This is the Read category

A collection of text posts, including Poll Questions, Text Interviews with moddersand Phillip’s Blog. All posts are written to encourage friendly debate and discussion.

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Arcadium – A mod idea

Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3

I’ve started this post about 10 times in the last 3 years and never finish it. In fact, at one time or another it has had its own website! I always stop and change the way I try and explain it because I am never happy with it. Well, this is the last time I start this post because I promised myself I would finish it today.

9th April 2010 8 Comments

Monkey See, Monkey Do.

Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3

I am intrigued by the use of video games for uses other than entertainment. I’ve heard of treatment for arachnophobia with Unreal Tournament and I seem to remember something about vertigo too.

I have little doubt that lots of people have experimented with games for education, in fact there’s at least one HL2 mod that attempts to teach science and history called DoomEd. If I were 25 years younger this would probably be one area of study I would have focused on.

5th April 2010 13 Comments

Poll Question 166 – Do you schedule your mod play?

Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3

This poll question was inspired by Jasper. He emailed me to suggest a poll about the current mod drought and how it affected us playing our favourite mods.

I jiggled it a little to wonder whether people saved mods for rainy days (or droughts!).

4th April 2010 17 Comments

Poll Question 165 – How did you learn about mods?

Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3

This is a really important question because I believe there are thousands of players who have never heard of mods and contacting them is very difficult.

Most of the newer players will have heard of them, probably through there friends or school mates, but what about older players, who just walk into a store and buy the game.

28th March 2010 65 Comments

Is This The Future?

Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3

I have to admit that I have been pretty lazy regarding the site over the last 3 weeks or so. It happens every now and again that I get tired of working on it and try to avoid doing anything. Even though I feel down, I don’t worry because I know that I come back with renewed enthusiasm and new plans and ideas.

21st March 2010 47 Comments

Poll Question 163 – Is Endless Spawning a Valid Gameplay Mechanic?

Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3

You don’t see it too often but when you do it can be as frustrating as hell – endless streams of enemies, poring out of some entrance with an almost demon passion.

On the surface I would say that there is never any place for this game mechanic in a normal map or mod, but there are times when a designer may want to challenge your preconception that you are invincible.

15th March 2010 45 Comments