This map was originally released on FPSB as Hamlet. After playing it and realizing it didn’t have any combat but was so well made that it deserved to be seen and played by you guys, I contacted the author and requested he add some combat.
He kindly agreed and eventually got the new file to me, which I present here. It starts with an exploring style and finishes with a clear objective. I recommend you play on Medium or Hard.
Basic Details
- Title: Hamlet Combat
- File Name: hl2-ep2-sp-hamlet-combat.7z
- Size : 18.23Mb
- Author: BOV
- Date Released: 10 December 2010
PlanetPhillip Download Servers
Installation Instructions
- Copy sp_hamlet.bsp into your Half-Life 2: Episode Two Maps folder.
- Launch Half-Life 2: Episode Two
- Open the console and type map sp_hamlet.
- Press enter/return or click the Submit button.
- Play and Enjoy.
If you require more help, please visit the Help page.
2010 Mod Of The Year Award Nominations
None
Panoramic View
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Gameplay Teaser Video
Screenshots
Click on the thumbnails below to open a 800 pixel wide image.
WARNING: The screenshots contain spoilers.
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Reader Recommendations
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Meta Review Data
Statistics based on 2 comment(s) with meta review data.
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Manually: 2 Users
Time Taken:
Average: 0 Hours, 16 Mins
Shortest: 0 Hours, 15 Mins by shaboo
Longest: 0 Hours, 17 Mins by JellyBeanDude27
Total Time Played: 0 Hours, 32 Mins
Using Gauge: Users
Manually: 2 Users
Time Taken:
Average: 0 Hours, 16 Mins
Shortest: 0 Hours, 15 Mins by shaboo
Longest: 0 Hours, 17 Mins by JellyBeanDude27
Total Time Played: 0 Hours, 32 Mins
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The first thing you’ll notice about this map is the beautiful atmosphere. It’s clear that the author has taken a lot of time to make this feel just right. I enjoyed the map without combat but have to admit I enjoyed it more with it.
It doesn’t take much of a memory to recall Wasteland Combat, which had exactly the same process of appearing on PP.
My only critism of the combat version si the slightly silly conversation and bombers at the end. I’m sure the author was trying to make it more interesting than justa dding Combine soldiers, but it felt out of place.
I recommend you play this map, even if you don’t like the combat, just so you can explore.
Well played, Phillip and thank you for asking BOV, successfully, to add combat.
I played this with no combat a while ago.
I’m off to crunch Combine, hack Headcrabs and zap Zombies or whatever the combat is.
Ever the curious one, I did play the non-combat version.
I’m not a fan of this type of map but, yes, it was beautifully done.
So, the combat is about crunching Combine, always my favourite; however:
This, with combat, version left me disappointed.
I’m sorry to say this BOV but the combat was terrible.
The Combine soldiers stand rooted to the spot like trees. It was a bit like having ai-disabled but the Combine do shoot at you.
info_node entities BOV?
Kleiner & the bombers provide a raison d’etre.
I went back to view the devastation……………………
Wonderful map, a sympathic history/objectives. Done in 15 minutes.
Woops, a little short for a review.
Well, it is well done, really, but the external shape of the map is really magnific, but the internal (houses inside…) is a bit empty.
I was more impressed by Mission Improbable 1 map for example.
And what the heck with Combine = Russian? It is Cold War 2? I was a bit astonished.
Hello everybody and thank you for the comments on the map. I know that the combat version isn’t perfect at all. The thing is that I’ve made almost none combat map at all with npc,s and stuff so I really had no idea how to do it and with the info_node,s.
If there is enough people interested, I could make a updated version with improved gameplay and better dialogues (Yeah I know those were horrible). If there are any other things that you think could be better in this map please tell me and I could add it to the new version.
Also, the bomber planes in the end will be replaced. I was going to have some “real” airplane models but somehow forgot it and released the map with the blocky planes instead which I apologize for.
Hi, Bov. First of all, the main point is that you’re really a good mapper.
I understand that the map wasn’t “combat” at first, this is surely why it is not really the best point.
However, you really tried to make something with a story and some events, and you did it just as Phillip asked you, so we can’t really criticize your work since you transformed it in a “combat” type “on popular demand” 🙂
So, what to do to do it better? Well, here is my humble opinion since I’m not a mapper at all but a player among others :)…
– Forget the aspect “Russian/American”‘…. For example, it can be “Combine/White Forest Base”… It would fit in the Half-life verse.
-For the fights, well, for the second part (after retrieving “Kleiner”), you could have put more weapons in the underground bunker then some Hunter and a Dropship. The main criticism I would say is the lack of “climax”. A good battle with some Hunters and a Dropship or a Gunship would have been cool.
But again, that’s just my opinion and overall your mapping talents are great 🙂
@ Bov said “If there is enough people interested”.
🙂 Yes, please, Bov. 🙂
Please see comments by s.anchev and Bertram.
Not sure about the snipers though. I don’t think they would work without changing an otherwise great map. Both areas are very open and beautifully done and it would be a shame to change any of it.
You might find the betatesterscollective.com very useful.
logging in I saw this released so I gave it a go. its ok for a 15 minute play, not alot here other than of course the scenery. a few obj’s to take care of and some easy combat.
The layout to me would make for a nice sniper type map.
Ok. Gonna chime in.
Good map overall. It’s very very pretty. Great skybox and the buildings look really good. It’s pretty atmospheric.
I’d personally add more props to the indoors areas. The custom props looked good as well.
The combine are ok to fight against. Most just spawn and then you pick them off from a distance. With an open map like this so much more could have been done. Dropships coming in. Enemies rappeling from the roof. Vehicles. Mounted guns. Snipers.
Still it’s pretty and good for a quick playthrough
It was really short and the combat was lame, aside from that, the map was laid out well and had some interesting (and predictable) twists. but none the less it was entertaining for the short time I played it.
Why?
Nice short little mod with a very retro story involving Cold War Combine. Short but nicely detailed with a realistically rendered dynamic sky, which I had not noticed in other mods or games. Maybe I should look up more!
Play it now, as it’s a fun diversion for a good few minutes of combat and pretty to boot. A continuous road loop would have added to the fun after the story plays out. And maybe a broken bridge jump to test the jalopy’s suspension!
I’m not sure why, but I can’t get this map to load at all. I think it might be issues with my own pc, but so far I haven’t had any luck. When I try to load the map, it just never gets around to loading it.
Are there any issues with running this map with HDR turned off or in Direct X 8.1?
You are the first to report it. If I get a chance later, I’ll try your settings and report back.
You are not alone….I can’t even get the bsp to go in the maps folder…not a problem normally with any other bsp…BUT, it just won’t have it….odd..
i just don’t get it, I probably did miss a whole lot of files, although I don’t think so. the rar that I did download only had 1 bsp file in it.
i did start the map without a suit and or any weapon, I assumed I would find any but I couldn’t. I did find a handle that had to be turned but to get to that I had to have a key, I looked everywhere but couldn’t find one. finally I no clipped myself to the handle, and ones I turned it I heard a machine sound. I assumed I would find my suit and weapon but all I could find was that the light was on now in that house where that black shadow of a man is standing. so I gave myself a suit and machine gun by cheating through a console command and moved on. ones I followed that road between the mountains/rocks I did get to a open place where about 5 combines or so did fire on me, ones I killed them all I really didn’t know what else to do. I walked around for about 20 minutes but that seems to be it.
did I miss something or was this just it, because when that is the case then I didn’t liked this map all that much. the scenery was ok, but not that impressive I have to say. the houses looked kind of empty and blocky. I did walk somewhere into a not visible model or something, and I did found a lot of invisible walls.
all in all it was a bit of a disappointment to me, but, like I said before, I am sure I missed some files and or other stuff.
please tell me what I did wrong, and, where I can find that one key, I looked EVERYWHERE!
leon
(great edit function Phillip, needed it right away, lol.
because of this all I will wait with my recommandation, because it wouldn’t be fair to give one now when I missed files or something)
Leon, there is only one file. There is no suit, but you “get” it when you find the weapon which is on the floor somewhere to your left after emerging into the open area. The key is in one of the houses and the fuel for the Jalopy is near there too. The lever allows you access to the underground bunker near the helicopter and after the message is given, there will be more combine waiting for you. You have to then go back to the first area and use the radio and that’s it.
Dear me, Leon.
it’s a single map and I doubt you’re missing anything (but the jury is out on that! 😀 ).
! A walkthrough !
[spoiler]In the 1st area, search the building to the left of the causeway, as you look at it, for pistol ammo.
Through the causeway to second area.
As you leave the causeway, 1st house on the right has the pistol and more ammo for it.
Kill Combine – lovely.
Cross the bridge. Petrol in the house at 11 o’clock. Don’t pick it up yet.
Key in the house next door with the veranda.
Go visit Kleiner (Phillip’s screenshot #16) and collect another weapon.
Kill Combine on both sides of the bridge.
Go back for the petrol. Back across the bridge again.
Find the Jalopy in the shed with a van next to it.
Drive back through the causeway and Crunch some Combine 🙂
When done, “use” the TV screen.
Then pop out side and watch the heavy bombers.[/spoiler]
But I’ll bet you will not like it because the Combine don’t move much.
This is just an example of how the atmosphere can matter more than the enemies you are fighting with.
This map is so beautiful, that it makes you forget the weird bombers at the end. I mean, its so nicely made, even if it wasn’t for a few things I would have thought this was a map that was originally in Half Life 2!
I am looking forward for more creations from the author of this map, however I’ll play the non-combat version first, just to see the difference between both.
thanks for the comment, I am 100% sure I did search all those places, and didn’t find the pistol, suit, or key. although I did find that one pistol ammo case.
just to be sure I will play the map now again, to see if I did miss these items.
will comment again in 1 hour when I am done.
leon
edit;
(again, great function this edit button Phillip!
and thanks for the walkthrough Jasper, it seems I compleatly overlooked that one room in the back of that one house, where the pistol was. probebly because by then I allready had given myself a suit and pistol by cheating. I did find the docter below ground now, and indeed where there more combines to kill after that. although it isn’t real fair I think to place 3 combines around that hole when you come out. they killed me emidiatly. for some odd reason I did like the plains flying over in the end, even when they didn’t look that realistic because there where build out of brushes. and, I still couldn’t find that one key that I needed to open that lock to switch the powerhandle, but it seems I didn’t need that one anyway. seems all it does it makes it light go on in that one house. one thing that does amaze me is that the mapper seems to be quit capeble to make such a large well build and optimazed map, but doesn’t seem to know how to make enemies/combines attack. although the adding of enemies did make this map much more interesting to play, the way they just stood still and didn’t attack made them look a bit odd.
all in all a fun map to play, although I really do believe the player needs to get some directions through text or other means, so he knows that he has to progress to the second part of the map where he can find the pistol. because I always thought I just missed the weapon in the first part of the map.
now that I was able to play this map as it should be played I will give it a 6out of 10. or, to speak in PP’s recommandation terms, a Play it Later. a Play it Now doesn’t really do justige I think.)
this does bring me to that I think that there is a to large cap between the recommandation play it now and play it later. maybe you could add between them a Worth Playing or something. because when I read Play it Now, then I think it is really good, really worth playing.
leon
FYI Phillip. I downloaded the map, played it and wrote my review back on 12/11 and then deleted the map. I then thought of replaying the map using a different approach so I downloaded it again BUT this time I am having the same issue as Grey Acumen. The file is in the correct location and when I type it in the console it just stalls on the “loading” page. Its a mystery to me.
2 things I did notice that I dont know if they have any significance at all or not are The total downlad stats on this page seem very high and when bringing up the file under the extraction box it says size 56,654,060 packed 0
because I edited my last comment, therefore it seems I can’t add a recommendation anymore. so will open a new comment for this recommendation of mine.
maybe you can change this Phillip?
because I can imagine that people forget to recommandate, or want to change there recommendation through editing, and then this is not possible.
just a suggestion, 🙂
leon
I enjoyed it, especially the overall layout, however the ai didn’t excite me, so I’ll add my name to the list for an enhanced version, please.
I couldn’t figure the jalopy, I took a fuel can to it but nothing I could figure solved the “needed fuel” message.
doug, there is another fuel can, the one you need is Red
Thanks!
A short but well constructed map with scenic backdrop of lightly snow covered hills blending impressive with the foreshore.
The degree of mapping and design maintained good level throughout with scattered empty building giving a feeling of abandonment.
The combine placement and fire power is easily overcome; however, there are plenty of engagements to keep the player immersed.
The story line is both a bit thin and corny, and one plays through most of the map with little purpose.
If you like short and sharp, but easy encounters then you will enjoy this one.
I’m going to try this again from a different angle…would their be any reason why a bsp wouldn’t be accepted into the folder ? I just get an error message using win RAR, I’ll try dragging and dropping it…
mm, that worked for some reason….
Spooky
Well, wish I hadn’t bothered now..pretty enough, but almost nothing to do, killed about 4 combine..got bored and gave up….
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Though I have to agree with others that Hamlet Combat is quite pretty and well laid out, I found that the combat didn’t take advantage of the spaces offered, instead disallowing the Combine to enter buildings and other areas where things could have gotten more challenging and interesting. Also, there are so few weapons placed in the map that if missed, it makes progression really difficult. I would have much rather see it stocked better with weapons and ammo, and more soldiers coming out of surprising places.
Perhaps I didn’t look well enough, but I only found a crowbar, and had to rush attack one of the soldiers, who strangely just stood in place, in order to get a real weapon. I also found it frustrating that there were numerous invisible barriers where there wasn’t enough physical objects blocking the way – particularly in the building where the jalopy sits. Nonetheless, I did finish the map, albeit without finding the correct fuel can for the jalopy, and to be honest, not interested in trying to find it as I felt I had seen everything I needed to.
Despite what seems like a fairly negative review, the map is definitely worth seeing, so I’m giving it a Play It Later.
This map is compatible with the Mac version of Steam/HL2, as of November 2010. Just drop it into the same location given in the above instructions, but inside your Half Life 2: Episode 2 folder on your mac.
Well this worth the effort only because this is a good and nice map, seems to me like if u were in bosnia or some ex-yugoslavian scenario. But the story is so crappy, sorry “bout that, but if u think to put russians and americans, better change the models of the cmb, and the weapons too, also those “atack planes” at the end could had been perfect only with some skins, and u can tell me, i’m a real military aviation fan, you could put some B58 hustlers, or some A4 SKYHAWKS, or some cold war plane…
I know i’m asking too much for a little map, but that makes me think that the story concept is not too bad, this could be a perfect source kind of BLACK OPS mod, but I know it’d take a long to do something into that line.
Never the less the map was beautiful, the combat fine but not excellent, maybe a heli, or a gunship would had been offer some more action, and finally the story was so out of the universe of HL2 so if the maper would had set the story into the HL2 universe this map could have been certainly a “play it now”, but for now is just a play it later, altough is a nice map and worth the effort…
Pd. I couldn’t started the jalopy, I shoot at the red fuel galon, so that’s another crappy detail
🙁
You must take the fuel container to the jalopy, when you get close it will disappear and you can get in.
Oh yes, that’s the solution, but you know what?, I get confused because I grab a metallic fuel gallon in a destroyed cabain next to the garage, and I shooted the red gallon because I couldn’t resist the temptation to do that with my shootgun, so is obvious my fault hahaha, but anyway I could finish the map by “foot” anyway!!, *silly map anecdote*
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This map is really pretty but it looks better than it plays. Don’t get me wrong, I had fun with it, but it wasn’t built for combat in the first place. It’s like one of those Quake maps, the ones that were built for deathmatch but the author threw some SP enemies in. It’s fun but it doesn’t quite feel right.
The visuals are really good though. The lighting and architecture are great for the most part. The only part where it wasn’t top notch was inside some of the houses. They were really empty and kind of boxy. Other than that the visuals are great.
I also loved exploring the map. I didn’t find the crowbar until the combat was over and the same thing could’ve happened with the other weapons. If there was an entire mod based around that I think it would be rather interesting.
The thing with the Russians and the attack planes was silly. I don’t really get why it was there. It doesn’t really add anything and is very out of place.
I definitely recommend this map if for no other reason because of the exploration and visuals.
Manually
Medium
17 Minutes
Nice visuals, but very average gameplay, and it’s quite obvious that combat was treated as an afterthought here.
Why do I find ammo for the pistol in the first part of the map, but have to wait for the crowbar and the pistol until the second part? Why add a jalopy (and even fuel) when there’s no real use for it? The map is small and there isn’t even a jump or something similar. Why confuse the player with metallic (non-working) and red (working) fuel canisters? How is the player supposed to know that the lever allows you access to the underground bunker? Why are all these buildings so empty? And finally this Russians vs. Americans plot … oh dear! Is it still 1980?
An extended and refined version of this could’ve been awesome, but as it is, visuals and atmosphere are the only reasons to spend 15 minutes with Hamlet …
Manually
Medium
15 Minutes