – past the Britney Spears posters) should be busted open now for you to enter.
Here’s my stuck problem. Does anybody know how to cut the electricity after you transport to the Alaskan area (right after the cutscene where the scientist dies)? You have to jump in the pool of water & swim down but the water is electrified. Help please!
Goddess Alyria:
Thanks for help. 🙂
See the caution sign “Falling rocks”? It means something.
I have another problem – I get to the warehouse but don’t know what to do here. I think I tried everything… 🙁 Please help.
Thanks andyb. Smart as a whip, aren’t ya? I had seen that sign but would never have guessed you had to the blast that rock way up there. I wasn’t going to play this, but wanted to help Andyno out.
Andyno, what warehouse are you talking about? Is it the one you come to after coming up through the pool? There are 2 different ways you can go. You can go through the hole in the wall going outside on your left OR you can go through the blown out door on your right. The way left leads to a dead end but there are enemies to kill. The way right, if you walk to the ledge & look down, you will see a piece of snow rock sticking out for you to jump on.
Goddess:
I mean storage room you were talking about in your reply #10.
Oh, in that part, there’s 2 different holes in the wall. One with a bullsquid & the other is a smaller hole with a headcrab. The bricks break out of the smaller hole for you to climb through.
Thanks. I was shooting at that hole with shotgun but it didn’t break. Now I used my knife and that did the work. 🙂 Thanks again! 🙂
Another stuck. I don’t know if I’m so stupid or this mod is so hard… I get to some red building with satelite on it but it seems like dead end… What now?
The red buildings with a satelite on top … & a tank in the courtyard? If you follow through along the path, you’ll come to a blown out bridge. There’s a path on the cliff wall to your right but you have to jump to it from the end of the bridge. It’s a very hard, long jump so you’ll have to try & try again. It’s not impossible.
Actually just go back a bit and follow the path from the start of the bridge.
Actually, it wouldn’t let me do that andyb. It automatically knocked me off the path to impending doom. The only way I could pass it was to do a long jump from the end. Yep, just tried it several times again & it still won’t let me start from the top of the path.
No, it’s not that – it’s only one red building in the desert area. Inside this building is one dark room with 2 soldiers.
Try crouching before you go down the hill
I’d never know that pipe is broken. Even flashlight was unuseful at this moment. Thanks. 🙂
Every time I tried that, I always got stuck in the side of the rock. Of course, it didn’t surprise me because you get stuck in a lot of things. Either way works really. Just depends on how much health you have & want to spare. For me, jumping was my only option.
Ok, Ijust played this mod for the second time now I’m stuck in the same place. After jumping from the blown out bridge, following the tunnel thru a desert area, Looks to be a wide trench winding to the left with a tank on a small bridge above with two soldiers below. When getting to the end of the path, a red building on the right, dark (warehouse) inside w/2 soldiers inside and a big red door. There’s a rickitty walkway behind the building that leads to 2 vertical pipes. The security door inside does not open. Is this the end of the mod ore did I screw up somewhere. Help please.
If my feable memory serves me correctly, your solution lies outside of the building. I would have to replay again to know exactly. Do you know which map it is?
Okay, your solution is with the pipes if you take the rickety walkway. Depending on glare, you may need to use your flashlight to see what you’re looking for.
Goddess, thanks for very fast reply. The level is g022. Soon as I’m able to return to play I’ll let you know. That is the one place throughout the entire level I didn’t go over with a fine toothed comb. Just didn’t dawn on me with it so close to the frame boundary. Thanks again.
Goddess, I walked around those pipes 2-3 times with and without the flashlight and couldn’t see a thing, but finally found the hole in the 2nd pipe. Even with light it’s hard to see. I enjoyed thi playing this mod till the encounter. I know I died time and time again till I found a spot to stand and deplete my ammo till the final scene. Didn’t like the ending, but over all the game was enjoyable. Thanks again. By the way, noticed the time stamp on posts. I’m 7 hrs. behind you in Central Time Zone. Your’s is where?
US Eastern
Just played this again.I think this is one of the best mods made for HL1.A few bugs but they were mostly to with the HL engine.
The Team EFTD site doesn’t seem to work any more, but the mod is on Filecloud, here. The Steam fix is on FileFront. And while I’m at it, here is the ModDB profile of THIEF alias Dieblein alias Martin Sander.
Actually you find a download-link here.
Very fast 😉
!SPOLIER ALERT!
Can someone tell me how to defeat the final boss? I shoot at him and it seems to do nothing. Help?
There’s an invisible wall right behind the creature. When you shoot it you’ll hear a tinny sound, like that of a breakable metal barrel. After many hits the beast will die.
Thank you Gilfrarry!
You’re welcome.
Very good mod just for the scenery! The textures and detail are exeptional for this type.
Battles are a bit low key and easy, but that gives you time to enjoy the view between fights! Mostly human grunts, a few aliens including a new alien giant dog thing, and a proper boss fight at the end which is is a plus.
Progress is a challenge due to the not obvious and sometimes non-linear path into widely varying landscapes.
Lots of new weapons with different ammo, sounds and effects. Great drum n bass music, plenty of cut scenes with voice over.
The tendency to get stuck between brushes is a minor glitch and the only negative in this beautifully made mod. Runs fine on modern machinery. 99/100
This mod is a much improved and much extended version of Darkforce for HL1 by the same author.
Just found this mod & romping along until I’m stuck. Any help please?
After the underground moulten lava then through a passage,kill 3 troops then smash a brick wall to enter a narrow canyon, there is a white ladder, but I can’t for the life of me find a way to jump on to it.Is it me or is there some other way?
beeky44.
map go13. Jump off the pipe onto the white ladder. No there is no other way. Practise those jumps. This is a tricky one because the pipe is narrow with no run up. It is possible, you’ve got to get it just right. Good luck.
I’ve got to say, again, this really is a great looking HL1 mod.
Thanks for replying, Guess I’ll just have to keep jumping.I do agree this is a great HL1 mod.
This mod is a little bit above average due to new weapons, new enemy outfit, interesting puzzles and no endless corridors but has a few weak points.
I got stuck very often between rocks or in other corners and had to use noclip. I hate noclip.
The force jump does not work as we are used to. Especially climbing out of the water does not work accurately.
Enemies can sometimes not be seen or you can only guess where they are from the hail of bullets.The one lying in the corner in the sewers shortly before the final, at least I was not able to shoot the corpse which kept on firing.
Try it.
Half-Life veteran. The force jump works not as we are used to. Especially climbing out of the water does not work accurately whatever equipment you use.
I’m stuck at the beginning, in the offices. when the character says that this place looks like his car. I’ve looked everywhere and I cant seem to find a way out…
Maybe shor, but extremly well made, teh grapics are impressive even today.
there’s a walkthrough this mod??? thanks.
Its a shame this mod isnt more popular, It was excellent in my opinion. Fair Length, good level design, VERY balanced, and brand new models/textures/weapons, etc is always a good thing. It looks great, props to the etfd team for not using Dark Laboratory corridors all the time. I wasnt too powerful (cough Dopusk) or too fragile (Invasion). My only complaints were that the game was too short, and aliens were rather downplayed in comparison to Human Grunts. I also recommend this to people who are tired of the black mesa setting, because this game has done it justice.
Great mod with cool set of a new models, interesting plot and surprising final. Worth for playing and replaying.
If you want to play this on Steam you also need to download the patch, although there is a slight error in the patch instructions. The directory in the patch .zip is named “resource”, you need to rename it ” resources” for the mod to show up in Steam.
This is a must have mod. I loved it. Played it the other day. It is worth hunting down. Checked out the http://andrej.mernik.eu/half-life/modifikacije/ site. SWEET! Lots of vintage stuff there
Very unique looking mod, with some flaws but nonetheless worth playing.
Pro’s:
-New textures, sounds, HUD, etc.
-Many weapons
-Very good, detailed graphics and leveldesign, nice intro
-Own hazard course
-Outdoor levels
-Drum & bass music, but doesn’t fit to setting
-Some puzzles
Con’s:
-Weird story
-Tight tunnels, pathways etc.
-Some getting-stuck bugs (clipping), graphic bugs
-Less action for my taste
Escape From The Darkness is the completed version of Dark Force, this author’s previous release, generally a fine play and worth the download. And it’s obvious EFTD is an expansion on the ideas of Dark Force, taken to longer lengths…not entirely a good thing.
The “custom” aspect this time around adds seven new weapons to play with, which all look quite nice (good modeling job there), retaining the cutting-edge military style that Half-Life itself defined. As you’ll find out though, they all seem to pack approximately equal punch (a hard punch at that) so it’s hard to tell which ones are more powerful than others…and this of course will lead to some weapons going unused. Lots of enemies will fall down after a few bullets, even on Difficult skill. The HUD is new too, with health & armor based on the armor vest concept seen in Raven’s Soldier of Fortune and Gearbox’s Half-Life: Blue Shift. And when you take damage, the screen flashes red and movement speed takes a temporary hit–good in the name of realism, but it can get annoying quickly. Custom music returns, only this time it’s more rock-esque, while CD music has been taken away completely…
Half-Life’s standard aliens appear unedited (aside from the new feature of extended blood trails on both human & alien enemies) while human opponents are some neat revisions on the base Marine models. Snow troops, Desert Storm-like soldiers, and more classic green/white-clad guys provide the main opposition using the new custom weapons, making them deadlier than ever. Lots of manned turrets, and since these guys are usually in groups, combat is more difficult than it should be. Difficult skill is too hard, hard enough that it’ll actually make for unpleasant gameplay. Especially on that fiendish finale, where you’ll fight a “boss” alien in one of the most annoying set-pieces ever. Skilled players will want to play on Medium, especially to better enjoy the great scenery (try not to get caught on it though, looks like the author forgot to properly clip lots of terrain).
Yes, picturesque moments abound. Great sets with ingenious mapping techniques (one nicely inspired by Blue Shift, see left screenshot) make for top-notch, memorable level design the likes of which we haven’t seen recently. Stunning attention to detail and equally amazing application of textures is definite candy for the eyes. However, the length of the unit results in too much variety of sets, ranging from everything including offices, labs, snowy trespasses, underground passes, and deserts (and variations thereof). Some coherence in the maps is sorely lacking. All the maps may pack solid level design, but taken as a whole, the unit takes more of a “let’s-see-what-new-set/trick-we-can-pull-off” approach than logical progression. Still, the effort on the architecture and map design is probably one of the best to date, far and away a commendable job.
This would all be well and good (around the quality level of Dark Force) if it weren’t for the renewed ignorance of story and plot development across so many maps. The story is incredibly simplistic—you play some soldier role to accomplish an unknown mission in the area surrounding Black Mesa, in the wake of the Half-Life chaos. The unit never bothers to establish your mission proper or develop any plot whatsoever, so gameplay quickly becomes a tired routine and can actually end up boring in many parts.
It’s obvious a lot of honest effort went into making Escape From The Darkness a high-quality release and better than Dark Force, and on some levels it succeeds. It’s just that the length of the unit works against more than one aspect, and in that sense it doesn’t come across as refined. It simply could have been tweaked to better play & function given the length. It’s still a good release though—those who don’t mind lack of story will find it enjoyable.
Notes
This review is republished here by permission and was originally published Friday, 28th February, 2003 by Calyst.
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.
At first glance this mod looks like it’s got it all: New models, sounds, textures etc. but at it’s core it’s very mediocre.
There are new weapons and some of them looks good, but some of them are very poorly designed, take smg for example. Did you notice anything strange with the players fingers? Like how some of them are modeled backwards?
What about the shotgun? Is it really a shotgun or a block of metal?
Levels are designed fairly well, bit of cramped but acceptable. At some levels map changes put very poorly and I got stuck at least 5 times, other than that I had no problems.
I was originally really enjoyed this mod and placed it in my mod collection but, after playing it recently I just had to remove it because of it’s one ( and in my eyes fatal ) flaw: It is very cringy.
Level names look like they all been written by a 13 year old trying to be cool, they all written like this: ChApTeR 3: tHiNgS ArE gEtTiNg WoRsE.
The music is bad and unfitting not the mention it’s low quality.
Our protagonist speaks like he’s the coolest man in the world and again the dialog is horrible: You come across a room of dead scientists and our “hero” says: “What a mess looks a bit like my car heh heh” in an action hero voice. It’s just not my cup of tea.
There is a final boss which is always a plus in my book, some decent textures and models (snow coat grunts ), all of the guns do tons of damage and it’s easy to die which is nice because it keeps you on your toes and that’s all the plusses I can think for EFTD. Not at all a horrible mod but a somewhat decent mod plagued with some really strange design choices.
Manually
Medium
1 Hour
Honestly, I’m surprised to see so many positive reviews for this mod. Having finally gotten through it I can genuinely say that this was a horrendous experience from start the finish.
Let me start by saying that the terrain, texturing and overall aesthetic of this mod are all absolutely stellar and worthy of high praise. Everything else however, leaves a lot to be desired.
First of all, this mod is HARD. I don’t know if this is exclusive to the hardest difficulty, but both my shots and the shots of the enemies are lethal, with time to kill being extremely fast. This is almost unfair, as the enemies can hitscan you through non-solid objects before you even get a chance to see them. On the other hand, the aliens that appear throughout are horrendously weak and I don’t think I took any significant damage from them throughout the entire mod. The one exception being headcrabs, which are often immediately around blind corners and act as cheeky, unavoidable health robbers.
The maps look gorgeous, especially for such an old mod using the GoldSource engine. However the clipping throughout the entire mod is downright atrocious and often infuriating. Effort has been taken for a lot of the small details to be passable by the player, though this only impacts the issue of enemies shooting at you through completely opaque cover. On top of that, the world geometry itself is a clip node nightmare and you cannot move a few steps without getting snagged on some invisible barrier. I swear I used noclip more often than I used healthkits in this mod.
Another problem with the sheer lethal force dished out by the grunts in this mod is the inexcusable lack of auto-saves. I lost so much progress because of a sudden combat encounter or instakill deathtrap that I had to stop playing on several occasions. There are also several occasions where you are lead down a path only to find a dead end, forcing you to backtrack through the clip node maze you just conquered.
Finally, the story in this mod is abysmal and only made worse by the poor quality of the voice acting in terms of performance and recording hardware. Static and mic pops are never nice on the ears.
On the topic of sound, I can’t not mention the “music” that is frequently forced through Goldsource’s very low quality WAV format. This would be painful in and of itself, but it seems that the mod uses the CD audio AT THE SAME TIME!! It sounds completely terrible.
I’m sure a lot of people put some serious work into this, but I hate to say that they really didn’t pull it off. If I hadn’t known better I would say I was playing a troll mod at some points. The final nail in the coffin was the mid point where you lose about 50HP for no reason. If you get to this point on low health, you literally cannot progress without cheating.
Manually
Hard
1 Hour, 15 Minutes
Most reviews are from way back 2007-2012. It was a different time i guess. But yeah this mod aged like milk.
the plot is nonsense and it’s a bit rough around the edges, but clearly a lot of love has been put into this mod (evident by all the custom content).
Manually
Medium
1 Hour
Avoid it, demo is better.
Manually
Hard
1 Hour
Best mod of 2002. Who is not agree, not my business. This mod is realistic and it’s made very well artistically.
Manually
Hard
1 Hour, 7 Minutes