You find yourself in a barn, with the objective of getting some Combine plans and then getting back again. “Easy in, Easy out”, as people like to say. But of course, it’s never that way. “Difficult In, even more difficult out”.
Good luck and be sure to really explore, you may find some hidden weapon caches!
Basic Details
- Title: Aether
- File Name: hl2-ep2-sp-aether.7z
- Size : 10.9Mb
- Author: miigga
- Date Released: 22 February 2011
MapTap Users
Download directly into MapTap [10.9MB]
You MUST have MapTap installed before using this link.
Download Options
Manual Installation Instructions
- Copy Aether.bsp into your Half-Life 2: Episode Two Maps folder.
- Launch Half-Life 2: Episode Two
- Open the console and type map Aether.
- Press enter/return or click the Submit button.
- Play and Enjoy.
If you require more help, please visit the Help page.
Screenshots
Click on the thumbnails below to open a 1024 pixel wide image.
WARNING: The screenshots contain spoilers.
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Reader Recommendations
Total Downloads
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5,373Overall
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0Today
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2Last 7 days
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15Last 30 days
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148365 days
Meta Review Data
Statistics based on 4 comment(s) with meta review data.
Installed:
Using Gauge: Users
Manually: 4 Users
Time Taken:
Average: 0 Hours, 38 Mins
Shortest: 0 Hours, 12 Mins by JetBlueChest
Longest: 1 Hours by
Total Time Played: 2 Hours, 32 Mins
Using Gauge: Users
Manually: 4 Users
Time Taken:
Average: 0 Hours, 38 Mins
Shortest: 0 Hours, 12 Mins by JetBlueChest
Longest: 1 Hours by
Total Time Played: 2 Hours, 32 Mins
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Jump to a review
This is a typical miigga release: beautifully lit, interesting layouts and occasional puzzles. What is interesting about this one is that it features plenty of outdoor sections and some larger scale situations.
I have to admit being stuck at the beginning, but mainly because I didn’t explore very much. The felt cheated by the Jalopy ride and hoped that I could have had some fun with it, but really it was just needed to cross a gap. Shame.
As I said in the introduction this is a beautiful map and one wonders what miigga could do if he really put his mind to it and created a proper story mod. Maybe one day we will be lucky, who knows.
I didn’t particularly enjoy the Antlion guard section and feel there should have been more cannister around. Maybe there was and I missed them.
The highlight of the map is definitely the battle with the gunship and feel that this should have been the final fight, rather than just in the middle.
The last section features some cool areas, but I found the combat slightly too easy.
I highly recommend you play this release.
Originally the jalopy was used all the way until the place where you [spoiler]descend to the antlion cave[/spoiler]. When I let a few people playtest, it turned out that the car encouraged the player to rush through the map without looking for the hidden weapon caches and stuff. This is why I turned the car into a “5-second-car”. It’s a bit silly but it’s better than the alternative, I think.
There are 3 canisters there but since it’s a fairly large area they might be difficult to find. Perhaps I should’ve put a few more canisters there.
[spoiler]But it is the final fight. The map ends right after the gunship battle.[/spoiler]
And some players told me they were always low on health. This is confusing me now
Yes, perhaps you are right, but something in between might have worked too.
I think I found 2 or maybe 3, I just felt more would have been fun.
Yes, you are right, obviously, but for some reason I thought I played something afterwards. This is what comes of playing it yesterday and adding the review today. Please accept my apologies.
Well, I did play on easy but even then I often find it quite hard. Perhaps what I mean was that the Combine seemed to come at me in a straight line and I never felt surrounded. Although, having said that, there was one time when they seem to flank you and hide behind trees. Maybe I am just getting too old to play and review these maps!
I was wondering when you’d put this up phillip, but glad you did.
I didn’t notice that this was one of miigga’s maps, but now that I think about it, it definitely had the quality that I expected from one of his maps.
This was a great map. The progression was intuitive, I never felt lost even though some parts of the map looked to have multiple directions I could go in. Towards the end I started feeling a bit fatigued by all the combine soldiers that were tossed at me, but I think that just might be a problem of mine, because I generally dislike arenas or nonstop fighting for more than a minute or two.
Definitely a play it now.
Superb as always but with reservations:
Up to but not including the Antlionguard; magnificent mapping efficiently and artistically executed.
The Antlionguard was a softee and could have well used a few supporting Antlions or Antlion workers
Loads of pros, too many to list, play the map.
Cons: “This door needs a key” GRRRRRR. You are better than this now Miigga.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the Gunship fight, it felt ‘tacked on” and out of sequence just to provide a finish.
Might it have been better to have the Gunship turn up after the last Combine goes down but in the same area?
I found this to be a challenging but very engaging and never-too-frustrating map. I too kind of wanted the car to play a slightly bigger role, but hey – it’s possible that this little mod could be incorporated into a larger, longer mod that you could get it back and continue driving later. Actually, that seems ideal, since this is a “mini” fetch mission…
I did have some problems with getting boxes to stack properly, but this is something that seems to be an issue for all my source games just now, and maybe it’s just me. Sometimes it halfway feels like the old gldsrc engine’s wobbly motion on them.
I didn’t mind that the antlion guard was a short section, though I do agree, more stuff to throw at it would have been fun. I didn’t mind that I’d wasted essentially all my remaining ammo on it, considering how close it was to the end.
I loved the gunship battle, and something odd happened to my play through when it fell!
http://steamcommunity.com/id/Zekiran/screenshot/594679238358016030?tab=public
http://steamcommunity.com/id/Zekiran/screenshot/594679238358010310/?tab=public
It got stuck behind the rocks, and kept exploding. It was like I had my own private fanfare of fireworks! 😀
All in all, good play, fun, challenging enough to keep me occupied and enjoy the ride.
How come it didn’t post my recommendation? (And, why did it say awaiting modding? did I do something wrong? I have an account… and I was logged in. Is it the links?)
I don’t know why it didn’t post the recommendation, but yes ALL comments with links get put in the moderation queue. It should affect the Rec. images though. Please tell me what was your recommendation and I’ll add it.
It was a “play it now!” 🙂 Thanks!
Where is the key? Seriously I hate this kinda stuff… But up until now: WOW! 🙂
Lying around on the floor in that area.
[spoiler]next to the antlion grub[/spoiler]
Finished it. Great map! 🙂 And quite long for a single map as well!
For me, its a definite “Play it Now”, although it was frustrating at times. One flaw I found was the inability to cross that fence just outside the door to the building, early on. I just landed back on the same side after being lifted up to those “thingies” on the ceiling. Happened twice. I had actually quit the game “for good” at that point and as an afterthought, came back here and looked at screen shots. They didn’t help, however I decided to try again anyway and got over. The door key was another, annoying as it wasn’t visible and spent a huge amount of time before giving up again.
So unlike another poster, I didn’t find it “made sense” in a few spots to the point of “anguish”, and for me that ruins the flow of the game. And I felt like the placement of a number of things, ladders and such, were intentionally hidden too much. A bit of a letdown from the Enthalpy maps and Redox, for me anyway.
/facepalm I can’t beleive the key was [spoiler]beside the grub all along!![/spoiler] LoL!!
Anyways, gameplay, visuals, and everything else was nicely done. I just wish I had more sniper ammo, but the rest is just amazing!! 2-3 gunships could have hyped up the game a bit more.
I espcially liked the visuals, but the dynamite could have had a bit more work into it (textures). 😛 Well, one little prop won’t make much of a difference. The only issue with this map, is the gravity gun. It was useless as most props did not intereact with the gravity gun at all. 🙁
Anyways, 4.5/5, nice job!! PLAY IT NOW!!!
Enjoyed the game until it crashed several times at the same place.
Just after picking up the folder I exit the building the train goes by and when I shoot the combine after the second combine dies the game freezes.I tried running down the track
and crossing the track before the train goes by but still the same.Anyone else have the same problem?
Yes, I am having this very same problem. I’m on an AMD 64 3500+ with 1Gb mem, nVidia GeForce 8600 GT with 1Gb. It’s an old system, but it has had almost no problems with HL2 mods and maps so far.
I have an amd 64×2 4200 nvidia gtx 460 just installed the video card seems to run other mods o.k.
I tried to run the game again but no luck.It seems that when you pickup the plans after a certain time the game freezes.I tried avoiding combat and after about 20 secs the game freezes and I have to do a hard reboot.I also have not got the update from steam when all the problems with old mods arose,maybe this is why It crashes.
Orange Box? Isn’t that the latest version on Steam? I have a rural 56k connection and I’d hate to go through all that again. (sigh) Shame, it looked like an interesting map.
I also have a rural 56k connection and have a download speed of 2.4kbytes/sec so updating
steam is not an option.
The steam update last year broke a lot of mods so I haven’t updated,maybe the new mods and maps need the update.
I have played all of miigga’s maps and had no problem until now ,too bad because he
does make very good maps.
Surely well worth your time!
I’m a great fan of outdoor maps. The White Forest in Ep.2 is marvelous.
So, this release is a very cool map with a nice balanced gameplay. If only the author would turn this into a larger mod I would most likely do a somersault and hit the “Hall of Fame” button!
Mappers; please do more White Forest like maps!
Hmm, I’m on screenshot 8, but unlike Phillip I don’t have the pistol. Should I be worried? 🙂
Yes, I should definitely be worried. I can’t get past the two combine without it. Drat! Where the hell is it? (Note to modder: make essential weaponry easier to find. Better still, make essential weaponry impossible to miss). 🙂
It’s in the same damn locker where you got the crowbar
What?! Oh, man, how come I never picked that up? *sighs* Thanks for the tip, Migga, I can get back to enjoying your map now. 🙂
Aah, that was odd. I went back and there was an ammo box in the cupboard but no pistol. I picked up the ammo box and nothing happened, then suddenly I have the pistol. This has happened a couple of times before in mods. Maybe it’s my installation of Ep 2? Anyway, onwards and upwards!
Very nice map Miigga. Challenging and fun combat around the area of the combine plans and pretty much everywhere thereafter. Yeah, there could have been more gas tanks in the area of the antlion guard, but only enough tanks to kill him if you don’t miss any shots.
This is first map/mod that I’ve played that required a barnacle ride. I’ve been waiting for someone to do this.
The mapping and visual elements were near perfect. Although, I remember seeing a lonely strip of fence with barb wire protecting only one side of a storage tank.
After collecting the combine plans, I got lost for a short time thinking that I should head back the way I came.
Anyway, lots of fun.
I love me some Miigga maps, Thanks for another fun play map. alot of areas and alot of exploring to do. I did get confused as to where to go next in some places but not to the point where I was frustrated and I liked the fact that at least I didn’t have 100 combine blasting me as I explored around. Played through without a hitch for me well done Miigga, I always look forward to your work, much appreciated
What an unfortunate and uninspired start!
It’s a breach of trust (or simply feeble work) when the modder arranges things so that it’s possible, in this example, to get to the roof of a building but not to terrain immediately adjacent to the roof and at essentially the same level. Of course, there’s nothing on the roof worth getting to, but that’s another matter. I have no idea why this mod got the raves it did. More power to you if you can enjoy this kind of thing.
you can get on top of a roof but you can’t get to the terrain next to the roof where you are pretty obviously not meant to go –> therefore bad map
I noticed that during playtesting but decided not to do anything about it because it doesn’t really matter. If such a small thing annoys you to the point where you can’t enjoy the map, I don’t think the problem lies with the map.
Played it, like all miigas a good release, but still with its tiny flaws.
Layout and fights are great, lighting is suberb and puzzles are okay.
The only things why this is no personal favourite are:
-crate stacking puzzle: it’s kinda old and I feel like an idiot everytime I need to stack a box to reach a higher place, it’s boring and not really a puzzle
-key searching: I didn’t find the key, I only walked the floor while pressing e until I finally walked over it. Stop key searching, it is a stupid way to lenghten the playtime of a map, and a player feels that.
-Even though the indoor areas were looking great, they were kinda cramped. Too much stuff was filled in there, most of it making no sense, kinda looks like a goblin or sth. went on rampage, you can find in one single room at least a boiler, a tv or a console, pipes and plates.
Still, the layout is pretty much perfect, it is the best mix between fights and puzzles, also some neat small things like secrets and the roof of the final fight where you can aim through to hit the gunship shows that the author really thought about what he actually does.
I had a hell of a time deciding between PIN and PF
I really enjoyed this release. I felt that the combat was done very decently, as was the environment and atmosphere.
Some of the puzzles were annoying, such as the ‘stack some stuff to do this” or the “you need a key’, but they were ok I suppose.
Overall a huge and excellently executed map.
Quite a good map and fun to play. The only thing I didn’t like was trying to find that key near the end. Overall I would definitely recommend it.
Pros:
Good firefights(showed off the Combine’s AI very well)
Interesting puzzles.
Good use of music.
Cons:
Puzzles have a binary solution when they can be solved one of way(ex: Antlion cave. Door is locked. Why should I have to get a flipping key when I can stack boxes up and climb the ladder that the switch behind the door lets down?)
Easy Guardian Battle(I was on Normal)
Overall: Play it. The puzzles at the end made me slightly annoyed that I HAD to solve em the way the creator had planned with no ifs, ands, or buts. Other than that good map.
Miigga why after about 20 secs after picking up the combine plans the game freezes.
I enjoy your maps this is the first one I have had trouble with.
Did I not trigger something earlier in the map that causes this?
Is this a problem with new maps that I will encounter with new releases because I haven’t updated steam for a year or so?
Thanks for any help
I don’t want to speak for Miigga but without actually testing it on a few systems it would seem almost impossible to tell. There can’t be many set ups that old running.
I don’t know what is causing this. It has never happened to me so it’s probably something that happens on certain types of computers depending on your hardware/software.
I’m just some guy, not a game company, so I can’t really be expected to test my maps on a variety of different computers. This crashing issue is an unfortunate side effect of that.
Thanks for the reply.I thought I may have missed something in the map that caused this or it will only run on the new updated steam.
I’ve played all your maps and enjoyed them hope the next one runs o.k.
Thanks again for your help.
Looks nice so far. For a while I got stuck at the
[spoiler](first) pair of hunters.[/spoiler]
But then I got by that. Fun so far!
OK, I liked this one.
No, there isn’t a coherent story, but there is nice atmosphere (especially down with the glowworms), and there are moments of surprise, and some good combat.
Good job! Each subsequent modification of the more interesting. 🙂
Another great custom map for HL2 EP2! At the end, I couldn’t find a Rocket crate to bring down the Gunship, but it took me like five minutes to find the ladder.
Good, but samey. I’m hard-pressed to find much else to say about it.
First, I need to tell you that I am huge fan of miigga’s maps. While all his projects are single maps, they feel like complete mods to me. They arent that short like most maps and I enjoy the combination of action and puzzles.
Well, about this map. The car-ride was a bit silly ofcourse. But I understand it couldnt be longer, otherwise peeps would rush through the map. There was plenty of action in this map, although the last sections seemed to be a bit easy. While challenging the antlion guard (and the gunship later on), there was no resistance from anyone else. Overall, the puzzles were cool and original [spoiler](for example the barnacle ride and the hunters near the start)[/spoiler], but I didnt like the key searches. I couldnt find the key [spoiler] near the grub, i’ve been searching for almost an hour in that area[/spoiler].
Overall, I enjoyed this map, but I must say that I enjoy both Enthalpy’s and Redox more! But maybe I am just spoiled by miigga’s maps 😉
i liked this map, because gave me a unique good battle, I haven’t had in many months, I mean those combats where u have to move, throw granades and use long pressision distance weapons, rule, the pulzzes were ok, and fit so good on that, and one thing that impresed me about the work here, is that, how migga can do all of that in just 1 good detailed and so simply well done map!!, it feels like u had played 3 or 4 maps in just one!!, I seriously would love to see, some mod of this author because I know it would have good quality and would be a really great one, so please mr. migga do some mod, because we need to calm our mod thirsty in this poor mod production days!!
Migga does good work, I have just tested a map of his last week that I think is aces. However, this mod isn’t aces.
The map has some beautiful expansive areas and some good battles. But it also has places that are connected to other places that dont make a lot of sense. In these cases it’s as if the cooridoors and areas are created and put together just for some game player to go through…they dont feel natural. Also, there is a lot of “switch pulling to open a door so I can pull another switch” to be done. This keeps me in one general area for long amounts of time, and I get bored.
This mod has a lack of background ambience..it’s always too quiet. What’s worse is the horrendous driving section, if you can even call it that. That’s right folks, yet another mod with a terribly short driving section, what’s new? It’s as if the modders just don’t know how to make a decent driving section. In this mod, do a jump and it’s over. Total of about a half a city block. Literally 10 seconds worth of driving! And during the jump you get slow-mo action. WHY??
To sum up this mod has some pluses, but too many minuses. Think twice.
lol
FYI to Phillip, It seems the 2 dload links above are reversed. The BLUE MapTap box is linked to the stand alone map file while the PP.com download is linked to the 55mb migga map collection.
Fixed, thanks
another excellent map from miigga …. I recently downloaded all of miiggas 12 maps and I have to admit I havent enjoyed hl2 maps so much since I played leons final project …
aether is a excellent map with some outstanding set peices… especially the start were you need to drive the car over the cliff……
good puzzles and a joy to play ….. well done miigga !
This is amazing, it feels so open and the enviroments is beatiful. Good mix between open outdoor areas and small underground rooms. Highly recommended for all HL2 lovers.
OK I wanna say this from the start, the whole map does NOT look much like a combine area, ergo the goal set for the player is squeaking from the get go. Not to mention that despite loving the way the car is given to the player, you don’t get to put it to a proper use.
But good gameplay is right around the corner, I just love how I keep seeing the hunters but not fight them right away. Funny how they can also use the elevator!
Didn’t care much for the rooms either, as others complained, and personally I wanted more levels, like a first floor and/or some roof action. As I was moving from a tiny house to another I felt so much more could’ve been done with this place. Instead I found odd and random player clipping. Only 1 hill is climbable, where needed, so why not make rocks higher?
Again, the game picked up with what I can only describe as “finally a decent xbow fight!” as you don’t get to see this weapon put to good use very often.
OK so I got to the actual plans but I didn’t like that they were a mere newspaper; a custom blueprint of some sort would’ve been more exciting to find and carry. Heading out I almost got ran over by the train lol
Hmm rock blasting to make way for new areas? I don’t think so.. and you used it twice tsk tsk.
The vertical is finally used after the detonation, but only if the player chooses to fight the combine from above.
Nice dirt path drawing leading to the gate, you shouldn’t stop making outdoors just cus it’s too much work.. Also in same area, music should fade as I finish the fight and not come to a sudden stop, I think someone else mentioned this already. Very interesting layout here, nonetheless.
And here’s me ranting again about the story and the goal. Even though I now see I have to open yet another gate, first time playing it I missed having an objective, cus frankly I was waiting for map to end after finding those plans, so perhaps say “fetch the combine plans’? Also meeting up with a rebel at some point and giving it to him would’ve been nice, from then on he could give further instructions for a lengthier mod, or just say ‘thanks, great job!” which I know you’re not keen on but it would give the player a bigger incentive compared to finding some papers and then just escaping alive. So I do open that gate only to see combine waiting, just waiting for me outside haha while I can catch a nap inside. Til they decide to finally come in blazing. So nop, can’t complain bout AI, nice job.
Can’t complain about the lighting either, no dark places, but definitely could’ve been more atmospheric. As for the sound, this loop that is originally used in a prison environment is present topside but continues while I’m in the grub and antlion area, which I found confusing. Here it also felt weird not to pick up most props, I think I could’ve done without the ggun and the stack puzzle if I’m but a humble rebel.
Key could’ve been bigger lol and yea it, was weird to see such a puzzle from you, Miigga dear 🙂 Well placed autosaves as always; that time after finishing the map and placing them is well spent.
And fighting the guard finally explains the ggun presence, but my oh my, I can’t find the 4th explosive!
In the final area I also had problems distinguishing the ladder from the structure, but I sure enjoyed swerving those rockets! I want to see more of this being used.
Map is not one of Miigga’s best work but sure deserves a play 🙂 I’m still a fan hehe
To me this map seems like I just downloaded an actual extension of Episode Two. It’s amazing. The Jalopy was kind of pointless but I liked the weird bullet time fireworks display when you use it to cross the gap. The story is that you have to find the Combines” plans in their White Forest outpost. It mostly takes place in the White Forest with a short mines part. This mines part is my only complaint. You have to stack crates which is really, REALLY frustrating. Other than that and the Jalopy I have no complaints. The mapping is great, the lighting is great and the layout is great. There’s even a part where you get to blow up two Hunters which is entertaining. There’s not too much else to say. It has a great gunship battle but the Antlion Guard just seemed to be there for filler. I love this map, my recommendation is play it as soon as you can.
Manually
Medium
30 Minutes
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I found this to be a really well thought out and designed map. Really liked how things worked and the combine where best found head-on rather than stealthy. As I personally found out at the point you get the crossbow. The sand crabs bugged me, wasting my ammo like that!! Grr
I kind wished there was a little more health knocking about in some scenes. Not all just some, like the gunship battle. Especially as it comes after that guardian… Really annoying that! But otherwise I felt this to be one of those maps that just fell short of a PF for me.. Beautifully done – I advice everyone gives it a go. Love it.
ps, forgot to say – that train as it suddenly whizzes up – it got stuck entering inside. Sound fx kept on playing for it and you could see it nudging forward. Then it carries on.. very odd but fun 😉
Manually
Medium
50 Minutes
Nice map! I like the combination of the author’s puzzle map style & outdoor fights. P.S In the gunship fight, it was hard to notice the ladder.
Manually
Medium
1 Hour
Now we are talking. Looks good. Plays good. Few puzzles dropped in, nice.
Now we are talking. Looks good. Plays good. Few puzzles dropped in, nice,
I remember playing this from my low end laptop. But this map is very good:)
Playthough here: https://youtu.be/AjIUrVmMhko
Manually
Easy
12 Minutes