Enthalpy 2

for Half-Life 2: Episode Two

8th June 2010

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

Starting on what seems to be some form of artificial island, you need to keep working your way through the complex until a pod comes to rescue you.

There are a number of small puzzles along the way, as well as some interesting combat.

You go deeper and deeper into the complex until one final battle. Can you survive?

Basic Details
  • Title: Enthalpy 2
  • File Name: hl2-ep2-sp-enthalpy.7z
  • Size : 8.13MB
  • Author: Miigga
  • Date Released: 08 June 2010
MapTap Users

Download directly into MapTap [8.13MB]

You MUST have MapTap installed before using this link.

Download Options

Download to your HDD [8.13MB]

Installation Instructions
  • Copy gm_enthalpy2.bsp into your Half-Life 2: Episode Two Maps folder.
  • Launch Half-Life 2: Episode Two
  • Open the console and type map gm_enthalpy2.
  • Press enter/return or click the Submit button.
  • Play and Enjoy.

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

Panoramic View

Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Please Note: Panoramic images only are available in full screen mode. You can either open one by clicking the image link above or by saving it to your computer and then opening it locally.

How to use: Once the image is open and your cursor is on the image, press and hold your left mouse button and move around the image. Use your mouse wheel to scroll in and out of the panoramic image.

Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Please Note: Panoramic images only are available in full screen mode. You can either open one by clicking the image link above or by saving it to your computer and then opening it locally.

How to use: Once the image is open and your cursor is on the image, press and hold your left mouse button and move around the image. Use your mouse wheel to scroll in and out of the panoramic image.

Gameplay Teaser Video

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

Screenshots

Click on the thumbnails below to open a 800 pixel wide image.
WARNING: The screenshots contain spoilers.

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!

17 recommendations, average score: 4.59 (out of 5), standard deviation: 0.36 (what's that?)
Total Downloads

Please note: These statistics are valid from December 2010

  • 2,635
    Overall
  • 1
    Today
  • 5
    Last 7 days
  • 10
    Last 30 days
  • 111
    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: 0 Hours, 44 Mins
Shortest: 0 Hours, 24 Mins by JetBlueChest
Longest: 1 Hours by
Total Time Played: 2 Hours, 54 Mins
If you believe this release is missing important tags, please suggest them in a comment?
Jump to a review
Phillip says Play It!Personal FavouritePlay It Now!Play It Now!Maybe?Play It LaterPlay It Now!Personal FavouritePlay It Now!Play It Now!Play It LaterPersonal FavouritePlay It Now!Play It LaterPersonal FavouritePlay It LaterPlay It Later

57 Comments

  1. Phillip says Play It!

    This is a typical Miigga map; plenty of variety, lots of puzzles and great action.

    The flow of the rooms doesn’t make sense and the setting is a little strange, but that’s how Miigga makes his levels and to complain about it now seems silly.

    I was fortunate enough to beta test the first half of this map but disappointed that some things hadn’t changed. I really don’t see the point of killing a play when they fall in the water. To me that’s punishing them for exploring. A gradual increase in the biting fish would have made it clear that there is nothing to find, without annoying them.

    The same for invisible walls. Just make sure it’s impossible to reach place that have them.

    Up to the final battle the difficulty is just right and the puzzles and never too hard, although they are too contrived and out of place for my liking.

    For some reason I didn’t enjoy this level as much as the others and I am worried that unless Miigga creates something ,longer and with a proper story my interest will wane.

    The final battle was too much like a deathmatch arena and if I wanted to play that sort of thing I would play Deathmatch.

    All in all, another great release and one I am happy to recommend but not my favourite Miigga release.

    1. Miigga

      The player only dies in the water if he goes too far in there. Staying close to the artificial island doesn’t kill you.

      About the whole invisible wall thing, I really don’t see what’s so wrong with having invisible walls on top of the fences. You’re the only one who has complained about those invisible walls and frankly I think having fences there is enough to tell the player that he isn’t supposed to go over them.

      I also don’t see the point of having a storyline in maps or mods. I do care about the storyline when I am playing a full game but when it is a map or a mod the storyline just bothers me.

      This map took a month for me to make and I am not exactly the kind of a mapper who can stay working on one project for several months, so I don’t think I can make anything much longer than this unless I make compromises on the amount of detail. I don’t think I can do that because people would complain about how it doesn’t look as good as my previous maps.

      Oh well, thanks for having my map here. I am glad you at least kinda liked it.

      1. The player only dies in the water if he goes too far in there. Staying close to the artificial island doesn’t kill you.

        I dropped vertically down and was killed within 2 seconds.

        About the whole invisible wall thing, I really don’t see what’s so wrong with having invisible walls on top of the fences. You’re the only one who has complained about those invisible walls and frankly I think having fences there is enough to tell the player that he isn’t supposed to go over them.

        I disagree. Do fences in real life stop people from trying to climb over them. Why bother finding a crank handle why I can just jump over the fence? Players like me try and explore every area. Invisible walls stopped my walking along the edge and I feel that I shouldn’t have even had that opportunity. Saying I am the only one who complained doesn’t mean much until we know how many other people beta tested the maps.

        I also don’t see the point of having a storyline in maps or mods. I do care about the storyline when I am playing a full game but when it is a map or a mod the storyline just bothers me.

        I don’t need a story, just a starting premise. Why am I there and what am I supposed to do?

        This map took a month for me to make and I am not exactly the kind of a mapper who can stay working on one project for several months, so I don’t think I can make anything much longer than this unless I make compromises on the amount of detail. I don’t think I can do that because people would complain about how it doesn’t look as good as my previous maps.

        I understand what you are saying and I don’t have a problem with that. We all work in our own way. I am just suggesting that your levels are getting slightly repetitive for me.

      2. Hi Miigga. I’m pretty sure most players are frustrated by invisible walls. Like Phillip I like to explore and I don’t see why I should be stopped from going somewhere when the architecture indicates that it is accessible.

        Of course these are only games but the beauty of the Half-Life environment is that it feels real and should behave as such. Invisible walls seem like a cheap trick to avoid the need to build barriers high enough or to construct a landscape where it is impossible to reach these areas in the first place.

        I’m very much with Phillip on this one and I suspect that many others are also.

        Great maps though nonetheless. Many thanks.

  2. I have added two panoramic images. I am going to make the gameplay teaser video now – brb.

  3. WOW, so many interruptions! Anyway, the gameplay teaser videos is now available – enjoy.

  4. tungsten

    loved it, exactly the type of map I really enjoy playing not too much fighting with combine which can get a bit boring but loads of puzzles to amuse you,the game skipped along and I played it to the end which is rare for me as I normally get bored and come back to a mod later,a small research & development maybe,the author had pinched ideas for the puzzles from other maps I guess but it did not spoil the enjoyment of a well thought out map

    1. Miigga

      The puzzle in screenshots 27 and 28 was “inspired” by Research and Development. That is the only puzzle idea that I consciously copied from another map/mod.

      Oh wait, the thing in screenshot 7 is also from R and D.

      I guess two of them are consciously copied from R and D and if the rest are similar to puzzles you have seen elsewhere, it’s probably a coincidence.

  5. I’ve finished Enthalpy and I was a great fan, I’m downloading it and playing it then… Can’t wait!!!!

  6. I’ve just wanted to say that there are sympathic puzzles in your maps, but I prefer Enthalpy than Redow, because the surrealistic map changes give a great ambiance to the mod… I hope this one is the same…

    1. Miigga

      no surrealism this time, sorry

  7. Personal Favourite

    and well, even if there is no surrealism…
    This map ROCKS!!! Beautiful outdoor setting, then many differents settings, an epic final battle, with a great music…
    And the puzzles, LOL… I think the first one is a bit hard because a little arbitrary with the gravity, but the others… I think you should have called that Watermelon Map : the Revenge… 😀

    Well, it’s not too long, half-puzzle half-fight as usual with your maps, but I see you become better and better with each map, and so, this time I won’t give a PIN but a PF…

    Continue your amazing job!!! 😀

  8. The job done with the Havok/gravity system is really well-thought… It took some times to get the right way to go throught some “impossible” ways…
    The final battle, [spoiler]also, in the arena, must have taken you long to develop… The overall fight is well-balanced, with the help of a Vortigaunt, the system of supplies… I’ve got some difficulties with the very end of the fight, with the two or three hunters and the Combine, it took me numerous reloads to finally destroy every enemy, but overall it’s hard but not impossible…[/spoiler]

    Now I wait for a Redox 2 or an Enthalpy 3 🙂

  9. Can someone help me? I’m enjoying the map so far but I’m stuck…
    [spoiler]I can’t find the four keys. I got the one on the floor in the headcrab room, then there was another on a shelf in the large room by the key holes and a third was under some planks in a small room. Where’s the last one?! [/spoiler]
    So far this is a terrific map. Hope I get to see more! 🙂

    1. Bolx

      [spoiler]Look for a vent grating!![/spoiler]

    2. Stay true to the root game mechanics of half life:
      [spoiler]look for an airvent[/spoiler]

  10. Raven

    Migga says: You’re the only one who has complained about those invisible walls and frankly I think having fences there is enough to tell the player that he isn’t supposed to go over them.

    I strongly disagree with that entire statement, as I have played plenty of mods/maps where all you had to do was hop a fence by stacking items, etc. The “Toronto” mod comes to mind, in the main plaza, when you go over the rear of the fence surrounding the 1st power-ups because the guards won’t let you past, and to do anything else raises the alarm.

    But even aside from that, this map and maps like it were made in such a way that it is sometimes confusing as what to do next and a player must practically try everything in sight just to progress out of sheer neccessity. If you don’t want people climbing over the fence, make it high enough to discourage that or don’t put stacking items in the vicinity.

    The puzzles held my interest and it was nice to have some diversity to play, but the dim lighting and short flashlight time just piss me off to no end, as always, and only added to the confusion/frustration at the end.

    I ended up just shutting it off with the wave after wave of hunters soaking up the ammo like kisses. But overall, interesting to play with puzzles that had some thought put into them.

    Thanks for the effort. Stay open to constructive criticism, I can see you would make a good mod if all things are considered.

    Peace.

    1. Especially since there are many puzzles in this mod that involve you stacking objects 2 barrel heights tall to get up to an area that’s about 3 barrel heights tall, but then you can’t go over a fence that’s barely 2 barrel heights tall?

      Like I mentioned back in my review of the first Enthalpy; consistency is critical to the player’s ability to enjoy the world that you have created.

      1. Miigga

        Frankly, when there is a gate and a button right next to it, I think it’s kind of obvious that the gate is the way to go.

        Meh, I guess next time I will be a bit more careful with the invisible walls.

        1. enablerbr

          i have a pet hate for invisible barriers. when the area it blocks is one that looks so easy to gain access to it breaks the game submersion for me. not all players think the same. so something that seems obvious to one player may not even enter the mind of another player.

          example of which is using Dogs ball in HL2 to use as weapon upto the water section at the end of ravenholm. it wasn’t designed by Valve for that purpose. yet players discovered how to use it beyond its intended use.

  11. Play It Now!

    First off, Ill start with gameplay.

    I found generally the combat was fantastic, the battles encouraged you to use weapons other than a shotty rampage, and the fighting was paced perfectly. It was sometimes a little annoying having a combine soldier with a shotgun shooting at you from random hideaways, but not gamebreaking.
    The puzzles, I digress, were frustrating. Although being very original and fun, some puzzles left me in a quandary in what was required. I had to noclip past the gate next to the generator after searching for the handle for about 5-6 minutes and getting angry 😛
    However, the puzzles were fun, and fairly easy to solve once you knew what to do. A couple of them really were very clever, I remember being particularly impressed with a couple of them.

    Secondly, the aesthetics of the map were generally fantastic. A beautiful environment, spliced with dark, gloomy corridors made for an excellent experience. I was hugely impressed with the room shown in screenshot 22. The tone of the map was very well done, and the lighting spot on.

    Unfortunatly, I cant really remember any good moments where sound was used, a factor I believe is crucial to a maps “feel’

    The fun aspect of the mod is great. Although it may not make sense, careening through a giant room of lasers whilst on a moving platform is great fun. The bizarreness of the map is not frequently outlined, but when it is, it can serve as a great break from the realistic combat experienced just moments before.

    Also, the water on the island was slightly off putting. There was a clear line where the ‘real” water ended and the 3D skybox simulated water started. I know this is near impossible to fix, but I just thought Id throw it in there.

    And best of all, its really long, but without having to load up a new map. Well optimised too.

    OVERALL, a fantastic map, with perfectly segmented sections of combat and puzzle, seamlessly spliced with the plain weird. Puzzles are clever, but can be a little confusing at times.

    P.S I have not played other releases by the author, so I cannot compare this with previous releases. Therefore I am comparing it with the quality of other maps I have played.

    1. Miigga

      The line between the actual gameplay area and the 3D skybox is there because you can’t (as far as I know) set a maximum density for the fog in the 3D skybox. This is why I just left the 3D skybox completely fogless, causing the line.

      I’d like to know which puzzles you were particularly impressed with.

      1. Oh there were many. I enjoyed, for instance, the entire saga with the keys. The bit where you slot in a metal plate to make the ball fall in the hole. The rollermine to blow the barrels etc

        In short, all of them were fun and refreshing, even if they were a little frustrating at times. However, I HATED finding (or failing to) the generator crank and the bit where you stack boards to get across the gap (just before the rollermine bit)

        1. I actually loved the boards, but the part that I didn’t understand about them was that you could skip the entire second half just by going through the airvent. There was nothing to be gained by stacking the boards so you could walk the entire length of the gap, even though it was obvious that the length of the boards and the length of the gap were perfectly crafted for doing so.

          1. The planks kept falling down due to my GG failing as I was placing it (and me failing a bit also). Once I got all the boards down the pit, I was screwed, so I noclipped
            *ashamed*

          2. Miigga

            I got a lot of feedback from playtesters that the plank section is too hard. I put the vent there as a response to that. Now you don’t even need planks to complete that part. Jump into the room –> use vent –> done. Kind of annoying but I suspect many players would have lots of trouble with that part otherwise.

            1. I love the concept, but it’s cumbersome in execution. If the board is too long, then you can’t hold it straight out (the optimum angle for placing it accurately so it doesn’t fall) without the close end getting stuck on your body and causing the gravity gun to fail, if it’s any shorter, then the distance is close enough that it could just be jumped instead of bothering to use the boards.

              My suggestion here is to use an incline, where the far edge is higher than the edge you are starting from. By having it higher, you should be able to reduce the distance you need the far edge of the gap to be in order to remain unjumpable. This in turn should reduce the length the board needs to be to bridge that gap.

              Another tactic would be to give the player access to the gravity gun BEFORE they get access to the HEV suit, which will restrict their ability to sprint, and thus reduce the length of their jump even further.

              Once the length of the board is reduced far enough, it should be far less hassle to manipulate the board. Reducing the depth of your gap would help improve the player’s ability to retrieve dropped boards. I was actually able to retrieve a board that dropped completely to the bottom of the gap in this puzzle, it just took some serious concentration and persistence to get it back.
              Along with reducing the depth, you may actually want to make falling into the gap survivable (perhaps add water?) along with adding some sort of ladder or path that would allow you to get back up to your starting point. Sure, the puzzle might then SEEM like it’s too easy then, but since HL2 supports quick saves, the player just reloads from the save point when they die anyway, so there’s really no reason to make falling into the gap = instant death, except that it probably takes less work to just add a death trigger to the bottom of a hole instead of adding some water and a ladder back up.

  12. rumrunner

    A very enjoyable map.I like it when the map makes you think about how to continue to the next room.The style is unique to Miigga and thank you for enough hints to keep going without becoming frustrated and stuck.
    [spoiler]The Plank section I over hung one on the edge and put one diagonal to the doorway to the room and ran across them.
    Thanks for the map Miigga very well done

  13. Anon_222321

    Help, I’m stuck! I found the first crank to open the gate, but now up in the second floor of the first building I cannot find the second crank to get the generator going. Anyone?

    1. Major Banter

      Use a grenade to destroy the generator.

  14. Play It Now!

    Great fun!

    I had a totally blonde moment in the [spoiler]exploding watermelon[/spoiler] stage, where I didn’t see how to progress to the next area. 🙂

    But, once I’d checked some of the screenshots here I realized what I was looking at and went on to finish.

    It was a blast! For my part I found I was using the flashlight a LOT, in the earlier areas.

    I love my vortigaunt friend. He is my very best friend ever.

    Once more the puzzles are fun, the combat is intense, and the maps are just wonderful fun to figure out. Good work.

  15. Crumpet Boy

    Very nice map with some nice visuals and fun gameplay. I especially liked the two main arena rooms, as they were beautifully detailed and lit. There were some very impressive puzzles throughout, which had a great flow from start to logical conclusion; and most battles were well paced, with good positioning of health and resources.

    For me, something that really let the whole thing down was the non-sequitur progression between puzzles and the fact that the level design rarely directed the player in the right direction towards solving the puzzles.

    An early example of this was the [spoiler]grenade[/spoiler] puzzle to get down off the “island”. I found the fact that the map design funneled you to the second storey whilst the door was on the first story, the pointless generator on the second storey led me to spend many fruitless minutes trying to turn it on, and the door on the first level was not lit, meaning that I chanced across it out of desperation rather than as a result of good level design.

    Unfortunately this was a pretty continuous throughout the mod, with rooms laid out or (more commonly) lit in a way that obstructed instead of assisted gameplay, and frequent failures to provide players with adequate forewarning to various events in the level.

    This can be beneficial when attempting to surprise the player, but moments such as the “[spoiler]shoot the hatch so the zombie and exploding barrel falls down[/spoiler]” puzzle came with no forewarning to the player, so you’re left feeling annoyed that your dead after having no chance to predict the outcome of the action.

    I reckon that with lighting alone you could fix most of these issues, by making sure you light scenes so that the player is drawn towards the areas they need to focus on. Additionally, making sure there are sight lines between all elements of a puzzle and a logical progression of events is important to directing the player through the level ([spoiler]such as the fact that the button in the first underground arena activates after you exit the (formerly) locked second door[/spoiler]).

    Overall, a fun mod with a solid hour or so of gameplay. Great work.

    1. For the generator puzzle you mentioned:
      [spoiler]The generator on the second floor was NOT pointless, it was running the force field that kept you OUT of the door on the first floor. If I remember correctly it should have had the standard wire connecting it to the forcefield that has become a key telltale that interacting with something on one end of the wire will affect whatever is on the opposite end of the wire. You were SUPPOSED to need to toss a grenade under the generator in order to turn it OFF. That “wire connects things” convention had already been taught to the player during the first two gate puzzles. To me, this sounds like a case where something happened to the generator before you could get to it, so you were left expecting to solve a puzzle that had already been solved.[/spoiler]
      For the zombie section you mentioned:
      [spoiler]I’m not quite sure what issues you had with this. There was a wire hanging down sending off sparks to draw your eye to that boarded hatch in the ceiling from the moment you got into that room. The first thing I did was walk around the edge so I could get a closer look at what it was, and the first thing I saw was an explosive barrel being held up by the planks, so I got to a safe area to shoot the planks from.
      I’ve never tried jumping down into that area without breaking those planks first, so I don’t know if jumping into that area causes them to automatically drop down on top of you and kill you, but it’s still a case where exercising a basic note of caution and observing your surroundings before making hasty actions would have saved you a lot of grief.[/spoiler]
      I do agree that sight lines should be implemented whenever possible, so that whenever you interact with something, you can directly observe what effect it has, but in the cases you mentioned I feel that Migga used standard conventions for drawing the player’s attention to the important objects, or from the important object they needed to interact with to the object that would be affected by that interaction.

  16. Maybe?

    Magnificent mapping by Miigga I have to say. The attention to detail is superb.
    Combat game play is excellent. In Hard, after many reloads, I managed to finish the last battle 2/0. A very close run thing.

    I could not find anything wrong with the mapping at all. This is very good indeed.

    Puzzles. Far too many. There were enough to fill 2 or 3 maps! I found myself thinking “oh no not another one already” and getting rather irritated.
    I enjoy the odd puzzle to break up combat game play but this was more like a puzzle map lightly sprinkled with excellent combat game play.

    I was disappointed to see the regression back to ‘match the symbols” and “find the keys” type puzzles.
    Miigga’s better than this and has proved it with some excellent new conundrums and new takes on old ones.

    For puzzle lovers this a PIN
    For Combat lovers this is a labour just to get to the combat.

    Too many puzzles are boring

    1. I have to admit, I’m actually on the opposite side of the fence from you. I found the battles to just be annoying obstructions getting in my way to the next puzzle.

      Despite that, I find myself agreeing with you about the symbol matching puzzles. I don’t actually find them annoying (though it does get frustrating when I click on a button to change a symbol, but the symbol to the left of it is the one that changes), but I feel that they are entirely out of place in the half life 2 universe (even if migga’s maps aren’t supposed to be part of that universe) The keys did get a little annoying to track down at times, but it helps to think of them like the “find the battery” puzzles.

    2. Miigga

      I felt like my previous maps had too much combat and not enough puzzles, so I went back to concentrate on puzzles instead.

      I guess it’s a matter of what you prefer, I can’t please everyone. :V

      1. Just an opinion Miigga, not a criticism. I happen to be something of a fan of your mapping skills.
        Many of us have different tastes so you have no chance of satisfying everybody.
        I thought your previous maps with less puzzles and more combat were amazingly good to play.
        Through gritted teeth, I admit, I congratulate you and thank you for this one (Grrrrrr).

  17. Play It Later

    This might deserve a PIN, but I played it over 3 days and yesterday I was annoyed for unrelated reasons…

    I agree about invisible walls. They are irritating. However, I think you otherwise drew attention to the path just fine. I didn’t really pay much attention to the sparking wire, until I explored and found there was no place to go, so looked at the wire and saw the next thing to do…

    I thought the watermelon puzzle was really clever. I was mad at first, because I couldn’t get the last one in and couldn’t get the last one in and then finally figured out what to do…

    The key puzzles are sort of old, but I played many of your maps in small period of time. (I did noclip at the gap after trying to use the boards, and I’m not ashamed of it.)

    I thought there was a good balance between the puzzles and the combat, myself. I loved the last battle, even though I died the first time. This might be your best map yet, at least as far as incorporating combat goes (I know you’re mostly a puzzle guy, or at least started that way). 🙂

  18. J-Man

    I like puzzles,but it seemed like every time I turned around I was scratching my head trying to figure out what to do next(I figured 95% of the puzzles,but there was two I had to use Noclip to advance)other than that,I loved the map,it was straight up my alley-combat,visuals,etc..@ the author “Great Job” Enthalpy 3 coming?

  19. Play It Now!

    Another terrific Migga Map, I reserve my PF ratings for Long Mods but IMO all the Migga maps are PF for me and this was no exception. Quality design, a good amount of gameplay and a nice mix and variety of puzzle, combat and eye candy. To me Migga is a top author and I give even extra credit for the relatively short time it takes for each map to come out.
    Well Done. Thank You!

    1. Ade

      aww ur text says PF, but image says PIN

  20. I really loved the map, a mixture of many puzzles and a decent amount of action. I agree with some of the ‘mixed” comments from the lower recommendations however overall I think this had more of a “fun” factor than most maps. I found it challenging enough without going “over the top’.

    So it gets my highest rating, seldom given. What a week! I had just finished playing another PF, Mission Improbable, before this!

    1. Personal Favourite

      For some reason, the recommendation image didn’t show. Trying this again.

  21. Play It Now!

    As a playtester of this map, I can honestly say it was enjoyable for all three run-throughs. While a few – admittedly infuriating – issues are present, it’s largely a well packaged and produced piece. Extremely well mapped, beautifully lit and while not entirely consistent, definitely worth a download.

    Especially if you like puzzles.

  22. Play It Now!

    For a singe map file, Enthalpy 2 feels satisfyingly long, full of twists and turns that are not entirely linear. I rather liked the opening environment of the tiny man-made “island” structure, though it’s odd that you arrive by coming up a lift from inside the same structure itself, with no explanation how you got in that way.

    Nevertheless, the vast majority of the map is very engaging and playable, with a challenging opening battle, and numerous puzzles (though maybe too many for some players.) For me, the puzzles were not all that difficult, but there was a fun “obstacle course” along the way. However, the finale battle, in what felt like a mini DM arena, was too much for my tastes. I had to take the difficulty level down to Easy just to finish it off and see the very end.

    What really struck me about this map was the great amount of detail and variety in a single map, without needing any expansive outdoor areas, and though maybe a bit dark at times, I still found the lighting to be really nicely done throughout. Despite my waning interest at the end due to the intense ending battle scene, I really had a lot of fun playing this this map, and recommend it to anyone looking for an hour or two of something with a good number of puzzles mixed with a few challenging battles.

    *Please Note*
    I played this map successfully using the latest version of Half-Life 2: Ep2 through both the Windows and Macintosh versions of Steam. I saw no compatibility issues at all.

    My Ratings
    GAMEPLAY MAP DESIGN
    Playability: Mini
Review Bar System Detail: Mini Review
Bar System
    Originality: Mini
Review Bar System Puzzles: Mini Review
Bar System
    Challenge: Mini
Review Bar System Battles: Mini Review
Bar System
    Storyline: Mini
Review Bar System Lighting: Mini Review
Bar System
    Variety: Mini Review
Bar System Audio: Mini
Review Bar System

    (For an explanation of my ratings system, please see this forum thread.)

  23. Mel
    Play It Later

    Not often I finish a puzzle based mod/map, so I guess this had something going for it. Most of the puzzle were not that difficult, some were ingenious others frustrating, either way, I noclipped a lot.

    The meager combat was for the most a token effort with only the end encounter having any real substance.

    Set design was more then adequate with an eye for detail and incidental content. However, this is one of those mods that make it difficult to enter ducks, pass though gaps and squeeze down holes. I’m never sure whether this is down to poor mapping or my inability to navigate tight spots.

    For those that like puzzles interspersed with some combat, this is a must play, for others that prefer a story and some point to all the encounters this is very much a play later. For many that dislike puzzle based mods, like me, you could give it a miss.

  24. Personal Favourite

    I totally enjoyed this map! Mel concluded that it is a must play for those ‘that like puzzles interspersed with some combat’, but I think the puzzling and combat is well balanced. Ofcourse, there is some time between the combats. But I argue that the combats that do exists in this map are that intensive, that it is rather positive that you get some rest after each battle.

    Anyway, I totally loved this map!

  25. I guess I’m blonder than zekiran. I don’t know where to go even after looking at the screenshots. I’ve looked all over the 2 levels.
    Any help out there for a latecomer to this great mod?

    1. Got it!

      [spoiler]back to the unusual exploding object[/spoiler]

      Took me 5 days and then I finally tried noclip for the first time.

  26. Hec
    Play It Now!

    Well this was BRUTAL!!, I ended the final master battle with 1 of health but I did it!!, and it was great, probably here in enthalpy2 we have definetely the hardest combat in miigga’s maps and overall here we can see why miigga’s maps became so well don in puzzles and combat terms. personaly I think I prefere more combat in miigga’s maps than puzzles, ther reason?? because miiga does combat pretty well, I loved the final battle, tough I have to recognize I felt kind of lonley when my vorti friend died, and from theere on to resist 2 or 3 more combine hordes was the living hell!!!, if you want a map full of action and with a hard ass finale this is it. play it play it now!!

  27. Ade
    Play It Later

    Part 2 of what I would call Miigga’s first mod has a funny intro, consistent with part 1’s intro. Some short notes with spoilers:
    – I also have to complain about the visible map corner, without giving a solution other than surrounding the island with land..
    – weird place for a ggun, but nice little crowbar puzzle
    – small lighting issues and bad player clipping or as others call it invisible walls
    – took me a while to find the lever but in the end was fun to spin it
    – now why would a vent block be fueled by a generator?
    – melon puzzle! yay!
    – the 4 button puzzle needs a more obvious clue and isn’t so well implemented, as others complained also
    – the crush puzzle – I took a melon to crush it for fun, I don’t know how I could get it through the gate behind me though
    – the gate before the hunters in the first panorama doesn’t have such obvious “open” button for it
    – lol floating melon, man I’m so glad you love melons as much as I do
    – the autosave in the last section also stops the music, it’s not a bug, just a damn shame that the battle was bit too hard
    – nice help charging from the vort, but
    – why does it end with me in a stalker pod!
    Here’s hoping for Enthalpy 3 😀 Meanwhile, play the first 2 parts, guys!

  28. Anon_1877504
    Personal Favourite

    Awesome map! After playing this map, this map became one of my favorite maps of the author. Fun puzzles, beautiful outdoor scenes, melons, not too easy & not too difficult fights, Vortigaunt, and cool last fight!

  29. Play It Later

    Is creativity the use of lots of idea through puzzles ? for me certainly not because at a certain time it’s causing for me frustration and this is sad… it’s like a kitchen chief which can make everything in the good way but without being able to let you the appropriate taste in you mouth

    For me all ingredient are present to make a personal favorite map …sadly for me it misses the objective

  30. Play It Later

    Good looking maps. ok action, mostly puzzles. Not a fan of puzzles that just exist to have a puzzle with no connection to why it would be there. Puzzles themselves are good.

  31. Playthough here:

    https://youtu.be/PrNYxf8MZGc (Start at 9:58)

Reply without including a Recommendation and MetaReview Data

Recommendation System

You must be registered and logged in to use the Recommendation System.
Why not register now? It's free and easy. If you are already registered then please login.


Comment Formatting Guide

Well formatted comments are much easier to read. Please copy and paste the HTML Tags to use in your comment

  • HEADER: <div class="fix"></div><div class="sbe3">TEXT HERE</div>
  • BOLD: <strong>TEXT HERE</strong>
  • ITALIC: <em>TEXT HERE</em>
  • SPOILER: <span class="spoiler">TEXT HERE</span>